Strategy in football did not start with the internet – 06/10/2023 – Tostão

In Brazil, he has increased the lineup with three defenders and two wingers, forming a line of five behind. When the team wins, the scheme is praised. When he loses, he is criticized, as if he were the main reason for victories and defeats.

The Brazilian team played two World Cups this way. In 1990, directed by Sebastião Lazaroni, it was defeated by Argentina with an exceptional performance by Maradona. In 2002, commanded by Felipão, it was champion. The coach and all the players deserve a lot of praise, but the main reason for winning was the masterful trio of strikers formed by Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo.

The scheme with a line of five (three defenders and two wingers) has many more disadvantages than advantages. The team has few players in the midfield and leaves many spaces in the middle for the opponent to exchange passes and reach the goal. When wingers go forward, there are spaces left behind. Defenders try to cover, usually arrive late and/or are dribbled, opening a hole in the middle of the area.

Corinthians, in the 3-0 defeat against Independiente del Valle, showed all the shortcomings of the game with three defenders, by leaving a lot of space in the middle, behind the wings, and, even worse, providing huge gaps between the defense, the midfield and attack. Time passed, and Luxembourg did not see.

Palmeiras, the best Brazilian team, does not use three authentic defenders. From time to time, he puts one of the most backward defenders to make the ball out of the defense.

Regardless of the tactical scheme, if the team scores far behind, with the defenders glued to the penalty area, it allows the opponent to press and create more chances to score. Furthermore, when the team recovers the ball, it is too far away from the other goal to counterattack.

The tactical formation with two lines of four is much more efficient in marking because there is a player in the midfield line to protect each defender.

There are few advantages to the three-back scheme. One is to have an extra player to mark a pair of attackers through the center, as Atlético-MG plays, with Hulk and Paulinho. Guardiola and a few other coaches, sometimes, when they want a very offensive team, they put three fast defenders and seven players in the opponent’s field, to press, suffocate and quickly recover the ball near the other goal.

This season, Guardiola innovates once again by having a line of three or four defenders in the same game. Defender Stones advances and becomes a midfielder, leaving behind a line of three. When necessary, at the right moment, he steps back and becomes more of a defender.

It is different from the libero in the past. The libero was positioned behind a line of three or four defenders to provide coverage. When the team got the ball back, he would move forward and become a midfielder.

Italy, in the 1970 World Cup final, played with a line of four defenders, who scored individually, and one more defender, who was not a libero, as he did not become a midfield player when the team had the ball. I, as had been agreed with Zagallo, acted ahead of the defender, between him and the other four defenders, to prevent him from taking cover when one of them was overtaken. I marked the libero. That’s why I caught the ball a little.

The world and strategy in football did not start with the internet. The game is very complex. We are the ones who try to simplify it with our rationalizations and delusional wisdom.

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