Strasbourg: Liam Rosenior's tactics explained

Few Ligue 1 McDonald's teams have a playing identity as strong as Liam Rosenior's Strasbourg this season. The young English coach arrived in Alsace last summer virtually unknown to many outside of England, and immediately set about a project based on audacity and initiative. With the idea of preventing the opponent from developing their own game as a mantra. The second team to carry out the most pressing in the final third in the top flight (126 per game on average) behind Lille (134), Strasbourg press their opponents on 67% of the balls touched by them, the highest percentage of its kind in the top flight. However, despite this aggressiveness towards the ball carrier, RCSA is second to last in McDonald's Ligue 1 in terms of contested duels (91 per game), only ahead of Olympique de Marseille (86). Paradoxical? Not so much.

Areas where strasbourg have the ball



Liam Rosenior favours a style of football based on the art of evasion, in which the objective is above all to collectively push the opposing team into making mistakes, in order to create numerical superiority in the spaces left behind them. This means pressing, of course, but also a willingness to increase the number of short exchanges on the pitch in order to draw in the opposition. 59% of Strasbourg's passes ended up in their own half, including 33% in their own defensive third, by far the highest ratios in the top flight this season. 7% of all Alsatian passes also consisted of breaking up the opposition's attacking line, again the highest percentage. Given maximum responsibility in these low-level relaunch sequences, Djordje Petrovic is the goalkeeper touching the most balls (56) and making the most passes (47) per game this season.

Once the opposition block is drawn out and the first line of pressure broken, Racing adds risk and speed to their game to take advantage of the spaces – they have the third highest number of counter-attacks in the top flight this season (32). Logically, the percentage of successful passes then takes a hit: 4th in McDonald's Ligue 1 in their own half (92%), Strasbourg is only 9th in the field in the opposition half (75%). But this willingness to hurt the opposing defence as quickly as possible is paying off. With 5 goals following a direct attack, RCSA is second only to Lyon (6). For their part, Emanuel Emegha (8) and Dilane Bakwa (5) are two of the three players who have had the most one-on-one chances against the opposing goalkeeper, alongside Bradley Barcola (6).

Strasbourg attacking zones

Knowing how to keep the ball in certain areas, to cut off the opposition in others: an attractive game plan for observers, but also for the players. Faced with the efforts required, Liam Rosenior can count on the energy of his troops. At 21 years and 280 days, Strasbourg has the youngest starting XI in Ligue 1 McDonald's on average over the last 75 years. A verve that has the defects of its qualities – for a long time, this new-look Racing team has indeed seemed to lack consistency in the management of its matches. It has conceded 53 more shots than it has attempted when leading this season (74 attempted, 127 conceded), the largest negative difference of its kind in the division. The 17 points lost after leading represent the third highest total behind FC Nantes (19) and AJ Auxerre (18).

Getting it right

However, these mistakes are no longer an issue. In 14th place in Ligue 1 McDonald's on the evening of the 14th matchday, Strasbourg has the second-best points record since the 15th matchday: 20, the same as OGC Nice and only less than PSG (25). The Alsatian club has only lost 2 points after having led on the scoreboard during the period (against Marseille on 19 January), with 6 victories in this situation. The key? Its new defensive solidity. Since that same Matchday 15, Racing have conceded just five goals for 11.8 Expected Goals conceded, this difference of 6.8 xG being the best in the top flight over the period. They have also only conceded 29 shots on target since mid-December, the second lowest total behind Toulouse (27).

Shots faced

Against AJ Auxerre this weekend, RCSA could make it four clean sheets in a row in Ligue 1. McDonald's for the first time since 2004, and above all confirm their current fine form. To do so, they will have to beat a difficult opponent on their home turf (AJA are fifth in the home league table this season), but this Strasbourg team has given itself the right to be ambitious. Its first challenge has been met – to advocate an attacking style with strong principles. The other major objective set out by the club's leadership remains: to go for Europe.

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