Sevilla found a way to postpone Dortmund’s qualification from Group G on matchday four with an encouraging performance under new coach Jorge Sampaoli.
One week after losing 4-1 to the same opponents on their own ground, Sevilla benefited in Dortmund from the remarkable performances of central defenders Tanguy Nianzou and Marcão. In this analysis brought to you by FedEx, the UEFA Technical Observer Panel highlights the work of Nianzou in particular, who scored his first UEFA Champions League goal and caught the eye with his skills ball at the foot.
Systems
Dortmund
The German team started in 4-2-3-1 with Bellingham (22) as a key player. The Englishman could drop low enough to touch the ball and – as mentioned above – was looking for spaces in areas left open in attack. Brandt (19), likewise, looked to receive balls higher up the field and his percussion was instrumental in bringing the equalizing goal.
Sevilla FC
For his first game, against Athletic Bilbao, Sampaoli opted for a four-man defense, with Nianzou paired with debutant Marcão. On Tuesday, however, he opted for a 3-4-3, with youngster José Ángel Carmona (30) joining Nianzou (14) and Marcão (23) in a defensive line reinforced by full-backs Jesús Navas (16) and Marcos Acuña ( 19), to then play in 5-4-1 or 5-2-3.
It required a lot of defensive discipline and Sevilla rose to the occasion in this area, Dortmund could only deliver seven shots (including three on target) against 19 (including seven on target) a week earlier. When Sevilla had the ball, it was a 4-3-3, with Nianzou stepping up to join the two holding midfielders, Rakitić (10) and Gudelj (6), who we’ll discuss later.
What you must remember
The focus should be on Sevilla’s new centre-backs. Neither Nianzou nor Marcão played in the home loss to Dortmund for Julen Lopetegui’s last game on the bench. Indeed, due to an injury picked up in pre-season, Marcão only made his debut last weekend, in Sampaoli’s opener. However, the performances of the two summer signings have revealed new solutions for Sevilla’s defense after the departures of Diego Carlos and Jules Koundé.
From a defensive point of view, both Marcão and Nianzou have shown their effectiveness in one-on-one situations: Nianzou has played ten duels with an 80% success rate, Marcão 11 with a success rate of 72 .7%. In the case of Nianzou, it was not only his defensive qualities that prevailed. As seen in the video above, he offered Sevilla important solutions when his team had the ball
In the first clip, Sevilla go from a 5-2-3 out of possession to a 4-3-3 in possession, with Nianzou receiving the ball in a defensive midfield position with centre-backs on either side, Carmona and Marcão, staying deep as Sevilla build their game. In the second clip, Sevilla’s system changes to 4-3-3 as they join defensive midfielders Rakitić and Nemanja Gudelj to provide another passing option to the before. Marcão finds Rakitić hands over to Nianzou as Sevilla carry the ball into the opposition’s half.
The latest clip highlights the ease of the former Paris and Bayern player, 20, with the ball at his feet. He enters Dortmund’s half to make an interception and runs up the field, getting to the penalty area thanks to a one-two with Isco. Nianzou finished the evening with a pass completion rate of 92.6%.
Andalusia’s centre-backs weren’t the only ones to make notable contributions. The UEFA Technical Observers Panel cited the defensive discipline of Rakitić, who played sentinel against three Dortmund midfielders, and the work of Lamela, who showed discipline when needed and the energy to make forward runs and the versatility to operate as a centre-forward for the final half hour.
For Dortmund, as coach Edin Terzić conceded, there was a lack of attacking spark. The Ruhr players had chances thanks to high pressing and counter-pressing but overall, despite all their patience, they lacked an attacking presence in the last thirty meters. To underline this point, they finished the match with an xG (expected goal, possible goals) of 0.42 – their lowest in the group stage.