Sunday, 09.03.2025
Bayern were issued their first loss of the season to an impressive Arsenal defence. Guardiola’s team were the cause of the majority of their issues with a possession game which lacked intensity and failed to have a good enough level of penetration as they dominated the passing stats but failed to convert them into chances.
After a week of preparation, although some players did their duties for the national teams, Jürgen Klopp began his Premier League career with a point at Tottenham. Liverpool showed only rudiments of Klopp’s preferred style of football, trying to emulate the high energy gegenpressing which was synonymous with the Klopp era at Borussia Dortmund.
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.
Roger Schmidt’s pressing machine fell late on against a Barcelona side lacking the injured Lionel Messi. Taking the lead through a Papadopolous header, Leverkusen controlled the game for the majority of the 90 with strong central-dominance and the typical intense pressing.
The first matchday of this season’s Champions League threw up a fixture worthy of the Champions League final. Last year’s finalists travelled to one of the most in-form clubs in the world. The match was fairly dull in the first hour, maybe to be expected with two teams that probably would have taken a 0-0 draw, however Kompany’s 57th minute goal was the catalyst for an entertaining last third of the match.
As Tuchel looked to rest a few of the key players in the Dortmund squad, he made an interesting and ultimately ineffective adaption of their possession game which led to a weak first half showing.
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?
United’s 3-1 win over their rivals stemmed from a rather typical performance from Van Gaal’s team as their possession game first held a great focus on stability which later developed into a more aggressive performance following half-time.
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.
Barcelona were hoping to put on a better performance than they did in last weekend’s narrow 0-1 win vs Athletic Club, their opening La Liga fixture of the season. Meanwhile, Malaga were coming to the Camp Nou off the back of a 0-0 home draw against Sevilla on the opening day of the season.