No Scholes did not mention Weigl, that´s just what I would like to see but I think Scholes has a very good point in Kroos. I think Kroos,Herrera and Pogba would be great in a midfield 3 and we should be able to control most matches with these guy´s, I guess Scholes know´s a little bit more about midfield play than me.
The search for a holding/controlling midfielder
- Thread starter bosnian_red
- Start date
Ok I want this guy now. Supports United and knows he wont learn tactics from Moyes at Sunderland
I think we can be fairly confident in whoever Mourinho picks, think he has the eye for a proper central/ defensive midfielder.
Ok I want this guy now. Supports United and knows he wont learn tactics from Moyes at Sunderland
How the hell is he supposed to survive at United if he can't control the midfield like midfield maestro Mikel Arteta did at Everton ?
United can forget William Carvalho he changed his agent and now is guardiolas brother, sporting doesn't do business with Mendes
So many people talking out of their arse in this thread. Are you really trying to convince us that you as non-Italians watch Atalanta matches and can have a educated opinion on Franck Kessie, a guy you wouldn't be able to pick out in a lineup just 6 months ago? You've all checked him out on transfermarkt and have rubbed one out to his YouTube compilations, that is about as deep as your knowledge goes.
Kessie is good but Atalanta this year is fantastic because of coach Gasperini, so jury still out on many youngsters of them... one benchmark is their former DM Gagliardini, a 22yo mr nobody Inter paid 25m euros in January and you know what... he is being very good indeed at Inter too so probably is Kessie but word in Italy is he's going to Roma this Summer.
I'm English have watched a few Atalanta games this year mainly as I really enjoy watchinjg Gomez play. Though, I prefer Kessié's midfield partner Freuler. With that said, I don't think we should be going for either of these two as we just need better.
Seems that Squawka is in agreement with some of you on the Carrick replacement.
http://www.squawka.com/news/dream-r...ter-united-can-replace-michael-carrick/821602
http://www.squawka.com/news/dream-r...ter-united-can-replace-michael-carrick/821602
The only way I could see anything happening with Kroos is if De Gea goes the other way.
I agree. I'd rather we not try to sign any of Madrid's players until Dave retires.
Don't be so sure. Zidane is the one who pushed Casemiro through and whilst doing so got into a dispute with Perez who wanted Kroos to be DMF in order for Rodriguez to be able to play as a starter.
If Zidane goes we will have a good chance at landing Casemiro.
Not sure whether this deserves its own thread, but I'm going to post it here anyway. A fairly detailed (and long) article about the importance of tempo control in modern football.
Modern tactics and the art of tempo control
By Sauharda Karki on February 20, 2017@13karki
Sauharda Karki writes about the oft overlooked, but seldom unimportant art of tempo control in a football match.
It is rather intriguing how important such small things can be in football. The tempo of play is one of these elements – sometimes very apparent, but most of the time a subtle presence in respect to other aspects concerning football. What makes things a little more interesting is how, despite holding this subtle presence, it manages to affect almost every aspect of what is on display on the pitch – from player performance and chemistry to team styles and philosophies to comebacks and upsets.
The article will deal with this important yet often overlooked aspect of football, and attempt to compare assigning a midfield role that controls tempo with tactical methods that integrate a specific tempo into their philosophy.
Changes at Barcelona
Barcelona have undergone a lot of subtle tweaks, especially under current manager Luis Enrique, in terms of tempo regulation. One of the instigating factors for these changes was perhaps the weaning out process and departure of Xavi.
For many years, Xavi was the source of tempo regulation for Barcelona, coordinating the speed and path of buildup for Barcelona. A high level of technical ability, phenomenal sense of midfield positioning and a blessing of footballing intelligence meant the Barca number 6 could pull strings from pockets in deeper areas as well as around the box – quick exchanges in deeper areas to retain possession and slow things down, recycling possession with the anchor, allowing time for centre backs to raise the back-line and wing backs to push on down the flanks, and pulling off long range passes out wide, behind the line or looking for the number 8 to immediately raise the tempo of play. The method saw Xavi average a phenomenal number of passes per game.
Another aspect that was perhaps clawing for a change was the need to complement Suarez and Neymar with the style of play, both being attackers that rely on higher tempo to excel. A quick look at Suarez’s phenomenal season at Liverpool will reveal how most of his goals arrived from quicker periods of play. However, he does bear the ability to find space in the box and a reputable ability on the end of crosses to perform when Barcelona slow the tempo and move towards crossing balls into the box. Neymar, on the other hand, seems to perform at his best with balls through the line and quicker passages of play around the box. Under Enrique, the tempo control was gradually transitioned towards allowing the front three the freedom to raise the tempo when required, while the midfield line focused on dialing things down a notch for a patient approach or just to promote ball retention and settle things down.
With time and transition into Enrique’s team today, the passing trend saw the anchor and defenders see more of the ball.
As evident on the pitch, this tweak bore phenomenal results for the front three, even against good opposition. It also provided a great alternative method of buildup for away games. The CL game at Arsenal is one example of many that comes to mind.
The tactical change also bore minimal effect on average possession while reducing average passes by almost a hundred passes.
