Simone Inzaghi's Inter - Utilizing "The Arms" aka the Wide Centre-Backs and the 3-1-6 Shape in buildup

[(sic)]

Introduction

 

I've thought about writing a post like this for a long time, but never really did it for a few reasons. The main reason being, I was always using some sort of a Guardiola-esque/positional-play based system in my saves, and there are a ton of posts about that already.

Here, I wont go into analyzing Inzaghi's approach too much, but I will highlight some key things here that are relevant.

 

Sources

 

https://www.calciomercato.com/news/nonostante-madrid-l-inter-emancipata-di-inzaghi-le-3-rotture-e-l-97465

 

 

Formation and playing style

Inter line up in a 3-5-2, just like under Conte. However Inzaghi's 3-5-2 definitely doesn't play in the same way.

 

Wide Centre-Backs

Probably one of the key elements of the tactic and the reason why I was attracted to it. I'm going to use a few pictures from the article to demonstrate what I'm talking about. (https://www.calciomercato.com/news/nonostante-madrid-l-inter-emancipata-di-inzaghi-le-3-rotture-e-l-97465)

Notice how both Bastoni and D'Ambrosio are inside the opposition box in attack. The only defender Inter have is Skriniar (Central CB).

Here we see Bastoni staying wide and D'Ambrosio in kind of a half-space.

Obviously this kind of approach can be really risky, but Inter do manage to pull it off (though they can suffer on counter-attacks because of this risky setup). Wide Centre-Backs offer numerical superiority and overloads in wide areas, as well as often overloading the opponent's box.

Here's another example from yesterday's game. At 0:20 pay attention to No.37 (Skriniar). In this game he was the wide CB, notice how he makes a run through the centre and attacks the box.

The Wide-Centre backs will make both Underlapping and Overlapping runs, here we can see Bastoni running from CB position into the channel between the CB and the RCB.

And here we can see him inside the box, if you didn't know better, you would think he's a striker!

Here's another situation, Bastoni crosses towards 2nd post to find Dumfries who scores.

In-game, we can use both wide CBs as WCB-A or one WCB-A and one WCB-S. Depending on which side of the pitch the ball is on, only one of the wide CBs will actually push forward. So there wont be situations like shown above, where both WCBs push forward at the same time.

 

The Striker partnership

 

"The attacking couple does not have rigid duties and positions, they must not do this and then that. Have you ever seen Lukaku open up and go down to dribble like Dzeko does here in Madrid?"

The answer to the question is no.

In previous image, where I was talking about the CBs, you could notice that Dzeko is up top, with Lautaro behind him, almost as a No. 10.

Here, you see Dzeko out wide supporting the play, and Lautaro being central, attacking the space behind the defence.

That does indeed tell us that they don't have rigid roles and duties, however usually if one of them drops down, the other one leads the line. It doesn't matter who it is (although it usually is Dzeko who leads the line).

With that information, I tend to lean on CF-S for the left striker and CF-A for the right striker (sometimes Dzeko could be a TF-A as well).

 

The rest of the team and the formation as a whole

 

During buildup, Inter like to form a 3-1 shape, with Brozovic (DM, probably as a DLP-D) used as the "1". Wingbacks are positioned really high, often at the half-way line, so I would even call them wingers here.

If you go back to the pictures above, you could see how the wingers play and where they are usually positioned. Perisic and Dumfries are initially high and wide, but when the play progresses to the final third, they do like to go into the box. That movement allows and even requires the Wide Centre-Backs to overlap to provide width. Usually, if the ball is one side, you have the winger sitting wider, with CB coming in to either underlap or overlap. Meanwhile, the winger on the opposite side is attacking the box.

In-game I have them set up as Defensive Wingers on Support. If we place them in the WB strata, they wont really sit at half way line during the buildup or get into the box during attack. By placing them in ML/MR positions they will actually do all of that. As you can see in the images, they are usually in line with strikers.

 

The midfielders have different roles. RCM, usually Barella, is more aggressive in his movement, he would push higher, while often getting into the box, and also going wide and crossing the ball. The obvious choice for this would be a Mezzala.

