Big Four learning the virtues of pressuring from the front

April 25, 2009 at 4:43 pm | In Arsenal | Leave a Comment
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The greater athleticism and prizes at stake, has seen the ‘Big Four’ increase the intensity up front recently but in doing so, are aware it may leave them open at the back.
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Arguably the three greatest tactical influences in the modern game are Rinus Michels’ ‘Total Football’ side, Arrigo Sacchi and the liberalisation of the offside law. In fact in South America, it is a widely held opinion between coaches that Holland’s demolition of Argentina and then Brazil in the 1974 World Cup was the last, greatest tactical innovation.

Even though Michels’ always allowed his sides to play with freedom rather than govern them with restrictions that plough the modern game, it was his tactics and style of play that lasts long in many people’s memories. His teams  played a high offside line, pressed the opposition in possession (the South American playmakers to great effect too), and were about quick passing and the interchangeing of positions. His main man, Johan Cruyff was very much influenced by the coach and his Dutch influence was felt by Barcelona when he became their manager (and eventually most successful too).

Barca played in what is now their synonymous 4-3-3 but was adaptable, allowing for triangle passes (i.e. more options in the pass). This type of football is less sustainable in the modern game and Van Gaal tried to account for this by updating the system in order to accommodate it’s pace, skill and athleticism. Hence the now direct Dutch 4-3-3 with more emphasis on counter-attacks and slightly more orthodox.

Still, Pep Guardiola, a former player under Cruyff has looked to bring back some of his philosophies. The three pronged attacked of Messi, Henry and Eto’o could may well get 100 goals between them by the time the season’s done. Guardiola’s forwards are no longer protracted by unnecessary tacking back, which invites the opposition to come at them and at the same time, tiring their own players. Instead they look to force the issue and press the full back’s and the defenders as high as possible, looking to force a mistake and maybe nick the ball. “Barcelona make the pitch look bigger than it really is,” says the former Barcelona midfielder and current Getafe coach Víctor Muñoz. “Barcelona play very high up the pitch and if they get the ball off you there, they’re lethal.”

However it is not a very much used strategy by much other teams and indeed in the Premier League, as Roy Hodgson explains; “There is less high-intensity pressing from the front in advance areas (in top-level European football). This is partly because concern of the interpretation of the offside law has led to teams to play deeper. Sides are sill compact, but this is mainly in their own half of the pitch.”

Indeed playing such a tactic requires organisation at the back and highly mobile players. Nevertheless recent games have shown an increase in it’s use by the ‘big four’. Against Villarreal at home, Arsenal never gave the Spanish side an inch and similarly against Roma. The side’s more quicker and wider style of play this season has seen higher pressure and denying of defences in playing the ball out. It helps that the full backs have been more cautious and indeed this is the same for Chelsea too. Gus Hiddink, a student of Dutch philosophies recognised his side were allowing Arsenal time and space in the FA Cup semi-final and in reaction, deployed the energy of both Essien and Lampard higher, the latter playing just behind Drogba. The result saw a more withdrawn Arsenal and they were unable to get the ball out as Chelsea were snapping on their heels.

Liverpoo’s big matches have seen them having to pressure high up the pitch in order to force the issue but as a result were left more open at the back, and the susceptibility of the full back’s were punished. United are relentless pressure machines and although they have recently been a bit more disciplined up front (Rooney out wide), when they have the ball are almost playing a 4-2-4, suffocating the opposition.

With the traditional 4-4-2 hard to play, pressuring the opposition high up has also decreased in it’s deployment but when implemented, can be particularly effective. The question is, is it really a viable tactic to be used regularly like Barcelona do or is too risky?

Fabregas still the key in Wenger’s quest for domination

April 23, 2009 at 3:59 pm | In Arsenal | 8 Comments
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The Gunners are still ever reliant on Cesc Fabregas to pull the strings with Arsenal’s passing game having suffered this season, especially against the stronger clubs.
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The passing stats after the thrilling 4-4 draw at Anfield read Arsenal 281 successful passes and 44 unsuccessful. Contrast that to Liverpool and they made 327 successful passes and only one misplaced pass less at 43. Last season, the 1-1 draw on the same ground saw the Gunners culminate a massive 432 accurate passes compared to Liverpool’s 201. The Red’s made it hard to play with their direct style but how different was it to last season? Nevertheless it is marked difference from the possession kings that is known as Arsenal.

