Lahm’s new role at Bayern speaks volumes of him & Pep

“He understands the game. Not all players do. A lot of players understand his position. Philipp can play in all positions. Football is a game where people move and you have to decide in one second what’s going on in your position as well as all around the field, and what he decides in that moment is right. Philipp Lahm is perhaps the most intelligent player I have ever trained in my career. He is at another level,” This coming from a coach who has just managed the likes of Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta.

If I had told you at the start of the season that Phillip Lahm will be deployed in a midfield role, you probably would have ended the conversation. Not because Lahm is inept or particularly lacks the traits of a midfielder, but because of the plethora of talent in the German champions’ midfield and also the fact that Lahm is/was the best defender in the world.

Bayern’s #21’s versatility has never been in question, putting in impressive shifts at left back and his preferred role, right back. As a fullback, the German was known for his tackling, reading of the game, and basically every possible trait needed for the fullback role. He also provided another dimension to Bayern’s attack, bombarding forward to provide support. His overlapping & underlapping runs, saw him forge a potent combination with Robben on the right wing, which worked a treat for Jupp Heynckens’ treble winning team last season.

This season however, Philipp Lahm has been given a new role in midfield, his redeployment just goes and to show how complete and rounded his game is, considering the tactical and technical demands of the midfield role vary completely from that of a fullback.

During the summer when Bayern Munich signed Mario Gotze and Thiago Alcantara, with the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Javi Martinez, Toni Kroos already at the club, many football pundits and fans were left questioning how Pep will manage all these world class midfielders. What will be the midfield pairing? Who plays in the pivot? Surprisingly It’s captain Lahm who has been giving a more advanced role paired in central midfield with either Kroos/Thiago in a 4-1-4-1 or as the holding midfielder, or as the hipsters will argue, the advanced sweeper. In preseason, we saw the first glimpse of Lahm in the midfield role against Hansa Rostock acting as the shuttler, a game in which he coincidentally scored.Well played Pep.

Pep Build up philosophy.

Pep Guardiola is without a doubt one of the most tactically astute coaches in the modern game. As a student of the likes of Van Gaal, Johan Cruiff and Marcelo Bielsa, the Bayern Munich manager was fortunate enough to learn and study the ideas of great football visionaries. Pep is a firm believer of controlling spaces and playing the ball out of the back. His game is fixated on mastering spaces and dictating the tempo of the game with slow build up play, triggering opposition players to move to press, hence exploiting gaps. 

“The intention is not to move the ball, rather to move the opposition”. By keeping the ball for long periods of time, opposition players are sucked into pressing before suckerpunching them with a vertical or killer pass.

Like Schweinsteiger, Thiago or Kroos, when Lahm is deployed as the pivot, he’s imperative in Bayern’s build-up phases. His new role is similar to that of a certain, Sergio Busquets. As the pivot, he plays a huge role in Bayern’s transition phase, receiving the ball from center-backs before progressing into forward positions.

Lahm adds another dimension to Bayern’s attacking phases with penetrative pass through the lines, breaking opposition midfield lines. The 30 year old provides vertical thrust and movement to initiate attacks for Pep’s team. He takes up a proactive position and opens spaces/gaps with intelligent passing through the lines. His verticallity is key to enhancing speed in transition phases.

The modern game requires a lot of movement and interchanging, particularly in midfield to dominate possession and control the tempo of the game. Depending on the nature of the opposition, Pep rearranges his pack. In certain games, it is Kroos/Thiago as the pivot acting as the regista with Lahm playing in a more advanced position in central midfield. Interchangeability is of course a prominent feature in Pep Guardiola’s team

For now, it remains unclear whether Lahm’s redeployment is long-term. Guardiola stated in preseason that Lahm played in midfield as a result of Javi Martinez and Bastian’s injuries but with the success he’s having playing in midfield, it wouldn’t surprise me if he played there long-term.

Lack of Movement costing Manchester United, tactically.

