The Three-Man Midfield

THE THREE-MAN MIDFIELD

BRIAN BARTOLO

Dissertation submitted in part fulfilment of the requirements for the UEFA PRO Diploma 2015-2017 in the

Malta Football Association Technical Centre

Tutor: STEPHEN GRIMA

Abstract

Brian Bartolo: The Three-Man Midfield

The systems and the style of play of different teams have always been of interest to the various supporters, the media, the general public and especially to coaches. In recent years it has become more and more essential that teams analyse each other’s style and system of play in order to be well prepared to play against the next opponents. Most of the teams have, in fact, employed full time match analysts to help them in performing this job as best as they can.

The system and style of play are the team’s identity and these are dictated by the players themselves. The midfield players are the core of each team and therefore, most often, the team is build around these players. The aim of this dissertation is to determine how a three man central midfield in a team operates and how the players move individually and as a group in both attack and defence. The reason why a three man central midfield was chosen for this study is because, in recent years, there have been more teams using three central midfield players rather than two. The questions tackled by this dissertation are:

❖ Which are the different formations that use a three man central midfield?

❖ What are the different characteristics of these players and what impact do they have on the team’s style of play?

❖ What is the role of these players in the possession phase, the non-possession phase and the transition phase of the team?

❖ How do the various midfield players move during different situations, different phases and in different areas of the field of play?

To My Family and Friends and All the Participants and Tutors of the first “UEFA PRO LICENCE COURSE” held in Malta between

September 2015 and April 2017

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Structure of the dissertation

Chapter one gives an explanation of the different types of formations used along the years and how they evolved. It also looks at the different formations using the three man midfield and gives a brief explanation on the three main systems used for the scope of this dissertation: the 1-4-3-3, 1-3-5-2 and the 1-4-2-3-1 systems.

Chapter two goes into a detailed explanation of the qualities, characteristics and roles of the various central midfield players and how they are used in different formations. It also represents the analysis of teams using the three main systems mentioned earlier. Two teams have been chosen for each system of play. Barcelona and Bayern Munich were analysed for the 1-4-3-3 system, Juventus and the Italian National Team were analysed for the 1-3-5-2 system while Manchester United and Arsenal were analysed for the 1-4-2-3-1 system. It shows the way they play in different situations against different teams with different systems and it also shows the role of the three central midfield players in each case.

Chapter three, the concluding chapter, sets out the reason why these systems are used and also how players with different characteristics are used in similar systems of play and also how these characteristics influence the team’s style of play.

Table of Contents

ABSTRACT II

Structure of the dissertation iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS V

LIST OF FIGURES VI

LIST OF PHOTOS VI

1 A BRIEF REVIEW OF EXISTING LITERATURE 1

1.1 Different types of formations along the years 1

1.2 Different Formations using the three-man midfield 3

1.2.1 The 1-4-3-3 System 3

1.2.2 The 1-3-5-2 System 4

1.2.3 The 1-4-2-3-1 System 6

2 MAIN STUDY AND MAIN FINDINGS 8

2.1 The Central Midfield Players:Qualities,Characteristics and Roles 8

2.2 The 1-4-3-3 System 12 2.2.1 Barcelona 12 2.2.2 Bayern Munich 16

2.3 The 1-3-5-2 System 21 2.3.1 Juventus 21 2.3.2 Italian National Team 26

2.4 The 1-4-2-3-1 System 31 2.4.1 Manchester United 31 2.4.2 Arsenal 35

3 CONCLUSION 40

3.1 Conclusion 42

BIBLIOGRAPHY 43

List of Figures

Figure 1: The 1-4-3-3 Formation 3 Figure 2: The 1-3-5-2 Formation 5 Figure 3: The 1-4-2-3-1 Formation 6

List of Photos

Photo 1: Team squeezes play to one side of the pitch 12 Photo 2: Ultra-high pressing with Busquez being the most advanced player 13 Photo 3: Midfield players in “vertice basso” position 14 Photo 4: 1-3-4-3 in attack with Busquets between the central defenders 15 Photo 5: Messi and Rakitic exchanging positions 15 Photo 6: High pressing pushing opponent to one side 16 Photo 7: Rotation on the right side 17 Photo 8: Hummels during Build up 17 Photo 9: Compact midfield to close passing options 18 Photo 10: 1-2-3-5 formation in attack 19 Photo 11: Kimmich's run from the blind side 19 Photo 12: Team rotation 20 Photo 13: Striker and Central Attacking Midfielder exchange positions 22 Photo 14: Three-man rotation between striker, central midfielder and wing-back 22 Photo 15: Central midfielder attacking the weak side 23 Photo 16: Two central midfielders in the striker position 23 Photo 17: 1-5-3-2 formation during the non-possession phase 24 Photo 18: Squeeze play on the flank 25 Photo 19: Attacking in numbers 25 Photo 20: 1-5-3-2 in defence with straight line midfield 26 Photo 21: Three-man midfield creating space to receive the ball 27 Photo 22: Italy's deep compact defending 27 Photo 23: Attacking with central midfielders and wing-backs 28 Photo 24: Holding midfielder finding the right space 29 Photo 25: Midfield players breaking the lines 29 Photo 26: Advanced midfielders creating different options in attack 30 Photo 27: Rooney pushing opponent’s play to one side 32 Photo 28: The holding midfielder between the two central defenders 33

Photo 29: Space left in midfield to exploit 33 Photo 30: Midfield players creating passing angles 34 Photo 31: Midfield with “vertice basso” 35 Photo 32: 1-4-4-1-1 Tight in defence 36 Photo 33: 3v2 Defensive numerical advantage on the flanks 36 Photo 34: 3v2 on the flank with Central Defender covering 36 Photo 35: Three-man midfield aided by the wingers in non-possession phase 37 Photo 36: Central Attacking Midfielder filling space left by Striker 38 Photo 37: Winger pushes in to create space for the advancing full back 38 Photo 38: Fast counter attack. 3v3 situation 39

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1 A Brief Review of Existing Literature

In football several types of formations are used. Some of these formations are very similar, (pushing just one or two players up or down the field to become a different formation). Others are totally different formations.

The early formations in football reflected the all attacking nature of the game, almost completely ignoring the defensive phase. The first international game recorded, back in 1872 between England and Scotland, clearly shows this. England played a 1-1-1-8 or 1-1-2-7 formation while Scotland played a 1-2-2-6 formation. Ironically, with so many players playing in attack, the game ended in a 0-0 draw.

1.1 Different types of formations along the years

The first long term successful formation was the 1-2-3-5 formation and was first recorded in 1880. This was the first formation with three midfielders which, however, differ a lot from the modern three-man midfield. This formation lived long and it was used by Uruguay to win the 1930 World Cup.

