Argentina's Sleeping Giants- Estudiantes de La Plata

  "Osvaldo (Zubeldía) taught us that we had to win and it remained engraved in me. It could mean practising a corner kick or a free kick for two hours. He stood in the area, raised a hand and said: 'the ball must come here and you should shoot the ball pointing at my hand' The practice did not end until the ball touched his hand."

— Carlos Bilardo

This philosophy of coach Osvaldo Zubeldía, master tactician who introduced concepts that were revolutionary at that time, would change the course of history for Estudiantes. The same was later continued by player and disciple Carlos Bilardo, winning manager of Estudiantes in the 1980s and later on Argentina national team at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.

Let's take a look at their success over the years

Estudiante's preferred formation is the 4–4–2, which they first practiced when Simeone was manager in 2006. In this formation, the two wingers move inside and act like attacking midfielders, creating space for the full backs and fluidity in the attack, effectively being a 4–2–2–2 when the team is on the offensive. The two holding midfielders provide the defensive muscle needed to win midfield battles.

Estudiantes have placed emphasis on creating chances from set-pieces, while not allowing the opponent to create chances from set-pieces. While they aren't known for controlling possession, they are lauded for controlling the pace and space in which a game is played. They are also quick in making tactical changes to influence a game's outcome.

Here's what the numbers say about Estudiantes

Build Up

Estudiantes start the action from the back. The goalkeeper passes the ball either to the left central defender or, more frequently, directly to Javier Mascherano. The former Barcelona and Liverpool player is one of the most important players for Estudiantes, in particular, he is entitled to be the spotlight for both the build-up phase and the defensive phase. In a typical build-up phase by Estudiantes, Mascherano receives the ball in Estudiantes’ midfield, and thanks to the freedom left by opponents strikers, he can control it and move forward.

Midfield Circulation

In the middle, Estudiantes like to move the ball from side-to-side to find space between gaps left out by opponents. Their ball circulation is disciplined and thoroughly trained. Although their positions on the pitch remain unchanged (unlike modern trends in football where a lot of players rotate positions), they maintain good amounts of positions and are patient to play the ball through.

Finishing Phase

Deep, early crosses into the box, using width to cut inside from the wings and use of 'Zone 14' for creating scoring opportunities are the most important aspects of Estudiantes' finishing. 9 out of the last 10 goals scored have been through either of these sources. It goes on to show the belief the players have in the system and the eagerness to implement their philosophy. Their two forwards always stay very close to the opponent CBs and engage them, leaving them with no time to think when the ball arrives. Ball circulation in the midfield allows the opponent to press up and leave spaces out wide, which is used by Estudiantes to play early crosses and sometimes play the ball in behind the defensive line.

Defensive Errors

A common feature of Estudiantes is defensive compactness and quick counter-attacks. Their defending consists of two stages: deep defending in their own defensive third in a narrow 4–4–2 consisting of two closely connected defensive lines of four players, and counter-pressing in their opponents' third to win the ball high up the pitch. 

When the ball is won, the team attack as a unit, deploying their fluid 4–2–2–2 formation, with the forwards often shifting to the flanks to create even more space. In defense, the key idea is to force opponents into wide areas, gain numerical dominance in the ball's zone and steal the ball or force the opponent into a backward pass. 

Counter-pressing consists of reducing an opposing team's space, disrupting their build-up and reducing the number of "safe" positions for opponents' movement on the pitch, thus eliminating goal threats. It also allows Estudiantes to win the ball back quicker and create scoring opportunities. Claudio Ranieri's Premier League-winning 2015–16 Leicester City team has been compared to them for upsetting bigger teams by also playing a narrow 4–4–2 and being compact in defense and midfield.

Conclusion

Estudiantes look like a tough side with a disciplined philosophy and stay true to their playing style. They look rigid out of possession, maintaining a good shape and being compact. In possession, they tend to lack creativity but make up for it with different options to get inside the box to create chances. Hopefully they will have a successful season and will get back to winning ways. Their only concern should be to finish off the chances created which will help them compete with the Big-Big-5 again.

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Champions League Contenders: SSC Napoli

Since taking charge of Napoli on December 11, 2019, Gennaro Gattuso has made the Partenopei click on all cylinders, who finished seventh in the league. More importantly, they won their first trophy in six years, defeating the likes of Inter and Juventus en route to winning the Coppa Italia. Gattuso’s Napoli showed high levels of proficiency in their manipulation of opponent's positioning and succeeded in consolidating possession and creating space.