The shift of approach may soon require alterations in midfield to keep up the efficiency of the approach, especially when we assume that one of the three midfield positions will continue to be occupied by an anchor role, more concerned with defensive and slower, ball retention phases. The other two midfielders will require the ability to complement the front three in quicker phases. Iniesta is one midfielder who excels at this approach, being efficient in both slow and quick phases of the game. Andre Gomes already seems like the type of midfielder that suits Enrique’s approach. This may partly be the reason why rumors arose of Enrique looking to replace Rakitic as a starter.
Modric, Zidane and Madrid
Among this Croatian midfielder’s abilities is a great combination of technique, intelligence and game sense. Initially labeled the worst signing of the year, this is one player that has come a long way, and he has been pivotal under Zidane this season and with regard to the way Madrid play.
The usual issue for the team with fairly larger odds of winning a game is that teams will tend to sit deeper and stay compact, and most teams automatically slow down and approach the game to break through the opposition, and very often fail to register many clear chances. For efficiency in these types of games, teams are often required to up the tempo and attack before the opposition settle back into their compact shape, drawing players out of position and phase, and allowing for more chances. On the contrary, a team may sometime carry an up in tempo from one attack all through large parts of the game, which is another problem in keeping energy levels up and staying in tactical shape.
Over the last couple of years, most Madrid managers have had a role partly or completely assigned to ‘control the circuit’. This role has probably been the most pivotal part of Madrid’s counter attacking prowess.
Initially, Xabi Alonso held the role for the team, dictating from a deeper area, with a good sense of positioning, vision and a range of passing. He usually functioned in a midfield pairing with Khedira and Modric shuffling in and out of lineups, in a supportive role alongside him. There’s no doubting the efficacy of the role and how well Alonso took to it. The only problem that seemed to arrive often was that with the rhythm coming from a deep role, the front three/four were often isolated from midfield tempo at times, and Alonso was not the sort of player to roam into pockets to close that tempo gap. This often saw many Madrid attacks end prematurely, loss of possession in situations where it could have been recycled, and isolated attackers in the last phase of play.
The next season saw Madrid make adaptive changes in midfield – a three man midfield, with an anchor, a supportive role, and Angel Di Maria. This partly solved the previous issue. The anchor stuck close to the supportive midfielder, making short high percentage passes to recycle possession and maintain a base tempo. With Di Maria in the additional role, Madrid now had a separate midfielder in position for the quicker phase of play. If the team looked to break into attack, the players sought Di Maria in midfield, who with direct running, dribbling in central areas and the ability to play in pockets, moved the high tempo to the three attackers, bridging the tempo gap. Unorthodox at the time, this system brought Madrid a fair period of success, and many were intrigued by this rise of the Central Winger role.
Fast forward to this season with Zidane and Modric. Zidane opted for a shape between a 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 with a midfield pair that stays committed to build-up. Kroos and Modric took up the mantle for Zidane’s roles in midfield. On paper, Kroos does look superior of the pair this season.
With more in-game analysis, it is pretty clear that it is Modric who has been pulling strings from midfield, moving deep to start build-ups, linking Kroos in central areas, and upping the tempo from both the central areas and pockets in the attacking third. As we have seen in so many instances, this sudden high tempo in the last third has favored Madrid’s quick attackers. In addition to this, a quicker exchange in deeper areas by the midfielder allows Madrid to quickly close the distance between midfield and front three in attack.
Apart from the Croatian’s technique and ability to position himself well, what makes him stand out in this role is the intelligence and decision making ability to run the rhythm of the team, even off the ball at certain instances. The roaming nature of the role and good technical ability allows him to slip tactical marking on most occasions.
The role is perfect for bigger teams, who within the space of a week, face tough opponents at home looking to press hard or counter, then face weaker opposition at home looking to sit deep and away games where deciding between keeping the ball and playing on counter is pivotal. In the first instance, the role allows for tempo to be slowed whenever possible, to keep a fair amount of possession at home, allowing the team to play their own game with a majority of the ball, and allowing for quick counters in the few instances permitted by a good team.
Against weaker opponents, it allows for quick attacks to unsettle the defense, and also permits the team to avoid vulnerability on the counter by overcommitting to high tempo. In away games, many modern teams tend to lose their tempo of play and drift into opposition tempo, resulting in bland, ineffective play. This role allows the team to bear an inherent tempo, balancing out possession and attack. The role seems like the near perfect description, at present, of the type of player that is essential for bigger teams (without a pre-set tempo).
Pirlo against England (Euro 2012)
Italy against England was one of those games showing the ability of a single role to ‘run the show’. England were defending in two lines of four. With England playing a 4-4-2, Pirlo was seen positioned almost alongside the two Italian center backs, in front of the two England strikers and at times in the space above the English midfield line. With space to sit in and most of the defensive effort against him coming from Welbeck, Pirlo spent the entire match regulating the tempo, subtly expressing Italy’s dominance for most of the game.
Leverkusen, Schmidt tactics and Javier Hernandez
An almost perfect example of how tempo and play style can affect players would be Chicharito at Leverkusen. In 2015/16, Schmidt had achieved a great balance between the orthodox defensive compactness and quick, fluid attack, and managed to mold his players around the tactical approach. This balance was perhaps key in ensuring Leverkusen finished 3rd, above Monchengladbach, who had scored 11 more goals, while conceding 10 more than Schmidt’s side. Leverkusen (GF 56, GA 40, GD +16) Gladbach (GF 67, GA 50, GD +17).