Next came the 1-2-3-2-3 formation used by Italy to win the 1934 and 1938 World Cup. This system also used three central midfielders but with different characteristics. Some critics argue that Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona and Bayern Munich used a modern version of this system.

During the same era there was also the WM formation which basically means a 1-3-2-2-3 formation. This was mainly invented to counter the new offside rule which was introduced in 1925. But soon the 1-3-3-4 formation took over and was mostly used in the 1950’s and 1960’s.

The 1-4-2-4 system came next and it was developed successfully in the late 1950’s. It was mostly developed by Brazil and Hungary. Its first success was seen at club level in Brazil by Palmeiras and Santos but it was also used by Brazil to win the 1958 and 1970 World Cup. This system was quickly adopted throughout the world after the success of Brazil in the World Cup.

The more modern systems are more flexible and with the movement of one or two players, one might argue that the system has changed. The 1-4-4-1-1 system is the first system using a three-man midfield, although the advanced midfielder is more of a second striker who “drops in the hole”.

The 1-4-3-3 was a development of the 1-4-2-4 system and was adopted by Uruguay in the 1950 and 1954 World Cup and also by Brazil in 1962. This system was common place in Italy, Argentina and Uruguay in the 1960’s and 1970’s. But the national side that made this system so famous was Holland in the 1974 and 1978 World Cup.

Next came the 1-4-4-2 formation which saw its popularity mostly with the Milan side of Arrigo Sacchi. Other formations such as the 1-4-3-1-2 and 1-4-1-3-2 are all variations of the 1-4-4-2 with a diamond midfield.

The 1-5-3-2, 1-3-5-2, 1-3-4-3 and all their variations are all formations which vary from the previous formations in that they have 3 central defenders. The difference between the 1-3-5- 2 and the 1-5-3-2 is that the two wing players are predominantly more oriented either to attack or to defend. The 1-3-5-2 formation was first used at international level by Argentine coach Carlos Bilardo. Although this system had fallen out of favour with most coaches, because they now prefer four players at the back, it has recently started becoming popular once again. Juventus, under the guidance of Antonio Conte, have won three back to back titles and another two titles under the guidance of Massimiliano Allegri using this system, which was also recently used by Luis Van Gaal at Manchester United. It was also used by Italy in Euro 2012 and Netherlands in the 2014 World Cup to nullify the challenge of possession football used by Spain. Italy, now under the guidance of Antonio Conte, also used this system in Euro 2016.

Other formations are derivatives of the above with minor modifications such as the 1-4-6-0 used by Spain at Euro 2012 and by Manchester United to become 2008 Uefa Champions League winners. This is an evolution of the 1-4-2-3-1 or 1-4-3-3 but with different player characteristics.

1.2 Different Formations using the three-man midfield

There are different formations that make use of the three-man midfield. These are mainly subdivided into those using one low-lying midfielder (italian term “vertice basso”) and those using two low midfielders and a midfielder who plays between the lines (italian term “vertice alto”). The formations using the “vertice basso” are mainly the 1-4-3-3, 1-3-5-2, 1-4-1-4-1 and 1-5-3-2. The formations that use the “vertice alto” are mainly the 1-4-2-3-1, 1-4-4-1-1 and 1- 3-4-1-2, although some teams use the 1-4-3-3 formation with this system. This study will be analysing the three system which, possibly, are the most popular and most effective formations using the three central midfielders.

1.2.1 The 1-4-3-3 System

The 1-4-3-3 system is mostly played with one low lying midfield player and two advanced central midfielders. This system “benefits teams made up of players who are skilled passers of the ball, allowing them to express themselves within a system that prioritises intelligent ball movement as a means to creating scoring opportunities”.1

Figure 1: The 1-4-3-3 Formation

The strenghts of the 1-4-3-3 system are various. Having two very advanced wide forwards, this system gives the opportunity to nullify the opponents full backs. As long as the forwards manage to stay in advanced positions, it becomes very risky for the opponents full backs to advance. Therfore, it limits the opponents options in attack and reduces the pressure on the team. Having three central midfielders, mainly one defensive midfielder and two attacking or box-to-box midfielders, this system allows you to dominate possession in midfield against teams playing with just two central midfielders. It also allows for the full backs to move forward since they feel safe knowing that their midfield will keep possession long enough for them to join in attack without having the regular threat of conceding too many counter attacking opportunities. In possession, the 1-4-3-3 allows at least seven players to attack as the wide forwards squeeze the opponents defence, the full backs come up behind them and the two attacking central midfielders push forward. Teams using this particular system can also adapt to a more defensive 1-4-1-4-1 system when the team is under pressure or the team needs to keep the result.

To use the 1-4-3-3 system, the team must possess players who are capable of quick thinking in terms of positioning and distribution. Two of the most important players are the central striker and the defending central midfielder. The central striker requires the ability to get into possession of the ball and bring the attacking wide players and the attacking central midfielders into the game. This system also requires a good defensive midfielder. The central defensive midfielder must be able to shield the defence alone when his central midfield partners are caught in advanced positions and also when the full backs have pushed up to support play. He also needs to give support and playing options while the team is in the possession phase.

1.2.2 The 1-3-5-2 System

The 1-3-5-2 system features three centre backs with two wing backs out on the wings. The wing backs in this system are normally used as full backs, outside midfielders and also as wingers. They need to be incredibly fit and tactically aware in order to make this system work. The three man central midfield can line up in different shapes but mostly it has a low lying defensive midfielder and two central attacking midfielders (vertice basso) behind a pair of strikers. The central midfield can also line up with two defensive midfielders and one attacking midfielder or three in a line (which is not so common).

During the non-possession phase, this system is particularly strong especially against a 4-4- 2 system.

The two opposing strikers are confronted with three central defenders, there’s normally no space for the wingers and the opposing two central midfielders are outnumbered by the three man central midfield. A modern tactic, which caters also against teams playing with only one striker, is to play a 1-3-5-2 only when the team is in the possession phase. This is done by dropping a defensive midfielder between the two central defenders and pushing the full backs to become wing backs. When the team is out of possession they revert back to the back four.

Figure 2: The 1-3-5-2 Formation

When using this system the centre backs have to be a very well drilled unit, combining the qualities of the traditional centre backs with those of full backs. Very often they have to shuffle over together, and that requires the skills of centre backs, but often they have to cover the space left by the wing backs and that also requires the skills of a full back. The back three needs to include at least one player who is a very good passer of the ball since most often the team’s build up starts or develops through him.

