Narrowing the defense, reducing the distance between players, effectively compresses the opponent's passing lanes and prevents through balls.
How to break through it?
Tuchel had already provided the answer.
When an opponent played a penetrative pass, the VfL Wolfsburg defenders would immediately track back and cover the space.
This is where you'd need a player with exceptional speed, like Schürrle.
But that wasn't the main point.
The crucial question for the match was: how could one play a penetrative pass through VfL Wolfsburg's compact, deep-lying defense?
After two rounds of the Bundesliga, most experienced coaches had identified VfL Wolfsburg's problem.
Or rather, this problem had already been exposed when McLaren was coaching Twente.
A high press in midfield inevitably creates gaps between the midfield and defense, making it difficult to maintain formational integrity.
Opponents would certainly exploit these gaps.
Dortmund had a similar problem.