The more centrally oriented, fast attacking phase is what favored Hernandez’s style of play.
After analyzing the striker’s past few seasons, it was evident that most of his goals come from quicker attacking transitions, much like most traditional poachers, with two of his traits highlighting most of his goals: (1) His ability to run the line (2) Poaching in the box
Aside from the playing style of through balls, playing through the center, and stretching play only in the final third, the high tempo permitted Hernandez to exercise his traits.
A faster tempo allows for a lot more space to exploit behind the defense. The striker has more space to run into. Also, he has the opportunity to run the line against an unsettled defense. Additionally, with an unsettled midfield defensive line and a single file of defenders, there is a lot more space and time in front of the defensive line towards the middle of the attacking phase.
Leverkusen’s play managed to utilize both these aspects, hence a phenomenal season for Hernandez. To make a standardized breakdown, let us analyze his 17 goals in the Bundesliga in 2015/16.
Other than one penalty, one goal indirectly off a free-kick and two brilliant curlers from the edge of the box, the remaining 13 goals arrived from Leverkusen’s quick open play, with 11 arriving from exercising his two traits, balls through the channel and getting at the end of quick plays into the box.
A beautiful execution of the system was seen in the second goal against Dortmund, with an incisive end-to-end counter in 12 seconds.
Another aspect is in relation with his time at Manchester United. Considering the number of alternative striking options under Ferguson, and the large proportion of appearances that were as a substitute, Chicharito had a good record in his first three seasons at the club (50 goals). Ferguson’s methods at United allowed for a more flowing high tempo attack alongside controlled methods for ball retention, allowing Hernandez to express his strengths on the pitch.
The following season under Moyes saw a dip in his record, and his shots per game average was almost halved (9 goals, 0.8 shots/game). The dip in shots achieved was an indicator of the change in tempo and play style occurring at United with the end of Ferguson’s tenure. A large proportion of United’s woes with managerial transition can perhaps be attributed to the mismatch between style/tempo and the type of players left behind after the 2012/13 season.
A slower, controlled, possession based approach under LvG meant that players like Chicharito would have to move on. A loan to Madrid in the first season post-Moyes saw his shots per game almost double (1.5 per game).
Playing under Schmidt’s team, his first season at Leverkusen saw him average 2.5 shots per game, bagging 26 goals. The season also saw him achieve 3.8 shots per game in the Champions League, with 5 goals in 6 appearances ( 97 min per goal ). In the current season at Leverkusen, he averages 2.1 shots per game, with 10 goals.
The story at Manchester United
Manchester United are a recent example of the magnitude of effect changes in playing styles and player-tempo mismatch can effect performance.
2007/08 season
The season saw some of the best football played by a United side in recent years. A part of how the feat was achieved was Ferguson’s ability to balance counter and possession with efficient tempo control. Possession won in deeper areas saw the initiation of a fluid blistering counter attack, with Rooney and Ronaldo allowed to up the tempo. This made the most of the fluid front three of Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez. In contrast, since most big sides cannot rely on counters for 90 minutes of all games in a season, Ferguson devised midfield roles to allow for a decent amount of possession, especially for games at home.
With Scholes required on either end, moving box to box to link play, Carrick was often started in a more stable midfield role, recycling possession and stabilizing tempo. Towards Scholes’ retirement and after his return, Ferguson adapted Scholes to a deeper role, alongside a more energetic box-to-box player. Scholes took brilliantly to this role, dictating tempo from deep, allowing the box-to-box midfielder to move in and around the box.
With a large part of the Ferguson era based on United’s ability to turn up the tempo in attack, it soon turned into the sort of football the fans liked, and the team was built around. Mourinho’s current methods seem to bear a resemblance to previous styles under Ferguson, and an ingeniously devised counter system, but will have to be left for discussion at another time.
Louis van Gaal’s philosophy saw a more possession oriented, controlled style of build up play. The style saw an increasing trend in the amount of possession the team averaged. The players were oriented around the system with very little tactical freedom given to players, especially in the first season. With players used to a different style of play and tempo, the season saw the team struggle to break down weaker teams on many occasions.
The second season gave a bit more leniency to specific players. An intriguing aspect was the paradox of Martial adapting fairly well to the slower tempo. This apparent paradox can be disproven by the fact that most of Martial’s best performances came from an up in tempo of play and direct running at the opposition, with players allowed to exercise more freedom.
The Ferguson and LvG tenures were big evidences in how important it is for teams to implement an inherent tempo control method that matches both the playing style of players and team tactics. The current season has seen Mourinho utilize Michael Carrick in deeper areas, controlling build up, filtering midfield play and recycling possession. The initial problem with the midfield was with integrating Pogba and finding a suitable midfield pairing. With Pogba moving forward to support attacks and Herrera playing box to box, there was often no one in midfield to exercise an inherent tempo.
In United’s 2-0 win against Watford, Mourinho placed Pogba in the role previously held by Carrick, with Herrera alongside, playing box to box. The game saw la large amount of build-up move through Pogba, who took well to the role of regulating build-up tempo. Recent games have seen Mourinho integrate a counter-attacking component, which may favor players that are suited to the style like Martial and Mkhitaryan.
