We’re back again with another one lads!!!! In today’s episode we have the ‘B’ side of the 5-3-2 formation and it has a lot of similarities with its ‘A’ compatriot, but there is one very interesting difference and it is the inclusion of a ‘Sweeper’ within the backline. We will get into more detail as we explain each compartment individually, but one thing that we must remember is that these formations mainly have the intention of defending first, so even if you decide to use a ‘V.Attacking’ mentality, it still won’t allow none of us to see high scoring games since the 5’s are just not set up for those type of matches…
DEFENCE
As we venture into the defensive quintet, we see a very rare and interesting role that is being played here and it is no other than the old school ‘Sweeper’. A sweeper is a player who has two main responsibilities within the team with the first being to dictate the tempo from deeper regions, while the second is to screen the players in front of him in where to be at all times. Now, don’t think that he will be always behind the rest of the backline since the intent must be for them to keep a straight line as the main premise of preventing the attackers from getting offensive penetration…
In goal, we have the Swiss and Borussia Dortmund number one Gregor Kobel whosehad to bide his time on the bench before finally getting to showcase his abilities as a GK and he is a player that has a really great future ahead of him as long as he remains consistent.
In our back 3, we have a diverse set up of Cristian Romero (Update: increased rating to 92), Lucas Hernández, and the Spanish legend Sergio Ramos (who is my favourite ever player in the history of the game). Ramos will be responsible for being the sweeper, while Romero will be the aggressor of the 3 seeking to leave something on his opposition. Lucas Hernández is more of a sophisticated operator who keeps things simple but is extremely versatile to the point where he can easily play in three different positions with extreme capability.
In the wide regions, we have two younger players compared to episode 24’s team in the Dane Joakim Maehle, who came to prominence back in the last Euros as one of Denmark’s and the tournament’s best players. He is very much a boroading type of ‘Wingback’ in that he is more about using his physicality to make an impact. He also has a good cross in him and enjoys the freedom of having protection behind. In Álex Grimaldo, we have more of a traditional ‘Wingback’ who does more of his best work within a back 4 but is more than capable of playing in a back 5 or back 3 system. A player who has now gotten most of his recognition via playing outside of his native country, it is really good to see that the former Benfica cult hero is now getting the credit for being a quality ‘Wingback’ now that he is at Leverkusen and is showing his best form under the tutelage of a manger who, if he keeps up this momentum, might well go down as one of the greatest Managers 20 years down the line…
MIDFIELD
We are aiming to allow you Soccermanagerites to be able to use different players who also have a similarity in their style of play, so we basically have a very similar set up compared to our previous episode… We start out with a man who, for some reason, has gone under the radar for quite a while in terms of his capabilities. Bryan Cristante is an Italian beast of a ‘B.W.M’ who is arguably one of the best that Italy has ever produced for that specific role (hot take, but you gotta see him play…). He is quite orthodox with his approach and will be a welcomed addition to the defensive set up of the 5-3-2. In front of him, we have some progressive players, who between them, will always take care of the ball throughout the 90 in the French man and the other Italian within this team, Adrien Rabiot and Sandro Tonali. Rabiot has for quite sometime been a very effective player for whomever he plays for and is now getting some recognition with his rating going back to 92 recently. While Tonali started his young career as a ‘Deep-lying Playmaker’ who gained a reputation for potentially being the next Andrea Pirlo due to their comparison in style, but he was probably intelligent in distinguishing himself from all that pressure and demanded that he was played slightly higher up the pitch, and for good reason since along with his creativity, he also has some good legs that make him more effective for whomever he is playing for
FORWARD
In our F(C) positions, we have a similar set up to our previous episode with the versatile attacker Serge Gnabry being partnered by the more explosive finishing machine Patrik Schick. I’ve already rinsed lyrical admiration pertaining Serge in a different episode, but just know that he has incredible movement and finishing capabilites and I still do not accept Invincibles Studio giving him a ‘Winger’ role since he simply doesn’t play like one and never has… his partner in crime, Patrik Schik might have gone down in rating but that is only due to him being the unfortunate bi-product of a managerial change. He is a type of F(C) that is quite electric in terms of having an abundance of pace but also does all of his best work in the 18 yard box and like we’ve already metioned, once the starting XI has enough balance then your F(C) will score goals no matter his overall rating
DEFENSIVE TRANSITION
Since we’ve already discussed the fact that ‘5 at the back’ formations are more better when it comes to the defensive aspect of the game, let’s dive into what is going to be happening within this XI in particular: Let’s say that you decide to use the advantage of this formation and press in your own half. The entire XI will basically sit in what is known as a ‘mid block’, making it INCREDIBLY difficult for anyone to break though them since they will be a tight knit set of players who won’t allow anyone to break through their defensive structure. One of the most important aspects of a midblock is the type of M(C)’s or DM(C)’s that are within the team. You’d want to have players who aren’t afraid of putting up a fight or a good shift in the defensive aspects, and if you have a fighter then more power to you. As for the back 5 and front 2, they will be positioned in a structure which will allow them to make the opposition’s progressive game become extremely difficult due to styfling their creative capabilities. While the back 5 will get as narrow as they possibly can, the front 2 will also fall suit, aiming to prevent the creative opps from doing any form of penetration. This will be done by either breaking the defesive shape and applying pressure if that opportunity arrives, or by sitting just in front of their midfield teammates…
By implementing these types of players within this 5-3-2 variant, you can expect to be the one standing out as the title contender who loves a good defensive show!
Up next, we have our first ‘C’ side formation for quite a while…
The Soccermanager Experience 