Swissquote match analysis: How Sporting took control against Young Boys

In this article brought to you by Swissquote, UEFA technical observer Jan Peder Jalland, working together with UEFA's analysis unit, outlines three key tactical features from Sporting's 3-1 victory over Young Boys in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League play-off tie.

Sporting use clever positioning and direct passing to transition quickly

The role of Sporting's two attacking midfielders, Marcus Edwards and Pedro Gonçalves, was key to their success in Switzerland. Operating as two No10s, the pair regularly found clever operating space between Young Boys' midfield and defensive lines. Both players proved effective during moments of attacking transition when the Portuguese side looked to play through their opponents quickly.

"During attacking transition Edwards and Gonçalves would come narrow into more central areas," explained the UEFA Technical Observer, Jan Peder Jalland. "It meant they were always an option for Sporting to play forward to and helped them to attack directly and quickly. The aim was always to break the midfield line of Young Boys at pace."

Clip 1 shows how Gonçalves adopts a clever position behind the opposition midfield line to receive and attack quickly. In addition, Rúben Amorim's side also utilise quick and direct passing with runs behind the opposition to create attacking overloads.

The second clip again demonstrates Gonçalves's impressive ability in transitioning from defence to attack. Using effective receiving and scanning skills, the attacking midfielder injects speed into the transition and also releases centre-forward Viktor Gyökeres into space.

"Gonçalves and Edwards showed good recognition of when their side needed them to ‘drop down' into deeper positions to help the transition to attack," noted Jalland. "They showed a good relationship and understood the movement of each other."

Sporting invite Young Boys to press high through positioning of wing-backs

How Sporting positioned their wing-backs and central midfielders during build-up play was another key feature of this tie. By positioning players in deeper positions during build-up, they encouraged Young Boys to leave their defensive shape and press high up the pitch.

"This tactical approach was really key to the game," explained Jalland. "By inviting pressure from Young Boys, Sporting were able to pull their midfield out of shape and play the ball into the forward line. Here, centre-forward Gyökeres acted as the focal point and was effective at linking up with the movement of the attacking players around him."

With Gyökeres, Gonçalves and Edwards working effectively in attacking moments, the visitors were able to create and exploit attacking space in their opponents' half. "The tactical effects of this approach meant that the full-backs of Young Boys had a lot of distance to cover," explained Jalland. "It meant Sporting opened the wide channels for movement in behind. The other benefit of this approach was the central defenders of Young Boys having to step out to press the two Sporting attacking midfielders, which meant spaces opened up in the defensive line."

Edwards was a key beneficiary of his side's tactical approach and contributed to Sporting's first two goals. The former Tottenham Hotspur academy player found space on the right-hand side of the attack to deliver the cross that Aurèle Amenda diverted into his own goal after 31 minutes. Soon after, Edwards again found space in the right-hand channel to win the penalty that Gyökeres dispatched for 2-0.

Young Boys commit numbers to their high press

Although Young Boys' defensive line was regularly exposed by Sporting's movement and passing, the Swiss side had some effective moments when regaining the ball further up the pitch.

"Young Boys had a fair rate of success when defending in high-mid block moments," noted Jalland. "Their intent was to man-mark press at the top end of the pitch with five or six attackers engaging their opponent. There was a real intent from the home side's wingers to mark Sporting's wide centre-backs, with the midfield following up closely behind."

With some better decision-making and more care with the final pass, Young Boys could have made a greater mark on the game, says Jalland, noting that at times "the final ball was misplaced and rushed". He added: "However, it was noted how Young Boys were always ready to restructure and ‘go again'. They created good opportunities when the turnover occurred and on many occasions we saw them create an overload around the penalty area."