Published; September 2014 Stevie Grieve/@StevieGrieve StevieGrieve@hotmail.com Tactical Analysis What to look for to become a tactical analyst What do I look for when analysing Attacking Tactics? • Formation as a starting point • Patterns of play • Common movement patterns • Lines of play • Circulation/Penetration/Width/Rotations • Positioning and ‘Uniqueness’ • Controlling transitions before they happen • The attacking ‘process’ Build Up Play – Starting Positions • Shape in possession, normally a clear indication of which formation is used Roma 4-3-3 Arsenal 4-2-3-1, Bayern 4-2-3-1, Chile 3-2-3-2 • Look for circulation patterns • Look for something ‘Unique’ or new Starting Positions Roma’s full backs stay slightly deep while the midfield control the play. Florenzi and Gervinho stay high on the sides while the full backs are used as wall players who stay behind the ball in most cases. Pjanic controls the 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 midfield rotations with Di Rossi and Strootman, who rotates with Gervinho on the left side Starting Positions Bayern’s Full Backs – Alaba and Rafinha are rarely as wide as Guardiola used Abidal and Alves Alaba and Rafinha are ‘pinched’ and play in ‘half spaces’ between the centre and touch lines, specifically to pass straight between wide midfielders and lateral central midfielders and have a wider outlet. This position is also for quick defensive transitions after the ball is lost – less distance (around 10m) to recover to position than from a wider position Starting Positions Chile’s wing backs are very advanced, trying to push forward to force back the full backs, freeing up some space for the lateral centre back to advance with the ball in possession. Both CF’s stay close and only split wide if the AM can break through with a late run, keeping the CB’s narrow with the WB’s 1v1 on the side. The deepest midfielders control possession and try to find the WB’s 1v1 and then support wide. What can we tell from the formation? • We can tell where the players will reshape to if possession is won and the ball is passed back to the defensive line or GK • We can see where players movement patterns come from • We can see who rotates and where to • We can see if players are in ‘orthodox positions’ or not – Bayern; Full Backs ‘pinched’ Analysis; Patterns of Play Patterns of Play Barcelona 2010 Villa & Pedro; Wide-Centre Runs Iniesta and Messi positioned on the inside, pull wide when Pedro and Villa move inside to occupy 4 positions across the defensive line between the lines and on the defensive line Barcelona ‘Bowl’ front 6 Villa and Pedro out side to run diagonal inside between full back and centre back offering passes from all angles Alves on right and Abidal or Alba high on left to stretch the defensive line Messi plays as a ‘false 9’ between the lines and is unmarked Iniesta drifts between midfield and attack Barcelona ‘Bowl Attack’ The idea was to place 3 or 4 players centrally between the lines, to either leave the full back free, high on the outside to stretch the defensive line, or for the full back to be picked up and leave one of the lateral attacking midfielders free on the inside between the lines. With 6 players high but no CF, they could overload and penetrate quickly via Messi/Iniesta dribbling & passing or Villa/Pedro running behind the defence. Analysis; Movement Patterns Common Movement Patterns Arsenal v Liverpool 2013/2014 Arsenal v Liverpool • Play in the zone directly infront of the lateral centre backs in the back 3 • Draw pressure and exploit the space behind • Rosicky moves inside when in possession to play 4v3 in midfield then drift wide to press • Giroud occupies far side CB • Gibbs stays deep on left to play 3v2 on counter v Sturridge and Suarez Adapting to opposition tactical change • Liverpool adapted the cover the space with a deeper defensive midfielder to play 3-4-1-2 instead of 3-3-2-2 • Arsenal reacted with placing Ozil and Giroud on the near side CB to bounce 1-2s and try to overload the same zone • Rosicky would play deeper to make late runs or incase the 1-2s were unsuccessful Transition Management • Borussia Dortmund are the best team in the world at transition management – each attack is planned, movements are rehearsed • In the event of transition, players are positioned to counterpress or get back into an organised 4-4-1-1 or 4-4-2 block • Transition Management is shaping the team to be ready before the event of a likely turnover of possession ie from a direct ‘vertical’ attack • When starting a counter attack, the players must still be aware of the possibility of losing possession and must move in a way that allows the attack to deal with becoming the defensive team • Normally, a 4-2 or 3-2 block allows for transition coverage Tactical Analysis; Lines of Play Lines of Play Roma 2013/2014 Lines of Play Positioning and movements off the lines in the build up phase Most top teams use 4 or 5 clear lines of play for positioning in possession Lines of Play Positioning and movements in the Penetration Phase Roma • Totti likes to drop off and play as a ‘false 9’ in the penetration phase, as his pace isn’t as effective as his vision or passing ability • Roma like to play quickly through the lines with regularly 2 runners ahead of the ball • Always look to penetrate through the back 4 • Gervinho is regularly left 1v1 from a switch of play due to his incredible burst of speed Tactical Analysis; Circulation/Width/ Penetration/Rotations Width in attack via the wing backs with CM Rotation Chile 2014 v Spain Rotations Example of players changing position from the starting point to move to new areas, allowing other players to occupy a different position, moving the opposition