#RED ALERT 2 GAME SPEED TOO FAST SERIES#

'Eintracht played to their strengths really well they were tough, physical and very good in their own penalty box. The key is to say 'not everything went badly today', but we didn't get enough of the important things right to our standard. Xavi Hernández, Barcelona coach: 'We shouldn't be blaming tiredness, mental or physical – we didn't use the ball well. The Frenchman ended the night with the most open-play crosses and take-ons (13 of each) of any player in last Thursday's matches.

Eintracht's deep block offered little room for him to run into behind and, instead, a greater attacking threat came from Dembélé who caught the eye with his dribbling and intelligent movement which included plenty of runs inside. Indeed his total of ten clearances was unsurpassed in last week's second legs (matched only by Leipzig's Willi Orbán).įactor in Eintracht's collective aerial power and it was a difficult evening for Aubameyang, the Barcelona central striker up against the German side's three imposing central defenders. Hinteregger was singled out too and not just for his strong personality and leadership at the back his one-on-one defending, power in the air and intelligence in the visitors' build-up play were equally impressive. Kostić putting his shoulder to the defensive wheel AFP via Getty Images His speed is a great asset and he also worked hard defensively for the team and ranked joint-second for recoveries (12) in last week's quarter-final second legs (along with West Ham's Pablo Fornals). As noted by the UEFA technical observer, when they lost the ball they work tirelessly to win it back, their movement as a team allowing them numerical superiority in defensive situations, such as in the wide areas.Īccording to the UEFA observer, several individuals stood out, starting with Kostić who featured in many of Eintracht's dangerous attacks. In the second period too Oliver Glasner's men kept countering and could have had more goals.

#RED ALERT 2 GAME SPEED TOO FAST SERIES#

In the first half, in particular, Barcelona's errors in possession led to a series of Frankfurt counterattacks, including in the lead-up to their second goal. (As an aside, West Ham, their semi-final opponents, had the second-lowest numbers for possession and touches). Yet they managed 15 shots to Barcelona's ten with a 7-4 count for shots on goal. It is interesting to note that Eintracht had less possession (25.6%) and fewer touches (413) than any other team in UEFA Europa League action last Thursday night. The second and third clips in the video, similarly, show Eintracht work the ball across to their Serbian playmaker whose crosses lead to opportunities for first Jakić and then Lindström. The first sequence shows Hinteregger play a ball up the right side into Barcelona territory with white shirts competing fiercely to regain it before a switch to Kostić on the left, who gets in a shot. The video above begins with an example of their ploy of hitting balls long and then winning the second ball. Those qualities came to the fore once more at Camp Nou, along with their highly effective switches of play to their talented No10 Kostić. They have strong, fast players and their transitional play is excellent.

FeaturesĮintracht base their success on counterattacking at top speed, with quick balls to the front.

Without the ball, Lindström and Kamada dropped back either side of the midfield two as Eintracht formed a compact defensive 1-5-4-1 block, defending aggressively to win the ball and create chances to counter. Higher up the pitch, centre-forward Borré (No19) received support from Jesper Lindström (No29) and Kamada (No15). With two defensive midfielders, they had a solid five-man block centrally along with two fast wingers in Ansgar Knauff (No36) and Kostić (No10). Frankfurt Set up in a 1-3-4-2-1 formation, Eintracht had a goalkeeper, Trapp (No1), who was confident on the ball, and three strong central defenders, led by Hinteregger (No13) in the middle.

Red alert 2 game speed too fast