The biggest challenge of this system occurs when the opponents play with only one striker, which leaves three defenders marking only one man. Even worse than that is playing against a team with a “false 9”. This player might “drag” one of the central defenders out of position, but if not, the opposition will have an extra man in midfield.

1.2.3 The 1-4-2-3-1 System

The 1-4-2-3-1 system is certainly the system of choice for an enormous number of top-tier teams. Its adoption started by many teams in Spain in the 1990’s but it spread rapidly in other countries in the early 2000’s. It is an evolution of the 1-4-4-2 as it has more lines of play than the 1-4-4-2.

Figure 3: The 1-4-2-3-1 Formation

The defensive unit in a 1-4-2-3-1 system consists of the two central defenders, the two full backs and two defensive midfielders screening them. Therefore this system uses the three central midfielders in an inverted way compared to the 1-4-3-3 or the 1-3-5-2 systems (vertice alto). The attacking unit consists of three attacking midfielders and one striker. The two wide midfielders are normally fast dribblers who like cutting inside and making runs into the opponents box while at the same time creating space in the wide areas for the forward pushing full backs. The central attacking midfielder is usually a creative passer of the ball who can give “killer” passes to both the wide attackers and also to the striker.

One of the main strenghts of the 1-4-2-3-1 system is that the ball can be passed through triangles, which is more effective than passing in straight vertical or horizontal lines. During the non-possession phase, the 1-4-2-3-1 covers space very effectively. The three atacking midfielders and the striker are able to press the opposition high up the pitch while the two defensive midfielders ensure that there is no free space for the opposition to exploit in front of the defence. The back four can then decide whether to play with a high line or to drop deeper.

While at its best the 1-4-2-3-1 can be a very flexible and efficient formation, when played poorly it can be very slow and inefficient. If the midfield players are forced back into a 1-4-5-1 formation, the striker will be left alone with no support at all, especially if even the full backs, who are the key in modern attacking football, are trapped back behind their midfield line. On the other hand, if the attacking midfielders neglect to track back, they will allow the opposite wide players to overload the defence. It is even worse as the two defensive midfielders are left with a huge amount of space to cover.

2 Main Study and Main Findings

2.1 The Central Midfield Players: Qualities, Characteristics and Roles

In a 3-man midfield, as the term implies, there are three central midfielders. The qualities, characteristics and roles of these three central midfield players have seen significant changes throughout the years. These changes can be attributed mainly to two reasons:

• The different characteristics of the midfield players • The everchanging demands of the game

Since the game has become more tactical and faster, naturally, the roles of the midfield players have changed. The midfield players’ roles can be divided into three main categories:

1. Defensive Midfielder 2. Central Midfielder 3. Attacking Midfielder

The other midfield roles are either derivatives of any of these three categories or a mix. The defensive midfielder can be either a holding midfielder or a deep lying playmaker (regista). The attacking midfielder is an advanced playmaker (trequartista) although sometimes he can be used as a deep lying forward. The central midfielder is more of a box-to-box player who will perform both offensive and defensive duties.

The role of the central defensive midfielder (holding midfielder) is not only to defend.

“If you’re playing the holding role in a central three in midfield, you’re screening the two centre-halves and stopping the service getting to the opposition’s forwards. If the game is being played at 100mph, don’t get carried away with what’s happening – positioning is the key. If you can get on the ball and support the attack then go for it, but be aware of where the danger is if the move breaks down. If they counter-attack you’ve got to be able to get in a position to help the defence.” – Michael Carrick

If the opposition floods the midfield and one of the strikers drops deep, the holding midfielder has to get information from the central defenders – communication. If the holding midfield player has to keep looking over his shoulder he will miss what’s happening in front of him. 8

His body shape should be in a position to cut passes to the striker but he should also be in a position to face the play. If the ball gets between the midfield and the central defenders, then the opposition is running forward and the midfielder is running back – then there is a problem.

The holding midfielder should be tactically disciplined. He should avoid being dragged out wide because this will leave space in the middle for opponents to run into. This situation will put the central defenders under pressure. If the danger is out wide and the holding midfielder has to deal with it, then he has to make sure he’s got cover. Otherwise the holding midfielder should try to delay play until he gets help from his teammates.

“You’re not just there to defend – be another option” – Michael Carrick

When the team is in possession the holding midfielder should try to get in a position to receive the ball and influence play. At the same time he should try to be in such a position that if the team loses possession, he is able to cover the other midfielders and screen the defenders at the same time. From his position, the holding midfielder can see the play in both ways. Therefore, even if he hasn’t got the ball, he should be in continuous communication with his teammates to help them with the options that they have.

The holding midfielder has to be in a position to decide whether to play a short pass or a long pass. Sometimes a short pass is better than a long pass that gets you nowhere. Sometimes a simple short pass might put two or three opponents out of action and possibly getting the team in a numerical advantage in attack. If the game is stretched, the holding midfielder should be in a position to decide whether it is better to play a short pass or a long pass.

The deep-lying playmaker (regista) involves trying to anticipate the opponents play and intercept passes since normally he specializes more in ball skills rather than defensive skills like tackling.

“The better you know your opponents, the better you will be able to anticipate their play and exploit their weaknesses” – Marco Verratti

When the regista has the ball, he should be in a position to dictate the tempo of his team’s play. He is normally able to attempt long and complex passes successfully more than the holding midfielder. He may decide to retain possession of the ball to build up play through short passes or he may opt for a long ball to the attackers or a shorter pass to a teammate “in the hole” (the area between the opponents’ midfield and defence).

The regista is normally seen with his head up to look around before getting the ball. Since football is an aggressive sport, there is hardly any time to think. Therefore, a good first touch is fundamental. In this position, the regista cannot afford to lose possession since he is in a dangerous area of the pitch. But if he has a good first touch he should be able to pick the right pass to start an attack.

The central midfield player or as he is called the box-to-box player is there to work hard and to help everyone else before himself.

“The first step to play as a central midfield player is to understand your role and accept it” – Patrick Vieira

The box-to-box midfielder usually has good abilities and skills at both defending and attacking. The role of the central midfield player has changed throughout the years. In the past his role was to protect the defenders but now he is expected to defend, make assists and also score goals. The central midfield player has to earn his team’s trust. His teammates need to be able to count on him. A good central midfielder needs to have good passing, vision, control, tackling and marking in defence and shooting and dribbling in attack. He is in the heart of the team and has to keep everything together. He needs to comunicate a lot and he has to try and be in the right place at the right time. A good central midfield player should make his presence felt as soon as the game starts. His first contact with the opponent should show that he is there and that he is going to give him a hard time.

