leeds formation 2021/22


But it is also true that 4-1-4-1 is used by Bielsa against the leading sides in the Premier League, none of whom play two up front. The goal of that is to destabilize the opposition defensive line and put key defenders out of position so that the space can be exploited by the Leeds United side. Like Bayern Munichs tactics, Leeds United have too instructed their full-backs to join the attack and overlap the wingers to help with all attacking efforts. Compared to the relatively static positions in the first half, the young centre-back now operated as a hybrid player as he moved to higher spaces on the flank, you could interpret his role as a right-back. Firstly, from the defensive point of view, Tottenham were more aggressive without the ball. This might be explained by the fact that lining up 4-1-4-1 so often has made Leeds highly tuned in that formation. The sole Leeds United striker has the responsibility to simply score as many goals as possible. In the final third, Tottenham were more aggressive to attack the penalty box, and this indirectly resulted in the equalizer. Similar to any football club out there, Leeds United have dedicated players for every set piece or post-fault event out there. But Forshaw was not stupid, he knew to what extent should he follow his target, and in this case, he eventually abandoned Hjbjerg to close Dier. 24.7, Foreigners: If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Raphinha is responsible for right corners and right short free kicks, while the striker, Bamford has been given the toughest job amongst them all, taking penalties under pressure. Here, Hjbjerg dropped and pulled the marker out, offering a diagonal passing lane for Dier. He has options on either side but nothing in front of him so when he goes square to Diego Llorente and Southampton press, Llorente has no choice but to return the ball to Meslier. Under the Argentine, the wingers at Leeds United have a very busy set of instructions. It was very important as Bielsas side went out on the flanks in this game, and specifically, they targeted Royals side to attack and bagged a goal from the 1v1 there. After two weeks of training, Antonio Contes Tottenham gave a mixed performance in their first win under the new head coach.

Then, Tottenham could play through the gaps of the defence and exploit them by runners, such as the Kane chance that hit the post. To help you better understand the tactical aspects of Marcelo Bielsas Leeds United, I decided to break it down into two pieces defense and offense. In goal, Illan Meslier will keep his place despite the attempts of the club to source an experienced backup for the Frenchman. Therefore, the job of Leeds wingers should not be dropping in to receive on feet as that action would only kill spaces of the full-backs. The long and short of the numbers is that Bielsas side are more impressive as a unit in their 4-1-4-1 system. The thinking behind Bielsas switch in starting formations is relatively simple. While Cooper carries the responsibility of being the team captain (pretty useless in FIFA 22), Philips is responsible for left short free-kicks, long free kicks, and left corners. Leeds xG last season peaked in a 1-0 win away at Everton, reaching 3.21 with a back four, and the fluency of their attacking during Bielsas first three years was in no small way down to their understanding of how they were supposed to link and move. Only a few changes were made, including Japhet Tanganga to replace the injured Cristian Romero, and Harry Winks became the partner of Pierre-Emile Hjbjerg instead of Oliver Skipp. However, he also made great impacts in zone 18, just like a right-winger. The blue spaces were enlarged and given Tanganga and Ben Davies wide positionings to stretch the strikers, Dier could carry the ball forward in that space. Id recommend that you only change that to one of your midfielders as you dont want to leave your midfield completely empty of players. During an attack, the CDM at Leeds United is often seen to stay back while attacking and fall between the two center backs forming a line of three while the full-backs join the attack. It is his fall-back formation when a rival managers set-up compels Bielsa to break from 4-1-4-1, but only then. Behind the first group of attackers, Son and Hjbjerg was also lurking to catch the rebound and they scored from there. This way, they prevent the possibilities for counterattacks. To replicate the responsibilities of both Leeds United wingers, set their defensive support to Come Back On Defense, chance creation to Cut Inside, support runs to Balanced Support, support on crosses Get Into The Box For Cross, and interceptions to Normal Interceptions. Youll also want to adjust the tactics for small sections of the game to let players rest a little. Struijk can only look for a lateral pass and though Llorente tries to drive possession to Klich with an awkward and strongly-hit pass, Klich has a hard job controlling it and is quickly chased towards his own box. We have an example through the above scenario. From Hong Kong, also an opposition scout Going back to the start of Bielsas reign, there are definite distinctions between his 4-1-4-1 and 3-3-1-3. And what do