Dortmund, Liverpool and Klopp methods
In recent times, Klopp’s method is the most appropriate and consistent example of how tempo can be implemented as a team rather than on specific roles. A highlight of his approach is the defensive method of intense high press, oriented to win the ball in advanced areas and during early parts of opposition transition, or Gegenpressing. The attack shows an extra bit of fluidity and a fairly high tempo. We will turn our focus to a brief view of the attack and how tempo and players are related in the system.
The inherent team tempo is fast paced. Orthodox fast paced systems are based on longer average pass lengths. However, like most modern systems, the high press allows for a shorter average pass length, serving in favor of achieving good pass accuracy and decent levels of ball possession.
The system requires specific types of players for it to work. The entire team needs a good level of work rate and stamina to match the high intensity/high tempo play. A striker, two wide players, and two of the three midfielders form the basic attacking unit, with the full backs joining in the final phase. The other central midfielder bears a more stable, defensive oriented role, holding his position in midfield.
The entire attacking unit needs quick, agile players with the ability to play in central areas and small pockets of space. The striker needs to have the ability to play both in the hole linking passes (during buildup) and in the box.
Conclusion
The answer to whether specific roles for tempo control will persist boils down to the question of which method is more efficient – traditional role oriented tempo control or fairly modern team oriented tempo control.
The role-oriented approach is a time-tested method, with proven successful results for teams in the upper end of the table. However, there have been issues with finding suitable players for the role. It also means running the risk of having the player marked out of a game, like the Ferguson’s approach to negate Pirlo by having Park mark him out.
Team oriented tempo permit a more fluid, flowing attack with rich football in display and every attacker allowed an extra bit of creativity. Dortmund’s two brilliant seasons under Klopp highlight the possible brand of football this approach can produce, but this approach has its own issues. Due to the requirement of a specific type of player, teams will take time to adjust to these systems, often requiring extensive transfers and changes. Also, since the attack is based on a single approach style, there is very little room for implementing a plan B in attack.
In the end, both models of tempo control serve to highlight the pivotal role of this important aspect in modern football.
SOURCE
Modern tactics and the art of tempo control
By Sauharda Karki on February 20, 2017@13karki
Sauharda Karki writes about the oft overlooked, but seldom unimportant art of tempo control in a football match.
It is rather intriguing how important such small things can be in football. The tempo of play is one of these elements – sometimes very apparent, but most of the time a subtle presence in respect to other aspects concerning football. What makes things a little more interesting is how, despite holding this subtle presence, it manages to affect almost every aspect of what is on display on the pitch – from player performance and chemistry to team styles and philosophies to comebacks and upsets.
The article will deal with this important yet often overlooked aspect of football, and attempt to compare assigning a midfield role that controls tempo with tactical methods that integrate a specific tempo into their philosophy.
Changes at Barcelona
Barcelona have undergone a lot of subtle tweaks, especially under current manager Luis Enrique, in terms of tempo regulation. One of the instigating factors for these changes was perhaps the weaning out process and departure of Xavi.
For many years, Xavi was the source of tempo regulation for Barcelona, coordinating the speed and path of buildup for Barcelona. A high level of technical ability, phenomenal sense of midfield positioning and a blessing of footballing intelligence meant the Barca number 6 could pull strings from pockets in deeper areas as well as around the box – quick exchanges in deeper areas to retain possession and slow things down, recycling possession with the anchor, allowing time for centre backs to raise the back-line and wing backs to push on down the flanks, and pulling off long range passes out wide, behind the line or looking for the number 8 to immediately raise the tempo of play. The method saw Xavi average a phenomenal number of passes per game.
Another aspect that was perhaps clawing for a change was the need to complement Suarez and Neymar with the style of play, both being attackers that rely on higher tempo to excel. A quick look at Suarez’s phenomenal season at Liverpool will reveal how most of his goals arrived from quicker periods of play. However, he does bear the ability to find space in the box and a reputable ability on the end of crosses to perform when Barcelona slow the tempo and move towards crossing balls into the box. Neymar, on the other hand, seems to perform at his best with balls through the line and quicker passages of play around the box. Under Enrique, the tempo control was gradually transitioned towards allowing the front three the freedom to raise the tempo when required, while the midfield line focused on dialing things down a notch for a patient approach or just to promote ball retention and settle things down.
With time and transition into Enrique’s team today, the passing trend saw the anchor and defenders see more of the ball.
As evident on the pitch, this tweak bore phenomenal results for the front three, even against good opposition. It also provided a great alternative method of buildup for away games. The CL game at Arsenal is one example of many that comes to mind.
The tactical change also bore minimal effect on average possession while reducing average passes by almost a hundred passes.
The shift of approach may soon require alterations in midfield to keep up the efficiency of the approach, especially when we assume that one of the three midfield positions will continue to be occupied by an anchor role, more concerned with defensive and slower, ball retention phases. The other two midfielders will require the ability to complement the front three in quicker phases. Iniesta is one midfielder who excels at this approach, being efficient in both slow and quick phases of the game. Andre Gomes already seems like the type of midfielder that suits Enrique’s approach. This may partly be the reason why rumors arose of Enrique looking to replace Rakitic as a starter.
Modric, Zidane and Madrid
Among this Croatian midfielder’s abilities is a great combination of technique, intelligence and game sense. Initially labeled the worst signing of the year, this is one player that has come a long way, and he has been pivotal under Zidane this season and with regard to the way Madrid play.