players into new positions to create spaces to attack into Barcelona Left side Iniesta and Alba Rotation • Iniesta starts wide and likes to drift between the lines or dribble inside • Alba recreates the width on the left • Alba likes to overlap to attack on the blindside • Iniesta likes to play 1-2s and look for diagonals • Iniesta moving inside often overloads 5v3 in the centre with Messi as a ‘false 9’ Chelsea Rotations Hazard, Oscar & Willian • Hazard is free to move between the lines and drag full backs with him to create wide space • Central AM is allowed to make diagonal runs wide to drag away marking DM or overload on the side with the wide AM • 3rd man passes when possible • Luiz covers behind rotations to counter-press Adapting to Opposition Tactical Instructions • Agger is following Hazard, stopping him from turning regularly • Agger is now faced with Eto’o in his zone, so needs to react fast and decide to stay with Eto’o or follow Hazard • Lampard plays outside of Lucas, stopping him from covering Hazards receiving zone • Willian makes centre-wide runs to drag Lucas Penetration / Playing between the lines Occupation of the space between the opponents midfield and defensive lines, allowing for penetration to expose the back 4 through eliminating the midfield FC Porto • Porto exploited the 3v2 advantage in central midfield with the #10 between the lines • If the direct pass wasn’t available, a wide player would tuck in and offer an alternative pass. • Once between the lines, they always had runners to offer passes behind the defence Tactical Analysis; Positioning and ‘Uniqueness’ Bayern Munich; Pep Guardiola 2013/2014 & 2014/2015 Playing in the Consolidation Phase • Overloads in central midfield (3v2/4v3/5v4) • Targeted attacking • Specific zone occupation • Keep the ball until you can go forward with the receiver able to continue the attack Overloading Central Midfield Bayern Munich Half Space occupation to occupy the full back, leaving the outside space free, providing the opportunity to draw the opponent narrow to advance around the outside and stretch the block Wide Zone Overloading Ensuring that when the ball is wide that the ball can be retained, drawing over more defenders, using a ‘rondo’ to exit the area and attacking the spaces created from drawing opponents over Playing in the Penetration/Finishing Phase • Positioning in/around the box • Transition cover • #10 Movements • Patterns of play • Targeted attacks #10 Movement Movement to drag away the #6 ‘Central Winger’ Run • A run made by a central attacking midfielder into a wide position, normally marked, creating space in the centre • If unmarked, it leaves a 2v1/3v2 on the side • Used commonly by players who like to play in wide areas but are marked closely by FBs • Can be used just to drag away a DM to leave space for the far side winger to move inside • Often found via a 3rd man pass unmarked Dragging Away the DM • When man-marked by the #6/DM, drifting wide will open up space if marked, or leave the #10 free if unmarked • The run doesn’t have to be a sprint • Different type of movement to the central winger run who will be found on the touchline • Used by players who are found between the lines and are closely followed Creating Space Movement to score from a cross with 2 up Pizarro and Mandzukic • Playing over a tight defence can be a way to beat the defensive block • Very difficult to find space as a 1, so often 2 or 3 players will need to move to create enough space to lose a marker and be free • Muller makes a run to the front to Koscielny • Pizarro makes a similar run, drawing both CB’s narrow, opening a space • Muller rotates slowly back to where he started before attacking the space created when the cross can be made Attacking ‘Processes’ The idea of using the ideas of the opposition against them to exploit the spaces left. This can mean allowing the opponent to press by holding onto the ball or passing to specific areas to then attack a specific space which may be left open Provocation Passing the ball into an area which will trigger the press from a specific player ie the full back, resulting in space being left behind the pressure allowing for a runner to attack the space behind Another way of doing this is to continually place the ball into an area with runners around a weak opponent and stress him into mistakes Using the opposition Game Plan against them When you know what the opposition will do when the ball is in various areas, you can use this information to work around it, exploiting the opponents game plan to work to your advantage Valencia v Benfica • Benfica’s CMs always press when slow in possession • After the press, the ‘10 would drift to the blindside to offer from the FB • They knew space was available between FB and CM – wide AM’s drift inside to receive • If both CM’s pressed, the ball was passed down the line then inside to hit the space Specific Targeting This may be where a team attacks in a way that stresses an opponent that after several attacks, mistakes will be made and the attack will find a way through to have a chance to score. Example – 6ft 4 winger v 5ft 9 full back Target for high balls, flick ons and runners from all angles to attack the flick on What do I look for when analysing Defending Tactics? • Formation as a starting position • Block Height • ‘Special’/specific player marking/overloading • Compactness • Pressing triggers and traps • Defensive flexibility • The defending ‘process’ Starting Defensive Formation Teams defend in different shapes; Narrow, wide and variable blocks Some teams attack in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-31 but defend 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 to provide