#ESPSWE Euro 2020 - Tactical Thread

Key Points:

- Sweden's brilliant defensive set up
- Spain played too conservatively
- Service to the Spanish attackers was non-existent

CC: @TacticalPad

#EURO2020 #ESP #SWE
Spain's initial attacking structure can be seen below.

Sweden allow Spain the wide areas because the central areas & half spaces are void of any Spanish players in the middle third & Swedish final third.

Sweden welcome crosses from Spain because they're easy to defend.
Pedri was too deep in possession, while Morata received little service despite sitting between the defensive and midfield lines.

Pedri should have been instructed to take an advanced role in the left half-space bc left sided Spanish players are capable of beating the #SWE press.
Spain would have Llorente and Koke rotate between midfield and right fullback roles. This is done in an attempt to disrupt Sweden's man-marking/zonal marking system.

Spain can force 2v2s in the wide areas, but can clog the half-spaces that an inside Spanish player may be in.
Sweden can guide Spain's play by leaving a Spanish player open to receive a pass.

In the example below, it's Llorente. He isn't shielded by anyone and Berg rarely pressed him immediately.
So, by forcing Spain to play in the areas that they want, Sweden take a lot of the thought out of their pressing scheme.

Sweden:
- Crowd the half-spaces; leaving no inside passing options
- Press the wide areas to force Spain to move the ball backwards
Spain also failed to take advantage of the few chances that they did create.
Sweden's defensive structure was remarkable.

Eventually, Spain had Rodri and Koke/Llorente enter the middle third, so Isak & Berg shielded them, preventing Rodri and Koke/Llorente from being viable forward and central passing options.
When play shifted to the left, Spain forced a 2v2 that Sweden were capable of defending.

However, the left half-space often contained 3 Spanish players and 3 Swedish players, meaning that it was far too crowded for any clear chances to be created.
If Spain moved play to the right it was defended in a similar manner to how it is on the left. The difference is that Rodri & Morata rarely came close to the right half-space.

Right side chance creation was scarce and for good reason. If Spain win the 2v2, they'd lose the 3v1.
Finally, here is the Swedish low-block in motion.

Possession without results in pointless. Spain could not beat a well organized Swedish defense. Centrally, out wide and in the half-spaces, Sweden prevented Spain from creating many high quality chances.
So, Sweden earned a very deserved draw. Playing as conservatively as Sweden did often leads to a negative reception from fans, however, there is much that can be learned from this world-class Swedish performance.
If you've enjoyed this thread, consider following and retweeting it as we will be doing post match threads for all the games during #EURO2020 , as well as match previews for all the upcoming match days on our website: pythagorasinboots.com/euro-2020/

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More from @pythaginboots

15 Jun
#FRAGER [TACTICAL THREAD]

Key Points:

⚽️France balance high press with backline dropping off
⚽️Germany too narrow, Kimmich not holding width and inside forwards lack pace to stretch game
⚽️Give Pogba space at your peril

CC: @TacticalPad

#EURO2020 #FRA #GER #FranciaGermania Image
France were so difficult to break down. They did not just sit back and absorb pressure but kept Germany guessing by pressing with their forwards and Pogba... and dropping off defensively if they broke through.

This frustrated the Germans who could not settle into a rhythm. Image
Muller and Havertz were invisible in this system. Both need to be the focal point and here they were deployed as wide inside forwards.

They lacked the dynamism to stretch the game and with France defending narrowly, and Kimmich staying too central - they were ineffective. Image
Read 9 tweets
14 Jun
#SCOCZE Euro 2020 - Tactical Thread

Key Points:

- Czech take advantage of set piece & transitional weaknesses
- Dykes off the ball movement was crucial in Scotland's attacking phases
- Scotland's build up play is promising, but needs work

CC: @TacticalPad

#Euro2020 #SCO #CZE
Scotland's build up play was surprisingly progressive for a team that historically doesn't aim to play pretty football.

McTominay struggles as a lone pivot, so depending on the side of play, one of McGinn or Armstrong would drop from deeper from their half-space to help.
Czech Republic did great to keep McTominay out of the game. He was isolated & needed assistance. Having said that, when he got help in the build up phase, Scotland were able to play progressively.

Dykes/Christie drops deep to drag their marker out of position, creating space.
Read 10 tweets
13 Jun
#NEDUKR Euro 2020 - Tactical Thread

Key Points:

⚫️Ukraine too much distance between defence, midfield and attack.
⚫️De Jong & Wijnaldum = Press Resistance Overload
⚫️Dutch build up down left and switch to Dumphries
⚫️Comeback!! No..

CC: @TacticalPad

#EURO2020 #NED #UKR Image
Dutch attack down the left, with Blind to LB and Van Aanholt and Depay occupying the wing. This forced Ukraine to shift across and get bodies over to that side of the pitch.

As is the Dutch way, they then played the switch to Dumfries again and again - and he finally delivered. Image
Ukraine struggled to get the ball off the Dutch, as they possess two of the best press resisting midfielders in the world.

De Jong and Gini kept wriggling out of tight situations and feeding their forwards or wing backs.
Read 8 tweets
13 Jun
#ENGCRO Euro 2020 - Tactical Thread

Key Points:

- Sterling and Mount double team in the left half space
- Kane redundant (lacks penetration)
- Phillips puts in a Kante performance and dominates the right half space
- No overlaps

CC: @TacticalPad

#EURO2020 #ENG #CRO Image
Whilst Tripper held, Mount bombed forward in support of Sterling. Both gave Vrsaljko a torrid time, combining with one another and taking turns to go round him and cut in side.
Kane is a flat track bully. Lacks the pace to stretch well organised defences and despite facing a sub par Croatia backline, he was incapable of stretching them and finding pockets of space.

Do not see him hurting bigger sides deeper in tournament. Image
Read 10 tweets
11 Jun
#TURITA Euro 2020 - Tactical Thread

Key Points:

- Locatelli dominates the left half-space
- Turkey ineffective in possession
- Italy switch between having one advanced fullback to using two
- Di Lorenzo > Florenzi?

CC: @TacticalPad

#EURO2020 #TUR #ITA
Italy's build up play in their own third ensured safety in possession and ball progression largely due to their numerical superiority and Turkey's poor pressing.

Bonucci, Jorginho and Barella combine on the right, while Chiellini, Spinazzola and Locatelli combine on the right. Image
Italy's build up allows for the central defenders and deepest midfielders time on the ball to find the runs of Barella and Berardi who attack the right half-space, while Insigne routinely beat Celik on the opposite side.
Read 13 tweets

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