the stats say about the comparison? However, even James wide positioning pulled the defender out, the players were instructed to not make runs into zone 18 (or blue zone). When Leeds United doesnt have possession of the ball, the players are instructed to constantly pressure the opponent until they get back possession of the ball. If there is a perception that Leeds cope less well in a 3-3-1-3 something that would be understandable given how infrequently they line up like that then results data says otherwise. Ten minutes later, Leeds were trapped by opposition markers again. As Forshaw and Klich were high to man-mark Hjbjerg and Winks, there were huge spaces (zone white) behind for Kane to take the touches. It was a 4-2-2-2 on paper with Daniel James and Joe Gelhardt as the strikers. In the Premier League, Leeds have gone three at the back against Southampton and Burnley three times each and Sheffield United, Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion once. Leeds United could have a new-look lineup as they prepare for their third season back in the Premier League in 2022/23. In the second half, Moura was instructed to play in the midfield more to receive those passes, as the Brazilian player was more mobile and agile turn and go himself. However, despite all the strategies above, Tottenham failed to create opportunities in the first 45 as their final passes were missing. Thirty years on and the cap still fits. They did not sit in a midblock anymore, pushing the lines higher to press the opposition. It shows the players were grasping the principles of plays instead of being rigidly positioning themselves based on their positions. Making up the rest of the back four, we expect Robin Koch to partner Liam Cooper after ending the season strongly in more than one position, while Junior Firpo slots in on the left. But is 3-3-1-3 a system that truly works for Leeds? Thanks to his tactical brilliance, the Argentine built up Leeds United to a team that has gotten the fans excited once again. In the 3-3-1-3, though, Klichs movement leaves no one in the gap beyond him and Meslier goes for a distant punt towards Tyler Roberts, which is won by Southampton. They were awesome and the best ones to ever play counter attacking football. Their inability to keep their passing precise and combat Southamptons game plan meant Bielsas side were hurried and reduced to mediocre distribution, suffering up front as a result. Under the management of Bielsa, the center backs have one role to defend. Then, two midfielders could man-mark the two of Tottenham (Hjbjerg & Winks), both wingers (Dallas & Harrison) were marking the wing-backs. Trade mark no: UK00003715943. Southampton corner Llorente, possession retreats to Meslier and this passage ends with Meslier, in the absence of good options, sending a high delivery into touch. By implementing the 4-1-4-1 system back in 2018, he found new life in players such as Kalvin Phillips, Mateusz Klich and Liam Cooper. As suggested above, we could use the 4-2-2-2 formation as a reference to interpret the defensive plan of Leeds. Under his management, the starting XI is a lot more aggressive off the ball and possessive when in possession of the ball. Despite that, playing like Leeds United in FIFA 22 is super fun. Leeds dont have another left-back option at present and that might be a late move for the club to strengthen after Firpos less-than-convincing efforts in 2021/22.

Against two strikers, he wants three. The side needed plenty of investment after narrowly avoiding relegation back in May, and it looks as though Marsch is wasting no time in making that happen. As we approach more possible signings, we take an early view at what Leeds lineup could look like for next season. It gives him a spare defender in either scenario, providing cover when Leeds are out of possession but offering an extra passing outlet when Leeds try to navigate the oppositions press. Particularly, Tottenham found it easier to break the press by escaping from Forshaw. Instead, the duo was occupying alternative horizontal zones now to create a more staggered shape. For example, Phillips was tightly marking Kane so his English fellow could not face the goal, and if the Tottenham striker took more touches to adjust his angles, contacts must be made and Leeds were confident to win the ball back in those situations. For example, you could see Mateusz Klichs heat map above (Cr. Argentinian football looked upon his 3-3-1-3 blueprint and saw novel and daring tactics, the prototype of a coach devoid of caution. It really makes sense, especially with the offensive and defensive tactics that the Argentine has prepared. Against a lone striker, he wants two centre-backs. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Can u make a guide of mourinhos real madrid counter attack?

With Kane in the centre to block the switch or cover the holding midfielder, Moura often came out to press Cooper. Those were strong against Watford three weeks ago and a measured performance in a 4-1-4-1 produced their first and only win of the Premier League season so far. Apart from that, the Danish midfielder also had other movements to bring away his man-marker, the above image gives an alternative case.

