Jorge Sampaoli’s enthusing Atletico Mineiro
It is difficult to believe that Jorge Sampaoli is 60-years-old as the Argentine football manager has had a storied history in South American football at club and international level. He is currently managing his second Brazilian club as he led Santos to 2nd Place in the Brasileiro Serie A. He departed Santos for Atletico Mineiro where he has looked to mould the side in his image as they have led the Serie A for most of the season playing an exciting brand of football as they are currently in first place. The Argentine has pieced back together his managerial career after an ill-fated stint with the Argentine National Team as he is still one of the most exciting managers on the continent.
Build-up
After the Brasileiro Serie A restart in August, Sampaoli’s build-up shape has gone from a 2+3/3+2/3+1 as right-back, Guga has been one of Sampaoli’s moveable pieces. He has played in midfield, right-back in the second line next to the six-space while he has moved into the six-space to receive possession from the centre-backs while he has also played as a right-sided centre-back. The 22-year-old is good at receiving the ball and working one-touch passes out of tight spaces while he is also one of the more press resistant fullbacks in Brazil because of his ability as a progressive passer. In their more recent games, Atletico Mineiro will normally use a 3+1 shape with either Jair or Allan dropping into the six-space, with Guga remaining deep to create a back three while left-back Gulherme Arana pushing up to the half-space or the flank. Sampaoli’s side will normally work an early wall or bounce pass to the six-space who will then lay-off to the ball-far centre-back to drive forward and work a pass to the flank or look for a passing option in between the central lines.
Their goalkeeper, Everson will be involved in build-up play as in pressure situations, the centre-backs will work the ball back to him, especially if the opposition are utilizing a man-orientated pressing strategy with a front three then Everson can work a pass through the central lines to evade pressure. At times, he will try to switch the ball or work a pass to the ball-far defender to evade the press as most of his touches will be inside his own box while he will only push outside his box to receive possession if Atletico Mineiro are facing a rigid deep-block or the opposition have adequate coverage in their pressure phase. A ploy to beat opposition pressure is the centre-backs working the ball back to the keeper to attract pressure while giving the keeper a deeper passing option in between the central lines as Everson will then laser a pass in between the lines of pressure to allow his side to attack and stretch the pitch at pace.
When Mineiro utilize a 3+2 build-up shape, having a technically sound ball-progressing right-back like Guga allows the midfielders to remain in the midfield line without dropping into the three-chain which gives the Brazilian side more of a presence in the second and third lines. When the ball is worked past the first line, Guga will normally move into the half-space while if his winger, normally Savarino cuts inside, him or Alan Franco will make an overlapping run. When Mineiro are looking to move possession to the flank, the winger will not drop to receive possession as Sampaoli prefers his wingers to maintain high and wide positions so his side can switch the ball and the wingers can have 1v1 opportunities. The wide midfielders will normally drop deeper next to the touchline where they can receive possession from the three-chain and look to work a pass to the winger before making a run inside or dribble into the central areas to work connections with central striker or other midfielders to attract markers and facilitate a switch ball to the weak side.
One of Sampaoli’s main goals with the 2+3 is for the centre-backs to attract pressure before releasing the ball to the six-space so Mineiro can begin to work attacking moves. In the situation above, the pass to the right sided centre-back is attracting two markers allowing Mineiro to create avenues to the midfield line as the right-centre-back can work a quick wall-pass to the six-space who will lay-off to the left-sided centre-back who will push forward and work a pass in between the lines to the midfielder in the half-space for Atletico Mineiro to work attacking moves. In certain situations, Guga will drop into his right centre-back position and allow the midfielder in the six-space to move wider as the centre-back in possession will spread the ball to Guga, who will have established a 3v1 overload and have direct access to the midfielder in the six-space to beat the first line of pressure. The right sided-midfielder, normally Alan Franco, will drop closer to the touchline to receive possession which will trigger a movement into the half-space from Guga to receive possession, to try and work a pass into the front-line or a lob to the near flank while a switch ball to the far flank will be interesting.
