How opponents can beat the top in-form teams this season

Come the new season and the big boys of football are at it again. Whether it be controlling possession, keeping clean sheets or scoring freely, the top teams in all the leagues across Europe are daunting prospects, aiming to either maintain their dominance or return to winning ways.And so, with all leagues having played at least six games, we look at the strengths and potential weaknesses of these football juggernauts along with the tactics teams could use to counter them, if at all.

#1 Manchester United

Louis van Gaal’s Red Devils climbed atop the Premier League table this weekend and rightly so. The Dutchman is slowly but surely teaching the virtues of possession and patient build-up to a league which primarily takes pride in its pace and physicality.

Strengths

New signing Anthony Martial has, of course, helped speed up matters – literally and figuratively speaking. The 19-year-old forward offers the option to run past defenders, which pegs back the opposition backline and offers United’s attacking midfield trio of Memphis Depay, Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata time and space on the ball.

Mata, in particular, has stepped up to the plate. He is not only being his usual creative self but scoring consistently as well. A defensive midfield pairing of Michael Carrick or Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin has helped plug the gaps left by the attacking full-backs.

Weaknesses

Dominating a game in terms of possession, however, has lulled United into a false sense of security a few times this season already. A classical example of this was Swansea’s winner at Liberty Stadium, where the Swans exploited left-back Luke Shaw’s over-commitment to attack and Daley Blind’s lack of pace to score.

PSV, too, made use of United’s slow transition from attack to defence in the Champions League tie and, despite winning 3-2 against Southampton at St. Mary’s, the Red Devils once again showed an alarming vulnerability in away matches.

How to counter

A counter-attacking 4-3-3 would perhaps be the ideal formation to trouble Van Gaal’s team, provided it has the right ingredients – tactically aware defenders breaking up play, fast wingers attacking the flanks, a striker with a physical presence up top and a goalscoring midfielder (Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea of 2005, anyone?).

An additional tactic to man-mark Mata would not go amiss either, especially in light of Memphis’ inconsistency and Rooney’s indifferent form.

#2 Real Madrid

Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Malaga notwithstanding, Los Merengues have made a strong start to the season. Rafa Benitez’s decision to deploy Gareth Bale in a central attacking role is bringing the best out of the Welshman, without compromising the goal-scoring exploits of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Strengths

Real Madrid’s strength lies in attack – a forward line boasting of Karim Benzema, Bale, Ronaldo and James Rodriguez with Isco on the bench is the stuff of nightmares for any defence. To compound matters, world-class playmakers such as Toni Kroos and Luka Modric will create chances for these forwards all day long, clearly showing that Benitez has set up his team to score as many goals as possible.

Weaknesses and how to Counter

Real’s focus on attack, however, leaves them prone to conceding goals as well. Kroos and Modric, while potent going forward, are not nearly as effective at tracking back, which time and again leaves huge gaps between midfield and defence. Marcelo, too, effectively plays as a left winger, leaving his side to the mercy of opposition attackers.

Moreover, a double-pivot of Kroos and Modric can easily be outnumbered in a midfield battle by a 3-man midfield (Eg. Busquets-Rakitic-Iniesta). Dominating the midfield against Real has the dual advantage of creating chances as well as rendering the attack line of Los Blancos toothless.

Beating Real Madrid this season, therefore, will be like killing a king cobra – the soft underbelly is there for the taking. All one has to do is evade (or survive) the poisonous fangs and grab it by the neck.

#3 Borussia Dortmund

After a traumatic 2014/15 season, Borussia Dortmund are back among goals and victories under new manager Thomas Tuchel. The Schwarzgelben look a formidable unit, ready to give Bayern Munich a run for their money this time around.

Strengths

Dortmund under Tuchel have returned to the ways that made them successful in the first place. The high pressing, quick interplay and deadly counter-attacks have all come back, the only difference being that these are but some of the many ways Tuchel knows to play.

The German tactician, nicknamed the Sport Scientist, has made Dortmund tactically versatile. As a result, the counter-attacking will be replaced by possession-based play against inferior opposition and geigenpressing might occasionally be given up to preserve narrow leads or to rest players.