In this post, I'll be analysing their recent games and study their chances of winning the Champions League this season.

Now let's take a look at their Offensive and Defensive moments which will define their Champions League journey.

Offensive:

Napoli prefer to keep their full backs deep during build-up, in line with the deepest midfielder. This enables them to create more wide space. They have no qualms about passing backwards to restart movements; to a certain extent it is encouraged as it allows Napoli to draw the opponent deeper and regain control, as most team are reticent to commit the press as far as the goalkeeper.

Defensive:

Napoli are also very impressive out of possession and Gattuso has implemented a strong option-oriented zonal marking system. In an option-oriented zonal system the main positional reference point is the ball and space (relative to the ball) and team mates’ movements follow behind. Thus the defence will shift, press and cover depending on the position of the ball but also in anticipation of the ball’s next move as they attempt to restrict attacking possibilities.

Let's see how Ahmed Kamal, Assistant Coach - Bahrain National Team, views Napoli's season till now

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Champions League Contenders: Juventus

After 8 consecutive years of winning the Serie A, it's not a surprise that Juventus has yet again, for the 9th season in a row, been crowned champions of Italy. It has taken many years of tinkering for the 60-year-old to piece together the parts that have helped create the recognisable ‘Sarriball’ style. Him, alongwith Ronaldo, will definitely not be stopping at only Italian laurels, they want to go all the way and bring European glory back to Turin!

In this post, I'll be analysing their recent games and study their chances of winning the Champions League this season.

Now let's take a look at their Offensive and Defensive moments which will define their Champions League journey.

Offensive:

Pushing up high and spreading the ball by using width is an almost foreign concept to Juventus. Under Allegri, they employed a more possession-based style. It involved patiently building-up using a series of short passes. Not the most exciting, but it was an effective tactic. While at the same time, Sarri has struggled to get his concepts across to the entire squad. For whatever reason, the players can’t move the ball quicker and in an effective manner. It’s been a frustrating sight for every Bianconeri supporter. But is it the manager’s fault? Or are the players immune to change?

Defensive:

The verticality of Sarri’s play does not only benefit his team in attack, but also in defense. His team is able to remain incredibly compact when defending, forcing their opposition to the outside and rarely allowing any room for the opposition to play in the middle of the pitch. Their “high-press” is much more of an attempt to force the opposition into a mistake, rather than a quest to win the ball back.

This time around, former India U19 and Indian Arrows coach, Floyd Pinto, presents his views on how important Champions League is for Juventus

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Champions League Contenders: Manchester City

"I like the ball, I love the ball," Guardiola once said. "To score a goal you need the ball. So as much as you have it and your percentage is higher, you have more chances to score a goal. I want to see my team try to play offensively, that is principle number one." And that is exactly what City have shown in recent seasons. With the likes of Laporte, De Bruyne, Ederson and Aguero emulating Pep's words practically, they look like one of the teams predestined for Champions League glory!

In this post, I'll be analysing their recent games and study their chances of winning the Champions League this season.

Now let's take a look at their Offensive and Defensive moments which will define their Champions League journey.

Offensive:

Manchester City like to maintain possession diagonally in the opponents half. While the opponent is adjusting to the movement of the ball going side-to-side, Pep likes to use the space created between lines while the opponent is shifting. If the opponent is still compact and doesn't budge, they are patient enough to keep rotating the ball for the right moment to arrive. Once the ball is in these half-spaces, a swift through ball to the attackers catches the opponent out of shape and allows an opportunity on goal. 

Defensive:

Defensively, a problem that Pep has faced before and failed to overcome, is man-to-man defensive marking while building up. But very rarely, one can see it being executed to perfection, like here how Arsenal have shown. When this situation arises, there's no other option other than to play long. If there's anything that Real Madrid should impersonate from Arteta's Gunners, it's this!

