Borussia Dortmund, managed by Edin Terzic, Managed to qualify for the Champions League final. The Germans reached the big football history after eliminating such teams as PSV, Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. From the MBP School of coaches, we will analyze the main tactical characteristics of the Rhine-Ruhr team, highlighting its main virtues and disadvantages at the behavioral level.
Tactical strengths
1.- Occupation of spaces
The first remarkable quality of Borussia is its rational occupation of spaces during the offensive phase. Those whom Edin leads always strive to ensure three main principles: Amplitude, depth, time intervals.
Thanks to this, PvP was able to facilitate the realization of various playing principles laid down within the model of the offensive game.
In addition to that, They generate favorable contexts for more balanced players, Whether it is Julian Brandt in the playoff positions or Jadon Sancho in 1-on-1 positions with a qualitative advantage over the opponent.
2.- Ball outlet ;
The second virtue of Dortmund is the delivery of the brilliant ball at the moment of the dynamic start. Through the “third man” concept, Terzic’s team was able to overcome the pressure lines and settle in the rival camp.
For this , it is important to highlight An amazing vision of the game for both the full-back, Hamels and Schlotterbeck , and the participation of striker Niklas F. ochlkrog to provide support From the second line and be responsible for unloading to a free player.
Also, when They are faced with teams that exert more intense pressure, using the same principle through a passing game. It is there that the striker’s figure becomes more important, which manifests itself imposing in air disputes and in subsequent disputes left to teammates.
3.- Vertical in the last trimester
The third great German Virtue is his verticality when attacking in the last third of the field.
As soon as they manage to get into the moment of attack 3/4, The way to penetrate the competitive zone is to filter vertical passes in search of the most advanced menWhether it’s fiasco, Sancho or Ademi. For this, the quality of midfielders, such as Brandt, Sabitzer or Imre Can, who are able to filter those passes, is fundamental.
However, When facing opponents who give priority to a lower defensive block, Adjust their behavior. In these cases, They are looking to attack the zone through the side centers, Where the character of effelkrog once again stands out.
The German specializes in capes. He also has a special ability to perform various basics that allow him to anticipate the opponent, such as attacking the most effective spaces for a shot, changing direction in clearance to finish positions, or attacking the ball forward as quickly as possible in its trajectory.
4.- Pressure after rotation
The last force to highlight Borussia is their collective defensive behavior as soon as they lose the ball. They perform very intense stress after a loss Which involves players located in intervening, intermediate and remote areas.
Thanks to that, If the first press is effective, they will be able to recover a large amount of balls in the seconds after the loss.
However, in the event that recovery is not achieved , the opposing team has favorable spaces for advancement on the other side , since the slope of the BF is A lot of players have accumulated in the robbery zone in search of generating numerical superiority defensively.
Tactical weaknesses
1.- Low block Defense
Despite the excellent draw against PSG, and the fact that no goals were conceded against him, the Germans have shown during the current season Do not be specialists in defensive tasks except moving attack and defense.
One of the main weaknesses of Terzich is the low-block defense, that is, the proximity of their zone.
Although a dynamic organization is often used p-4-1-4-1 during the defensive phase, looking for a correct defensive structural occupation, Borussia He failed to squeeze his team deep and wide, leaving free spaces for the opponent between the lines.
2.- Defense of the territory ;
Another point to improve BV is Defending the zone in cases of lateral positions. The inclination of football players is Putting the focus of attention on the ball, which leads to the presence of opponents more often, Especially when there are additions from the second line.
3.- Individual speed;
The last big minus of the German team is the individual speed of its players. Despite the presence of such fast athletes as Ademi or Sancho, the rest of the team does not excel in this aspect.
This is reflected In transitions, offensive and defensive. In extra time against Paris Saint-Germain, once both ends were replaced, Terzic lost his pace in attack.
The same goes for defensive shifts , where players like Mats Hummels or Schlotterbeck are not specialists in defending spaces and suffer in underdeveloped routes.
Conclusions
Reaching the Champions League final is not easy. Borussia Dortmund, with its virtues and shortcomings, managed to overcome various qualifiers until reaching the last step to lift the trophy.
As we have seen in the article, those managed by Edin Terzic have a number of remarkable virtues that make them a team to be taken into account. However, they will have to improve defensive work if they want to get a chance to beat Real Madrid in the big event.