Overview

Manchester United have recorded their worst start to a season in the Premier League era under David Moyes and have already equaled the number of defeats sustained throughout the entire 2012-13 campaign after 15 games. The former Everton coach has been under severe pressure this season. His tactics and man management skills have all been questioned this season following their poor league start, with the midfielders taking much of the blame, as per.

Manchester United’s midfield, or a lack of it, has been been a concern for United fans for a while now. United, if you look back at the likes of Ronaldo, Giggs and even the days of George Best, have relied on width for their main source of attacking joy. Focusing on width however in the modern day sometimes means you’ll have to surrender a forward to make up for the lack of numbers in the center of the park, to prevent being overrun in midfield. Last season it was Wayne Rooney who was dropped into the deeper role to prevent midfield overloads against United. This season however, David Moyes has predominantly deployed a 4-4-2/4-4-1-1 formation with Wayne Rooney, who complained in the summer about playing a deeper role, playing higher up the pitch.

4-4-1-1/4-4-2

The team shape up in a traditional 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 formation, depending on Wayne Rooney’s role. Wingers hug the touchline in an attempt to stretch play, as Moyes fixates on wing-play for inventiveness.

3v2 in midfield?

Since most teams in the Premier league overload the midfield with a bank of 5, playing 2 men in the middle of the pitch v 3 will certainly leave you outnumbered and could leave you exposed in the middle, especially with United’s widemen hugging the touchline. To play the 4-4-2 successfully there’s a need to have dynamic and energetic midfielders to press and make up the numbers. At the moment it doesn’t feel like United have the right kind of midfielders to play this system but if Moyes intends to carry on with it, the Scot should be looking to sign a dynamic central midfielder to fit the system.

Manuel Pellegrini’s Man City and Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid, who are arguably the most well drilled team tactically in Europe, are a few examples of how brilliant the 4-4-2 formation could be if deployed perfectly. Atleti make-up for the lack of numbers in midfield by playing a very narrow and compact system, while City do it particularly well with either Aguero/Negredo dropping of each other. David Moyes could make similar adjustments and tweaks to the ‘old-fashioned’ 4-4-2 system as well, the derive proper benefits of it.

Slow build-up

“The key for me is that the speed of their game through the midfield is not quick enough. United have always been about those relentless waves of attacks, sustained for good periods without counter which would eventually overwhelm the opposition. Because this isn’t happening opponents have time to rest and recover between attacks.” – Gary Neville on United’s midfield.

http://t.co/Y71HNxQmPi

United’s style of play particularly in midfield has become very predictable this season. A lack of flair, guile, creativity and nous, as well as slow attacking transitions is apparent in the United side. United are lacking a midfield metronome, one who would command the midfield and dictate the tempo of the game. According to stats, Utd average 53% possession, simply not good enough.

Over the years, United have often played with quick offensive transitions, and were even dubbed the best counterattacking team in Europe by many. Far from it at the moment.

In this illustration, Anderson gets the ball in the center circle, has his head up looking for a passing option but guess what? No one makes himself available. Lack of intent and movement in the build up slows transition and gives opposition team the chance to recover their defensive shape. Gaps and spaces which could have been exploited then are now non-existent.

Again United have the ball in midfield, but no one makes himself a possible outlet to receive the pass, Giggs is forced to keep the ball a bit longer, allowing Everton to recover their defensive shape.

It’s difficult to play from the back against Southampton due to Mauricio Pochettino’s high pressing system, however United made things a bit more difficult for themselves. In phase 1, Jonny Evans tries to build play from the back, passing angles are poor because of Saint’s pressing and again, a lack of movement in the United half. Ideally a player should be dropping deeper into the highlighted zone.

Again, Newcastle press United high up the pitch but there’s no United player( Maybe Cleverley) willing to find space to receive the pass. This means United’s CB has to hoof the ball forward or keep the ball in defense, rather than playing through the opponents to create a goal-scoring opportunity.