With Rosicky and Fabregas out for large chunks of the season, and Hleb  having departed in the summer, Wenger has recast his side to a more quicker team, able to get the ball from A to B swiftly especially with Walcott and Arshavin on either side.

Wenger has always liked his sides to keep the ball; pass quickly with great off the ball movement and dynamism, his ‘Invincibles’ side arguably perfected it. The current side seems to have perfected only half of the formula and while being more dynamic is not a bad thing it means the ball will come back more. Against the lesser sides, the Gunners are comfortable at moving the ball around (although matches against Fulham and Wigan showed their limitations) but when faced up against the stronger sides, Arsenal are more counter-attacking.

As shown by some of the great attacking teams of recent times, keeping the ball is a great form of defence as well, denying pressure on the back line. Barcelona and Manchester United are relentless pressure machines and although they may be open at the back at times, more than balance it out with their ability to keep ball and suffocate space. Liverpool and Chelsea on the other hand are more direct and while capable of keeping the ball, it too means the ball will come back more often than for United and Barca. However that’s why they are the masters of space and efficiency; never giving an inch while looking to make best advantage of what’s available.

When Fabregas is not dictating play from the central midfield role, the Gunners are less possession based and when the skipper is moved higher this means someone must take a greater mantle in circulating the ball. As shown against Liverpool, the side failed to string together a long enough sequence with the ball. Which is not to say Fabregas is not good enough for the number 10 role, he needs the movement around him and capable passers. The modern day game sees the ‘universal playmaker’; it is a team duty just as it is to defend.

Wenger admits his most greatest influence was the “Total Football” Ajax team of the late 60s and early 70s. A team which was built up with a core of players from the academy and played revolutionary football, interchanging positions and keeping the ball.

Samir Nasri may be the player which typifies his vision, which is most likely to be in a 4-4-1-1. The Frenchman’s cameo in a defensive midfield position at Liverpool underlines Wenger’s faith in him, as the manager could easily have put Fabregas back. Maybe it was so that Fabregas could still thread the defence splitting passes but Nasri showed that he has the ability to be a worthy central midfielder or even deeper.

The Bergkamp role seems tailor fit for Van Persie who in that position, has made the most assists in the Premier League and could allow Walcott and Arshavin to play out wide. The team has great potential but one which is still over-reliant on Fabregas to pull the strings but when everything gels, should see a dynamic yet ball-hogging Arsenal side.

There is every chance the Gunners will click with each other very soon but while the team is still young, there is every chance that it may take longer than expected. In the meantime however, Fabregas is still king.

Wenger transplants a more direct approach after losing creative brains

March 19, 2009 at 2:00 pm | In Arsenal | 8 Comments
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Wenger has recast his Arsenal team to a more direct and quicker side this season after the loss of key creative midfielders.
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Arsenal received the bad news this week of another set-back to perennial sick note Tomas Rosicky or it would have been even worse had their not been another little figure orchestrating proceedings. The ‘Andrey Arshavin factor’ is in full flow with the Russian displaying the right amount of creativity and dynamism that has so been missing for the last couple of months and indeed maybe even the whole season.

With Arshavin and Walcott operating out wide against Blackburn and Hull City, it is quite a marked difference from the wide men of Hleb and Rosicky of last season, who making up for their lack of directness interplayed with quick, one touch passes. The creative abilities of the wide men often accused Arsenal of being over-elaborate but the movement caused much uncertainty among opposition defences.

“I like to have one behind the striker, and one or two on the flanks who come inside,” said Arsene Wenger. “I always feel that if you have players who can deliver the decisive ball in all areas of the pitch, you have many more chances of being creative. If it’s only focused on one central part, where it’s usually more concentrated, you have more space on the flanks to create.”

