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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Champions League Contenders: Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid have been the third-wheel of La Liga for a long time now and this season, after beating Liverpool twice and drawing with Real and Barcelona once each, they've given out a clear 'don't try to mess with us' statement!

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:

Use of half-spaces and creating passes between lines has become a trademark Simeone tactic. They've done this very effectively throughout the season and if it continues, it cold be very difficult for Leipzig to stop them. The only problem for Atletico would be the number of times their strikers have found themselves in offside positions. 

Defensive:

One of the best defensive sides in Europe, their compact shape, rigid side-to-side movement infront of the ball and quick counter attacks, have even baffled the mighty Liverpool. To add to it, Oblak has been a beast this season, producing 'viral-video-material' saves and taking his clean sheet tally up to 100 out of just 191 league games played!

Here's what one of the most active women in the Indian footballing scene, who also champions women empowerment through the sport, Tanaz Mohammed has to say

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Champions League Contenders: Atalanta

Surprise of the season so far, Atalanta has wowed everyone with their performances and shushing all the haters in some style! They have captivated audiences all over and have shown time and again over the season why they should now be considered at par with the best in Europe.

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:

One of the key elements to Atalanta’s play under Gasperini is their positional interchange and rotation. It involves the rotation of positions based on specific scenarios that may happen on the football pitch. In the case of Atalanta, this may involve for example the movement of a central midfielder out wide to pick up the ball, taking the space that might normally be occupied by a wing-back. This could create a number of benefits for Atalanta like allow them to create a numerical advantage in a wide area, allow the wing-back to drift inside as the opposition don’t know who to mark.


Defensive:

When defending, Atalanta implement a high-pressing system. One player, closest to the ball, acts as the trigger by a quick and immediate press on the opposition player the moment they receive the ball. As this is happening, the other players stick to the nearest opposition player like glue. If the player who is being pressed manages to complete a pass, it becomes very difficult for the next player in possession to have the ball for long before the Atalanta player gets a foot in. The man-to-man press may have some drawbacks, such as leaving gaps in the field due to a desire to follow the player rather than cover the space. But when done correctly the glue-like marking always forces the player in possession of the ball backwards upon receiving it.


This time around we have one of the brightest ISL stars of our country, currently plying his trade at Hyderabad FC, Deependra Negi, with his views about Atalanta

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Champions League Contenders: Chelsea

Chelsea has been a treat to watch this season, building on their philosophy, promoting youth up the ranks and believing in possession-based attacking football that is winning hearts and minds around the football world.

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:

Chelsea's offensive transition has proved to be very effective. As soon as they win the ball, the first pass always moves forward. The receiving player tries to cover as much space forward by driving the ball towards goal. Other players use both the side corridors to stretch the opponent's defensive line and provide width. Once in the final third, the strikers have a clear sight on goal and can finish without pressure.

Defensive:

Defensively, set-pieces have been a problem for Chelsea this season. Alongwith that, a lot of individual errors have been responsible for easy open chances and goals. If Chelsea's defensive movement off the ball, specifically the recognition of 'open and closed ball' improves, it could provide a good chance of overturning the 3-0 deficit against Bayern.

Let's see what one of Chelsea's biggest fans in the country, also founder and content creator at 'Oonche Vichaar', Adarsh Singh, has to say

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Champions League Contenders: Olympique Lyonnais

Olympiqe Lyonnais haven't played a single competitive fixture since the restart, but that does not take away the fact that they can move on to the quarter-finals by just securing a draw against Juventus. After finishing 7th in Ligue 1 this season, their only chance of playing in Europe is to win the Champions League, which looks very difficult, to be honest!

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:

By placing a close diamond of four within the central lane, Lyon could threaten Juve’s overload in the centre– a feature Sarri extensively uses during his team’s build-up. Using two central strikers could also help push back Juventus defenders. This was a common thread in the club’s run to securing a top-three spot in Ligue 1 last season.

Defensive:

Lyon tend to utilise narrow team structures and thus opponents have looked to exploit their lack of coverage in wide areas. Opposing full-backs have shown that providing early crosses into Lyon’s penalty area can expose the back line and create chances. Targeting areas at the far post is a common tactic, with attackers often able to sneak around the back or surge quickly in between Lyon's wing-back and centre-backs. They aren’t necessarily weak in defensive transitions, but they do leave spaces into which world-class teams such as Juventus can launch counter-attacks.