Another highlight from the last game, as we can see at 1:10 he runs wide like a winger. After they win the ball back we have Darmian crossing the ball from wide, while Barella has moved into the box. Perisic is waiting for Darmian's cross at 2nd post, GK saves his shot, but Barella is there to score from the rebound.

The LCM is a bit more difficult to decide. That position is occupied by Calhanoglu in real life. He isn't as aggressive as Barella, instead, he's usually sitting deeper, although not forming a double pivot with Brozovic like Eriksen used to do under Conte. Calhanoglu will drop deeper to get the ball, and in attack will usually lurk at the edge of the box, either looking to pass the ball around or to take long shots just from the edge of the area. His role could be a CM-S or even RPM-S.

It's worth mentioning that like the strikers, there are vertical rotations in the midfield as well (if one of them pushes forward, the other one will stay a bit deeper to support the play).

 

Style of Play

 

By looking at whoscored, it shows us that Inter play possession football with short passing. They do also attempt a lot of through balls.

From overloading certain areas, to passing triangles, to positional rotations, it's clear that Inzaghi uses many principles of Positional play. With that in mind, we also have to set up our defence accordingly. That means higher defensive line with high press.

In the past with Lazio, we've seen Inzaghi use low, mid and high block. Inter are definitely being more aggressive and proactive than under Conte. 

• They will often create 2v1 or 3v1 situations in defence.
• During defensive transitions they like to counter-press, with making sure their defensive line is in place at the same time.
• They don't usually press too high, but rather utilize the numbers they have in the midfield.

 

 

In the next post, I'll go over how I set up the tactic in game, the instructions, and the players.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[(sic)]

Replicating the positioning and movement in game

 

The 3-1-6 Shape

Since our starting shape is a 3-5-2, it's really easy to achieve the 3-1-6 shape we want in the buildup.

• First, we have to make sure we have a defensive midfielder sitting in front of the 3 centre-backs (The "1" - Brozovic role).
• Second, we need our wide players to position themselves higher, at the halfway line, and sometimes in line with the two strikers. To achieve this we have to place our wide players (Perisic and Dumfries/Darmian) in the ML/MR positions. This also helps us in the latter stages of attacks, as those same wide players would look to get into the box, which encourages our Wide Centre-backs to overlap.

 

Average positions map

Pass map

 

As you can see from these 2 screenshots, it looks spot on.

 

Player roles and movement

 

Here I want to focus on a few key positions/roles for this tactic.

 

1. The Defence and the WCBs (Bastoni and Skriniar).

As we have seen in the first post, WCBs are very aggressive in their tendency to make forward runs. Both Bastoni and Skriniar like to go forward to support the play, often making both overlapping and underlapping runs, and often getting into the opposition's box. In FM22, we can finally replicate that sort of movement by using the Wide Centre Back role. In my tactic, I have them both set on Attacking duty as the Support and Defend duties are often too conservative for what we are trying to achieve. As I have mentioned previously, only one of the WCBs will go forward at the same time to support the play. If the ball is on the left side of the pitch, our left WCB will look to push forward and support the play in more advanced areas, make runs into the box or out wide, and help overload the opposition flank. The other WCB will stay back and act as a regular defender, until the ball comes to his side of the pitch.

 

 

Here's an example of what the role can do. No. 14 is our wide player, while No. 17 is our left sided WCB-A. In this situation WCB has already made an underlapping run and he was open to receive the pass. After that it was fairly easy for him to cross to one of our forwards who scored a goal.

Here are some Player Traits that might help this role become even more aggressive.

1. Gets Forward Whenever Possible
2. Gets Into Opposition Area
3. Moves Into Channels

2. and 3. are optional, but I would recommend them if you want your WCB to make more underlapping runs and get into the box more often (like shown above).

The 3rd defender (De Vrij usually) could be a standard CD-D.

 

2. The Midfield and the Mezzala (Barella).

 

We'll start off with the DM (Brozovic). His role is fairly simple, mainly a defensive one as doesn't join the attack too often. A Defensive Midfielder on Defend duty works perfectly fine, although a DLP-D would also work. His main job is to help in the buildup, support the play and pass the ball around to other teammates.

 

 

LCM position is occupied by Calhanoglu. He's been very good for Inter since joining this summer. I've kept his role fairly basic, a CM on Support duty. He already has some great Player Traits and with PIs like Shoot More Often, Get Further Forward and Move Into Channels we can make him perform really well. He's an AM and plays like one, even if we put him in CM-S spot.

