Champions League Performance Insights: How to start and stop a rush of goals

"They have to have the confidence that if they score in the first 15 minutes, the fans are going to be behind them and the energy from that will give them a few extra per cent."

The words above come from UEFA Technical Observer Frank de Boer as he looks ahead to this week's UEFA Champions League round of 16 second legs, putting himself in the shoes of those teams with a deficit to overturn.

There were four goals per game in a high-scoring set of first-leg fixtures and one notable theme, observed by De Boer and the UEFA game insights unit, concerned the fast starts made by a significant number of teams. Atlético de Madrid hit their opening goal after six minutes, Galatasaray after seven, Paris Saint-Germain after ten and Bayern after 12. If this reflects the broader tendency for open, attacking football in this season's competition – with its average of 3.47 goals per game – the context of this week's matches, with five sides facing a deficit of three or more goals, means we can surely expect even more intensity from the off.

Hitting the ground running

To illustrate this theme of teams starting with a blast of speed and directness – such as that seen from Newcastle against Barcelona last week – consider the statistic above that there were more shots overall (36) in the opening 15 minutes of the first-leg matches than in any other 15-minute period of the games. How was that achieved?

The video below displays the various ingredients, starting with Atleti’s direct running and balls in behind against Tottenham Hotspur, which lead to Antoine Griezmann scoring.

Chelsea feature in clip two with their tempo-sustaining restart while clip three displays Paris’ 1v1s, counter-pressing and crosses into the box ahead of Bradley Barcola's opening goal. The final example comes from Liverpool at Galatasaray as they pressed high up the pitch – something we can certainly expect more of at Anfield as the Reds look to bounce back from their 1-0 loss in Istanbul.

There are ways for teams to mitigate against the impact of an early onslaught – for example, an occasional longer kick forward can alleviate the pressure that can build when playing out from the back. An exceptional example came from Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois with the ball to Federico Valverde that turned into an assist against Manchester City, seen in the video below.

According to De Boer, there are details that a coach can work on. He explains: "You have to try to get the opposition towards you and if they press in a certain way, everybody will know: 'OK, there's going to be a long ball and if we don't win the first ball, we have to win the second one.'

"You also ask, who's good at protecting the ball with his body or good with his head to have a flick-on? For example, Liverpool do it with Mohamed Salah because he's always very good at protecting himself."

Emergency defending

Amid the rush of first-leg goals, there were outstanding examples of last-ditch defending too, and these are the focus of the third video below.

In knockout football, with games in the balance, every single action can make a difference and, as De Boer knows, it is not just attackers who can cover themselves in glory. The former Ajax, Barcelona and Netherlands centre-back has a vivid memory of a crucial intervention he made during Ajax's 1995 Champions League final win over AC Milan.

"Milan had a free kick and we always man-marked but I saw that they tried to trick us and chipped it over to the other side," he recalls. "I left my man and headed the ball away and had I not anticipated it, that would have been a really big chance. For me, that was one of the highlights of that final."

Last week's first legs showcased similar emergency defending from Real Madrid's Antonio Rüdiger, Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhães, Atalanta's Berat Djimsiti and Man City's Rúben Dias. Citing the Rüdiger example, where the German – facing his own goal – uses his weaker foot to deny Erling Haaland, De Boer says the key is anticipation: "It's important as a defender that you're proactive – that you're anticipating and not reacting. Normally, when you react, you're too late. Rüdiger is already anticipating: 'The ball's coming and I have to cover this space because I know the striker will be there.'"

Another element is courage – "You have to have a brave heart," attests De Boer – and there is no stronger example than Gabriel's block in clip three as he literally puts his neck on the line for his team. Arsenal use sponge balls on the training ground to practise blocking shots with all parts of their body and the fruits of that work are seen in Gabriel's body position.

As De Boer observes, "it's not really natural defending like this as your arms provide your balance", yet Gabriel manages to keep his arms behind his body when making the block.

Citing Rúben Dias' magnificent intervention in clip four, De Boer concludes: "What sets the best defenders apart is they can sniff the danger. They know where their own man is but are also alert to the situation around them. If somebody makes a small mistake or lets his man go, they'll cover it and that's the difference between a really good defender and one who's just reacting rather than anticipating."

Coaching reflection – Getting the mindset right for a comeback

How should a coach approach a second-leg tie when his team face a big deficit? For Frank de Boer, the right mentality is vital.

He explains: "As a coach, you try to get into your players' heads that nothing is impossible and tell them if the opposition can score three goals in one half, as Real Madrid did against Man City, then you have 90 minutes to do it. Your message is: 'If we score one in the first half, then in the second half anything's possible.'

"You want to get your players to believe in their own qualities and try to get the best out of themselves to do something historic. I'd be telling them: 'We have a really good team and we can score three goals. We have to take risks but if everybody is concentrated for 90 minutes, it's possible.'

"Also, you can use your press conference to motivate your supporters so that they really feel the importance of the occasion: 'If we want to do something historic, we need you.' Then, from the first second, your players have to show the fans they're willing to sacrifice everything to get a great result. That means positive body language, pressing, intensity. It's really important so that your fans see you really mean it."

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