The best tactical systems are the best executed – 03/02/2024 – Tostão

Urban violence and crime in Brazil are increasing progressively. The stoning of the bus with the Fortaleza players, in the game in Pernambuco with a large number of injured people, was frightening.

It could have happened in any state. Criminals need to be identified, banned from attending stadiums, prosecuted, punished and arrested, with no escape on game days.

As expected, Fluminense won the Recopa title, as the Libertadores champion is superior to the Copa Sudamericana. The passionate connection between the fans and the players, without losing their lucidity, was decisive in the victory.

Fluminense, with yet another international title, needs to be treated as a team of the same technical level as Palmeiras and Flamengo, even more so because they have strengthened the squad. Fernando Diniz also deserves to be seen as a coach at the same level as Abel Ferreira and Tite.

What we cannot do is be delusional, go beyond knowledge and common sense and say that Fernando Diniz is for Brazilian football, because he is an innovator, as Cruyff is for world football, as the Fluminense coach’s young assistant said. Cruyff is the only professional in the history of football who is among the five greatest players, coaches and thinkers. He revolutionized football.

LDU’s posture, with nine players in front of the area (a line of five and another of four) facilitated the pressure and Fluminense’s victory.

I hear, often and with surprise, that a team, even with a line of five defenders, left a lot of space in defense. This is as expected if the two wingers play on the midfield line. The defender has to move to the side, he usually arrives late or is dribbled, leaving large spaces in the middle of the area.

If the team has a line of five defenders (three defenders and two full-backs) and three in front of the five, as is usual, there are plenty of spaces in the middle for the opponent to exchange passes and approach the penalty area.

If the team has five behind and four more in front of the five, all retreating, as LDU did against FLU, with just one attacker, the team loses the chance to counterattack, in addition to facilitating the opponent’s pressure.

That’s why the best defensive system is still the traditional two lines of four, as each defender will have a midfield player to protect him. If the team scores further forward, it will also be offensive, as it will recover the ball closer to the other goal.

Some coaches, like Guardiola, use three defenders to play more in attack, as they place the three well positioned on their own field and the other seven on the other team’s field, closer to the goal.

The best tactical systems are the best executed and with excellent players. Dorival Junior will have many options in the national team. In the first call-up, the coach was more Brazilian and less global with the excess of players who play in the country.

Goalkeeper Ederson, midfielder Casemiro, defender Marquinhos and striker Vinicius Junior are present. They are the essential ones. The others are debatable, whether to be in the group of 26 or in the starting team.

With just four undisputed, special players, it is necessary to form a great team, which will stimulate everyone’s individual growth. Form and content are inseparable. It would be like choosing between passing and dribbling, between talent and strategy. I prefer to choose the content first and then adapt the form, and not the other way around, as some coaches do.

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