Mainz – Borussia M’Gladbach 1:0
Martin Schmidt’s Mainz edged Gladbach in quite a close 1-0 win which highlighted the attacking issues that Schubert’s side is faced with.
Saturday, 04.05.2024
Martin Schmidt’s Mainz edged Gladbach in quite a close 1-0 win which highlighted the attacking issues that Schubert’s side is faced with.
After the Bundesliga finally made its comeback on Friday night, we were treated to a range of matches yesterday with the pick of the bunch being a repeat of the season opener as Dortmund travelled to Mönchengladbach’s Borussia Park.
The Bundesliga is back! After an awfully long Christmas period, football in the German top flight returns. Before the main bulk of the fixtures tomorrow, we were treated to a match between Bayern and HSV in a clash which has panierved up some great Bavarian performances in past years.
Borussia Mönchengladbach issued Guardiola’s first Bundesliga defeat of the season with a resounding 3-1 victory at home to the German champions. Schubert opted for a flexible 3-1-4-2 system over his more usual 4-4-2 which saw Granit Xhaxa act in a hybrid defensive role between the lines of defence and midfield.
After Bayern fell short to Gladbach, Tuchel’s men had a rare opportunity to close the gap at the top of the league on Saturday. Despite a tense final 5 minutes to the match, Dortmund were able to add to their win against Stuttgart through a late Kagawa winner.
Thomas Tuchel won his first Revierderby as his Dortmund side put 3 past a poorly-organised Schalke defence. His side were structured well to exploit the deficiencies of a man-oriented 4-4-2 shape, particularly through their deep playmaking.
An early title-decider in Bundesliga by the two dominant teams so far. Tuchel has his first game with Dortmund against his supposed-mentor Pep in what was sure to be a great tactical battle. The promise was kept as we saw numerous tactical changes by both dugouts throughout the match.
Four games into the 2015/2016 Bundesliga season and Borussia Dortmund sit at the top of the table with a 100% record, 15 goals scored and just 3 conceded. Under the new management of Thomas Tuchel, the former-Mainzer has rejuvenated a side who looked lost just a matter of months ago with Jurgen Klopp.
Just how has the prodigal coach turned Die Schwarzgelbe around?
The team from the German capital defended surprisingly well during the first half. Nevertheless, Thomas Tuchel’s newly shaped Borussia Dortmund team seem unstoppable at the moment, even though a set piece was the key to break the Berlin Wall.
An interesting tactical battle between two of the top teams on the planet. Pep Guardiola finally really beats Roger Schmidt with a very interesting and fluid system. Leverkusen executed their usual game plan of intense pressing and lay-off/combination focus in transitions, but Bayern was able to nullify both of these aspects in a unique way.