Tactical Preview II: EURO 2022 Quarter-Final Series; Germany vs. Austria
Can Irene Fuhrmann come up with any solutions to upset the mighty Germany?
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This is the second article in a tactical preview series on the EURO 2022 quarter-finals. They will be published chronologically on the morning of each game. This one has been written by guest author Yash Thakur.
You can return here to find each piece, which will be hyperlinked below when they are published:
England vs. Spain [July 20]
Sweden vs. Belgium [July 22]
France vs. the Netherlands [July 23]
Yash currently runs his women’s football substack Dribbles and Nutmegs in addition to freelancing for various outlets, such as The Analyst, Analytics FC, and Managing Madrid.
Notwithstanding that he’d never sanction me saying this, I feel pretty confident in telling everyone that Yash is the most widely-knowledgeable person in the WoSo analysis space. Whether it’s an obscure league, a wunderkid, or set-piece tricks, Yash has notes and opinions on pretty much everything.
And, more often than not, he’s spot on. So, without further ado, enjoy his tactical preview on Germany-Austria, and seriously consider what he has to say if you want to look smart.
Germany
Formation/s used: 4-3-3
Results: 4-0 W vs. Denmark; 2-0 W vs. Spain; 3-0 W vs. Finland
Analysis
Martina Voss-Tecklenburg (MVT) has always had a tough job putting together a balanced lineup with the plethora of attacking talent at her disposal, although the unavailability of players like Dzsenifer Marozsán and Melanie Leupolz has reduced some of that headache. Recently, Germany have lined up in a 4-3-3, with Bayern Munich’s Giulia Gwinn filling in as the right back and Klara Bühl playing as the left winger.
MVT’s side scored nine goals in the group stages and kept a clean sheet in all three of their games. Germany deploy a good blend of direct play while being adept at patient build-up. The dynamics on the right flank between Gwinn, Svenja Huth, and Lina Magull are fantastic. Gwinn’s comfort on the ball often sees her inverting into midfield, including in early progression phases, while Huth drops off to receive and Magull fills in as the advanced wide player on the flank. The ground coverage by Oberdorf is key in defending the spaces out wide.
These positional rotations and wide combinations create space and opportunities for crosses from the right. On the other flank, Bühl maintains width and a transition threat in the event of a turnover in midfield. To add to their threat, Germany’s wide players are excellent in 1v1 situations.
Alexandra Popp’s inclusion, following a positive Covid result for Schüller, has worked in Germany’s favor, as it has provided them with an outlet and, most importantly, a massive threat on crosses and set-pieces.
Without the ball, Germany set up in a 4-5-1 mid-block system with the wingers dropping off and Popp staying up front as an outlet. They don’t pounce on the CB’s immediately in the opposition build-up phase; rather, they hound the receiver as the ball reaches midfield, utilizing a player-to-player marking scheme.
Germany have been among the most intense high-pressing sides in the tournament so far. At time of writing, they have recorded the most pressed sequences in the tournament with 86, which has resulted in 53 high turnovers and 2 goals.
Take this sequence of play, where their tight player-to-player assignments and intensity, following a pass into midfield, result in a turnover.
It’s worth mentioning that the depth at MVT’s disposal allows Germany to largely maintain high energy levels.
Austria
Formation/s used: 4-1-4-1/4-3-3
Results: 1-0 L vs. England; 2-0 W vs. Northern Ireland; 1-0 W vs. Norway
Analysis
Irene Fuhrmann has lined up her side in a 4-1-4-1/4-3-3 in the group stages, with an almost similar set of players from 2017. Sarah Puntigam, Sarah Zadrazil, and Laura Feiersinger form the midfield three.
Not known for their scoring prowess, Austria have netted just three goals in the run up to the quarter-finals compared to five in the previous edition. This has occurred despite Fuhrmann’s approach ostensibly revolving around being better on the ball.
