For recently successful managers like Carlo Ancelotti, Jose Mourinho and Diego Simeone, tactical flexibility was central to everything they achieved.
However, they continue to work in an era where many coaches are apparently wedded to a single footballing philosophy or playing style, often to varying degrees of success.What’s more, tactically flexible coaches like Ancelotti are derided for not having defined style of play.
In the case of Pep Guardiola, for example, his possession-heavy, positional style of play has brought an unprecedented level of success in three different countries. However, the bullish Ange Postecoglou endured wild highs and lows when implementing his high octane approach at Spurs last season, without ever once deviating from his playing philosophy.
Tactical flexibility is never a bad thing, however, especially as it can afford teams a competitive edge against superior opponents. It may be the next big tactical evolution too, particularly with so many sides looking to dominate the ball and press high in the current climate.
An Example of Tactical Flexibility
In modern times, it was Mourinho himself who delivered one of the best examples of tactical flexibility and adapting to an opposing side. This came on April 16th, 2017, when the ‘Special One’ and his Manchester United side defeated champions elect Chelsea 2-0 at Old Trafford.
Antonio Conte’s Chelsea had ripped up the league that season, with the 3-4-3 formation affording them defensive solidity and freeing up Eden Hazard to roam dangerously from the left-hand side.
Mourinho sought to counter this initially by switching from a 4-2-3-1 formation to a 3-5-2 shape. This enabled two mobile forwards (Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford) to aggressively press Chelsea’s three centre backs, while wing-backs Antonio Valencia and Ashely Young pushed high up the pitch.
The pressed back Chelsea’s own wing-backs, while the powerful Marouane Fellaini and Paul Pogba went man-for-man against N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic in midfield. Fellow midfielder Ander Herrera served as an extra man centrally when United were in possession of the ball, while he also man-marked Hazard during defensive phases.
With Eric Bailly and Marcus Rojo also doubling up on striker Diego Costa, United were able to create two-v-ones all over the park and deny Chelsea any time on the ball. They also attacked and defended with a great deal of tempo, and the Blues never really got to grips with United’s tactical approach.
How to be Tactically Flexible – A Practical Guide
In this example, it was Mourinho’s switch of formation and deployment of players that was key. The shape helped United to create a central overload and go man-for-man in different areas of the pitch, where he relied on the pace, movement and physicality of his players to overwhelm his opponents.
However, the key is that he was willing to make adaptations that accounted for the opposition’s strengths and also sought to target their weaknesses. Clearly, Mourinho trusted his players to adapt and carry out his instructions to the letter too. This is key, but what steps can you take to coach a tactical flexible and adaptable side?
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Coach Different Formations: This may sound obvious, but utilising different formations in attack vs defence sessions allows players to understand alternative positional roles and how they function within specific shapes. The key is to coach different formations regularly and switch between them often, while focusing on those that best suit your players. You can also adapt formations and positions when overseeing pressing drills.
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Understand Your Players’ Strengths and Weaknesses: This is another key consideration, as you can alter your team’s approach and tactical plan through the deployment of different players. For example, if you play a target forward who likes to drop deeper and retain possession, you can field wingers who make darting runs behind into the space. Conversely, you can play a mobile and quick striker in attack who stretches opponents in behind and creates space for attacking midfielders to exploit.
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Create Different Attacking and Defensive Shapes: This is a common tactic, and one that can make teams harder to play against during all phases of the game. For example, teams that play a 4-3-3 now often invert at least one full back to create an additional midfield pivot and free up two attacking number eights. This creates de facto 3-2-4-1 and 3-2-2-3 shapes during offensive phases of the game. You can invert and rotate different players as part of alternative patterns of play too, creating variable passing lanes and ensuring your team is always unpredictable.
