A Comparison of the Deep and Attacking Playmaker: Statistical and Tactical Analysis

The playmaker has always been an instrumental piece in football. Responsible for the orchestration of their teams attacks, every successful team has used one, from Il Grande Inter's Luis Suárez to the great Johan Cruijff, playmaker of the Total Football Netherlands side. Without one, a team's chances are greatly reduced, as there is no player with the responsibility of creating these chances. With one, they can dictate the tempo of the match better, and repeatedly cut through an opposition defence through precise passing to the forwards. 

Embracing their Lack of Strikers - Could Liverpool fit a 4-6-0?

The striker-less formation has been dubbed by many as the next tactical innovation to become a common sight in football in the coming few years. This inventive system originated from Luciano Spalletti's AS Roma side in 2007, when he was somewhat forced to play without a striker due to an injury crisis in their front line. This 4-6-0 looked rather similar to a 4-3-3, homogeneous to Barcelona's 4-3-3 which saw the false 9 Lionel Messi drop into the brilliant midfield of Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets. In Spalletti's system it was the original false 9, Francesco Totti who dropped deep into another creative midfield which accommodated Pizarro, De Rossi and Perrotta.

Tactical Preview: Liverpool vs. Manchester United

Thought the match will be all about the awful findings over the cover up of the Hillsborough disaster, the match between Liverpool and Manchester United could be very interesting. With the Anfield side sitting at a lowly 18th, after a poor start to the season from Rodgers' team, and their rivals United in 5th, winning all three matches after their opening day defeat vs. Moyes' Everton.

The pressure is being put on Rodger's to change his tiki-taka philosophy, though we all know he won't, and he shouldn't, though especially with their near rivals Everton sitting 2nd, I think some Liverpool fans might disagree with that. This match could be pivotal for the Manager from Northern Ireland. Should he lose, the pressure would get a lot heavier on him, whereas if they manage to walk away with a crucial three points, the momentum could really kick-start their season.

MOTM Analysis - Swansea 0 - 3 Everton - Marouane Fellaini

Marouane Fellaini can do nothing wrong at the moment, the Belgian is an influence on everything Everton do, he was vital in their win against Manchester United at the start of the season scoring the only goal, he got his name on the score sheet again in their 3-1 win over Villa, and in the Toffees' latest match against Swansea, the giant midfielder was again man of the match after setting up Anichebe and scoring a goal for himself.

What makes the 4-2-3-1 Better than the 4-4-2? Part 3: Versatility

Being a slight variation of the 4-4-2, you would expect the 4-2-3-1 to play similarly and be of around the same effectiveness, however this is not the case. The latter formation has taken over from it's predecessor as probably the most common formation in the top leagues, alongside the 4-3-3 primarily due to it's versatility and effectiveness - something which the 4-4-2 is neither.

So, what sets these too similar formations apart? Why is one so more effective than the other, whilst being very much alike? One of the reasons as to why the 4-2-3-1 is so widely used is simply it's versatility, you'll be able to find this formation alongside nearly every playing style, from counter-attacking to tiki-taka.

Chelsea 2 - 2 Juventus - Quagliarella Scores a late Equaliser after Poor Defending from Chelsea

Unlike their Champions League campaign last year, poor defending cost Chelsea after Juventus come back from two goals down in their opening matches of the Champions League. Both sides set out in their expected systems, Carerra of Juventus using the 3-5-2 which brought them great success last season as they went unbeaten to win the Scudetto. Di Matteo lined up his Chelsea team in his favoured 4-2-3-1 system, one surprise was that he let new signing Oscar to start, which ultimately payed off as he scored both goals for the European Champions.

My Thoughts On: Touré's Position at Manchester City

Yaya Touré is probably one of the most complete midfielders in the World. The Ivorian has everything, from a great passing range to his incredible strength. Because of his versatility, Mancini has used him in two main midfield roles, holding, and attacking. Within both, the 6"3 midfielder has played a box to box role, since if he played either position in their common role, his quality in every aspect of the game would be wasted.

With players such as David Silva, Sergio Aguero, and Samir Nasri all capable of playing in the attacking midfield slot, Toure's main role in City's championship winning side was in holding midfield, given little freedom to go forward on one of his brilliant runs from deep.

Marouane Fellaini - Everton's Catalyst

One of the prime examples of David Moyes' excellent business in the transfer window is Marouane Fellaini. The Belgian international joined the Goodison Park club in September for a fee of £15m, a record for both a Belgian player and a signing for Everton. Fellaini's choice of club was definitely an unusual one, the midfielder rejected offers from Manchester United, Tottenham, Real Madrid and even Aston Villa before signing for the Toffees.

Guest Article: Injury Time Equaliser - Could the 4-6-0 Become a Common Sight?

This year’s World Cup saw Spain raise a few eyebrows as they started their campaign without a recognised striker when they lined up against Italy. Torres, Negredo and Llorente watched on from the subs bench as Vicente Del Bosque packed the park with small, tricky and agile midfield players.

Down to 10 Men - The Best Formation?