The attacking midfielder is sometimes called the trequartista or fantasista. He is usually in the space between the team’s low lying or defensive midfielders and the forward players. He has a primarily offensive role. In fact, he is normally the offensive pivot of the team and usually tries to play “in the hole”.

“Before I receive the ball, I quickly look to see which players I can give it to. Always be aware of who is around you: if you feel them closing down, take a touch to move the ball away from them. Try and put yourself in space to get the pass: the more space you have, the more time you have to think. And when you get the ball, don’t move it towards the opponent. That said, sometimes I’m happy to run at a player and just hold the ball in front of him. That way I’ve moved the team forward” – Andres Iniesta

A good trequartista should have an exceptionally good first touch, vision and the ability to shoot from a range, to give the killer pass and should also possess solid dribbling skills. The attacking midfielder’s main role is to create good shooting and scoring opportunities. He may try to set up shooting opportunities for himself by dribbling or by performing a “give and go” with his teammates. He may also try to make runs into the opponent’s penalty area in order to shoot from another teammate’s pass.

Different teams which played different systems were analysed to study the movement of the three-man midfield. The analysis was done to study how the teams played in the possession phase and in the non-possession phase. Then, obviously, the study looked at how the team reacted to the different movements. As indicated before, the study was mainly conducted on the 1-4-3-3, 1-3-5-2, and the 1-4-2-3-1 systems. The decision to study these three systems was to analyse two systems, the 1-4-3-3 and 1-3-5-2 systems, playing with an inverted triangle in midfield (vertice basso) and one system, the 1-4-2-3-1 system, playing with a triangle in midfield (vertice alto).

2.2 The 1-4-3-3 System

In the 1-4-3-3 system two teams were studied which have interpreted this system at very high levels. The teams are Barcelona and Bayern Munich which, during different times, were managed by Pep Guardiola. Incidentally, in two of the matches that were analysed, Barcelona were playing against Manchester City that are presently managed by Pep Guardiola.

2.2.1 Barcelona

During the non-possession phase, the default position of the three central midfield players is either to be in line with each other infront of the defence or with the holding midfield player only a few metres behind the other two central midfield players, if they are a bit further up the field of play. The team’s philosophy is to try and squeeze play to one side of the pitch in order to try and get a numerical advantage over the opponent. When possible, the team starts to direct the opponents’ play to one side of the pitch using the central striker. They tries to push play to one side of the pitch were there is the wide striker (his team mate). If they manage to squeeze the opponent to the desired side, then they are in a strong position to defend. They would have the wide attacker, the full back and the three central midfield players all covering any spaces that the opposing teams try to find. Photo 1 clearly shows this.

Photo 1: Team squeezes play to one side of the pitch

The movement of the three central midfield players, in this case, is in such a way that the central midfield player on the strong side of play is immediately involved with the wide striker

12 and the full back. The holding midfield player stays close to him to create a stronger numerical advantage and to close any forward passing options while the other midfield player, the one on the weak side, also shifts so that he is closer to the other midfield players and is in a position to give them cover and balance. The wide striker also helps in the defensive phase by trying to close the opponents’ wide players so that these cannot combine between them while also trying to block any back pass to the central or wide defenders. If the opponents manage to get the ball into a central position of the pitch, then the three midfield players will shift to block the opponents’ forward play and to give cover to each other. The defence can decide to either stay high and close to the midfield players or to drop back. Having a goalkeeper who is good and confident with the ball in his feet and who stands in an advanced position to intercept long passes gives the chance to the team to adopt a high defensive line. In this situation, the three central midfield players have less space to cover and therefore they will be in a stronger position during the non-possession phase. Moreover, this will give the opposing players no chance to play between the lines. If the opponents try to play a long pass behind the defenders, then the goalkeeper should be there to intercept the pass. If the goalkeeper doesn’t have these characteristics, then the defence might decide to drop back to avoid any passes behind them. In this situation they give the opportunity to the opposing team players to play between the lines and they also leave a lot more space for the central midfield players to cover. When the team looses possession (negative transition) it tries to press immediately. When they are pressing high or ultra high i.e. when the ball is in the opponents’ defensive third, the strikers try to press immediately and if the opponents seem to be under pressure, then the midfield players step up to reduce any options the opponents might get.

Photo 2: Ultra-high pressing with Busquez being the most advanced player

Many times, in this situation, the holding midfield player pushes up further than the other two midfield players, as seen in Photo 2, having in mind also that his teammates are strong enough to give him good cover. If they win the ball they try to go as quickly as possible for goal but if the opposing team manages to get out of the situation, then the team will set up itself for the non-possession phase, trying to squeeze play to one side of the pitch in order to get into the numerical advantage that they want.

When the team wins the ball further back in midfield and they don’t see a very strong goal scoring opportunity, they play the ball backwards and start their build-up. During the possession phase they try to involve many players, including their goalkeeper. They try to build up with quick, short passes between many players and the movement of their three midfield players gives them a lot of passing options.

Photo 3: Midfield players in “vertice basso” position

Normally, as seen in Photo 3, the holding midfield player is further back from the others so as to give them options and support and also to give them peace of mind in the eventuality that they loose possession again. The movements that they do gives them a lot of different options. When the three strikers squeeze into the opponents’ central defence, they leave space for their full backs to exploit.

In this latter case, the two central defenders open wide to cover the space left by the full backs and the holding midfield player drops down to create a back three while the other two central midfield players fill up the central area to give passing options to their teammates, as shown in Photo 4.

Photo 4: 1-3-4-3 in attack with Busquets between the central defenders

They are also very effective in exchanging positions between the wide strikers and the two advanced midfield players. When the wide striker, on both sides, drops back to give passing options, as shown in Photo 5, the advanced midfield player moves up into an attacking position. This will often create a problem to the opponents on who will follow who and up to which part of the pitch.

Photo 5: Messi and Rakitic exchanging positions

2.2.2 Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich play with a system which is very similar to that of Barcelona although they have some differences in their style of play. When Bayern Munich played with Xabi Alonso as a holding midfield player and Kimmich and Alcantara as the other two central midfield players they were very similar to Barcelona but, when they played with Alcantara and Vidal in front of Xabi Alonso, their style of play changed. One also has to take into consideration that they played two different teams, PSV and Atletico Madrid, who although playing with the same 1-4-4-2 system, they have different styles of play and different quality players.

During the non-possession phase, Bayern Munich’s three midfield players play close to each other and they give cover to each other. They try to press as high on the pitch as possible. Lewandowski, Muller and Robben try to push the opponents’ play to one side of the pitch especially to the side were Robben plays as seen in Photo 6.

