Borussia Dortmund – FK Krasnodar 2:1
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.
Team Analysis: Tuchel’s Borussia Dortmund
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?
Manchester United – Liverpool 3:1
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.
Borussia Dortmund – Hertha BSC 3:1
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 – Malaga 1:0
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.
Bayern Munich – Bayer Leverkusen 3:0
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.
BVB – Odd Ballklubb 7:2
After the absurdity that was Dortmund’s first leg against the Norweigan Odd BK, Tuchel’s side had a more straight-forward 90 minutes in the return fixture.
FC Ingolstadt – Borussia Dortmund 4:0
Another 4 goals, another Bundesliga victory as Tuchel took his side to the top of the Bundesliga with a dominant win over newly-promoted Ingolstadt.
LA Galaxy – New York City FC 5:1
LA Galaxy were on a different planet to New York City as they scored five goals under the Californian sun to put them top of the Western Conference.
Hoffenheim – Bayern Munich 1:2
Against a defensively excellent Hoffenheim side, Bayern struggled to victory which came late on through Lewandowski after yet another brilliant contribution by Douglas Costa in the build-up.