A big tactical conundrum for managers is how to react after having a player sent off. If it's early in, should they make a substitution? Where in their side should they play with the numerical disadvantage, midfield and lose out on possession or take a striker off and look to try and get a 1-0? In this article, I will lightly go through the the most common formation for 10 men and then go through an idea which I came up with that I think could be effective.

 

What makes the 4-2-3-1 Better than the 4-4-2? Part 2: Defending

Being a slight variation of the 4-4-2, you would expect the 4-2-3-1 to play similarly and be of around the same effectiveness, however this is not the case. The latter formation has taken over from it's predecessor as probably the most common formation in the top leagues, alongside the 4-3-3 primarily due to it's versatility and effectiveness - something which the 4-4-2 is neither.

So, what sets these too similar formations apart? Why is one so more effective than the other, whilst being very much alike? There are a few factors which are the answer to this question, one of them being that the 4-2-3-1 has more lines of players than the 4-4-2, this allows it to have a staggered set-up, giving a side benefits in both defence and attack.

My Thoughts On: The Attacking Midfield Position for England

Hodgson and Cleverley after the Moldova match

Glenn Hoddle - "I thought Cleverley did very well. I like the way he plays and moves; he creates space for himself and for others, which gives the team more options."

The England midfield in a 4-4-2 has been the same for years now, Lampard and Gerrard. In recent times however, with Hodgson's introduction of a 3rd midfielder and the two England legends getting on a bit, we are bound to soon see a new midfield for the Three Lions, but the question is who?

What makes the 4-2-3-1 Better than the 4-4-2? Part 1: Staggered Positions

Being a slight variation of the 4-4-2, you would expect the 4-2-3-1 to play similarly and be of around the same effectiveness, however this is not the case. The latter formation has taken over from it's predecessor as probably the most common formation in the top leagues, alongside the 4-3-3 primarily due to it's versatility and effectiveness - something which the 4-4-2 is neither.

So, what sets these too similar formations apart? Why is one so more effective than the other, whilst being very much alike? There are a few factors which are the answer to this question, one of them being that the 4-2-3-1 has more lines of players than the 4-4-2, this allows it to have a staggered set-up, giving a side benefits in both defence and attack.

Is the Winger a Dying Breed?

In modern football, players are required to play complex roles, which involves them doing more than just 'what it says on the tin'. An example of one of the now few simple roles is that of the winger's. There has been many great names made on the chalk of the touchline, from Ryan Giggs to George Best.

My Thoughts On: Radamel Falcao's Future Employers

After scoring 4 against Chelsea in the Super Cup final, the footballing World has finally recognised the ability of Radamel Falcao. As it happens with everyone bar the Messis and Ronaldos, the hype for the Colombian striker has increased after such an awe-inspiring performance for Madrid, and the ex-Porto striker is being linked with quite a few clubs, along with a price tag of €48m, the same price Atletico payed Porto last season for him.

Countering Possession Football: An Analysis of Two Contrasting Strategies

Playing against teams such as Barcelona and Spain can be very tricky, not just because of the sheer quality of their players, but their tiki-taka play style. With the fact that they can dominate you start to finish, there isn't much you're able to do but stick to your plan and hope for the best. There are a few methods however that, with a bit of luck, can give you a decent chance against them, as teams have shown us in the past.

My Thoughts On: Striker Shortage at Anfield

Brendan Rodgers has come under a lot of stick recently for his start in his career at Liverpool despite playing just 3 matches. One of the most talked about factors to this poor start is the fire power up front, or lack of it, after sending Andy Carroll out on loan to West Ham, despite not having a back up striker to come in for him.

Tactical Analysis: A System to Stop the False 9?

The 4-2-3-1 is taking over the 4-4-2 in the most common formation in football with it being used by the champions of the Barclay’s Premiership, Liga BBVA, Ligue 1, the Bundesliga and the top international teams. Consisting of 4 defenders, 2 defensive midfielders, 3 attacking midfielders (or 1 attacking midfielder and two wingers) and 1 striker, the formation can get many men into the midfield to keep possession whilst still having a threat from out wide, can be used with a counter attacking style of play (as seen in Montpellier) or with a possession based style of play (as seen in Spain (world cup 2010)). In terms of creating chances, the central attacking midfielder is the main playmaker in the team and if you can stop him, you will have a greater chance in defeating your opponents.

My Thoughts On: Hulk and Witsel to Zenit - So Much for Financial Fair Play!

A surprise to I think everyone recently, was the transfer activity from Russian side Zenit St. Petersburg, NOT Anzhi Makhachkala, a side renowned for their bottomless pit of money. Shortly after signing the Brazilian Hulk from Porto for €50m (£39m), Zenit manager Luciano Spalletti brought Axel Witsel in for €40m (£31).

Now both of these players are excellent, don't get me wrong, but for £70m, are they really worth it?

My Thoughts On: Ronaldo to United

During Real Madrid's 3-0 win over Granada, Christiano Ronaldo looked down as he made no celebration for his two goals despite making his 150th for the club. Afterwards he revealed that: "I don't celebrate goals when I am feeling sad and that's the case today, The people who work here know why and I won't say any more than that" to the reporters.

