Glasner’s 523 has reached to perfection out of possession. First, it is almost impossible for opponents to progress with a structure having 3 players in the first line. The compact pentagon moves with very high coherence and discipline never allows open channels internally.
If you try moving wider, which is what Frankfurt want, aggressive WBs jump on your wide player or wide CBs jump in half spaces, and with the addition of the approaching players from the pentagon, they trap you near the touchline.
Using 4 players in the first line of build-up gives higher chance to progress. It allows to extend the pentagon and find inner channels. However, then you are losing the numerical advantage at the central regions and a tiny mistake you make is punished by Frankfurt transitions.
This was exactly what happened to Gladbach, using 4-2 and 4-1 build-up to progress, could progress a few times, but when they made mistake and lost the ball, Frankfurt could just dashed from the center of the pitch. They scored 3 goals in one half and finished the game in 45 mins
Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen started with 3-2 build-up and couldn’t progress the ball at all in first half. They concede only one goal, but Frankfurt dominated the half.
Then in the second half, Alonso used Andrich to make a 1st line of 4. They could progress a few balls and created chances, but then a small mistake brought the 2nd goal because nobody left at the center of the pitch, then another and another one. Eventually, it ended 5-1.
Still playing a line of 4 looks like the only chance if you desire to be the protagonist of the game, but Frankfurt forces you to play a perfect game against them; otherwise, they embarrass you with the chances they create at your goal through a storm of transitions.
Loading suggestions...