Photo 6: High pressing pushing opponent to one side

This is probably because they know that Robben will track back more than Muller, who prefers staying in a more advanced position. But they also have the advantage that on Robben’s side they have Lahm and Kimmich who can easily play both as full backs and also as midfield players and therefore they can exchange positions with each other if the need arises. Photo 7 clearly shows the rotation between the three players. The same movement also happens on the other side when Ribery is playing.

Photo 7: Rotation on the right side

Their central defence is also very strong with Boateng who is a tall and very strong player who leads the back four with his presence. The other central defender, Hummels, apart from doing his defensive duties very well, can also participate very actively in his team’s build up. Photo 8 shows Hummels acting more as a midfielder than as a central defender.

Photo 8: Hummels during Build up

The Bayern Munich defenders try to keep a high line of defence in order to try and minimize the spaces for opponents to play between the lines. They can do this because they know that they have a goalkeeper who is fantastic with his feet and can collect any balls that are played behind their defensive line. When they are not in possession, the central midfield players

17 stay close to each other although they are not as close and organised as the midfield trio of Barcelona. One of the reasons could be that the three man midfield of Barcelona have been playing together more than that of Bayern Munich but the quality and characteristics of the individual players can make all the difference. Photo 9 shows the three midfield players compact to squeeze play in one area of the pitch.

Photo 9: Compact midfield to close passing options

During the possession phase, Bayern Munich try to build up in an organised way. When they win the ball in midfield or in the attacking third, they immediately look for obvious goalscoring opportunities. If they don’t see any, then they play the ball back and start their build up as if they have won the ball in their defensive third. Bayern Munich also use Neuer, their goalkeeper, a lot during their phase of possession.They try to build up through a lot of quick, short passing using Xabi Alonso as their point of reference in midfield. Bayern Munich’s wide strikers are both very good at converting goalscoring opportunities. Therfore, when their team is in possession, they generally squeeze themselves into the opponents’ heart of defense and, together with Lewandowski, they create a strong central attacking trio. During the possession/attacking phase, Bayern Munich leave only two players at the back. They know that they can rely on their two central defensive players, Boateng and Hummels, and therefore they don’t need that extra player to drop back. In this situation they are very strong in attack since they become a 1-2-3-5 formation, as seen in Photo 10.

Photo 10: 1-2-3-5 formation in attack

Alaba and Lahm are very good wing backs and as soon as needed, the team finds them ready in the attacking phase of play. Both of them deliver very good crosses, especially for Muller and Lewandowski but they can also dribble and take a goalscoring opportunity themselves. Since Lahm and Kimmich can play the same roles, Kimmich often goes wide and Lahm takes over his midfield duties. Alcantara and Kimmich are both able to make late runs into the opponents’ defence and that often creates opportunities either for themselves or for the other strikers as shown in Photo 11.

Photo 11: Kimmich's run from the blind side

When Robben decides to stay wide, Lahm will delay his forward run but as soon as Robben receives the ball, he cuts in and Lahm overlaps. This creates different options since Robben can either pass to Lahm for a good cross, he can deliver a cross himself or otherwise Robben is very good in cutting inside and having a strong, precise left foot shot at goal. Bayern Munich manage to do a good rotation not only on the flanks but they also manage to involve most of the team in the rotation. Photo 12 clearly shows this rotation.

Photo 12: Team rotation

This system is very good and effective in the attacking phase but if the opponent is good in counter attacking it might create problems for the back two and the central midfield players. It can also create problems for the holding midfield player if the two central defenders decide not to push up. In fact, Xabi Alonso was complaining to his teammates during the match against Atletico since they were staying low and this left him a lot of space to cover. In this situation he was struggling to cover up the space and then he was not effective when his team gained possession.

2.3 The 1-3-5-2 System

In the 1-3-5-2 system two teams were studied, Juventus and the Italian National Team. The reason for this decision was to look at two teams that were under the gidance of Antonio Conte, possibly the most recently successful coach using the 1-3-5-2 system.

2.3.1 Juventus

Juventus have been using the 1-3-5-2 system for quite a few years now although their style of play changed during different times. During the possession phase Juventus play in a 1-3-1-4-2 formation while during the non-possession phase they switch to a 1-5-3-2 formation. Their central midfield players are positioned in an inverted triangle shape (vertice basso) and during the non-possession phase they sometimes become a flat three.

During the possession phase Juventus make good use of their back three for build up. They move the ball around very well until they find a good positioned player to play the ball forward. Bonucci, the most central defender of the back three, apart from being an exceptional defender is also very good in giving long passes and often he manages to switch play or play vertically to create a goal scoring opportunity.

The three midfield players and the wing backs do a lot of movement without the ball and often exchange positions in order to create space for each other. The central defending midfielder (in this case Lemina or Hernanes) always offers himself for support. He gives support when the ball is wide and, when the ball is played forward, he is also there to support the strikers and the other midfield players. The holding midfield player is also very good in covering the wing backs when they push forward. The two wing backs, Dani Alves and Alex Sandro, are very effective when they push forward and they combine very well with the midfielders and also deliver good crosses for the strong striker Higuain. The other striker, Dybala, does a lot of movement without the ball. He comes out of his forward position and sometimes drops “in the hole” but most of the time he positions himself widely.

Photo 13: Striker and Central Attacking Midfielder exchange positions

Photo 13 above shows the striker who has received the ball in a wide position on the flank while the central attacking midfielder has taken his place as a main striker. In Photo 14 below, another situation is shown were the striker is in a wide position, the central attacking midfielder is further back for support and the wing back has taken the striker’s position. These different combinations can be seen on both sides of the pitch.

Photo 14: Three-man rotation between striker, central midfielder and wing-back

When doing so they combine very well between them and create a lot of goal-scoring opportunities. Both the wing-back and the striker are very good in delivering well timed and strong crosses.

When Dybala goes wide, the attacking midfielder on the weak side pushes forward and becomes a second striker while the other midfield players cover his space. This can be seen in Photo 15.

Photo 15: Central midfielder attacking the weak side

An interesting situation is that there were quite a few occasions were the two central attacking midfielders were the most advanced players of the team while the two strikers were behind them and this can be clearly seen in Photo 16.

Photo 16: Two central midfielders in the striker position

As Photo 17 shows, during the non-possession phase, Juventus shifts into a 1-5-3-2 formation. They are very good and very quick in doing this.

Having three central defenders and two lateral defenders they are very strong at the back and, with the three man midfield often play in line when defending, they create a filter in front of their defence.