Atletico Mineiro would utilize in a 2-3-2-3 as Nathan and Alan Franco will be positioned in the half-space to receive possession and move into the frontline to create a front-five, supporting the central striker. Sampaoli started the season with 21-year-old, Marrony and 20-year-old Marquinhos in the central striking role as Nathan and Savarino operated as false-nines. However, the inclusion of Eduardo Sasha as a central striker proved to be a turning point for Atletico Mineiro as Sasha will drop into the midfield line to receive possession from the centre-backs while Nathan and Alan Franco will move into the nine space. Sasha is crucial in establishing connections in the deeper central areas to help Atletico Mineiro progress play in the opposition half and make late runs into the box to get on the end of crosses.
Sampaoli’s side can also switch to a 3-2-4-1 shape as Guga has moved into the midfield line with Arana maintaining a deeper position which is rare in their recent games. Arana will normally be the one to push forward with Guga operating as a third centre-back. Atletico Mineiro will look to draw the opposition to one flank before spreading possession to the ball-far centre-back. The midfield double-pivot will then move into the half-spaces as a passing option for the centre-back while also drawing markers in the second wave of the opposition press in order to open a passing lane for the centre-back to thread the ball through the lines. It is interesting to notice that Sampaoli will rarely use a midfielder as an auxiliary centre-back, preferring to use Guga or Arana as moving a midfielder into a centre-back role limits the passing options that the three-chain will have in the second line as well as in between the central lines.
In the situation above, Atletico Mineiro have 3v1 overload in the first line as the back three can circulate possession to find space with the ball-near midfielder dropping into space to receive possession. Atletico Mineiro’s three-chain can also manipulate the opposition wide attackers by moving possession to the wide centre-backs and enticing the press to create a 2v1 numerical superiority in the second line. The wide centre-backs can also attract pressure from the opposition wingers to create space for the midfielders to receive possession, turn and play the ball into the next line as if they maintain their position then the ball-far wide centre-back will receive possession and be able to drive into the midfield line before working a pass in between the lines. If the opposition press the back three as a front three then the centre-backs will move possession back to the keeper while dropping alongside him so he can thread a pass to a teammate in between the lines to evade pressure.
Moving Guga into the midfield line, allows more fluidity in attacking interchanges as once possession is moved into the opposition half, he will be a deeper passing option alongside the midfielder in the six-space while he can also participate in wide interchanges. He can receive possession on the flank with Alan Franco playing closer to the nine space and the winger in the wide zone as he will work a pass to the winger to then make a run in the half-space while Alan Franco will drop into the midfield line giving the winger an option of passing the ball to the Ecuadorian who can turn have a shot, thread a through ball into the box or work a switch or playing a pass to Guga near the by-line who can cut-back a cross for runners. Guga is also integral as a passing option from deep as he is an astute progressive passer from the central areas as well as being able to work lobbed crosses into the box.
Atletico Mineiro can set up in a 3-1-3-3/3-1-4-2/3-1-5-1/3-1-6 formation as they look to pin the opposition back and stretch the pitch in possession with their wingers maintaining high and wide positions. Their 3+1 shape allows them to break 4-4-2 defensive blocks as they look to create passing lanes to the six-space by circulating possession amongst the back-three with the midfielder in the six-space moving from side to side to receive possession. Sampaoli’s side can stretch the front two for the central centre-back to work a pass to the six-space to attract midfield pressure before the deepest-lying midfielder lays off to the wide centre-back who can work a pass back to the six-space for the deepest-lying midfielder to be positioned on the half-turn so he can turn to earn a foul or play the ball forward. The wide centre-back can also drive the ball forward to work a pass for one of the 8s in the half-spaces as the defensive three-chain and the deepest-lying midfielders will normally prefer to work one-touch passing interchanges to evade pressure.
In the situation above, Atletico Mineiro are attacking the opposition half in their 3+1 shape as the wide centre-backs pushing higher allows them to work a direct pass into the winger on the flank to trigger wide combinations. The wide centre-back will regularly work direct passes to the winger as Alan Franco in the half-space will then make a run to drag a marker out of position to create a 1v1 for his winger while simultaneously creating space for the winger to cut inside. Guga will then move into the half-space to receive possession or make a late overlapping run to the flank once the winger cuts inside as the winger can work a pass for Alan Franco in the half-space to play a one-touch pass for Guga in the lateral zone for the fullback to cross. At times, if the winger choses to cut inside once he receives possession then Alan Franco will make the overlapping run with Guga pushing into the half-space to receive possession as an inverted fullback where he can work passes to the nine space or switch the ball to the weak side.
