Bodø/Glimt’s 2-0 win against a Lazio side that finished top of the 36-team league phase of the UEFA Europa League was one of the most impressive performances by any Norwegian outfit in a UEFA competition, and it was a result celebrated by supporters in their snowbound town and beyond.
While both sides have much to think about ahead of next Thursday’s quarter-final decider in Rome, Lazio coach Marco Baroni is already focused on improvements. “In my opinion, we need to get closer to them in the second leg,” he said. “They are very good in the last 25-30 metres, and there we need to apply more man-to-man pressure.”
But how did Bodø/Glimt get the ball into those positions? Analysing the first leg, UEFA Technical Observer Jan Peder Jalland looks at the individual qualities of the players when building from the back and how their decision-making was influenced by what their opponents allowed them to do.
Match as it happened
Europa League tactical analysis: Playing through the ‘No6’
Finding a No7 who plays as a No6 – Patrick Berg
In the first video, leading to the opening goal, we see two examples of how Bodø/Glimt build in a 4-3-3, with deep full-backs and a holder in the middle – usually their No7, captain and club legend Patrick Berg.
“Berg had a very good game,” says Jalland. “He has very good timing on his movements, especially in terms of his position. If he goes too high, then it’s easy for the Lazio central midfielders to press him and take him out. So he stays close to the central defenders, but not so close that he’s not ready. He reads which spaces to get into and he opens up spaces for players around him. He’s constantly aware of those around him.”
In the clip, we see Berg drop deep, find an angle and space, and hit a pass through the line to an advanced midfielder.
“Berg is important and the goal is a great one, a classic Bodø/Glimt build-up,” explains Jalland, Ulrik Saltnes having provided the finish on his way to notching a double. “The goal came after 47 minutes and the home team increased their tempo in the second half, while Lazio found it more difficult.”
Bodø/Glimt had 58% of possession and created an xG of 2.25, in part because of Berg’s creativity as players moved forward from defence and interchanged as they attacked.
“The job of Berg is either to get free or drag a striker into him so the central defender is free,” says Jalland. “It’s about Bodø/Glimt taking advantage of the 3v2 when building. If Lazio mark Berg, the central defender pushes up. If Berg is free, they play to him. If not, they play the ball to the striker.”
Europa League tactical analysis: Bodø/Glimt build-up variation
Variations in the Bodø/Glimt build-up
In the second video, we see patience from Bodø/Glimt as they look to build and the smart decision-making from their players as they wait to find the appropriate moment to move forward.
In the first clip, it is 3v2 in a central area, then 2v1 in a wide area.
Berg, as a holding midfielder, attracts one of the front two, allowing the central defender to find a line-breaking pass to a midfielder who can create an overload in the wide area, which enables a full-back to drive forward.
“Bodø/Glimt are patient: they don’t force play, there’s no stress,” says Jalland. “They let the opponent run. They know that spaces will open up. They vary: they are happy to play the ball back and change the point of attack and find Berg in the middle. The balls into Berg come from all over, even the full-backs.
“This wise decision-making comes with work on the pitch and playing together over time, as the Bodø/Glimt players have done. There’s another part to Berg’s game: he often moves into the final third and it’s hard to track him, so he ends up free.”
Europa League Tactical Analysis: Linking with the centre-forward
Linking with the centre-forward
In the third video, we see Berg attracting the Lazio midfielders in the central-defensive midfield area, which creates space for a central defender to step up in possession, advance and get the ball to the centre-forward, Kasper Høgh, who drops with his back to goal to combine with the central midfielders before running forward. Though there is no goal this time, it’s another goalscoring opportunity.
“Bodø/Glimt have played this 4-3-3, albeit in slightly different ways, for 30 years,” adds Jalland. “They are 4-3-3 all the way, and Berg’s father, grandfather and uncles played in their system at the same club. It’s a very Norwegian thing. It will be very interesting to see the tactics of Lazio in the second leg.”
Coaching recommendations: The role of the No6
In conclusion, one key take-home message from this fixture was the importance of the No6 in defensive midfield. “There are different types of No6,” says Jalland. “But for a team who wants to control the game like Bodø/Glimt, the No6 should have the ability to find space, and have awareness with the ball and the execution of passes. A No6 should also be able to handle the ball under pressure.