Photo 17: 1-5-3-2 formation during the non-possession phase

Occassionally, when they really see the possibility of regaining the ball immediately, they press very high, but otherwise they drop back and start their pressing in the middle of the pitch. Barzagli and Chiellini/Evra often come out of the five man defence when they see a player who is trying to receive the ball between their midfield line and their defensive line. They try to anticipate this move but if they do not manage to intercept the pass to this player, then they try to make him play the ball back. When the opponents try to attack the flanks, Juventus will try to close any possible spaces and the movement of the central midfielders is very important in this situation. Photo 18 shows the wing-back, the striker and two central midfield players closing any passing options that the opponents might have while the other central midfield player is further away from the ball and is covering the space in front of the back three.

Photo 18: Squeeze play on the flank

In transition, when Juventus win the ball back, they either try to go directly to their striker, Higuain, who is a strong player and good at shielding the ball or otherwise they try to play the ball wide to their wing backs who are very fast in pushing forward to support offensive play. If they don’t see any of these possibilities, they play the ball back and start building again. As stated earlier, they have different combinations and movements in attack but they ultimately try to attack with as many players as possible. This can be clearly seen in Photo 19 were one can see the two strikers and four midfielders who are practically in line with each other and the central defensive midfielder together with two central defenders behind them for support.

Photo 19: Attacking in numbers

2.3.2 Italian National Team

For the study of the Italian National Team, the games that were analysed were games in which they used different midfield players. The attacking duo and the defensive trio were more or less the same. But the midfield was changed. Four out of five midfield players were different but the characteristics and the style of play were practically the same.

In the non-possession phase, Italy go to a 1-5-3-2 system. Having three central defending players and two lateral defenders makes them very strong and compact at the back. The two wing backs are very offensive but when it comes to defending they are fast to recover and they are also good in their defensive duties. The three central midfield players are positioned in an inverted triangle shape (vertice basso) but during the defensive phase they are, very often, in a straight line as shown in Photo 20.

Photo 20: 1-5-3-2 in defence with straight line midfield

The defensive midfielder, Verratti or De Rossi, does a lot of covering in front of the defence but both are also good and effective during the build-up. They don’t drop back with the defenders since the team is very well covered with their back three. Also, with Bonucci being very good as a very deep lying playmaker, the holding midfielder doesn’t need to drop back to pick up the ball. Therefore he is more concentrated on finding the right space in midfield to receive the ball apart from being very disciplined in his defensive duties. Photo 21 clearly shows the holding midfield player receiving the ball in front of his own defence while the two advanced midfield players are creating space to receive the ball. The two attacking midfield players are good in finding space were to receive the ball but are also very good in applying high pressing.

Photo 21: Three-man midfield creating space to receive the ball

When Eder starts pressing high the two advanced midfield players push up to close any passing lines that the opponents will try to exploit. Therefore, when they manage to push the opponents’ play to one side of the pitch, and they are very good in doing this, they have one of the strikers, the wing back and the attacking midfield player all pressing to close the passing paths while the holding midfield player is covering them. If the opponents manage to play a long ball and they seem caught on the counter, Italy’s defenders are very good in pushing the opponent’s attack to the side of the pitch were there is less danger and hence giving their teammates chance to recover their defensive positions.

Photo 22: Italy's deep compact defending

When Italy played against Spain, both in the Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers, they did not apply high pressing. Since they know that Spain are very good in build-up – using short, quick passing and a lot of movement in midfield, they did not risk the high pressing because they know that with one or two passes they could have three or four players out of play. Therefore, they decided to drop back and start their pressing in the middle of the pitch. Photo 22 shows that they are very compact and the team seems to be playing in about 25-30 metres of the pitch. Most of the time they became a 1-5-3-2 formation and this impeded Spain from finding passing channels where they can be very dangerous. As soon as they managed to win possession, Italy went on a fast counter with both wing backs and the attacking midfield players being in the right place to help the attacking players, as shown in Photo 23.

Photo 23: Attacking with central midfielders and wing-backs

During the possession phase, the team tries to build up from the back and they always use the back three to move the ball around in order to get the opponents out of position. When they are under pressure they have no problem in using their goalkeeper and the goalkeeper very rarely kicks the ball long. He tries to play the ball again with his defenders or midfielders. Having the back three coming from the same club – Juventus – but also with the inclusion of Romagnoli, from AC Milan, instead of Chiellini, they know each other very well and they can find each other without even having to look. They move the ball around until they can find a free player in midfield to whom they can pass the ball.

Photo 24 shows the holding midfield player who has moved into a position to receive the ball while the other central midfield players are moving away to try and find space for themselves while at the same time giving the player who has the ball more space.

Photo 24: Holding midfielder finding the right space

If they don’t manage to find the right passing channel in midfield, they have their central defender Bonucci who is very good in playing long balls either to the strikers or to the high wing backs. The three midfield players are all the time trying to break the lines in order to try and find space between the opponents’ lines. Most often the holding midfield player is closer to the defensive line to receive the short pass while the attacking midfield players create different lines, as seen in Photo 25

Photo 25: Midfield players breaking the lines

The attacking midfield player who is on the strong side of play pushes further up while the other attacking midfield player comes closer and drops a bit back to create passing options. When they are closer to the opponents’ goal, the attacking midfield players create a lot of movement. Photo 26 shows the central attacking midfield players who are in a more advanced position than their strikers. If play is on the right side, the right attacking midfield player goes close to the right wing back to give him support while the attacking player on the weak side of play either goes inside the penalty area ready for a possible cross or otherwise, if the holding midfield player does a run into the opponents’ penalty area, the attacking midfield player drops back to give support and cover. When they get a cross and the opponents clear it away, if the ball drops outside the penalty area, they try an immediate shot at goal. Otherwise they prefer to play the ball back and start their offensive build-up again.

Photo 26: Advanced midfielders creating different options in attack

2.4 The 1-4-2-3-1 System

The two teams that were studied using the 1-4-2-3-1 system were Manchester United and Arsenal. The decision to study these two teams was taken since both Manchester United and Arsenal are managed by two managers who are both successful in their own ways. Jose’ Mourinho is a successful manager since he has won many different honours with different teams while Arsene Wenger, who has been with Arsenal for over twenty years, has been successful in always having a competitive team with different players while introducing a lot of young players.

