Teams who play it cannot dominate the midfield because they have a pivot of 2 players, 2 number 10s, resulting in positional play and when defending they use the 5 defenders (2 wingbacks included) and the number 10s have to drop back into midfield positions to help defend, meaning there is no consitent press, striker isolated.

It requires team to play positional football. basketball football, where the ball is moved from player to player, with these players only doing any switches to create traingles or make runs from midfield when there is a lot of space, when there is no space the formation rarely sees any movements.

The formation does work against passive managers but it is quickly found out when a manager tries something different against it.

Roma has regressed ever since they changed from Ranieri's 352 to Gasperini's 343, we saw what happened with Ruben Amorin's 343 with a pressing pivot ignoring football basics of using a DM, Dortmund has looked very ineffective, a better squad but rarerly dominating, Alonso quickly learnt that it would not work at Real Madrid, Lens despite having the second best squad in Ligue 1 have struggled recently vs weaker teams. Conte's napoli did very well with the 451, they are much worse this season after moving back to the 343.

It is also indictiment on those who appoint football managers. Teams have to look at managers who have done it at youth level, smaller leagues and allow them to express their ideas. The rotation of the same managers is making football extremly boring.

Got a cup final today with my U14s and could use some perspective from other coaches.

We’ve played this team twice already this season in a weird double‑header (league + cup).

The league game was officially recorded as 3–2 to them, but that wasn’t the real score — it was actually 2–2. They reported it as 3–2 so they could finish second in the league instead of another team. We finished first, so it didn’t affect us, but it’s still frustrating.

The league/cup game was the real one: 2–2 again, went to extra time and penalties, and we lost on penalties. (They had a lovely 5g but they said it was "booked" so instead put us on a pitch with mole hills all over) We missed an open goal, 1 on 1 few headers from corners. Ended up been a slug fest in the last 15 minutes and extra time just we had a chance then they did then we did but neither could score.

The boys were gutted because we felt we were the better side overall.

Tactically:

- They play a 4‑3‑3

- Their main threats are a very fast LW and a direct ST

- One goal we conceded was from a poor defensive throw‑in

- Another was a messy tap‑in from a corner

- Our goals were:

- A worldie from distance

- A goal straight from a corner in the first minute (we’re strong on set pieces)

Last time we played them we used a 4‑1‑4‑1 to stay compact and frustrate their 4‑3‑3.

It worked — we matched them physically and tactically.

For the final today, we’ve switched to a 4‑2‑3‑1 because:

- We want more control in midfield

- Our CAM is in great form

- Our wingers track back well

- Our striker needs more support

- We’re fitter and more organised than earlier in the season

I’ve done all the prep I can:

- Training sessions

- Set pieces

- Game plan

- Roles and responsibilities

- Mental prep

- TacticalPad animations

- A calm pre‑match meeting

But it’s my first cup final as a coach, and I’m honestly nervous.

We’ve only lost once all season, and that was to them in that cup game on penalties.

This is a chance for the boys to get revenge after the cup loss and the dodgy league score.

My question:

If you were the manager, what would you say to your team before kick‑off?

Not a Hollywood speech — just the key messages that actually help 13/14‑year‑olds perform.

Any advice from coaches who’ve been here before would be massively appreciated.

I’ve been a football fan for a few years, but I’ve never really understood formations and tactics. Whenever I try to learn, there’s just too much information and it’s not explained in a clear, step-by-step way. How can I understand the different tactics in a simple, structured manner so I can better appreciate the decisions and strategies of managers?

Hey everyone, hope you’re doing well.

I’m currently working on a football analysis project and using StatsBomb data. Has anyone here worked with it before? It feels pretty confusing and a bit unorganized to me, especially when trying to structure the event data.

Any tips on how to work with it properly or make it easier to handle would be really appreciated.

Sorry if this is the wrong place to post this but I had a question I thought you guys might be able to answer. I’m currently reading a book about football tactics and, naturally, there’s a lengthy section about Johan Cruyff. In the section about his time as a player, the book discusses Cruyff playing as the goalkeeper for Ajax 3rd team, even after his first team debut in the 1960’s. It also discusses how his playing of the position influenced how he viewed the role later on, where he of course thought of the goalkeeper as the 11th outfield player. I haven’t been able to find anything about this online, does anyone have information about this?