The movement and combinations of Sasha are also integral to Atletico Mineiro’s build-up as in the situation above, he has pushed into the nine space with Nathan and Alan Franco flanking him. However, if he drops into the wide array of space in between the lines to receive possession then Alan Franco and Nathan will move into more central positions to share the responsibilities of the nine space while Sasha receives possession from the centre-backs to flick a pass into the wide areas or lay-off to a teammate before making a late run into the box where he can ghost into space to finish off a cross or can act as an extra man when Sampaoli’s side are working connections around the box. Alan Franco is also strong when receiving passes to the nine space where he can flick the ball into the wide areas and draw a marker to create space for Sasha to make a late run into or drop deep to receive possession to flick a pass onto Sasha making a run in behind him.
Positional Play
In the opposition half, Atletico Mineiro look to stretch the opposition while pushing their centre-backs high to work passing interchanges into the central spaces as well as switching passes to the flanks to create 1v1s for wide players like Keno and Savarino to cut in and have shooting opportunities or crosses into the box. They will normally circulate possession into the opposition half with triangular interchanges as the three-chain can work passes into the wide areas in the build-up phase which will trigger a deep run from a teammate in the half-space which not only creates a 1v1 situation but also creates the opportunity for a pass into the centre as the deepest-lying midfielder will push forward to receive possession while having the opportunity to switch the ball to the far side or play a pass to the central areas for Nathan, Alan Franco or Sasha. The fullbacks Arana and Guga may also take up central positions to be involved in triangular passing interchanges as the latter is talented at receiving possession and threading passes through the lines while the former will work combinations with Nathan and Keno before making overlapping runs to the flank for crosses. Arana is also used as a runner in the half-spaces as he can receive possession for shooting and crossing. The run that is triggered when an early ball is played to the winger on the flank is also to give the winger an immediate passing option in the opposition half.
In the sequence above, Atletico Mineiro are looking to break down the opposition’s 5-4-1 shape as they have a 3v1 numerical superiority in the first line as Sampaoli’s side will normally use left sided centre-back Junior Alonso to drive into the opposition half and work passing interchanges in the midfield line and add an extra body from deep when Nathan moves into the attacking line and Arana is overlapping Keno. In the situation above, the Brazilian side will be able to circulate the ball to Alonso as once he pushes up, Nathan will drop deeper as they are in the same vertical zone or Sasha will drop deep with Nathan staying higher as Sasha will receive possession in between the central lines to flick on for Nathan or Alan Franco or will switch the ball to the flank before making a run into the box. Nathan will normally be positioned in the left-sided half-space but in this particular game, Sampaoli positioned Savarino on the left flank with Keno on the right.
Savarino is positioned in the left half-space with Arana overlapping as this gives Alonso the space to push up with Savarino dropping deep to receive possession. Atletico Mineiro have the perfect player spacing to work vertical triangular combinations as they can be positioned in a 3-1-6 and a 3-1-3-3 when the players in the half-spaces drop deep to receive possession while the wingers maintain the high and wide positioning. As Atletico Mineiro are moving the ball to the right-sided centre-back, Alan Franco is dropping deep to receive possession with Guga receiving the ball as the right sided-centre-back and Keno outside him stretching play. Guga and Alonso will be tasked with pushing up with possession to force opposition players out of their positions before releasing the ball to their options in between the line as Savarino is good at receiving the ball in between the lines, crossing and threading passes to runners while Alan Franco can work interchanges with teammates in between the lines.
With the Chilean National Team, Sampaoli utilized Eduardo Vargas as a multi-functional striker whose movement would allow wide players and midfielders to be more involved in play while Vargas would also have counter-pressing and pressing responsibilities. There were rumours within the Brazilian media that Sampaoli wanted to sign Vargas from Mexican club, Tigres or Alexandre Pato but Sampaoli was just as pleased to acquire Sasha from his former club, Santos. Sasha’s ability to drop deep and combine in between the lines while allowing the free 8s, normally Nathan and Alan Franco to move into nine space and receive possession has proved to be a turning point in performances for the club. Sasha’s movement triggers a lot of fluidity in Atletico Mineiro’s approach play as when the ball is in the wide areas and Sasha moves to the ball-near flank, he can make a run to drag a marker out of position for a low cross into the centre.
