Corinthians, in the 1-0 defeat to Palmeiras, dominated the game, but created few clear scoring chances and even missed a penalty — which did not exist. I heard a million times that Palmeiras didn’t play well, but they were more efficient.
I still don’t understand what explains a team being worse and more efficient. Could Memphis Depay slip up when taking the penalty, probably because of the trickery of Andreas Pereira, who dug a hole where the penalty was taken? You can win or lose in different ways. One blow, one infraction is enough to change the story of a match.
Palmeiras acted as they always do. With a first midfielder, as they like to say, more of a scorer, number 5, Marlon; a second midfielder, number 8, Andreas Pereira; an attacking midfielder, Maurício, shirt 10, who plays between midfield and attack. There are several ways to play well and/or win.
This is a formation used by almost all Brazilian teams and also by the national team, which in recent games played with Casemiro and Bruno Guimarães as midfielders and Matheus Cunha as an advanced midfielder, between midfield and attack.
I prefer the formation used today by major teams and national teams in the world, with a centralized midfielder, who initiates offensive plays, and another midfielder on each side, who acts from one midfield to the other, who marks, builds and attacks. There are two with the role of shirt 10, instead of one. Furthermore, the team scores with three players in midfield instead of two.
Teams that form a trio in midfield have particularities. Argentina, world champion, always has a trio in the middle and Messi between the three and the center forward. In this tactical scheme, there is only one winger, who also returns to score, forming a quartet in the middle to protect the four defenders. With this, Messi plays free, without a marking role.
Other teams and selections prefer to have a trio in midfield and another in attack, formed by two wingers and a center forward. The two wingers usually return to score, forming a quintet in the middle to protect the four defenders. Teams defend and advance as a block. Compression is essential for this to happen.
The teams from Spain, France and Portugal, strong contenders for the world title due to their individual and collective talent, alternate tactical details during matches, playing at times with two midfielders and an attacking midfielder and at others with a trio in midfield, in addition to having two wingers and a center forward.
Some Brazilian teams are moving away from the traditional scheme with two midfielders and an attacking midfielder. Bahia forms a trio in midfield. The three score, exchange many passes and advance, alternately. At Fluminense, Martinelli is a midfielder who plays from one midfield to the other.
Some readers say they enjoy reading my columns more when I try to explain the strategic details of the teams, while others prefer my ramblings and bar philosophies. In my ideal world, I would like to see the game with the eyes of a poet, to appreciate the spectacle more, but, in my real world, I need to be pragmatic and analyze the technical and tactical details.
I try to unite the two worlds. It doesn’t always work. The two are strange.
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