Italy have been left behind with man-marking approach, and if Germany go down this path it could happen to them too
I
n Germany, coaches used to say: “Follow your opponent right into the loo!” That was the call to man-mark. So defenders weren’t meant to think too deeply. This retro tactical approach has been making an unexpected comeback since Atalanta won the Europa League in 2024 using this method.
Against a team with a significantly superior individual quality, you naturally don’t stand a chance with man-marking. Atalanta had to learn that the hard way in the Champions League last 16. Bayern enjoyed absurdly vast spaces and scored 10 goals. Rarely has a knockout-stage match been so one-sided.
I hope that the right conclusions are drawn from this in Germany, because I’m now seeing man-marking more frequently in the Bundesliga again. Yet it can only be a short-term measure if you want to surprise the opponent and put them under pressure, as in handball just before the final whistle. It is not, however, a strategy for the whole match. A football pitch is too big for that.