 

 

Mezzala looks like the role perfectly representing Barella. It is our RCM who likes to get forward to support the moves and score/assist goals. Also, as pointed out in the first post, he's also a player that likes to go wide and cross the ball. I think this was the most straight forward role to replicate in FM so here are some clips from in-game.

 

 

Pintos, No.19 is our Mezzala. Here we can see him receiving the ball and running out wide.

 

 

Here we see him in line with a striker. He pulls out wide, just to the edge of the box, and then crosses the ball.

 

3. The Wings

 

The wingbacks, or wingers in this case, are used to provide width to the team. They will often push really high up and look to get into the box.

I have opted for Defensive Wingers on Support duty. I feel that if I had used Wingers on Attack, they would be too aggressive and it would create more defensive issues.

I'm putting this heat map again, but now I want you to pay attention to No.12 and No.30. They are still very high up the pitch and often do get into the box, so I felt like there was no need to play with the Winger role.

 

 

4. The Striker Duo

 

Here's where it gets a little tricky. While they aren't very rigid in their duties, usually Lautaro (depending on who's playing, it can also be Correa) drops off a bit more, acting like kind of an AM, while Dzeko is a bit more like a classic striker. That isn't to say Dzeko doesn't drop off or that Lautaro doesn't act as a classic striker, both of them can swap around and that vertical rotation is the key.

 

Here we can see exactly that, Dzeko drops to lay off the ball to Hakan, then runs into the box finishing off the move. In this case Dzeko was actually playing as an AF-A and Lautaro was a F9-S.

As mentioned previously, Lautaro's role would be a F9 while Dzeko's role could be an AF-A, CF-A or even a TF-A.

Here, you'd think that Dzeko will be our main goalscorer. Well, just like in real life, that's not the case. More about this when I showcase the results and player stats.

 

 

The Tactic

 

First off, we start with an Attacking mentality. I feel like Inter have a lot of freedom and take a lot of risk by playing the way they play, so the Attacking mentality is there to reflect that.

In Possession we have Shorter Passing, Play Out Of Defence and Work Ball Into Box.

Inter build their attacks out from the back, the 3-1 shape helps with that.

Shorter passing doesn't mean they will never go long or direct, they will if there's an opportunity.

Work Ball Into Box is there to encourage WCBs to impact the play in the final third.

Keeping the ball around for longer allows the WCBs to join the attack, rather than hoofing it long or crossing and waiting for your strikers to make something happen. Players will look to pass the ball around, switch positions, and work the ball in patiently, waiting for an opening.

Inter are 3rd in the league in possession and pass completion % numbers.

 

In Transition we use Distribute to Centre-Backs and Counter-Press.

I didn't feel like using the Counter TI, as the players will counter if there's an opportunity to do so regardless. You could use the Counter instruction if you want.

 

Out Of Possession we have Higher Defensive Line, Prevent Short GK Distribution, Get Stuck In and Use Tighter Marking.

I do not use a high block, rather a mid block (Though you could change to a high block in some games). We have a lot of players in the midfield area so I felt this would be a natural choice.

I'm not 100% sure about this area though, so I'm open to any suggestions. I feel like you can play both a high and a mid block and I think Inter have done both at some point.

 

For the Player Instructions, both DWs are instructed to Get Further Forward, LCM is told to Shoot More Often, Get Further Forward and Move Into Channels, and the F9 is told to Roam From The Position. Note that Perisic on the left has traits Gets Into Oppositon Area, Gets Forward Whenever Possible and Moves Into Channels, so he's going to be more offensive than the Dumfries on the right (just like in real life).

 

 

This is my interpretation and it might not be 100% correct to how Inter actually play. I was mainly looking at replicating the roles they use and their positioning/movement, so in that regard I'd say I'm satisfied with how it turned out.

 

Edited January 25, 2022 by (sic)

[halfspace3000]

3 hours ago, (sic) said:

Introduction

 

I've thought about writing a post like this for a long time, but never really did it for a few reasons. The main reason being, I was always using some sort of a Guardiola-esque/positional-play based system in my saves, and there are a ton of posts about that already.

