RB Leipzig Football Formation

Starting Lineup

RB Leipzig plays a high press style of football. They use a 2-5-3 formation. This lineup is built to win the ball back high up the pitch and move the ball forward with speed. The goal is to squeeze the space and force errors from the opposition in their own half.

Gulacsi stays in goal to manage the defensive line and command his area. The back line features only two central defenders, Lukeba and Orban. They play a high line to squeeze the space and force the opposition to go direct. Both Lukeba and Orban must be able to win the header and cover the wide space behind the midfield. Lukeba uses his interception ability to stop attacks before they reach the box.

A heavy five man midfield controls the center of the pitch. Geertruida and Raum sit on the right and left to shield the two defenders and help recycle possession. Schlager and Seiwald work as a central pair to win the second ball and protect the middle. Baumgartner plays as an attacking ten in the hole to connect the defensive and attacking lines. He looks to receive on the half turn and play through the lines to the strikers and break the lines.

The front line uses three attackers to stretch the defence. Openda acts as the central striker to find the feet of his teammates or use his pace to run in behind the defense. Nusa and Bakayoko play as wide players to provide width. Nusa stays wide to pull defenders apart while Bakayoko looks to cut inside into the half spaces to create chances. They press from the front to trigger a press and force the opposition into mistakes.

This formation offers a major advantage for RB Leipzig through numerical superiority in the midfield. This allows the team to dominate possession and win the second ball in the middle third. They also benefit from a very high speed of transition. When they win the ball, they can hit in behind on the transition and exploit the space before the opponent can recover or set the offside trap to catch them.

This 2-5-3 lineup is best suited for an aggressive, vertical style of play. It is most effective against teams that try to play out from the back under pressure.