During the build-up phases, Austria’s fullbacks often push high and Puntigam, the defensive midfielder, drops as a passing option.
If she is marked by an opponent, Zadrazil will often descend as well, creating a box-like shape and a +1 in build-up. This hasn’t always resulted in successful progressions, meaning that Austria have had to resort to long balls from the goalkeeper, with Nicole Billa serving as a decent target and one of the CM’s hunting for loose balls to release a fullback down the flank.
Zadrazil is largely the one who recovers possession and operates in the box-to-box role. Meanwhile, Feiersinger is tasked with creative duties, receiving between the lines, and playing line-breaking passes.
Crossing is a major part of Austria’s attacking arsenal. The left side of Barbara Dunst and Verena Hanshaw have worked in tandem to create multiple crossing opportunities, with Dunst usually drifting inwards or cutting the ball onto her dominant right foot. This, in turn, frees up the touchline for an overlapping Hanshaw. On the opposite wing, it’s a slightly different dynamic: Julia Hickelsberger-Füller maintains depth and width while Laura Wienroither crosses from deeper zones.
Austria have shown a clear inclination towards trying to construct patient attacks, but it hasn’t been effective, with Fuhrmann’s side recording just five 10+ pass sequences (none of them have ended in a shot or a touch in the box). In spite of its limited success, their stylistic commitment is evidenced by their meager figure of two direct attacks in the tournament. Consequently, Nicole Billa is often isolated up front. Nevertheless, she does incredibly well to link play and bring others into the game via little layoffs and return passes.
Without the ball, Austria are quick to assemble into their 4-1-4-1 shape to try to cut off central passing options, direct traffic towards wide areas, and cramp the opposition. Zadrazil is important in this, as she is the one that normally acts as the pressing trigger, splitting the pitch in half and dictating when the side should jump into a press.
When the ball moves to one side in the final 40% of the pitch, the shape morphs into more of a 5-4-1, with the far-side winger tucking into the back line, which allows for the rest of the defensive line to shift across while maintaining compactness. In addition to employing a structurally-sound system, the individual defensive displays have been quite strong. Wienroither has impressed in her 1v1 defending on the right side and the center-backs have also proved to be a solid presence.
How They Match Up
Austria’s proclivity to try and build from the back hasn’t been entirely fruitful and they struggled to stitch together passing moves against England’s high press. Germany are only behind Sweden and Spain in terms of the intensity of their press, and their player-to-player approach will potentially pose similar problems, prompting Austria to go long. While Billa is a viable target to receive with a player on her back, Germany’s midfield is very likely to pounce on second balls in these cases.
A similar thing will likely happen from Austria’s goal kicks, where they try to bait pressure by playing the CB→GK pass before going long. However, with the way that Germany are set up, it’s likely that they will win a lot of the resulting duels.
MVT’s personnel would not have any qualms about being direct and straightforward when Austria try to press them, given Popp’s skills as a target player and Fuhrmann’s directive of guiding their opponent to the touchline, which plays into the hands of Germany’s wide combinations between Huth, Gwinn, and Magull.
Breaking the German defensive structure will require Austria to deploy quick switches to the far side and utilize players who can swiftly find options between the lines. Feiersinger seems to be the player for this task and, hence, will be key for her country’s chances.
Germany’s player-to-player approach can be countered by synchronized counter-movements. Austria will need either Dunst, Zadrazil, or Feiersinger to offer that dynamism in a similar way to how Mariona Caldentey did when Spain faced Germany. Additionally, constantly rotating positions and occupying spaces inside the block will be key.
Both teams have focused most of their chance creation down one flank (left for Austria and right for Germany). There is space in behind Hanshaw on Austria’s left, which could mean danger when Germany force a turnover. This will ultimately be a decisive element in the game.
Quarter-Final #2 will likely not be a blowout, with Austria very much capable of holding their own and relishing their underdog status, but Germany’s persistence and variation in attack will probably end up reigning supreme.
Additional reading: