TECHNICAL

REPORT
2022/23
CONTENTS
4 6 12 18
INTRODUCTION THE FINAL WINNING TACTICAL
COACH: PEP ANALYSIS
GUARDIOLA

34 36 38 40
TEAM OF AWARD GOALS OF TOP
THE SEASON WINNERS THE SEASON SCORERS

42 46 48 52
GOALSCORING BUILDING FINAL-THIRD PRESSING IN
THE PLAY ENTRIES THE FINAL

54 56 60 64
DEFENDING SET PLAYS GOALKEEPING FITNESS
CROSSES AND SPEED

66 98
TEAM ROLL OF
PROFILES HONOUR

COVER
Federico Dimarco keeps
To view video of the screen grabs in
an eye on Bernardo this report as well as technical reports
Silva during the final
from all UEFA competitions, please visit
uefatechnicalreports.com

3
TACTICAL TRENDSUEFA’s technical observers tracked the
Manchester City
captain İlkay
Gündoğan lifts the
trophy in Istanbul

season’s tactical and statistical developments

thanks to detailed analysis of every game

This review of the 2022/23 Champions League provides Corinne Diacre (France), Dušan Fitzel (Czechia), Frans
a record of the 125 matches between the start of Hoek (Netherlands), David James (England), Robbie
the group stage in September 2022 and the final at Keane (Republic of Ireland), Stefan Kuntz (Germany),
Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium on 10 June. The 24th Hans Leitert (Austria), Roberto Martínez (Spain), Ginés
Champions League technical report of its kind, it assesses Meléndez (Spain), Michael O’Neill (Northern Ireland),
the action with the input of UEFA's Technical Observers’ Mixu Paatelainen (Finland), Marians Pahars (Latvia), Vera
Panel and the support of its performance analysis team. Pauw (Netherlands), Stipe Pletikosa (Croatia), Gus Poyet
A member of the observers’ group analysed every (Uruguay), Peter Rudbæk (Denmark), Willi Ruttensteiner
fixture from Matchday 1 onwards to ensure in-depth (Austria), Willy Sagnol (France), Thomas Schaaf
coverage of the group stage while, for the knockout (Germany), Gareth Southgate (England) and Giovanni van
rounds, there was an observer present at every fixture. Bronckhorst (Netherlands).
The resulting insights have provided the substance for The report is backed by statistical analysis and with
the talking points in the report, as well as informing the the trends identified, UEFA seeks to provide a meaningful
assessment of the tactical approach of all 32 clubs. tool for coaches across Europe. It will be made available to
UEFA’s team of technical observers for 2022/23 members of the coaching family and, hopefully, will help
comprised: David Adams (Wales), Wayne Allison inform development coaches about the prevailing styles
(England), Packie Bonner (Republic of Ireland), and strategies, as well as the qualities needed, at the elite
Cosmin Contra (Romania), Frank de Boer (Netherlands), end of European club football.
GROUP A GROUP B

SSC Napoli Liverpool FC AFC Ajax Rangers FC FC Porto Club Brugge Bayer 04 Club Atlético
(NAP) (LIV) (AJA) (RAN) (POR) (BRU) Leverkusen de Madrid
(LEV) (ATL)

GROUP C GROUP D

FC Bayern FC Internazionale FC Barcelona FC Viktoria Tottenham Eintracht Sporting Olympique de

München Milano (BAR) Plzeň Hotspur FC Frankfurt Clube de Marseille
(BAY) (INT) (PLZ) (TOT) (FRA) Portugal (MAR)
(SPO)

GROUP E GROUP F

Chelsea FC AC Milan FC Salzburg GNK Dinamo Real Madrid CF RB Leipzig FC Shakhtar Celtic FC
(CHE) (MIL) (SAL) Zagreb (RMA) (LEI) Donetsk (CEL)
(DIN) (SHA)

GROUP G GROUP H

Manchester Borussia Sevilla FC FC Copenhagen SL Benfica Paris Saint- Juventus Maccabi Haifa
City FC Dortmund (SEV) (COP) (BEN) Germain (JUV) FC
(MCI) (DOR) (PAR) (MHA)

5
THE FINAL

CITY CLAIM
THE PRIZEA second-half strike from Rodri gave
Manchester City their first title and Pep
Guardiola his third as a coach, though Inter
pushed them all the way in Istanbul

6 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

 INTER’S BRAVE CENTRE-BACKS STIFLE CITY
“It was quite brave,” said Frank de Boer, one of the UEFA observers at
the final on 10 June. “They weren’t afraid to play one against one.”
De Boer was describing the approach of the Inter central defenders
who, though set up in their usual 1-3-5-2 formation, had a pressing
role to play against Manchester City which was as unexpected as it was
influential. To be specific, the Inter centre-backs on the right and left
sides, Matteo Darmian and Alessandro Bastoni respectively, were given
the task of stepping up to put Kevin De Bruyne and İlkay Gündoğan
under pressure in the half-spaces where they typically look to work
their magic. It was bold and it was brave as it meant that the middle
centre-back, Francesco Acerbi, was left at times to mark Erling Haaland
on his own.
“The players who dealt with the No10s were the centre-halves
and for me that was a real surprise,” said Roberto Martínez, another
member of the observers’ group in Istanbul. “The two centre-halves
were ready to jump and this is brave as you then have the strongest
No9 in European football one-v-one in front of your box.”
Inter coach Simone Inzaghi’s ploy largely paid off. City, despite
technically having four men in midfield compared to Inter’s three,
could not gain superiority in the centre of the pitch and found their
build-up play disrupted. As an illustration, they recorded a final-third
pass completion rate of 77.8%, notably lower than their season
average of 86.4%.
In the first clip, viewable in the digital report, we see Darmian go
all the way into the City half to press De Bruyne before Bastoni does
likewise on the left. This ensured that Inter’s midfielders could focus
on other marking duties. As Martínez added: “They had players in clear
man-marking roles and other players who had to jump and these were
the two centre-halves.”
In the second clip, Bastoni steps into the City half to close down
John Stones; then Darmian, anticipating a potential ball to De Bruyne
down the City left, gets tight to the Belgian once more.
Inter’s approach made it difficult for City to create clear openings,
limiting them to a total of seven shots – their lowest number of
the season. Inzaghi praised his team’s aggression, organisation and
determination afterwards and said: “We gave away very little.
I remember there was one chance for Phil Foden but they didn’t have
Manchester City clear chances.” To highlight the point, only against Borussia Dortmund
midfielder Rodri slots in
the only goal of the final at home and Real Madrid away did Guardiola’s men record a lower xG
than the 0.99 they posted in the final. By comparison, Inter’s xG was 1.68.

Inter centre-backs in position to press Inter centre-back Bastoni stepping into midfield to
Kevin De Bruyne and İlkay Gündoğan apply pressure on Manchester City’s John Stones

7
THE FINAL

INTER SET TEST FOR RODRI

A consequence of the Inter centre-backs pressing in the No10
spaces was that Inter’s midfielders could focus their attentions
elsewhere – not least on trying to limit the impact of City’s
midfield pivot, Rodri. “They always had one midfielder jumping on
Rodri,” said Martínez. Guardiola himself admitted afterwards: “We
didn’t expect [Hakan] Çalhanoğlu jammed to Rodri.”
Rodri himself, despite having scored the only goal of the final
and earned the award for Player of the Match, expressed the view
that he “wasn’t good in the first half”.
This clip, which can be watched in the digital report, offers an Inter were always in touching distance to Rodri throughout the game,
example of how Inter sought to frustrate him, showing a vigilant which caused Manchester City problems in the first half
Marcelo Brozović in the vicinity of Rodri, the Croatian keeping close
to the City midfielder as his team-mates work the ball back to Rodri ended the final having completed more passes than any player
Ederson. The goalkeeper, rather than look to Rodri, plays a longer (61 of 66 attempted) yet – to show the impact of Inter’s efforts – this
ball to Stones instead. was his third-lowest number of completed passes in a Champions League
Guardiola admitted afterwards: “In the first half we had trouble match this season in which he had played the full 90 minutes. Only in both
reading the free man in midfield. I said to Rodri [at half-time], legs of the quarter-final against Bayern did City’s metronome manage
‘Relax, you’ve been the best midfielder in Europe by some fewer. And, for the record, only in those two matches did the champions
distance. Don’t rush it – read where the free man is.’” have less possession than the 55.4% they recorded in Istanbul.

Hakan Çalhanoğlu kept

Rodri under wraps for
long periods

8 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

 Federico Dimarco behind him and escaped behind the Inter
player with a lovely, light-footed turn before carrying the ball
into the box and unleashing a low shot. “Foden is different,
he’s direct,” said one of the final observers when assessing the
substitute’s impact, albeit as with every City attacking player, it
was limited by the excellence of Inter’s defensive organisation.

City’s biggest chance in the first half came after a possession sequence
where Erling Haaland timed his run brilliantly behind Inter’s defence

CITY WINGERS LEAD PRESS

City’s pressing game was another interesting feature of the final as
Guardiola’s men repeated the ploy seen in the quarter-final against
Bayern München. “In the past you see City pressing a lot but now they
stay in a high mid-block, waiting for the right moments,” said Giovanni
Erling Haaland’s first-half shot van Bronckhorst, pointing out that when City did press high, it was the
is blocked by André Onana
two wide attackers, Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva, who led the press,
looking to force the ball to the sides or long.
Within a 1-4-2-4 shape, City’s central attackers focused on screening
the space in front of the Inter holding midfielder. We see this in the
first clip, viewable in the digital report, here as Marcelo Brozović finds
CITY CONNECT THEIR ATTACKING himself flanked by Haaland and De Bruyne as Inter build from the back.
PLAYERS … BUT LESS THAN USUAL Bernardo is the player who steps up into the Inter box to press Bastoni
Man City had scored 31 goals on the path to Istanbul yet at the and he does the same in the second clip too, which can be seen by
Atatürk Olympic Stadium they created few clear opportunities. pressing the image in the digital version of the report, in which Grealish
As the UEFA Technical Observers’ Panel reflected, only a then closes down Darmian on the other side as De Bruyne and Haaland
couple of times did they open up Inter as they normally shut down the space around Brozović once more. This was a tactic
would an opposition defence, by getting their playmakers that City had previously used to good effect in the second half of their
into the half-spaces and playing Haaland in behind. quarter-final home win over Bayern (see Quarter-final review). Van
The obvious example in the first half was in the 27th minute when Bronckhorst added: “They didn’t press high, but more mid-to-high, and
Rodri found space in the centre-circle and fed Gündoğan in a pocket when they did it was the wide players jumping as against Bayern in the
of space between Inter’s defensive and midfield lines. Although second half at home.”
Darmian stepped out to press, Gündoğan was too quick for him,
laying the ball off to De Bruyne, free between the lines, to release
Haaland, whose angled run took him across Bastoni and into a
position to test André Onana. However, it was one of only two touches
in the Inter box for the Norwegian that night. City, in possession,
set up in a 1-3-4-2-1 and, at the start of the match, had Gündoğan
at the top of their midfield diamond, with Rodri at the base, and
John Stones and De Bruyne on the right and left respectively.
After De Bruyne’s first-half withdrawal with a hamstring injury,
Gündoğan shifted to the left with Phil Foden, the Belgian’s
replacement, occupying the space behind Haaland. City’s adjusted
set-up was clear to see when they created a scoring opportunity
for the substitute after 77 minutes. Gündoğan, on the left of
midfield, played the ball inside to Rodri and the Spaniard passed Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish are ready to
jump in and press Inter’s centre-backs
forward to Foden who cleverly anticipated the movement of

9
THE FINAL

AKANJI BREAKS THE LINES

The passing range of
André Onana was a
key asset for Inter
On paper, City had a defensive line in Istanbul comprising four
players commonly considered centre-backs by trade. If that
pointed to a greater degree of pragmatism from Pep Guardiola, it
was only part of the story. For a start Stones, an England centre-
half, was filling with distinction a hybrid full-back/midfield role.

Manuel Akanji stepping forward before progressing the ball

ONANA’S PASSING FROM DEEP

behind Inter’s defensive line leading to City’s winner

As for Manuel Akanji he ranked third for line-breaking Akanji was not the only defensive player in the final who showcased
passes in the 2022/23 campaign with 137 – two more than his eye for a pass. Inter goalkeeper André Onana impressed the UEFA
team-mate Rúben Dias. In addition, the Swiss international’s observers too. As Pep Guardiola said of the Cameroonian afterwards:
total included 17 passes within the attacking third and his “They put the incredible Onana to play in the positions of a
last such pass of the season will feature in replays for years holding midfielder.”
to come as it was the ball which freed Bernardo Silva in the In an era when goalkeepers are increasingly involved in making the
Inter box to cut the ball back for Rodri’s winning strike. play, Onana’s efforts embodied that trend on a night he displayed the
In the 74-second possession sequence leading up to the goal, passing range of a deep midfielder. The first video clip (when you click
Akanji had earlier had possession but had Lautaro Martínez sticking on the screengrab below in the digital version of the report) shows him
tight to him. This time he was unhindered by the Argentinian and carry the ball outside his box and then taking out six City players with a
so advanced with the ball, a movement which led to Alessandro forward ball into the opposition half to Martínez who supplies Lukaku
Bastoni stepping out to challenge which, in turn, opened up the for a shot on goal. “An amazing pass” was the verdict of Frank de Boer.
space for Silva to step into behind the Inter defender. Cue the pass The Cameroonian produced another excellent pass in the second
from Akanji which dissected two defenders and freed Bernardo clip (which can be accessed via the digital report) a measured ball
on the right of the box. Guardiola might have had four men at along the ground to the feet of Lukaku, who turns and feeds substitute
the back with power and height but they could pass a ball too. Henrikh Mkhitaryan in another dangerous late attack.
This was one of five matches in this European campaign in which
Onana completed 30 or more passes. And with 32 of his 44 attempted
Manuel Akanji escapes
passes completed, he ranked sixth among his Inter colleagues for
the attentions of successful passes in the final. Incidentally, he can use his hands too:
Lautaro Martínez
the Inter keeper ranked first among goalkeepers in the 2022/23
competition in the ‘goals prevented’ category with 7.84 – two ahead of
Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois (5.85).

Onana stepping out of the penalty area before

progressing the ball into final third

10 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

 MATCH STATISTICS

MANCHESTER
CITY
EDERSON 31
1-0 INTER

24 ONANA
SATURDAY 10 JUNE 2023
AKANJI 25 Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul DARMIAN
36
33 D'Ambrosio 84'
RÚBEN DIAS 3 GOAL 15 ACERBI
Rodri 68
AKÉ 6 BASTONI
REFEREE 95
8 Gosens 76'
STONES
5 Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
2 Walker 82' DUMFRIES
2
12 Bellanova 76'
RODRI 16
23 BARELLA
BERNARDO SILVA 20
77 BROZOVIĆ (C)
DE BRUYNE
47 Foden 36' 17 20
HAKAN ÇALHANOĞLU
22 Mkhitaryan 84'
GÜNDOĞAN (C) 8
32 DIMARCO

GREALISH 10 10 MARTÍNEZ

HAALAND 9 DŽEKO
9
90 Lukaku 57'

UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
ORTEGA 18
1 HANDANOVIČ
CARSON 33
21 CORDAZ
PHILLIPS 4 MANCHESTER CITY INTER
5 GAGLIARDINI
1 GOALS 0
LAPORTE 14
55 POSSESSION (%) 45 6 DE VRIJ
ÁLVAREZ 19 7 TOTAL ATTEMPTS 14
11 CORREA
4 ON TARGET 6
GÓMEZ 21 3 OFF TARGET 7 14 ASLLANI
MAHREZ 26 2 BLOCKED 0
37 ŠKRINIAR
0 WOODWORK 1
PERRONE 32 2 CORNERS 4 COACH
PALMER 80 2 YELLOW CARDS 4 SIMONE INZAGHI
0 RED CARDS 0
LEWIS 82 512 PASSES ATTEMPTED 394

COACH 443 PASSES COMPLETED 325

PEP GUARDIOLA 112.9 km DISTANCE COVERED 114.2 km

11
WINNING COACH

12 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

 All smiles as
Pep Guardiola
poses with the

BACK
Champions
League trophy

ON TOP
After years of yearning, Pep
Guardiola reflects on how he
led Manchester City to their
first Champions League title
in a monumental campaign
forever etched in history

Twelve years after winning the second of his two UEFA

Champions League titles as Barcelona coach, Pep
Guardiola got his hands on the trophy once more on
10 June.
For the 52-year-old it was a feat which, from an
individual perspective, placed him alongside Bob Paisley
and Zinédine Zidane in a triumvirate of coaches with
three European Cups to their name. Only Carlo Ancelotti,
with four, has more.
In seven seasons as Manchester City manager,
Guardiola has overseen five Premier League triumphs,
yet this was one step beyond – a first European crown
for the club. As he reflects: “We had worked towards this
competition for years.”
There had been two semi-final defeats in that time
and a final reverse against Chelsea in 2021. What was
different this time? The presence of an out-and-out
centre-forward in Erling Haaland was one factor, and we
will return to the competition’s top scorer later. Another

13
WINNING COACH

The agony and ecstasy of a final

Rúben Dias blocks a shot to prevent a Bayern goal

14 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

 “AS COACHES, WE ADAPT TO THE
QUALITY OF OUR PLAYERS. IT’S NOT
ABOUT HOW I WANT THEM TO PLAY”

John Stones inverts during Man City's build-up

– in Guardiola’s eyes – was his side’s outstanding work in during the season. From stepping up alongside Rodri as
their own penalty box. City built the play, the England centre-back ended up
City’s line-up for the final contained four centre-backs: occupying a hybrid full-back/midfield role, operating on
Manuel Akanji, John Stones, Rúben Dias and Nathan the right side of a midfield diamond when City were in
Aké. And though his team produced just as many clean possession during the final.
sheets (eight) in their 2020/21 European campaign, “I’ve known John for seven years,” says Guardiola. “I
Guardiola believes their defending of their own area was know exactly what he can do, and he knows what we look
never better than in 2022/23. for. We sometimes need to shift positions and John has
“I’d say that this team is the best one at defending the ability to play as a midfielder. He has the ability to play
our box,” he says. “They are centre-backs, they know the further forward, and we saw this not only against Inter,
role inside out. but in previous matches too.
“I’ve always believed that we've defended really well. “As coaches, we adapt to the quality of our players. It’s
If you look at the stats, which I'm not a very big fan of, not about how I want them to play; if a player can’t play
and at the number of goals we’ve conceded throughout in the role, then it’s a non-starter. John has the ability. We
my tenure, the figure has always been very, very low. have previously tried with full-backs – with Fabian Delph,
We’ve been very solid as a team. In the box, however, Oleksandr Zinchenko, João Cancelo, Rico Lewis, who did
it’s a matter of defending a cross, winning the duel, really well. We’ve tried it with many players who I knew
preventing a shot or blocking it. This season has been could play that role, and John is one of them. Nothing
our best one because of our defenders’ quality.” changed, his quality as a player allows him to do it.”
To single out one defender, Stones and his creative If that was the defence, how about the man leading
gifts were in plentiful evidence too as his role shifted the attack? In City’s previous Champions League final

15
WINNING COACH

16 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

 Erling Haaland takes it all
in (left); Manchester City
bring home the trophy
they wanted most

distractions for the players. We have played together

for eight years and we know each other pretty well. We
all knew we wanted it, as we had worked towards this
competition for years, especially the last three or four
in which we have reached the semi-finals and a final.
It was about keeping up the hard work we had done
through the year.
“We knew how difficult the opposition would be
– and that was the case. We knew about the tension
we would experience, which we couldn’t get rid of
completely. The first time you win a Champions League
is always an emotionally challenging situation. This
would probably change a bit, if we have the chance to
play in another final in the years to come. We knew that
day would be emotionally difficult and so it was, but
thankfully, we did it.”
Guardiola continues: “In general, the match didn’t
flow but that’s normal because of the tension of it
being a final. In the second half, we were really good
before and after we scored, and we got the players
appearance, they had Kevin De Bruyne in the role of a we needed on the ball more. Bernardo Silva was
false nine. By contrast, this City side had a pure number outstanding as usual in these kinds of games and, in
nine in Haaland whose numbers confirm the size of his the end, we managed to score.”
impact – 12 goals in Europe together with 40 in the Even then, Guardiola was taking nothing for granted.
English domestic competitions. “I had negative thoughts towards the end when we
How much did City have to adjust their game to weren’t able to close out the match, and when they
accommodate their prodigious Norwegian newcomer? brought on Romelu Lukaku and put in more balls into
“It was more about helping Erling adapt to the team the box; they started to get Nicolò Barella on the ball
and vice versa,” explains Guardiola. “When you have and Henrikh Mkhitaryan too, but especially Lukaku and
a player with such ability – just as Julian Álvarez – he Lautaro Martínez.”
has to play. It was more about them connecting with This brings us to one other City player: Ederson. A
each other, rather than changing the principles we coach can devise plans, he can fine tune patterns of
have based our game on all this time. It came down to play, but ultimately, he is reliant on players to produce
Haaland starting to train, play matches, getting to know big moments in big matches.
his team-mates, and everything else came naturally.” Guardiola pays credit to his goalkeeper as he says:
That may be so, but things come less naturally amid “They brought on some very fresh players, and we
the pressures of a final, and this is something else that suffered a lot towards the end because they really
Guardiola dwells on – the inevitable tension which such pressured us. They had two clear chances where
an occasion brings. Before his first UEFA Champions Ederson was brilliant. From my experience on and off
League final as a coach with Barcelona in 2009, he the pitch, in order to win a final – and I’ve witnessed so
prepared a seven-minute motivational video using the many of them – your goalkeeper has to make that save
music from the film Gladiator. Not this time. or those two saves. If he doesn’t, you don’t win. And
“I didn’t say anything, anything at all,” Guardiola Ederson saved them this year, so he led us to victory.”
begins. “Time has taught us that the team is And with it, he also led Guardiola to the peak of the
more relaxed when there are little-to-no external European club game once more.

17
ROAD TO ISTANBUL

Alphonso Davies
keeps a step ahead
of Achraf Hakimi

TACTICAL ANALYSIS
From Manchester City’s strength down the middle to
Bayern München’s use of width and why patience paid
off for Real Madrid, UEFA’s technical observers highlight
some of the key talking points on the road to Istanbul

18 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

 GROUP STAGE DEFENCE TO MIDFIELD PROGRESSION
Overall, 21 of the 32 clubs participating in the group stage attempted
Building from the back is a tactical tendency which was prominent
more passing progressions from defence to midfield than from their
once again in 2022/23 and the group stage provided plentiful
midfield to the final third. Bayern München, the only team to win all six
examples. UEFA’s match observers saw sides routinely try to play out
group games, registered the most successful progressions from defence
from the back, often through two central defenders and one central
to midfield (264) followed by Dinamo Zagreb (244) and a Club Brugge
midfielder. A common strategy was for teams to use possession in
side (239) who made history by advancing from the group stage for the
and around their own penalty box to draw the opposition on to them,
first time. The club with the highest ratio of success in progressing from
inviting pressure and then looking to beat the first line of the press.
back to middle were holders Real Madrid (86%). Carlo Ancelotti’s men
actually attempted more progressions from midfield to attack (375) but
their attempts to progress from the back were certainly profitable, with
193 successful progressions from 224 attempts.
SHAKHTAR UNPICK LEIPZIG’S PRESS
This tactic did not just apply with the most accomplished teams: on
BAYERN 264
Matchday 1, Shakhtar Donetsk offered a case in point in their striking
4-1 win at Leipzig as they purposely encouraged their hosts to press and
then picked the right moments to play forward quickly, exploiting DINAMO ZAGREB 244

the wide areas with overloads.

Shakhtar’s build-up to their second goal at Leipzig was an impressive CLUB BRUGGE 239
example of a team working their way to the opposition goal from their
own penalty box – a 37-second sequence in which they moved the ball
patiently around in their defensive third before finding the space to play DORTMUND 230

out, beating the press and releasing Mykhailo Mudryk out on the left,
who sped forward and fed Marian Shved to score. NAPOLI 226

SHAKHTAR 224

SEVILLA 223

TOTTENHAM 212

INTER 211

AJAX 208

Shakhtar invite pressure from Leipzig and then bypass their high press SPORTING CP 203

Thibaut Courtois

BACK
on the ball
against Leipzig

TO FRONT
Which team was most effective at working the ball
out from the back? Among the 16 sides to qualify
from the group stage, Group F winners Real Madrid
had the best ratio of successful attempts (86.2%)
while at the other end of the scale were Eintracht
Frankfurt (55.8%). The other clubs sat somewhere
between the 60-80% mark, with Benfica managing
to get the ball into the midfield in exactly two-thirds
of their attempted progressions from the back.

19
ROAD TO ISTANBUL

CITY BUILD FROM THE CENTRE

Focusing on Manchester City, they were impressive in their efforts to
build in the centre of the field, with UEFA’s observers citing the way they
used rotations and passing triangles to create space in the 2-1 home win
against second-placed Dortmund. The City full-backs that night, João
Cancelo and John Stones, moved high and inside as the midfield players
around them dropped out wide or into deeper pockets.
To pinpoint one specific example of a triangle, the match observer
noted the sequence captured here in which Cancelo made a run
upfield at the same time as Phil Foden came in from the left and
Bernardo Silva dropped out to the wing.
As Guardiola explained later that evening, City were mindful of
Dortmund’s ability to defend the pockets of space and so “trained Chelsea's wing-backs support in the final third
on these movements and patterns before the game”. One purpose
of their rotational play was for “Kevin [De Bruyne] to attack the right
channel so we could come to more crossing situations”, and likewise WING-BACKS KEY FOR CHELSEA
Cancelo on the left.
Another team cited for their work in the middle third were Chelsea.
According to UEFA observer Giovanni van Bronckhorst, City’s efforts
The fact they ranked third for most possession on average (64%) is worth
to build through the middle have a clear logic. “I always, as a coach,
noting and, in their case, a significant part of their work was focused on
want to have the ball central because it gives you more options. Once
switches of play in the middle third along with quick play involving both
you are on the side you can only stay on that side or go inside.”
wing-backs.
Hence, with City, “you can see once they build up from the side,
In their home victory against AC Milan, the then Chelsea manager,
they always want to go inside – they go to Rodri or to Stones or they go
Graham Potter, remarked on their “good width in the attacking
with a straight pass to [Erling] Haaland, who will drop it to one of the
phase”, and the match observer saw the Italian side struggle to cope
midfield players and then they switch to the sides so you create more
with Reece James and Ben Chilwell, the wing-backs in their 1-3-4-3
space and more possibilities to attack opponents.”
structure. That week, James featured among the top five full-backs for
passes made in the final third (23), with Potter declaring, “Reece can
play in any side in Europe.” He would end the group stage in the top
ten for most crosses from open play (20), while Chilwell ranked fifth for
completed crosses (10).
Van Bronckhorst, himself an accomplished left-back in his day, had
the following reflection on the role of the wing-back today: “Most of the
time, your wing-backs are attack-minded and it’s complicated – you have
to know when to support the attack, know when to defend, and to keep
your position well.”

As João Cancelo runs upfield, Phil Foden comes in from the left and Bernardo
Silva dropps out to the wing. Erling Haaland waits for the cross in the box

Kevin De Bruyne
whips in a cross

MAKING
PROGRESS
Eleven clubs in the group stage attempted
more progressions from their midfield to
the final third than from their defence to
midfield. These were: Manchester City,
Barcelona, Marseille, Real Madrid, Chelsea,
Atlético de Madrid, Juventus, Liverpool,
Leipzig, Paris Saint-Germain and Salzburg.

20 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

 Pep issues instructions

PEP’S POSSESSION PLAY

Manchester City, unbeaten at the top of Group G,
provide another example worth considering.
Pep Guardiola’s team had the most progression
attempts from midfield to attack (481) and this was
a consequence of having so much possession – an
unsurpassed average share of 66% in the group stage
– and thereby so much of the ball in the midfield
and final third. Given their style of play, it will surprise
few people that the same went for Barcelona (65%
possession), with 426 attempted progressions to the
final third and 225 from defence to midfield.
A factor here could be that opposition sides retreat
further back against these above-mentioned clubs.
To quote one experienced coach, when teams drop
deep in a 1-5-4-1 or 1-5-3-2 system, “your build-up
is already in the opponents’ half of the field”.

21
ROAD TO ISTANBUL

ROUND OF 16
How do Europe’s elite club sides progress the ball from the centre of the pitch into the attacking third? This was
a question posed by UEFA’s Technical Observer Panel and the round of 16 provided some intriguing responses.

BAYERN MÜNCHEN V PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN

WIDTH WORKS FOR BAYERN

In their victory over Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern excelled
with their penetration out wide. The fact that they
scored the only goal of the first leg in Paris when one
wing-back, Alphonso Davies, supplied a cross for the
other, Kingsley Coman, highlighted how Bayern sought
to stretch the game against opponents playing in a
narrow 1-4-4-2 formation.
On the wing-back role, UEFA observer Giovanni van
Bronckhorst said: “Most teams will overload the central
areas, make sure the ball goes wide and protect the
By attacking the wide areas and stretching the pitch, Bayern got their goal middle area so it means a lot of times the build-up goes
at Paris via a ball to the back post to the wing-backs. Then you have to have the right pass,
the right movement – it is quite an important role.”
And in Bayern’s case, having such attacking players
Serge Gnabry in these positions had a clear virtue, according to Van
fires at goal
against Paris Bronckhorst. “The positive when you put wingers at
wing-back is that when you create one-against-ones
they can create more danger than a full-back because
attackers most of the time are better in one-v-ones.”
As Bayern’s then coach, Julian Nagelsmann, put it,
their analysis both beforehand and at half-time had told
the visitors “there could be a big chance in the second
half to have more deep runs from our wingers as we see
when we scored the first goal – it was important to have
some good deep runs behind the defence and make
some crosses to the second post.”

KIMMICH’S PENETRATIVE PASSING BAYERN’S EFFECTIVE COUNTER-PRESS

It is worth adding that Bayern benefitted also from the presence of Joshua Another point to make about Bayern’s display that night
Kimmich, whose eye for a pass from midfield was pivotal. Of all the players was their effective counter-pressing. If Nagelsmann
in action in the round of 16, Kimmich supplied the most line-breaking key might have preferred his team to be more aggressive
passes (three). When it came to line-breaking passes into the attacking in their attacking in a first period when they defended
third, over the two legs he produced 17 – almost twice as many as the deeper, they were impressive in denying their hosts a
nine recorded by the players with the next-best tally, Bayern colleague single first-half attempt until a Lionel Messi free-kick
Benjamin Pavard and Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham. in added time. And for the record it was not just at the
Gareth Southgate said of Kimmich’s passing ability: “I don’t think that is Parc des Princes that they counter-pressed well; after 61
a very common skillset because what I see a lot are players who can retain recoveries in the first leg, they managed 67 in the return
the ball but quite often retaining the ball means sideways or backward – the highest tally of the round of 16.
[passes]. It is a really high-level player who can, firstly, see the opportunity
to play forward, then be brave enough to do it, then have the skills to
execute that well – whether that is into a player’s feet or into space.”

3 17 128
Joshua Kimmich supplied Kimmich’s line-breaking passes Bayern had the most
the most line-breaking key into the attacking third (nearly recoveries against
passes in the round of 16 double the next highest) Paris Saint-German

22 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

 BORUSSIA DORTUMND V CHELSEA

DORTMUND’S NUMERICAL
OVERLOADS
Borussia Dortmund also warrant some reflection for the
way they broke into the final third after creating numerical
overloads in midfield. There were abundant examples
in their 1-0 first-leg home victory over Chelsea as both
full-backs regularly pulled out wide and one of the wingers
– either the right-sided Julian Brandt or Karim Adeyemi on
the left – dropped centrally to give the hosts a numerical
superiority there. Within this structure there was a free role
for Bellingham, who looked to get on the ball and dictate
proceedings with that ability to play a line-breaking pass.
Julian Brandt (circled) drops into midfield and Karim Adeyemi moves into In the image shown here above left, as Dortmund play
his own half to create an overload for Dortmund
out from goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, we see both full-backs
out wide and Brandt dropping into midfield alongside
Bellingham and Salih Özcan to produce an overload.
Jude Bellingham had
a free role in midfield Özcan then moves out wide with Adeyemi, the other
against Chelsea
wide attacker, falling back inside his own half to maintain
that central overload against Chelsea’s two pivots, Enzo
Fernández and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

DORTMUND’S DEFENSIVE BLOCK

Dortmund’s approach out of possession merits a
mention too. Edin Terzić’s team had a plan to block
off the space centrally, closing the pockets where the
Londoners would look for João Félix and instead forcing
Chelsea out wide to Hakim Ziyech; in this example (right)
he delivers a cross into the penalty area but there is just
one blue shirt there in Kai Havertz. As Terzić reflected
afterwards, Dortmund were aware that “if they [Chelsea]
cross, they will only have Havertz in the box as the other
players don’t like to attack the box in the first phase.”

Dortmund forced Chelsea wide then packed the central area to defend crosses

“ Chelsea look to find João Félix in the pockets and then like him
to turn and get runs in behind. This is what we tried to stop –
we had a plan to close the centre and to keep them in the wide
areas when they had the ball and force them to cross.”
EDIN TERZIĆ | DORTMUND COACH

23
ROAD TO ISTANBUL

LIVERPOOL V REAL MADRID

MADRID SWITCH PLAY

Eduardo Camavinga keeps
Roberto Firmino at bay

Another round of 16 tie cited by UEFA’s observers was Liverpool v

Real Madrid – a repeat of the previous season’s final. Between the
group stage and the end of the round of 16, Madrid ranked third in
the competition for the average length of each spell of possession
(30.4 seconds) and in the first leg at Anfield, they combined long
passages of controlled passing to draw the sting from Liverpool’s fierce
pressing with some clever switches of play. Carlo Ancelotti’s men had
success in drawing opposition players to one side of the field and then
transferring the ball out of that pressure to attack the other side.

CAMAVINGA’S DRIVING FORCE

On the benefit of having individuals able to not just retain the ball under
pressure but advance it, Giovanni van Bronckhorst said: “I always like to
have players who can keep the ball under pressure. With players who
play one or two touches, it is easier to press because when you play a
6 and he is a passer, you know it’s one or two touches and he passes it
again so you can see when you can press. But with someone who holds
the ball really well, it’s difficult especially when they hold it well and keep
the ball. Sometimes Camavinga, for example, just goes by players under
Real Madrid drawing Liverpool to one side before opening pressure which is difficult to defend as you don’t have pressure on the
up the game
ball because he is driving with it so you have to step out – and when you
step out to press him, there is another player becoming available.”
Here Luka Modrić, the master of decision-making, In the lead-up to Benzema’s winning strike he drops out to the left and
points to the left as he instructs Eduardo Camavinga to combines with Toni Kroos and Vinícius Júnior before, characteristically,
go crossfield. This leads to a 4v3 situation in their favour locating exactly the right space, between the two centre-backs, to
and concludes with Vinícius Júnior's first goal. collect the pass from Camavinga.

Luka Modrić demanding the switch of play which led to Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema (circled) drops out to the left to collect a
first goal defence-splitting pass from Eduardo Camavinga

“Sometimes Camavinga just goes by players under pressure which

is difficult to defend as you don’t have pressure on the ball because
he is driving with it so you have to step out – and when you step
out to press him, there is another player becoming available.”
GIOVANNI VAN BRONCKHORST | TECHNICAL OBSERVER

24 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

 GAME MANAGEMENT
Madrid’s clever game management was equally
evident as they protected their advantage back
at home, showing all their experience as they
chose the right moments to go forward. In the
sequence featured here, there are three Madrid
players surrounded by five Liverpool players in
their own half. A less experienced team might
have played themselves into trouble but they
escape the pressure as Modrić pulls away from a
red shirt and opens up the game with a crossfield
ball. Karim Benzema was pivotal too in this respect
Karim Benzema's ability to hold up the ball was an important outlet for Madrid for his ability to hold up the ball and help Madrid
progress up the pitch. Indeed, in the first leg
against Liverpool he produced an outstanding pass
completion ratio under high pressure of 88.9%,
with his young compatriot Camavinga ranked
second among Los Blancos (87%).

REDS’ FLUID FRONT FOUR

66 If Liverpool ended up succumbing 6-2 on aggregate,
11 they provided an interesting strategy of their own at
5 the Santiago Bernabéu. Jürgen Klopp set them up with
3 a fluid front four, whose intelligent interchanging of
13
20 1 positions was at the heart of their attacking efforts. As
7 4 these average positions show, both Diogo Jota and Cody
27 Gakpo operated centrally as false nines, with Mohamed
26 Salah and Darwin Núñez playing on the wings – and
through this set-up, Jota and Gakpo helped create
several promising situations from overloads in the first
period at the Bernabéu.

The average positions of Liverpool's front four in Madrid

RELEASING SALAH
Finally, another tactic of Liverpool’s was the controlled
passage of play aimed at drawing Madrid up the field
before they then sought a ball behind the defensive
line for Salah. The focus here may be progressions from
midfield to the front, but at this level a varied armoury is
vital and Liverpool were able to move the ball backwards
and sideways, maintaining possession patiently until
Madrid move up – which is the cue for Virgil van Dijk to
launch a diagonal ball to Salah.

Liverpool’s long possession sequence in their own half entices Real Madrid’s
defensive line to step up before playing a direct ball in behind

25
ROAD TO ISTANBUL

QUARTER-FINALS
Denying space to your opponents can be easier said than done at Champions League
level. The quarter-final between Manchester City and Bayern provided an intriguing
example, with a first leg in which Bayern found a way of playing through their hosts’ press
– before City responded with a tactical tweak that was fundamental to their 3-0 victory.

MANCHESTER CITY V BAYERN MÜNCHEN

Manchester City
defender Rúben Dias
holds off Bayern
winger Serge Gnabry

26 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

BAYERN SQUEEZED BY CITY PRESS
According to the UEFA technical observer panel, Pep
Guardiola successfully adjusted City’s pressing game to
restrict Bayern space in what proved the defining quarter
of the contest, the second 45 minutes in Manchester.
During the first 45 minutes, Bayern had succeeded in
getting behind the home side’s press, troubling a City
side who look to push high and force turnovers. The first
image here on the right offers an example. City have
Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne pushing up on the
Bayern centre-backs with İlkay Gündoğan and Rodri
getting tight to the pivots and Bernardo Silva and Jack
Grealish assigned to the full-backs. Yet there is space
to exploit between that front line of the press and the
defensive line behind and goalkeeper Yann Sommer’s Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne pushing
pass finds full-back Benjamin Pavard making a run into it. up to press Bayern's two centre-backs

BETWEEN THE LINES

Bayern’s ability to find players in the pockets of space
between City’s defensive and midfield lines is something
that Guardiola touched on afterwards when admitting: “We
could not control the pockets, especially [Jamal] Musiala and
[Serge] Gnabry.” That pair dropped into space to allow, for
example, Gnabry to receive the ball from Dayot Upamecano,
a player whose 37 line-breaking passes over the two legs was
the second-highest total by any player in quarter-final action
(behind Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández). Guardiola’s
response is worth considering as he adjusted their press in
a second half when the home side defended deeper than
usual – and ended up scoring twice in the last 20 minutes
to secure a 3-0 victory. “We made some changes and our
pressing was more effective,” said Guardiola, who got
Pep Guardiola adjusted City’s press in the second half by controlling Bayern’s pivots
Bernardo and Grealish, his wingers, to press diagonally on the
with Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne screening in front of them Bayern centre-backs rather than his two forwards.
The screenshot on the left shows Bernardo pressing De
Ligt and Grealish doing likewise to Upamecano. What this
meant was City now had four players in a tight ‘box’ shape
centrally – with Haaland and De Bruyne screening the
Bayern pivots and Gündoğan and Rodri watching Musiala
and Gnabry. As a consequence, City were now better placed
6 10 10 to shut down the passing lanes and their reward came
6
with their second goal – a product of Grealish pressing
8 17
3 16 8 Upamecano who, with those passing lanes blocked, turned
9
31 31 3
9 inside and lost the ball in the lead-up to Bernardo heading in
5 16 17 from a Haaland centre.
25 5 20
“Bernardo can play everywhere, he understands the
25 20 game perfectly in every action with and without the ball,”
said Guardiola of a player who across the quarter-finals
made the most tackles (14) of any forward player and
featured among the top three attackers for interceptions
(three). Guardiola also hailed the defensive work of
3 Man City’s shape out of possession in the first half Grealish, a winger who ranked first among attacking
3 Man City’s shape out of possession in the second half players for recoveries (14) in this round.

27
ROAD TO ISTANBUL

REAL MADRID V CHELSEA

FULL-BACKS FINDING SPACE

Conversely, it was the probing for space – by Dani Carvajal and Eduardo
Camavinga, the two Real Madrid full-backs – which produced the defining tactical
point of Real Madrid’s 2-0 first-leg home win over Chelsea. In this Santiago
Bernabéu encounter, the full-backs took up positions inside of wingers Rodrygo
and Vinícius Júnior and caught the eye with their passing. Roberto Martínez,
the UEFA match observer that evening, explained: “Madrid’s free men were the
full-backs and they showed great quality and responsibility to create an attacking
threat for their team from those positions. Carvajal played the key ball for Vinícius
Jr’s assist and Camavinga brought a constant threat with the ball.”
The top image below shows the two occupying space in the inside-right and
inside-left corridors respectively before Camavinga floats a ball through for Karim
Benzema. As mentioned by Martínez, Carvajal later stepped into space inside to
receive the ball from Toni Kroos and pick out Vinícius Júnior who teed up Benzema
for the opening goal.
To underline Carvajal’s attacking impact that evening, of all players in quarter-
final first-leg action he made the most passes in the final third (29), one more
than team-mate Luka Modrić. From a coaching perspective, the offensive work of
the home full-backs had extra value in helping to neutralise Chelsea’s wing-backs,
forcing the visitors into a flat back five and thereby opening up areas in
the midfield.
Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti offered his own analysis afterwards when he
explained: “We started with only two at the back with [Éder] Militão and [David]
Alaba and Kroos [in front] and they needed more help. The full-backs Camavinga
and Carvajal who’d pushed a lot at the start had to stay a bit more inside.”

Real Madrid’s use of Eduardo Camavinga and Dani Carvajal

in the half-spaces at home to Chelsea

Dani Carvajal receives the ball in the half spaces and plays a pass behind
Chelsea’s defensive line

28 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

 29
Dani Carvajal (below left) made the
most passes in the final
third in the quarter-final first leg
against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge

29
ROAD TO ISTANBUL

SEMI-FINALS
Manchester City’s counter-press in their second leg against Real Madrid, Kyle Walker’s homework on Vinícius
Júnior and Inter’s aggressive and disciplined defending were key factors in their sides reaching the final.

REAL MADRID V MANCHESTER CITY

CITY’S INTENSITY TOO MUCH FOR MADRID

“They pressed high from the front and we weren’t able to move the
ball as usual.” This was Carlo Ancelotti’s reflection on the difficulty
his Real Madrid side faced in the second leg of their semi-final at
Manchester City. Such was the intensity of City’s counter-pressing
that Madrid were able to complete only one pass in the attacking
third in the first half-hour, compared to 105 by their hosts.
With City players virtually camped in their opponents’ half in the
opening period, their players were well placed to counter-press quickly
on turnovers, meaning Madrid struggled to play out of the pressure.
Indeed, the deposed champions ended the game with 52 passes Manchester City surround Karim Benzema to
in the final third – their lowest figure of the 2022/23 campaign. prevent Real Madrid from sustaining an attack
This clip, which can be seen in the digital report, offers
an example of City’s work in closing down the Madrid In a second example we see Karim Benzema surrounded by six
players as they tried to play out. First Luka Modrić finds the opposition players following another attempt by Madrid to play out
passing lanes shut down; next Eduardo Camavinga has five of the pressure and this time Bernardo comes away with the ball.
opposition players around him, obstructing any progress. The UEFA match observer also noted City’s willingness to risk
At this point Rodri steps in and recovers the ball. It was one going 3v3 at the back in order to push players forward and ensure
of 11 recoveries from Rodri with Kyle Walker (nine), İlkay committed pressure higher up the pitch. Such pressure led to the last
Gündoğan and Bernardo Silva (seven each) not far behind. goal of a 4-0 victory which represented Madrid’s joint-heaviest loss
in the competition since 1989. Vinícius Júnior turned into a dead end
in the centre of the pitch, trapped by a pack of five City players, and
Julián Álvarez came out with the ball. Three passes and nine seconds
later, it was in the back of the net.

11
Recoveries by
Rodri for City in
the second leg

Manchester City making it difficult for Real

Madrid to build their attack from the back WALKER’S HOMEWORK HELPS
STIFLE VINÍCIUS JÚNIOR
Kyle Walker had begun only one Champions League game in 2022/23
prior to the semi-finals but the right-back started both legs against
Madrid and excelled, winning eight of his ten duels in the first leg
and four out of five in the second. According to Guardiola, speaking
after the first leg, he was “exceptional against one of the toughest
opponents you can face today worldwide” – namely Vinícius Júnior.
Walker himself shed light on the detailed briefing provided by his
club’s analysts about the Brazilian’s qualities. “The analysts provide
me with great clips and I have it on my phone,” he explained in an
interview with TNT Sports Brazil. “Every time I have a minute I’m
watching the clips and seeing different movements he does. He tried
to let the ball through his legs in the first half and if I’d not seen that by
Manchester City setting a high press against doing my homework maybe he’d have caught me out as he did against
Real Madrid to disrupt their build-up play
Fernandinho last year.”

30 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

MADRID SHUT DOWN THE
SPACE AROUND HAALAND
How do you keep Erling Haaland quiet? In the 1-1 first-leg draw at the
Santiago Bernabéu, Real Madrid found a better answer than most,
limiting the tournament’s top scorer to 21 touches – fewer than any
21
Erling Haaland was
other City player.
restricted to just 21
Madrid’s control of the space between the lines was pivotal,
touches of the ball during
according to both coaches. Guardiola said: “The pockets, the the first leg against Madrid
distance between the central defenders and full-backs, was occupied
by attacking midfielders – by [Luka] Modrić, Toni Kroos or [Fede]
Valverde – so there were the twin central defenders close to Erling.”
The Spanish side’s defensive work in a mid-block was highlighted
by the match observer, who noted how the home side did not put
pressure on Rodri when he had the ball. Instead Madrid’s midfield
three were attentive to the two 8s – and in this example, the
ROTATIONS LIBERATE CAMAVINGA
moment the ball goes to Gündoğan, Valverde steps in to win it back Another feature of Madrid’s first-leg performance was their rotational
and spark a counterattack. play, whereby Camavinga came inside and Modrić or Kroos dropped
“I think that we focused on controlling the space between the into his left-back position. This positional manipulation made it harder
lines and trying to prevent De Bruyne and Gundögan from exploiting for City to press Madrid when the hosts built the play as Modrić and
that,” said Ancelotti. “They have a lot of touches but the important Kroos were now deeper.
thing is to close the space between the lines.” As already seen in the quarter-final review section, the presence of
This second example highlights how the Madrid centre-backs Camavinga infield helped Madrid’s offensive play. Of their 13 shots
stayed tight to Haaland with Antonio Rüdiger defending robustly to – including blocks – on that evening, 12 of them came in the second
thwart the striker before Valverde comes in to pinch the ball. period and Modrić explained: “At half-time the manager wanted us
on the ball more and for us to be more creative. That’s why we freed
Camavinga to push into midfield more often. It went well.”
The key to getting Camavinga inside was some clever rotational play
and in the first clip of this sequence, viewable in the digital report, we
see Kroos drop into the left-back role and Modrić out on the touchline,
allowing Camavinga to step into a central area, the full-back receiving a
pass between the lines and forcing a foul from Rodri.
In the second video clip, also viewable in the digital report,
Modrić is now the man in the left-back position and he can be seen
encouraging Camavinga to step up to occupy space in between the
lines. Kroos then drops deep on the left side and Camavinga comes
back into the midfield pivot position.
Finally, to the last clip which shows Camavinga in a central area
Real Madrid waiting for Manchester City in a defensive with Modrić replacing him out wide. Guardiola spoke afterwards
mid-block, intercepting the ball then countering
of Madrid’s clever switches of play and here is an example: they
have five men in close proximity on their left-hand side but with
short passes and customary composure, they find a way out of the
pressure before switching to the other flank. The sequence ends with
a lovely move commenced by Kroos and concluded with a Benzema
effort blocked by John Stones.

Antonio Rüdiger’s back-to-goal pressure on Erling Haaland

Eduardo Camavinga, Luka Modrić and Toni Kroos started

to rotate positions in the second half

31
ROAD TO ISTANBUL

AC MILAN V INTER MILAN

MILAN HAVE NO ANSWER

TO INTER’S AGGRESSION
The Milanese derby semi-final was effectively settled
inside the first 11 minutes of the first leg when Inter
scored the two goals that earned a 2-0 ‘away’ success at
the home they share with rivals AC Milan.
It was an evening when Inter performed with
impressive intensity and energy according to the match
observer, David James, who said “their intense pressing
in the central areas, a combination of midfield players
and dropping forwards, meant that Milan had very little
time to be able to get the ball down and build up play.”

Inter’s Francesco
Acerbi cllimbs above
Olivier Giroud

32 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

 Although Inter’s starting shape was 1-3-5-2, when pressing is shown again in Clip 2 of the digital report as Giroud finds himself
high on Milan’s goal kicks, they switched to a 1-3-3-4 with closely monitored by two defenders – and Francesco Acerbi heads
wing-backs Denzel Dumfries and Federico Dimarco pushing clear. The same happens in the third clip with Giroud outnumbered
high up the pitch. In this example below, Milan goalkeeper again and Robin Gosens clearing. For all Giroud’s prowess in the air,
Mike Maignan has his options restricted by six Inter players Inter won 55.6% of the aerial duels in this second-leg contest.
pressing high upfield and so picks out Theo Hernández on the
left. However, the full-back is closed down by Dumfries and
his attempted pass to Ismaël Bennacer leads to a turnover.
By clicking on the video link in the digital report, you will see in
the second clip how Inter’s relentless approach is rewarded by a
goal, namely Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s strike which comes at the end
of a sequence beginning with Maignan kicking long in the face
of the opposition’s high press. Olivier Giroud wins the header but
the influential Nicolò Barella is first to the loose ball, controlling it
with his chest before displaying his impressive vision by volleying
the ball to the left wing for Dimarco, one of four Inter players
who – as the arrows denote – are on their toes, ready to spring
forward. If Barella embodied Inter’s energy, another illustration
of their defensive efforts was that forward Lautaro Martínez Inter looked to double up on Milan’s wingers, such as in this
example where Junior Messias is put under pressure on the right
made three interceptions in this first leg – a total surpassed
in any of the four semi-final matches only by Toni Kroos.

ONANA’S HANDY WITH HIS FEET

Another feature which caught the eye of the technical observers was
the distribution of André Onana, the Inter goalkeeper who kept eight
clean sheets across the season – two of them against Milan. His kicking
in the first leg of that tie impressed match observer David James, the
former Liverpool, Manchester City and England goalkeeper. “His choice
of passes was excellent, knowing when to play short and when to play
long – and the accuracy of his long passing was superb,” he said.
Onana showed impressive variety in his passing and this is
underlined in the clip below where, from his five-metre box, he kicks
long to Martínez inside the centre-circle. That is the third clip in a video
sequence, which can be accessed via the digital report. In the first
example in the sequence, the Cameroon international showcases his
Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan has his options restricted vision as he sees Darmian in space on the right and produces a clever
by six Inter players pressing high upfield chip which eliminates the first line of Milan’s press. The second clip
then shows Onana drill a terrific pass to Dimarco on the left, this time
speeding the ball past a five-man Milan press.
The numbers underscored Onana’s involvement in Inter’s play as

72 in this match he attempted 46 passes – more than in any of his other

knockout stage appearances – with 33 of them completed.

Inter produced 22 clearances in the first leg against

Milan; with another 23 in the second leg and 27
in the round of 16 draw at Porto, they were the
only side to appear three times on the top ten
list for most clearances in a knockout match.

INTER KEEP IT TIGHT

With a two-goal lead to protect, Inter were aggressive and disciplined in
their defending in the second leg. As highlighted by the observer, they
André Onana plays the ball long to Lautaro Martínez
looked to double up on the Milan wingers as we see in this example
when two Nerazzurri players are in the vicinity of Junior Messias as he
swings over the cross. And although Olivier Giroud wins the back-post
header, Inter have two men close to goal to sweep up as Matteo
Darmian averts the danger. The tight marking of Inter’s centre-backs

33
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

TEAM OF
Right-back Kyle Walker’s displays up against Vinícius
Júnior in the semi-final were a factor in his inclusion in
the defence alongside centre-back colleague Rúben Dias

THE SEASON
whose powerful, body-on-the-line defending was pivotal
in the quarter-final first leg against Bayern München.
Another City centre-back, John Stones, features
too, albeit in midfield in recognition of his intelligent
work in a hybrid defender/midfielder role as the season
progressed. Indeed the UEFA observers selected an all-
City midfield which includes Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne,
the season’s highest assist-maker.
Only three clubs were represented Inevitably, 2022/23’s top marksman, Erling Haaland,
has a place in the attack following his sensational first
in the observers’ selection, with campaign in City blue, as does right winger Bernardo
Silva, as tireless in his attempts to recover the ball as he
winners Manchester City providing was precise in his pass selection with it.
no less than seven players Of the other players selected for this Team of the
Season, two come from runners-up Inter: Federico
Dimarco, the left wing-back whose crossing was an
The consistent excellence produced by Manchester City important feature of his side’s attacking efforts, and
in winning the competition for the first time was reflected Alessandro Bastoni, the left-sided centre-back who
by the presence of so many of their players in the UEFA distributed the ball so productively from the back.
Champions League 2022/23 Team of the Season. Finally, Thibaut Courtois, goalkeeper of the deposed
The UEFA Technical Observers’ Panel selected seven champions Real Madrid, features for the second season
City players in this best XI, starting with Rodri, the Spanish running as does the Madrid wide forward Vinícius Júnior
midfield pivot who was both Player of the Match in the – a vital outlet on the left of Los Blancos’ attack for his
final and the overall Player of the Season. speed and dribbling ability.

HAALAND
VINÍCIUS JR BERNARDO

DE BRUYNE

RODRI STONES

DIMARCO BASTONI DIAS WALKER

COURTOIS

THIBAUT KYLE RÚBEN

THIS TEAM WAS SELECTED COURTOIS WALKER DIAS
BY UEFA'S TECHNICAL
OBSERVER PANEL BASED ON GK REAL MADRID DEF MAN CITY DEF MAN CITY
PERFORMANCES IN THE 2022/23
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE. The Belgian brought stature, Superb semi-final marking Combined clever distribution
assurance and authority, and job on Vinícius Júnior, with muscular defending –
the metrics show he showcasing his speed, epitomised by five blocks in
prevented 5.85 goals. intensity and experience. quarter-final v Bayern.

42 75% 89
SAVES, SECOND SUCCESS RATE FROM LINE-BREAKING PASSES FROM
ONLY TO 16 DUELS OVER TWO OWN HALF, THE SECOND-BEST IN
ANDRÉ ONANA LEGS v MADRID THE COMPETITION

34 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

 ALESSANDRO FEDERICO JOHN
BASTONI DIMARCO STONES RODRI
DEF INTER DEF INTER MID MAN CITY MID MAN CITY

Showed an excellent Wing-back had key attacking Showed outstanding tactical Final hero had most touches of the
passing range and stepped role in Inter’s 1-3-5-2, ranking understanding and decision- ball and most passes completed of
forward to good effect joint-second in competition for making when stepping any player – and invariably made
from defence. assists (five). into midfield. the right decision.

96 41 89% 105
LINE-BREAKING OPEN-PLAY CROSSES, PASS PERCENTAGE BALL RECOVERIES;
PASSES, THE MOST SECOND ONLY IN MIDFIELD RANKED FIRST
BY AN INTER PLAYER TO DE BRUYNE ROLE IN FINAL IN COMPETITION

KEVIN DE BERNARDO ERLING VINÍCIUS

BRUYNE SILVA HAALAND JÚNIOR
MID MAN CITY FOR MAN CITY FOR MAN CITY FOR REAL MADRID

An inspiration with his driving Clever, tireless and rarely gives The 12-goal striker gave a new Seven-goal Brazilian also
runs, supply of passes to ball away; ranked second for dimension to City’s attack with contributed six assists and was
Haaland and unmatched stream line-breaking passes in the physical presence and penalty- Player of the Match in Madrid’s
of open-play crosses. attacking third. box instincts. 5-2 win at Anfield.

7 286 63.4% 114

ASSISTS, THE PASSES IN THE FINAL OF HIS SHOTS ON TARGET – TAKE-ONS (41%
MOST IN THE 2022/23 THIRD WITH BEST RATIO AMONG STRIKERS SUCCESS RATE); THE MOST
COMPETITION 87% ACCURACY WITH 5 GOALS OR MORE IN THE COMPETITION

35
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

Manchester City’s final

match-winner Rodri was the
observers’ pick as Player of
the Season, while Napoli’s
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia took
the young player prize after
his breakthrough campaign

PLAYER OF THE SEASON

RODRI
At half-time in the UEFA Champions League final,
Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola gave Rodri a
reminder that he was “the best midfielder in Europe
by some distance”. It was a pep talk that followed 45
minutes in which Rodri, in his own words, “wasn’t good”
as he struggled to deal with Inter’s man-marking. As
Roberto Martínez said: “They always had one midfielder
jumping on Rodri.”
That close attention can be read as a sign of the
Spaniard’s importance as City’s midfield metronome. His
response in a second half in which he scored the winning
goal merely underlined that you cannot keep a good
man down – certainly not one as good as Rodri.
Here is a player who had the most touches of a
football (1,120) in the 2022/23 Champions League. He
completed the most passes (910) and performed the
most ball recoveries (105). His tally of 135 line-breaking
passes was surpassed only by Toni Kroos. In the final
no player made more passes into the attacking third
than his ten or made more interceptions (three). Little
wonder he left Istanbul with both the Player of the
Match and the UEFA Champions League Player of the

AWARD
Season awards.
According to the UEFA Technical Observer Panel, this
is a player with a formidable tactical understanding:
“He breaks the game up and is always in good positions
to build the play. He also has exceptional awareness of
opposition pressure when receiving the ball.”
One thing that Rodri has never been renowned for
is his goalscoring. Prior to City’s quarter-final against
Bayern München he had not scored in Europe since

WINNERS
2016 – for Villarreal against Osmanlıspor in the UEFA
Europa League. Yet that changed with his spectacular
left-foot strike from outside the box to open the scoring
in the first leg against the German champions. Then
came an even more significant strike against Inter on
10 June – this time placed low with his right foot. “My
first thought was to hit it hard and high but seeing the
number of players there, I decided to place it,” said
a man whose decision-making with a ball at his feet
seldom lets him down.

36 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

YOUNG PLAYER summer of 2022, Kvaratskhelia’s experience of UEFA
club competition was limited to two Europa Conference
OF THE SEASON League qualifying matches with Rubin Kazan, during a

KHVICHA KVARATSKHELIA three-year stay with the Russian club.

By half-time of his Champions League debut against
Liverpool he had highlighted his potential with an
In an age when football’s talent-finders receive involvement in the lead-up to all three first-half goals –
unprecedented support from science and technology, notably the third when he beat Trent Alexander-Arnold
it is surprising that a footballer of the calibre of Khvicha and Joe Gomez to tee up Giovanni Simeone. His first goal
Kvaratskhelia should only turn up in one of western in the competition – a cool finish after a one-two with
Europe’s bigger leagues aged 21. It seems more surprising Giacomo Raspadori – followed on Matchday 3 in the 6-1
still given the impact made by Kvaratskhelia in his first drubbing of Ajax in Amsterdam.
season with Napoli. With his outstanding pace and The data underlines the value of his dribbling: he ranked
dribbling ability, the now 22-year-old Georgian earned the third in the 2022/23 Champions League for take-ons with
moniker ‘Kvaradona’ as he helped Napoli earn a first Serie 76, behind only Vinícius Júnior and Rafael Leão. He was
A title since 1990 as well as reach the Champions League similarly placed for ball carries following a 1v1, with 46.
quarter-finals. "Kvara is gorgeous, magnificent and delightful,” said
Coming in from the left wing, he scored 12 goals and Luciano Spalletti, the coach who oversaw Napoli’s title
set up ten more in Serie A, an output which earned him triumph. “A top player, despite his age. He still has a lot to
the Player of the Season award; in the Champions League learn and when he does he will become deadly, a super
there were two goals and four assists. footballer.” If 2022/23 was just a taster, then we really are
Prior to joining Napoli from Dinamo Batumi in the in for a treat in the years to come.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
wheels away in
celebration after
scoring against Ajax

37
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

HITTING
Although strikes from
range accounted
for half of the top

THE TARGET
ten, the observers’
pick as the season’s
best strike was Erling
Haaland’s acrobatic
close-range finish

38 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

 TOP 10 GOALS

1
ERLING HAALAND
Man City 2-1 Dortmund
Matchday 2, 14/09/2022
Haaland’s first home European goal for City – an
acrobatic volley with the outside of his left foot as
he lunges forward with both feet off the ground.

2
KYLIAN MBAPPÉ
Paris 2-1 Juventus
Matchday 1, 06/09/2022
A world-class one-two with Neymar ends with
Mbappé meeting the Brazilian’s scooped ball over
the defence with an angled volley on the run.

3
LIONEL MESSI
Benfica 1-1 Paris
Matchday 3, 05/10/2022
Messi comes in from the right in a slick combination,
the ball going to Mbappé then Neymar and back to
Messi for a first-time curling finish.

4
DARWIN NÚÑEZ
Liverpool 2-5 Real Madrid
Round of 16 first leg, 21/02/2023
From the right Mohamed Salah slips an incisive
low ball into the goalmouth where Núñez, timing
his run perfectly, flicks in with his heel.

5
ALEJANDRO GRIMALDO
Benfica 2-0 Maccabi Haifa
Erling Haaland produces a
Matchday 1, 06/09/2022
remarkable finish with the
outside of his left boot From 25 metres, the full-back unleashes a
dipping, swerving left-foot strike which lands
inside the angle of the near post and crossbar.

6
There were five strikes from outside the penalty box
VINÍCIUS JÚNIOR
among the top ten selected by UEFA’s Technical Real Madrid 1-1 Man City
Observer Panel yet the winner, by Manchester City’s Semi-final first leg, 09/05/2023
Erling Haaland against former club Borussia Dortmund, Eduardo Camavinga carries the ball from his own
half and slips it inside to Vinícius Júnior, who takes
came inside the five-metre box. That is not to say it was a touch before powering a shot past Ederson.
straightforward. Quite the opposite in fact.

7
The Norwegian said towards the end of the season KEVIN DE BRUYNE
that a lot of his goals in a City shirt had come from Real Madrid 1-1 Man City
“unreal passes” but this strike in the September home Semi-final first leg, 09/05/2023
comeback win over Dortmund was even less believable The Belgian meets a lay-off outside the D with a
wondrously clean first-time drive into the bottom
– an acrobatic connection with a João Cancelo cross right-hand corner.
which was more redolent of Bruce Lee than Francis Lee,

8
the City scoring hero of the 1970s. KYLIAN MBAPPÉ
As Cancelo’s outside-of-the-boot cross dropped Juventus 1-2 Paris
towards the far post, Haaland lifted his giant frame off Matchday 6, 02/11/2022
the ground between two defenders and – with his left Another piece of Mbappé brilliance as he evades
two defenders outside the box then curls a
leg raised high – somehow hooked the ball into the net precise shot in off the far post from 20 metres.
with the outside of his boot. That Pep Guardiola likened

9
it to the so-called ‘phantom goal’ scored by Johan Cruyff KARIM ADEYEMI
for Barcelona in 1973 underlined its rare quality. Dortmund 1-0 Chelsea
It is not the only goal that demands repeat viewing Round of 16 first leg, 15/02/2023
in a top ten which includes a magnificently controlled Adeyemi gathers a clearance inside his own half
and speeds forward, racing past Enzo Fernández
volley on the run by Kylian Mbappé – second on the list then rounding Kepa Arrizabalaga to score.
– and a lovely Darwin Núñez back-heel. There are eye-

10
catching strikes from distance by the likes of Alejandro RODRI
Grimaldo, Vinícius Júnior and Kevin De Bruyne and Man City 3-0 Bayern
also a thrilling high-speed run by Karim Adeyemi from Quarter-final first leg, 11/04/2023
Rodri’s first-ever Champions League goal is an
inside his own half which brought his memorable first exceptional curling shot with his left foot from
Champions League goal for Dortmund. outside the box.

39
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

HAALAND
HITS THE
HEIGHTS
Manchester City’s
Erling Haaland
surged clear of his
rivals in the race
to be top scorer

Erling Haaland jumps for joys

after scoring one of his five
goals against Leipzig

Erling Haaland finished as top scorer in the 2022/23 Champions League HAT-TRICKS
with 12 goals, four more than second-ranked Mohamed Salah.
The Manchester City forward struck five times in the group stage and Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona 5-1 Plzeň), 07/09/22
doubled his season’s tally by becoming only the third player to score Mohamed Salah (Rangers 1-7 Liverpool), 12/10/22
five goals in a single Champions League match during the round of 16 Erling Haaland (Man City 7-0 Leipzig), 14/03/23
second leg against Leipzig. He also registered in both legs of the quarter-
final triumph against Bayern and, though they were his last goals in the
competition, that proved enough for Haaland to take the prize.

40 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

TOP SCORERS MOST GOALS AND ASSISTS
12 Erling Haaland Man City 13 Erling Haaland Man City

8 Mohamed Salah Liverpool 13 Vinícius Júnior Real Madrid

7 Vinícius Júnior Real Madrid 10 Kylian Mbappé Paris

7 Kylian Mbappé Paris 10 Mohamed Salah Liverpool

6 João Mário Benfica 9 Kevin De Bruyne Man City

5 Olivier Giroud Milan 8 Lionel Messi Paris

5 Robert Lewandowski Barcelona 8 João Mário Benfica

5 Victor Osimhen Napoli 7 Olivier Giroud Milan

5 Rodrygo Real Madrid 7 Giacomo Raspadori Napoli

5 Rafa Silva Benfica 7 Rodrygo Real Madrid

5 Mehdi Taremi Porto 7 Rafa Silva Benfica

7 Mehdi Taremi Porto

ERLING HAALAND'S
SHOT MAP

ERLING HAALAND
GOALS 12
GAMES 11

No goal Goal

CIRCLES ARE SCALED BY THE EXPECTED GOAL (xG) VALUE OF THE SHOT – THE LARGER THE CIRCLE, THE HIGHER THE xG

41
ANALYSIS

FINDING
Joël Matip heads Liverpool’s
89th-minute winner against
Ajax on Matchday 2

THE NET

Manchester City finished as the

top scorers and late goals regularly
proved crucial – although scoring
first was often the key factor
65.6%
Two-thirds of Man
City’s 32 goals
were scored in the
second half

22%
There were 372 goals scored in the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League
at a rate of 2.98 per game. For the first time Manchester City finished
as the competition’s top scorers, with a total of 32 goals.
The most productive five-minute period for goals in a game was
between 46 and 50 minutes when 24 were scored – and the next
More than one-fifth of all
between 51 and 55 minutes (23 goals). This is a surprise if you consider
goals were scored between
that it is normally toward the end of each half when players are more
the 76th minute and the
likely to suffer lapses in concentration owing to fatigue, and it begs the final whistle
question to what extent half-time changes of strategy were a factor.
To return to the question of fatigue, it is also worth mentioning that
21 goals came in added time at the end of the second half, compared
to six in the equivalent first-half period.

42 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

WHEN THE GOALS WERE SCORED
FIRST HALF SECOND HALF EXTRA TIME

164 208 0
24
23
22 22
21 21 21
20 20 20 20 20
19
18
17 17
16 16

0-5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21-25 26-30 31-35 36-40 41-45 45+ 46-50 51-55 56-60 61-65 66-70 71-75 76-80 81-85 86-90 90+ ET1 ET2
Minutes

LATE WINNERS…
Not for nothing do we talk about the ‘12th man’ of a football crowd – LATE GOALS EARNING VICTORY
and a breakdown of the matches won by late goals in this campaign Liverpool 2-1 Ajax (Matip 89)
offers a case in point. Nine of the ten matches decided by goals from Liverpool 2-0 Napoli (Salah 85, Núñez 90+8)
the 76-minute mark onwards were won by the home side – and that Atlético 2-1 Porto (Hermoso 90+1, Griezmann 90+11)
Anfield and the Santiago Bernabéu both witnessed two such late
Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 Atlético (Andrich 84, Diaby 87)
interventions is no surprise.
After all, the history of late drama in both stadiums means those Tottenham 2-0 Marseille (Richarlison 76, 81)
crowds have a belief and keep urging their team on, creating a Sporting CP 2-0 Tottenham (Paulinho 90, Arthur 90+3)
sometimes irresistible momentum. “If it’s on a knife edge, you can Marseille 1-2 Tottenham (Højbjerg 90+5)
assume that 12th man, the home crowd, could have an influence at the
Real Madrid 2-0 Leipzig (Valverde 80, Asensio 90+1)
big stadiums,” said Packie Bonner, one of this season’s match observers.
It helps to have match-winning talents too, of course, capable Man City 2-1 Dortmund (Stones 80, Haaland 84)
of producing the magic to determine the destiny of a contest: Real Madrid 1-0 Liverpool (Benzema 78)
Manchester City’s comeback against Dortmund, for instance, was
sealed by an improbably acrobatic volley by Erling Haaland – the

30:39
Champions League goal of the season no less.
Of all the late shows, no game could match Atlético de Madrid’s
victory over Porto for drama with Antoine Griezmann scoring a 101st- Average time
minute winner after Mario Hermoso (91) and Matheus Uribe (96) had of first goal
already traded added-time goals.

… AND DRAWS TOO

In five games there was an equalising goal after the 75th minute. This LATE GOALS EARNING DRAWS
means that, together with the matches with a winning goal near the Tottenham 1-1 Sporting CP (Bentancur 80)
finish, a total of 13.6% of Champions League matches in 2022/23 Shakhtar 1-1 Real Madrid (Rüdiger 90+5)
featured a late twist. Inter 3-3 Benfica (António Silva 86, Musa 90+5)
Bayern 1-1 Man City (Kimmich 83pen)
Napoli 1-1 AC Milan (Osimhen 90+3)

43
ANALYSIS

FIRST GOAL (USUALLY) WINS

75%
Games won by team
90%
Teams who scored
scoring first (117 first got at least a draw
games with one or (117 games with one
more goal) or more goal)

This campaign offered further evidence of the importance of the

opening goal in elite club football. Of the 117 games featuring one or
more goal, the team who scored first earned at least a draw in 90%
of them. In 88 matches, they went on to win. Packie Bonner said the
first goal was a vital component at this level, elaborating: “It gives the
team confidence and the players are freer to go and play their game.
They have the psychological edge on their opponents.” From the
perspective of a coach, he added, the first goal “reinforces” the game
plan whereas the team that concedes often has to adapt and can
become “vulnerable” as they open up in the pursuit of an equaliser.
Of the 12 comeback victories recorded across the season, it is
interesting to note that only one occurred in the knockout stage.
Bonner reflects that the best teams are simply less likely to lose their
way in a game. “They are such good players when you get to the last
16 of the competition and what you don’t want is to give yourself an
uphill task against a very good team,” he said.
The exception to the rule was Real Madrid’s stunning recovery from
an early two-goal deficit to win 5-2 at Liverpool in the round of 16.
The spark for the fightback was an outstanding individual strike by
Vinícius Júnior after an intense start by Liverpool, who scored twice
Richarlison enjoys his late double
inside 14 minutes. for Tottenham against Marseille
Analysing what Madrid did that night, the UEFA match observer
said: “They had a calmness to stick to their plan and work their way
back into the game. At the same time, they were stung by the intense
first 20 minutes from Liverpool and were starting to make individual
errors but the goal from Vinícius Júnior altered the feel in the stadium
ONE GOAL BECOMES TWO
and created the first doubt in their opponents’ mind. Madrid then Do you know the old line about a team being at their most vulnerable
worked their way into the game with spells of possession which drew when they’ve just scored a goal? Well, it isn’t true. At least not in the
the sting from Liverpool's pressing.” 2022/23 Champions League. Indeed, of the 42 goals scored within
five minutes of an earlier goal, 30 of those went to the team who had
just found the net. In 12 cases, a team did switch off after scoring and

COMEBACK WINS concede but the majority of times it was the other way round. Packie
Bonner suggested that at this elite level, where players are so gifted
Ajax 1-6 Napoli technically and their game plans so well-constructed, the psychological
Rangers 1-7 Liverpool aspect of a goal was significant.
Marseille 4-1 Sporting CP “You are talking about quality players here. Do they get an
adrenaline rush from scoring and want to do it again? Do the
Tottenham 3-2 Frankfurt
opposition panic? I’d assume that because of the quality of the
Sporting CP 1-2 Frankfurt players, they’re in a positive frame of mind to go on and do it again.
Marseille 1-2 Tottenham They want to kill the game off and capitalise on that adrenaline rush
Chelsea 2-1 Dinamo Zagreb from scoring.”
Man City 2-1 Dortmund

90+11
Juventus 1-2 Benfica
The latest winning goal,
Maccabi Haifa 1-3 Paris
scored by Atlético’s
Man City 3-1 Sevilla Antoine Griezmann against
Liverpool 2-5 Real Madrid Porto on Matchday 1

44 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

KNOCKOUT GOALS FALL

68
2022/23
83
2021/22

77
2020/21
78
2019/20

91
2018/19
94
2017/18

1022016/17
67
2015/16

The total of 68 goals scored in the knockout stage

marked a fall of 15 from the previous season and
the lowest number recorded since 2015/16.

45
ANALYSIS

BUILDING THE PLAY

The creation of
overloads was an
TOP 10 TEAMS AT PROGRESSING FROM DEFENCE TO MIDFIELD
important tactic for
most teams, while 481 464 434
Inter excelled at 473
706 579 515 519 480 312 300 288 BOR
pass progression 526 363 325 USS
390 373
DE

IA
CLU DORTM
FT

into midfield 488 397 392

O

BB
MI

RUG UND
D

CH
AT

G
BEN ELSEA E
TE

REA
MP

LM FIC
TS

AD A
NA RID
PA

PO
SS

LI
PR

M
AN
OG

CI
RE

TY
M
SS

IL
IO

BA

AN
N,

YE
DE

RN
IN
FT

TE
O
MI

R
D

HOW DORTMUND FIND THE EXTRA MAN TOP 10 PLAYERS AT PROGRESSING FROM DF TO MF
Borussia Dortmund exited the competition in the last 16 but in their eight Games Progression
games, they did enough to feature among the top ten sides for most Rúben Dias (Man City) 12 91
pass progressions from their defensive third into the middle of the pitch
(see graphic above). The aspect of their build-up play which captured Dayot Upamecano (Bayern) 10 84
the attention of UEFA’s match observers was the manner in which they Kim Min-jae (Napoli) 9 78
created overloads centrally before then switching the ball out wide.
Brandon Mechele (Club Brugge) 8 74
This was apparent in their round of 16 first leg against Chelsea when, as
Dortmund coach Edin Terzić said, “there were a few times – particularly in Eric Dier (Tottenham) 7 70
the first half – that we managed to play our way through them”. To offer Alessandro Bastoni (Inter) 12 69
an example of Dortmund’s approach that evening, in the first clip in
the digital report – viewable online – we see them build from deep with Manuel Akanji (Man City) 11 68
the two centre-backs, supported by holding midfielder Emre Can who Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica) 9 67
drops into the space between them.
António Silva (Benfica) 10 67
Mathijs de Ligt (Bayern) 7 65

To engineer an overload in front of the back three, Julian Brandt, one of

their wide attackers, drops deep to give Dortmund a 3 v 2 in that central
space – and he receives the pass from the back and pulls away from Enzo
Fernández, one of Chelsea’s two holding midfielders.
With Fernández drawn upfield, the two Dortmund midfielders, Jude
Bellingham and Salih Özcan, are both now in pockets of space with
Ruben Loftus-Cheek – Chelsea’s other midfielder – caught between the
two. Bellingham can duly take advantage by advancing the move into
the attacking third of the field – an attack which ends with him sending
Sébastien Haller on a run into the penalty box.
It is also worth mentioning the decoy runs by the Dortmund full-backs
and an example of this is in the second clip which, like the first, begins with
both full-backs highlighted as they stand wide on the touchline. This time,
Borussia Dortmund build and create an overload centrally which helps with Can stepping beyond the Chelsea front men and Brandt again coming
them to progress from the defensive third to the midfield third
inside, Dortmund are able to create a 4 v 2 centrally inside their own half.

46 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

 Borussia Dortmund build and create a 4v2 overload centrally Alessandro Bastoni playing a progressive pass into midfield third
and managed to bypass Chelsea's high press

Giovanni van Bronckhorst said: “You can see the spaces they open Inter were able to mix playing out from the back and going direct
up and it’s especially difficult for the Chelsea full-backs and two to powerful front players. As Packie Bonner, match observer for their
central midfielders to decide who to pick up.” His fellow observer David quarter-final win at Benfica, said, they benefitted too from having
Adams pointed out that Dortmund’s fluidity was increasingly typical a midfielder happy to receive the ball under pressure in Marcelo
of teams’ build-up play at this level. “The in-possession fixed role is not Brozović – the player who sat at the base of their ‘inverted pyramid’
so apparent – players in the midfield line are playing in the back line, midfield three.
defenders are playing in midfield, full-backs as 6s,” he explained. “Brozović controlled the tempo and allowed Inter to link the game
“There is a lot more interchange of positions and the purpose is to from the back through to the front players,” said Bonner.
create a numerical superiority either in the defensive line to build or in
the mid-line where you are trying to get the ball into the final third in
the best possible way.”
In addition to creating overloads, adds Adams, the presence of a
player like Can in the defensive line “means you have a player much
more suited to breaking lines and playing those progression passes.
That is a trend we are seeing more and more and it helps teams to get
those passes into the second line.”

INTER FIRST FOR PASSES INTO MIDDLE THIRD

Runners-up Inter ranked first in the competition for the number of pass
Rúben Dias breaks opposition lines with a pass into Julián Álvarez
progressions from their defensive third into the midfield. Simone Inzaghi’s
team played against several high-pressing teams, Bayern, Barcelona and
Benfica to name three, and this will have been a factor in their total of When it came to progressing the ball from the defensive third into
706 attempted progressions from defence-to-midfield – over 100 more the centre of the pitch, no player rivalled Manchester City’s Rúben Dias
than any other club – with 488 of them successful. in 2022/23. The above clip, viewable online in the digital report, offers
a variation in that Dias is actually in the centre-circle when he receives
the ball yet his capacity for a forward pass is clear to see. With the
passing line to İlkay Gündoğan blocked, he avoids the option out wide
and instead plays the ball some 15 metres up the pitch into the feet
of Julián Álvarez, taking out in the process the opposition’s three-man
front pressing line.
David Adams sees a trend for centre-backs to be increasingly
comfortable on the ball and cites both Bastoni and City’s Manuel
Akanji – another player in the table on the facing page – as defenders
from this campaign who were able to open up the play down the left
side. “You’re seeing more left-sided centre-backs who can actually play
off their left foot,” he said. “In the past some clubs were happy to play
a right footer as a left centre-back at the top level but you’re not seeing
that so frequently as it limits your opportunities to play passes out into
Inter bypassing Benfica's high press
the wide areas and to break lines.
“It makes it very predictable for teams to press you and force you
Inter had the advantage of a goalkeeper, André Onana, who excelled on the outside on to your weaker foot. So that’s also partly the reason
with his distribution. They also had a left-sided centre-back, Alessandro why we are seeing more progression passes from defenders as they are
Bastoni, who pushed into the left-back position as Inter built the play, more comfortable playing off their correct foot.” In the case of Akanji,
and who, among Inzaghi’s players, was second only to Nicolò Barella for he did this better than most: only Toni Kroos and team-mate Rodri
passes ending in the opposition half. managed more than his 132 line-breaking passes.

47
ANALYSIS

FINAL-THIRD
ENTRIES
Most teams favoured wing
Napoli frequently used Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to break
into the left lane in the final third

play when trying to breaking

There were similar examples on the right with Benfica particularly
into the final third – although productive in the channel where João Mário typically combined with
Inter were a notable exception his attacking full-back, Alexander Bah, for 43% of the Lisbon club’s
progressions. Wing-back Reece James’ significance to Chelsea’s attacking
play was underlined by his club recording 42% of progressions on the
right in their round of 16 tie against Borussia Dortmund.
The least popular lane was the middle one though Inter, whose front
two operated in more central channels, made considerably more progress
there (14%) than was seen on average (9%).

Teams in the UEFA Champions League look predominantly to the wide

channels when progressing the ball to the final third. This is the obvious
conclusion to draw from an analysis of the lanes most commonly used by
CITY LEAN TO THE RIGHT
sides seeking to progress upfield in the competition’s knockout rounds. Manchester City looked to the wide-right channel twice as often as
Two-thirds of all progressions to the final third occurred out wide – with they progressed down the left. In fact, lanes 4 and 5 accounted for
a 34% average share recorded on the right wing and 32% on the left. 55% of their progressions – compared to 34% for the two lanes on
The influence of individual players is an obvious factor with some clubs: the other side of the pitch. The work of Manuel Akanji and Kyle Walker
46% of Napoli’s progressions came up the left channel where Khvicha in the full-back positions could be seen as one factor, along with the
Kvaratskhelia was so influential, while 41% of Real Madrid’s progressions positioning of John Stones when he stepped into midfield and the
were on the left side where Vinícius Júnior roamed. craft and industry of Bernardo Silva, their right-sided attacker.

LANE LOCATION OF TEAMS PROGRESSING INTO FINAL THIRD

LANE 1 LANE 5

LANE 2 LANE 3 LANE 4

AVERAGE AVERAGE
32% 34%
AVERAGE AVERAGE AVERAGE
13% 9% 12%
Highest % Highest % Highest % Highest % Highest %
of their attack of their attack of their attack of their attack of their attack
NAPOLI 46% BAYERN INTER 14% MILAN 17% BENFICA 43%
REAL MADRID 41% INTER 16% MAN CITY 10% MAN CITY 15% CHELSEA 42%

48 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

CITY’S LANE LOCATION PROGRESSING INTO FINAL THIRD

LANE 5

LANE 1 LANE 2 LANE 4

LANE 3

40%
19% 15% 15%
10%

Manchester City engineering their way into final third on the right-hand side André Onana taking few touches and playing a direct ball into final third

PASSES PRIOR TO ENTERING FINAL THIRD

Knockout average Man City Inter

56%

37%
31% 33%
30% 30%
23% 25%

Manchester City taking eight passes between them before breaking into
10% 11% the final third
8% 6%

1-2 3-5 6-10 Over 10 While City took 0-2 passes for 31% of their final-third entries, the
chart shows 33% of the time they advanced to the attacking third with a
This graph shows that on two-thirds of the occasions that teams sequence of 6-10 passes.
progressed the ball into the final third in the knockout stage, they did so It is also interesting to note that Inter had considerably more final-
with a maximum of five passes. There was a clear difference between third progressions (11%) with over ten passes than City. UEFA’s match
the approach of the two finalists. More than half (56%) of Inter’s observers reflected that in the final there were moments when they
progressions into the attacking third involved a maximum of two passes, seemed happy to circulate the ball, without trying to get it forward
highlighting a more direct approach – often involving the excellent kicking quickly. In short, here was a team who could do both things, ranking well
of goalkeeper André Onana, seeking out a target striker. above the average for both quick, direct progressions and slower ones too.

49
ANALYSIS

PASSES PER POSITION IN FINAL THIRD

Average 42%
39%
Man City 36%
Inter
24%
20% 20%
16% 17%16% 17%
10% 11%
8% 7%
Passsed to 4% 5%
final third 2% 1% 3% 0% 2%
0% 0% 0%

Goalkeepers Centre-back Full-back Wing-back Defensive Central Winger Forward

midfield midfield
0% 0% 0% 0% 2% 0% 0%
Received inside 2% 2% 0% 0%
the final third 5%
7%
10% 10% 10%
13%
15%
17%
24%

36%

45% 44%

56%

The chart above breaks down the positions of the players passing the This graph highlights the players to whom teams looked the most
ball into the final third – and for Man City, the importance of Rodri is to in the final third – and in Inter’s case, 80% of the time they played
clear with 20% of their passes into the attacking third coming from the ball to either their high wing-backs (36%) or their centre-forwards
the defensive midfielder. (44%). For City, the most frequent recipients of passes into the final
third were their wingers (56%), namely Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva
who, not coincidentally, ranked fourth and fifth respectively for most
touches in the opposition box in the knockout stage.

Rodri playing the final ball into the final third

According to the competition average for the knockout stage, Wing-back Ben Davies receives the ball in the final third before
Tottenham score against Marseille
42% of passes to the final third came from midfielders and City
(39%) were not far off that figure. With the 20% from their
defensive midfielder added, City made 59% of their passes into the

42 %
final third from the midfield positions. of passes to the final third came
Inter’s approach was more varied with almost a quarter of passes from midfielders and Man City
(24%) delivered by their centre-backs – something for which (39%) were not far off that figure
Alessandro Bastoni (with 101 line-breaking passes across the whole

24 %
competition) was noted. Their wing-backs (20%) and forwards Inter’s approach was more varied
(17%) each had a significant share too and this variety meant that with almost a quarter of passes
Inter could progress from different positions – making it harder for delivered by their centre-backs
opponents to nullify them.

50 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

PASS LOCATION (ATTACKING LEFT TO RIGHT)

8%
8%
12% 3%
7% 6%
10% 10% 4%
7% 6%
4% 3% 0%
5% 0%
7% 1%
0%
0%

Starting location of the pass that breaks into final third

LEAD ACTION WHEN ENTERING FINAL THIRD LEAD ACTIONS

Average Man City Inter To focus on lead actions when entering the final third across the knockout
stage, one noteworthy difference between the two final teams was their
Individual action
use of long passes – 11% for Inter and just 1% for Man City.
36% It is also worth pointing out that City (39%) produced a higher portion
39% of non-penetrative passes than Inter (30%), which would reflect the
ability of Pep Guardiola’s team to force their rivals into a low block,
36%
meaning that when they enter the final third, they do not need to break
any opposition lines.
Long ball Almost half (45%) of passes advancing the ball into the final third
7% came from the upper part of the middle third of the pitch – inside the
attacking half. It is also worth looking at the central channel, which was
1%
the source of just over a quarter (26%) of these passes.
11%

Non-penetrative pass AVERAGE SHOT LOCATION

38%
39%
30%
26%
7%
Penetrative pass
15% 3%
3% 5%
19% 14%
4% 1%
20% 6%
11% 2%
8%
Through ball 2%
4%
2%
3%
1% 1%

3%

51
ANALYSIS

PRESSING TYPE OF PRESS

Man City 51%

IN THE FINAL
Inter
36%
32% 32%

20%
16%
12%
2%

Individual Group Team Counter-press

(1 player) (2-4 players) (5+ players) (within 5 seconds
of losing the ball)

Inter and Manchester City adopted This graph shows another difference between the teams, namely that
City pressed half of the time (51%) with five or more players whereas
different strategies but it was with Inter, it was often a case of pressing in groups of between two and
the English side whose collective four players (36%). Where the teams did not differ was in the portion
approach proved more successful of their pressing work given over to attempts to regain the ball in the
opposition half – with a figure of 32% each for counter-pressing.

HOW THE TEAMS PRESSED SUCCESS RATE BY PRESSING TYPE

Man City 63% Man City 31%
28%
Inter Inter 23%
38% 38%
29% 11%
24%
8%
0% 0% 0% 0%
1 pressing action 2-3 pressing actions 4+ pressing actions Individual Group Team Counter-press

The term ‘press’ can mean a single pressing action yet it can also cover This graph applies to winning the ball in the opposition half and it shows
a sequence of four pressing actions or more. The graph above, which that City were quite effective (a 28% success rate) when pressing with
breaks down the pressing actions in the Champions League final, shows the entire team. City were quite effective (28%) when pressing with five
how the two clubs differed in their approaches. From Inter, during the or more players. Inter had the most success, meanwhile, when counter-
final there were three times as many incidences of a single pressing pressing within five seconds of losing the ball (31%).
action than recorded by Manchester City – 24% from Inter compared
to City’s 8%. This would suggest either that City were able to overload
the area in question and find a way to get out of the press, or that Inter
were unable to follow up on their first press. City, for their part, sustained
the press on over 90% of the occasions they made an initial action. The
next graph (below) will show they were more efficient too. The fact Inter
recorded considerably more sequences of four or more pressing actions
– 38% to City’s 29% – might suggest that Pep Guardiola’s team had
some success in holding on to the ball under pressure.

SUCCESS RATE OF THE PRESS Inter counter-pressing in the City half

Man City
Inter 30%
22%
NOT LETTING OPPONENTS PLAY THROUGH
17% 16% 14% Man City Inter
11% 11%
0% 100%
88% 90%
80% 83% 81% 81% 80%
1 pressing 2-3 pressing 4+ pressing Total 70%
action actions actions
50%
When it came to winning the ball in the opposition half, City had a
higher ratio of efficiency (22%) than Inter (14%). The key difference
is seen in the category of ‘2-3 pressing actions’ where the English side
were almost twice as successful. Individual Group Team Counter-press Total

52 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

Another gauge of efficiency is whether a team’s pressing actions
stopped the opposition from playing through them. Where previous PRESS LOCATIONS
graphs measure success as winning the ball back, here the focus is
on barring the opposition’s progress. This graph shows that City were
twice as successful as Inter when it came to individual pressing actions Man City 3%
in the final. This superiority was mirrored by the fact they also won a First press 6% 6%
location 10% 11%
higher percentage of duels – 56% to Inter’s 44% – and tackles too. 2%
6% 8% 11%
2%

OUTCOME OF PRESSING/COUNTER-PRESSING
11% 10%
3%
6%
5%
Man City Inter

Regain 14%
open play 6%
4%
8% Inter 6% 2%
Regain
First press 6% 4%
out of play 8% 2%
location 10% 2%
4%
6% 2%
Regain 19% 14%
10%
own half 18%
14% 8%

Retain possession 16%

backward play 18%

Retain possession 8%
open play 16%

Retain possession 16% UEFA’s technical observers remarked after the final that it was City’s
out of play 18% wide players who came inside to lead the press and the percentage of
first press locations on the right side of the penalty box would support
Progress to 0% the perception that Bernardo Silva was particularly active. Overall, the
middle third 2% opposition penalty box was the location for 28% of City’s first presses –
compared to 8% for Inter. For the Italian team, the right side of the pitch
Progress to 19% was a noticeably more productive space for first pressing actions than
opposition half 16% the left. This breakdown of last press locations highlights another big
difference between the teams: where City had the most joy in the middle
third, Inter, if less successful generally, were impressively effective at
winning the ball back in the top-right corner of the pitch.

Man City
Last press 8%
location 8%
8%
23% 8%
8%
8%
8%
8%
15%
Manchester City applying high pressure as they look
to regain the ball in the same action

To explain the various categories in the graph above, ‘Regain open play’
refers to winning the ball while it is in play. ‘Regain out of play’ means
Inter 17% 17%
winning the ball as play switches to a dead-ball situation such as a throw- Last press
in, free-kick, corner or penalty. ‘Retain possession backward play’ is when location
the team in possession are in the middle third of the pitch and respond 50%
17%
to being pressed by playing the ball back into their defensive third where
they retain possession.
City were more than twice as successful at regains while the ball was
in play, with 14% to Inter’s 6%. This allowed them to create potentially
promising moments quickly. The fact City had more regains in their own
half could point to them winning possession following some of Inter’s
long balls forward, while the retain possession open play category shows
that City were the better side at retaining the ball in the face of pressure.

53
ANALYSIS

DEFENDING
these tend to occur when crosses are made following a transition or
high regain. As for the 8% of occasions when there was not a single
attacker in the area, this would apply to situations where there was a
delivery from deep or an early cross and no player had had time to get
into the penalty box.