“One of Bodø/Glimt’s strengths is taking advantage of their superiority in the build-up. Sometimes Berg, who wore No7 but played as a No6, moved to take a defender with him to open up space for his team-mates. For the team, it’s not important who takes the ball forward; it’s just important that they take advantage in the 3v2 build-up.
“The centre-backs behind the No6 try to create angles among each other and then create a free man. The midfielders might wait more forward, but they still have to get close and deep enough so they are connected to the No6 – unless they can go straight to the striker.”
On Thursday, inside the Arctic Circle, this worked perfectly for Bodø/Glimt.
Page 2
Ajax were in a strong position against Union SG following a 2-0 first-leg away victory in Belgium, yet the tie was turned on its head within minutes at the start of the play-off second leg.
UEFA Technical Observer Rui Faria analyses what happened as both sides tried to secure a place in the UEFA Europa League round of 16 – first Union SG’s flying start and then Ajax’s firm defence.
Match as it happened
Union SG pressure
“Union SG surprised Ajax from the start,” said Faria of the first half, when any notions of a comfortable evening for Ajax were blown away. “I saw logic in Ajax’s formation, but they were as surprised as I was at Union SG’s approach to the game – that’s understandable if you’ve won the first leg 2-0 away. Union SG pressed, had a clear plan, limited Ajax’s build-up, took a 2-0 lead and put the ball in the net another time, though that effort was disallowed for offside.”
Europa League Performance Insights: Union pressing
Union SG’s forceful press is apparent from the first part of the video, a front-footed man-for-man tactic as they try to turn every press into an opportunity to create. The second clip shows how they threatened after winning the ball in a sequence that ends with them earning a free-kick that lead to opening goal.
“It’s a collective tactical effort,” said Faria of the Belgian side’s first-half display. “You can see their determined attitude, desire and belief to get back into the tie as they hunt the ball and press aggressively. The best moment to recover the ball is immediately after losing it since the opposition is still trying to get stability and Union SG applied this concept well. Even their penalty came from jumping on the loose ball and being first to second balls. Their well-synchronised approach paid off with goals.”
Ajax outnumbered but obstinate
Not only did Union SG score twice to level the tie through Kevin Mac Allister and Promise David, but Ajax were reduced to ten men from the 25th minute following Davy Klaassen’s goal-line handball which led to a penalty and David’s goal. In the second video, we see how Ajax dug in, reorganising their defensive shape and trying to maintain a 1-5-3-1 formation without the ball as Union SG went for the winner.
Europa League Performance Insights: Ajax defending with ten men
“Ajax defended well,” was Faria’s judgement of the home team, who faced 34 shots and 12 corners; Ajax, by contrast, had seven shots and took one corner. Staying compact to cope with Union SG’s extra man, they minimised the visitors’ threat and by the end of extra time, their ten men had withstood over 90 minutes without conceding a third goal. Faria said: “It is very important to be tactically efficient, resilient and mentally strong in situations where you have a player less. We saw some heroic defending of their box by Ajax as they dealt with crosses.”
Traoré’s impact
“I thought Ajax were done and going out when trailing 2-0,” added Faria, “but Bertrand Traoré was the game-changer – him and the collective sacrifices Ajax made without the ball.”
A half-time substitute, Traoré, as we see in the third video, became the target player for Ajax to play balls to. With the Frenchman up front, Ajax made tweaks to play more directly towards him. After all, they had lost their two-goal advantage and now needed to score to progress.
Europa League Performance Insights: Traoré impact
“I believe Ajax were surprised by Union SG’s pressure in the first half and took a while to adapt,” said Faria. “But in the second half, Traoré become the option to get out when they regained ball possession. Teams that are outnumbered normally drop too deep defensively and it becomes hard to get out from there but Traoré, with his individual qualities, allowed Ajax a better chance of doing it by holding the ball or running into space and using his 1vs1 qualities.”
Faria continued: “Ajax fought, were more aggressive in the second half and gave everything in the final minutes of normal time since they knew that extra time would favour Union SG’s 11 men. It was difficult and you don’t think clearly when fatigued. Ajax were flat and the options to progress the ball weren’t always clear after winning it since they had a player less and went to a 5-3-1 – very different from the Ajax 4-3-3 we know.”
Yet though extra time came, in the end Traoré’s dribble earned the penalty with which they regained the lead on aggregate and secured their place in the last 16 – a reward which, as Faria concluded, “they had fought hard and intelligently for”.
