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Emulating Marcelino Garcia Toral's Villarreal: Down But Never Out


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Villarreal are on top of the world but I am surprised that no one as attempted to emulate their tactics in FM. The team are fun to watch and every week they guarantee entertainment and fast free flowing soccer. But the question is "Why is that?" And I answer: Marcelino. When Villarreal were in the lowest of the low, they were relegated to Liga Adelante and were forced to sell a truckload of key players. However, you would think that the Adelante was a walk in the park for the yellow submarines. Well, you were wrong. In the middle of the 2012/2013 campaign, Villarreal were struggling to get that last playoff spot in the Adelante. The board were far from pleased about the work of Julio Velaquez. So, after the 1-1 against Almeria, he was fired and Marcelino came in. Better late than ever because after a blowout loss against Real Madrid B, the yellow submarines only lost once and were automatically promoted back to La Liga. After that, the team kept building and building their team. Whether it would be the addition of playmaker Gio Dos Santos or regista Tomas Pina or the upgrade of their backline with Gabriel Paulista partnering former B team player Matteo Musacchio or it could be the addition of poacher Luciano Vietto. The team kept building but the style never changed. Even in their 1-0 win against Atletico Madrid, they played the same style that they played when they were in the Adelante.

[video=youtube;qh4AkJO5q4k]

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As you can see, they are some doctrines in the way Villarreal plays. They aren't all about Sit Deep/Play on the Counter/FIFA-esque pace abuse. They have these attributes instead:

- Two banks of four - Villarreal looks to frustrate their opponents by using two banks of four so when the opposition attacks they have to get by 8 players.

- Pressure after lost of possession - Villarreal looks to win the ball after they lose it. They don't press like Barca or Real Madrid nowadays but they press to a point that destroys any of their opponent's buildup

- Deadly counters - When Villarreal counterattacks, they are probably unstoppable. The movements are swift and the passes are in a small amount

- One-touch passing - Villarreal relies a lot on this even when not counterattacking. To emulate this in FM will require PPM, tho

- Creativity of the front four - Especially the wide men who have the prospect of either cutting inside and waiting for a cross or cross the ball themselves.



Now, how do we emulate this in FM?? We shall find out in the next post

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So, how do we emulate this tactic. Well, I've gone with this interpretation

Counter

Marcelino mentioned one time that his game isn't all about swift counterattacks 24/7. I think this mentality fits like a glove. If there is no opportunities available to counter, then they look to recycle possession

Very Fluid

The team was expected to have creative freedom especially for the likes of the front four, the wingbacks, and the creator from deep

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The shape is pretty simple. A deep 4-2-2-2 wide with two DMs.

TIs

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I'll explain the majority

Shorter Passing/Pass Into Space

The team usually kept the ball on the ground and would always aim for a killer ball that unlocks defenses.

Work Ball Into Box

Marcelino wasn't found of long shots unless thy name is Mario Gaspar.

Play Out Of Defense

The team usually didn't clear their lines. Instead they would move the ball out of defense to start counterattacks

Play Wider/Exploit the Flanks

The team will look to strech the play as they possibly could. Most of their counterattacks begins from the flanks

Whipped Crosses

The team relied on crosses to get the ball in the box. Usually, due to the lack of big men, they whipped it in

PIs

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A simple GK who releases the ball quickly when he has it. Nothing fancy here.

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Two center backs who are usually the last line of defense and nothing else.

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Two CWBs that are always expected to provide the width even if they are accompanied by someone else.

Recommended PPMs: Gets Forward Whenever Possible

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The Bruno role. This is why Villarreal fans love him. The ageless DM is ageless for a reason. Not expected to surge forward or to make a killer pass but instead plays one-twos, holds his position and protects the back 4.

Recommended PPMs: Plays One-Two

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The Pina role. He the only playmaker in his side and is expected to contribute to the attack in a couple of more ways.

Recommended PPMs: Plays One-Twos, Tries Killer Ball Often

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The Wingers are expected to either cut in or stay wide. I think the WM role complements this already.

Recommended PPMs: Plays One-Twos, Places Shots, Runs With Ball Often

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Now, this is the role Gio Dos Santos used to play but now that belongs to Leo. He will be the creator of the front two and will be partnered with a scorer

Recommended PPMs: Plays One-Twos, Places Shots, Runs With Ball Often

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The scorer. He will lead the line but will be able to find pockets of space where he can aid to the attack.

Recommended PPMs: Plays One-Twos, Places Shots, Runs With Ball Often

The highlights are in the next post

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[video=youtube;tNj22Qp0tvE]

In our own half, Alberto Moreno wins the ball back and it falls to the feet of Eugene Konoplyanka who goes on a run and hands it off to Divock Origi who finishes the counterattack in style

The game was against Lyon and we won: 5-1!!

I'm not a Villarreal fan so I would also love your take on this. I watch as many Villarreal games as I can and due to the lack of articles on them it is pretty difficult finding info about their playing style

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This is, probably, most interesting 4-4-2 I've ever seen, and I think I might try this as a 3rd tactic for my team this season, however I have a concern about "close down much more" and "much higher tempo" TIs. How do you survive through whole 90 minutes? Have you hand-picked players with exceptional stamina? I can see this being a huge problem especially in demanding schedule.

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if you can translate this, you help a lot

http://www.martiperarnau.com/archivo/archivo-2013-2014/informes-espana/villarreal-c-f-el-giro-de-una-herencia-recibida/

is one analisys to the last vilarreal season ...

In my attempt to translate this, there isn't anything groundbraking to consider. Everything mentioned here is already in the FP.

This is, probably, most interesting 4-4-2 I've ever seen, and I think I might try this as a 3rd tactic for my team this season, however I have a concern about "close down much more" and "much higher tempo" TIs. How do you survive through whole 90 minutes? Have you hand-picked players with exceptional stamina? I can see this being a huge problem especially in demanding schedule.

Sub players with low stamina. Give players an extra day off in the training schedule....and rotate?

It actually looks quite similar to a lot of Atletico tactics! I like it.

How does your REG act, how far forward does he get? Also does your AF end up being a little isolated or does he come back when defending?

REG is usually late to the party when we counter but I like it like that. He is also a viable option when we are working the ball around. Usually on the edge of the box rather than in it. My AF is never isolated.

Now, that i think about it, I'm pretty anxious to try it. RGA works perfectly in my 4-2-2-1-1, but i never could create decent 4-4-2. Perhaps this is my chance and i'll finally give my strikers an equal amount of time.

All about getting the roles around him right, I guess.

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