How to Counter

Playing well against this Dortmund team will, first and foremost, require being comfortable enough in possession to escape its high press. The attacking quartet of Marco Reus, Shinji Kagawa, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will need the attention of at least two defensive midfielders who can cut passing lanes, break up play and release teammates from defensive positions.

Most important, though, will be the ability of a team and, in turn, its manager to adapt to Dortmund’s style of play at different stages of the game. Tuchel is highly capable of reading the opposition’s intentions and the opposition coach will have to be equally proactive in countering his match strategies.

#4 Barcelona

In spite of having makeshift right-backs, giving opportunities to youngsters and losing Lionel Messi for two months to a knee injury, the Blaugrana made it 15 points out of a possible 18 on Saturday.

Strengths

The Catalans pose the biggest threat going forward. The trio of Messi, Suarez and Neymar tore apart defences last season, scoring 122 goals in the process. The attack is aided by arguably the most dominant midfield in Europe – Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic and Andres Iniesta – who control games for fun and turn up to score goals in crucial games (remember the Champions League final against Juventus?).

The real strength, though, lies in their teamwork. The work ethic and camaraderie of La Masia shines through in every aspect of their game, and any player arriving from outside the club’s hallowed youth academy (Neymar, Suarez, Rakitic, Mascherano) is expected to first accept this style of playing and then bring his individual qualities to the table.

Weaknesses and how to Counter

So, how does a team stop MSN from scoring? How to overcome a midfield which keeps the ball so effortlessly? And finally, how to prevail against a team playing with such chemistry and understanding?

A possible solution is using a 3-5-2 formation. A 3-man defence has three centre-backs compared to two in a routine 4-man backline, which helps cope with Barcelona’s wide forwards who show an inclination to drift inside rather than stay wide and cross. Having two defensive midfielders as well creates a 5-man bloc in central defensive areas and helps cut off the midfield’s supply to Messi and co.

Add to this two hard-working wide midfielders linking the defence with attack plus a counter-attacking front three, and beating the mighty Barcelona suddenly seems possible. Scoring from crosses and headers also is a viable option, as shown by Aduriz and Athletic Bilbao.

Whatever the formation, the general idea behind dealing with Luis Enrique’s team would be to sit back, absorb their attacking pressure and hit on the break. Barca’s defence has recently shown susceptibility to counter-attacks, conceding 4 goals each against Sevilla, Celta Vigo and the aforementioned Bilbao.

The most crucial factor against Barcelona, however, will be the ability of the opposition to play as a team, show the same level of teamwork and selfless play that the Catalans do, even if they don’t possess the individual quality. Do that, and one just might have a chance against the might of Barcelona.

#5 Bayern Munich

Pep Guardiola’s men have plundered 23 goals on their way to winning the first seven matches in the Bundesliga. The former Barcelona manager has shown an ever-increasing willingness to play more direct football this season and the results have been encouraging to say the least.

Strengths

Bayern’s newfound strength this season has been in the wide areas, where the arrival of Brazilian Douglas Costa and youngster Kingsley Coman has made an instant impact. Gone is the dependence on Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery – aka Robbery – and any opposition looking to restrict Die Roten this year will find it essential to restrict their pace and creativity on the flanks.

Having Arturo Vidal means Bayern’s midfield is no longer lacking in steel and work-rate, making it even more important for teams to keep possession whenever they can.

Weaknesses and how to Counter

Targeting the ageing Xabi Alonso is a potential solution. The Spaniard is a creative maestro, but can be found wanting defensively. That apart, Bayern look a well-balanced unit with no apparent weaknesses on paper. Injuries to key players might play a role, as they did last season, although it would be very unlike Guardiola to not learn from past mistakes and rotate more frequently this season.

Suffice to say, any team having the semblance of a chance against the Bavarians of Guardiola will have to be well-drilled defensively, confident in possession and ruthless in attack. That, and pray Lewandowski is not in the mood.