Inventive play/quick offensive transitions vs Leverkusen

Against Bayer Leverkusen, we saw how threatening United looked with Giggs, Kagawa, Nani etc interchanging positions in a free flowing 4-2-3-1 shape with Kagawa linking the midfield and attack, in the league somehow, the reds haven’t been able to recapture that sort of inventive and free-flowing football.

Image via trulyreds.com Click for more tactical shots of Bayer vs Man Utd. http://www.trulyreds.com/20131130/bayer-leverkusen-v-manchester-united-tactical-screenshots/

Normally, Manchester United players play with a certain swagger and charisma. Nobody shies away from the ball, everyone wants the ball to feet. This season United have become a reactive side. Instead of blowing opposition away, the United-way, the reds are taking a more cautious and pragmatic approach.

“They(Newcastle) are coming to Old Trafford and we’re going to try and make it hard for them” – David Moyes. Certainly not the United way.

The tempo and intensity has drastically decreased in recent months. Flair players such as Nani, Kagawa and Anderson who will try to make an impact at the other end of the pitch are often dropped for functional players – to track back etc.

Conclusion

David Moyes looks out of depth tactically at the moment. The rigid 4411/442 formation in my opinion, isn’t going to work with the current crop of players available at the squad. There’s practically no link between defense and attack this season, and no United player is looking to make things happen on the ball in midfield. Philosophically, United are becoming a long ball team. It’s quite apparent now, why David Moyes was after the likes of Luka Modric and Ander Herrera in the summer. Both are creative, energetic and dynamic in some respects and will be better suited for this system.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s adaptation to his role at BVB

“He is a player who can really make a difference and he can continue to improve. He has settled much quicker than new additions in recent years. Ilkay Gundogan took half a season to settle and Robert Lewandowski longer than that.”

Borussia Dortmund’s brand of football under Jurgen Klopp, their incredible fans, and refreshing season ticket pricing has seen them become almost everyone’s ‘second team’. BVB manager, Klopp has revolutionized the club in such a short period, transforming a faltering Dortmund side to back-to-back German championships and an appearance in last season’s Champions League final with his particularly wonderful footballing philosophy. His fantastic attitude for the game, passion and hunger for success and ‘cool daddy’ look has seen him become a huge fan favourite, however one aspect of Klopp’s game which is really unnoticed by many is his ability to replace key players and build squads.

Dortmund’s financial situation, in comparison to Europe’s elite clubs isn’t the most astounding. The club were unable to hold on to star players Shinji Kagawa and Nuri Sahin in the 2012 summer window, yet haven’t regressed, replacing both with quality players that match their philosophy. They seem to be doing so again, this time with Henrikh Mkhitaryan, a player brought in just after Gotze departed to arch-rivals Bayern Munich.

Mkhitaryan, the most expensive signing in Dortmund’s 103 year history is from a unique football family; his dad was a prolific striker before passing away at age 33, his mother is a member of the Armenian Football Federation, while his sister works at UEFA.  The 24 year old attacking midfielder is among the finest in Europe. His impressive displays and goal haul saw him become one of the most feared attacking players in Ukraine, winning the 2013 Ukrainian league golden boot with 25 goals, which is a league record by the way. His international record also makes good reading, Micki, as the BVB fans love to call him is a three-time Armenian footballer of the year and is their all-time goalscorer with 12 goals.

After Gotze departed the club, there was a need for them to sign a top class replacement, one who will match their high energy pressing system and fill the tactical and technical void Mario Gotze had left at the club. Klopp found the perfect player in Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

‘He possesses an incredible combination of speed and technique. There’s very, very few you can say that about.

‘There’s a reason why the world’s best chess players come from Armenia like Mkhitaryan. Yes, other countries product chess players, but Armenia produces far more than could reasonably expect.

Strategy in football is fundamental. Many analysts believe strategy and not just players decide games. Of course having more technical players is an advantage to your strategy however the tiny margins between victory and defeat may lie in the details. As a result, managers spend a lot of time plotting and scheming on their strategy and tactics that can swing games in their favour. To see a player who pays as much attention to detail is rare, but that is exactly the kind of player Mkhitaryan is. The 24 year old himself has likened his style of play to the famous board-game chess. “I play football like chess, you have to think a lot and anticipate what could happen after you make your move. If you make a mistake, your opponent can punish and you end up losing the game. The most dangerous area is the centre, which has to be either attacked or defended in football and it’s the same in chess.”

