Defending-Rolling with the Times

Life and the world we live in has and will always evolve, we are able to watch games from our mobile phone, talk to our TV’s, and we all know about social media. As well as evolving, certain areas in life come and go in cycles. Fashion in the UK is the perfect example, it has a 70’s vibe to it and one my Dad finds very amusing. He won’t stop talking about how the kids are dressing the same way as him when he was that age. Why am I talking about technology and fashion you may ask? Over the last year or so we have seen defending evolve and advance, but also go through its own cycle. Still confused? Stay with me and I will explain further…..

A new era!

Barcelona under Pep Guardiola had every superlative thrown their way during his reign as head coach. The Barcelona legend, the summer after they beat Manchester United in the Champions League Final at Wembley, stated their opponents had figured them out and he needed to reinvigorate his sides’ style of play. A strategy he used was to play a central midfielder at the back, that man was Argentinean international, Javier Mascherano. They even played with both him and Sergio Busquets back there during some games, which showed the world that defending is all about positioning and intercepting balls. A far cry from the days where hard tackles and putting your body on the line were two qualities scouts demanded in a centre half. Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher are midfielders from the Premier League that have been used as stand in defenders in the past, but mainly when Sir Alex Ferguson has had an injury crisis, like Monday night when Manchester United lost their opening game to Everton. The Premier League is one league where physicality is still accepted and for the much more cultured Michael Carrick, he struggles at times playing the deeper role. On the continent however, where the game is slower and keeping possession is emphasized over and over, teams like Barcelona can freely implement such tactics. So why have we seen an influx of midfielders playing deeper? For the same reason Spain didn’t play a striker in the European Championships, it gives teams an extra man to keep the ball and expand the field. If you’re sick of people talking about Barcelona, let’s take Italy this summer. Daniele De Rossi, a midfield dynamo who in my opinion is one of the best midfielders in the world, played center half during Italy’s opening group game during this summer’s European Championship. Italy is a nation that breeds world class, tough nosed defenders, names such as Gentile, Maldini, and Baresi will be forever used as the blue print for the next generation of Italian defenders. De Rossi allowed them to keep possession and even gave them an extra man in the midfield to cause havoc for the opposing team’s midfield. I was shocked they put him back into the midfield but they went all the way to the final, so who am I to criticize. Defending is evolving, it is following the lead of the midfield general where we see more Michael Carrick’s rather than Roy Keane’s nowadays. Football is no longer a physical sport, where teams with players that average 5ft 7 inches in height can now dominate on the world stage. As a coach, will I be looking to implement this tactic?  Not right away but I am open to using such methods with the right set of players. I love watching Spain play and enjoyed watching De Rossi playing at the back while using his tools that were crafted for the midfield.

Old Skool-Claudio Gentile

Just like fashion, defending comes and goes in cycles too. The 4-3-3 formation is what most managers went to after the 4-4-2 was looked upon as stagnant. Similarly, one tactic that has been dead for what feels like forever is playing three men at the back. That was until the 2011/12 season where we saw the likes of Barcelona and Wigan employ this method and both teams did so effectively. Inter Milan’s then new manager, Gian Piero Gasperini on the other hand, also went with a back three but things didn’t go so well for him, he lasted only five games as the Nerazzuri boss. Wigan used the three defenders to allow more people to venture forward and create much needed goals to steer them away from relegation last season. Barcelona, as well as Italy, used the tactic to flood the midfield to posses the ball for larger periods of the game and if you hold on to the ball, the other team cannot score. At times Barcelona only played with one center half and two fullbacks, an amazing site and one that I have never seen before. I doubt many managers who saw them play copied it taking into account that there are not many teams that can keep the ball like the Catalan giants.

"Roberto Martinez showed the world tat bringing back
an old fashioned formation can prove
difficult for  opposing teams to
handle"

I hate the fact that football has lost its physical edge and all you hear on a Saturday is the referee’s whistle. On the bright side, I love to see all the different variations and wrinkles that managers use in certain formations to gain that critical advantage. If I was a Head Coach, I would certainly look to play a back three or at least give my team the option if we ever needed to change anything. Roberto Martinez showed the world that bringing back an old fashioned formation can prove difficult for opposing teams to handle, and as a result, his Wigan side stayed in the Premier League for another season.