Here, I wont go into analyzing Inzaghi's approach too much, but I will highlight some key things here that are relevant.

 

Sources

 

https://www.calciomercato.com/news/nonostante-madrid-l-inter-emancipata-di-inzaghi-le-3-rotture-e-l-97465

 

 

Formation and playing style

Inter line up in a 3-5-2, just like under Conte. However Inzaghi's 3-5-2 definitely doesn't play in the same way.

 

Wide Centre-Backs

Probably one of the key elements of the tactic and the reason why I was attracted to it. I'm going to use a few pictures from the article to demonstrate what I'm talking about. (https://www.calciomercato.com/news/nonostante-madrid-l-inter-emancipata-di-inzaghi-le-3-rotture-e-l-97465)

Notice how both Bastoni and D'Ambrosio are inside the opposition box in attack. The only defender Inter have is Skriniar (Central CB).

Here we see Bastoni staying wide and D'Ambrosio in kind of a half-space.

Obviously this kind of approach can be really risky, but Inter do manage to pull it off (though they can suffer on counter-attacks because of this risky setup). Wide Centre-Backs offer numerical superiority and overloads in wide areas, as well as often overloading the opponent's box.

Here's another example from yesterday's game. At 0:20 pay attention to No.37 (Skriniar). In this game he was the wide CB, notice how he makes a run through the centre and attacks the box.

The Wide-Centre backs will make both Underlapping and Overlapping runs, here we can see Bastoni running from CB position into the channel between the CB and the RCB.

And here we can see him inside the box, if you didn't know better, you would think he's a striker!

Here's another situation, Bastoni crosses towards 2nd post to find Dumfries who scores.

In-game, we can use both wide CBs as WCB-A or one WCB-A and one WCB-S. Depending on which side of the pitch the ball is on, only one of the wide CBs will actually push forward. So there wont be situations like shown above, where both WCBs push forward at the same time.

 

The Striker partnership

 

"The attacking couple does not have rigid duties and positions, they must not do this and then that. Have you ever seen Lukaku open up and go down to dribble like Dzeko does here in Madrid?"

The answer to the question is no.

In previous image, where I was talking about the CBs, you could notice that Dzeko is up top, with Lautaro behind him, almost as a No. 10.

Here, you see Dzeko out wide supporting the play, and Lautaro being central, attacking the space behind the defence.

That does indeed tell us that they don't have rigid roles and duties, however usually if one of them drops down, the other one leads the line. It doesn't matter who it is (although it usually is Dzeko who leads the line).

With that information, I tend to lean on CF-S for the left striker and CF-A for the right striker (sometimes Dzeko could be a TF-A as well).

 

The rest of the team and the formation as a whole

 

During buildup, Inter like to form a 3-1 shape, with Brozovic (DM, probably as a DLP-D) used as the "1". Wingbacks are positioned really high, often at the half-way line, so I would even call them wingers here.

If you go back to the pictures above, you could see how the wingers play and where they are usually positioned. Perisic and Dumfries are initially high and wide, but when the play progresses to the final third, they do like to go into the box. That movement allows and even requires the Wide Centre-Backs to overlap to provide width. Usually, if the ball is one side, you have the winger sitting wider, with CB coming in to either underlap or overlap. Meanwhile, the winger on the opposite side is attacking the box.

In-game I have them set up as Defensive Wingers on Support. If we place them in the WB strata, they wont really sit at half way line during the buildup or get into the box during attack. By placing them in ML/MR positions they will actually do all of that. As you can see in the images, they are usually in line with strikers.

 

The midfielders have different roles. RCM, usually Barella, is more aggressive in his movement, he would push higher, while often getting into the box, and also going wide and crossing the ball. The obvious choice for this would be a Mezzala.

Another highlight from the last game, as we can see at 1:10 he runs wide like a winger. After they win the ball back we have Darmian crossing the ball from wide, while Barella has moved into the box. Perisic is waiting for Darmian's cross at 2nd post, GK saves his shot, but Barella is there to score from the rebound.

