Tactically sound Union spoil Gladbach's visit and more
Gladbach become the second table-topping victim of die Eisernen - match analysis
Perhaps Gladbach should have seen this coming, says the hindsight (bias) in many Bundesliga observers, after all on MD3, table-topping Dortmund came to the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. They met a tactically-sound, selectively aggressive, pressing and counterattacking side that firmly dispatched them, after BVB failed to take their chances in the first 20 minutes, while Union finished theirs via Marius “belter” Bülter and Sebastian Andersson. Maybe dr. Felix Brych could have foreseen it, after all he was also the referee on August 31st. At any rate, Union, 3-1 winners, also won the game on XG 2.1 to 1.8, just like on Saturday, where their 2-0 victory over league-leading Borussia (we’re like 2 more coincidences away from a listicle piece) Mönchengladbach was supported by 1.6 to 1.1 XG per the excellent FBref.com, which uses Statsbomb data!
Fischer’s man-oriented pressing stifles Gladbach’s buildup
Urs Fischer’s Union Berlin was not always easy on the eyes in the 2. Liga, as the 53-year-old played a rather bland mix of 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 with the focus on not conceding (33 goals, just 19 from open play in 34 games including 14 clean sheets) rather than creating from open play - just 30 goals came that way vs 16 from set pieces and 6 from counter attacks. With 48.4% eleven teams had the ball more than Union in the 2. Liga last season, but Fischer’s disciplined approach and his team’s tireless work against the ball (17.6 fouls per game led the league) eventually paid off. After drawing ten of their first 18 matches, unlike Cologne (whose lead was too big to give away) or HSV they hung on when they needed to, and despite being passed by Paderborn for outright promotion set up a date with Stuttgart in the relegation\promotion playoffs, which I covered here. So far in the early parts of this season, that BVB win masked some brutal beatings (Leipzig, Leverkusen and the one goal losses to Wolfsburg or Frankfurt were not that close either) and Union were for a long time bottom of the league by XG metrics. If the comprehensive beating of the surging SC Freiburg didn’t raise eyebrows, the 2-1 loss in which they missed a second half penalty and were tied on XG for 87 minutes vs Bayern, certainly did. Fischer’s 4-3-3 turned into a 3-4-3 (used once vs Wolfsburg to be fair), with mainstay and resident Bundesliga aerial king, Sebastian Andersson either flanked by Marius Bülter or one of Marcus Ingvartsen-Sheraldo Becker. Wins against Mainz - RWB Christopher Trimmel grabbed a hattrick of assists, before Mainz almost made a comeback - and Hertha, in an ugly but historic Berlin derby were as deserved as they were realistic. Union looked to have found something: due to Ingvartsen’s technical ability, he could play a number 10ish role in a 3-4-1-2 and while Sebastian Polter’s lack of those abilities saw him lose out to Anthony Ujah. The introduction of little-used Felix Kroos (brother of Toni Kroos, playing because of the 5th yellow picked by Robert Andrich, who has been one of the surprises of the season, coming from Heidenheim), especially in a double pivot with veteran Christian Gentner. Their tasks would be to almost man-mark Denis Zakaria and Florian Neuhaus, two of Gladbach’s creative hubs, while Ingvartsen’s pressing and cover shadow would try to stop the ball progression of Christoph Kramer. The gameplan was thus to press Gladbach very high, ideally to win the ball, but at the very least, stop Zakaria’s dynamism and Neuhaus’ ball progression from getting it forward to Thuram, Herrmann and Pléa. A long ball from Sommer was also a desirable outcome, as Gladbach’s non-Thuram attackers don’t pose much of an aerial threat.
Outside battles and aerial duels
Yet, the most interesting part of Fischer’s setup was on the outside: using the athletic Trimmel and Lenz vs. the Wendt-Lainer duo. Already in the 2. Liga, Union would press high with 6 players and you saw something similar even against Mainz.
The ball -near wingback (Lenz) would press higher, while the ball far (Trimmel) could tuck in (as seen above) against a team like Mainz which doesn’t attack wide with its strikers, but vs Gladbach who use the width well with Marcus Thuram, Trimmel would have a different task. His job, as you can seem from him being so deep with Thuram that he isn’t in this pic, was to help Marvin Friedrich out.
While the 6 man press did its job of making Yann Sommer play mostly long balls - the Swiss GK did have a few nice press-breaking cutbacks and passes - it sometimes left Oscar Wendt as the free man. The veteran Swedish LB however doesn’t always have the speed or the optimal positioning (played too far up in the first 30 mins) to hurt Union, so Trimmel could help out with the duels against Thuram.
Thuram would lead Gladbach with 13 aerial duels, winning 6 of them, while Friedrich’s 44% was the only Union defender with a sub 50% rate as his fellow defenders were in the 60-83% range on 18 combined attempts.
Gladbach beat the press twice, can’t convert
As good as the early high press was, Gladbach did manage to overcome it twice in the first 12 minutes, resulting in two good chances: on the first, Andersson takes up his zonal position perhaps a few meters too far inside: you can see the hand gestures between him and Kroos about picking up Zakaria. It’s unclear whether Andersson is telling Kroos “I’ve got him” or “Yours”, but he does leave the pass to Elvedi open.