Mkhitaryan a fluent speaker of five different languages wasted no time at all in settling to life in the Bundesliga. He has slotted right into the number 10 role previously occupied by Super Mario playing off the irrepressible Lewandowski and alongside Marco Reus and Kuba/Aubameyang in BVB’s 4-2-3-1 formation. The Armenian is very versatile and also plays in the wide roles in certain games. The 5’10 former Shaktar Donetsk player plays a highly calculated and technical game and excels in the physical aspects also. Mkhitaryan is the hub in the middle of the pitch for Dortmund that links the midfield and attack. While Sahin and Gundogan thrive in the deep-lying playmaker role, the Armenian does most of his work in the final third. Mkhitaryan is deadly in transition and between the lines, and is one of the best counterattacking players you’ll find. His amazing athleticism can see him turn defense into attack so quick, which is a prominent feature in Dortmund’s game. The former Shaktar star is very vertical in his football approach. Often looking to run in behind with or without the ball.

One fundamental principle of Klopp’s philosophy is deploying three highly technical players behind the impressive Lewandowski in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Reus-Gotze-Kuba, the trio that led BVB to the Champions League had something similar between them. Aside their apparent talent, all three attacking-midfielders were highly energetic players who pressed up the pitch to break opposition attack, effectively converting defense into attack. “gegenpressing is the best playmaker there is” – arguably Klopp’s most popular quote typifies their high pressing system to create chances. Dortmund currently hold the record for the most tackles in their opponent’s half in all of Europe’s top leagues this season with 67.

Mkhitaryan has slotted right into the fray, his workrate and undoubted ability has seen him fit into Dortmund like a glove.

Mkhitaryan’s stats make good reading. 4 goals and 5 assists in 14 games this season, averaging 2.4 key passes per game with a pass success rate of 80%. The Armenian has certainly fit in at Dortmund like an ‘arse in a bucket’.

Sergi Roberto – The Dynamic midfielder.

“Sergi Roberto is a player to look out for in the coming years. When he really breaks through you’ll all be surprised.” – Pep Guardiola, in 2011.

La Masia, the youth academy of FC Barcelona is famed for producing the most tactically and technically gifted footballers as a result of their lauded football philosophy. The likes of Fabregas, Busquets Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez, all football maestros epitomize the standards and quality of La Masia graduates. In recent weeks, there has been a lot of talk regarding Sergi Roberto in the Spanish media. On the pitch, many football pundits have labelled him the heir to the Xaviesta throne. Off the pitch, Sergi Roberto continues to wow the ladies with his looks. All this hype circulating around a player who has only made 5 senior appearances for the Barcelona side.

The 21 year old was born in Reus, in the province of Tarragona in Catalonia on the 7th of February, 1992. In 2006, aged 14, Sergi Roberto left his hometown club to join Barcelona. He spent 7 years at La Masia before being promoted to the Blaugrana first team. He was handed his first Barcelona B appearance by Luis Enrique.

Due to his remarkable performances and displays in the B team, Pep Guardiola handed the youngster his senior debut in a Copa Del Rey clash against AD Cueta, the Spaniard put in a man-of-the-match display in the game, running the midfield like two midgets have done for half a decade, leaving plenty of optimism to the Culés.

STYLE OF PLAY

Sergi Roberto plays predominantly in midfield, specifically central midfield. Pace, strength, versatility dynamism, tactical discipline are fine attributes and qualities the young Spaniard possesses. As a Spanish midfielder, his style of play is linked to the popular tiki-taka Spanish football philosophy although when you take a critical observation, you’d notice that he does not play like the conventional Spanish midfielder.