 

How Architecture Revolutionised Football - Thinking with Space

“God made the World, the Dutch made Netherlands.” – Dutch saying

With 1,259 people per square mile, Netherlands has one of the highest population densities in Europe, behind Monaco and San Marino. With the average density in Europe at 181 per square mile, the Dutch have always had to think innovatively with space, it’s land is one of the most intensively planned in the world, and it has to be, with around 419 houses in a square mile (if each house is home to three people).

Johan Cruijff - "Pythagoras in Boots"

Rinus Michels brought the nation’s obsession over space into football with his idea of ‘flexible’ space. Now obviously the football pitch has the same amount of space on it than every other one, though through movement and positioning, the team can manipulate the amount of available space.
 
Michels’ method of defending came from how the Netherlands dealt with the Spanish attacks during the 16th century. The Dutch made the space between the walled cities as small as possible, by flooding the farmland in between, which was made easy by the fact that the majority of dutch land is below sea-level.

The Dutch are masters of space, and they are also great at ‘creating’ space where there was none before as well. They drained seas, swamps and lakes to create are to build, and pride themselves on the ability to make less tangible forms of space.

‘Flexible’ space can be used to attack and defend effectively, as well as conserving energy and controlling the opposition.  Now space has always had an important role in football, but until Michel’sTotaal Voetbal side of the ’70s, no one thought about it.

 Attacking – Creation of Space and Manipulation of Defenders

Probably the best aspect of the Netherlands side was their attacking ability, they had a brilliant attack in Cruijff, Rep and Resenbrink in a 4-3-3. Both Rep and Resenbrink were wingers, and played a big part in stretching the opposition defence, making as much space as possible for players like Cruijff and Neeskens to work with.

Notice how, with Rep and Resenbrink hugging the touchline, the opposition full-backs have to come wider to deal with them, meaning Cruijff has more room to work with as the defence have to defend wider, to match the wingers.

With the movement, Cruijff had a free role, but would drop deep, and Resenbrink and Rep could move inside. Against a man-marking defence, it could rip them apart as shown in the next picture.

Cruijff has dropped deep, bringing an opposition centre-back with him, this isolates the one centre-back on his own back in defence and creates space for other Netherlands players to move into, and as Neeskens makes the run from deep, and Rep cuts inside, he is left with two attackers to deal with.

In modern football, plays like this are very simple, with the popularisation of the false 9 by players like Messi and Totti (originally), the movement of strikers dropping deep is common now, but in the 70s, it was more uncommon and devastating against the man-marking defences.

Defending – Reduction of Space and Energy Conservation

The defending side of Totaal Voetbal is, in my opinion, much more interesting than the attacking aspects, because we don’t see it as much in today’s game and it’s a more unusual method than how other teams defended.

Consisting of a incredibly high defensive line and heavy pressing, Michels looked to use his ideas about space to defend, by trying to cut out as much of it as possible for the opposition to use. Unlike teams defending their goal, the Dutch side actually defended their halfway line, this already halved the amount of space that the opposition could use, the whole of Netherlands’ half.

As you can see, the opposition have barely any room to use, as Michels’ side pushes up and closes down the opponent vigorously, denying them time on the ball and space ahead of them. An extremely aggressive offside trap and a ‘keeper higher up the pitch stopped the opposition from having many chances of 1-on-1s through balls over the top.

Energy Conservation

The high defensive line and constant rotation of positions meant the Dutch side had a lot of energy to play their brilliant football, as Ruud Krol explains in the book Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football by David Winner: “Our system was also a solution to a physical problem. Fitness has to be one hundred per cent, but how can you play for 90 minutes and remain strong? If I, as left-back run 70 metres up the wing, it’s not good if i immediately have to run back 70 metres to my starting position. So, if the left-midfield player takes my place, and the left-winger takes the midfield position, then it shortens the distances. If you have to run ten times seventy metres, and the same distance back ten times, that’s a total of 1400 metres,. If you change it so you only must run 1000 metres, you will be 400 metres fresher. That was the philosophy.” There is another point in the book where Krol gives the explanation on how the defensive line helped them conserve more energy, “When we defended, we looked to keep the opponent on the halfway line. Our standpoint was that we were not protecting our own goal, we were attacking the halfway line. That’s why we played offside. You don’t want to run back to defend because you are trying to save energy. Instead of running 80 metres back and eighty forward, it’s better to run only ten in each direction. That’s 20 metres instead of 160.”

The fact that all of the players were of great quality meant they could all play many positions. If they weren’t good enough to be able to switch roles constantly during a match, the system would’ve failed but since everyone could near enough play everywhere (with a few exceptions), there could be defenders running up to be as high as Cruijff, and there would be no space for the opposition to exploit.

The extra energy from things like this meant that the Dutch side would be able to play at a high tempo whilst the opposition were tiring, giving de Oranje keutels the advantage. As the opposition grew tired and they remained energetic, more space opened up, and Netherlands could dominate teams start to finish.