2.4.1 Manchester United

The non-possession phase of Manchester United is a bit different from that of other teams. Although they have wing players who can fight and win the ball back, they have to delay their pressing because they have Zlatan Ibrahimovic as their main striker. Ibrahimovic is not the kind of player who will help his team mates when the team is out of possession. He is the kind of player who wants his teammates to work for him and he is the finisher. Of course he is very good in that aspect and his teammates know that he will convert into goals many of the good passes that they will provide him with. Therefore, when the team is out of possession and Ibrahimovic is not helping, the opposing team can direct their play in whichever direction they want. If they see that one side is closed they can easily go through the middle or switch their play to the other side. Because of this situation, the advanced midfield player and the wingers have no option but to delay their pressing to a lower area of the field since otherwise, with one or two passes, the team can have all three players beaten at once. When they have Rooney playing as the main striker, the situation is a bit different. Although Rooney is getting a bit slower compared to his best days, he still tries to help his teammates when the team is out of possession. He tries to give direction to the opponents build-up so that they can squeeze them to one side of the pitch. By doing so they try to create a numerical advantage on one side of the pitch. But when their main striker is Ibrahimovic they have to delay their pressing and they try to get numbers up in midfield. Then they try to push their opponents to one side of the pitch in the middle area. Photo 27 shows Rooney trying to put pressure on his opponent to direct play to one side of the pitch.

Photo 27: Rooney pushing opponent’s play to one side

In midfield they play with a three man triangular midfield (vertice alto). If we had to see it like this, one might come to a conclusion that Manchester United play with two holding midfielders and one advanced central midfielder. But this is not the case since they have different options in midfield with different players.When their midfield trio is made up of Herrera, Pogba and Rooney, they have Herrera and Pogba as the low midfield players while Rooney is their advanced midfield player. Herrera is the holding midfield player where he does different jobs. He is always giving a good cover infront of his central defenders. But, since both full backs of Manchester United push up high and early, as shown in Photo 28, he is also there to cover the fullbacks when they are caught out of position and, when both full backs go up, he occasionally drops between the two central defenders to create a preventive back three.

Photo 28: The holding midfielder between the two central defenders

Rooney is the advanced midfield player (or more of a deep lying forward). He is there to be used as a pivot but many times he is also found as the main striker. In Photo 29, one can see a big space left by Rooney in the middle. He is very effective when he leaves that space and then drops “in the hole” to receive the ball there.

Photo 29: Space left in midfield to exploit

The attacking phase and shape of Manchester United is dictated by Ibrahimovic’s movement. If he drops back, then Rooney will push up as the main striker. Even when he moves out of position and goes to one side of the pitch, the other attacking players move accordingly to fill

33 the space created by Ibrahimovic’s movement. Pogba is the other central midfield player. He is more of a box-to-box player but with great skills and mastery of the ball.

He is always moving to create space for himself and for his teammates. If he gets in possession of the ball and he doesn’t find any teammate who he can pass the ball to, he has no problem since he can take on any opponent with a dribble. Sometimes you can see him with two or three opponents closing him and, since he is strong and good at shielding the ball away, he most often manages to get out of these tight situations. But when the team is out of possession, you find Pogba close to Herrera to filter the opponents’ forward play. This is the only time that Herrera and Pogba are seen in line with each other. Otherwise, when the team is in possession, they are never in line and they always create passing angles to move forward as seen in Photo 30.

Photo 30: Midfield players creating passing angles

Pogba is sometimes also found as an additional striker and his late runs into the opponents’ defence can be very effective and dangerous. Photo 31 shows the team occasionally having the three-man midfield in a “vertice basso” style. In this situation, if the opponents do not recognise this situation immediately, it might create problems since one of the advanced midfield players might become free and receive the ball in a dangerous area.

Photo 31: Midfield with “vertice basso”

Manchester United are not the team that tries to play the ball around at the back to start a build-up. Probably it’s because they know that they don’t have the right players to do so. But as soon as their defenders win the ball, they want to see movement so that they can play the ball forward. With the movement of Pogba, Herrera and their two wing players, most of the time they can arrive in the opponents’ penalty area in just a few seconds.

2.4.2 Arsenal

Arsenal’s 1-4-2-3-1 is defferent from that of Manchester United. When in possession they have more movement up front than Manchester United but less movement in midfield. When they are out of possession, most of the time they become a 1-4-4-1-1 formation.

Photo 32: 1-4-4-1-1 Tight in defence

During the non-possession phase, their back four are quite close to each other. Having another line of four infront of them makes them very strong and very tight when they have to defend, as Photo 32 shows. If the opponents try to build up on the flanks, Arsenal will have their full back aided by their wing player and also by the closest holding midfield player on both sides of the pitch, as shown in Photo 33.

Photo 33: 3v2 Defensive numerical advantage on the flanks

Therefore most often they are in a numerical advantage since they will have three players together with, when needed, one of the central defenders for cover. In this situation, as Photo 34 shows, most of the time they will have a 3v2 or 4v3 situation on the flanks.

Photo 34: 3v2 on the flank with Central Defender covering

If the opponents try to build up through the central area, they are even stronger since they have four closely spaced defenders covered by another four midfield players infront of them. When the opposing team is building up from the back, Sanchez and Ozil try to give them the direction of play. On many occasions, Sanchez could have pushed the opponents play to one side of the pitch but they prefer to show them the central area of the pitch. This is probably because they know that once they manage to push the opponents’ play to the central area of the pitch, they are very strong and tight in this area. They will have their three man central midfield made up of Santi Cazorla (or Shaka) and Coquelin, with Ozil infront of them and the two wingers, Iwobi and Walcott (or Oxlaide-Chamberlain), also close to the two holding midfield players to make the central area tight. Photo 35 clearly shows this.

Photo 35: Three-man midfield aided by the wingers in non-possession phase

Therefore it becomes very difficult for the opponents to penetrate and these will have to either try to play on the wings, where Arsenal are already covered with a simple shifting of their eight man strong “barrier” behind the ball or otherwise play a long ball behind the defenders or just play the ball back to start all over again.

During the possession phase Arsenal have a lot of movement up front. While Alexis Sanchez moves out of his central attacking position most of the time, his teammates are very good in filling up the spaces created by this movement. Sometimes it’s Ozil who pushes up front to take Sanchez’s position, as shown in Photo 36, while on other occasions, the wing player pushes in and Ozil moves out to the wing position.

Photo 36: Central Attacking Midfielder filling space left by Striker

When Ozil is playing in a central position, he rarely goes out all the way to the wing position since in that position there will normally be Arsenal’s full backs. These full backs are very good at pushing high up and therefore they create an overload in that area. The winger on the strong side of play normally pushes in to create a space for the fullbacks to overlap. Photo 37 clearly shows this movement.

Photo 37: Winger pushes in to create space for the advancing full back

Therefore, on the strong side they will have the full back, the winger, the retreating Sanchez and one of the holding midfield players.

The winger on the weak side of play pushes inside assuming a striker’s position while the full back stays a bit further back to pick up any rebounds. During the build-up, Arsenal mainly push their full backs up the field of play while their central defenders open wider.