Here's what Bhaichung Bhutia Football School's Technical Mentor, Sunny Kumar, has to say

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Champions League Contenders: Real Madrid

Real Madrid are in red hot form, after the restart, winning all 9 of their fixtures till now, climbing on top of the La Liga standings with one hand on the trophy already!

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:

Quick counter attacks have always been Real Madrid's trademark. Although, after the restart, set-pieces have helped them win crucial games with a 1-goal margin. Quickly breaking lines to unsettle the opponent and finding Benzema or Asensio in scoring positions, which they have done well so far this season, will be key to beating City and reaching the Quarter-Finals.


Defensive:

With the style of play employed by Zidane, even if they don't score a lot, the team can be assured of not conceding as well. Their solid shape when the opponent has possession makes them impenetrable and one of the meanest defenses in Europe.


Here's what one of the most active members of Real Madrid's Official Fan Club in Mumbai, Arbaaz Kapadia, has to say

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Champions League Contenders: Bayern Munich

After the restart, Bayern Munich have been in beast mode, maintaining 100% winning rate, already bagging 2 trophies and scoring goals aplenty!

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:

Positional and numerical superiority is one of the aspects of Hansi Flick's game model which matches best with his players individual strengths. 18/20 goals scored from open play says a lot about their belief in Flick's system, which they implement to near-perfection.

Defensive:

Most of their goals, after the restart, were from set-pieces. Other than that, Bayern lack in preparedness for transitions which allows opponents to break quickly and gives space infront of goal. Chelsea have been known to punish teams using their quick offensive transitions and it just might prove to be a point of worry for Bayern.

Here's what one of the biggest fans of Bayern Munich in India, Jaideep Gandhi, has to say

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Is The Chelsea Puzzle Complete?

One of the youngest, most exciting and promising sides in the Premier League this season, Chelsea, have shown everyone what it means to be one of the best in the business!

At the beginning of the season, just 1 out of 20 'pundits' had backed Chelsea to even be in the Top-4 and currently they sit in 4th position, just 1 point behind Leicester City. Lampard has instilled his love and passion for the club among his players and it clearly shows through their performances.

Chelsea has manifested the importance of believing in their philosophy, offensive mindedness, creativity in attack and promoting youth players to build for the future. This has proved as Lampard's masterstroke, delivering results now and projecting a stable future for the club.

But on the dark side of the moon, defensive lapses, consistent individual errors, over-committing to attack and negligence in rotating the squad has hurt Chelsea time and again during the season. It only goes on to show the obstacles yet to be faced for the coming seasons.

Although now, with new faces joining in and a couple more in the pipeline, is the Chelsea puzzle finally complete? Let's take a look....

Offensively, Chelsea has been the most exhilarating to watch. Attack, after attack, after attack and there's no stopping them. Most significantly, their ability to always play balls forward during transitions helps them get closer to goal, quicker.

Another attacking principle which proves 'hazard'ous for opponents, is that Chelsea uses all 3 corridors during transitions. This makes the opponent stretch while creating numerical superiority in the corridor with the ball.

When they win the ball in their own half, Chelsea usually tend to maintain possession in the same area where the ball is won. This attracts opponents to one side of the pitch, while exposing the opposite side. One quick switch, almost always, gives them the advantage and numerical as well as spatial superiority.

Also now, the likes of Willian and Pedro departing, let's see how Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech provide different dimensions, while still continuing Chelsea's playing style, to their attacking prowess.

Defensively, one highlight which is mostly exploited by deep-lying teams, is Chelsea's inability to track back swiftly during transitions. Over-committing while attacking and positional inadequacy to be ready for the next phase might just be the difference they need for a 10/10 performance.

Defending while sitting back and not pressuring the opponent does not suit Chelsea's game model. When they are forced to do it, they falter and give up opportunities which lead to clear goalscoring chances.

With a staggering 41% goals conceded out of 110 shots faced, he's not the GoalKepa any team would want between the sticks. With a lower goals conceded rate of 31% and an almost similar rate of saves 57% (Kepa 56%), Jamal Blackman would fit in well as he's back from his loan spell.

To sum up, offensively, Chelsea can be considered as one of the best sides in Europe next season. But defensively, a lot of work needs to be done. Only time will tell if Super Frankie Lampard gets the puzzle right, or will he still try to fit square pegs in round holes??

I hope you enjoyed my analysis and I'm eagerly looking forward to your invaluable feedback, suggestions and ideas. Do like, share and follow the page to show your love!

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