Swissquote match analysis: Leverkusen 2-2 Roma (agg: 4-2)
Friday, May 10, 2024
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UEFA's technical observer and Wales FA chief football officer David Adams analyses Leverkusen's dramatic 2-2 draw against Roma in the second leg of their UEFA Europa League semi-final tie.
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Leverkusen confirmed their place in the 2023/24 UEFA Europa League final following a 2-2 draw with Roma in the semi-final second leg. After falling behind to two penalties from Roma's Leandro Paredes, Xabi Alonso's side fought back to level the game and register a 4-2 aggregate victory.
Leverkusen transition quickly and efficiently from defence to attack
"One of the distinctive features of Alonso's Leverkusen side is their ability to quickly and efficiently transition from defence to attack," said UEFA technical observer David Adams. "In these transitional moments, the Bundesliga side routinely move from a 1-5-3-2 defensive system into a 1-3-4-1-2 attacking shape. How their wing-backs, Alejandro Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong, quickly move from their defensive shape to join the attack is crucial to the threat posed during attacking transition."
The video above illustrates how Leverkusen often use central areas to transition to attack before exploiting wider spaces. The first clip shows how the home side were able to release forward Adam Hložek into space in the left-hand channel vacated by Roma's right wing-back. How both sides attempted to exploit the space left by their opposing wing-backs was a key narrative of this tie.
Leverkusen remain calm and composed after regaining the ball
Leverkusen's ability to remain calm and composed immediately after regaining possession is another consistent feature in the clips above. This is highlighted in the first clip, when Leverkusen captain Jonathan Tah demonstrates awareness and composure to slide a pass from inside the penalty area to deep-lying midfielder Granit Xhaka who signals for the ball.
Aware of the time and space he has been afforded, the Swiss midfielder then drives forward before threading a penetrative pass into the path of the forward-running Hložek. On this occasion, the Czech forward is wasteful in possession when better passing options were available.
Leverkusen's ability to bring control and composure immediately after regaining the ball is seen again in clip two. Here, we see the German side keep the ball deep in their own half, creating a 4v3 situation on the right of their penalty box. Alonso's side then cleverly work the ball away from pressure to the opposite side of the pitch and escape through left-sided centre-back Piero Hincapie. Two quick first-time passes from Tah and Xhaka prove crucial in this move and allow Leverkusen to switch the play.
The second and third clips highlight the threat posed by one of Leverkusen's standout performers on the evening: Jeremie Frimpong. The 23-year-old's athleticism, forward running and ability to play 1vs1 were instrumental in Leverkusen's threat during transition. In the final clip, we see how the Dutch international contributes to his side's transition from their own penalty box to win a corner in under 20 seconds. From this set piece, the home side score their first goal.
Leverkusen set 'pressing trap' for Roma and regain ball high up the pitch
It wasn't only with the ball where Leverkusen demonstrated their authority during this tie. In order to win the ball high up the field, Alonso's side executed a well-prepared 'pressing trap' that led to a number of successful regains.
"Leverkusen intelligently cut off the passing lane to Roma's right-hand side, forcing them to play left towards Frimpong," explains David Adams. "Leverkusen recognised by going man-to-man and getting Frimpong to 'jump' as the pass went to Angeliño, Roma had very few options to pass to."
In the clips above, Frimpong encourages the ball into his opponent by initially standing off the defender. As the ball begins to move to his side, Frimpong recognises the trigger to apply pressure and uses his physical attributes to quickly shut down his opponent. In doing so, the receiving player has little time to assess their options to play out of the press. All three clips above conclude in a positive outcome for Leverkusen, highlighting the effectiveness of this pressing strategy.
Roma position Lukaku on Leverkusen's left centre-back to exploit space in wide areas
Roma's contribution to this entertaining semi-final second leg should not be underestimated. In taking a 2-0 lead on the evening, Daniel De Rossi's side levelled the aggregate score and put Leverkusen's unbeaten season at risk.
"Roma regularly attempted to exploit the spaces left by Leverkusen's wing-backs in transition," explains Adams. "With Frimpong and Grimaldo quick to leave their defensive stations, Roma looked to release centre-forward Romelu Lukaku into the space afforded in wide areas. This was particularly evident on the left of Leverkusen's defence, where Lukaku played on the shoulder of Leverkusen's left-sided centre-back Hincapie, and in the space left by Grimaldo."
The second clip above shows how Roma's strategy to exploit wide areas linked closely with the delivery of early crosses from deep. This pattern of play led to the Italian side's first penalty, with Angeliño's early cross forcing Tah to commit a foul in the box.