With Hleb and Rosicky both preferring to cut inside it resulted into the more pass-focused play and while the ‘Invincibles’ were the original pass masters, with Ljungberg and Pires wide, had greater dynamism and penetration to go with it. For most of this season Arsenal have had to use Nasri and Eboue but as both prefer to come inside, to play such a passing game requires players to play around them and that is where Fabregas has been missed.

“When he’s there, everything goes through him but when he’s not it can take a while to adapt because the game goes through different ways – it’s plural,” said Wenger. “When it’s Fabregas it is more one-way traffic at the start of the build-up.” As a result their has been an over-reliance on the front four recently which requires quicker build up play and more directness from the wings. The possession keeping when teams have taken the initiative to the Gunners is as of yet not as strong as it can be; a lower percentage of possession to both Fulham and Aston Villa would have been blasphemous last season. The shield of Denilson and Song/Diaby have improved immensely but as of yet not as expansive as the Spaniard however they are slowing gaining in confidence  and the signs are good.

The partnership raises an interesting point; Arsenal have always had a midfield shield in front of their defence but who also had the creative potency but with Fabregas it is always him plus one, maybe leaving the team open at times. He has created plenty of goals and has been the heartbeat of the side but ultimately the club’s trophy haul during his  years at the club suggests he wasn’t success. Of course it is an absurd statement given his talismanic status but if Fabregas pushes up could put a lot of strain on the defence hence Flamini’s impact last season. However both Denilson and Diaby have shown they can match the Frenchman for industry both clocking up 15,000 metres against Roma and are still under the age of 24 (when Flamini made his breakthrough). Fabregas has shown, upon given the captain armband that he can undertake a more dictating role to achieve a greater balance while his tackling has always been understated.

The more direct play have grown naturally but given Wenger’s statement on how Arsenal have had to adapt without the Spaniard, it seems more manufactured. After the match against Hull, Arshavin stated Wenger wanted the team to play more quicker in his half time team-talk. “He told us that while we were doing the right things, we needed to speed up a bit to get the result.” The late Renus Michels, who was former Holland manager during the ‘Total Football’ era feels such a counter attacking style has shown to be most efficient when ’short term success is desired.’ In his book ‘Teambuiding: The Road to Success’ a team in phase two will usually implement this style as their main style while those in phase three master what he call ‘ball circulation’ something not many teams can do.

The team must master the ‘ball circulation’ component to be able to determine the correct moment to start the attack. However, ball circulation is a means, not a goal in itself! To carry the play on the opponents half of the field places high demands of the build-up. There is not much time and space to work in and you have to deal with high defensive pressure. Fast combinations and excellent positional play are a must. Circulation football!

To lose possession close to the middle line when building-up is almost ’suicidal’ in this risky style of football. One touch passing is also a must in the building-up team function of this strategy. This demands additional tactical insight from the players as situations quickly have to be surveyed. Each player has to anticipate even more.

To carry the play means that one time you choose to play in a high tempo and the next time you use delaying tactics to slow the play down. A play-making team must take full advantage of the space and must have defenders who can quickly change the point of attack, wing forwards who remain on the outside, etc.

The transition from defence to build-up must be executed very quickly. The team tactical manpower in the centre of the field(central defenders, midfielders and striker) is of great importance.

During the build up, the tactical coherence between the central defenders who must be thinking of playing the ball forward, the attacking midfielders and the central striker is very precise work. When possession is lost, it starts in the opposite direction. Good ball circulation puts high demands on the quality of the positional play, the mastering of the tempo and the speed of action.

In terms of style Arsenal can be classed to be in the middle of the two as they rebuild but with the players Wenger has at his disposal they can offer the correct blend of circulation football and dynamism that the ‘Invincibles’ perfected. Arshavin has only to adapt to English football and the teams understanding, Samir Nasri is still developing his dribbling to be a more effective winger but has the capability to deputise for Fabregas in the near future. Defensively the team is as strong as ever, maybe due in part to the more cautious approach and as the team are young, can get even better.