CROSSES
While there were usually no more
DEFENDERS IN THE BOX WHEN CROSS DELIVERED

10% 11%
20% 19%
16%

11%

than two attackers in the box for 5% 5%

3%
crosses, defending teams often 0% 1%
had four or more players back 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Average

ATTACKERS IN BOX FOR CROSSES

25%
23% 23%

16%

8%
4%
0%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Average Teams most often defended with four in the box

UEFA’s analysts produced a study of open-play crosses in the 13 matches When it came to the number of players getting back into the box to
played across the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final and the first area defend crosses, seven times out of ten (72%) there were four defenders
to focus on is the number of attacking players in the box.As showed by or more in the penalty area. The most common occurrence was for
the graph above, there were no more than two attacking players in the a team to have either four (20%) or five (19%) defenders in the box,
box for more than half of the crosses made (54%). It may surprise some though the graph above shows that at least once (1%) all ten outfield
to see little difference between the portion of crosses made to one players were back.
attacker (23%) and those crosses to three attackers (25%). When it came to the two eventual finalists, the graph below shows
In the cases where there were one or two forwards only in the box, that, from the quarter-final onwards, Manchester City only defended

DEFENDING CROSSES PER NUMBER OF PLAYERS IN BOX

Man City Inter 89%
80%

60%
57% 58% 58%
50% 50% 50% 50%
43%
33% 33% 33%
25% 25%

0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

54 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

crosses effectively when they had four or more defenders in the both.
Inter were twice as good as City at defending crosses with just three men BACK-LINE SHAPE
– achieving a 50% ratio compared to City’s 25% – though as would be
expected, they too were more effective with more numbers back.
Success here is defined by having a defender (any outfield player from 0% 3% 22% 39% 23% 12%
the defending team) or goalkeeper make first contact with the ball after
a cross is delivered. Inter were particularly successful when they had
five players back (89%) while City were at their most solid with six men Back 1 Back 2 Back 3 Back 4 Back 5 Back 5+
back (80%). To offer another illustration of the difference between the
Four was the most commonly seen (39%) number of players making
sides, in their respective quarter-final ties, Inter won 67% of their aerial
up the back line of teams as they defended crosses from open play.
duels and City 57%. Adding the semi-finals and final, the teams’ average
And, as the graph above shows, three-quarters of the time, there were
success ratios were closer: 58% for Inter and 53% for City.
a minimum of four players in the back line. To define the meaning
of ‘back-line shape’, this is how a team’s last line looked as a cross

FIRST CONTACT BY DEFENDNG TEAM was being delivered. If, for example, a team were playing with four
defenders but a midfielder had dropped in between the centre-backs
as the cross was played, then we counted the five players in the
defensive line in that moment.

60% 59% 57% 57%

Milan Benfica Bayern Inter

55% 50% 48% 42%

Chelsea Napoli Man City Real Madrid

Semi-finalists Milan were the most successful side when it came to

When defending a cross the most common defensive shape was a back four
making the first contact with a cross in their own penalty box, with
either their goalkeeper Mike Maignan or a defender getting first to the
box 60% of the time. Maignan caught (five) and punched (three) more
crosses than any other goalkeeper who played in any of the quarter-final, CROSS LOCATION
semi-final or final ties. We should add that the sample size here is small
given that Benfica, Bayern, Chelsea and Napoli only played two matches.
5% 3%2%
6% 7% 6%
7%
LEAD ACTION PRIOR TO CROSSING 2%
2%
3%
4%

2% 5%
Collecting loose ball 5% 4% 2% 1%
4% 1% 1%
5% 2%
Combination play 2% 6%
5%
Through ball 13% 4%
7%
Individual action 21%
4%
Long pass 11%
3% 1%
Penetrative pass
Decimal points
Regain 2% account for the
extra percentage
Set 5%
Pass within same channel 12% This breakdown of the average location of crosses shows that almost
a quarter (24%) were struck from inside the width of the penalty
Pass from outside 1%
box, be it inside or outside the area. The biggest portion of crosses
Pass from inside 23% were stuck from the channel just outside the width of the penalty box
(45%). By comparison, 29% of crosses came from the channel next to
This graph breaks down the principal actions prior to a team crossing the touchline from where the wingers of old would ‘get chalk on their
the ball – and finds that almost a quarter of crosses (23%) followed a boots’ before delivering centres. Finally, it is also worth noting there
pass from one of the more central channels to an outside lane. There were marginally more crosses from the right than the left side, so for
was also a high proportion of individual actions (21%) leading to a example more cut-backs inside the box from the right (6%), compared
crossing opportunity, such as a player running with the ball or dribbling. to from the left (2%).

(Note: Data is taken from open-play crosses only and does not include blocked crosses.) 55
ANALYSIS

Benfica's Alejandro
Grimaldo fires a free-kick
at the Inter goal

SET
Champions Manchester City led
the way in terms of goals from
set plays, while the overall figure
once again remained constant

PLAYS
There were 59 goals scored from set plays (excluding penalties)
in the 2022/23 season – a figure which accounts for 16% of the
overall total of 372 goals. This percentage figure was the same in the
previous two seasons.
The side who profited the most from set plays were Manchester
City, who scored seven goals this way. Liverpool, who had hit eight
set-piece goals when reaching the final in 2021/22, were one behind
City with six.
Penalties accounted for 9% of all the goals scored – marginally down
on the 10% share of 21/22 and 2019/20. The season with the biggest
percentage of penalties (15%) was 2020/21 which was the season
played out largely in front of empty stadiums owing to the pandemic.

56 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

GOAL TYPES SET-PLAY GOALS SCORED
279 Man City 7 32
OPEN PLAY
Liverpool 6 19

22/23 Benfica 5 26
Juventus 4 9
59 Leipzig 4 14
SET PLAY
Tottenham 3 8
34
PENALTIES Sevilla 3 6
Napoli 3 26
Real Madrid 3 26
281 Bayern 3 22
OPEN PLAY
Milan 2 15
21/22 Atlético 2 5
Marseille 2 8
62
SET PLAY Maccabi Haifa 2 7

37 Chelsea 1 12
PENALTIES Ajax 1 11
Inter 1 19
Sporting CP 1 8
257
OPEN PLAY Dortmund 1 11
Barcelona 1 12
20/21 Frankfurt 1 7

57 Club Brugge 1 8
SET PLAY Dinamo Zagreb 1 4
55 Celtic 1 4
PENALTIES
Paris 16
Leverkusen 4

301 Porto 12
OPEN PLAY Salzburg 5

19/20 Plzeň
Shakhtar
5
8
48 Copenhagen 1 Set-play goals
SET PLAY
Rangers 2 Total goals
37
PENALTIES
Manchester City’s total of seven set-piece goals accounted for 22% of
their total, which was slightly above the competition average of 16%.
266 City were also the side who produced the most chances from set
OPEN PLAY plays overall with 37 followed by Real Madrid (31) and Inter (30).
However, it was Liverpool who ended the campaign with the highest
18/19 ratio of dead-ball chances per game with 3.5.
Jürgen Klopp’s men had formidable strength in the air – winning
66 an unmatched 60% of their aerial duels across the season –
SET PLAY and almost a third of their goals came from set plays (32%), a
percentage surpassed only by Juventus (44%) and Sevilla (50%).
34
PENALTIES In the case of Sevilla, all three of their set-play goals were headers
from dead balls with Youssef En-Nesyri, Tanguy Nianzou and Rafa
Mir all converting high-quality deliveries into the box.

57
ANALYSIS

GOING FOR GOAL

Liverpool's Trent Alexander Arnold
bends one in against Rangers
on Matchday 3; Rúben Dias
celebrates heading in Manchester
Trent Alexander-Arnold for Liverpool against Rangers, Alejandro City's fourth goal against Sevilla on
Grimaldo for Benfica against Maccabi Haifa and Celtic’s Jota at Real Matchday 1 (bottom right)

Madrid were the only players to find the net from direct free-kicks.
Eight clubs of the 32 who participated in the group stage did not
manage a single direct free-kick shot attempt (excluding blocks),
including finalists Inter.

SET-PLAY GOALS CONCEDED

Set-play goals conceded Goals conceded

Real Madrid 4 13
Leipzig 4 17
Rangers 4 22
Man City 3 5
Tottenham 3 7
Ajax 3 16
Milan 3 11
Inter 3 11
Paris 3 10
Maccabi Haifa 3 21
Sporting CP 2 9
Benfica 2 13
Porto 2 8 Real Madrid, Leipzig and Rangers were the sides who conceded the
Salzburg 2 9 most set-play goals – four apiece. In the case of semi-finalists Madrid
this accounted for almost a third (31%) of their 13 goals conceded.
Napoli 2 8 Man City conceded only five goals across the whole competition but
Dortmund 2 7 three of them were from corners and another from a penalty, meaning
that the champions conceded just one open-play goal in 13 matches.
Marseille 2 8

3 50
Barcelona 2 12
Only three Percentage
Liverpool 1 12
goals came of Sevilla
Chelsea 1 9 from direct goals scored
free-kicks from set plays
Leverkusen 1 8
Sevilla 1 12
Sevilla and Juventus were the clubs with the best corner-to-goal ratio
Juventus 1 13
in 2022/23, averaging nine corners per goal.
Bayern 1 6 With six, Man City had the highest number of goals scored from
corners and, with 78 corners taken, this worked out at one from
Plzeň 1 24
every 13 – considerably less than the competition-average ratio of
Shakhtar 1 10 one from every 25.
Erling Haaland scored five of City’s goals from corners and three
Copenhagen 1 12
came in the round of 16 home win over Leipzig in which he hit five
Dinamo Zagreb 1 11 goals. Interestingly, none of the Norwegian’s five goals from corners
Atlético 9 were from first contacts but came rather from knockdowns or
second-phase opportunities.
Frankfurt 13 The same applied to Rúben Dias’s goal following a corner at
Club Brugge 11 Sevilla which meant that City’s only goal featuring a connection with
a dead-ball delivery was Manuel Akanji’s header from a Kevin De
Celtic 15 Bruyne free-kick against Real Madrid.

58 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

 CORNERS
Goals from corners 64 65

25 9
Corners per goal
53
Number of teams
who failed to score
There was one goal scored from a corner 40
for every 25 corners on 36
average – a corner-to-goal 30
ratio of 25:1 27 28
26 26
23
19 20 20
15 15 16
12 13 13
11
9 9 6
5
2 3 3 3 2 3 3 2 2
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Sevilla

Juventus

Leipzig

Liverpool

Bayern

Man City

Marseille

Dinamo Zagreb

Benfica

Napoli

Atlético

Sporting CP

Tottenham

Ajax

Frankfurt

Dortmund

Club Brugge

Maccabi Haifa

Milan

Barcelona

Chelsea

Real Madrid

Inter
DEFENDING CORNERS
GOALS CONCEDED CORNERS PER GOAL
FROM CORNERS CONCEDED
Liverpool –
Atlético –
Frankfurt –
Shakhtar Donetsk –
Club Brugge –
Dinamo Zagreb –
Celtic –
Marseille 15
Leverkusen 29
Sevilla 29
Plzeň 29
Chelsea 33
Juventus 33
Copenhagen 33
Bayern 39
Dortmund 39
Benfica 48
Salzburg 12
Barcelona 14
Paris 15
Maccabi Haifa 17
Of the teams who did not concede from a corner, Club Brugge and
Porto 17
Shakhtar Donetsk defended the highest number successfully – 47
Sporting CP 18
and 46 respectively. This was way above the average of a goal every Napoli 23
25 corners faced and both teams earned praise from UEFA’s match Inter 32
observers at different points of the group stage for their defensive focus Real Madrid 32
and organisation. Ajax 9
Among the sides who conceded only once from a corner, Benfica had Man City 12
the best record, that one goal coming from 48 corners faced. Tottenham 12
The team who performed worst overall, meanwhile, were Ajax who Rangers 12
conceded three goals from 27 corners – averaging a goal for every nine Leipzig 13
corners faced. Milan 21

59
ANALYSIS

GOALKEEPING
André Onana excelled at both prevention and
creation, while the tendency to play short
from the back continued to increase

André Onana claims a high

ball in the quarter-final
against Benfica

60 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

CLEAN SHEETS GOALS PREVENTED
Inter goalkeeper André Onana topped the charts for both clean sheets The goals-prevented metric underscores the size of André Onana’s
and goals prevented in 2022/23. With regards to the former, the contribution during Inter’s run to the final. He ranks comfortably first
Cameroonian became the second Inter goalkeeper after Francesco with 7.8 goals prevented and the most memorable example was
Toldo in 2002/03 to keep eight clean sheets over the course of a probably his double save from Zaidu and Mehdi Taremi with the score
Champions League campaign, albeit where Toldo played 18 games at 0-0 during Inter’s round of 16 home win against Porto. The Taremi
(including a two-legged qualifying tie), Onana played 13. Club Brugge’s follow-up strike would have been scored 67% of the time, statistically.
Simon Mignolet produced all five of his shut-outs in a group stage in The second-ranked Thibaut Courtois actually prevented more goals in
which his side’s defence went unbreached in their three away games. this campaign than in 2021/22 when he was first in this category (4.6).

ANDRÉ ONANA ANDRÉ ONANA

INTER 8 INTER 7.8

THIBAUT COURTOIS
EDERSON REAL MADRID 5.9
MANCHESTER CITY 7
SIMON MIGNOLET
CLUB BRUGGE 4.8
SIMON MIGNOLET
CLUB BRUGGE 5
ALEX MERET
NAPOLI 3.8
THIBAUT COURTOIS
REAL MADRID 5 DIOGO COSTA
3.7
PORTO

EDERSON
ALEX MERET
4 MANCHESTER CITY 2.7
NAPOLI

DOMINIK LIVAKOVIĆ
DINAMO ZAGREB 2.6
DIOGO COSTA
PORTO 4
KEPA ARRIZABALAGA
CHELSEA 2.5
KEPA ARRIZABALAGA
CHELSEA 3 HUGO LLORIS
TOTTENHAM 2.2

ALISSON BECKER YANN SOMMER

LIVERPOOL 3 BAYERN 1.9

GOALS CONCEDED PER GAME

0.4 0.8 0.8 0.9 0.9

EDERSON ANDRÉ ONANA ALEX MERET KEPA ARRIZABALAGA MIKE MAIGNAN
MANCHESTER CITY INTER NAPOLI CHELSEA AC MILAN

1 1 1 1 1
YANN SOMMER ALEXANDER MEYER DIOGO COSTA ANTONIO ADÁN HUGO LLORIS
BAYERN DORTMUND PORTO SPORTING TOTTENHAM

7
Ederson played 11 times for Manchester City in a campaign in which he
kept seven clean sheets and conceded a single goal in each of his other
four appearances

61
ANALYSIS

SAVE PERCENTAGE IN POSSESSION

The trend for teams to play out from the back is highlighted by the
statistic that the ball did not leave the penalty box from 44% of
goal kicks taken in 2022/23. Over four seasons this figure has almost

88% 81%
doubled since 2019/20, when it stood at 24%.

EDERSON ANDRÉ ONANA

MANCHESTER CITY INTER

79% 79%
MIKE MAIGNAN THIBAUT COURTOIS
AC MILAN REAL MADRID

Napoli goalkeeper
Alex Meret on the ball

79% 78% GOAL KICKS RECEIVED INSIDE OWN BOX

2022/23 44%
DIOGO COSTA KEPA ARRIZABALAGA
PORTO CHELSEA
2021/22 39%

2020/21 36%

78% 77% 2019/20 24%

ANTONIO ADÁN YANN SOMMER

TOP FIVE
SPORTING BAYERN
PARIS 72%

NAPOLI 69%

76% 74% CELTIC 66%

BAYERN 63%
SIMON MIGNOLET HUGO LLORIS
CLUB BRUGGE TOTTENHAM
LEIPZIG 63%

BOTTOM FIVE
RANGERS 26%

MARSEILLE 24%

ATLÉTICO 23%

PLZEŇ 19%
Ederson saves from
Lautaro Martínez
in the final COPENHAGEN 11%

62 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

KICKING DISTANCES Onana ranked fourth in the competition for most line-
Inter’s kicking from the back was much-changed from the previous breaking passes from his own half, with 83 – a total surpassed
season when, with Samir Handanović in goal, they were the team with only by Toni Kroos, Rúben Dias and Dayot Upamecano.
most goal kicks received in their own box (69%) – a consequence of The observer at Inter’s quarter-final win at Benfica commented
defenders taking almost half of them. on Onana’s ability to “break the high press from Benfica to
This time they had Onana in goal and he displayed the range link the play higher up the pitch”. In the second leg against
of his kicking in a team whose quick, vertical play was noted by Benfica, meanwhile, his kick up the pitch to Edin Džeko was
the UEFA match observers. Displaying good judgement in his pass the opening pass in a sequence leading to Inter’s first goal.
selection, Onana would kick short and long, and his range included The correlation between kicking short and keeping the ball is
balls wide to his full-backs or higher up the field. As a result Inter reflected by the fact the three teams who averaged the longest
virtually doubled their average pass distance – going from 17.6m, passing distance from goal kicks also had the smallest average
the second-lowest in the competition in 2021/22, to 33.4m. share of possession: Viktoria Plzeň, Copenhagen and Rangers.

AVERAGE PASS DISTANCE FROM GOAL KICKS

COPENHAGEN PLZEŇ RANGERS ATLÉTICO SEVILLA SPORTING CP CHELSEA PORTO

55.1m 49.7m 45.1m 44.8m 40.9m 40.8m 40.6m 39m

CLUB BRUGGE DINAMO ZAGREB MANCHESTER CITY SALZBURG MARSEILLE BENFICA MILAN INTER
38.9m 38.8m 37.8m 37.8m 36m 35.1m 34.6m 33.4m

MACCABI HAIFA DORTMUND LIVERPOOL SHAKHTAR LEVERKUSEN AJAX BARCELONA REAL MADRID
33m 30.9m 30.4m 29.8m 29.1m 28.8m 28.2m 28.2m

FRANKFURT TOTTENHAM CELTIC LEIPZIG BAYERN JUVENTUS NAPOLI PARIS

27.4m 24.8m 24.5m 23.3m 22m 21.4m 20.1m 19.1m

0.4 8 11
Goals per game Clean sheets Crosses
conceded by by André caught by
Ederson Onana Onana

63
ANALYSIS

FITNESS COPENHAGEN GO THE DISTANCE

Not coincidentally, the match in which Copenhagen produced the
most ball recoveries (62) of their campaign was also the match where

AND SPEED
they ran the most. Indeed, no other team matched the 131.23km
collectively covered by the Danish side in earning a point against
Dortmund that evening. As the UEFA observer following that Matchday
2 fixture at Parken remarked, they produced plenty of recoveries in
their own half and quick switches from defence to attack, together
with rapid forward passes.

Benfica covered the most distance AVERAGE DISTANCE PER GAME

per game, while Bayern full-back
Alphonso Davies recorded the Benfica 120.7km

highest speed of the season Tottenham 120.4km

Bayern 120.1km

Copenhagen 120km

BENFICA’S RUNNING MEN Inter 119.9km

Quarter-finalists Benfica were the team who covered the most Frankfurt 119.7km
distance per game on average, going in excess of 120km in six of their Celtic 119.6km
ten games. To put this into the context of their playing style, they had
two full-backs who looked to play high up the pitch and three creative Porto 119km
midfielders in a 1-4-2-3-1 who rotated positions and provided forward Barcelona 118.8km
runs in support of centre-forward Gonçalo Ramos.
Rafa Silva, as noted by the observer at the game where they covered Leipzig 118.8km
the most ground of all – the 2-0 round of 16 win at Club Brugge – was a Leverkusen 118.5km
particularly willing runner in behind.
Atlético 118.3km
For their home win over Juventus (fourth on the list below) the
observer noted other reasons for the distance covered: fast passing Plzeň 117.4km
with lots of changing of positions and immediate attempts to regain
Dortmund 117.2km
the ball following turnovers. And with an average possession share of
49% across their ten matches, they had more need to win the ball Club Brugge 116.7km
back than sides who dominated possession.
Shakhtar 116.3km
At the other end of the scale, after two seasons where they ranked
last, Paris Saint-Germain were only marginally better as the second- Salzburg 116km
bottom side above Maccabi Haifa. 116km
Man City
Liverpool 115.1km
BENFICA AVERAGE DISTANCE (TOP SIX GAMES) Napoli 114.8km

Club Brugge (a) 127.5km Dinamo 114.2km

Sevilla 114.1km

Inter (a) 126.7km Ajax 113.5km

Milan 112.5km

Inter (h) 123.2km Juventus 112.4km

Marseille 111.9km

Juventus (h) 122.3km Rangers 111km

Chelsea 111km

Juventus (a) 121.8km Real Madrid 109.8km

Sporting CP 109.1km

Maccabi Haifa (a) 120.4km Paris 108.4km

Maccabi Haifa 107.6km

64 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT

 Bayern left-back Alphonso Davies was
unmatched for speed in 2022/23

MIDFIELDERS WITH MOTORS SPEED KINGS

Not for nothing is the central part of a football pitch known as the engine Bayern’s Alphonso Davies recorded the season’s top speed with a
room – as reflected by this list of top ten of players to cover the greatest sprint speed of 37.1km per hour in his side’s group fixture at Inter.
average distance in 2022/23. If Celtic’s attacking full-back Greg Taylor Davies was playing at left-back that night and using his speed to
sits top with 11.6km, the two men right behind – Nicolas Seiwald and advance into attacking positions with Leroy Sané moving inside
Maurits Kjærgaard – were midfielders in a Salzburg side whose average the pitch. As the match observer said, the Canadian’s pace was
number of ball recoveries per match (64.8) was second to none. It is fundamental to Bayern’s excellent attacking transitions.
worth adding that they had to chase the ball more than most too given Davies was also comfortably quicker than the next-ranked pair
that Salzburg’s average possession share was 40% – the season’s fourth- of Chelsea’s Mykhailo Mudryk and Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembélé
lowest. That their fellow midfielder Nicolás Capaldo (eighth with 11.2km) whose top speed was 36.6 km/h. In Mudryk’s case he recorded that
also features on this list underlines all the more Salzburg’s approach. playing for his previous club Shakhtar in the group stage at Celtic,
Another name to note is Djibril Sow, the player ranked joint-fourth on where he struck the equalising goal on a quick transition and was a
the list with an average distance run of 11.4km; he played in midfield for danger throughout with his pace and dribbling skills.
an Eintracht Frankfurt side who were joint-first with Salzburg for most Another player worth highlighting is Karim Adeyemi of Borussia
recoveries across the campaign. Bayern München’s Joshua Kimmich, by Dortmund whose top speed of 36.1km came in the round of 16
contrast, saw plenty of the ball, ranking fourth for the most touches per home game against Chelsea in which he sprinted from his own half to
match on average (93.9), but he was prolific too in terms of kilometres score a fabulous breakaway goal – prompting his coach, Edin Terzić,
run, ranking among the top six for the third successive season. to jokingly compare him with the Road Runner cartoon character.

AVERAGE DISTANCE PER MATCH TOP SPEEDS

Greg Taylor Celtic 11.6km Alphonso Davies Bayern 37.1km/h
Nicolas Seiwald Salzburg 11.6km Mykhailo Mudryk Chelsea 36.6km/h
Maurits Kjærgaard Salzburg 11.5km Ousmane Dembélé Barcelona 36.6km/h
Djibril Sow Frankfurt 11.4km Rafael Leão Milan 36.5km/h
Joshua Kimmich Bayern 11.4km Gabriel Veron Porto 36.4km/h
Taras Stepanenko Shakhtar 11.4km Federico Valverde Real Madrid 36.3km/h
Nicolò Barella Inter 11.3km Nuno Tavares Marseille 36.2km/h
Luis Diaz Liverpool 11.3km Moussa Diaby Leverkusen 36.1km/h
Nicolás Capaldo Salzburg 11.2km Karim Adeyemi Dortmund 36.1km/h
Konrad Laimer Leipzig 11.1km Rafa Silva Benfica 35.9km/h
Artem Bondarenko Shakhtar 11.1km Dominik Szoboszlai Leipzig 35.9km/h
Minimum of 3 games played

65
 COACH ALFRED SCHREUDER

AFC AJAX
BORN: 02/11/1972,
Barneveld (NED)
NATIONALITY: Dutch
NED HEAD COACH: from 01/07/2022 to
26/01/2023
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 0
GROUP A ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
RAN LIV NAP NAP LIV RAN
W 4-0 L 2-1 L 1-6 L 4-2 L 0-3 W 1-3 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 6 2 0 4 33%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
10 2 4 4 20%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Rangers (h)
54% First third 33% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 48%
Max. 75% v Rangers (h)
Min. 43% v Liverpool (a) Attacking third 19%
GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 11
22 Remko Pasveer 6 540
DEFENDERS
529 85% 2 Jurriën Timber 6 530
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 3 Calvin Bassey 6 540 1
Max. 808 v Rangers (h) Max. 92% v Rangers (h)
Min. 375 v Napoli (h) Min. 73% v Napoli (h) 7
20 5 Owen Wijndal 2 76 1
UCL rank: 11 UCL rank: 15 7 20 10 15 Devyne Rensch 4 288
23 10
8 17 Daley Blind 5 409
PASS DISTANCE* 8
19 Jorge Sánchez 5 268
Long 41 (8% of total) UCL rank: 15 17 15
17 44 25 Youri Baas 3 41
Medium 156 (29%) UCL rank: 6 15
Short 332 (63%) 3 22
UCL rank: 13 3 MIDFIELDERS
Average UCL rank 4 Edson Álvarez 6 533 1
PASSES PER
DEFENSIVE ACTION 11.5 6 6 Davy Klaassen 5 210 1
8 Kenneth Taylor 6 420 1
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
20 Mohammed Kudus 6 451 4 2
ATTACKING THIRD 6 3=
21 Florian Grillitsch 5 55
22
DISTANCE COVERED 22 FORWARDS
Max. 117.9 v Rangers (a) 7 Steven Bergwijn 6 522 2
113.5 km Min. 104.8 v Napoli (h)
UCL rank: 23 9 Brian Brobbey 5 114
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1% 10 Dušan Tadić 5 433 1
11 Lucas Ocampos 2 15
23 Steven Berghuis 6 467 2 2
ATTEMPTS 35 Francisco Conceição 3 14 1

11 GOALS
1.8 per match; UCL rank: 9

8.5 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

1.4 per match; UCL rank: 16

65 GOAL ATTEMPTS
10.8 per match; UCL rank: 25

24 ON TARGET
4 per match; UCL rank: 18
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 14% AGE
SAVED 31%
25.3 15 1 Sent off:
Tadić v Napoli (h)
BLOCKED 19%
WOODWORK 1%
OFF TARGET 34% KEY FEATURES
• 1-4-3-3; also 1-3-4-3, 1-4-5-1 when defending
PLAYER STATISTICS • Build up from back with three players,
midfield pivot joining centre-backs
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value
• Full-backs push to increase numbers
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% in midfield and support attacks
1 Mohammed Kudus 4 8 4 1.8 1 Calvin Bassey 427 330 89 56 • Álvarez key in holding role as fellow
2 Steven Berghuis 2 13 3 1.1 2 Jurriën Timber 417 355 94 55 midfielders look forward
3 Steven Bergwijn 2 10 5 1.8 3 Edson Álvarez 364 281 86 49 • Wingers keep width, coming occasionally
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward into pockets to create space for full-backs
• Look for overloads in wide areas,
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I interchanging positions
1 Steven Berghuis 2 4 1.0 1 Calvin Bassey 39 9 7 • Quick transitions notably through
2 Mohammed Kudus 2 3 0.2 2 Edson Álvarez 37 8 11 Bergwijn – speed and 1v1 threat
3 Calvin Bassey 1 0 0.1 3 Jurriën Timber 28 1 8 • Scoring threat and link-up play
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions of four-goal Kudus

66 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down
 COACH DIEGO SIMEONE

CLUB ATLÉTICO DE MADRID

BORN: 28/04/1970,
San Nicolás (ARG)
NATIONALITY: Argentinian
ESP HEAD COACH: Since 23/12/2011
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 4
GROUP B ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
POR LEV BRU BRU LEV POR
W 2-1 L 2-0 L 2-0 D 0-0 D 2-2 L 2-1 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 95 46 23 26 48%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
123 69 24 30 56%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Leverkusen (a)
57% First third 24% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 56%
Max. 65% v Club Brugge (h)
Min. 50% v Porto (a) Attacking third 21%
GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 6
1 Ivo Grbić 1 90
13 Jan Oblak 5 450
557 86% DEFENDERS
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 2 José María Giménez 5 402
Max. 652 v Leverkkusen (h) Max. 89% v Leverkusen (h)
Min. 461 v Porto (a) Min. 82% v Porto (h) 15 Stefan Savić 3 270
UCL rank: 7 UCL rank: 10
19 16 Nahuel Molina 6 467
7 18 Felipe 1 90
PASS DISTANCE 7 19 22 Mario Hermoso 3 157 1
17 14
Long 48 (9% of total) UCL rank: 12
23 23 Reinildo 6 512
Medium 200 (36%) UCL rank: 11 17 16
6 14
Short 310 (56%) UCL rank: 5 MIDFIELDERS
22 6
20
Average UCL rank
23 16 4 Geoffrey Kondogbia 3 225
PASSES PER 22 18 20
DEFENSIVE ACTION 13.8 16
18 5 Rodrigo De Paul 5 255 1
6 Koke 4 330
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
11 Thomas Lemar 2 105
ATTACKING THIRD 6 3=
14 Macos Llorente 3 213
17 Saúl Ñíguez 5 284
DISTANCE COVERED
Max. 120.4 v Leverkusen (h) 1 20 Axel Witsel 6 461 1
118.3 km Min. 116.1 v Porto (a)
UCL rank: 12
1
21 Yannick Carrasco 6 303 1 2
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1%
34 Pablo Barrios 1 5
FORWARDS
7 João Félix 5 217
ATTEMPTS 8 Antoine Griezmann 6 406 1 1

5 GOALS (1 own goal*)

0.8 per match; UCL rank: 25=
9 Matheus Cunha
10 Ángel Correa
5
6
119
283
19 Álvaro Morata 5 297

9.8 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

1.6 per match; UCL rank: 10

97 GOAL ATTEMPTS
16.2 per match; UCL rank: 3

35 ON TARGET
5.8 per match; UCL rank: 6=
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 5% AGE
SAVED 34%
27.7 13 0
BLOCKED 26%
*Own goal not included on map
WOODWORK 2%
OFF TARGET 34% KEY FEATURES
• 1-3-5-2 with variations (1-3-4-3, 1-4-5-1);
PLAYER STATISTICS also started in 1-4-4-2
• Tactically flexible with in-game switches
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value
between back five and four
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% • Calm, authoritative figure of goalkeeper Oblak
1 Antoine Griezmann 1 21 11 2.5 1 Reinildo 350 271 90 32 • Defensive discipline with pressing structure
2 Yannick Carrasco 1 13 6 1.7 2 Axel Witsel 343 263 94 26 in middle third
3 Rodrigo De Paul 1 5 4 0.2 3 José María Giménez 286 235 88 33 • Captain Koke organising and distributing ball
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward well in midfield
• Witsel’s capacity to keep possession, link
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I defence and attack; filled in at centre-back
1 Yannick Carrasco 2 4 0.3 1 Reinildo 43 8 5 • Ability to combine quick counters with more
2 Antoine Griezmann 1 8 0.8 2 Geoffrey Kondogbia 30 4 7 patient attacking possessions
3 Ángel Correa 1 5 0.5 3 Axel Witsel 29 3 3 • Intelligence and movement of Griezmann,
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions receiving between the lines

Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down 67
 COACH XAVI HERNÁNDEZ

FC BARCELONA
BORN: 25/01/1980,
Terrassa (ESP)
NATIONALITY: Spanish
ESP HEAD COACH: Since 06/11/2021
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 0
GROUP C ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
PLZ BAY INT INT BAY PLZ
W 5-1 L 2-0 L 1-0 D 3-3 L 0-3 W 2-4 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 8 2 2 4 25%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
27 10 9 8 37%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Inter (h)
65% First third 19% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 55%
Max. 76% v Plzeň (h), Plzeň (a)
Min. 52% v Bayern (h) Attacking third 25%
GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 1
1 Marc-André ter Stegen 5 450
26 Iñaki Peña 1 90
623 89% DEFENDERS
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 2 Héctor Bellerín 2 180
Max. 752 v Plzeň (a) Max. 91% v Plzeň (h), Inter (a), Plzeň (a)
Min. 502 v Bayern (h) Min. 84% v Bayern (h) 7 9 3 Gerard Piqué 4 257
UCL rank: 2 UCL rank: 4 9
8 22 4 Ronald Araújo 1 90
30 7
8 15 Andreas Christensen 3 218
PASS DISTANCE* 20
5 22 17 Marcos Alonso 5 405 1
Long 42 (8% of total) UCL rank: 24 17 30
18 Jordi Alba 2 147 1
Medium 247 (40%) UCL rank: 3 5 24
3 20 23 Jules Koundé 3 247 1
Short 334 (54%) UCL rank: 4
17
3 24
24 Eric García 4 223 1
PASSES PER Average UCL rank
28 Alejandro Balde 4 168
DEFENSIVE ACTION 9.3 1
MIDFIELDERS
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
5 Sergio Busquets 4 292
ATTACKING THIRD 7 2=
8 Pedri 5 403
1
1 19 Franck Kessie 6 273 1
DISTANCE COVERED
Max. 126.4 v Inter (h) 20 Sergi Roberto 3 207 2
118.8 km Min. 113.1 v Plzeň (a)
UCL rank: 9 21 Frenkie de Jong 4 235
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1%
29 Marc Casadó 1 23
30 Gavi 5 331
32 Pablo Torre 3 94 1
ATTEMPTS 34 Álvaro Sanz 1 13

12 GOALS
2 per match; UCL rank: 7=
FORWARDS
7 Ousmane Dembélé 6 415 1 2
9 Robert Lewandowski 5 442 5

9.9 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

1.7 per match; UCL rank: 8
10 Ansu Fati
11 Ferran Torres
6
5
241
184 3
1
1
14 Memphis Depay 1 15

90 GOAL ATTEMPTS
15 per match; UCL rank: 8
22 Raphinha 5 297 2

35 ON TARGET
5.8 per match; UCL rank: 6=
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 12% AGE
SAVED 34%
25.4 10 0
BLOCKED 24%
WOODWORK 1%
OFF TARGET 29% KEY FEATURES
• 1-4-3-3
PLAYER STATISTICS • Excel at keeping possession, with fast transitions
to attack when possible
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value
• Sweeper-keeper Ter Stegen starts build-up
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% from back
1 Robert Lewandowski 5 24 11 3.2 1 Marcos Alonso 387 312 91 39 • Back four willing to take risks and go 1v1
with opponent
2 Ferran Torres 3 7 3 1.3 2 Pedri 282 248 89 24
• Full-backs go high, wide and also inside
3 Ousmane Dembélé 1 10 5 1.1 3 Gerard Piqué 242 195 93 29 as playmakers; much rotation
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward
• Press with lots of numbers but high line was
exposed v Bayern
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I • Mobile midfield technicians (Pedri) control play,
1 Ousmane Dembélé 2 9 1.9 1 Marcos Alonso 42 2 6 combine with forwards
2 Raphinha 2 7 0.8 2 Pedri 24 2 5 • Speed, 1v1 threat of Dembélé – most crosses
3 Sergi Roberto 2 1 0.7 3 Sergio Busquets 23 8 4 in group stage (51)
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions • Lewandowski provides reference point in attack

68 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down
 COACH THOMAS TUCHEL*

FC BAYERN MÜNCHEN
BORN: 29/08/1973,
Krumbach (GER)
NATIONALITY: German
GER HEAD COACH: Since 25/03/2023
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 2
GROUP C ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
INT BAR PLZ PLZ BAR INT PAR PAR MCI MCI
W 0-2 W 2-0 W 5-0 W 2-4 W 0-3 W 2-0 W 0-1 W 2-0 L 3-0 D 1-1 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 55 33 8 14 60%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
74 45 11 18 61%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
*Julian Nagelsmann in charge Matchdays 1 to 8
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Paris (h)
56% First third 30% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 49%
Max. 70% v Plzeň (h)
Min. 45% v Paris (h) Attacking third 21%
GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 8
1 Manuel Neuer 3 270
26 Sven Ulreich 3 270
572 88% 27 Yann Sommer 4 360
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY
Max. 682 v Plzeň (a) Max. 90% vs Inter (h), Paris (a),
DEFENDERS
Min. 470 v Barcelona (a) Man City (h)
UCL rank: 5 Min. 83% v Barcelona (h) 2 Dayot Upamecano 10 715
UCL rank: 5 13 4 Matthijs de Ligt 7 615
13 5 Benjamin Pavard 9 593 2
25 11
PASS DISTANCE 42
25 8 21 Lucas Hernández 2 174 1
Long 43 (8% of total) UCL rank: 19 42
11
19 22 João Cancelo 4 122 1
Medium 242 (42%) UCL rank: 4
Short 287 (50%) UCL rank: 10 6
6 8 40 Noussair Mazraoui 5 393
19 44 Josip Stanišić 8 346
44
PASSES PER Average UCL rank 4
4 2 44
DEFENSIVE ACTION 10.5 4 2 MIDFIELDERS
6 Joshua Kimmich 9 810 1 3
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
8 Leon Goretzka 9 607 2 4
ATTACKING THIRD 7 2=
10 Leroy Sané 8 556 4 2
14 Paul Wanner 2 34
DISTANCE COVERED 27
Max. 124.9 v Inter (h) 15 Marcel Sabitzer 6 279
120.1 km
27
Min. 117.4 v Plzeň (h)
UCL rank: 3 19 Alphonso Davies 9 602 2
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1%
38 Ryan Gravenberch 6 250
42 Jamal Musiala 9 532 2
FORWARDS
ATTEMPTS 7 Serge Gnabry 8 339 2 3

22 GOALS
2.2 per match; UCL rank: 6
11 Kingsley Coman
13 Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting
7
7
538
441
1
4
1

17 Sadio Mané 9 551 3 1

19.5 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

2 per match; UCL rank: 3
25 Thomas Müller
39 Mathys Tel
8
5
365
140
1 1

168 GOAL ATTEMPTS

16.8 per match; UCL rank: 2

75 ON TARGET
7.5 per match; UCL rank: 1
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 12% AGE
SAVED 39%
26.5 23 1 Sent off:
Pavard v Paris (a)
BLOCKED 19%
WOODWORK 1%
OFF TARGET 29% KEY FEATURES
• 1-4-2-3-1; attacking at times in a 1-3-4-2-1
PLAYER STATISTICS • Apply aggressive pressure with 1v1 defending
right across pitch
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value
• Line-breaking passes from the back
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% by Upamecano
1 Leroy Sané 4 18 9 2.5 1 Joshua Kimmich 658 539 91%25% • Kimmich’s reading of game and superb
2 Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting 4 15 8 2.6 2 Dayot Upamecano 601 477 91%32% weight of pass in pivot role
3 Sadio Mané 3 15 10 1.9 3 Benjamin Pavard 539 453 91%42% • Ability to find players (Musiala) between
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward the lines, e.g. at Man City
• Excellent transitions to attack with lots
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I of movement and energy
1 Leon Goretzka 4 5 0.7 1 Alphonso Davies 56 10 8 • Fluid front line with attacking players
2 Joshua Kimmich 3 17 1.5 2 Joshua Kimmich 53 11 20 exchanging positions going forward
3 Serge Gnabry 3 1 0.4 3 Dayot Upamecano 50 8 14 • Quick talented individuals with 1v1 ability
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions (Sané, Coman, Gnabry)

Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down 69
 COACH ROGER SCHMIDT

SL BENFICA
BORN: 13/03/1967,
Kierspe (GER)
NATIONALITY: German
POR HEAD COACH: Since 01/07/2022
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 0
GROUP H ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
MHA JUV PAR PAR JUV MHA CLB CLB INT INT
W 2-0 W 1-2 D 1-1 D 1-1 W 4-3 W 1-6 W 0-2 W 5-1 L 0-2 D 3-3 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 31 13 11 7 42%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
87 48 20 19 55%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Clube Brugge (h)
53% First third 27% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 52%
Max. 60% v Inter (h)
Min. 36% v Paris (h) Attacking third 21%
GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 12
99 Odysseas Vlachodimos 10 900
DEFENDERS
535 86% 2 Gilberto 5 198
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 3 Alejandro Grimaldo 10 900 2 4
Max. 646 v Inter (a) Max. 91% v Club Brugge (h)
Min. 379 v Paris (h) Min. 82% v Paris (h) 4 Lucas Verissimo 2 4
UCL rank: 10 UCL rank: 12 88
6 Alexander Bah 8 657 2
88
2727 20 30 Nicolás Otamendi 9 794 1
PASS DISTANCE* 20 66 António Silva 10 896 2
Long 49 (9% of total) UCL rank: 10 8
3 8
22 91 Morato 2 106
Medium 196 (37%) UCL rank: 13 6161 6
22
Short 290 (54%) UCL rank: 8 3 6 MIDFIELDERS
Average UCL rank 30 66 8 Fredrik Aursnes 10 618 1
PASSES PER 30 66
DEFENSIVE ACTION 12.3 11 13 Enzo Fernández 5 429 2
20 João Mário 10 865 6 2
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
22 Chiquinho 9 404 1
ATTACKING THIRD 6 3=
61 Florentino 10 861
87 João Neves 3 27 1
DISTANCE COVERED 99
Max. 127.5 v Club Brugge (a) 99
120.7 km Min. 115.9 v Club Brugge (h)
UCL rank: 1
FORWARDS
7 David Neres 9 443 3 1
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1% 15 Gonçalo Guedes 2 41
17 Diogo Gonçalves 4 36
18 Rodrigo Pinho 2 14
ATTEMPTS 21 Andreas Schjelderup 1 1

26 GOALS
2.6 per match; UCL rank: 1=
27 Rafa Silva
33 Petar Musa
10
5
826
125
5
2
2

39 Henrique Araújo 1 8 1

19.5 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

2 per match; UCL rank: 5
88 Gonçalo Ramos
93 Julian Draxler
10
3
719
29
3 1

138 GOAL ATTEMPTS

13.8 per match; UCL rank: 13

54 ON TARGET
5.4 per match; UCL rank: 10
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 15% AGE
SAVED 32%
26.5 19 0
BLOCKED 18%
WOODWORK 3%
OFF TARGET 32% KEY FEATURES
• 1-4-2-3-1; shift to 1-4-4-2 out of possession
PLAYER STATISTICS • Possession-based team who play through the
thirds with quick one and two-touch play
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value
• Well-drilled in and out of possession with quick
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% transitions both ways
1 João Mário 6 12 7 4.7 1 António Silva 571 433 92 31 • Youthful side with sprinkling of experienced
2 Rafa Silva 5 28 12 4.4 2 Alejandro Grimaldo 560 493 85 30 players (Otamendi, João Mário)
3 Gonçalo Ramos 3 24 12 3.9 3 Florentino 551 433 89 29 • Defensive midfielder Florentino first for
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward interceptions in UCL (27)
• Strong running, vision and passing of Aursnes
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I from midfield
1 Alejandro Grimaldo 4 15 2.5 1 João Mário 65 8 5 • Talented technician Rafa Silva brings creativity,
2 João Mário 2 13 2.6 2 Alejandro Grimaldo 63 10 13 awareness, 1v1 ability
3 Rafa Silva 2 13 1.3 3 Florentino 60 15 27 • Trio in second line of attack rotate positions,
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions providing forward runs to support striker Ramos

70 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down
 COACH ANGE POSTECOGLU

CELTIC FC
BORN: 27/08/1965,
Athens (GRE)
NATIONALITY: Australian
SCO HEAD COACH: From 10/06/2021
to 06/06/2023
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 0
GROUP F ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
RMA SHA LEI LEI SHA RMA
L 0-3 D 1-1 L 3-1 L 0-2 D 1-1 L 5-1 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 6 0 2 4 0%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
20 6 3 11 30%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Shakhtar (h)
44% First third 25% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 53%
Max. 56% v Shakhtar (a)
Min 36% v Real Madrid (h), Attacking third 22%
GOALKEEPERS
Real Madrid (a)
UCL rank: 25 1 Joe Hart 6 540
DEFENDERS
491 86% 3 Greg Taylor 6 540
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 4 Carl Starfelt 1 90
Max. 615 v Shakhtar (h) Max. 89% v Shakhtar (h) 7
Min. 401 v Real Madrid (a) Min. 82% v Leipzig (h) 7 6 Moritz Jenz 6 540
UCL rank: 16 UCL rank: 7
9
11 20 Cameron Carter-Vickers 4 360
88
9 41 11 25 Alexandro Bernabei 1 10
PASS DISTANCE* 41 Reo Hatate 6 454 1
3 41 33
33 88
Long 26 (5% of total) UCL rank: 32
57 Stephen Welsh 1 90
Medium 221 (45%) UCL rank: 5 3
Short 244 (50%) UCL rank: 17 6 20 88 88 Josip Juranović 6 540
6 20
Average UCL rank MIDFIELDERS
PASSES PER
DEFENSIVE ACTION 17.1 27 9 Sead Hakšabnović 6 228
11 Liel Abada 5 218
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
13 Aaron Mooy 5 152
ATTACKING THIRD 8 1=
16 James McCarthy 1 8
1 28 Oliver Abildgaard 2 61
DISTANCE COVERED 1
Max. 124.5 v Shakhtar (a) 33 Matthew O'Riley 6 484
119.6 km Min. 113.1 v Real Madrid (a)
UCL rank: 7 42 Callum McGregor 3 217
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1%
49 James Forrest 3 90
FORWARDS
7 Giorgos Giakoumakis 6 245 1
ATTEMPTS 8 Kyogo Furuhashi 6 361 1

4 GOALS (1 own goal*)

0.7 per match; UCL rank: 28=
14 David Turnbull
17 Jota
5
4
99
286 2
38 Daizen Maeda 6 332

9.2 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

1.5 per match; UCL rank: 12

83 GOAL ATTEMPTS
13.8 per match; UCL rank: 11=

30 ON TARGET
5 per match; UCL rank: 12
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 4% AGE
SAVED 33%
26 7 0
BLOCKED 21%
*Own goal not included on map
WOODWORK 3%
OFF TARGET 38% KEY FEATURES
• 1-4-2-3-1; also 1-4-5-1 and 1-4-4-2
PLAYER STATISTICS • Without ball, wingers drop level with midfield;
No8 pushes up (1-4-4-2)
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value
• Build from goalkeeper through defenders;
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% lots of movement to open space
1 Jota 2 12 8 0.9 1 Moritz Jenz 456 385 93 31 • Press high at goal-kicks; instant press when
2 Giorgos Giakoumakis 1 10 3 1.7 2 Greg Taylor 338 292 85 39 possession lost
3 Matt O'Riley 0 16 5 0.9 3 Cameron Carter-Vickers 299 245 95 28 • Sitting midfielder provides balance with two
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward centre-backs and inverted full-back
• Fast transitions, using wide players for quick,
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I penetrating runs
1 Reo Hatate 1 7 0.4 1 Josip Juranović 45 7 5 • Wingers stay wide while mobile target striker
2 Kyogo Furuhashi 1 1 0.4 2 Reo Hatate 39 1 3 looks to run behind
3 Jota 0 9 0.8 3 Matt O'Riley 27 7 11 • 13th for shots on goal (30)
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions and xG (9.21) but only four scored

Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down 71
 COACH FRANK LAMPARD*

CHELSEA FC
BORN: 20/06/1978,
London (ENG)
NATIONALITY: English
ENG HEAD COACH: From 06/04/2023
to 28/05/2023
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 0
GROUP E ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
DIN SAL MIL MIL SAL DIN DOR DOR RMA RMA
L 1-0 D 1-1 W 3-0 W 0-2 W 1-2 W 2-1 L 1-0 W 2-0 L 2-0 L 0-2 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 16 7 4 5 44%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
17 7 4 6 41%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE *Thomas Tuchel in charge Matchday 1;
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Real Madrid (h) Graham Potter in charge Matchdays 2 to 8

57% First third 25% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession

SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 53%
Max. 71% v Salzburg (h)
Min. 39% v Dortmund (h) Attacking third 22%
GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 4
1 Kepa Arrizabalaga 9 810
16 Edouard Mendy 1 90
553 86% DEFENDERS
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 6 Thiago Silva 8 641
Max. 701 v Milan (a) Max. 93% v Milan (a)
Min. 313 v Dortmund (h) Min. 74% v Dortmund (h) 29 29 14 Trevoh Chalobah 6 437
UCL rank: 8 UCL rank: 9
21 Ben Chilwell 7 560
23 7 24 Reece James 8 692 1 1
PASS DISTANCE 32
23 7
24 26 Kalidou Koulibaly 7 569
Long 43 (8% of total) UCL rank: 20 5 5 24 28 César Azpilicueta 5 259
Medium 202 (37%) UCL rank: 9 32 88
Short 308 (56%) UCL rank: 6 33 32 Marc Cucurella 8 411
1414 33
66 33 Wesley Fofana 5 398 1
PASSES PER Average UCL rank
DEFENSIVE ACTION 9.4 2 MIDFIELDERS
5 Enzo Fernández 4 334
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
5 Jorginho 6 416 1
ATTACKING THIRD 7 2=
7 N'Golo Kanté 2 165
11
8 Mateo Kovačić 8 626 1
DISTANCE COVERED
Max. 114.7 v Real Madrid (h) 10 Christian Pulišić 5 110 1
111 km Min. 105.6 v Real Madrid (a)
UCL rank: 28 12 Ruben Loftus-Cheek 7 280 1
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1%
17 Raheem Sterling 9 638 3 1
19 Mason Mount 9 438 2
20 Denis Zakaria 2 73 1
ATTEMPTS 22 Hakim Ziyech 4 146
23 Conor Gallagher 8 298
12 GOALS
1.2 per match; UCL rank: 19
FORWARDS
9 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 6 408 2 1

16.5 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

1.7 per match; UCL rank: 9
11 João Félix
15 Mykhailo Mudryk
4
2
245
94
18 Armando Broja 5 112

154 GOAL ATTEMPTS

15.4 per match; UCL rank: 7
29 Kai Havertz 10 619 2

55 ON TARGET
5.5 per match; UCL rank: 8
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 7% AGE
SAVED 32%
26.9 25 1 Sent off:
Chilwell v Real Madrid (h)
BLOCKED 25%
WOODWORK 2%
OFF TARGET 34% KEY FEATURES
• 1-3-4-3; also 1-4-2-3-1, 1-4-4-1-1 out
PLAYER STATISTICS of possession
• Thiago Silva’s leadership and reading of game
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value
in central defence
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% • Wing-backs provide width when attacking
1 Raheem Sterling 3 8 4 1.2 1 Mateo Kovačić 494 425 88 30 – James joint fifth for open-play crosses
2 Kai Havertz 2 25 8 2.6 2 Reece James 434 408 87 25 • Out of possession, the ball-side wing-back drops
3 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 2 15 8 2.3 3 Thiago Silva 432 303 90 34 to form back four
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward • High-energy players press opposition high up pitch
• Midfielder Kovačić mixes defensive ability with
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I composure and athletic forward runs
1 Mason Mount 2 11 1.0 1 Reece James 55 8 7 • Individuals with speed and physicality, equipped
2 Reece James 1 8 1.0 2 Thiago Silva 47 6 9 to break with speed (v Dortmund)
3 Raheem Sterling 1 6 0.9 3 Mateo Kovačić 40 5 6 • Fluid interchange of position from most advanced
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions players

72 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down
 COACH SCOTT PARKER*

CLUB BRUGGE
BORN: 13/10/1980,
London (ENG)
NATIONALITY: English
BEL HEAD COACH: From 31/12/2022 to
08/03/2023
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 0
GROUP B ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
LEV POR ATL ATL POR LEV BEN BEN
W 1-0 W 0-4 W 2-0 D 0-0 L 0-4 D 0-0 L 0-2 L 5-1 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 2 0 0 2 0%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
2 0 0 2 0%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
*Carl Hoefkens was in charge for Matchdays 1 to 6
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Atlético (h)
45% First third 33% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 52%
Max 56% v Porto (h)
Min. 35% v Atlético (a) Attacking third 15%
GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 23
22 Simon Mignolet 8 720
DEFENDERS
438 86% 2 Eduard Sobol 4 107
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 5 Jack Hendry 1 90
Max. 485 v Atlético (h) Max. 85% v Atlético (h)
Min. 351 v Atlético (a) Min. 76% v Porto (a), Atlético (a) 6 Denis Odoi 7 524
UCL rank: 21 UCL rank: 26
14 Bjorn Meijer 8 572 1 1
9
19 28 Dedryck Boyata 3 134
PASS DISTANCE 9
17 44 Brandon Mechele 8 720
Long 62 (14% of total) UCL rank: 1 20 19 27
67 Jorne Spileers 1 1
Medium 180 (41%) UCL rank: 19
14
Short 195 (45%) UCL rank: 27 20 15 27
17 77 Clinton Mata 3 159
14 15 6
94 Abakar Sylla 6 495 1
PASSES PER Average UCL rank
94
DEFENSIVE ACTION 20.3 29 94 44
44 6 MIDFIELDERS
3 Éder Balanta 4 46
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
15 Raphael Onyedika 7 568
ATTACKING THIRD 4 5=
20 Hans Vanaken 8 704
26 Mats Rits 1 16
DISTANCE COVERED 22
Max. 124.9 v Benfica (h) 27 Casper Nielsen 8 645 1
116.7 km Min. 105.4 v Porto (a)
UCL rank: 15
22
89 Lynnt Audoor 1 10
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1%
98 Cisse Sandra 1 7
FORWARDS
7 Andreas Skov Olsen 5 298 1 1
ATTEMPTS 9 Ferran Jutglà 8 514 2 2

8 GOALS
1 per match; UCL rank: 21=
10 Noa Lang
11 Cyle Larin
4
1
292
12
17 Tajon Buchanan 6 521 1

8 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

1 per match; UCL rank: 25
19 Kamal Sowah
32 Antonio Nusa
7
4
594
54
2
1
70 Roman Yaremchuk 4 110

69 GOAL ATTEMPTS
8.6 per match; UCL rank: 29

22 ON TARGET
2.8 per match; UCL rank: 29
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 10% AGE
SAVED 28%
26.3 27 1 Sent off:
Sowah v Atlético (a)
BLOCKED 27%
WOODWORK 3%
OFF TARGET 33% KEY FEATURES
• 1-4-3-3 but back three in possession with
PLAYER STATISTICS •
1-3-4-3/1-3-5-2
Excellent goalkeeper Mignolet: most saves
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value in group stage (30) with 88.2% save percentage
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% • Defensively disciplined with solid, compact
structure (five clean sheets)
1 Kamal Sowah 2 13 5 2.1 1 Brandon Mechele 462 347 87 25
• Leadership, drive and decision-making
2 Ferran Jutglà 2 11 7 1.8 2 Hans Vanaken 447 354 84 26 of captain Vanaken in midfield
3 Bjorn Meijer 1 5 1 0.4 3 Abakar Sylla 307 234 88 37 • Buchanan impressive on wing with speed,
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward energy, 1v1 ability
• Lang in attack caught eye with movement,
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I ability to create space
1 Ferran Jutglà 2 2 0.8 1 Raphael Onyedika 44 5 6 • Big displays by youngsters Sylla at centre-back;
2 Tajon Buchanan 2 1 0.1 2 Kamal Sowah 41 7 4 Sowah and Jutglà in attack
3 Andreas Skov Olsen 1 7 0.5 3 Bjorn Meijer 35 9 11 • Strong mentality and focus to earn best UCL
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions performance for 30 years

Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down 73
 COACH JACOB NEESTRUP*

FC COPENHAGEN
BORN: 08/03/1988,
Copenhagen (DEN)
NATIONALITY: Danish
DEN HEAD COACH: Since 20/09/2022
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 0
GROUP G ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
DOR SEV MCI MCI SEV DOR
L 3-0 D 0-0 L 5-0 D 0-0 L 3-0 D 1-1 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 4 0 2 2 0%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
4 0 2 2 0%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
*Jess Thorup in charge for Matchdays 1 and 2
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Dortmund (h)
38% First third 37% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 47%
Max. 43% v Sevilla (a)
Min. 25% v Man City (a) Attacking third 16%
GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 31
1 Kamil Grabara 4 360
51 Mathew Ryan 2 180
384 80% DEFENDERS
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 2 Kevin Diks 6 336
Max. 446 v Dortmund (h) Max. 85% v Man City (h)
Min. 281 v Man City (a) Min. 74% v Sevilla (h) 3 Denis Vavro 4 360
UCL rank: 29 UCL rank: 7
5 David Khocholava 5 431
15 3030 40 6 Christian Sørensen 5 100
PASS DISTANCE* 19 Elias Jelert 4 190
15
Long 42 (11% of total) UCL rank: 22 7 12 40
20 Nicolai Boilesen 2 99
Medium 149 (39%) UCL rank: 28 12
7 22 Peter Ankersen 1 24
Short 193 (50%) UCL rank: 29 36
6 36 2
27 Valdemar Lund 4 305
PASSES PER Average UCL rank
6 2
2727 33 34 Victor Kristiansen 6 482
DEFENSIVE ACTION 18.1 28
MIDFIELDERS
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
7 Viktor Claesson 6 485 1
ATTACKING THIRD 5 4=
8 Ísak Bergmann Johannesson 5 290
10 Carlos Zeca 2 162
DISTANCE COVERED 11
Max. 131.2 v Dortmund (h) 12 Lukas Lerager 6 450
120 km Min. 114 v Sevilla (a)
UCL rank: 4 15 Mohamed Daramy 6 447
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1%
17 Paul Mukairu 3 42
30 Hákon Arnar Haraldsson 6 297 1
35 Marko Stamenic 3 269
ATTEMPTS 36 William Clem 2 170

1 GOAL
0.2 per match; UCL rank: 32
FORWARDS
14 Andreas Cornelius 2 108
18 Orri Óskarsson 2 21

4.9 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

0.8 per match; UCL rank: 29
29 Mamoudou Karamoko
33 Rasmus Falk
1
3
45
189
40 Roony Bardghji 2 98

54 GOAL ATTEMPTS
9 per match; UCL rank: 28

16 ON TARGET
2.7 per match; UCL rank: 30
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 2% AGE
SAVED 28%
24.5 12 1 Sent off:
Khocholava v Sevilla (a)
BLOCKED 21%
WOODWORK 5%
OFF TARGET 45% KEY FEATURES
• 1-4-5-1; also 1-4-3-3; back five with two holding
PLAYER STATISTICS •
midfielders (h) v City
Defend in compact, deep block, working from
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value side to side
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% • Good organisation and fighting spirit in draws
v Sevilla and City
1 Hákon Haraldsson 1 8 4 1.0 1 David Khocholava 222 173 86 36
• Goalkeeper Grabara excelled v City;
2 Lukas Lerager 0 7 4 0.7 2 Victor Kristiansen 205 175 79 46 second-most crosses caught (8) of group stage
3 Viktor Claesson 0 7 3 0.5 3 Viktor Claesson 174 135 80 33 • Look to play vertically, with fast switches after
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward winning ball
• Wing play (Daramy) with crosses and clever
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I positional changes
1 Viktor Claesson 1 6 0.5 1 Viktor Claesson 41 8 9 • Clearly rehearsed set pieces with specialist taker
2 Mohamed Daramy 0 7 0.7 2 Victor Kristiansen 23 6 6 Sørensen
3 Victor Kristiansen 0 7 0.3 3 Lukas Lerager 21 4 14 • Midfielder Haraldsson clever in forward role
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions v Dortmund; scored their only group stage goal

74 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down
 COACH ANTE ČAČIĆ

GNK DINAMO ZAGREB

BORN: 29/09/1953,
Zagreb (CRO)
NATIONALITY: Croatian
CRO HEAD COACH: From 21/04/2022 to
06/04/2023
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 0
GROUP E ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
CHE MIL SAL SAL MIL CHE
W 1-0 L 3-1 L 1-0 D 1-1 L 0-4 L 2-1 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 11 1 1 9 9%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
36 15 7 14 42%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Chelsea (h)
47% First third 39% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 46%
Max. 56% v Salzburg (h)
Min. 33% v Chelsea (h) Attacking third 15%
GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 21
40 Dominik Livaković 6 540
DEFENDERS
437 80% 2 Sadegh Moharrami 6 410
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 6 Rasmus Lauritsen 1 14
Max. 519 v Milan (h) Max. 86% v Milan (h)
Min. 314 v Chelsea (h) Min. 76% v Chelsea (h) 13 Stefan Ristovski 5 374
UCL rank: 22 UCL rank: 25
28 Kévin Théophile-Catherine 1 76
37 Josip Šutalo 6 540
PASS DISTANCE 55 Dino Perić 6 540
99 9
Long 52 (12% of total) UCL rank: 6
Medium 169 (39%) UCL rank: 24 MIDFIELDERS
9
Short 216 (49%) UCL rank: 23 5 7 5 Arijan Ademi 6 475
99 2
Average UCL rank 7 Luka Ivanušec 6 526
PASSES PER 14 5 27 7
DEFENSIVE ACTION 15.8 24 13 10 Martin Baturina 5 56
2
55
27 12 Petar Bočkaj 3 36
14 37
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank 13 14 Robert Ljubičić 6 540 1
ATTACKING THIRD 55 37
2 7=
20 Antonio Marin 1 6
27 Josip Mišić 6 521
DISTANCE COVERED
Max. 115.9 v Salzburg (h) 31 Marko Bulat 3 26
114.2 km Min. 101.9 v Milan (a)
UCL rank: 21
40
FORWARDS
40
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1% 9 Bruno Petković 6 493 1 2
11 Mahir Emreli 1 20
18 Josip Drmić 6 90
ATTEMPTS 77 Dario Špikić 6 164