In terms of approach, Sergi Roberto is more direct than most Catalan midfielders. The dynamic midfielder possesses incredible Box-to-box (B2B) qualities. He often picks up the ball from teammates in deeper positions before taking on midfielders and defenders with an incredible turn of pace, conclusively opening up gaps and leaving voids to be exploited.

Forward runs with the ball

Sergi Roberto ran 12,695 kilometres vs Celtic, most of a Barcelona player in Champions League this season

It’s civil to say no one could ever replace Andres Iniesta’s role and importance to a team. The 29 year old is renowned for his off the ball movement and competence to create space and open gaps.  When managers come up against Barcelona, their initial tactic and strategy hinge on compacting the midfield to prevent the creative and flair Barcelona players from playing between through them, furthermore, restricting Barca’s build-up. In Sergi Roberto, the Catalans have a player at their disposal, who makes identical intelligent runs as Andres, disrupting the opponent’s positioning and balance, consequently opening up space to exploit.

Illustration – As soon as Messi receives the pass from his teammate, we know he’s going to look for any gap to maneuver the ball in; either the orthodox Lionel Messi run we’ve seen over the years or that lovely pass splitting pass to a teammate. In this build-up, take note of Sergi Roberto’s movement to create space for Messi to switch play to the other flank.

Creating space and opening gaps

The hallmark of good footballers is their intelligence and ability to find space, although mental skills are often neglected by coaches. Such attributes can not be acquired simply by training, making players with such spatial insight a rarity in the modern game. His spatial awareness for a youngster is impressive.  An important feature of Barcelona’s system is the ability to occupy space to receive passes and also the ability to find space to finish off moves. In the next sequence of illustrations, take notice of the 21 year old’s surging run from Central midfield to finish against Lechia Gdansk in preseason.

Illustration I

Illustration II

Illustration III

As a graduate of the Barcelona youth academy, it’s not surprising to see Roberto’s ball-playing skills. Although not as eloquent and precise as ‘The Puppet Master’ Xavi Hernandez, the youngster’s passing skills are apparent for all to see. 90% accuracy so far this season, a testament to that.

Pep Guardiola, the man who gave Roberto is Barcelona debut deployed a 6-second pressing rule at the club; when Barcelona lose the ball, they press the ball collectively and try and win it back in 6 seconds, if they fail to do so, they sit back and mark zonally wait for a loose pass, before pressing high up the pitch again. As a result of this philosophy, it’s not very surprising Sergi Roberto has high energy levels and runs tirelessly to win back possession.

“Sergi Roberto is too good, he can play everywhere”- Pep. In FC Barcelona’s recent la liga game against Real Sociedad, we noticed Sergi Roberto’s incredible versatility when he replaced Lionel Messi, ten minutes from the final whistle. Tata Martino deployed S.Roberto in the false 9 role which was previously occupied by the Argentine, where he put in an effective shift in his ten-minute-cameo, showing glimpses of his remarkable talent.

With Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta entering the twilight of their illustrious careers, plus Thiago’s departure to join Pep at Bayern Munich, the stage is set for Sergi Roberto to make his breakthrough.

 

Tactical: An Insight to The Engineer’s well constructed 4-2-2-2

“Tactics aren’t just about theory, but about the intelligence you show on the pitch”.

Manuel Pellegrini, the engineer, is publicly acknowledged for being one of the most respected and tactically astute professionals in world football currently. The Chilean over the course of his managerial career has managed many many sides, the majority of which have been in Argentina, Spain and his homeland Chile.

The nickname, ‘The Engineer’ was given to the Chilean after achieving a degree in engineering way back in the late 1970s. After a prosperous career as a footballer for Universidad de Chile, the one-club man Pellegrini decided to delve into football management with his first managerial crack being at the club he racked up 400 appearances. After spells in Argentina and Chile with Universidad de Chile, Palestino, O’Higgins, Universidad Catolica, LDU Quito, San Lorenzo and the most successful team in Argentina, River Plate, Manuel Pellegrini decided to have a go at European football and on the 1st of July 2004 he officially took charge of Spanish football club, Villarreal. During his time at Villarreal, the yellow submarines achieved a third place finish in La Liga in 2004/05, Champions League semi-final in 2005/06 and separated the big two by securing a second place finish in La Liga in 2007/08. The man who transformed both Villarreal and Malaga from average la liga sides into top-four outfits also had a stint at the Spanish capital, managing the greatest European side, Real Madrid, leading the club to second place after amassing an astonishing 99 points.