The usual issue for the team with fairly larger odds of winning a game is that teams will tend to sit deeper and stay compact, and most teams automatically slow down and approach the game to break through the opposition, and very often fail to register many clear chances. For efficiency in these types of games, teams are often required to up the tempo and attack before the opposition settle back into their compact shape, drawing players out of position and phase, and allowing for more chances. On the contrary, a team may sometime carry an up in tempo from one attack all through large parts of the game, which is another problem in keeping energy levels up and staying in tactical shape.
Over the last couple of years, most Madrid managers have had a role partly or completely assigned to ‘control the circuit’. This role has probably been the most pivotal part of Madrid’s counter attacking prowess.
Initially, Xabi Alonso held the role for the team, dictating from a deeper area, with a good sense of positioning, vision and a range of passing. He usually functioned in a midfield pairing with Khedira and Modric shuffling in and out of lineups, in a supportive role alongside him. There’s no doubting the efficacy of the role and how well Alonso took to it. The only problem that seemed to arrive often was that with the rhythm coming from a deep role, the front three/four were often isolated from midfield tempo at times, and Alonso was not the sort of player to roam into pockets to close that tempo gap. This often saw many Madrid attacks end prematurely, loss of possession in situations where it could have been recycled, and isolated attackers in the last phase of play.
The next season saw Madrid make adaptive changes in midfield – a three man midfield, with an anchor, a supportive role, and Angel Di Maria. This partly solved the previous issue. The anchor stuck close to the supportive midfielder, making short high percentage passes to recycle possession and maintain a base tempo. With Di Maria in the additional role, Madrid now had a separate midfielder in position for the quicker phase of play. If the team looked to break into attack, the players sought Di Maria in midfield, who with direct running, dribbling in central areas and the ability to play in pockets, moved the high tempo to the three attackers, bridging the tempo gap. Unorthodox at the time, this system brought Madrid a fair period of success, and many were intrigued by this rise of the Central Winger role.
Fast forward to this season with Zidane and Modric. Zidane opted for a shape between a 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 with a midfield pair that stays committed to build-up. Kroos and Modric took up the mantle for Zidane’s roles in midfield. On paper, Kroos does look superior of the pair this season.
With more in-game analysis, it is pretty clear that it is Modric who has been pulling strings from midfield, moving deep to start build-ups, linking Kroos in central areas, and upping the tempo from both the central areas and pockets in the attacking third. As we have seen in so many instances, this sudden high tempo in the last third has favored Madrid’s quick attackers. In addition to this, a quicker exchange in deeper areas by the midfielder allows Madrid to quickly close the distance between midfield and front three in attack.
Apart from the Croatian’s technique and ability to position himself well, what makes him stand out in this role is the intelligence and decision making ability to run the rhythm of the team, even off the ball at certain instances. The roaming nature of the role and good technical ability allows him to slip tactical marking on most occasions.
The role is perfect for bigger teams, who within the space of a week, face tough opponents at home looking to press hard or counter, then face weaker opposition at home looking to sit deep and away games where deciding between keeping the ball and playing on counter is pivotal. In the first instance, the role allows for tempo to be slowed whenever possible, to keep a fair amount of possession at home, allowing the team to play their own game with a majority of the ball, and allowing for quick counters in the few instances permitted by a good team.
Against weaker opponents, it allows for quick attacks to unsettle the defense, and also permits the team to avoid vulnerability on the counter by overcommitting to high tempo. In away games, many modern teams tend to lose their tempo of play and drift into opposition tempo, resulting in bland, ineffective play. This role allows the team to bear an inherent tempo, balancing out possession and attack. The role seems like the near perfect description, at present, of the type of player that is essential for bigger teams (without a pre-set tempo).
Pirlo against England (Euro 2012)
Italy against England was one of those games showing the ability of a single role to ‘run the show’. England were defending in two lines of four. With England playing a 4-4-2, Pirlo was seen positioned almost alongside the two Italian center backs, in front of the two England strikers and at times in the space above the English midfield line. With space to sit in and most of the defensive effort against him coming from Welbeck, Pirlo spent the entire match regulating the tempo, subtly expressing Italy’s dominance for most of the game.
Leverkusen, Schmidt tactics and Javier Hernandez
An almost perfect example of how tempo and play style can affect players would be Chicharito at Leverkusen. In 2015/16, Schmidt had achieved a great balance between the orthodox defensive compactness and quick, fluid attack, and managed to mold his players around the tactical approach. This balance was perhaps key in ensuring Leverkusen finished 3rd, above Monchengladbach, who had scored 11 more goals, while conceding 10 more than Schmidt’s side. Leverkusen (GF 56, GA 40, GD +16) Gladbach (GF 67, GA 50, GD +17).
The more centrally oriented, fast attacking phase is what favored Hernandez’s style of play.
After analyzing the striker’s past few seasons, it was evident that most of his goals come from quicker attacking transitions, much like most traditional poachers, with two of his traits highlighting most of his goals: (1) His ability to run the line (2) Poaching in the box
Aside from the playing style of through balls, playing through the center, and stretching play only in the final third, the high tempo permitted Hernandez to exercise his traits.