4 GOALS
0.7 per match; UCL rank: 28=
99 Mislav Oršić 6 494 2

4.2 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

0.7 per match; UCL rank: 30

55 GOAL ATTEMPTS
9.2 per match; UCL rank: 27

20 ON TARGET
3.3 per match; UCL rank: 27=
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 7% AGE
SAVED 33%
26 13 0
BLOCKED 30%
WOODWORK 2%
OFF TARGET 28% KEY FEATURES
• 1-3-5-2; 1-5-3-2 defending
PLAYER STATISTICS • Used compact 1-5-4-1 at times, e.g. defending
with mid-block v Chelsea
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value
• Confident goalkeeper Livaković solid with ball
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% at feet, authoritative in air
1 Mislav Oršić 2 13 3 1.1 1 Robert Ljubičić 304 253 75 45 • Technically strong players, capable of good
2 Robert Ljubičić 1 6 1 0.3 2 Dino Perić 303 214 86 37 combination and positional play
3 Bruno Petković 1 2 1 0.5 3 Josip Šutalo 295 211 87 33 • Influential wing-backs Ljubičić and Moharrami
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward support midfield
• Look for quick switches to the wide areas
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I in attacking transitions
1 Bruno Petković 2 7 0.7 1 Robert Ljubičić 47 6 10 • Hold-up play, awareness, movement
2 Sadegh Moharrami 0 7 0.5 2 Josip Šutalo 39 6 9 of centre-forward Petković
3 Mislav Oršić 0 4 0.4 3 Luka Ivanušec 35 2 6 • Clever runs by Oršić coming in from left,
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions interchanging with striker

Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down 75
 COACH EDIN TERZIĆ

BORUSSIA DORTMUND
BORN: 30/10/1982,
Menden (GER)
NATIONALITY: German
GER HEAD COACH: Since 01/07/2022
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 0
GROUP G ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
COP MCI SEV SEV MCI COP CHE CHE
W 3-0 L 2-1 W 1-4 D 1-1 D 0-0 D 1-1 W 1-0 L 2-0 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 12 4 4 4 33%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
12 4 4 4 33%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Chelsea (h)
47% First third 34% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 49%
Max. 63% v Copenhagen (h)
Min. 27% v Man City (h) Attacking third 17% GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 20
1 Gregor Kobel 4 315
33 Alexander Meyer 5 405
480 83% DEFENDERS
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY
Max. 673 v Copenhagen (h) Max. 88% v Copenhagen (h) 4 Nico Schlotterbeck 8 559
Min. 341 v Man City (h) Min. 80% v Man City (a), Sevilla (a),
UCL rank: 18 Chelsea (a) 13 Raphaël Guerreiro 6 481 2
UCL rank: 20 15 Mats Hummels 4 315
23 Emre Can 7 564
PASS DISTANCE* 9
24 Thomas Meunier 4 353 1
Long 50 (10% of total) UCL rank: 8 27 9 25 Niklas Süle 8 675
Medium 169 (35%) UCL rank: 23
22 19
Short 261 (54%) UCL rank: 15 27 22 19 26 Julian Ryerson 1 17
13 6 17 36 Tom Rothe 3 59
Average UCL rank 4
PASSES PER 13 2323
17
44 Soumaula Coulibaly 1 18
DEFENSIVE ACTION 16.6 26
4 4 25 25 47 Antonios Papadopoulos 2 8
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
MIDFIELDERS
ATTACKING THIRD 4 22=
6 Salih Özcan 7 546 1
7 Giovanni Reyna 6 383 2
DISTANCE COVERED
Max. 122.6 v Copenhagen (a) 1 10 Thorgan Hazard 5 201 1
117.2 km Min. 115.2 v Chelsea (a)
UCL rank: 14
1
11 Marco Reus 3 264 1 1
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1%
17 Marius Wolf 4 175
19 Julian Brandt 7 477 1 1
22 Jude Bellingham 7 630 4 1
ATTEMPTS 30 Felix Passlack 1 90 1
43 Jamie Bynoe-Gittens 2 37
11 GOALS
1.4 per match; UCL rank: 14
FORWARDS
9 Sébastien Haller 2 145

10.6 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

1.3 per match; UCL rank: 21
18 Youssoufa Moukoko
20 Anthony Modeste
6
7
241
338
2

21 Donyell Malen 6 245

97 GOAL ATTEMPTS
12.1 per match; UCL rank: 19=
27 Karim Adeyemi 6 379 2

27 ON TARGET
3.4 per match; UCL rank: 25=
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 10% AGE
SAVED 25%
26.3 17 0
BLOCKED 26%
WOODWORK 1%
OFF TARGET 39% KEY FEATURES
• 1-4-3-3; also 1-3-5-2, 1-4-1-4-1
PLAYER STATISTICS • Build through centre-backs and Can,
the influential midfield pivot
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value
• Strong defensive organisation and discipline
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% • High pressing and counter-pressing with good
1 Jude Bellingham 4 11 4 1.3 1 Niklas Süle 509 392 90 33 attitude and energy
2 Karim Adeyemi 2 11 3 1.8 2 Nico Schlotterbeck 389 293 87 36 • Width from attacking full-backs, often found via
3 Raphaël Guerreiro 2 6 3 0.7 3 Jude Bellingham 328 314 83 27 switch of play
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward • Midfield rotations with wingers coming inside
to create overloads centrally
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I • Dangerous in transition with fast counterattacks
1 Giovanni Reyna 2 8 0.9 1 Nico Schlotterbeck 46 8 3 using speed of Adeyemi
2 Youssoufa Moukoko 2 3 0.2 2 Niklas Süle 43 5 6 • Free role for Bellingham, dictating play and
3 Julian Brandt 1 7 0.8 3 Emre Can 42 12 13 finding spaces in final third
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions

76 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down
 COACH OLIVER GLASNER

EINTRACHT FRANKFURT
BORN: 28/08/1974,
Salzburg (AUT)
NATIONALITY: Austrian
GER HEAD COACH: From 01/07/2021
to 31/05/2023
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 1
GROUP F ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
SPO MAR TOT TOT MAR SPO NAP NAP
L 0-3 W 0-1 D 0-0 L 3-2 W 2-1 W 1-2 L 0-2 L 3-0 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 8 3 1 4 38%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
39 21 8 10 54%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Marseille (h)
43% First third 32% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 53%
Max. 54% v Sporting CP (a)
Min. 31% v Napoli (h) Attacking third 15%
GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 27
1 Kevin Trapp 8 720
DEFENDERS
421 78% 2 Evan N'Dicka 8 720 1
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 5 Hrvoje Smolčić 3 121
Max. 516 v Sporting CP (a) Max. 82% v Sporting CP (a)
Min. 298 v Napoli (h) Min. 73% v Marseille (a) 22 Timothy Chandler 1 11
UCL rank: 24 UCL rank: 29
24 Aurélio Buta 2 159
25 Christopher Lenz 5 226
PASS DISTANCE 9 32 Philipp Max 2 112
Long 42 (10% of total) UCL rank: 23
279 33 Luca Pellegrini 4 200
Medium 155 (37%) UCL rank: 26 27 29
Short 224 (53%) UCL rank: 21 29 35 Tuta 7 600
20
25 15 26
15
88
Average UCL rank 25 MIDFIELDERS
PASSES PER 26
DEFENSIVE ACTION 14.7 20 2
6 Kristijan Jakić 8 619
2
3 6 6
3
55
3 8 Djibril Sow 8 720
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
15 Daichi Kamada 8 700 3
ATTACKING THIRD 6 3=
17 Sebastian Rode 6 299 1
20 Makoto Hasebe 4 256
DISTANCE COVERED
Max. 122.9 v Tottenham (h) 26 Junior Dina Ebimbe 6 240
119.7 km Min. 114.3 v Tottenham (a)
UCL rank: 6
1
27 Mario Götze 7 524 2
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1%
29 Jesper Lindstrøm 7 513 1
36 Ansgar Knauff 6 291 1
FORWARDS
ATTEMPTS 9 Randal Kolo Muani 7 521 2

7 GOALS
0.9 per match; UCL rank: 24
11 Faride Alidou
19 Rafael Borré
5
8
70
221
1

21 Lucas Alario 2 18

8.09 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

1.0 per match; UCL rank: 24

76 GOAL ATTEMPTS
9.5 per match; UCL rank: 26

27 ON TARGET
3.4 per match; UCL rank: 25=
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 8% AGE Sent off:
SAVED 33%
26.3 18 2 Tuta v Tottenham (a),
Kolo Muani v Napoli (h)
BLOCKED 31%
WOODWORK 0%
OFF TARGET 28% KEY FEATURES
• 1-3-4-2-1, 1-5-4-1 out of possession
PLAYER STATISTICS • Compact defensive structure with clear identity
to break on opposition
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value
• Looked for overloads on flanks with full-backs
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% pushing high
1 Daichi Kamada 3 13 6 3.0 1 Djibril Sow 439 326 85 30 • Defence supported by midfielder Sow – third in
2 Randal Kolo Muani 2 12 7 1.4 2 Evan N'Dicka 408 282 84 42 UCL for interceptions up to quarter-finals (18)
3 Jesper Lindstrøm 1 11 4 0.9 3 Tuta 330 208 80 47 • Able to play through opposition with
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward combinations, penetrating passes (Kamada)
• Joint first for ball recoveries in group stage
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I with 389
1 Mario Götze 2 4 0.6 1 Evan N'Dicka 62 7 13 • Creativity of Lindstrøm in final third; runs inside
2 Sebastian Rode 1 3 0.5 2 Tuta 55 11 8 to link with centre-forward
3 Ansgar Knauff 1 2 0.1 3 Djibril Sow 52 8 18 • Hold-up play, power and 1v1 ability of striker
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions Kolo Muani

Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down 77
 COACH SIMONE INZAGHI

FC INTERNAZIONALE MILANO
BORN: 05/04/1976,
Piacenza (ITA)
NATIONALITY: Italian
ITA HEAD COACH: Since 03/06/2021
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 0
GROUP C ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
BAY PLZ BAR BAR PLZ BAY POR POR BEN BEN MIL MIL MCI
L 0-2 W 0-2 W 1-0 D 3-3 W 4-0 L 2-0 W 1-0 D 0-0 W 0-2 D 3-3 W 0-2 W 1-0 L 1-0 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 29 13 8 8 45%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
55 25 10 20 45%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Manchester City (n)
45% First third 37% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 46%
Max. 71% v Plzeň (a)
Min. 29% v Barcelona (h) Attacking third 17%
GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 24
24 André Onana 13 1170
DEFENDERS
420 82% 2 Denzel Dumfries 12 886 1
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 6 Stefan de Vrij 7 298
Max. 687 v Plzeň (a) Max. 92% v Plzeň (a)
Min. 286 v Barcelona (h) Min. 68% v Porto (a) 12 Raoul Bellanova 3 118
UCL rank: 26 UCL rank: 22
15 Francesco Acerbi 12 919
10 32 Federico Dimarco 11 736 5
PASS DISTANCE* 9
33 Danilo D'Ambrosio 6 156
Long 53 (13% of total) UCL rank: 3
10 9 36 Matteo Darmian 11 822
Medium 173 (41%) UCL rank: 22 23 2
Short 195 (46%) UCL rank: 28 32 20 23
37 Milan Škriniar 8 536
20 95 Alessandro Bastoni 12 989 3
PASSES PER Average UCL rank 32 7777
DEFENSIVE ACTION 14 18 2 MIDFIELDERS
95 15
95 15 36 36 5 Roberto Gagliardini 6 112
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
8 Robin Gosens 11 418 1
ATTACKING THIRD 4 5=
14 Kristjan Asllani 5 125
24
20 Hakan Çalhanoğlu 12 807 1 2
DISTANCE COVERED 24
Max. 127.5 v Porto (a) 22 Henrikh Mkhitaryan 13 909 2
119.9 km Min. 111.9 v Milan (h)
UCL rank: 5 23 Nicolò Barella 12 997 3
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1%
45 Valentin Carboni 1 14
77 Marcelo Brozović 9 546
FORWARDS
ATTEMPTS 9 Edin Džeko 13 832 4 1

19 GOALS
1.5 per match; UCL rank: 13
10 Lautaro Martínez
11 Joaquín Correa
13
9
1002
301
3
1
3
2
90 Romelu Lukaku 8 177 3 1

18.4 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

1.4 per match; UCL rank: 17

167 GOAL ATTEMPTS

12.8 per match; UCL rank: 16

App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

64 ON TARGET
4.9 per match; UCL rank: 13
AVERAGE CARDS
AGE
GOALS 10%
28.3 28 1 Sent off:
Inzaghi v Barcelona (a)
SAVED 34%
BLOCKED 23%
WOODWORK 2% KEY FEATURES
OFF TARGET 31%
• 1-3-5-2, shifting to compact 1-5-3-2 out
of possession
PLAYER STATISTICS • Solid structure with defensive discipline and sound
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value
organisation
• Influential goalkeeper Onana – most goals
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% prevented in competition (7.84)
1 Edin Džeko 4 23 11 3.2 1 Alessandro Bastoni 568 431 85 36 • Attacking wing-backs Dumfries and Dimarco
2 Lautaro Martínez 3 27 8 2.9 2 Francesco Acerbi 557 411 88 29 – the latter joint second in UCL for assists (5)
3 Nicolò Barella 3 20 5 1.4 3 André Onana 462 303 75 56 • Defend as team e.g. attacking midfielder
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward Mkhitaryan joint second in UCL for recoveries (79)
• Hakan Çalhanoğlu bringing defensive balance
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I in midfield
1 Federico Dimarco 5 11 2.6 1 Henrikh Mkhitaryan 79 17 16 • Dynamic, box-to-box Barella, working hard
2 Lautaro Martínez 3 15 1.0 2 Hakan Çalhanoğlu 69 11 8 defensively and supporting strikers
3 Alessandro Bastoni 3 8 1.7 3 Nicolò Barella 64 14 2 • Experienced forwards with contrasting qualities
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions in Džeko and Martínez

78 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down
 COACH MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI

JUVENTUS
BORN: 11/08/1967,
Livorno (ITA)
NATIONALITY: Italian
ITA HEAD COACH: Since 28/05/2021
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 0
GROUP H ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
PAR BEN MHA MHA BEN PAR
L 2-1 L 1-2 W 3-1 L 2-0 L 4-3 L 1-2 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 100 45 26 29 45%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
110 50 30 30 45%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Paris (h)
48% First third 25% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 54%
Max. 58% v Maccabi Hafia (a)
Min. 43% v Paris (a) Attacking third 20%
GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 17
1 Wojciech Szczęsny 4 360
36 Mattia Perin 2 180
470 86% DEFENDERS
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 2 Mattia De Sciglio 3 93
Max. 559 v Paris (h) Max. 91% v Paris (a), Paris (h)
Min. 402 v Benfica (a) Min. 77% v Benfica (h) 14
3 Bremer 3 270
UCL rank: 19 UCL rank: 13
6 Danilo 5 428
14
17 20
12 Alex Sandro 4 239
11
PASS DISTANCE 25 5
44
15 Federico Gatti 2 180
Long 48 (10% of total) UCL rank: 11 20
25 5 44 19 Leonardo Bonucci 6 444 1
Medium 199 (42%) UCL rank: 12 17
Short 223 (47%) UCL rank: 22 12 11 24 Daniele Rugani 1 90
15
19 42 Tommaso Barbieri 1 2
PASSES PER Average UCL rank 12 19 15
DEFENSIVE ACTION 13.4 14 MIDFIELDERS
5 Manuel Locatelli 5 266
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
8 Weston McKennie 5 360 2
ATTACKING THIRD 6 3=
11 Juan Cuadrado 6 436 1
1 20 Fabio Miretti 5 212
DISTANCE COVERED
Max. 117.8 v Benfica (a) 1 25 Adrien Rabiot 5 447 2
112.4 km Min. 105.5 v Paris (a)
UCL rank: 25 32 Leandro Paredes 4 310 1
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1%
44 Nicolò Fagioli 2 108
45 Enzo Barrenechea 1 2
FORWARDS
ATTEMPTS 7 Federico Chiesa 1 16

9 GOALS
1.5 per match; UCL rank: 11=
9 Dušan Vlahović
14 Arkadiusz Milik
5
5
413
339
1
2
1

17 Fillip Kostić 6 431 1

8.8 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

1.5 per match; UCL rank: 13
18 Moise Kean
22 Ángel Di María
5
3
107
146
1
3
30 Matìas Soulé 3 41

78 GOAL ATTEMPTS
13 per match; UCL rank: 15
43 Samuel Iling-Junior 1 20 1

27 ON TARGET
4.5 per match; UCL rank: 16
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 10% AGE
SAVED 31%
26.3 14 0
BLOCKED 17%
WOODWORK 0%
OFF TARGET 41% KEY FEATURES
• 1-3-5-2; also 1-3-4-3, 1-4-4-2, 1-4-3-3
PLAYER STATISTICS • Tactical flexibility, e.g. switching from back three
to four out of possession v Paris
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value
• Effective build-up patterns using key individuals,
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% finding players between lines
1 Arkadiusz Milik 2 8 5 0.4 1 Leonardo Bonucci 297 219 88 37 • When defending deep have threat to counter
2 Weston McKennie 2 4 2 0.6 2 Danilo 247 199 87 37 quickly
3 Adrien Rabiot 2 4 2 0.6 3 Adrien Rabiot 229 204 87 26 • Solid midfielder Rabiot with good timing to
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward get into box
• Creativity and speed of experienced Di María
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I (3 assists)
1 Ángel Di María 3 4 1.2 1 Adrien Rabiot 34 8 5 • Kostić’s crossing ability: most open-play crosses
2 Fillip Kostić 1 11 0.5 2 Juan Cuadrado 30 7 8 of group stage (36)
3 Juan Cuadrado 1 9 0.6 3 Leonardo Bonucci 30 0 2 • Strong, mobile target striker in Vlahović, always
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions looking to threaten the defensive line

Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down 79
 COACH MARCO ROSE

RB LEIPZIG
BORN: 11/09/1976,
Leipzig (GER)
NATIONALITY: German
GER HEAD COACH: Since 08/09/2022
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 0
GROUP F ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
SHA RMA CEL CEL RMA SHA MCI MCI
L 1-4 L 2-0 W 3-1 W 0-2 W 3-2 W 0-4 D 1-1 L 7-0 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 21 9 3 9 43%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
63 32 15 16 51%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
*Domenico Tedesco in charge for Match Day 1
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Real Madrid (h)
50% First third 32% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 49%
Max. 68% Shakhtar (h)
Min. 34% v Man City (a) Attacking third 19%
GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 16
1 Péter Gulácsi 3 193
21 Janis Blaswich 6 527
516 86% DEFENDERS
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 2 Mohamed Simakan 7 515 1 3
Max. 628 v Shakhtar (h) Max. 89% v Shakhtar (a)
Min. 332 v Man City (a) Min. 79% v Man City (a) 4 Willi Orbán 8 720
UCL rank: 13 UCL rank: 8
16 Lukas Klostermann 2 56
18 19 22 David Raum 8 533
PASS DISTANCE 23 Marcel Halstenberg 4 166 1
18 19
Long 39 (8% of total) UCL rank: 29 10 17 32 Joško Gvardiol 6 540 2
Medium 203 (39%) UCL rank: 8 10 17
Short 274 (53%) UCL rank: 11 37 Abdou Diallo 5 224
22 8
2424
8 2 39 Benjamin Henrichs 7 197
PASSES PER Average UCL rank 22 2
DEFENSIVE ACTION 15.7 23 32 4 MIDFIELDERS
32 4 8 Amadou Haidara 7 340
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
17 Dominik Szoboszlai 8 656 1 3
ATTACKING THIRD 5 4
18 Christopher Nkunku 7 562 3 1
24 Xaver Schlager 7 586
DISTANCE COVERED 21
Max. 125.5 v Man City (h) 21 27 Konrad Laimer 3 262
118.8 km Min. 113 v Real Madrid (a)
UCL rank: 0 38 Hugo Novoa 1 2
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1%
44 Kevin Kampl 5 272
FORWARDS
7 Dani Olmo 3 62 1
ATTEMPTS 9 Yussuf Poulsen 5 68

14 GOALS (1 own goal*)

1.8 per match; UCL rank: 10
10 Emil Forsberg
11 Timo Werner
8
8
403
505
1
2 2
19 André Silva 8 534 3 1

11.7 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

1.5 per match; UCL rank: 14

88 GOAL ATTEMPTS
11 per match; UCL rank: 24

34 ON TARGET
4.3 per match; UCL rank: 17
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 14% AGE
SAVED 33%
26.3 8 0
BLOCKED 20%
*Own goal not included on map
WOODWORK 1%
OFF TARGET 32% KEY FEATURES
• 1-4-2-3-1; fluid 1-4-2-2-2 in possession;
PLAYER STATISTICS 1-4-4-2 in defence
• Immediate press on losing ball; 54% success
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value
in duels in group stage (first)
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% • Influential Gvardiol in defence: powerful,
1 Christopher Nkunku 3 15 8 1.6 1 Willi Orbán 520 411 90 32 disciplined, comfortable on ball
2 André Silva 3 15 7 2.1 2 Joško Gvardiol 473 393 89 36 • Midfield aggression of Schlager: first for ball
3 Timo Werner 2 13 6 2.4 3 Xaver Schlager 356 272 89 28 recoveries up to quarter-finals (68)
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward • Wingers moved inside, creating overloads
and making space for full-backs (Simakan)
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I • Good movement in final third with quick, mobile
1 Dominik Szoboszlai 3 10 0.9 1 Xaver Schlager 53 7 5 attacking players
2 Mohamed Simakan 3 4 1.7 2 Willi Orbán 42 5 8 • Nkunku’s speed, vision and link-up play in attack
3 Timo Werner 2 7 0.9 3 Amadou Haidara 37 9 10 • Strong on transitions; narrow structure means
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions they can be exposed to overloads out wide

80 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down
 COACH XABI ALONSO*

BAYER 04 LEVERKUSEN
BORN: 25/11/1981,
Tolosa (ESP)
NATIONALITY: Spanish
GER HEAD COACH: Since 05/10/2022
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 0
GROUP B ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
BRU ATL POR POR ATL BRU
L 1-0 W 2-0 L 2-0 L 0-3 D 2-2 0-0 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 3 0 2 1 0%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
11 4 4 3 36%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
*Gerardo Seoane in charge for Matchdays 1 to 3
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Porto (a)
51% First third 29% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 54%
Max. 64% v Porto (h)
Min. 36% v Atletico (a) Attacking third 17%
GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 13
1 Lukas Hradecky 6 540
DEFENDERS
505 84% 3 Piero Hincapie 5 450
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 4 Jonathan Tah 6 480
Max. 617 v Porto (h) Max. 88% v Porto (h)
Min. 395 v Atlético (a) Min. 79% v Atlético (a) 5 Mitchel Bakker 5 338
UCL rank: 14 UCL rank: 18
6 Odilon Kossounou 5 429
14
14
12 Edmond Tapsoba 5 351
PASS DISTANCE* 17 23 19
19
24 Timothy Fosu-Mensah 3 7
Long 45 (9% of total) UCL rank: 16
17 23 30 Jeremie Frimpong 5 375 2
Medium 187 (37%) UCL rank: 18
Short 272 (54%) UCL rank: 12 8 30 MIDFIELDERS
20
3 8
Average UCL rank 20
30 8 Robert Andrich 5 409 1
PASSES PER 3
DEFENSIVE ACTION 12.8 12 1212 4 4 10 Kerem Demirbay 5 266
11 Nadiem Amiri 5 120 1
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
20 Charles Aránguiz 4 215
ATTACKING THIRD 6 3=
25 Exequiel Palacios 2 90

DISTANCE COVERED 1
FORWARDS
Max. 124 v Atlético (a) 1 7 Paulinho 2 48
118.5 km Min. 113.2 v Porto (a)
UCL rank: 11 9 Sardar Azmoun 2 5
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1% 14 Patrik Schick 5 448
17 Callum Hudson-Odoi 6 466 1
19 Moussa Diaby 6 509 2
ATTEMPTS 21 Amine Adli 4 119

4 GOALS
0.7 per match; UCL rank: 28=
23 Adam Hložek 6 276 1

9.2 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

1.5 per match; UCL rank: 11

83 GOAL ATTEMPTS
13.8 per match; UCL rank: 11=

29 ON TARGET
4.8 per match; UCL rank: 14=
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 4% AGE
SAVED 33%
24.7 19 1 Sent off:
Frimpong v Porto (a)
BLOCKED 24%
WOODWORK 2%
OFF TARGET 37% KEY FEATURES
• 1-4-2-3-1; also 1-3-4-3
PLAYER STATISTICS • Strong midfield pressing and high press at
opposition goal kicks
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value
• Quick transitions with balls to attackers and fast
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% supporting runs
1 Moussa Diaby 2 16 10 1.7 1 Jonathan Tah 348 255 91 30 • Release wing-backs (Frimpong) early to attack
2 Callum Hudson-Odoi 1 8 2 0.8 2 Odilon Kossounou 294 222 83 49 in 1-3-4-3
3 Robert Andrich 1 5 1 0.3 3 Piero Hincapié 289 212 83 41 • Leadership of Andrich in midfield, organising and
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward building play
• Wide forwards vary movement between keeping
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I width and coming inside
1 Jeremie Frimpong 2 3 0.5 1 Jonathan Tah 44 6 2 • Talented individuals with 1v1 threat e.g. Diaby
2 Adam Hložek 1 5 0.2 2 Piero Hincapié 37 11 6 dribbling, driving forward
3 Nadiem Amiri 1 2 0.1 3 Odilon Kossounou 31 6 4 • Third-highest tackle success percentage of
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions group stage (48.5%)

Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down 81
 COACH JÜRGEN KLOPP

LIVERPOOL FC
BORN: 16/06/1967,
Stuttgart (GER)
NATIONALITY: German
ENG HEAD COACH: Since 08/10/2015
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 2
GROUP A ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
NAP AJA RAN RAN AJA NAP RMA RMA
L 4-1 W 2-1 W 2-0 W 1-7 W 0-3 W 2-0 L 2-5 L 1-0 ALL W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 98 56 15 27 57%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
130 72 26 32 55%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Real Madrid (h)
55% First third 26% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 52%
Max. 64% v Rangers (a)
Min. 46% v Real Madrid (a) Attacking third 22% GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 3
1 Alisson Becker 8 720
DEFENDERS
528 84% 2 Joe Gomez 5 299 1
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 4 Virgil van Dijk 8 720 1
Max. 584 v Napoli (a) Max. 88% v Napoli (a)
Min. 449 v Real Madrid (a) Min. 80% v Rangers (a) 5 Ibrahima Konaté 3 259
UCL rank: 12 UCL rank: 17
11 21 Kostas Tsimikas 6 342 2
27 11
18 22 Calvin Ramsay 1 3
PASS DISTANCE 14 26 Andrew Robertson 5 378 2
18
Long 45 (9% of total) UCL rank: 18
26 27 43
43 66 32 Joël Matip 4 242 1
Medium 195 (37%) UCL rank: 14 33 14
Short 289 (55%) UCL rank: 9 66 66 Trent Alexander-Arnold 7 626 1
26
Average UCL rank 4 MIDFIELDERS
PASSES PER 4
22
DEFENSIVE ACTION 11.9 8 3 Fabinho 8 632
6 Thiago Alcántara 5 306
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
7 James Milner 8 242
ATTACKING THIRD 8 1=
14 Jordan Henderson 4 281 1
1
1 15 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 1 17
DISTANCE COVERED
Max. 118.3 v Napoli (h), Ajax (a) 17 Curtis Jones 2 100
115.1 km Min. 111 v Napoli (a)
UCL rank: 19 19 Harvey Elliott 8 394 2
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1%
28 Fabio Carvalho 4 113
29 Arthur 1 13
43 Stefan Bajcetic 4 108
ATTEMPTS
FORWARDS

19 GOALS
2.4 per match; UCL rank: 4
9 Roberto Firmino
11 Mohamed Salah
8
8
417
624
2
8
1
2
18 Cody Gakpo 2 153

14.9 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

1.9 per match; UCL rank: 7
20 Diogo Jota
23 Luis Díaz
6
3
263
269 1
4

27 Darwin Núñez 8 401 4 1

127 GOAL ATTEMPTS

15.9 per match; UCL rank: 4

57 ON TARGET
7.1 per match; UCL rank: 3
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 13% AGE
SAVED 39%
26.3 10 0
BLOCKED 18%
WOODWORK 1%
OFF TARGET 29% KEY FEATURES
• 1-4-3-3; also 1-4-2-3-1, 1-4-4-2
PLAYER STATISTICS • Compact defensive structure with a high line
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value • Intensity of high press and counter-press
• Influential full-backs: Robertson’s driving runs,
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% Alexander-Arnold’s crossing ability
1 Mohamed Salah 8 23 13 4.0 1 Virgil van Dijk 504 342 87 44 • Set-piece threat with strong takers and aerial
2 Darwin Núñez 4 22 14 5.0 2 Fabinho 457 345 89 25 power (five goals from corners)
3 Harvey Elliott 2 11 6 1.1 3 Trent Alexander-Arnold 408 343 81 42 • Use of diagonal balls to get behind opposition
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward defences out wide
• Fluidity with forwards interchanging positions
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I and wide rotations
1 Diogo Jota 4 8 0.5 1 Trent Alexander-Arnold 57 13 4 • Dangerous attacking transitions with speed,
2 Mohamed Salah 2 11 1.9 2 Fabinho 38 8 9 composure of eight-goal Salah
3 Kostas Tsimikas 2 9 1.1 3 Virgil van Dijk 36 2 4
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions

82 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down
 COACH BARAK BAKHAR

MACCABI HAIFA FC
BORN: 11/09/1979,
Tzrufa (ISR)
NATIONALITY: Israeli
ISR HEAD COACH: From 08/07/2020
to 29/05/2023
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 0
GROUP H ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
BEN PAR JUV JUV PAR BEN
L 2-0 L 1-3 L 3-1 W 2-0 L 7-2 L 1-6 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 6 1 0 5 17%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
79 27 18 34 34%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Paris (a)
43% First third 28% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 55%
Max. 49% v Juventus (a)
Min. 38% v Paris (a) Attacking third 18%
GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 26
44 Joshua Cohen 6 540
DEFENDERS
413 83% 2 Daniel Sundgren 4 325
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 3 Sean Goldberg 6 540
Max. 475 v Juventus (a) Max. 88% v Paris (h)
Min. 364 v Juventus (h) Min. 76% v Juventus (h) 12 Sun Menachem 4 56
UCL rank: 27 UCL rank: 21
15 Ofri Arad 2 20
99
19 Dylan Batubinsika 5 450
PASS DISTANCE* 7
10 22 Yosef Raz Meir 2 83
Long 40 (10% of total) UCL rank: 27 10
7
27 Pierre Cornud 5 375 1
Medium 145 (35%) UCL rank: 29 16
16 4
Short 229 (55%) UCL rank: 20
27
27 4 30 Abdoulaye Seck 6 396 2
6
6
Average UCL rank MIDFIELDERS
PASSES PER
DEFENSIVE ACTION 13.9 17 3 19 30 4 Ali Mohamed 5 361
3 19 30
6 Neta Lavi 6 468
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
7 Omer Atzili 6 309 2 1
ATTACKING THIRD 5 4=
8 Dolev Haziza 3 210 1
44 16 Mohammad Abu Fani 6 400
DISTANCE COVERED 44
Max. 110.7 v Benfica (a)
107.6 km Min. 105.1 v Paris (a)
UCL rank: 32
FORWARDS
9 Frantzdy Pierrot 6 486 2
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1% 10 Tjaronn Chery 6 540 2 1
11 Mavis Tchibota 4 92
13 Nikita Rukavytsya 6 43
ATTEMPTS 17 Suf Podgoreanu 1 12