The LCM is a bit more difficult to decide. That position is occupied by Calhanoglu in real life. He isn't as aggressive as Barella, instead, he's usually sitting deeper, although not forming a double pivot with Brozovic like Eriksen used to do under Conte. Calhanoglu will drop deeper to get the ball, and in attack will usually lurk at the edge of the box, either looking to pass the ball around or to take long shots just from the edge of the area. His role could be a CM-S or even RPM-S.

It's worth mentioning that like the strikers, there are vertical rotations in the midfield as well (if one of them pushes forward, the other one will stay a bit deeper to support the play).

 

Style of Play

 

By looking at whoscored, it shows us that Inter play possession football with short passing. They do also attempt a lot of through balls.

From overloading certain areas, to passing triangles, to positional rotations, it's clear that Inzaghi uses many principles of Positional play. With that in mind, we also have to set up our defence accordingly. That means higher defensive line with high press.

In the past with Lazio, we've seen Inzaghi use low, mid and high block. Inter are definitely being more aggressive and proactive than under Conte. 

• They will often create 2v1 or 3v1 situations in defence.
• During defensive transitions they like to counter-press, with making sure their defensive line is in place at the same time.
• They don't usually press too high, but rather utilize the numbers they have in the midfield.

 

 

In the next post, I'll go over how I set up the tactic in game, the instructions, and the players.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great Analysis

[Xander2000]

An interesting read. Looking forward to this.

[Skywalk3r83]

Nice read. Looking forward to the next update. 

[Ivan787]

Very interesting. As Inter fan I was waiting for this thread. Looking forward to this, ready to test and give some support.

I'm already try some tests to replicate Inzaghi style of play but some aspect seems impossible, in particular Dumfries position. Look at the first image in the section "Striker Partnership": Dzeko is very wide, Barella close to him and Dumfries is in the central position, acting like a true forward close to Lautaro.

Edited January 24, 2022 by Ivan787

[(sic)]

2nd post is updated.

 

Here are some IRL stats and some stats after simulating a season with Inter using this tactic.

Stats

 

Here, we'll compare some real life stats with in-game stats. I have simulated an entire season with Inter using my version of the tactic.

By looking at the stats from whoscored, we can see that almost every player is contributing with goals and assists. Hakan Calhanoglu and Nicolo Barella look like the standout performers. Hakan with 6 goals and 7 assists, and Barella with 2 goals and 7 assists so far in the Serie A. Lautaro Martinez is the top scorer with 11 goals (and 2 assists) while Dzeko is second with 9 goals and 3 assists. We can also see that wide players are also contributing with goals and assists, as well as the CBs.

 

Note that these stats are only from half-way through the season.

 

Now let's compare that with in-game stats.

Defenders: Milan Skriniar - 6 goals and 4 assists in 47 apps

                      Stefan de Vrij - 1 goal in 48 apps

                     Alessandro Bastoni - 3 goals and 4 assists in 45 apps

 

Midfielders: Marcelo Brozovic - 3 goals 4 assists in 44 apps

                        Hakan Calhanoglu - 6 goals and 16 assists in 48 apps

                       Nicolo Barella - 10 goals and 10 assists in 49 apps

                       Ivan Perisic - 4 goals and 5 assists in 47 apps

                        Denzel Dumfries - 3 goals and 9 assists in 41 apps

 

Forwards: Lautaro Martinez - 29 goals and 9 assists in 48 apps

                    Edin Dzeko - 24 goals and 8 assists in 49 apps

 

As we can see, while our strikers are obviously scoring the most goals (53 between the 2), they are well spread across the whole team as well (36 between 8 other players).

Sadly, we finished 2nd in the league with 87 points (6 draws and 5 losses), 12 behind Lazio who finished first. We have scored 88 goals (2nd most in the league) and conceded 29 (best in the league).

The main point of simulating the season wasn't to see if the tactic will be able to beat everyone and win everything, rather to see that this tactical replication also works in the game.

 

Edited January 25, 2022 by (sic)

[Ivan787]

Hi, thanks for the great posts.

I have only a doubt about the wingers position. I know that during attacking phase they are often very high, but during defensive phase they form a 5-man line with the 3 CBs. I think that positioning them like defensive wingers they will not track back enough. Probably a WB position, together with "gets further forward" PPM to learn could be better.

[(sic)]

1 hour ago, Ivan787 said:

Hi, thanks for the great posts.