Well, the title explains it: I'm looking for data sources for a data analysis project. My goal is to build a end to end project to exercise my knowledge and also have a portfolio started.

Also, feel free to suggest analysis and projects, It's always good to hear from fellow tatics lovers.

Hey everyone,

I’m trying to understand the real day-to-day challenges coaches face, especially at grassroots / school / semi-pro level.

Not building or selling anything right now just genuinely curious.

A few things I’ve been wondering about:

• How do you decide your starting lineup?
• Do players ever hide fatigue or injuries?
• What’s the hardest part about tracking player performance over time?
• Do you rely more on intuition or some kind of data?

Would love to hear:

• Situations where things went wrong (bad selection, injury, etc.)
• Things you wish you had better visibility into
• Any “this always annoys me” moments

Even small frustrations are helpful.

Thanks 🙏

Liverpool Ideal Setup for the Long term

With Slot looking increasingly likely to be sacked, this is how I would prefer us to look next season.

I feel we should just ditch the wingers considering Salah's departure and play a 442 diamond or a 442 flat that becomes 424 in the opponents half when we don't have the ball. We don't have any competent wingers other than Rio atm. We have 2 competent strikers that can be utilised to their fullest in a 442.

Gakpo recently has started playing better than he was previously. I feel this is after he started playing more centrally as the CF instead of the LW where he becomes more one dimensional. In the 442, he can utilise his height and play as the LCF.

Considering we already sealed Jacquet and Konate looks like he's signing, I think the centre backs are not the major area of concern for next season. Right back also looks covered with Frimpong, Bradley and Joey G. Replacing Robbo is going to be the key and I don't think Tsimikas is good enough. The ideal replacement would be someone who can play LB and CB like Van de Ven/Bastoni.

Another area of concern is the midfield. I think it's crucial that we get a player who can play deeper. Ideal mould would be someone like Wharton or Stiller, who are more composed and can pick a pass. We need someone to find a pass that Trent used to do on a regular basis.

If Macca/Jones ends up leaving, we would need to replace them. Someone like a Joao Gomes would be a great addition along with Nyoni maturing. Let's hope Bajcetic comes back and takes Endo's spot.

With the 2 striker formation, it would be ideal to get another cheaper striker like a Luis Suarez from Sporting or Junior Kroupi. A left footed striker would be even more ideal. This signing and Gakpo would be backups to Isak and Ekitike. Wirtz, Szobo can both play as one of the 2 up top so it makes good sense.

I'm mainly going for the 2 striker formation because we ended up buying 2 leading forwards and not playing one is a crime and a further waste of money. This might hamper Rio's development but I think he will get his chances as a supersub and start the odd games as an LM or LW. We will probably end up selling Chiesa, so it makes sense to ditch wingers altogether rather than trying to replace all of them.

Manager - Xabi Alonso

This is the crucial piece. I don't know if he will play a formation like this but I'm pretty sure he will not be hell bent on playing a pre conceived formation that he has, instead of utilising the players at his disposal. We saw this at Madrid where he didn't play the system he was playing at Leverkusen.

My ideal and realistic starting 11:

Alisson

Frimpong Konate Vvd Kerkez

Szobo Gravenberch Wharton Wirtz

Ekitike Isak

I hope we spend wisely and utilise all our players to the fullest along with important signings to improve the depth to fight on all fronts.

Would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this.

Buying expensive players will never work as a team building solution, young players and academy players are the backbone of Madrid, Barca, Bayern PSG. Madrid invested in Vini, Valverde, Guler, Carvajahal, Brahim, Asencio, Fran, Ceballos, Garcia, Lunin, Pitarch . Barca, most of the team is academy, Bayern, Stanisic, Pavlovic, Davies, Musiala, Kimmich, Karl. PSG have Emery, Mayulu, Mbaye, Dro, Kang, Safonov.

