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Jon Mackenzie Profile picture
@Jon_Mackenzie
Feb 12, 2024 • 10 tweets • 5 min read • Read on X
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You may have clocked that I've got an off-the-weekend video out on Mondays now which is centred around the question "Did you notice?" Well, today's video is all about this man and how he shut out Bayern Munich this weekend [thread]: Image
In his post-match press conference after beating Bayern Munich 3-0 this weekend, Xabi Alonso was quick to point out how important his front three were defensively, when @ThomasHitz asked him about why Leverkusen were so good at limiting Bayern. Image
This is because they were careful to cover Bayern’s double pivot, making sure no passes were getting into them:
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As a result, Leverkusen’s own midfielders could sit deeper to cover the space between the lines of Bayern’s attack - the areas Kane, Musiala and Sane love to operate in.
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But Leverkusen didn’t want to remain completely passive out of possession.

In the moments when the Leverkusen front three did press higher, Alonso’s midfielders had to push up to cover Bayern’s double pivot:
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But that’s where Leverkusen’s back five came into their own…

Because their outside centre backs could then push forward to cover the space that had opened up, without leaving their back line exposed:
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And so, by protecting the space between the lines where Bayern’s forwards like to attack from, Leverkusen were able to restrict Bayern to less than half an expected goal and Kane to only 18 touches:
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If you would prefer this in video form, you can find it on:

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Make sure you subscribe to catch my Did you notice? video every Monday!

Also: I'm @ jonmackenzie4 on Insta and jon.mackenzie on TikTok - follow me!
This video was produced by Jamie Stewart and @ReubenPinder helped with the script.

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More from @Jon_Mackenzie

Jon Mackenzie Profile picture
Feb 9
It’s Monday and on Mondays we notice…

And we’ve got a really intriguing topic to look at today because #DidYouNotice that Liverpool seemed to be caught slightly off guard in their game against Manchester City this weekend? [Thread] Image
Of course, this might seem like a massive oversight from Liverpool but when you look at City’s starting XI, you might be forgiven for assuming that they would be playing with some form of front three with Omar Marmoush and Antoine Semenyo playing either side of Erling Haaland. Image
Were they to do this, then it’s easy enough to match up with a back four, allowing an extra player (a +1) to give double coverage of the striker - something that’s useful to do when that striker is Erling Haaland. Image
Read 38 tweets
Jon Mackenzie Profile picture
Feb 2
I was in two minds about how to frame this Monday’s #DidYouNotice thread because…

Did you notice how Spurs’ half time changes earned them a point against Manchester City this weekend? Image
Seems simple enough, right? But then… is this about Spurs or City? Because in many respects, this game was a parable about the state of modern football, showing how much the game has changed in recent years. Let me explain.
Of course, the modern history of football has been determined in large part by Pep Guardiola. As we all know by now, Guardiola’s teams try to control the game by possessing the ball, keeping hold of it for as long as possible to achieve two things:
Read 46 tweets
Jon Mackenzie Profile picture
Jan 26
It’s been fun noticing recently with the upheavals in the managerial situations at some of the big European clubs.

And that brings us steaming back to the topic of last week’s thread because #DidYouNotice how Michael Carrick’s ‘risky’ approach earned him a win over Mikel Arteta? Image
Now, before we begin, I want to begin with a caveat. When doing analysis like this, it’s important to not just follow the results and make hard and fast conclusions on the basis of insufficient evidence.
In this instance, Man Utd have had a couple of very good performances under Carrick. However, they are games against teams who they have caused problems for in the past.
Read 52 tweets
Jon Mackenzie Profile picture
Jan 19
Just as surely as night follows day, so follows a Did You Notice? thread off the back of a weekend of fixtures.

And what a fixture we have to talk about today because… #DidYouNotice that Michael Carrick found a way of exploiting Man City’s press on the way to a 2-0 derby win? Image
People who have followed me on here for a while will know that I bang on about how important the out of possession side is in the modern game.
In the tactical landscape we find ourselves in, the best coaches are often the ones who understand what is at stake in their opponent’s defensive approach and find ways of exploiting the weaknesses.
Read 45 tweets
Jon Mackenzie Profile picture
Jan 12
I was a little hesitant about doing a thread today because in some respects the Darren Fletcher tenure doesn’t deserve scrutiny given he’s essentially interim coaching and so shouldn’t be held to the same scrutiny a tenured head coach/manager should… [thread] Image
…but I felt as though the game itself was quite instructive from the point of view of what is required within the modern game, particularly when it comes to the question of “Why is rest defence important?” and so…
…#DidYouNotice that Manchester United used a back four against Brighton but still ended up looking like a Ruben Amorim side at times?
Read 39 tweets
Jon Mackenzie Profile picture
Dec 29, 2025
You may have thought that being in the middle of Betwixtmas would mean that you got a break from noticing for a week. You were wrong…

Because #DidYouNotice how Unai Emery turned things around against Chelsea at the weekend, getting Villa another win from a losing position? Image
We all know the cliche ‘a game of two halves’ but this was more accurately a game of three thirds, the first two of which were completely dominated by Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea. So in order to explain how Emery shifted the momentum, we need to start with Chelsea’s approach.
Across his time at Villa, Emery has tended to use full backs for width, an approach which has gone against the received wisdom at elite clubs in Europe for the last few decades, although the tide is starting to turn in that regard. Image
Read 39 tweets

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