Sampaoli prefers to play intricate passing sequences on the edge of the box as Sasha can sometimes drag markers out of position to open passing lanes as the player receiving possession can then work a one-touch passes for Sasha to have high quality shooting opportunities in the box. Sasha has evolved under Sampaoli as he went from scoring 3 goals, the season before the Argentine took over to scoring 14 goals in Sampaoli’s first season at Santos. In crossing situations, he can make late runs into the box to receive cut-backs at the top of the box while he can also lurk in the six-yard area to score rebounds and bury flick-ons into his area. His main job is to facilitate attacking interchanges with his movement and ability to drop deep and receive possession in between the lines.
In the situation above, Sasha has just received possession in the deeper areas to turn and play the ball to Alan Franco as the Brazilian is intelligent at receiving the ball with his back to goal, on the half-turn and facing the opposition goal. Alan Franco can allow the ball to run across his body before spreading a pass to Savarino on the flank who will look to drive to by-line and cross as Alan Franco will make a run to the front post, Nathan in the ball-far half-space may make a curved run into the centre with Arana making a run to the back-post while Sasha will fill the space at the edge of the opposition box.
If Savarino does not play the cross early and has to cut-back or work a pass back to Guga on the flank, Sasha will begin to move deeper into the box with Alan Franco moving to the edge of the box in the ball-near half-space to receive possession or an early cross to the near post. Sasha moving into the box allows him to have rebound shooting opportunities if Atletico Mineiro take a shot from range, while proving to be a danger if Savarino or Guga cross to Alan Franco at the near post, the Ecuadorian may pay a knock-on to Sasha in the six-yard area. Sampaoli’s side work a lot of cut-back and low crossing opportunities where they create goalscoring opportunities with knock-ons and lay-offs inside the box with attackers moving into the box and six-yard area to set-up and finish high-quality goalscoring opportunities.
Playing with such a striker, allows a fluidity and invention in Atletico Mineiro’s attacking play as with Nathan playing up front in the Brasiliero Serie A opener against Flamengo, Arana would make runs into the nine space when Savarino dropped deep. If Sasha drops extraordinarily deep into the channels, Guga and Alan Franco can make runs past him as the former Santos attacker is a gifted one-touch passer in the deeper areas while the ball-near midfielder will make a run to the near post with the other striker or Sasha making a run into the centre while Atletico Mineiro will also have a player to receive a cut-back or deflection at the top of the box and a runner at the back-post. Arana and Guga will also charge into the box to get on the end of crossing opportunities.
Sampaoli’s side will look to work low crossing opportunities through switching the ball and wide combinations to put attackers in 1v1 situations so they can generate space for accurate low crosses as their attackers converge and move in the box. Guga and Arana rarely act as modern-day conventional overlapping fullbacks as the former is utilized as an inverted fullback or as a third centre-back while the latter is employed as an inverted fullback as well as making runs into the half-space to receive possession or open passing lanes to the centre. Atletico Mineiro have an attacking ploy where they work switch passes to the weak side where a player will make a run into the half-space to open a passing lane for Savarino or Keno to thread a pass to the top of the box where Sasha can work a one-touch pass into the box for a teammate to have a shooting opportunity or for Sasha to have a shooting opportunity himself.
Atletico Mineiro’s wide combinations consist of the wingers receiving possession in the lateral zones as on the left, Arana will charge into the half-space to receive possession for a low cross while on the right Alan Franco or Guga will push into the half-space as the other will only move into the lateral zone once the winger cuts inside. Sampaoli’s side will work on one-touch passing interchanges in the wide areas to create space before working low crosses into the box. The Brazilian side will be organized in how they move in the box for low crosses as one player will move to the near post with a player moving to the back-post as another attacker will be positioned in the six-yard area with a teammate at the top of the box. Arana and Guga will also move to the back-post to get on the end of crossing opportunties as the movement will continue when the winger decides to hold the ball. Players in the box will continue their movement to create space for high-quality shooting opportunities as Guga or Arana will move to the top of the box to receive cut-backs. Players in the six-yard area and at the near and far post will interchange as if a cross is played into the box, they can lay-off or flick on.