These are also clubs that move on unperfoming managers, barely influenced by a manager wanting to build a project.

Of course a big chunk of these teams was expensive, however it seems to be that if a team does not understand the importance of developing young players by allowing them regular game that can be corellated with other bad decisions like hiring managers and technical staff.

PL clubs like Newcastle, Chelsea, Arsenal, Man U, Tottenham want to buy new teams every five years.

*Edit - Developing players is the difficult part, money does not solve technical expertise, it does not solve the limitations of managers and directors. Talent is not unique it is simply developed, failure to that u end with situations like Italy where u barely have wingers and strikers.

New to football can someone explain their roles to me

Analysis on our team and opponents:

• Midfield control: As most of us already know, Atleti have a weak midfield, incapable of maintaining possession or creating plays. Despite them scoring two goals, none came from the midfield. Hansi could start a four-midfielder lineup, as seen yesterday, with Gavi supporting the midfield rather than playing as a 1v1 winger or focusing on scoring.
• Metropolitano / Being away from home: The Metropolitano isn’t as hostile a stadium as people make it out to be. Barcelona have won 5 of their last 6 away games there, and I’m confident they will be sharp going into the game nonetheless. We scored 4 in their backyard within 20 minutes last year so what’s stopping us this time?
• Defensive issues for Atleti: Atleti currently have 3 of their 4 best centre-backs injured or suspended—Giménez (injured), Hancko (injured), and Pubill (suspended). This likely leaves their starting duo as Le Normand and Lenglet (advantage Barça).
• Duel monster: Gavi has been playing amazingly since his return. The Atleti game showed us that he’s still the Gavi we remember from 2022/23. I can see him starting at pivot alongside Pedri, providing support as the midfielder who engages in duels, challenges, and tackles. In the last game, he was incredible, nothing more to say.
• Control / Giving Pedri his freedom: De Jong’s return completes our midfield, as seen in yesterday’s game vs Espanyol. He is a crucial and impactful player, giving Pedri the freedom to dictate play and control possession. Unlike Bernal, who limited Pedri’s influence in midfield, De Jong enhances it. However, Flick has suggested De Jong may have limited minutes for now and might not start, though he still adds significant impact.
• Our finishing (taking the 1st leg into account): Yes, our finishing was poor, and yes, we were the better team for most of the game, conceding some unlucky goals. I’ve seen a lot of criticism toward Rashford, despite him being one of the only players creating chances alongside Lamine. Rashford needs to start, as he provides that X-factor (Newcastle group stage).
• Defence being a major issue: Yes, we are missing our best centre-back due to a red card, but I’m confident Eric and Martin will form a solid defensive partnership. Considering Atleti may play a low block, the main concern would be turnovers leading to 1v1 situations. Still, I trust Eric and Martin to handle those effectively.
• Full-backs will be crucial: My preferred full-backs would be João and Koundé. João is excellent offensively, though average defensively, while Koundé has looked sharp defensively again. He also supports Lamine by overlapping, something Araújo couldn’t consistently provide while playing at right-back.
• Atleti playstyle: Simeone mentioned in a recent interview that he has his tactics in mind and won’t change them. If this means they’ll play a low block, Barça are in a strong position. We’ve seen Barcelona break down low-block teams before the end of the first half, and I wouldn’t expect anything different this time. Touch wood, lol.

Some advantages for Barcelona (in my opinion):

• Refereeing: Clément Turpin has been appointed for Tuesday’s game. He holds the record for most penalties awarded in the UCL. Atleti are likely to play a low block, forcing Barça into more 1v1 situations in the box.
• Injury crisis: Atleti currently have 3 of their 4 best centre-backs unavailable, Giménez (injured), Hancko (injured), and Pubill (suspended). This likely leaves Le Normand and Lenglet as their starting pair (advantage Barça).
• 2–0 is the most deceptive score in sports: Teams often become too comfortable with a 2–0 lead (considering Atleti’s past), not realising how fragile it is. One goal changes everything and adds immediate pressure.
• Lamine.

Well, that's the end, thanks for reading. Visca Barca!