I have only a doubt about the wingers position. I know that during attacking phase they are often very high, but during defensive phase they form a 5-man line with the 3 CBs. I think that positioning them like defensive wingers they will not track back enough. Probably a WB position, together with "gets further forward" PPM to learn could be better.

I had the same concerns as well. While they wont form a 5 man defensive line that you might expect from Wing Backs, Defensive Wingers absolutely do track back and engage the opponents in the defensive third.

I agree that defensively it might not be exactly how Inter play, but I couldn't make the WB position work like it does IRL. I have tried with CWB-A or WB-A, but the WBs mainly stay wide in support rather than pushing forward early (being in line with strikers often) and getting into the box. So it was a matter of deciding between which part I'm going to try to make work (because I couldn't make them both work at the same time).

Another option could be using PPMs like you mentioned, maybe Gets Further Forward with Gets Into Opposition Area could work.

 

In general that's the issue I have with the tactical creator in FM, you often have to compromise between replicating the defensive shape and the offensive shape (with some tactics you just can't have both at the same time).

Edited January 27, 2022 by (sic)

[Ivan787]

Yeah I understand. I will try improving the play of Dumfries and now Gosens (wow!) with Gets further forward.

Just another question. I like very much the way in which Barella open the play moving wider and Dumfries cuts inside acting like a true forward. Something similar is shown in the first picture of "Striker partnership" sector.

I try almost everything but the only way in which I was able to achieve that movement was setting Dumfries as Inverted Wingback on attack duty. Which has nothing to do with the way ho plays in real life.

Any suggestion?

[rouflaquettes31]

Le 27/01/2022 à 12:44, (sic) a dit :

I had the same concerns as well. While they wont form a 5 man defensive line that you might expect from Wing Backs, Defensive Wingers absolutely do track back and engage the opponents in the defensive third.

I agree that defensively it might not be exactly how Inter play, but I couldn't make the WB position work like it does IRL. I have tried with CWB-A or WB-A, but the WBs mainly stay wide in support rather than pushing forward early (being in line with strikers often) and getting into the box. So it was a matter of deciding between which part I'm going to try to make work (because I couldn't make them both work at the same time).

Another option could be using PPMs like you mentioned, maybe Gets Further Forward with Gets Into Opposition Area could work.

 

In general that's the issue I have with the tactical creator in FM, you often have to compromise between replicating the defensive shape and the offensive shape (with some tactics you just can't have both at the same time).

Good article !

My tactic is approximately the same. And I struggle to have a good behavior for my wide players....
To be short, wingback are too defensive, and wingers too offensive :-)
For my team, I prefered a Wide Midfielder on support (depending on my players), but it annoys me when the midfileder just stop to defend when opposite winger is high on the pitch...

I think the player is as important as the position.

[(sic)]

On 27/01/2022 at 12:57, Ivan787 said:

Yeah I understand. I will try improving the play of Dumfries and now Gosens (wow!) with Gets further forward.

Just another question. I like very much the way in which Barella open the play moving wider and Dumfries cuts inside acting like a true forward. Something similar is shown in the first picture of "Striker partnership" sector.

I try almost everything but the only way in which I was able to achieve that movement was setting Dumfries as Inverted Wingback on attack duty. Which has nothing to do with the way ho plays in real life.

Any suggestion?

I'm not sure how well it can be replicated in game, maybe Roam From Position would help. Or using Inverted Wingers as wide players, but then defense would suffer.

38 minutes ago, rouflaquettes31 said:

Good article !

My tactic is approximately the same. And I struggle to have a good behavior for my wide players....
To be short, wingback are too defensive, and wingers too offensive :-)
For my team, I prefered a Wide Midfielder on support (depending on my players), but it annoys me when the midfileder just stop to defend when opposite winger is high on the pitch...

I think the player is as important as the position.

Yes, that's probably the toughest part to get right. If you want to get the attacking movement and positioning right then ML/MR spots are great, but defensively WB would be much better.

Even with Player Traits on WB position you can't really get them to perform as they would in a more advanced position.

 

That's why having some sort of separate offensive and defensive formations or having more options to influence player movement in attack and defense would be great to have inside tactical creator.

Edited January 31, 2022 by (sic)