What’s interesting on this play is the absence of Oscar Wendt at the LB spot: the Swede has made a run into the left halfspace, creating a decisional crisis for Friedrich. The RCB is unsure whether he should step up to Wendt and risk leaving space behind him - Thuram occupies Lenz on the wing, but could run in behind - with Pléa also dropping. The Frenchman separates from Schlotterbeck (who wants to drop deeper), eventually picks up the ball and smashes a great cross court pass to Herrmann.
But “el Flaco” as they call him, despite what sure looks like a comeback season, misses the chance vs. Gikiewicz, who is caught in no-man’s land.
The second chance comes from the previously mentioned 6 man press vs Sommer, who out of short options decides to fire a laser long pass towards Thuram.
Because he is Yann Sommer, one of two Bundesliga keepers with over 175 long pass completions (25+ yards) with an accuracy over 70% (the other is Manuel Neuer), he puts it “only where his receiver can get it” - to use an NFL term - and Thuram can send Pléa down the line.
The cross is perfect, and Herrmann is unlucky to hit the post….
Union dominate and take the lead
Rose did try to bring Kramer back as a 3rd CB in possession, with limited success, (Ingvartsen kept pressing) and soon Union’s counters would pay off: Zakaria takes a bad touch off Pléa’s backpass, Lenz pounces on it.
Still, the 25-year-old LWB has not that much in way of support, but as he gets past Zakaria and dribbles towards Lainer, Ingvartsen sprints down the line. Back at the far post, Ujah has freed himself of Wendt and scores a bullet of an open header once Andersson takes away Elvedi. Textbook counterattack!
Just a few minutes later, Lenz makes a central run on a counter, and after Andersson’s cross deflects its way to Ingvartsen, the former 23-goal scorer at Copenhagen shows a super touch and technique to strike the post, with Sommer frozen.
Gikiewicz and offensive aerial duels
Sommer and Gikiewicz are now tied with 45 saves each for the Bundesliga lead, but the Polish GK perhaps doesn’t get as many plaudits. Savvy newsletter readers might know that he attempts the most long passes in the league (completing at a very good 62% clip) and he was in fine form Saturday: 39 of his 44 total passes went LONG!
Of course if you have seen an Union match recently, you know who the target was: Sebastian Andersson attempts 14 aerial duels per match. While the Swede won 42% of his 17 on the day, the star of the show was Anthony Ujah, who season wise wins 40% of 6 per game, but on Saturday went 7 of 12. That, coupled with basically zero short risky passes in buildup was a fine strategy to nullify Gladbach’s pressing. The home side won 15 aerials, claimed 44% possession and won the shots battle 5 to 2 from the 21st minute (Ingvartsen’s shot at the post) till halftime. Could Marco Rose and his illustrious staff react?
Stindl and the 4-3-3 doesn’t help in the end
Unsurprisingly, given the wealth of footballing knowledge Rene Maric, Alexander Zicker, Eugen Polanski, Frank Geideck and Oliver Neuville possess, they did come up with something. However, before they would Union nearly went 2-0 ahead thanks to a great Lenz backheel finding Andersson, but Sommer made the save.
The introduction of Lars Stindl on 61 minutes, for the ineffective Neuhaus, attempted to solve the issue of Gladbach’s ball progression vs the high press in what became a 4-3-3 at first.
Stindl’s deep movements were initially tracked by Kroos early on, but as he took up clever positions, he negated the would be pressing of Gentner, and Gladbach were able to progress more easily.
By the 70th minute, Stindl would drop and collect the ball without much of a fight from what was a tiring Union press.
He would go on to have 6 attacking third completions, while Zakaria (in 90 minutes) and Neuhaus had 7 each. The injury to Elvedi gave way Strobl’s deep-lying passing abilities (Jantschke and Beyer were injured, Bensebaini suspended), but Herrmann wasn’t able to capitalize.
The Foals did manage to take 69% possession and a 5-1 shots edge in the final 30 minutes, but none of those efforts hit the target and their XG flatline. Union on the other hand were happy/exhausted to sit back and counter and were rewarded in the 91st minute when substitute Julian Ryerson’s cross was deflected by Wendt on to Andersson’s head for a tap-in.
In the end, it was perhaps not Gladbach’s day - apart from the first 12-15 minutes, but that summary is also unfair to Union. Fischer’s plan of no-risks in the build up, long balls to Ujah and Andersson mixed with early aggressive pressing and lethal counterattacks worked flawlessly. With fantastic support, a favorable schedule - after Schalke this Friday, they play Cologne, Paderborn, Düsseldorf and that weird Hoffenheim team who just lost 5-1 to ten man MAINZ, could they climb even higher? For Gladbach, the revenge game at Wolfsberger AC beckons, followed by a tough three match stretch with home games against Freiburg and Bayern and away to Wolfsburg. For the time being, they still lead the Bundesliga….