The Leeds United players will virtually pressure until they get the ball, which is a very tiring practice indeed. DiamondLobby / FIFA 22 / How to Play Like Marcelo Bielsas Leeds United in FIFA 22. By the 60th minute, everyone bar your keeper will have little to no energy left in the tank, which can be problematic if your opponent has been playing slow all game and has plenty still to give. In that arrangement, Bielsas flanking midfielders are as much like wing-backs, sticking to wide areas and leaving a lone body in a large central zone. Like the two signings so far, Minamino has previous with Marsch, having impressed enough under him in 2019/20 to earn his move to Jurgen Klopps Reds. You could see more involvement of Tanganga through this image, the movement he made in the first phase was crucial to break the press. In the 23rd minute, Struijk is again faced with Southampton players in front of him so Klich drops in to try and help him. Moura served this role very well in the second half. With Royal pinning the full-back, Tottenham could go all the way. Evidently our game didnt look like the one we normally play, Bielsa said and the first port of call against Wolverhampton Wanderers this weekend will be to reconnect the lines between his defence, his midfield and his attack. This allowed Tottenham to set pressing traps on the flanks. Leeds Uniteds CDM, Kalvin Phillips can often be seen to play deep and stop the ball from getting through to the attackers. As our analysis has concluded, it was a really great second-half performance from Tottenham, they played like a completely different side and deserved to win the game. Are his team as competent in a 3-3-1-3 system as they look playing 4-1-4-1? Wyscout). Its also not super defensive to the point where the attacking is severely compromised. Against an ever-present front two at St Marys, Leeds lacked the space to breathe. Given Moura was defending the half-space initially, Struijk would have spaces to play if he received. They celebrated that system in Chile too where Bielsa made a beast of a middling international team but in England and with Leeds United, 3-3-1-3 has been held in reserve. Many people play Career Mode with their favorite team, How to Play Like Marcelo Bielsas Leeds United in FIFA 22, Best Cheap 5-Star Skill Players on FIFA 22 Ultimate Team, How to Make Lots of Money in FIFA 22 Career Mode. The move of Tanganga resulted in an outlet for Hjbjerg, which was on Gelhardts blindside. With Son doing the same penetration run, their markers were pushed deeper so Dier received lighter pressure laterally. Bielsa has only turned to a three-man defence 17 times in all his fixtures as manager but Leeds have won three quarters of them with a strong goal difference and an average of 2.41 points per game. It did not take long for Southampton to realise how well the high press was paying off. This page displays a detailed overview of the club's current squad. In the large majority of cases, most of your players will have little to no energy left by the 60th minute so its vital for you to have a squad built up of players with above-average fitness and stamina stats. Jesse Marsch is in the midst of his first transfer window at Leeds United and hes already making his mark on the side with signings. The same was often true in the Championship. The formula is there if they can find it again. They dont tend to press super high up the pitch and spread their lines too wide in order to effectively suffocate the opponent and close down any passing opportunities. To replicate Leeds Uniteds offensive tactics, set your build up play to Fast Build Up, chance creation to Possession, width to 60, players in the box to 4 bars, corners to 3 bars, and free kicks to 3 bars. There is a clear margin in the expected goals difference, which deducts the xG of opposition chances from the xG of Leeds chances. There is no argument about the effectiveness of Bielsas 4-1-4-1. Firstly, Winks and Hjbjerg stayed in alternative horizontal zones, which was an effort to offer a passing option behind the first line. It is quite a risky practice but Meslier seems to have it spot on. +1.11m. Tottenham used a similar approach to play out from the back as they did against Everton, but proved to be unsuccessful as the pressing of Leeds were spot on and intense. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. The FIFA 22 Bronze Pack Method: Does it Still Work? While Stuart Dallas and Luke Ayling will have a major part to play next season, their surgeries mean they are going to be missing out at the start. When it comes to defense, he provides a decent level of support but not as much as the wingers. During the break, he made significant changes in tactics to tweak the teams playing style, injected more intensity into their game. He joins Kalvin Phillips, a player that could be on the way out with Manchester City calling, but has every Leeds fan praying that he will stay another year at the club. Do not forget Hjbjerg also came out to support the press too. Two up top for the opposition means three at the back for Leeds, the way it has been since the inception of Bielsas tenure. Their positions were more flexible as Conte abandoned the use of two parallel deep midfielders. Perhaps that is the reason why teams often struggle to score against them? He did operate in the centre, such as being a striker to finish the cross when the attack was from the other side. Here, you could see Tottenham using the front three to press asymmetrically. It was a 3-4-3 on paper but in fact a 3-4-2-1 on the pitch, as Heung-Min Son and Moura were staying narrowly in the half-spaces and closer to Kane. Despite a disappointing first half, the Lilywhites were able to come back from behind. An xG of 0.01 before half-time can be explained by the lack of quality possession Leeds were afforded. The above image included all the features. Now, if you want to further increase the creativity and chance creation that stems from your center midfielders, what you can do is set their positioning freedom to Free Roam.