7 GOALS
1.2 per match; UCL rank: 20
21 Din David 6 236 1

6.5 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

1.1 per match; UCL rank: 23

77 GOAL ATTEMPTS
12.8 per match; UCL rank: 17

22 ON TARGET
3.7 per match; UCL rank: 23
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 8% AGE
SAVED 25%
27.6 14 0
BLOCKED 33%
WOODWORK 3%
OFF TARGET 30% KEY FEATURES
• 1-3-4-3, 1-5-3-2, defensively; also 1-4-3-3
PLAYER STATISTICS • High-pressing, high-energy approach
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value • Look to play vertically, with quick forward passes
• Good movement from midfield to front,
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% interchanging positions (h v Juventus)
1 Tjaronn Chery 2 20 5 1.61 1 Neta Lavi 271 199 85 35 • Bravery when going 1v1 all over pitch (h v Paris)
2 Omer Atzili 2 14 7 0.69 2 Sean Goldberg 262 202 86 38 • Third in group stage for aerial-duel success
3 Abdoulaye Seck 2 4 2 0.38 3 Tjaronn Chery 238 214 84 28 (59.6%)
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward
• Influential No10 Chery, driving into gaps,
creative and direct
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I • Direct, disciplined target striker Pierrot able
1 Frantzdy Pierrot 2 6 0.2 1 Neta Lavi 39 17 9 to hold up ball
2 Tjaronn Chery 1 9 0.9 2 Abdoulaye Seck 39 7 4
3 Omer Atzili 1 9 0.4 3 Mohammad Abu Fani 35 6 3
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions

Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down 83
 COACH JOSEP GUARDIOLA

MANCHESTER CITY FC
BORN: 18/01/1971,
Santpedor (ESP)
NATIONALITY: Spanish
ENG HEAD COACH: Since 01/07/2016
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 6
GROUP G ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
SEV DOR COP COP DOR SEV LEI LEI BAY BAY RMA RMA INT
W 0-4 W 2-1 W 5-0 D 0-0 D 0-0 W 3-1 D 1-1 W 7-0 W 3-0 D 1-1 D 1-1 W 4-0 W 1-0 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 161 101 34 26 63%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
168 107 34 27 64%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Inter (n)
60% First third 21% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 54%
Max. 75% v Copenhagen (h)
Min. 42% v Bayern (a) Attacking third 25%
GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 2
18 Stefan Ortega 2 180
31 Ederson 11 990
633 90% DEFENDERS
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 2 Kyle Walker 5 280
Max. 902 v Dortmund (a) Max. 93% v Copenhagen (h)
Min. 394 v Bayern (a) Min. 82% v Bayern (h) 9
3 Rúben Dias 12 1048 1 1
UCL rank: 1 UCL rank: 1
10 5 John Stones 8 685 1 1
9
20
6 Nathan Aké 8 608
PASS DISTANCE 10 17
17 8 5 7 João Cancelo 6 377 4
20
Long 45 (7% of total) UCL rank: 17
16 14 Aymeric Laporte 4 292
Medium 249 (39%) UCL rank: 1 8 5
Short 339 (54%) UCL rank: 3 16 21 Sergio Gómez 5 307 1
6
3 25 25 Manuel Akanji 11 945 1 2
PASSES PER Average UCL rank 6
3 25 82 Rico Lewis 2 118 1
DEFENSIVE ACTION 13 13
97 Josh Wilson-Esbrand 2 44
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
MIDFIELDERS
ATTACKING THIRD 8 1=
4 Kalvin Phillips 3 40
8 İlkay Gündoğan 13 997 1 2
DISTANCE COVERED
Max. 121.7 v Bayern (h) 31 10 Jack Grealish 13 936 1
116 km Min. 109.7 v Real Madrid (a)
UCL rank: 18
31
16 Rodri 12 996 2
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1%
17 Kevin De Bruyne 10 721 2 7
20 Bernardo Silva 13 909 3 1
26 Riyad Mahrez 9 506 3 2
ATTEMPTS 47 Phil Foden 8 381 1 2
80 Cole Palmer 4 137
32 GOALS
2.5 per match; UCL rank: 3
FORWARDS
9 Erling Haaland 11 845 12 1

27.1 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

2.1 per match; UCL rank: 2
19 Julián Álvarez 10 468 3 2

201 GOAL ATTEMPTS

15.5 per match; UCL rank: 6

91 ON TARGET
7 per match; UCL rank: 4
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 14% AGE
SAVED 39%
26.5 22 1 Sent off:
Gómez v Copenhagen (a)
BLOCKED 20%
WOODWORK 1%
OFF TARGET 26% KEY FEATURES
• 1-4-3-3; 1-3-2-5 in build-up; 1-4-4-2 in defence
PLAYER STATISTICS • Strong centre-backs able to defend 1v1 at
the back
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value
• Stones steps into midfield in build-up to
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% create overload
1 Erling Haaland 12 41 26 10.7 1 Rodri 987 826 92 18 • Play with full width, threaten with runs behind,
2 Julián Álvarez 3 14 7 2.4 2 Rúben Dias 954 795 95 31 probe until gaps or overloads appear
3 Riyad Mahrez 3 12 7 3.5 3 Manuel Akanji 802 672 92 33 • Gündoğan and De Bruyne play as high 8s,
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward operating in half-spaces
• De Bruyne pivotal with 11 through balls and
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I seven assists
1 Kevin De Bruyne 7 16 2.8 1 Rodri 105 15 13 • Grealish’s ball-retention skills and 1v1 ability –
2 João Cancelo 4 2 1.0 2 Bernardo Silva 66 10 9 first for chances created (35)
3 Riyad Mahrez 2 17 1.9 3 İlkay Gündoğan 63 8 7 • Goal threat and power of Haaland, giving
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions option to go long

84 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down
 COACH IGOR TUDOR

OLYMPIQUE DE MARSEILLE
BORN: 16/04/1978,
Split (CRO)
NATIONALITY: Croatian
FRA HEAD COACH: From 04/07/2022
to 03/06/2023
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 0
GROUP D ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
TOT FRA SPO SPO FRA TOT
L 2-0 L 0-1 W 4-1 W 0-2 L 2-1 L 1-2 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 6 2 0 4 33%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
30 9 9 12 30%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Tottenham (h)
59% First third 21% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 56%
Max. 68% v Sporting CP (a)
Min. 50% v Tottenham (a) Attacking third 23%
GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 3
16 Pau López 6 540
DEFENDERS
562 87% 3 Eric Bailly 5 305
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 4 Samuel Gigot 5 249
Max. 669 v Tottenham (h) Max. 91% v Sporting CP (a)
Min. 448 v Sporting CP (h) Min. 81% v Frankfurt (a) 5 Leonardo Balerdi 6 490 1
UCL rank: 6 UCL rank: 6 70
70
77
7 Jonathan Clauss 6 415 1
77 23 Sead Kolašinac 4 149
PASS DISTANCE* 30 6
7
6 29 Issa Kaboré 4 109
Long 47 (8% of total) UCL rank: 14 21
27 21 30 Nuno Tavares 6 540
Medium 248 (44%) UCL rank: 2
30 27
Short 267 (48%) UCL rank: 14 3 99 7 99 Chancel Mbemba 5 408 2 1
5 99
5
Average UCL rank
3 MIDFIELDERS
PASSES PER
DEFENSIVE ACTION 10.2 3 6 Matteo Guendouzi 6 419 2
8 Gerson 3 122
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
21 Valentin Rongier 6 471
ATTACKING THIRD 5 4=
16 22 Pape Gueye 3 34
16
27 Jordan Veretout 6 489 1
DISTANCE COVERED
Max. 127.4 v Tottenham (h) 77 Amine Harit 6 380 1 2
111.9 km Min. 109.3 v Sporting CP (a)
UCL rank: 26 FORWARDS
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1% 10 Dimitri Payet 2 77
11 Luis Suárez 4 112
17 Cengiz Ünder 6 169
ATTEMPTS 70 Alexis Sánchez 4 419 2 1

8 GOALS
1.3 per match; UCL rank: 15=

8.7 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

1.5 per match; UCL rank: 15

80 GOAL ATTEMPTS
13.3 per match; UCL rank: 14

24 ON TARGET
4 per match; UCL rank: 18=
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 9% AGE
SAVED 27%
26.8 11 1 Sent off:
Mbemba v Tottenham (a)
BLOCKED 24%
WOODWORK 0%
OFF TARGET 40% KEY FEATURES
• 1-3-4-2-1; 1-5-3-2 defensively
PLAYER STATISTICS • Set up in 1-5-2-2-1 with high press when
opposition have ball
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value
• Physically strong, compact in defence, capable
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% of winning ball back (joint-fifth for recoveries)
1 Alexis Sánchez 2 16 6 2.8 1 Valentin Rongier 409 328 90 21 • Wing-backs give width with front three staying
2 Mattéo Guendouzi 2 8 3 1.2 2 Jordan Veretout 391 305 91 28 more narrow
3 Chancel Mbemba 2 4 2 0.4 3 Leonardo Balerdi 365 254 88 27 • Tavares joint-first for take-ons (56) and joint-
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward second for open-play crosses (32) in group stage
• Two hard-running central midfielders in Rongier
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I and Veretout
1 Amine Harit 2 11 0.8 1 Leonardo Balerdi 49 6 13 • Influential Guendouzi able to get on ball
2 Jordan Veretout 1 7 0.6 2 Nuno Tavares 45 8 4 and dictate tempo
3 Alexis Sánchez 1 6 0.6 3 Valentin Rongier 39 6 8 • Good movement by front three – dropping
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions deep, running behind, interchanging positions

Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down 85
 COACH STEFANO PIOLI

AC MILAN
BORN: 20/10/1965,
Parma (ITA)
NATIONALITY: Italian
ITA HEAD COACH: Since 09/10/2019
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 0
GROUP E ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
SAL DIN CHE CHE DIN SAL TOT TOT NAP NAP INT INT
D 1-1 W 3-1 L 3-0 L 0-2 W 0-4 W 4-0 W 1-0 D 0-0 W 1-0 D 1-1 L 0-2 L 1-0 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 18 6 4 8 33%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
53 25 14 14 47%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Napoli (h)
48% First third 32% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 52%
Max. 65% v Salzburg (a)
Min. 27% v Napoli (a) Attacking third 16%
GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 19
1 Ciprian Tătărușanu 5 450
16 Mike Maignan 7 630
412 82% DEFENDERS
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 2 Davide Calabria 6 499
Max. 522 v Dinamo Zagreb (h) Max. 89% v Dinamo Zagreb (h)
Min. 223 v Napoli (a) Min. 73% v Napoli (a) 5 Fodé Ballo 4 132
UCL rank: 28 UCL rank: 23
19 Theo Hernández 11 948 1
9
17 20 Pierre Kalulu 10 750
PASS DISTANCE 21 Sergiño Dest 4 188
Long 51 (12% of total) UCL rank: 7 17 9 10
4 23 Fikayo Tomori 10 828
Medium 160 (39%) UCL rank: 25 10
19 4 24 Simon Kjær 6 509
Short 202 (49%) UCL rank: 26 8 2
8 33 28 Malick Thiaw 4 275
33
PASSES PER Average UCL rank
19 2 46 Matteo Gabbia 4 209 1
DEFENSIVE ACTION 12 9 23 24
23 24
MIDFIELDERS
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
4 Ismaël Bennacer 10 592 1
ATTACKING THIRD 5 4=
8 Sandro Tonali 12 1053 2
10 Brahim Díaz 10 608 1
DISTANCE COVERED 16
16 32 Tommaso Pobega 8 157 1
Max. 122.5 v Dinamo Zagreb (a)
112.5 km Min. 106.1 v Chelsea (h)
UCL rank: 24 33 Rade Krunić 11 823 1
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1%
56 Alexis Saelemaekers 8 371 2
FORWARDS
9 Olivier Giroud 12 939 5 2
ATTEMPTS 12 Ante Rebić 7 245

15 GOALS
1.3 per match; UCL rank: 18
17 Rafael Leão
27 Divock Origi
11
8
913
147
1 4

30 Junior Messias 9 311 1

16.8 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

1.4 per match; UCL rank: 18
90 Charles De Ketelaere 6 235

138 GOAL ATTEMPTS

11.5 per match; UCL rank: 21

45 ON TARGET
3.8 per match; UCL rank: 22
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 9% AGE
SAVED 28%
27.1 30 1 Sent off:
Tomori v Chelsea (h)
BLOCKED 23%
WOODWORK 3%
OFF TARGET 35% KEY FEATURES
• 1-4-2-3-1
PLAYER STATISTICS • Goalkeeper Maignan plays key role in build-up
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value • Strong defensive unit with good intensity
and concentration e.g. Calabria marking
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% Kvaratskhelia in QF
1 Olivier Giroud 5 26 16 5.7 1 Fikayo Tomori 511 361 86 32 • Aggressive defending on front foot e.g.
2 Alexis Saelemaekers 2 6 4 0.5 2 Sandro Tonali 458 351 79 31 Hernández in UCL top five for tackles and
3 Rafael Leão 1 19 3 1.6 3 Pierre Kalulu 456 352 88 38 recoveries
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward • Tonali’s drive and eye for a key pass with 22
chances created (joint third best)
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I • Technical ability of Díaz to find space
1 Rafael Leão 4 13 2.9 1 Theo Hernández 74 16 6 in tight areas
2 Sandro Tonali 2 20 1.9 2 Ismaël Bennacer 65 13 7 • Counterattacking threat of quick, direct Rafael
3 Olivier Giroud 2 6 0.9 3 Fikayo Tomori 57 16 10 Leão – second in UCL for take-ons (78)
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions • Experienced target man in Giroud

86 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down
 COACH LUCIANO SPALLETTI

SSC NAPOLI
BORN: 07/03/1959,
Certaldo (ITA)
NATIONALITY: Italian
ITA HEAD COACH: From 01/07/2021
to 04/06/2023
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 0
GROUP A ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
LIV RAN AJA AJA RAN LIV FRA FRA MIL MIL
W 4-1 W 0-3 W 1-6 W 4-2 W 3-0 L 2-0 W 0-2 W 3-0 L 1-0 D 1-1 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 67 29 15 23 43%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
137 70 26 41 51%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Milan (h)
56% First third 29% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 54%
Max. 70% v Frankfurt (a)
Min. 39% v Liverpool (h) Attacking third 16%
GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 7
1 Alex Meret 10 900
DEFENDERS
544 86% 3 Kim Min-jae 9 786
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 5 Juan Jesus 3 204
Max. 792 v Rangers (h) Max. 92% v Rangers (h) 9
Min. 383 v Liverpool (h) Min. 80% v Rangers (a) 9 6 Mário Rui 6 388 1
UCL rank: 9 UCL rank: 11 77
13 Amir Rrahmani 7 614
77 21 21
20 17 Mathías Olivera 8 512 2
20
PASS DISTANCE* 9191
22 Giovanni Di Lorenzo 10 890 2 2
Long 37 (7% of total) UCL rank: 30 22
6868 22 55 Leo Østigård 3 197 1
Medium 201 (37%) UCL rank: 10
Short 306 (56%) UCL rank: 7 6 6 13 59 Alessandro Zanoli 2 10
5 5 13
Average UCL rank MIDFIELDERS
PASSES PER
DEFENSIVE ACTION 12.3 10 7 Eljif Elmas 10 279
20 Piotr Zieliński 10 624 4 2
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
68 Stanislav Lobotka 10 876
ATTACKING THIRD 6 3=
70 Gianluca Gaetano 3 28
11 91 Tanguy Ndombélé 9 369 1 1
DISTANCE COVERED
Max. 119.4 v Liverpool (a) 99 André-Frank Zambo Anguissa 8 653 1 3
114.8 km Min. 111.1 v Ajax (a)
UCL rank: 20 FORWARDS
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1% 9 Victor Osimhen 6 424 5
11 Hirving Lozano 9 466 1 1
18 Giovanni Simeone 7 260 4
ATTEMPTS 21 Matteo Politano 9 406 1 1

26 GOALS
2.6 per match; UCL rank: 1=
23 Alessio Zerbin
77 Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
3
9
54
699 2 4
81 Giacomo Raspadori 7 250 4 3

25.7 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

2.6 per match; UCL rank: 1

175 GOAL ATTEMPTS

17.5 per match; UCL rank: 1

73 ON TARGET
7.3 per match; UCL rank: 2
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 13% AGE
SAVED 36%
26.5 20 1 Sent off:
Zambo Anguissa v Milan (a)
BLOCKED 20%
WOODWORK 2%
OFF TARGET 30% KEY FEATURES
• 1-4-3-3; 1-4-1-4-1 defensive shape
PLAYER STATISTICS • Strong centre-backs e.g. Kim – 76.2% aerial
duels won, second in UCL for interceptions (22)
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value
• Effective pressing structure, making it
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% difficult for opposition to break
1 Victor Osimhen 5 16 8 4.9 1 Stanislav Lobotka 629 511 92 25 • Mobile team using combinations and width
2 Piotr Zieliński 4 17 11 4.1 2 Kim Min-Jae 611 479 88 41 in build-up via full-backs and wingers
3 Giovanni Simeone 4 15 9 2.9 3 Giovanni Di Lorenzo 502 444 86 36 • Game intelligence and quality on ball of
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward Zielinski – second in UCL for key passes (21)
• Offensive transitions via quick forward
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I passes or diagonal switch play
1 Khvicha Kvaratskhelia 4 13 2.1 1 Stanislav Lobotka 79 11 5 • Ability in tight spaces of Kvaratskhelia
2 André-Frank Zambo Anguissa 3 7 1.2 2 Giovanni Di Lorenzo 56 10 12 – third in UCL for take-ons
3 Giacomo Raspadori 3 3 0.6 3 André-Frank Zambo Anguissa 56 8 14 • Fast, powerful striker Osimhen, stretching
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions defensive lines and excellent with back to goal

Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down 87
 COACH CHRISTOPHE GALTIER

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN
BORN: 28/08/1966,
Marseille (FRA)
NATIONALITY: French
FRA HEAD COACH: From 05/07/2022
to 05/07/2023
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 0
GROUP H ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
JUV MHA BEN BEN MHA JUV BAY BAY
W 2-1 W 1-3 D 1-1 D 1-1 W 7-2 W 1-2 L 0-1 L 2-0 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 14 4 3 7 29%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
58 20 19 19 34%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Benfica (a)
57% First third 29% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 51%
Max. 64% v Benfica (a)
Min. 46% vs Bayern (h) Attacking third 21% GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 5
99 Gianluigi Donnarumma 8 720
DEFENDERS
615 90% 2 Achraf Hakimi 8 580 2
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY
Max. 701 v Benfica (a) Max. 93% v Juventus (h), 3 Presnel Kimpembe 3 146
Min. 508 v Bayern (h) Maccabi Haifa (h)
UCL rank: 3 Min. 87% v Bayern (h) 4 Sergio Ramos 8 720
UCL rank: 2 5 Marquinhos 8 655
7 14 Juan Bernat 5 276
PASS DISTANCE 7 3030 25 Nuno Mendes 6 439 1
Long 34 (6% of total) UCL rank: 31 10
26 Nordi Mukiele 4 109
Medium 193 (31%) UCL rank: 16 10
17
Short 389 (63%) UCL rank: 16 2 31 El Chadaille Bitshiabu 1 45
25
6 2
25 MIDFIELDERS
PASSES PER Average UCL rank 6
4
DEFENSIVE ACTION 14.3 19 15 5 6 Marco Verratti 7 625 1
15 5 4
8 Fabián Ruiz 7 237
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
15 Danilo 7 449
ATTACKING THIRD 4 5=
17 Vitinha 8 589
18 Renato Sanches 3 140
DISTANCE COVERED
Max. 113.1 v Bayern (a) 99
99 28 Carlos Soler 6 155 1
108.4 km Min. 101.7 v Juventus (h)
UCL rank: 31 33 Warren Zaïre-Emery 3 82
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1% FORWARDS
7 Kylian Mbappé 8 651 7 3
10 Neymar 6 539 2 3
ATTEMPTS 19 Pablo Sarabia 3 91

16 GOALS (1 own goal*)

2 per match; UCL rank: 7=
30 Lionel Messi
44 Hugo Ekitike
7
4
615
58
4 4

10.9 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

1.4 per match; UCL rank: 20

100 GOAL ATTEMPTS

12.5 per match; UCL rank: 18

44 ON TARGET
5.5 per match; UCL rank: 8=
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 14% AGE
SAVED 37%
26.5 14 0
BLOCKED 20%
WOODWORK 2%
OFF TARGET 27% KEY FEATURES
• 1-3-4-3; also 1-4-4-2 v Juventus,
PLAYER STATISTICS 1-3-5-2 v Bayern
• Balancing act with seven in defence/midfield
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value
geared at getting best out of front three
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% • Defensive leadership from Marquinhos, Ramos
1 Kylian Mbappé 7 26 15 3.6 1 Marco Verratti 684 554 93 27 • Verratti closing gaps in screening role, keeping
2 Lionel Messi 4 23 9 2.6 2 Sergio Ramos 537 434 94 26 ball moving and making play
3 Neymar 2 18 6 2.1 3 Vitinha 433 373 92 21 • Threat from attacking transitions with world-
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward class trident (Messi, Neymar, Mbappé)
• Pace and penetration of Mbappé – joint first for
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I ball carries of 10m or more in group stage (41)
1 Lionel Messi 4 15 1.9 1 Sergio Ramos 55 5 11 • Passing and dribbling of Messi; Neymar’s
2 Neymar 3 14 1.4 2 Marco Verratti 52 18 6 dribbling and combination play
3 Kylian Mbappé 3 5 1.4 3 Vitinha 51 6 13 • First for take-ons in the group stage with
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions collective total of 145

88 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down
 COACH MICHAL BÍLEK

FC VIKTORIA PLZEŇ
BORN: 13/04/1965,
Praha (CZE)
NATIONALITY: Czech
CZE HEAD COACH: From 10/05/2021
to 31/05/2023
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 0
GROUP C ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
BAR INT BAY BAY INT BAR
L 1-5 L 0-2 L 5-0 L 2-4 L 4-0 L 2-4 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 6 0 0 6 0%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
35 13 5 17 37%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Barcelona (h)
29% First third 38% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 45%
Max. 37% v Inter (a)
Min. 24% v Barcelona (a), Barcelona (h) Attacking third 18%
GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 32
13 Marián Tvrdoñ 1 90
36 Jindřich Staněk 5 450
266 75% DEFENDERS
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 2 Lukáš Hejda 6 513
Max. 328 v Inter (a) Max. 81% v Inter (a)
Min. 206 v Barcelona (h) Min. 70% v Barcelona (a) 3 Mohamed Tijani 3 168
UCL rank: 32 UCL rank: 31
4 Luděk Pernica 6 495
15 21 Václav Jemelka 5 362 1
PASS DISTANCE* 6 88 15
24 Milan Havel 6 424
77
Long 47 (21% of total) UCL rank: 13 88
44 Libor Holík 6 288 1
Medium 95 (42%) UCL rank: 32 6 99 77
2399
Short 123 (54%) UCL rank: 32 23 44 MIDFIELDERS
2121
Average UCL rank 44 6 Václav Pilař 5 120
PASSES PER 44 22
DEFENSIVE ACTION 22.9 32 7 Jan Sýkora 2 151 1
10 Jan Kopic 2 83
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
18 Jhon Mosquera 5 434 1
ATTACKING THIRD 4 5=
20 Pavel Bucha 5 364
23 Lukáš Kalvach 6 495
DISTANCE COVERED
Max. 121.8 v Barcelona (h) 36 25 Aleš Čermak 3 29
117.4 km Min. 113 v Inter (a)
UCL rank: 13 77 Erik Jirka 6 262
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1%
88 Adam Vlkanova 6 463 1 1
99 Modou Ndiaye 4 181
FORWARDS
ATTEMPTS 9 Jan Kliment 1 45 1

5 GOALS
0.8 per match; UCL rank: 25=
15 Tomáš Chorý
30 Adam Kronus
6
1
365
2
2

90 Fortune Bassey 5 130

5.6 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

0.9 per match; UCL rank: 26

68 GOAL ATTEMPTS
11.3 per match; UCL rank: 22=

20 ON TARGET
3.3 per match; UCL rank: 27=
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 7% AGE
SAVED 27%
27.6 12 1 Sent off:
Bucha v Inter (h)
BLOCKED 31%
WOODWORK 1%
OFF TARGET 34% KEY FEATURES
• 1-4-2-3-1; also 1-3-4-2-1, 1-5-4-1
PLAYER STATISTICS • Mid-game switch to 1-5-4-1 during both
matches v Bayern
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value
• Physically strong team with organisation,
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% spirit and set-piece threat
1 Tomáš Chorý 2 11 4 2.0 1 Lukáš Kalvach 215 135 75 40 • Defending in low block and seeking fast
2 Adam Vlkanova 1 10 3 0.4 2 Ludek Pernica 136 84 87 46 offensive transitions
3 Jan Sýkora 1 3 1 0.5 3 Pavel Bucha 128 97 88 30 • Start attacks with long pass and try to win
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward second balls
• Key role of tall target striker Chorý; two goals
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I v Barcelona
1 Adam Vlkanova 1 6 0.5 1 Lukáš Kalvach 46 5 14 • Creative powers of Vlkanova – passing ability
2 Václav Jemelka 1 2 0.4 2 Adam Vlkanova 35 2 2 and delivery from free-kicks
3 Jhon Mosquera 1 2 0.4 3 Jhon Mosquera 26 6 4 • Lowest average possession (29.4%)
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions and fewest touches (2,648) of group stage

Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down 89
 COACH SÉRGIO CONCEIÇÃO

FC PORTO
BORN: 15/11/1974,
Coimbra (POR)
NATIONALITY: Portuguese
POR HEAD COACH: Since 01/07/2017
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 0
GROUP B ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
ATL BRU LEV LEV BRU ATL INT INT
L 2-1 L 0-4 W 2-0 W 0-3 W 0-4 W 2-1 L 1-0 D 0-0 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 42 20 7 15 48%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
56 25 10 21 45%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Atlético (h)
48% First third 36% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 47%
Max. 67% v Inter (h)
Min. 36% vs Leverkusen (a) Attacking third 17%
GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 18
99 Diogo Costa 8 720 1
DEFENDERS
421 79% 2 Fábio Cardoso 4 360
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 3 Pepe 4 360
Max. 606 v Inter (h) Max. 85% v Inter (h)
Min. 338 v Club Brugge (a) Min. 73% v Club Brugge (a) 4 David Carmo 5 450
UCL rank: 25 UCL rank: 28
5 Iván Marcano 3 270
12 Zaidu 8 588 1
PASS DISTANCE 30
30
13 99 17 Rodrigo Conceição 2 3
Long 53 (13% of total) UCL rank: 5 13
22 Wendell 6 139
Medium 154 (37%) UCL rank: 27 12 25
25
46
Short 214 (51%) UCL rank: 24 12 46 MIDFIELDERS
16
16
Average UCL rank 11 11 8 Matheus Uribe 7 613 1
PASSES PER 5 2
DEFENSIVE ACTION 13.8 15 16 Marko Grujić 4 277
5 2
20 André Franco 1 20
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
25 Otávio 7 530 2
ATTACKING THIRD 6 3=
28 Bruno Costa 3 71
46 Stephen Eustáquio 7 596 2
DISTANCE COVERED 99
Max.128.2 v Inter (h) 99 87 Bernardo Folha 2 7
119 km Min. 105.9 v Club Brugge (h)
UCL rank: 8 FORWARDS
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1% 7 Gabriel Veron 3 44
9 Mehdi Taremi 7 613 5 2
11 Pepê 8 689
ATTEMPTS 13 Galeno 8 568 2 1

12 GOALS
1.5 per match; UCL rank: 11=
19 Danny Namaso
23 João Mário
3
5
51
270
29 Toni Martínez 7 109

15.6 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

1.9 per match; UCL rank: 4
30 Evanilson
70 Gonçalo Borges
8
4
516
36
1 1

114 GOAL ATTEMPTS

14.3 per match; UCL rank: 9

42 ON TARGET
5.3 per match; UCL rank: 11
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS Sent off:

GOALS 9% AGE Taremi v Atlético (a),
SAVED 33%
26.3 25 3 Otávio vs Inter (a),
Pepê v Inter (h)
BLOCKED 24%
WOODWORK 1%
OFF TARGET 32% KEY FEATURES
• 1-4-4-2; also 1-4-3-3 in possession,
PLAYER STATISTICS 1-4-2-3-1 in attack
• Solid goalkeeper in Diogo Costa – third for
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value
goals saved (3.30) up to quarter-finals
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% • Compact and disciplined in defence
1 Mehdi Taremi 5 24 12 6.0 1 Diogo Costa 334 248 70 55 • Good technical footballers who can
2 Galeno 2 15 5 2.8 2 Matheus Uribe 314 225 83 34 play under pressure (Otávio, Grujić)
3 Stephen Eustáquio 2 12 6 1.6 3 Pepê 270 230 77 38 • Width and movement from
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward wingers and full-backs
• Strong midfield pressing led by
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I Uribe (68 recoveries)
1 Mehdi Taremi 2 12 2.1 1 Matheus Uribe 68 9 11 • Dangerous transitions with quick balls
2 Otávio 2 12 1.0 2 Pepê 52 9 5 to swift wingers (Galeno, Pepê)
3 Galeno 1 8 1.1 3 Stephen Eustáquio 35 7 11 • Strong centre-forward play by Taremi
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions

90 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down
 COACH GIOVANNI VAN BRONCKHORST

RANGERS FC
BORN: 05/02/1975,
Rotterdam (NED)
NATIONALITY: Dutch
SCO HEAD COACH: From 18/11/2021 to
21/11/2022
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 0
GROUP A ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
AJA NAP LIV LIV NAP AJA
L 4-0 L 0-3 L 2-0 L 1-7 L 3-0 L 1-3 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 12 1 0 11 8%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
35 10 5 20 29%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Ajax (h)
38% First third 40% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 47%
Max. 47% v Ajax (h)
Min. 26% v Ajax (a) Attacking third 13%
GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 30
1 Allan McGregor 5 450
33 Jon McLaughlin 1 90
370 77% DEFENDERS
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 2 James Tavernier 6 487 1
Max. 440 v Ajax (h) Max. 83% v Ajax (h)
Min. 259 v Ajax (a) Min. 70% v Liverpool (h) 3 Rıdvan Yılmaz 1 90
UCL rank: 30 UCL rank: 30
9 6 Connor Goldson 4 314
14 9 30 26 Ben Davies 3 261
PASS DISTANCE* 14 30 31 Borna Barišić 6 464
71 71 37
Long 47 (13% of total) UCL rank: 4
37 38 Leon King 6 374
Medium 120 (32%) UCL rank: 30
10
Short 203 (55%) UCL rank: 30
31 10 22 MIDFIELDERS
31
Average UCL rank 19 4 John Lundstram 5 450
PASSES PER 38 19 8 Ryan Jack 4 192 1
DEFENSIVE ACTION 20.4 30 38
10 Steven Davis 5 250
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
14 Ryan Kent 6 510
ATTACKING THIRD 4 5=
18 Glen Kamara 4 125
19 James Sands 4 325
DISTANCE COVERED
Max. 114.5 v Napoli (a) 11 30 Fashion Sakala 4 235
111 km Min. 107.6 v Napoli (h)
UCL rank: 27 37 Scott Arfield 4 268 1
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1%
51 Alex Lowry 1 7
FORWARDS
9 Antonio Čolak 6 284
ATTEMPTS 17 Rabbi Matondo 5 93

