Germany 0-1 Brazil | Tactical takeaways from the game

By
Raghunandhanan Narasimhan
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0
Liverpool 5-2 Roma | FI

Brazil managed to win against Germany in a repeat of the 2014 World Cup semifinal where the Brazilians were handed a 7-1 thrashing. Gabiel Jesus continued with his superb run of form under head coach Tite as he grabbed the game’s only goal with a headed attempt on goal that went in despite Kevin Trapp getting his hands on the ball. Brazil were fantastic on the night and were arguably deserved winners as Allison did not have much to do in front of goal with the defense and midfield putting in a great shift to ensure that Germany were held at bay.

Lineups:

Germany 0-1 Brazil | 1

Made using TacticalPad

Germany: (4-3-3) Manager: Joachim Low

Trapp; Kimmich, Boateng, Plattenhardt; Kroos, Gundogan; Goretzka,Draxler, Sane; Gomez

Brazil: (4-3-3) Manager: Tite

Allison; Alves, Silva, Miranda. Marcelo; Casemiro, Fernandinho, Paulinho; Willian, Jesus, Coutinho

Tactical Breakdown:

  • Germany setup in their 4-3-3 that transitioned into a 2-3-5 in possession with the fullbacks pushing high up while the wingers tucked in to provide the width. It also kept oscillating to a back three often as Kroos kept dropping besides the CB to take possession of the ball and dictate play.
  • Brazil were extremely compact off the ball and congested the space in the centre. Showed great intensity within their midblock and ensured that there was no penetration from Germany centrally. The highlight was their targeting of the gaps in Germany’s setup when they countered
  • Brazil setup in a compact shape to shut off the centre and showed great intensity within the block. They forced Germany out wide and minimised any threat to their goal to a great extent. Their counters were brilliantly executed

 

  • Brazil were brighter of the sides in the beginning stages of the first half when Paulinho was much involved in the final third play, when the ball advanced from the middle third for Brazil. Kept constantly finding gaps in the midfield and made well timed runs in behind
  • Paulinho has a really crucial role in this setup under Tite as he was constantly found in spaces between the lines and making runs behind the Germany defense. They were executed perfectly and was a constant thorn in Germany’s defense

 

  • Brazil’s defensive organization under Tite has been commendable and it is largely down to the work rate and discipline showed in their midfield. They covered space well and showed great energy levels to keep it up over the course of the match

 

Conclusion:

It was a fantastic performance from a defensive perspective from Brazil who look like an extremely well knit unit under Tite. They were solid and showed great intensity within their block to ensure that Germany were forced to go wide and reduced to half chances in front of goal. It can be argued that they were not excellent in an attacking sense, with Neymar absent on the day. His return would be massively welcomed as his runs and on the ball ability is an asset for any side. Germany could have played better but were lacking a few key players in their squad. They controlled the game with their possession and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions, but it was just not good enough to break this Brazil side.

 

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