Arsenal should continue to develop momentum and with a good end to the season and pre-season to adapt to each other, the team has the variety, interchangeability to be potentially beautiful to watch and explosive at the same time.

Arsenal must be praised for sticking to the fundamentals of total football

January 21, 2009 at 5:52 pm | In Arsenal | 6 Comments
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As systems are now created with individuals in mind and ‘between-the-line’ players it is refreshing to see Arsenal stick to their philosophy of ‘Total Football.’
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Would the signing of Andrey Arshavin change the Arsenal style? That’s the question that has been going through my head as this saga unfolds and one that has become cannon-fodder to the media.

Often seen trudging back to the halfway line when detailed to do his defensive duties for Zenit and Russia, could the attacking midfielder fit in to a set-up where it is about the performance of the individual within in the system. For his club and country, the system is accommodated to suit him. It is easy to see why; blessed with great technique, balance and dribbling, he is one of the most effective players in the final third. “Arshavin is a footballer who can make something out of nothing,” says Russia coach Gus Hiddink.

Zenit and Russia are not the only teams who look to exploit key individuals abilities by creating a system which accommodates their strengths and weaknesses. Kaka has little to no defensive duties playing in between attack and midfield. Ronaldo is given the freedom of the left touchline while on the other side Park runs up and down tirelessly. Barcelona have created a quite brilliant system to take advantage of the magician Lionel Messi.

“Today’s football is about managing the characteristics of individuals and that’s why you see the proliferation of specialists,” says former AC Milan coach, Arrigo Sacchi.  ”The individual has trumped the collective. But it’s a sign of weakness. It’s reactive, not pro-active.”

Arrigo Sacchi’s AC Milan team played a fluid and compact 4-4-2, winning the European cup twice and his footballing philosophy influencing a whole host of coaches. His thinking was more systematic but derived from the core of ‘Total Football.’ It was an almost harmonious set-up where there was great fluidity, interchangeability and compactness. It was about the performance of the individual within the system and together with the system, given their ability they could beat anyone.

“There was no project; it was about exploiting qualities,” he said. “So, for example, we knew that Zidane, Raul and Figo didn’t track back, so we had to put a guy in front of the back four who would defend. But that’s reactionary football. It doesn’t multiply the players’ qualities exponentially. Which actually is the point of tactics: to achieve this multiplier effect on the players’ abilities. In my football, the regista – the playmaker – is whoever had the ball. But if you have Makelele, he can’t do that. He doesn’t have the ideas to do it, although, of course, he’s great at winning the ball. It’s become all about specialists. Is football a collective and harmonious game? Or is it a question of putting x amount of talented players in and balancing them with y amount of specialists?”

This has shifted the emphasis to between-the-line players. “There are trends in football,” says former Roma manager Carlo Mazzone. “This is a time of between-the-lines players. From a classic 4-4-2, we now have a 4-1-1-1-3-0 as we have at Roma.”

Arsenal play a fluid 4-4-2 but there is no detailed between-the-line player when attacking while defending it is more about covering and marking the space. The movement and passing allows players like Fabregas, Van Persie and Nasri to utilise these channels. The total footballing sides of Dynamo Kyiv and Ajax played also a high back line, pressed the opposition in possession, passed quickly and had the fluidity to interchange positions. Of course on a defensive side this may course some strain; more mobility in defence and in the cover in midfield but it is working.

“We need to stick to it – because this is how Arsenal is. The Arsenal way is in our system now, it grows into you, and I don’t think it’s clever to change your philosophy,” Arsene Wenger says. ”Things take time, and you often see clubs sacking managers for fun, and they don’t get anywhere. You need a long-term strategy. At Arsenal, the players have time to grow into the system, and if we stick to our principles we will get silverware.”

Arshavin is a great player and there’s every possibility he will fit in and maybe enhance the football being played. Total Football was possible in an era where such play was new; the ability to play the offside trap whereas now hardly any team does. The Gunners are getting close as close as possible in the modern game and as the next batch of kids have displayed against Wigan in the Carling Cup, it can be very destructive. Not many clubs are doing it their own way and it is refreshing to see so and even more when the players get better.

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