Counter-pressing
Sampaoli is known for his counter-pressing tactics and methodology as the inclusion of Vargas with the Chilean National Team and Sasha at Atletico Mineiro allows a quick and mobile attacker to lead the counter-pressing phase. Sasha is well-versed at reacting after turnovers to push forward and apply pressure on a centre-back to regain possession or attacking an opposition player’s blind-side to regain possession. In the wide areas, Guga and Arana will maintain their high positions in order to allow Atletico Mineiro to apply man-orientated pressure while allowing the centre-backs to remain in the higher positions to force a loose pass or a clearance.
Atletico Mineiro will look to press ferociously when they lose possession in the opposition box as the player nearest to the opposition player in possession will push forward to engage while the Brazilian side will employ a man-orientated marking system with teammates shifting across to mark opposition players in the area. Sampaoli’s side are organised in switching to the counter-pressing phase as a unit, pushing up to engage the man in possession and his passing options in the area to force the turnover or the loose pass. If an opposition player manages to beat his marker in the pressing phase then the closest player will then push up to engage the player in possession while the longer an opposition player holds possession, Atletico Mineiro’s players will move in front of their markers to deny the player in possession passing options while applying suffocating pressure on the ball.
If a player loses possession dribbling and the opposition player turns to shield the ball, then the player nearest to him is tasked with trying to regain possession while if Atletico Mineiro lose possession by the touchline then they will enclose on the player in possession with three men to create 3v1 situations to regain possession. Guga being positioned as an inverted fullback or as a third centre-back allows him to push up to regain a clearance, move into the wide areas to take on a marking responsibility while also pushing into the box to give Atletico Mineiro numerical superiority when pressing the ball. The centre-backs will maintain high positions to compress the space and regain loose passes after counter-pressure as they are aggressive in pushing ahead of attackers to regain possession in the counter-pressing phase. Higher centre-backs and Guga in an inverted fullback position allow Atletico Mineiro to circulate the ball and create opportunities with passes into space after turnovers.
Pressing
Atletico Mineiro will normally press in a 4-3-3 shape with a high defensive line and tight central lines while their press can be triggered through back-passes to the keeper as well as sideways passes. The wingers, Keno and Savarino could move into the centre to apply pressure if the ball is worked into the central players from a wide position as they can track passes into the opposition box while Sasha will drop deep and close the passing lane to the six-space. Sasha will normally lead the press in pushing forward to mark centre-backs in the opposition box or mark the keeper as if the ball is played back to the keeper, he will push up to apply pressure and force the ball into the wide areas. Sampaoli’s side will look to force a turnover, tease passes into the wide areas or specific players in the centre or force the long ball for the centre-backs to retrieve the ball. Atletico Mineiro can also press in a 4-1-4-1 or 4-2-3-1 shape as they look to gain man-orientated coverage on the opposition.
When the Brazilian side press the keeper, they will normally look to force a pass into the wide areas where the ball-near winger, midfielder and Sasha will shift to apply pressure, hem the opposition into a tight space as the fullback will be pushed into a higher area providing coverage. When Atletico Mineiro push into the higher areas with the wingers moving into the central areas or into the higher, wider areas then the wide midfielders become integral in covering the space when moving wider or tucking in to cover for their wingers and regaining possession from vertical passes from the opposition fullback into the central areas. They are also tasked with chasing the ball when the first wave of pressure is beaten to regain possession.
Sampaoli’s side will also press in a flat 4-4-2 or a 4-4-2 diamond with two attackers pushing forward to press the centre-backs with the ball-near attacker pushing forward to engage the goalkeeper if the ball is played back to the goalkeeper. If the goalkeeper decides to dribble instead of playing the ball long, then the ball-far striker will push forward but marking his centre-back with his cover shadow for the Brazilian side to force the early turnover. If the ball is played to the wide areas, Keno or Savarino will push forward as their pressing trigger is the fullback receiving possession as they will push forward to close down and look to regain possession. When laterally pressing, Atletico Mineiro can go from a man-orientated system to a ball-orientated pressing system as the ball-near winger, midfielder, striker and fullback will shift to wide areas to compress space and force a turnover where the Brazilian side can launch an attack into the opposition box. The fullback will also push forward as Arana and Guga are well-versed at winning possession in the pressing phase while the ball-far fullback will present a switching opportunity as he is tasked with establishing width as the ball-far winger tucks inside.