Here, Harrison made an early movement to attack spaces behind the right wing-back, he forced Royal to drop back and brought him away from the left-back. In attacking midfield, Raphinha is still expected to leave the club this summer despite Barcelonas struggles to find the funds to even survive as a club, let alone buy big-money players.

In the last line, against the front three, they would like to have a 4v3 advantage. Leeds United season ticket holder since 2013/14, currently situated in the middle of the FA5 noise. Ill cover everything from squad formation to custom tactics and individual player instructions. It starts with Illan Meslier and goes through either the centre-backs in front of him or via floated balls to wing-backs pushing on. The following graphics are from the earliest minutes of the game, with Pascal Struijk on the ball outside his box. Also, when they attacked from the flanks, the number in the box was lacking, so they did not generate a goal threat in the penalty box either. The Tottenham midfielders also improved, especially Winks. To replicate the real-life instructions of Bielsas center backs, set your teams CB attacking support to Stay Back While Attacking, interceptions to Normal Interceptions, and defensive position to Stick To Position. This was because the former Manchester United man was a player who needed spaces to dribble and take on the opposition 1v1, and he liked to drive towards the byline. The intensity they injected after the break would be a good direction for the players, as they must have that to keep a place in Contes team. With two angles of press, Tottenham had a slight advantage when the Leeds winger dropped to receive, given that movement always invited the wing-back to come up. When the centre-back tried to play a progressive pass, he should be given two options on the same flank, one short and one was the longer option. While Winks was static to fix Klichs position, Dier could send a vertical ball through that channel. But the former Southampton midfielder was not Tanguy Ndombl, he could not take on the opposition and carry the ball forward. This is where the high and constant pressure of the team is super useful. In terms of offense, Marcelo Bielsa has instilled a possession-based playstyle, similar to that of Pep Guardiolas Manchester City tactics with a fast build-up of play that involves a lot of sharp and quick passes in tight spaces. Far from pushing out, Struijk has been pinned back and is as deep as a sweeper. Phillips is adept at coming short, taking up possession and trying to progress play from deep but he was missing through injury at Southampton and there was a battle throughout for Bielsas defence to link up with Klich and negate the pressure created by Southamptons front two. Nevertheless, the receivers always faced difficulty, their markers were too close and prohibited their spaces to turn. Interplay became second nature and because of that, chances were easy to come by. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. The El Loco nickname given to Marcelo Bielsa was derived, at least in part, from the formation he introduced at Newells Old Boys. Its just not a good idea if you are someone that easily loses possession of the ball. When defending, the wingers are instructed to come back in defense and help the rest of the team, which again, involves a lot of running thanks to the applied pressure all around.

Premier League 2021/22: Arsenal vs Manchester United data viz, stats and insights, UEFA Champions League 2021/22: How Man Citys pressing helped them dominate Real Madrid tactical analysis, FREE DOWNLOAD: Premier League GW35 analytics reports data viz, stats and insights, The Total Football Analysis Podcast: Jonas Eidevall My philosophy, The Total Football Analysis Podcast: Womens EURO 2022 preview with David Astill and Selim Ben Hmida, The Total Football Analysis Interview: Ben Jackson Alfred Schreuder, Vincent Kompany, and all things Belgian football, European League Domestic Cups Early Betting Odds, Premier League 2022/23 Player Accolades Early Odds Previews. Tottenham continued to play with the trademark back three of Conte, it was a 3-4-3 on paper and very similar the last game. From Leeds perspective, it was disappointing to lose all three points away from home, especially given their strong performance during the first half, they could have achieved more if they grabbed more chances. Too often, Klich was cut off. Although Gelhardt on occasions appeared in that zone, his technique was not good enough to retain the ball. The Premier League is back after the international break. How to Complete The Whole Nine Yards SBC in FIFA 22, The 11 Best Clubs to Manage in FIFA 22 Career Mode. Dropping from the midfield was not Hjbjergs only way to create spaces for his centre-backs. If they wanted to support James, they should drop back a bit to offer a backward passing option as Dallas did above. The run itself also presented a long solution for Liam Cooper. Theres no secret that Marcelo Bielsa has completely transformed Leeds United as we used to know them. To copy the real-life instructions of the center midfielders under Marcelo Bielsa, set their attacking support to Get Forward, support on crosses to Balanced Crossing Runs, interceptions to Normal Interceptions, positioning freedom to Stick To Position, and defensive position to Cover Wing. Note: Marcelo Bielsas Leeds United tactics are extreme. Particularly, as Harrison was wide and Forshaw was deep, they were missing