Let's see what Azhar Damanwala, Chairman - Manchester City Supporters Club Mumbai, has to say about City's prospects in the Champions League

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Champions League Contenders: RB Leipzig

Nagelsmann and RBL are a match made in football heaven, with both believing in aggressive defending, vertical passing and high tempo while in and out of possession. His success with 1899 Hoffenheim served to show that Nagelsmann was ready to challenge for silverware. In RB Leipzig, the manager found a club whose ambitions matched his own. And, although known for a certain brand of football, Nagelsmann has proven capable of altering his tactics, from one match to another, to suit Leipzig’s challenges this season.

In this post, I'll be analysing their recent games and study their chances of winning the Champions League this season.

Now let's take a look at their Offensive and Defensive moments which will define their Champions League journey.

Offensive:

The fullbacks, or wingbacks, will tend to move relatively high in the first moments of the build-up phase. This is a simple tactical mechanism designed to provide width but to also force the opposition to defend in a wider block to cover this threat. This, in turn, creates space centrally that RB Leipzig can exploit in order to progress the ball. As attacks develop into the final third of the pitch it becomes apparent how Leipzig use positional play. The wingers usually move inward with adapting themselves to the movements of Werner, who himself can also fall back into the half-space. These runs of the full-backs create a consistent staggering in terms of width, without it becoming too flat thanks to forward and backward movements within the lanes themselves.

Defensive:

Leipzig are able to avoid being surprised by counters after losses of possession deep in the opponent's half. Often times, singular proactive movements from the defenders prove sufficient, with them looking to duel with the intended receiver of a long ball and thus pushing him off the track. In situations in which Leipzig give up the ball a short way ahead of the box and centrally, usually one or two players immediately behind will step in. Leipzig's defensive problems are, in fact, larger when the team moves back in a 4-4-1-1 or a 4-4-2 and tries to defend while using a low press. They turn into a simple man-orientated defensive team that is constantly a step too late and only rarely manage to block passing lanes.

An up and coming professional football analyst and scout, Devavrat Bhotica, has this to say for RB Leipzig

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Champions League Contenders: Paris Saint-Germain

After already winning 3 competitions this season and having scored a record 131 goals, PSG are more than ready to win their first ever Champions League trophy this season. Even after their season was cut short they've played 3 friendlies & 1 final in 15 days and have scored 21 goals without conceding even once!!!

In this post, I'll be analysing their recent games and study their chances of winning the Champions League this season.

Now let's take a look at their Offensive and Defensive moments which will define their Champions League journey.

Offensive:

PSG's 4-3-3 turns into a more dynamic 2-3-5 while in possession and they use half-spaces between the opponent's midfield and defensive lines by using Neymar's and Mbappe's creativity. Tuchel's offensive organisation with deep diamonds to build up, double pivot in the midfield and creating central space to attack, often gives PSG the edge.

Defensive:

Should an opponent such as Atalanta manage to win the loose ball in crowded areas, then PSG are much weaker during the defensive transition. As both full-backs always move higher, the distance for them to recover back along the flanks is subsequently far greater. This means, should Paredes or Gueye not claim the loose balls, PSG’s two covering central defenders can be exposed, especially when up against direct and quick attackers.

An avid football fan and one of the topmost Sports Management Professionals in Mumbai, Shafiq Fidai has some appreciative words for Paris Saint-Germain

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Champions League Contenders: Barcelona

One of the most successful teams in the last decade, Barcelona has won it all and every single season they go with the intention to win it back again. Although, having lost out on 3 competitions this season, the Champions League is the only silverware they can win in 19-20. This might be the first season since 2007-08 when they end the campaign without any major honour!

In this post, I'll be analysing their recent games and study their chances of winning the Champions League this season.

Now let's take a look at their Offensive and Defensive moments which will define their Champions League journey.

Offensive:

Scoring the most number of goals in La Liga is a testament of just how good 

Barcelona have been this season. Fast ball recovery time ensures they are in a better situation numerically and positionally. This helps them cover space towards goal quicker and their trademark incisive passing patterns make the opponent unstable.

Defensive:

Defensively, there are two problems that particularly stand out for Barcelona. Firstly, they seem very reluctant to close down spaces between lines and allow opponents to roam freely in that area. Another problem being the midfield and defensive lines act as separate units instead of one single defensive unit. Hence, when one line is beaten it's very easy for the opponent to only play against the last 4 rather than the midfielders dropping down to support too.

Let's see what Rahil Kapadia, who knows FC Barcelona's club model and philosophy from scratch, has to say

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