A faster tempo allows for a lot more space to exploit behind the defense. The striker has more space to run into. Also, he has the opportunity to run the line against an unsettled defense. Additionally, with an unsettled midfield defensive line and a single file of defenders, there is a lot more space and time in front of the defensive line towards the middle of the attacking phase.
Leverkusen’s play managed to utilize both these aspects, hence a phenomenal season for Hernandez. To make a standardized breakdown, let us analyze his 17 goals in the Bundesliga in 2015/16.
Other than one penalty, one goal indirectly off a free-kick and two brilliant curlers from the edge of the box, the remaining 13 goals arrived from Leverkusen’s quick open play, with 11 arriving from exercising his two traits, balls through the channel and getting at the end of quick plays into the box.
A beautiful execution of the system was seen in the second goal against Dortmund, with an incisive end-to-end counter in 12 seconds.
Another aspect is in relation with his time at Manchester United. Considering the number of alternative striking options under Ferguson, and the large proportion of appearances that were as a substitute, Chicharito had a good record in his first three seasons at the club (50 goals). Ferguson’s methods at United allowed for a more flowing high tempo attack alongside controlled methods for ball retention, allowing Hernandez to express his strengths on the pitch.
The following season under Moyes saw a dip in his record, and his shots per game average was almost halved (9 goals, 0.8 shots/game). The dip in shots achieved was an indicator of the change in tempo and play style occurring at United with the end of Ferguson’s tenure. A large proportion of United’s woes with managerial transition can perhaps be attributed to the mismatch between style/tempo and the type of players left behind after the 2012/13 season.
A slower, controlled, possession based approach under LvG meant that players like Chicharito would have to move on. A loan to Madrid in the first season post-Moyes saw his shots per game almost double (1.5 per game).
Playing under Schmidt’s team, his first season at Leverkusen saw him average 2.5 shots per game, bagging 26 goals. The season also saw him achieve 3.8 shots per game in the Champions League, with 5 goals in 6 appearances ( 97 min per goal ). In the current season at Leverkusen, he averages 2.1 shots per game, with 10 goals.
The story at Manchester United
Manchester United are a recent example of the magnitude of effect changes in playing styles and player-tempo mismatch can effect performance.
2007/08 season
The season saw some of the best football played by a United side in recent years. A part of how the feat was achieved was Ferguson’s ability to balance counter and possession with efficient tempo control. Possession won in deeper areas saw the initiation of a fluid blistering counter attack, with Rooney and Ronaldo allowed to up the tempo. This made the most of the fluid front three of Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez. In contrast, since most big sides cannot rely on counters for 90 minutes of all games in a season, Ferguson devised midfield roles to allow for a decent amount of possession, especially for games at home.
With Scholes required on either end, moving box to box to link play, Carrick was often started in a more stable midfield role, recycling possession and stabilizing tempo. Towards Scholes’ retirement and after his return, Ferguson adapted Scholes to a deeper role, alongside a more energetic box-to-box player. Scholes took brilliantly to this role, dictating tempo from deep, allowing the box-to-box midfielder to move in and around the box.
With a large part of the Ferguson era based on United’s ability to turn up the tempo in attack, it soon turned into the sort of football the fans liked, and the team was built around. Mourinho’s current methods seem to bear a resemblance to previous styles under Ferguson, and an ingeniously devised counter system, but will have to be left for discussion at another time.
Louis van Gaal’s philosophy saw a more possession oriented, controlled style of build up play. The style saw an increasing trend in the amount of possession the team averaged. The players were oriented around the system with very little tactical freedom given to players, especially in the first season. With players used to a different style of play and tempo, the season saw the team struggle to break down weaker teams on many occasions.
The second season gave a bit more leniency to specific players. An intriguing aspect was the paradox of Martial adapting fairly well to the slower tempo. This apparent paradox can be disproven by the fact that most of Martial’s best performances came from an up in tempo of play and direct running at the opposition, with players allowed to exercise more freedom.
The Ferguson and LvG tenures were big evidences in how important it is for teams to implement an inherent tempo control method that matches both the playing style of players and team tactics. The current season has seen Mourinho utilize Michael Carrick in deeper areas, controlling build up, filtering midfield play and recycling possession. The initial problem with the midfield was with integrating Pogba and finding a suitable midfield pairing. With Pogba moving forward to support attacks and Herrera playing box to box, there was often no one in midfield to exercise an inherent tempo.
In United’s 2-0 win against Watford, Mourinho placed Pogba in the role previously held by Carrick, with Herrera alongside, playing box to box. The game saw la large amount of build-up move through Pogba, who took well to the role of regulating build-up tempo. Recent games have seen Mourinho integrate a counter-attacking component, which may favor players that are suited to the style like Martial and Mkhitaryan.
Dortmund, Liverpool and Klopp methods
In recent times, Klopp’s method is the most appropriate and consistent example of how tempo can be implemented as a team rather than on specific roles. A highlight of his approach is the defensive method of intense high press, oriented to win the ball in advanced areas and during early parts of opposition transition, or Gegenpressing. The attack shows an extra bit of fluidity and a fairly high tempo. We will turn our focus to a brief view of the attack and how tempo and players are related in the system.
The inherent team tempo is fast paced. Orthodox fast paced systems are based on longer average pass lengths. However, like most modern systems, the high press allows for a shorter average pass length, serving in favor of achieving good pass accuracy and decent levels of ball possession.