When Atletico Mineiro are pressing with a back three, Sasha will normally drop deeper to cut out the passing lane to the six-space by keeping the opposition’s deepest-lying midfielder in his cover shadow. The wingers Keno and Savarino will tuck inside to close down the opposition centre-backs with ball-near wing-back pushing up to mark the opposition fullback with the wide midfielder underlapping to provide cover. If the first wave of the press is beaten, the midfielder will move to the wide areas to regain possession. Atletico Mineiro may look like a flat 5-3-2 with Sasha dropping into midfield and the wingers moving into the centre as strikers.
Defensive Shape
Atletico Mineiro have suffered against the better counter-attacking sides in the Brasiliero Serie A as they push their centre-backs so high into the opposition half while their fullbacks have inverted fullback responsibilities while also being tasked with establishing width as if they fail to regain possession in the counter-press, they can concede high quality opportunities to the opposition and goals. During a game, they are rarely in their defensive shape as they are good at regaining clearances in the opposition half and winning possession in the counter-press as well as being dominant with possession. They have a few defensive shapes like a 4-1-4-1 or a 4-2-3-1 while they will also normally drop their deepest-lying midfielder in Jair or Allan while they will also utilize a winger as a wing-back to establish a back-five in a 5-4-1 shape as they deny the opposition access to the centre and look to utilize pressing triggers to regain possession.
In the situation above, Atletico Mineiro are defending in their 5-4-1/4-1-4-1 shape as the opposition have worked a pass into the central lanes to trigger a pressing situation from the midfielder tasking with closing down the zone as it seems like he has left an opposition player open in the pockets. However, the deepest-lying midfielder who will be positioned in between the two centre-backs will then push up to close this marker down as if the opposition players manages to turn and work a pass in between the lines, the deepest-lying midfielder will be on hand to make the challenge. If the midfielder is beaten, then the ball-near winger will tuck in to make the challenge and regain possession while the ball-near fullback will have to mark a wide player but remain focused on any passes into his zone, so he can push up to regain possession. Sampaoli prefers to have his winger and fullback defending in the wide zones so they can cover for each other and have 2v2s or 3v3s with a midfielder or centre-back shifting to cover for them in order to force the opposition to the by-line where they can close them down or force a turnover allowing the Brazilian side to switch the ball and break at pace.
In the situation above, it is also obvious how Sampaoli’s side prefer to switch to the pressing phase as Sasha can push forward if the opposition play a back-pass to one of the centre-backs with the wingers, Keno and Savarino pushing up to create a 4-3-3 press while the wingers will also move to press the ball in the centre with Sasha dropping deeper to prevent passing access to the six-space. If the opposition manage to circulate possession in the deeper areas, Atletico Mineiro can press high in a 4-1-4-1 to have man-marking coverage, to utilize the wide midfielders in supporting and covering for the wingers when they push up to press the ball as Atletico Mineiro will look to force turnovers to create goalscoring opportunities. The deepest-lying midfielder will be patrolling the six-space with back-line pushing closer to the half-way line and into the opposition half to regain possession from loose passes.
Conclusion
Atletico Mineiro were nowhere near the top of the table before Sampaoli’s appointment and have now spent the most time leading the Brasiliero Serie A, but the fast-paced and rapidly changing nature of the Brazilian First Division means that this is not ensured. Players have improved greatly under his tutelage as his style has brought some entertainment to Brazil as he could be in line to lead the side to a title. The Brazilian side have also acquired players for the Argentine tactician as Alan Franco, Matias Zaracho, Eduardo Sasha and now Eduardo Vargas have joined while Sampaoli has trusted youth, giving debuts to 19-year-old Colombian, Dylan Borrero and 16-year-old Brazilian, Savio. He is undergoing a legal battle since his departure from Santos but it will be interesting to see how his new side will challenge for the title this season.
