Another Marcelo Bielsa Tactic -Bielsaball

[whiterabit]

There are a lot of fm manager replicated M.Bielsa approach. End of FM20, i want to introduce my version. I try to explain my tactical choices which are extremely inspired by M.Bielsa. I benefit from "football is simple YT ch. Bielsa's Leeds Tactics Explained " video to understand Bielsa manner.  

A-)FORMATION:

Bielsa's famous tactic is 3-3-1-3.   General concept is;

"First line ; there is a DM drop between two CentralDefenders and CDs act like fullback.

Second line ;wingbacks tuck in or stretch out  the field. CM is links the blocks.

Third line is responsible for creativity which have a few defensive duties.(almost not) 

And forward line is  for attacking and pressing high."

I try to replicate  the concept as much as i can. 

B-)TEAM INSTRUCTIONS:

Bielsaball principles=

 -Ruthless Press  = Front of my team,there are four players, so my team can press higher of the pitch  very effectively. Much Higher LOE and Higher DF i know, i lose compactness a bit but i can pressure  opponent early and force them pass long balls , in this way ;long balls are collected by HB and VOL. I left defensive wide to standart, because I use OI's to force opponent to wider areas and try to prevent tuck them in and use my numarical advantage to take the ball at wider areas. I dont opt for wider option because my CD 's have a stay wider PI and i dont wanna create much big channels for opponent. If opponent can cross, my GK aerial reach 16 but my CD jumping average 13-14

-High Tempo=  I opted for  Extremely high tempo because Bielsa is el loco, Untouchable instruction. 

-Passing quickly, directly ,verticaly = Ex.High Tempo and distrube quickly TI's for passing quickly. Pass into space  and fairly wide  are situational TI's. I left passing "standart " because mentality can change for some circumstances

-Creates overloads= Underlaps TI and player roles creates overloads. ( for more detail ,look at IW and VOL sections)

-Fluid and swap positions = swap wingers, be more expressive

-High physical demand = i blend game's standart gegenpress and wingplay training. It is a miracle

C-)ROLES:

(traits are not necessary, these are my players traits if you wonder)

SK(d)-  attend the pass cycle, (my GK's first touch, pass is low ,so i choose defend duty)

CD(d)- stay wider -  with stay wider option, CD acts like non-sense fullbacks then my team have numarical advantage at wider areas.(wider CD + WB + IF/IW) I know, there is gap between my defenders but my HB and VOL cover that.

WB(s)-cross more often,close down more-  stretch out  the field, overloads wider areas with wider CD and IF/IW, cover flanks,score surprise goals, begin attacking buildup and carry the game to wider areas. Close down more (+OI) because i wanna squezee opponent wider areas. BTW; DM strata is full so if i use IWB they act like WB. 

HB(d)- more direct passes,shoot less often,(switch ball to other flanks)- In front of my HB, there is no midfielder. So HB tends  to go forward areas more. First i suppose ,this is a big problem but analyze games and read description of HB carefully then i realize  my HB plays like Kalvin Phillips.  HB drop down to pick up loose balls,then begin attacking buildup with direct balls that, sometimes, directly put the team in goalscoring situations and sometimes scores goals  

VOL(s)-get further forward-(dictate tempo,killer ball often,long range pass,run with ball often)-  I have only one elite player who is name is Sandro Tonali. He makes wonders with this role. He is very loyal, professional, has strong leadership skills and he is my captain. I prefer VOL(s) because VOL(a) 's mental is so aggresive and neglect his defensive duties.  With Underlap TI (thx Rashidi) he is underlaping and scores 11 goals and 12 assists.  With 116 tackle attempts, he is number one in my team so tackle and gain the ball, pass to forward quickly , arrive late the box, take unmarked positions and bust the net or killer ball. You may suppose Tonali is an anomaly but other players can play either who has key attributes like workrate,off ball, positioning,stamina,passing. In short, VOL(s) can play both attack and defense phase

AP(a)-get further forward-(play one-two,killer ball often,switch ball to other flanks,long range passes,run with ball often) Bielsa's choice is Engance who is a static playmaker in FM. IMHO  Bielsa's Engance is not static as interpretation of FM. So i prefer an aggresive AP(a) with get further forward . Firstly, he provides pass options and creates triangles. Secondly he is my main key passer, and creates (10+12 two players play alternately)  22 assists and score (3+10) 13 goals.

AF(a)-(places shots, round the keeper) - Early version of tactic (last season)  loan Troy Parrot is DLF(a) and  there is CM(a) behind  him instead of AP(a). In 25 league games he scored only 11 goals. Current version of tactic i switch DLF(a) to AF(a) and behind him put a AP(a) in only 30 league games he scored 22 goals(total 36 goals). In current version Troy returned his club and  i only use my 20 years old newgen.(Troy is much better player) Maybe PF(a) or DLF(s) are much better options, but my newgen workrate 10, pass 12,vision 8, teamwork 9 but finishing 17, dribling 17,off ball 16, composure 16, anticipation 15. So AF(a) is more suitable for my squad.

IF(s)(left side)- mark tigher-(move channel,places shot,try first shot,beat offside trap) When i look tactical analysis screen, my main wider assist location is right side. So i want to a goalscorer to my left side. Raumdeuter is an viable option but i dont wanna expose my left wing. So i dont choose IF(a) and RMD which can neglect his defensive duties either. IF(s)  is my secret wider shadow striker and second goalscorer (18 goals) also he tracks his opponent and covers his side.

IW(s)(right side)-more risky pass,cross more often,mark tigher(killer ball often,play one-two,cut right side) as i said above, he is one of my assist creator(others AP and VOL)  11 assist .AP+VOL+IW+WB and underlap right TI create an overload right side of the pitch so IF(s) and AF(a) unleash their power. IW is also a goalscorer (17 goals). I have no exact idea how he can score that much of goal. Maybe he collects free balls and score OR my team's extremely high tempo shocks opponent team 's defensive shape and creates gaps for my IW. 

D-)IS IT WORK?

Yes, just look at screenshots. I dont claim this is exactly Bielsaball or plug and play tactic. Look at assist types;  cross and through balls almost same number. Isnt it beuatiful   i will upload some goal and buildup clips for tactic. feel free comment.

edit: i have not finished season yet

 

 

Edited October 11, 2020 by whiterabit

[DJ Sir Matthew]

What do you mean with " i blend game's standart gegenpress and wingplay training. It is a miracle" ?