The system requires specific types of players for it to work. The entire team needs a good level of work rate and stamina to match the high intensity/high tempo play. A striker, two wide players, and two of the three midfielders form the basic attacking unit, with the full backs joining in the final phase. The other central midfielder bears a more stable, defensive oriented role, holding his position in midfield.
The entire attacking unit needs quick, agile players with the ability to play in central areas and small pockets of space. The striker needs to have the ability to play both in the hole linking passes (during buildup) and in the box.
Conclusion
The answer to whether specific roles for tempo control will persist boils down to the question of which method is more efficient – traditional role oriented tempo control or fairly modern team oriented tempo control.
The role-oriented approach is a time-tested method, with proven successful results for teams in the upper end of the table. However, there have been issues with finding suitable players for the role. It also means running the risk of having the player marked out of a game, like the Ferguson’s approach to negate Pirlo by having Park mark him out.
Team oriented tempo permit a more fluid, flowing attack with rich football in display and every attacker allowed an extra bit of creativity. Dortmund’s two brilliant seasons under Klopp highlight the possible brand of football this approach can produce, but this approach has its own issues. Due to the requirement of a specific type of player, teams will take time to adjust to these systems, often requiring extensive transfers and changes. Also, since the attack is based on a single approach style, there is very little room for implementing a plan B in attack.
In the end, both models of tempo control serve to highlight the pivotal role of this important aspect in modern football.
SOURCE
What he said.
'With Pogba moving forward to support attacks and Herrera playing box to box, there was often no one in midfield to exercise an inherent tempo'.
That sentence certainly gives a hint of the main problem. We often field 6 players whose main tendency is to attack. It looks aggressive on paper, but in reality, many of them are drafted into an uncomfortable defensive posture during the course of the match. We often see the likes of Herrera, Pogba, Mata, Rashford, Martial dropping deep to defend or to bring the ball out from half back, and we have no chance of counterattacking quickly because Zlatan is isolated, or is left with only one attacker for company.
That's why Chelsea's system has been more successful with Matic and Kante playing deep, the designated forwards like Hazard can concentrate on moving into position for a devastating counter, not sidetracked by having to defend.
The midfield is the real problem of this Manchester United team.
That sentence certainly gives a hint of the main problem. We often field 6 players whose main tendency is to attack. It looks aggressive on paper, but in reality, many of them are drafted into an uncomfortable defensive posture during the course of the match. We often see the likes of Herrera, Pogba, Mata, Rashford, Martial dropping deep to defend or to bring the ball out from half back, and we have no chance of counterattacking quickly because Zlatan is isolated, or is left with only one attacker for company.
That's why Chelsea's system has been more successful with Matic and Kante playing deep, the designated forwards like Hazard can concentrate on moving into position for a devastating counter, not sidetracked by having to defend.
The midfield is the real problem of this Manchester United team.
Not for me. Mourinho asks his forwards to come back to defend. He did it when we had 3 in the middle with Carrick or when we have two with Herrera and Pogba. He did it when he was at Chelsea, Real or Inter. He always asked forwards to come back to defend whoever was playing in his midfield. To suggest that he would allow his forwards to stay up while we defend if we had a dedicated DM is quite frankly, misguided.
Our main problems this season have been:
a) Mourinho not arriving quickly enough at out most efficient formation
b) Our chance conversion
Ever since we switched Mkhi to the middle and put Mata and Martial out wide, we have been creating bucket loads of chances. But for some terrible finishing we would have been higher up the table.
I understand about Jose instructing his forwards to track back. But currently they're not producing sharp counterattacks often enough from those deep positions.
Our chance conversion is the result of not being dynamic enough in midfield to create clear cut chances. Too many half chances, because we can't open the defence up decisively, and the forwards are often compelled to take their chances with low percentage shots. If we had more dynamic mids with the energy and agility to start the attack from deep, and to join the attack in a meaningful way, we'd create more clear cut chances and even the ones we miss wouldn't matter so much. Pogba is really the only one.
I'm not really screaming out for a dedicated DM so much. I want all action mids that can travel deep, read the play and win the interception decisively, carry the ball from half back, pass, move on to receive, pass again, get it back, and score, or at least provide the clear cut assist. I know I'm not asking for much.
Like...Jorginho?
Going to do some scouting tomorrow whether Danilo Pereira is what we need. Hopefully he doesn't disappoint.
Good call, that.
I know Carrick isn't quick or hugely agile but Jorginho is snail slow, I think he could well struggle with the pace and tempo of the PL.
Okay. Not him then.
So who do we have that could really play that position? I can see us moving towards a 4-2-3-1 next year if we sign Griezmann, which I know many will be disappointed by because they feel the formation will limit Pogba. I'm in the group that feel Pogba will adapt but in big games we'll play 4-3-3. So really we could be looking for a player to partner Pogba in a midfield 2.
N'Zonzi has been mentioned, but to be honest I haven't seen much of him since his stoke days. Could he hold down the midfield in the games we expect to hold the majority of the possession?
Bakayoko many seem last night for the first time, but apparently he had a knock going into last night, so I wouldn't judge him on last night.
Weigl is the dream for many, but I'm not so sure he'll leave Dortmund this summer, maybe next, but even that'll take a bid of around £50m or more.
