TheFootballAnalyst

Long-form tactical analysis 🔍

[TheFootballAnalyst @TheDeepBlock]

@xDeamZz 3 achterin. Read en vd elshout/targhaline eruit voor van persie en kuyt. Dudek op goal

[TheFootballAnalyst @TheDeepBlock]

A full XI of homegrown players. Is this a realistic lineup? Or is it too biased towards the academy and should some other players really be playing?

[TheFootballAnalyst @TheDeepBlock]

Athletic Bilbao play with homegrown players because their identity demands it.

AZ Alkmaar don’t have that rule. They could buy their way out of it any transfer window.

But they trust their youth system, and here is what that brings them:

A whole XI, all raised in Alkmaar. 🧵

[TheFootballAnalyst @TheDeepBlock]

The RHS is very dynamic and flexible. When Dijkstra pushes high and Stengs moves inside, Kwakman covers the space behind.

When Dijkstra doesn't push up as far, Kwakman can run into the half-space.

Or Stengs keeps the width, with Dijkstra making inverted runs.

[TheFootballAnalyst @TheDeepBlock]

@blundenm8 Unfortunately i physically could not play anymore when i was 15 due to illness. Would trade everything for one more season with the boys.

[TheFootballAnalyst @TheDeepBlock]

@Jego_Group Rodri played at CB for Spain a few times if i remember correctly. But fdj can do that as well. I just think Rodri would be slightly better suited to the CB role

[TheFootballAnalyst @TheDeepBlock]

@_midoslim Thought of this in the summer already 👀

[TheFootballAnalyst @TheDeepBlock]

One of the most interesting tactical patterns is Rodri not playing in his usual CDM position. In this system he is playing at CB, in a very similar role as his former teammate John Stones played at Man City.
In posession, Rodri steps into the midfield, with the FB's tucking in.

[TheFootballAnalyst @TheDeepBlock]

@FutPoliceLeaks @fifa_romania No eredivisie player pick? But turkey portugal championship and america men and women all get one. Where is the eredivisie player pick.

Also is POTM eredivisie hadj moussa even coming? The card design was added on the web app

[TheFootballAnalyst @TheDeepBlock]

@Rusten7 We will see where Mouzakitis is in a few years. I agree his move to Hull did not help but i think there is still a top level player there

[TheFootballAnalyst @TheDeepBlock]

Greece have won one major trophy in their history: Euro2004. They won it by beating France, the Czech Republic and portugal after narrowly making it out of the group stage.

Years later, this next generation might be able to make the impossible happen again.

[TheFootballAnalyst @TheDeepBlock]

@JonathanPloeg À la playa bij Cambuur 👀

[TheFootballAnalyst @TheDeepBlock]

The buildup patterns really show the fluidity and flexibility of this system.

Cambuur can build in a 316 structure, with Jetten inverting from LWB and Kooistra moving higher.

They can also set up in a 3-2 shape with Souren and either Jetten or El Arguioui as the double pivot.

[TheFootballAnalyst @TheDeepBlock]

So that's SC Cambuur. A dutch team that most of you had never heard of, but next time you come across them you will remember.

What Cambuur is doing with this transfer strategy really excites me and I'm genuinely curious to see where it takes them in the future.

[TheFootballAnalyst @TheDeepBlock]

Because of this, Cambuur are also very flexible out of posession.

They can sit in a 541 or 442 mid block against strong opponents.

But they can also press from a 3421, 442, 41212 or a 4231.

[TheFootballAnalyst @TheDeepBlock]

This system has a lot of variation, as it can also be played as a 4231 or a 442. The same in-possesion principles apply, just from slightly different starting positions.

[TheFootballAnalyst @TheDeepBlock]

On the RHS we can see a different dynamic. Here Kooistra stays high and wide as a RWB. Vink drifts inside as a second striker to support Bouhoudane.

El Arguioui stays lower in buildup, but he can move into the right half-space when Cambuur have progressed the ball.

[TheFootballAnalyst @TheDeepBlock]

On the LHS there are some interesting patterns. Jetten can invert into midfield, with hamache keeping width. The opponents will have a hard time tracking Jetten when he inverts.

But they can also switch it up with hamache drifting inside and Jetten staying wide.

[TheFootballAnalyst @TheDeepBlock]

The buildup patterns really show the fluidity and flexibility of this system.

Cambuur can build in a 316 structure, with Jetten inverting from LWB and Kooistra moving higher.

They can also set up in a 3-2 shape with Souren and either Jetten or El Arguioui as the double pivot.

[TheFootballAnalyst @TheDeepBlock]

Let's get into the tactics. I would set up this Cambuur team in a 3421.

This system offers a lot of fluidity and flexibility, and this way all the players are used in their best roles.

[TheFootballAnalyst @TheDeepBlock]

If this pays off in the short term and Cambuur do stay up, then it could really pay off in the long term.

I know some players are in on loan. But staying in the Eredivisie can convince them to stay longer, especially if they don't have a clear pathway at their parent clubs.