2 GOALS
0.3 per match; UCL rank: 31
20 Alfredo Morelos
23 Scott Wright
5
4
256
134
71 Malik Tillman 5 246

4.9 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

0.8 per match; UCL rank: 28

44 GOAL ATTEMPTS
7.3 per match; UCL rank: 32

12 ON TARGET
2 per match; UCL rank: 32
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 4% AGE
SAVED 26%
27.2 10 1 Sent off:
Sands v Napoli (h)
BLOCKED 30%
WOODWORK 0%
OFF TARGET 39% KEY FEATURES
• 1-4-3-3, 1-4-5-1, 1-4-2-3-1;
PLAYER STATISTICS also 1-3-5-2, 1-5-4-1
• Look to start home games with intensity,
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value
drawing on crowd energy
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% • Saves of experienced goalkeeper McGregor
1 James Tavernier 1 5 3 1.1 1 Borna Barišić 210 186 89 48 limited damage at times
2 Scott Arfield 1 5 3 0.6 2 John Lundstram 209 135 82 45 • Power and physicality of attacking full-back
3 Fashion Sakala 0 7 1 0.5 3 James Tavernier 205 165 68 42 Tavernier
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward • Central midfielders had clear roles, one sitting
at all times
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I • Dribbling of left winger Kent (35 take-ons)
1 Ryan Jack 1 2 0.0 1 John Lundstram 41 3 9 • Lowest number of shots on goal (12)
2 James Tavernier 0 6 1.0 2 James Tavernier 32 5 6 and percentage on target (27.3%)
3 Borna Barišić 0 5 0.4 3 Ryan Kent 24 3 1 • Worst goal difference recorded in group stage
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions history (-20)

Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down 91
 COACH CARLO ANCELOTTI

REAL MADRID CF
BORN: 10/06/1959,
Reggiolo (ITA)
NATIONALITY: Italian
ESP HEAD COACH: Since 01/07/2021
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 8
GROUP F ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
CEL LEI SHA SHA LEI CEL LIV LIV CHE CHE MCI MCI
W 0-3 W 2-0 W 2-1 D 1-1 L 3-2 W 5-1 W 2-5 W 1-0 W 2-0 W 0-2 D 1-1 L 4-0 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 191 108 41 42 57%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
233 132 51 50 57%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Man City (h)
54% First third 27% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 49%
Max. 64% v Celtic (a), Celtic (h)
Min. 41% v Man City (a) Attacking third 24%
GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 10
1 Thibaut Courtois 10 900
13 Andriy Lunin 2 180
594 89% DEFENDERS
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 2 Dani Carvajal 11 871 2
Max. 845 v Celtic (a) Max. 93% v Celtic (a)
Min. 421 v Man City (a) Min. 83% Man City (a) 3 Éder Militão 9 748 1
UCL rank: 4 UCL rank: 3
4 David Alaba 11 713
9 5 Jesús Vallejo 1 17
PASS DISTANCE* 20
9
21
6 Nacho 8 439
Long 41 (7% of total) UCL rank: 26 20
21 22 Antonio Rüdiger 10 676 1
Medium 193 (32%) UCL rank: 17
10 15
Short 361 (61%) UCL rank: 26 23 Ferland Mendy 5 347
12 10 2
15
Average UCL rank 8 MIDFIELDERS
PASSES PER 12 4 8 2
DEFENSIVE ACTION 14.9 21 22 8 Toni Kroos 12 846 2
4 22
10 Luka Modrić 10 750 2 1
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
12 Eduardo Camavinga 11 721 1
ATTACKING THIRD 5 4
15 Federico Valverde 11 968 2 3
17 Lucas Vázquez 5 201 1
DISTANCE COVERED
Max. 119 v Shakhtar (a) 1 18 Aurélien Tchouameni 10 431
109.8 km Min. 104.8 v Celtic (h)
UCL rank: 29
1
19 Dani Ceballos 7 81
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1% FORWARDS
7 Eden Hazard 3 131 1 1
9 Karim Benzema 10 747 4 1
ATTEMPTS 11 Marco Asensio 12 314 3 1

26 GOALS
2.2 per match; UCL rank: 6
20 Vinícius Júnior
21 Rodrygo
12
12
975
824
7
5
6
2
24 Mariano Díaz 1 5

23.2 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

1.9 per match; UCL rank: 6

187 GOAL ATTEMPTS

15.6 per match; UCL rank: 5

81 ON TARGET
6.8 per match; UCL rank: 5
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 12% AGE
SAVED 38%
26.5 15 0
BLOCKED 18%
WOODWORK 1%
OFF TARGET 32% KEY FEATURES
• 1-4-3-3 in and usually out of possession;
PLAYER STATISTICS •
1-4-1-4-1 in high block v Man City
Assured, experienced goalkeeper in Courtois
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value (5.85 goals prevented)
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% • Full-backs step inside to find space to play
1 Vinícius Júnior 7 38 21 6.5 1 Toni Kroos 874 719 94 34 e.g. Camavinga
2 Rodrygo 5 25 12 4.7 2 Luka Modrić 576 518 90 26 • Composure in possession with excellent decision-
making especially in midfield
3 Karim Benzema 4 35 19 5.1 3 Federico Valverde 554 522 89 25
• Quick counters and effective combinations in
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward
tight areas
• Excellent movement and hold-up play of
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I Benzema
1 Vinícius Júnior 6 13 2.7 1 Toni Kroos 54 16 9 • Impressive link-up between Benzema and young
2 Federico Valverde 3 16 2.4 2 Federico Valverde 45 7 14 quick wingers
3 Toni Kroos 2 14 1.2 3 Luka Modrić 44 2 7 • Directness and speed of Vinícius Júnior: first in
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions UCL for ball carries after 1v1 (68)

92 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down
 COACH MATTHIAS JAISSLE

FC SALZBURG
BORN: 05/04/1988 ,
Nürtingen (GER)
NATIONALITY: German
AUT HEAD COACH: From 01/07/2021
to 28/07/2023
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 0
GROUP E ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
MIL CHE DIN DIN CHE MIL
D 1-1 D 1-1 W 1-0 D 1-1 L 1-2 L 4-0 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 14 4 5 5 29%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
18 7 5 6 39%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Milan (h)
40% First third 27% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 56%
Max. 52% v Milan (a)
Min. 29% v Chelsea (a) Attacking third 18%
GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 29
18 Philipp Köhn 6 540
DEFENDERS
327 71% 17 Andreas Ulmer 6 374
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 22 Oumar Solet 4 267
Max. 438 v Dinamo Zagreb (h) Max. 80% v Dinamo (h), Milan (a)
Min. 230 v Chelsea (h) Min. 50% v Chelsea (h) 31 Strahinja Pavlović 6 540
UCL rank: 31 UCL rank: 32
11
39 Maximilian Wöber 3 166 1
77 11
77
70 Amar Dedić 6 540
PASS DISTANCE 8 95 Bernardo 4 273
Long 43 (13% of total) UCL rank: 21 8
14 7
Medium 109 (33%) UCL rank: 31
14
MIDFIELDERS
7
Short 175 (54%) UCL rank: 31 13 7 Nicolás Capaldo 3 270
17 13
Average UCL rank 70 8 Dijon Kameri 4 119
PASSES PER 17
DEFENSIVE ACTION 10.8 5 31
22
70 13 Nicolas Seiwald 6 540 1
31
22 14 Maurits Kjærgaard 6 495
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
21 Luka Sučić 5 400
ATTACKING THIRD 7 2=
27 Lucas Gourna-Douath 6 315
77 Noah Okafor 6 470 3
DISTANCE COVERED
Max. 120.1 v Dinamo Zagreb (a) 18
116 km Min. 110.9 v Milan (a)
UCL rank: 17
18 FORWARDS
9 Junior Adamu 6 203 1 1
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1% 11 Fernando 1 65 1
20 Sékou Koita 2 18
23 Roko Šimić 2 16
ATTEMPTS 30 Benjamin Šeško 6 329

5 GOALS
0.8 per match; UCL rank: 25=

8.4 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

1.4 per match; UCL rank: 19

85 GOAL ATTEMPTS
14.2 per match; UCL rank: 10

29 ON TARGET
4.8 per match; UCL rank: 14=
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 5% AGE
SAVED 32%
22.3 11 0
BLOCKED 21%
WOODWORK 1%
OFF TARGET 41% KEY FEATURES
• 1-4-3-1-2; 1-4-1-3-2 defensively
PLAYER STATISTICS • Compact diamond midfield shape; narrow
out of possession to force opponent wide
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value
• Immediate pressure on loss of ball;
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% pass it quickly on regain
1 Noah Okafor 3 11 6 1.73 1 Nicolas Seiwald 239 148 77 36 • Strong displays from young centre-backs
2 Nicolas Seiwald 1 6 3 0.41 2 Strahinja Pavlović 218 118 70 49 Solet and Pavlović
3 Junior Adamu 1 5 3 1.31 3 Amar Dedić 195 142 65 56 • Tireless work by midfielder Seiwald
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward – 47 recoveries and 14 tackles won
• Counterattack with two strikers and quick
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I support from midfield and full-backs
1 Maximilian Wöber 1 2 0.44 1 Nicolas Seiwald 47 14 8 • Powerful running, awareness, goal threat
2 Junior Adamu 1 1 0.22 2 Lucas Gourna-Douath 44 6 4 of Okafor
3 Fernando 1 1 0.01 3 Maurits Kjærgaard 43 11 4 • First for tackles (154) and joint-first for
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions recoveries (389) in group stage

Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down 93
 COACH JORGE SAMPAOLI*

SEVILLA FC
BORN: 13/03/1960,
Casilda (ARG)
NATIONALITY: Argentinian
ESP HEAD COACH: From 06/10/2022 to
21/03/2023
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 0
GROUP G ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
MCI COP DOR DOR COP MCI
L 0-4 D 0-0 L 1-4 D 1-1 W 3-0 L 3-1 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 11 5 3 3 45%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
29 13 8 8 45%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
*Julen Lopetegui in charge for Matchdays 1 to 3
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Man City (h)
50% First third 38% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 46%
Max. 63% v Copenhagen (a)
Min. 39% v Man City (h), Man City (a) Attacking third 17%
GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 14
1 Marko Dmitrović 2 180
13 Yassine Bounou 4 360
492 84% DEFENDERS
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 2 Gonzalo Montiel 4 226 1
Max. 604 v Copenhagen (a) Max. 89% v Copenhagen (h)
Min. 372 v Man City (h) Min. 79% v Man City (h) 3 Alex Telles 6 391 1
UCL rank: 15 UCL rank: 16
4 Karim Rekik 1 90
14 Tanguy Nianzou 2 180 1
PASS DISTANCE* 16 Jesús Navas 3 224
Long 49 (10% of total) UCL rank: 9
3 24 19 Marcos Acuña 4 219 1
Medium 207 (42%) UCL rank: 7 22
24
Short 236 (48%) UCL rank: 19 22 10 23 Marcão 3 223
3 6
10
16
29 Kike Salas 2 180
PASSES PER Average UCL rank
19
18
6 30 José Ángel Carmona 5 450
DEFENSIVE ACTION 16.4 25 18
16
19
14 30
MIDFIELDERS
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank 14 30
6 Nemanja Gudelj 6 496
ATTACKING THIRD 4 24=
8 Joan Jordán 6 259
10 Ivan Rakitić 6 421 1
DISTANCE COVERED
Max. 118.2 v Copenhagen (a) 13 17 Erik Lamela 5 277 1
114.1 km Min. 107.6 v Copenhagen (h)
UCL rank: 22
13
18 Thomas Delaney 4 230
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1%
20 Fernando 1 90
22 Isco 6 402 1 1
FORWARDS
ATTEMPTS 5 Kasper Dolberg 4 107

6 GOALS
1 per match; UCL rank: 21=
7 Suso
11 Adnan Januzaj
6
3
237
49
12 Rafa Mir 3 155 1

5.6 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

0.9 per match; UCL rank: 27
15 Youssef En-Nesyri
24 Alejandro Gómez
4
5
248
246
2
1

68 GOAL ATTEMPTS
11.3 per match; UCL rank: 22=

24 ON TARGET
4 per match; UCL rank: 18=
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 8% AGE
SAVED 32%
28.4 13 0
BLOCKED 20%
WOODWORK 1%
OFF TARGET 39% KEY FEATURES
• 1-4-2-3-1, 1-4-3-3, 1-3-4-3
PLAYER STATISTICS • Tactical variations included back five at
Dortmund and City
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value
• Possession-based approach, looking to build
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% from back
1 Youssef En-Nesyri 2 12 6 1.7 1 Nemanja Gudelj 326 251 90 26 • Width from full-backs, with inverted wingers
2 Isco 1 8 5 0.7 2 José Ángel Carmona 274 235 88 27 • Clever, technical footballers in midfield/attack
3 Rafa Mir 1 8 3 0.5 3 Ivan Rakitić 239 199 86 27 • Good movement in attack; vulnerable in
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward defensive transitions
• Set-play deliveries of experienced Rakitić
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I • Powerful centre-forward play of En-Nesyri
1 Alejandro Gómez 1 4 0.9 1 Ivan Rakitić 28 4 4
2 Isco 1 4 0.5 2 Isco 25 3 5
3 Alex Telles 1 4 0.4 3 Nemanja Gudelj 22 2 2
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions

94 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down
 COACH IGOR JOVIĆEVIĆ

FC SHAKHTAR DONETSK
BORN: 30/11/1973,
Zagreb (CRO)
NATIONALITY: Croatian
UKR HEAD COACH: From 14/07/2022
to 01/07/2023
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 0
GROUP F ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
LEI CEL RMA RMA CEL LEI
W 1-4 D 1-1 L 2-1 D 1-1 D 1-1 L 0-4 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 6 1 3 2 17%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
10 2 5 3 20%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Real Madrid (h)
42% First third 49% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 43%
Max. 49% v Leipzig (h)
Min. 32% v Leipzig (a) Attacking third 8%
GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 28
81 Anatoliy Trubin 6 540
DEFENDERS
462 85% 4 Serhiy Kryvstov 2 5
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 5 Valeriy Bondar 6 540
Max. 536 v Celtic (a) Max. 87% v Celtic (a)
Min. 305 v Leipzig (a) Min. 80% v Leipzig (a) 15 Bogdan Mykhaylichenko 4 360 2
UCL rank: 20 UCL rank: 14
22 Mykola Matviyenko 6 540
23 Lucas Taylor 5 310
PASS DISTANCE 26 Yukhym Konoplia 5 419
2
Long 42 (9% of total) UCL rank: 25
Medium 178 (39%) UCL rank: 21 10 11 MIDFIELDERS
2
Short 243 (53%) UCL rank: 18 6 Taras Stepanenko 6 534
21
10
Average UCL rank 8 11 7 Andriy Totovytskyi 1 16
PASSES PER 21
15 8 6 26 8 Georgiy Sudakov 6 484 2
DEFENSIVE ACTION 22.1 31 6
15 26 9 Marian Shved 3 190 2
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
22 22 55 10 Mykhailo Mudryk 6 518 3 2
ATTACKING THIRD 2 7=
11 Oleksandr Zubkov 5 369 2
16 Dmytro Kryskiv 1 9
DISTANCE COVERED
Max. 123.6 v Celtic (h) 17 Neven Djurasek 5 86
116.3 km Min. 109.9 v Leipzig (h)
UCL rank: 16
81
81
21 Artem Bondarenko 6 487
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1%
27 Oleh Ocheretko 1 13
34 Ivan Petriak 6 176
FORWARDS
ATTEMPTS 2 Lassina Traoré 6 244 1

8 GOALS
1.3 per match; UCL rank: 15=
14 Danylo Sikan 4 101 1

3.8 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

0.6 per match; UCL rank: 32

45 GOAL ATTEMPTS
7.5 per match; UCL rank: 30=

15 ON TARGET
2.5 per match; UCL rank: 31
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 15% AGE
SAVED 27%
24.4 16 0
BLOCKED 24%
WOODWORK 4%
OFF TARGET 31% KEY FEATURES
• 1-4-1-4-1, 1-4-2-3-1
PLAYER STATISTICS • Disciplined defensively; low, compact 1-4-5-1
with narrow back four and no space between lines
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value
• Centre-back Bondar’s strong 1v1 defending;
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% second-most blocks in group stage (9)
1 Mykhailo Mudryk 3 9 6 1.1 1 Mykola Matviyenko 443 347 89 31 • Skipper Stepanenko sits in front of back four
2 Oleksandr Zubkov 2 8 3 1.0 2 Valeriy Bondar 344 285 92 32 as pivot
3 Marian Shved 2 7 3 0.4 3 Georgiy Sudakov 312 286 89 26 • Combination play in midfield, setting up
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward penetrating runs and passes behind back line
• Quick to get ball forward on transition, exploiting
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I pace of Mudryk
1 Georgiy Sudakov 2 4 0.6 1 Taras Stepanenko 31 11 12 • Switches of play to find 2v1 in wide areas,
2 Mykhailo Mudryk 2 3 1.1 2 Artem Bondarenko 29 4 7 e.g. in 4-1 win at Leipzig
3 Bohdan Mykhailichenko 2 0 0.3 3 Mykola Matviyenko 27 4 9 • Box-to-box midfielder Sudakov joint-first for
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions through balls in group stage with Messi and Kane (4)

Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down 95
 SPORTING COACH RÚBEN AMORIM
BORN: 27/01/1985,

CLUBE DE PORTUGAL
Lisboa (POR)
NATIONALITY: Portuguese
POR HEAD COACH: Since 05/03/2020
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 0
GROUP D ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
FRA TOT MAR MAR TOT FRA
W 0-3 W 2-0 L 4-1 L 0-2 D 1-1 L 1-2 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 14 5 2 7 36%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
24 8 5 11 33%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Tottenham (h)
46% First third 43% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 47%
Max. 56% v Frankfurt (a)
Min. 32% v Marseille (h) Attacking third 10%
GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 22
1 Antonio Adán 5 383
12 Franco Israel 2 154
435 81% DEFENDERS
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 2 Matheus Reis 6 508
Max. 565 v Tottenham (h) Max. 87% v Tottenham (h)
Min. 284 v Marseille (h) Min. 76% v Marseille (a), Marseille (h) 3 Jeremiah St. Juste 4 190
UCL rank: 23 UCL rank: 24
4 Sebastián Coates 5 395
13 Luís Neto 1 38
PASS DISTANCE* 10 24 Pedro Porro 5 391 1
Long 54 (12% of total) UCL rank: 2 28 10 17
28 25 Gonçalo Inácio 6 540
Medium 178 (41%) UCL rank: 20
17
Short 203 (47%) UCL rank: 25 47 Ricardo Esgaio 3 110
11
11 5 15 24 63 José Marsà 2 100
Average UCL rank 5 15
PASSES PER 24
71 Flávio Nazinho 3 119
DEFENSIVE ACTION 15.3 22 2
4 25
2 4
25 MIDFIELDERS
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
5 Hidemasa Morita 5 334 1
ATTACKING THIRD 3 6
6 Sotirios Alexandropoulos 3 119
15 Manuel Ugarte 6 468
DISTANCE COVERED
Max. 122.3 v Tottenham (a) 28 Pedro Gonçalves 5 364 1
109.1 km Min. 100.1 v Marseille (a)
UCL rank: 30
11
82 Mateus 1 29
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1%
84 Dário Essugo 1 27
FORWARDS
10 Marcus Edwards 6 357 2 1
ATTEMPTS 11 Nuno Santos 6 297 1

8 GOALS
1.3 per match; UCL rank: 15=
16 Rochinha
17 Francisco Trincão
1
6
17
388 2
18 Fatawu Issahaku 2 87

3.9 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

0.6 per match; UCL rank: 31
20 Paulinho
33 Arthur Gomes
5
3
235
110
1
2
77 Jovane Cabral 1 12

45 GOAL ATTEMPTS
7.5 per match; UCL rank: 30=

21 ON TARGET
3.5 per match; UCL rank: 24
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS Sent off:

GOALS 15% AGE Adán v Marseille (a),
SAVED 40%
24.5 17 3 Esgaio & Gonçalves
v Marseille (h)
BLOCKED 13%
WOODWORK 0%
OFF TARGET 32% KEY FEATURES
• 1-3-4-3; also 1-5-3-2
PLAYER STATISTICS • Short, quick passing game with dynamic
movement and fast attacking transitions
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value
• From pressing high, switch to deep, compact
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% 1-5-4-1 when defending
1 Francisco Trincão 2 9 4 0.5 1 Gonçalo Inácio 376 275 88 35 • Goalkeeper Adán strong on line and controlling
2 Marcus Edwards 2 7 5 0.7 2 Matheus Reis 316 251 88 31 box; first for crosses claimed (11) in group stage
3 Arthur Gomes 2 2 2 0.3 3 Manuel Ugarte 235 175 85 20 • Key midfield role of Pedro Gonçalves, showing
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward speed to lead transitions
• Attack with width, with tricky wingers (Trincão)
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I high and intelligent movement between lines
1 Marcus Edwards 1 4 0.5 1 Manuel Ugarte 43 17 13 • Influence of Edwards with dribbling, receiving
2 Pedro Gonçalves 1 4 0.3 2 Pedro Porro 23 10 4 in pockets, work rate
3 Pedro Porro 1 3 0.2 3 Gonçalo Inácio 23 1 5
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions

96 2022/23 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TECHNICAL REPORT Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down
 COACH ANTONIO CONTE

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FC
BORN: 31/07/1969,
Lecce (ITA)
NATIONALITY: Italian
ENG HEAD COACH: From 02/11/2021 to
26/03/2023
UEFA CLUB TROPHIES WON: 0
GROUP D ROUND OF 16 QUARTER-FINALS SEMI-FINALS FINAL
MAR SPO FRA FRA SPO MAR MIL MIL
W 2-0 L 2-0 D 0-0 W 3-2 D 1-1 W 1-2 L 1-0 D 0-0 Matches W D L Win%
UEFA Champions League
Matches: Pink = home, white = away, blue = neutral; see page 5 for full club names 42 15 14 13 36%
(Group stage to final)
UEFA club competition
58 26 16 16 45%
(including qualifying)
AVERAGES SHAPE
POSSESSION POSSESSION POSITION Example: v Sporting CP (h)
50% First third 29% 3 In possession 3 Out of possession
SQUAD App Min G A
Middle third 54%
Max. 59% v Sporting CP (h)
Min. 36% v Marseille(a) Attacking third 17% GOALKEEPERS
UCL rank: 15
1 Hugo Lloris 6 540
20 Fraser Forster 2 180
488 84% DEFENDERS
PASSES ATTEMPTED PASS ACCURACY 2 Matt Doherty 2 76
Max. 611 v Frankfurt (a) Max. 86% v Marseille (h)
Min. 382 v Marseille (a) Min. 80% v Milan (a) 6 Davinson Sánchez 2 19
UCL rank: 17 UCL rank: 19
77
10 10 12 Emerson 8 545
2727
14 15 Eric Dier 7 618
PASS DISTANCE 17 Cristian Romero 7 600
Long 39 (8% of total) UCL rank: 28 14 30 5 2
30 5 2 19 Ryan Sessegnon 3 154
Medium 194 (40%) UCL rank: 15
17
33
Short 254 (52%) UCL rank: 16 33
15
17 23 Pedro Porro 1 37 1
15
25 Japhet Tanganga 1 17
PASSES PER Average UCL rank
33 Ben Davies 7 389
DEFENSIVE ACTION 11.7 7
34 Clément Lenglet 7 512 1
RECOVERIES IN Average UCL rank
MIDFIELDERS
ATTACKING THIRD 4 5=
4 Oliver Skipp 4 209
11 5 Pierre-Emile Højbjerg 7 625 1
DISTANCE COVERED
Max. 130.7 v Marseille (a) 7 Heung-Min Son 8 622 2 2
120.4 km Min. 115.6 v Sporting CP (a)
UCL rank: 2 14 Ivan Perišić 7 574 3
*Decimal points account for the extra/missing 1%
16 Arnaut Danjuma 1 9
21 Dejan Kulusevski 4 200
29 Pape Sarr 1 90
ATTEMPTS 30 Rodrigo Bentancur 6 506 1
38 Yves Bissouma 3 89
8 GOALS
1 per match; UCL rank: 21=
FORWARDS
9 Richarlison 6 365 2

10.0 EXPECTED GOALS (xG)

1.3 per match; UCL rank: 22
10 Harry Kane
11 Bryan Gil
8
4
720
37
1 2

27 Lucas Moura 3 175

97 GOAL ATTEMPTS
12.1 per match; UCL rank: 19=

32 ON TARGET
4 per match; UCL rank: 18=
App = Appearances; Min = Minutes played; G = Goals; A = Assists

AVERAGE CARDS
GOALS 8% AGE
SAVED 30%
26.3 20 1 Sent off:
Romero v AC Milan (h)
BLOCKED 26%
WOODWORK 1%
OFF TARGET 35% KEY FEATURES
• 1-3-4-2-1; 1-5-4-1 defensively
PLAYER STATISTICS • Compact in defence with counterattacking
approach
Where totals are equal, rank is decided by next value
• Energy and pressing of Højbjerg in midfield
GOALS G S OT xG PASSES Att R S% PF% – 50 recoveries in group stage
1 Heung-Min Son 2 15 8 1.6 1 Eric Dier 460 339 90 30 • Box-to-box Bentancur influential with ability
2 Richarlison 2 10 3 1.2 2 Pierre-Emile Højbjerg 436 360 89 28 to progress the ball
3 Harry Kane 1 22 6 3.6 3 Cristian Romero 426 300 90 34 • Power in air: highest percentage of aerial duels
G = Goals; S = Shots; OT = On Target; xG = Expected Goals Att = Attempted; R = Passes Received; S = Successful; PF = Pass Forward won in group stage (63.1%)
• Narrow front three with width from wing-backs
CHANCE CREATION A KP xA DEFENDING BR TW I • Crossing of Perišić – third-most completed
1 Ivan Perišić 3 7 1.8 1 Pierre-Emile Højbjerg 57 8 11 crosses in group stage (12)
2 Heung-Min Son 2 11 1.2 2 Cristian Romero 41 9 10 • Intelligent vertical play with balls behind
3 Harry Kane 2 6 0.7 3 Rodrigo Bentancur 41 7 5 defence looking for fast attackers
A = Assists; KP = Key Passes; xA= Expected Assists BR = Balls Recovered; TW = Tackles Won; I = Interceptions

Rankings on this page may be based on figures before they are rounded up or down 97
THE 1991 FK Crvena zvezda CREDITS
CHAMPIONS 1990 AC Milan
UEFA technical observers
1989 AC Milan David Adams, Wayne Allison, Packie Bonner, Cosmin Contra,
Frank de Boer, Corinne Diacre, Dušan Fitzel, Frans Hoek, David
1988 PSV Eindhoven James, Robbie Keane, Stefan Kuntz, Hans Leitert, Roberto
Martínez, Ginés Meléndez, Michael O’Neill, Mixu Paatelainen,
2023 Manchester City FC 1987 FC Porto Marians Pahars, Vera Pauw, Stipe Pletikosa, Gus Poyet, Peter
Rudbæk, Willi Ruttensteiner, Willy Sagnol, Thomas Schaaf,
2022 Real Madrid CF 1986 FC Steaua Bucureşti Gareth Southgate, Giovanni van Bronckhorst
2021 Chelsea FC 1985 Juventus Performance analysis lead
Atle Rosseland
2020 FC Bayern München 1984 Liverpool FC
Data collection lead
2019 Liverpool FC 1983 Hamburger SV Krzysztof Waloszczyk

2018 Real Madrid CF 1982 Aston Villa FC Writer

Simon Hart
2017 Real Madrid CF 1981 Liverpool FC
Editorial and review
Thomas Cooper, Jozef Zahorsky
2016 Real Madrid CF 1980 Nottingham Forest FC
UEFA technical director
2015 FC Barcelona 1979 Nottingham Forest FC Zvonimir Boban
2014 Real Madrid CF 1978 Liverpool FC UEFA head of technical development
Frank K. Ludolph
2013 FC Bayern München 1977 Liverpool FC
UEFA publications manager
2012 Chelsea FC 1976 FC Bayern München Emmanuel Deconche

2011 FC Barcelona 1975 FC Bayern München Managing editor

Michael Harrold
2010 FC Internazionale Milano 1974 FC Bayern München
Art Director
2009 FC Barcelona 1973 AFC Ajax Oliver Meikle

Design
2008 Manchester United FC 1972 AFC Ajax Ned Read, Emma King, Tom Radford, André Viegas
2007 AC Milan 1971 AFC Ajax Artworking
Deborah Mullen
2006 FC Barcelona 1970 Feyenoord
Sub-editors
2005 Liverpool FC 1969 AC Milan Andrew Haslam, Luke Nicoli, Aaryan Parasnis

2004 FC Porto 1968 Manchester United FC Statistics

Redzone, Stats Perform, UEFA Data Services
2003 AC Milan 1967 Celtic FC
Production
2002 Real Madrid CF 1966 Real Madrid CF Kat Rickards, Andrew Sam

2001 FC Bayern München 1965 FC Internazionale Milano Date collection software

HUDL SportsCode, Angles
2000 Real Madrid CF 1964 FC Internazionale Milano Video telestration software
VIZ Libero
1999 Manchester United FC 1963 AC Milan
Translators
1998 Real Madrid CF 1962 SL Benfica French: Sébastien Blanchard, Sandra Perchaud, Cécile
Pierreclos, Sébastien Plader, Aurélien Sagnier, Anna Simon,
1997 Borussia Dortmund 1961 SL Benfica Isabelle Zakman
German: Sybille Baldenhofer, Marten Hinz, Helene Kubasky,
1996 Juventus 1960 Real Madrid CF Robert Paulig, Frédéric Wyler
1995 AFC Ajax 1959 Real Madrid CF Photography
Getty Images, UEFA
1994 AC Milan 1958 Real Madrid CF
Print
1993 Olympique de Marseille 1957 Real Madrid CF Artgraphic Cavin, Grandson

1992 FC Barcelona 1956 Real Madrid CF Designed and produced by TwelfthMan on behalf of UEFA

©UEFA 2023. All rights reserved. The UEFA word, the UEFA
Champions League logo and trophy are protected by trade
marks and/or copyright of UEFA. No use for commercial
purposes may be made of such trade marks.

To view technical reports from all

UEFA competitions, please visit Printed Matter
uefatechnicalreports.com myclimate.org/01-23-270757