When this happens, one of their holding midfield players drops down to a central defender position so as to be able to play the ball from there while the other holding midfield player pushes up the field with Ozil dropping back to pick up the ball in the midfield area. This situation rarely happens because they prefer having the central defenders closer to each other with a good cover in front of them. If the central defenders stay closer to each other, then one of the holding midfield players moves up to an advanced midfield position while the other holding midfield player remains infront of the central defenders to serve as a pivot, thus becoming a 1-2-3-2-3 formation.

Having fast players up front and quick thinking midfield players, Arsenal’s positive transition is very strong and they manage to create a lot of scoring opportunities, as seen in Photo 38. But they are also very effective when it comes to negative transition since the players are very well tactically disciplined to drop back in position when the need arises.

Photo 38: Fast counter attack. 3v3 situation

3 Conclusion

When performing this study about the three-man midfield I came across different systems, different styles of play and different player characteristics. The characteristics of the players dictate the system and style of play of a team and it’s the coach’s job to try and find the best style and system of play for his team. This will make him either a successful coach or a failure.

The systems using the three man midfield are not something new. In fact, the 1-4-3-3 and the 1-3-5-2 systems that use the three man midfield in an inverted triangular shape (vertice basso), have their central midfield positioned as the 1-2-3-2-3 system used in the 1930’s (although the 1-4-3-3 system is sometimes played with one advanced midfield player). Needless to say, the modern players have different characteristics and therefore the style and speed of play has changed considerably. The way the central midfield players are positioned in the 1-4-2-3-1 system (vertice alto) is obviously different and it is something which has only started being used in more recent years. The reason why three central midfield players are used rather than two is because of the different characteristics of the midfield players but mainly because, by doing so, a coach will have more space covered in the central area and possibly a numerical advantage over the opponents in midfield.

A three-man midfield can give the team an advantage over a two-man midfield. One of the advantages is that the central block is more dense since there is an extra man in midfield for those teams playing the 1-4-3-3 and the 1-4-2-3-1 systems while those playing the 1-3-5-2 system have an extra man in midfield and another in central defence. Whether the three-man midfield is positioned with one or with two advanced midfield players, it gives the team more opportunities to break the lines. Therefore, the team will have more possibilities of moving forward by creating more effective passing angles. Another advantage of the three-man midfield over the two-man midfield is that it gives the team more options for players to rotate and exchange places and roles between them. The rotation between the midfield players and the flank players together with the rotation with the strikers have been very widely seen during this study. The three-man midfield also gives the opportunity to the team to push the full backs up while at the same time the team is still covered at the back in the eventuality that they lose possession.

In this study it was quite evident that some strategies were adapted by all or most of the teams while a few strategies were only adapted by one or two teams. This study shows that all the six teams analysed using the three different systems prefer pushing their full backs 40 high when they are in the possession phase while the negative transition of the various full backs has proved to be very quick and efficient. The central defending positions differ in different teams with different systems. Teams playing the 1-3-5-2 system leave their three central defenders at the back while the three central midfield players are more concerned with creating different passing options and movements during the possession phase and to give their defence protection during the non-possession phase. The teams playing with a back four have different strategies about their central defence. When their full backs push up, Barcelona and Manchester United always have their central defenders going wider while their central defending midfielder always drops between them. Arsenal only do this movement occasionally while Bayern Munich never drop their midfielders back. During this study it was very interesting to see the various rotations being done by the different teams. All the teams had a lot of rotations between the midfield players, the full back and the wingers. Sometimes the central midfield player was seen wide on the flank while the full back takes his position or the winger cuts inside, the full back pushes up while the central midfielder was covering his position. The only team that always left his full backs wide was Arsenal. The rotations which included the strikers were very evident in all teams. Some strikers prefer moving to a wide position while others prefer dropping back to receive the ball and create space for others to move into. The space they created was filled up either by the wingers or by the central attacking midfielders. It was interesting to see that in teams playing the 1-3-5-2 system there were many occasions were the two central attacking midfielders were more advanced than the two main strikers.

As stated earlier, the players’ characteristics are very important in determining which system and style of play the team will use or adapt to. The types of central midfield players are mainly the holding midfield player, the advanced midfield player and the so called ‘box to box’ player. But even here, one can find players with different characteristics. There is the holding midfield player who is more destructive and there is the other holding midfield player who does a destructive job but is more constructive than others. Even the advanced midfield players have different characteristics. Sometimes the advanced midfield player is a low lying forward, as in the case of Wayne Rooney at Manchester United, while, in other occasions he is more of a free role player, like Mezut Ozil at Arsenal. You can also have an advanced midfield player who is dynamic and can be technically good but also good when he is needed to defend, as in the case of Andres Iniesta at Barcelona. The box to box midfielders also have different characteristics. Ivan Rakitic at Barcelona and Arturo Vidal at Bayern Munich have an impressively high work rate while Paul Pogba at Manchester United is more technical and is used in a different way. The coach needs to analyse all his players’ characteristics to decide which would be the best system for his team to adapt.

3.1 Conclusion

After performing this study, one can start analysing if and how these systems and strategies are being utilised in the local scene and, if not, how they can be adapted. Although some teams in the local league use a two-man midfield, by adapting a 1-4-4-2 system, many teams have been using the three-man midfield for quite a few years. Most of these teams use the 1-4-2-3-1 system although some teams tend to try to impose a 1-4-3-3 system. The 1-3-5-2 system is not popular at all in local football although occasionally we see a team trying to adopt this system. When comparing the local three-man midfield with the ones analysed in this study, some differences can be clearly seen. One of the differences is that none of the local teams have the culture of pushing both full back up at the same time will dropping the central defensive midfielder between the central defenders. The midfielders in local football do rotate between them but they are not so effective in rotating with the flank players. One of the reasons could be that in youth football the players and not exposed enough to different scenarios and, also, that they are not invited to explore and solve the different scenarios. They are frequently being given the solution by their respective coaches. The players are also being instructed not to leave their position since that might create a problem for the team. When they start to play senior team football, this might create a problem for them since they find it harder to get used to rotations than they would have got used to more easily at a younger age. Having said that, most probably some coaches still find it hard to take the responsibility of risking a little bit more but at the same time knowing that it might give them an advantage over other teams if their team tries to rotate its players, creating space for their teammates and, also getting the opponents out of their position. If the local coaches, together with the local administrators, can start to adapt a culture of more flexible midfield players, more rotation between the midfield players and the other roles, and less rigid systems to help the players explore and solve different scenarios, then local football can see a progress and it will be more attractive for the local supporter to watch. The local football might never reach the level of the leagues and teams that were analysed in this study, for various reasons, but it can reduce the gap if we can improve the mentality of our players to be more tactically flexible on the field of play.

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