"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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Football - Analysed!
