RB Leipzig’s 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid was the most important victory of Julian Nagelsmann’s career to date, and a fine example of why the 33 – year – old German is considered the most exciting young coach in Europe.
Both sides play very different styles of football. While Atletico Madrid were content to play in their own half in a flat 4-4-2, RB Leipzig operated in an aggressive 4-2-3-1 without the ball, an unusual 3-1-5-1 with the ball , and sometimes pushed her whole side into the third of Atleti’s field.
Simeone has taken Atletico to great heights in recent decades and remains an excellent coach, especially in terms of drilling a solid defensive structure. But here it felt like the Spanish side were playing football from a bygone era compared to the fluidity and flexibility of their opponents. No other coach in European football changes system as quickly and efficiently as Nagelsmann, and it reproaches simply by trying …
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