The Premier League is a constantly evolving entity, and this season has already seen the most successful clubs employing some maverick tactical approaches to dismantle their opponents.
This summer, two virtuoso managers arrived in the Premier League for the first time: Pep Guardiola took over at Man City, while Antonio Conte became manager at Chelsea. The pair join the likes of Jurgen Klopp, Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho and Mauricio Pochettino is one of the most intriguing seasons in recent times.
TheHardTackle takes a look at three approaches that a number of these managers are using to much success so far this season.
1. The False 9
The lack of availability of world-class strikers caused great distress to several Premier League sides last season — in particular, Arsenal and Manchester United. While there are players who can get the job done, they fail to consistently reach the 30-goal mark required of a first-choice striker at a club competing for the highest honours.
Jurgen Klopp addressed this last season by playing Brazilian midfielder Roberto Firmino in a false 9 role. Firmino had earlier played mostly as a trequartista, or number 10, but soon established himself as first choice up front over the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi.
Firmino has scored five goals and made three assists in the Premier League this season as well, proving that it is a dependable formula that works for Liverpool.
Meanwhile, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has also taken a cue from Klopp this season. In the absence of a top notch striker, Wenger has been playing Chilean winger Alexis Sanchez up front to grand success. Sanchez has notched up six goals and three assists in the Premier League this season.
The tactic of playing an attacking midfielder out of position in a central striking role, with freedom to move around, seems to be paying rich dividends this season.
2. Counter pressing
Another Klopp contribution to the Premier League is the gegenpress. A style that the German manager honed at Borussia Dortmund, gegenpressing has helped Liverpool smash in a league high 30 goals and climb to the top spot in the Premier League table.
The counter-pressing style is reliant on a high work-rate, constant pressure on the ball and an immediate shift to attack as soon as the ball is recovered. Klopp may have set the standards for this particular tactical approach, but several of the other big clubs are taking note.
Pep Guardiola at Manchester City is renowned for his possession-based style of play, but the Catalan manager has also instructed his players to counter-press in order to dominate midfield.
Tottenham Hotspur are another proponent of gegenpressing this season. Spurs used it to perfection to break Manchester City’s winning streak in the Premier League at the beginning of October.
This style of play requires intense coaching sessions and very high fitness levels. However, the fact that the most exciting managers in Europe like Guardiola and Spurs’ Mauricio Pochettino are adopting this philosophy is a testament to its efficacy.
3. Three men at the back
The arrival of Antonio Conte at Stamford Bridge started with a bang and then fell to a whimper. The Italian manager had been playing a 4-4-2 formation until the back-to-back defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal. This provoked Conte to unleash his own tactical style on the Premier League and it has undoubtedly produced results.
The Blues have won five games on the trot since adopting the three-man defensive system that was a trademark of Conte during his time as Juventus manager. Even more impressive is the fact that they have scored 16 goals in the process without reply.
The use of two attacking wing-backs, a solid defensive midfield duo and three centre-backs has worked wonders for Chelsea. This system was even adopted by Everton against the Blues themselves, which backfired spectacularly.
Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham used the three-man defence more successfully to nullify Arsenal in the North London derby. We could see a number of other Premier League clubs adopting this tactical approach as the season goes on.