I could see us signing a player like Bakayoko to try and play that DM role even though he doesn't necessarily play it how we do at the moment, but if it doesn't work out, he could become a squad option and we could
move for someone like Weigl in 2018.
N'Zonzi has been mentioned, but to be honest I haven't seen much of him since his stoke days. Could he hold down the midfield in the games we expect to hold the majority of the possession?
Bakayoko many seem last night for the first time, but apparently he had a knock going into last night, so I wouldn't judge him on last night.
Weigl is the dream for many, but I'm not so sure he'll leave Dortmund this summer, maybe next, but even that'll take a bid of around £50m or more.
I could see us signing a player like Bakayoko to try and play that DM role even though he doesn't necessarily play it how we do at the moment, but if it doesn't work out, he could become a squad option and we could
move for someone like Weigl in 2018.
He's not a holding midfielder. He'd replace/be a back-up for Herrera.
From little I've seen of Kessie, he seems a bit lacking technically. Somewhat similar to Bakayoko in that he's strong and can dribble the ball through the midfield (however imo Bakayoko can drive the ball forward better). Kessie also seems to play slightly deeper, but I have reservations as to whether he can control the play well enough.
I hope we sign Kessie.
He only turned 20 a few months back. He will obviously improve over the next few seasons.
I remember this argument in the Renato Sanches thread. Technical ability can be improved, but it's something that's set at a much younger age when first learning the game and it's very difficult to drastically improve after years of playing another way (even at only 20).
Potential Carrick replacement could be Luis Gustavo from Wolfsburg. Short-term tho.
Brazilian, 29 years old, tackling, passing, experience both in NT and Bayern (won everything), 188 cm tall.
His contract is due this July I think and we could get few good years from him.
Brazilian, 29 years old, tackling, passing, experience both in NT and Bayern (won everything), 188 cm tall.
His contract is due this July I think and we could get few good years from him.
Watched Kessie for the first time against Napoli and I must say he's not so imposing as his YouTube package would have you believe. Do not want.
I've watched Leipzig a few times lately, and KEITA is worth the price of admission. He was awesome again vs. Koln. It's hard to recall all the creative things he does in the course of the game, but in the first half he broke from behind half way, through to the inside left position and passed to Werner who shot just over the bar. A few minutes later he took possession on the left touch line and passed to Forsberg who just missed. A bit later he broke clear with speed to a deep position on the right and played a powerful cross that resulted in an own goal. In the 2nd half he had some nice touches. At one stage he headed the ball to himself and followed up with a back header which he turned to run onto and was fouled resulting in a yellow card. He's fantastic.If we have Pogba LCM and Keita RCM both attacking from deep, it would be absolutely incredible. If Keita is the only signing we make this summer I'll be over the moon. I'll go even further, there is no player I want more than him. No one! I'd be confident of winning the league.
I've watched Leipzig a few times lately, and KEITA is worth the price of admission. He was awesome again vs. Koln. It's hard to recall all the creative things he does in the course of the game, but in the first half he broke from behind half way, through to the inside left position and passed to Werner who shot just over the bar. A few minutes later he took possession on the left touch line and passed to Forsberg who just missed. A bit later he broke clear with speed to a deep position on the right and played a powerful cross that resulted in an own goal. In the 2nd half he had some nice touches. At one stage he headed the ball to himself and followed up with a back header which he turned to run onto and was fouled resulting in a yellow card. He's fantastic.If we have Pogba LCM and Keita RCM both attacking from deep, it would be absolutely incredible. If Keita is the only signing we make this summer I'll be over the moon. I'll go even further, there is no player I want more than him. No one! I'd be confident of winning the league.
And to think that up until his red card, he was having a good game by his standards. He's a decent player, I like him. But as with any new young flavour-of-the-month player that plays in a foreign league that we don't scrutinise, he gets overhyped in here.
By the sounds of Keita he's not a controlling midfielder though, more like a box-to-box. Likely to tread on Pereira toes and that lad deserves a chance.
I was wondering how Naby Keita from Leipzig would fit in a "partnership" with Pogba? Would it work or would they want to use the same "space"?
Is he still as good as he was when playing for Bayern?
Still Nzonzi for me, right age and has matured a lot during his time at Sevilla. Played well against both Barca and Real; he maybe doesnt have the passing range of Carrick, but for me that's where we need to think about putting another CM in there in place of Herrera who does the passing and playmaking.
Found these tweets on Wanyama from a few weeks ago and was wondering why no one's mentioned him? Could he "work" with Pogba? Or isn't this a realistic choice?
Last edited:
I was thinking N'Zonzi + Paredes would have us sorted. Or even better, play Pereira.
I can't see us signing Wanyama even though he would do a job for us, simply because Spurs are higher up the table and more likely, incredibly, to finish in the CL places than we are.
And if we did make the CL, Levy wouldn't sell anyway and we would be forced to spend a ludicrous amount to prise him away from White Hart Lane. That's the real damage of the Moyes/LVG era, it's made us look like a step backwards from Spurs... bloody Spurs.
Fingers crossed these days won't last long.
Today again showed the importance of the word "holding" in the thread title, we were so open in the midfield today as neither Herrera or Pogba has positional discipline or great awareness in this regard, and that's why so many of the names mentioned are pointless, think Matic not Kante or Fabinho not Bakayoko.