more organisation in midfield to protect the back 4 Atletico Madrid • Very rigid 4-4-2 block, often 4-4-2-0 • Occasionally 4-1-4-1 if the far side DM arcs round to cover between the lines while a CF will drop or go wide as the WM tucks in • Very, Very Compact on the side of the ball when possible • Minimal space between the lines available • Each player covers a specific zone and player Roma • Normally a 4-2-3-1 but sometimes a 4-1-4-1 depending on Strootman’s position • If CB drifts to HWL with ball, he will close down the space and block passing lane to the player he leaves behind • Block very narrow, leaving sides open to press • Wide players block passing lanes from CB – FB • Happy to deal with long balls to CF from CB Defending in deep areas How do teams change shape or prioritize defending specific areas when the ball is in the final 3rd? Roma; Defending the centre in the final 3rd • Wingers or Strootman in wide position cover the outside of the LB • Di Rossi often drops between CBs to make a 5 • Back 4 within the width of the penalty box • 3 CM’s make a triangle infront of the CB’s • Minimal space between players, 10m max Defending from wide positions Will the defence stay as 4 or become a 5 or 6? Does anyone drop into the defensive line? Zone coverage Man coverage Who closes down if the FB is beaten? Which zone is the GK responsible for? Who deals with a cutback, and which player? Mourinho’s Porto 2004 • Defending in the final 3rd centrally • They ensure there are 3 players across the 6 yard line • 1 player covering zone 14 • An equality or overload on the side • A transition player for when possession is won Dealing with a cutback • Players retreat to defensive position but communicate to show which player is responsible for a player who can receive • Is the attacker left or right footed? • Which angles can be passed to • Covering zone 14 • Defensive midfielders positioning • Blocking passing angles Moving out as a group The full defensive line must be aware that when they push out, the attack may try to beat the offside line with a blindside run and a quick pass over the top of the defence. All defenders must be aware of movement around them, especially 3rd man on the blindside, diagonal wide-centre runs and when passing on markers who drift across the line. Ajax’s wingers are very deep, making a back 6 Playing Offside What triggers could exist for playing offside? Pressure on the ball Only 1 pass available Attacker unable to see the defensive line Centre Back Leaving The Unit Should only be used with tight cover around the pressing CB Narrow Midfield and Wide Defence Madrid v Barcelona used a wide defence to deal with the common switch to the winger, while the midfield 4 became narrow to play 4v3 in central midfield, enticing the full backs forward to the 2 strikers and wingers could exploit the space on the counter attack Midfield Defending; Central Areas • Play equal or +1 in the centre when possible • Wide players track wingers/full backs • Full backs tuck in to make narrow back 4 • Defensive line can look like a back 6 • Compact spaces between the lines • Directing play one way or back when possible via positioning and body shape Midfield Defending; Wide Areas • No more than +1 on the side • Use touchline as extra defender • Don’t allow penetration in 1v1 • Direct play away from centre diagonally • Double up when a turnover is possible via an agreed ‘pressing trigger’ Man-Man in central midfield 3v3 • A lot of teams now play 3v3 in central midfield and will mark man-man to stop teams playing through the centre, forcing play wide to where they can press the opposition with the touchline as an extra defender • I feel that the next ‘evolution’ will see more teams using a pentagonal midfield to counter teams using a diamond Defending Throw Ins A lot of teams compact the area around the ball and attempt to man mark, while some teams like Atletico Madrid and Dortmund, offer a pass to a specific player and ‘trap’ the player to be pressed from all angles in an attempt to win the ball back from the throw in Block Height & Width • High of 1st player pressure • Compactness between lines • Distance between deepest & highest defender • Distance between players Marking the #6 Zonal Marking responsibility Directing play away from the ‘Axis’ Cutting the field in half Compactness • Horizontal (from the side) • Vertical (between lines) • Triangulation • Man-Marking Responsibilities • Covering spaces behind pressure Horizontal Compactness • Players play very close to each other when the ball is in the wide area • Intensity in pressing to regain in wide areas • Directing play back to where it came from or backwards • Leaves team weak against a switch of play Vertical Compactness • Minimal space between the 1st defender and last defender (less than 32m) • Ready to press any forward passes • Ready to cover behind the pressing players • Normally combined with directing play inside Pressing Triggers/Pressing Traps • Directing Play • Offering space for passes/dribbles • Co-ordinated movement to press • Flooding zones to overload & regain • Making play predictable via ‘directing play’ and covering the space behind High Pressing Man-Man • Equality in pressing numbers • Responsibility for 1 man • Discourage short passes • ‘Unique Pressing’ Deliberate ‘Mis-Placed Pass A pass made to an opponent who can be double pressed to eliminate and re-attack the space Zonal Flooding • Offering wide passes by starting narrow then sprint wide in groups • ‘Triggering’ the overloaded press • Using the touchline as a defender • Often regaining possession via predictability via Man-Marking and mass overloading (+2,+3) • Players ready to cover the ‘exit’ spaces ANY QUESTIONS?
