At the kick-off, Genesio had prepared a four-man defense but established five professional defenders, with the full-back Mitchell Bakker positioned in front Gabriel Gudmundssonon the left side.
“We chose to line the left lane with two more defensive players because there are a lot of players on this side making runs: Valverde, Carvajalwe thought that Rodrygo also going to play“, he explained. Result: the White House was almost not dangerous on this side.
Above all, the 58-year-old coach had the desire to “close inside the game“, asking Zhegrova and Bakker to come regularly to support Ayyoub Bouaddi and ß in midfield.
Respecting this pattern, Lille moved as a team, forming a compact block to annihilate spaces as much as possible, particularly in the midfield.
This tactical victory for Genesio confirms his ability to pull out all the stops on the European scene. After the feat of his Olympique Lyonnais in Manchester against the City of Pep Guardiola (2-1) in 2018, which earned him the affectionate nickname of “Pep“Genesio, he comes to add Carlo Ancelotti on his hunting list, which also includes José Mourinho.
“It’s a source of pride because they are two coaches that I admire, with different qualities and extraordinary records. […] but it is the work of the entire team that must be highlighted“, commented soberly the former coach of Rennes and Lyon.
Besides Genesio, there are only Jurgen Klopp et Diego Simeonewith much greater numbers, who managed to dominate the Guardiola/Ancelotti/Mourinho trio in European competitions, according to statistician Opta.
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