When observing the career of Thomas Reis, it is obvious to see where his allegiances lie. As a player, Reis played for VfL Bochum from to and featured for the club times.
When taking the position as head coach, Bochum were stationed within the 2. Most teams in their first season after promotion do not look very high when evaluating where they can finish, hoping to just stay alive. This thought may have crossed the minds of Bochum coaches and hierarchy, but this has not been the case, as Bochum are the surprise package of the Bundesliga. Die Unabsteigbaren find themselves 11th place in the table, which can be viewed as a massive achievement, along with beating Bayern Munich and a derby day draw against Borussia Dortmund.
There are instances when league position is not the best indicator to showcase the level of a team. With the use of advanced metrics, we can get closer to evaluating just how good a team is. Regarding Bochum, they sit 11th in the xPTS points table. It is apparent that their 11th place position is no fluke, so far. Within the tactical analysis , I will be piecing together what makes Bochum such an interesting side, regarding their ways of progressing forward and defensive tactics.
Beautiful football connotes interchanges within attack, short passing exchanges and wonderful team goals. While this type of football is stunning to watch, we must not forget there are other ways to win football matches. Thomas Reis utilises either a , or formation, and as the formation may change between games, the principles remain the same.
This way of playing is effective as it can create numerical superiority against two opposition pressers, or at least have an even matchup against a pressing front three. The goalkeeper is quite comfortable on the ball, as he can pivot across the box and be a viable passing option.