TACTICS.

He initially begun his Villarreal career with a 4-3-1-2 formation, intended to make mileage out of Riquelme’s wonderful attributes; who in his prime was the best attacking midfielder in Europe. As time went on, the engineer switched to a 4-2-2-2, often misconstrued as a 4-4-2, his 4-2-2-2 system caught the eyes of many football enthusiasts and tactical observers. At Villarreal – Santi Cazorla and Sorin, the wide players were used somewhat as trequartistas rather than more traditional #7’s and #11’s with a double-pivot of Senna and Tacchinardi sited in midfield to provide stability.

Manuel Pellegrini plays a very free-flowing attacking 4-2-2-2 system which is fixated on width. Full backs are normally situated very high up the pitch, bombarding forward at any given chance where as the wingers, normally interiors would cut inside to support the attack. A major element in Pellegrini’s system is the utilization of the fullbacks and during his time at Villarreal there were no better fullbacks than Capdevilla, Javi Venta and Angel, who mastered the act of marauding forward while staying defensively rigid. As the fullbacks bombarded forward the defensive midfielders; Marcos Senna, Josico will cover for them making it a solid back four. Manuel Pellegrini has over the years preferred interiors to traditional wingers. At Villarreal it was Santi Cazorla and Borja, Madrid being deployed in this role. In recent times; during Manuel Pellegrini’s time in La Rosaleda, it was los Boquerones’ gem, Isco playing this role, with either veteran Duda, Portillo or Joaquin occupying the other position. In attack, the engineer prefers mobile forwards who drift to the wings and run all over the forward line to the old-fashioned, this allows the wingers to come inside to affect play without clashes in spatial positioning by the strikers.

PELLEGRINI’S 4-2-2-2.                                                                                  

PELLEGRINI’S CONSERVATIVE 4-2-3-1 AGAINST TOUGH OPPOSITION

Manuel Pellegrini, one of the shrewdest tacticians in Europe, is a rather flexible customer. Constant variations and tactics are deployed by the engineer in 90-minute games to get the best out of his team. When his team lines up against possession-oriented teams, he switches tactics from an attacking 4-2-2-2 to a more conservative 4-2-3-1 or a 4-5-1 with either one of his forwards dropping deeper to help the midfielders out. Against Barcelona, arguable the greatest team ever, Manuel Pellegrini managed more wins than defeats, a feat not many managers have achieved – mainly due to his genius improvisation and variation of tactics.

In Pellegrini’s first English Premier League game, we were treated with some of the best attacking football we will witness all season. The blues run riot, putting 4 past Tim Krul in the Newcastle goal. City started the game with plenty of intent and bossed the opening minutes of the game, dominating proceedings and possession right from the go – an early testament to Manuel Pellegrini’s philosophy at City (?). The fluency and brilliance of City’s play earned the blues rave reviews from all sections of football analysts and viewers.

Over at Pellegrini’s Manchester City it is expected that Joe Hart remains the #1 – a solid back four consisting of Pablo Zabaleta, Kompany, Nastasic and Clichy will be used; a system in which fullbacks Zabaleta and Clichy will maraud forward at any given chance with holding midfielders Yaya Toure or Fernandinho filling in for them as they bombard forward – Any two of David Silva/Jovetic/Jesus Navas/Samir Nasri will be used as interiors with a front-duo of Edin Dzeko/Alvaro Negredo and Aguero doing the business in front of goal.

Nasri and Silva will fully benefit from the Chilean’s philosophy, expect them to have an exceptional season.

Man City shape in possession

The pith of Pellegrini’s tactics is to maintain possession and play free-flowing attacking football, as evident in his time in Europe

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