Spanish School Emerges Again As The Superior Model For Champions League Success | Philipp Lahm

In Germany, coaches utilized to say: “Follow your force correct into nan loo!” That was nan telephone to man-mark. So defenders weren’t meant to deliberation excessively deeply. This retro tactical attack has been making an unexpected comeback since Atalanta won nan Europa League successful 2024 utilizing this method.

Against a squad pinch a importantly superior individual quality, you people don’t guidelines a chance pinch man-marking. Atalanta had to study that nan difficult measurement successful nan Champions League past 16. Bayern enjoyed absurdly immense spaces and scored 10 goals. Rarely has a knockout-stage lucifer been truthful one-sided.

I dream that nan correct conclusions are drawn from this successful Germany, because I’m now seeing man-marking much often successful nan Bundesliga again. Yet it tin only beryllium a short-term measurement if you want to astonishment nan force and put them nether pressure, arsenic successful handball conscionable earlier nan last whistle. It is not, however, a strategy for nan full match. A shot transportation is excessively large for that.

The Spaniards truthful instrumentality to a different thought they person adopted: ball-oriented defending, intelligibly defined positions and roles, organised operation shot that shifts nan action into nan opposition’s half. Cognitively, this demands much than 90 minutes of one-on-one battles. Players must cooperate, orient themselves and, astatine nan correct moment, guided by nan swarm, spell into one-on-one situations. For one-on-one is still nan nucleus of excellence.

The full state operates this way; for nan Spaniards, it is simply a matter of identity. They person each nan grounds they are doing nan correct point connected their side. Their clubs person won a full of 24 titles successful nan 3 European competitions this century. Behind them travel England pinch 11, past Italy and Germany pinch 5 and 4 respectively.

Atalanta were thrashed 10-2 connected aggregate by Bayern Munich successful nan past 16 of this season’s Champions League. Photograph: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

Six different Spanish clubs shared these successes; from nan Bundesliga, location were only 2 during nan aforesaid period. In 7 of nan past 12 years, nan Champions League has gone to La Liga; this season, it is erstwhile again sending nan astir quarter-finalists, namely Real, Barça and Atlético.

These 3 whitethorn not needfully beryllium nan favourites this year, those are nan champion teams from nan group shape and nan defending champions. They excessively person Spanish elements to them; their managers are products of nan Barça schoolhouse and successful a measurement influenced by Pep Guardiola: Mikel Arteta (Arsenal) and Luis Enrique (PSG) person nan style successful their blood, though each interprets it pinch their ain nuances.

Luis de la Fuente led Spain to European Championship occurrence successful 2024. Photograph: Chema Moya/EPA

Spanish managers predominate Europe; successful nan past 16 of each 3 competitions, location were 11 of them, much than doubly arsenic galore arsenic nan state pinch nan second-highest number. In nan quarter-finals location are three, much than from immoderate different country. Time and again it is nan Spaniards who are causing a sensation. Xabi Alonso ended Bayern’s power pinch Bayer Leverkusen. Unai Emery keeps bringing second-tier clubs to nan fore, presently Aston Villa. Cesc Fàbregas is shaking up Serie A pinch Como and changing Italian football.

Guardiola’s long-running winning streak successful nan Premier League did travel to an extremity past season. His squad had mislaid its inspiration. Working connected nan aforesaid point each time doesn’t activity for ever. Now he is building thing caller successful Manchester, evolving further and relying connected different types of players than before. He was knocked retired of nan Champions League this twelvemonth (by his compatriot Álvaro Arbeloa), but it is still capable for nan title title and cup victories successful England.

And past there’s Luis de la Fuente. He’s been moving for nan Spanish Football Federation for much than a decade, winning European Championships pinch various younker teams and successful 2024 pinch nan elder side. Three of nan past 5 European Championship titles person gone to Spain. Not moreover Germany managed specified power successful nan 70s and 80s. It was this era Gary Lineker was referring to erstwhile he said that successful nan end, nan Germans ever win. Nope, coming it’s Spain. At this summer’s World Cup, De la Fuente’s broadside are of people contenders.

The Spanish schoolhouse has replaced nan Italian 1 arsenic nan superior model. Italy still produces coaches for nan world market, moreover aft Carlo Ancelotti. But nan teams nary longer win. One twelvemonth agone I wrote successful my file that Italian shot lacks intensity, commitment, dynamism, athleticism and initiative, which is why it nary longer has immoderate world-class players. In response, nan Süddeutsche Zeitung, a insubstantial from my location municipality of Munich, accused maine of spouting “cliches”.

Yet location are nary Italian clubs successful this year’s Champions League quarter-finals; by nan tegument of their teeth we moreover came adjacent to having a past 16 without them for nan first clip had Atalanta not knocked Borussia Dortmund retired astatine nan past second. And nan nationalist squad grounded to suffice for nan World Cup for nan 3rd clip successful succession. Four years agone North Macedonia proved excessively strong; this clip it was Bosnia.

Italy has been near behind. If Germany goes down this caller way nan aforesaid could hap to us. I’m amazed that truthful galore defenders successful nan Bundesliga are now erstwhile again shadowing their opponents to nan toilet. Bayern do it too; Vincent Kompany sometimes relies connected man-marking. In nan Bundesliga wherever he faces nary competition, mistakes aren’t punished. And he caught defending champions PSG disconnected defender successful nan group shape pinch his style. At that moment, Europe was amazed.

But a fewer weeks later Arsenal were good prepared. To execute large goals, a head needs a unique style. Kompany, a protege of Guardiola, appears to beryllium trying to move from a possession-based defence to man-marking. Managing this move without losing power would beryllium nan eventual achievement. So acold nary head has managed it. Not moreover nan very champion person dared to effort it.

Philipp Lahm’s file was produced successful business pinch Oliver Fritsch astatine nan German online mag Die Zeit.