Tactical Analysis | Knutsen, positional football is over?

"Positional football is over, we need movement outside the zone".

Marco Baroni 

These are the words of the Lazio coach in a post-match in October, a statement that was immediately used by those who, particularly in recent years try in every way to define positional football as finished, to exalt and value a different idea. A game of little intellectual honesty, mainly because one idea does not take value by belittling another, and then because in all the theories in relation to the positional it is deliberately omitted that dynamism and fluidity are principles that we can see within initially static positional structures.

Lazio was totally dominated by Bodø/Glimt, 18-6 shooting, 58-42 possession and 2.88-0.34 xG. A partial that certainly could have been more substantial in the amount of chances created, but the focus I would like to concentrate on how this dominance and control of the game was sought and found. Bodø used a classic positional structure a 4-1-2-3 that was aimed at finding structural advantages in the opponent's 4-4-2. No movement out of the zone, only strategic positioning that allowed them to search for continuous solutions of progression by repeatedly clearly eliminating the opponent's pressure lines.

In the analysis of the advantage goal, we can see how the initial 4+1 was used to draw Lazio's 4+2, with Saltnes/Evjen completing the 4-1-2 by going into intermediate positions that created several problems for the opponents' pressure phase choices. The search for and conquest of basic space to progress was done through the centrally created 3+2 and the difficulties in catching Berg (CM) who was unmarking behind the two opposing forwards.

Bodø is yet another demonstration of how much a positional model can enhance and bring out the qualities of a team, even having significantly lower values than its opponents. Regardless of how the return match turns out, go ask Kjetil Knutsen if positional football is over.

💻 Analyzed with Play3 by Metrica Sports

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