the constant occupation of the purple area as indicated above. To mimic the real-life duties of Leeds Uniteds striker in FIFA 22, set his support runs to Balanced Width, attacking runs to Get In Behind, interceptions to Normal Interceptions, and defensive support to Basic Defense Support. On Saturday, Stuart Dallas shifted to the left side and Klich was asked to hold the fort in the middle. As poor as Saturdays performance at Southampton was, the high press used by Ralph Hasenhuttl showed why a spare body can be needed to find a route through an active front two. The above screenshot shows their pressing in the 87th minute. Phillips was an active lynchpin, with 69 passes from start to finish, and Watfords weak and disorganised press was nothing like Southamptons disciplined model. Although Leeds had a formation on paper, it was mostly a reference of how they wanted to man-mark the oppositions defensively, which we would explain more in the next section. Bielsa can revert to 4-1-4-1 and all being well, bring Phillips and Raphinha into the fold after injury and international duty respectively, taking Leeds back to what they know best with two of the players who make them tick most effectively. As a result, many fans from all over want to play like Leeds United in FIFA 22 and for that reason, in this comprehensive guide, Ill show you how to play like Marcelo Bielsas Leeds United in FIFA 22. Marcelo Bielsas tactical strategy involves constantly high pressure when off the ball and heavy possession and sharp passes when in possession of the ball. It was also great to see Adam Forshaw start another game after the hip injury he has been struggling with. They let the opposition dictate possession and played easily into their own half. The former Boro player had great passion for the game but sometimes he made reckless decisions to step up. The next change comes in midfield with Bayern Munichs Marc Roca expected to make the move to Elland Road this week, having agreed personal terms with the club today. As I said previously, using the exact custom tactics that Ive suggested above will eat away your entire teams energy very quickly. This will allow the player to move out of position when needed to benefit the team further. DiamondLobby.com makes money from advertising. In just a few years, Marcelo Bielsa transformed Leeds United from a fairly average Championship team to a team that can rival the elite of the Premier League. His team are fluid in-game and his substitutions can alter them structurally but Bielsa would stick with either system indefinitely if opposition formations were also rigid. Do they defend as well and attack as well? If you wish your CDM to play a more defensive role and stay down the middle rather than cover the wing, set his defensive position settings to Cover Centre. To mimic Bielsas defensive tactics, set your defensive style to Constant Pressure and set your teams width and depth to 60. The Leeds United keeper is seen to come out on crosses and either catch or punch the ball away on crosses be it crosses from set-pieces or crosses from the wing. Never killing those blue spaces was the most important. Under Bielsas management, the wingers of Leeds United have exactly the same set of instructions. This would be great. The style of passing is much the same regardless of the formation Bielsa picks. During an attack, they are supposed to provide decent supporting runs and cut inside to create chances for a strike or a sharp pass to a nearby unmarked teammate. In the above image, Harrison adapted to the game and used an alternative movement to pose questions on the Tottenham defence. Struijk plays backwards to Meslier, Meslier flights a pass out to Jamie Shackleton and although Klich comes short to offer himself to Llorente, he is shadowed by Southampton and there is nothing behind him in midfield for Llorente to look for with the second ball. Alongside him on the left will be Jack Harrison. Bamford is often seen to do that by getting in behind the defensive line and is then met with a sharp pass by one of his teammates in possession of the ball. If not for his superb individual efforts last term, Leeds might not be able to boast their Premier League status currently. Hence, this allowed the duo to carry out a double-press on Harrison in the above image. Another square pass to Cooper forces the captain to send the ball long or risk a turnover on the left-hand side. Everton are the only team with genuine top-six aspirations who have forced Bielsa to bend from 4-1-4-1. Two are already confirmed through the door at Elland Road while more are expected soon. In the first half, Tottenham were trying to use those white spaces with vertical and longer passes to break lines. Leeds could not move the ball easily as they did in the first half, resulting in higher and more frequent transitions. Hjbjerg initially dropped diagonally from the inside, which of course pulled Forshaw away. The downside would be that there are only two defenders and the CDM to deal with any counterattacks that are created as a result of a lost ball. Hjbjerg dropped diagonally to the last line, which pulled his marker (Forshaw) away from the centre a bit. From Pablo Hernandez to 5-1 drubbings, I've seen it all at Elland Road. It shows all personal information about the players, including age, nationality, contract duration and market value. This formation allows for a lot of ball possession and high pressure when off the ball without creating many gaps in the defense.