Explained: What is positional play in football tactics?

Positional play, or "juego de posición," is a football tactic that is deployed by a number of the best coaches in modern football including Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, and Mikel Arteta.

The guiding philosophy of positional play is to achieve superiority in a game through structured positional discipline and rotations, with players building an automatic understanding of where to be and when in relation to what is happening around them.

The tactic of positional play focuses on maintaining spatial superiority and creating numerical advantages across the pitch through possession of the ball, making carefully planned-out passes and movements to progress the ball into advantageous positions.

Positional play has notable benefits, including improved team coordination and ball retention.

However, it also has weaknesses, such as vulnerability to quick counter-attacks and the requirement for highly intelligent, technically skilled, as well as physically capable players in both speed and stature.

Have you ever heard people talking about how boring it is to watch Pep Guardiola's Manchester City play football?

Well, this is positional play working as well as it ever has done, and once you understand what it is and how it's meant to work, Guardiola's football becomes incredibly exciting to watch.

In this article, we are going to give you a beginner's guide to positional play, explaining its origins, how it works in the modern game, and what the future is for this incredibly complicated tactic.

What is positional play in football?

Positional play, or "juego de posición," is a football tactic that centres around maintaining strict positional discipline and spatial awareness on the pitch.

The core idea is to create numerical and positional advantages by ensuring that players occupy specific zones.

This method not only facilitates superior ball possession but also helps in creating spaces and passing lanes that can be exploited to penetrate opposition defences.

Positional play aims to achieve the following:

1. Numerical superiority

Achieving a numerical advantage in specific areas of the pitch by having more players than the opposition in those zones.

How numerical superiority works:

• Creating Overloads: By positioning more players in certain zones (e.g., midfield or on the flanks), a team can outnumber the opposition in those areas. This makes it easier to retain possession and progress the ball.
• Triangles and Diamonds: Forming passing shapes like triangles and diamonds helps in maintaining numerical superiority around the ball. This ensures multiple passing options for the ball-carrier and helps in keeping possession under pressure.
• Rest defence: Any manager using positional play will also want to have a numerical advantage where and when the team lose possession of the ball. This concept is called rest defence, and allows players to position themselves in order to win the ball back immediately, painting possession and control of the game.

Example:

• In a midfield battle, if a team places three players against two opposition midfielders, they achieve numerical superiority. This can be used to control the midfield and facilitate easier ball progression.

2. Qualitative superiority

Creating situations where a player with superior skills is matched against a less capable opponent, thereby increasing the likelihood of winning individual duels.

How qualitative superiority works:

• Isolation: By spreading the play and creating one-on-one situations, a team can isolate their most skilful players against weaker defenders. This often happens on the wings or in advanced positions.
• Exploiting mismatches: Coaches identify and exploit areas where their players have a distinct advantage over their direct opponents in terms of pace, dribbling ability, or physicality.

Example:

• A team might isolate a fast winger against a slower full-back. By delivering the ball to the winger in space, they can use their pace and dribbling skills to beat the defender and create goal-scoring opportunities.

Positional superiority

Placing players in advantageous positions between or behind opposition lines where they can receive the ball with time and space to make impactful decisions.

How it works:

• Positioning between lines: Players are positioned in pockets of space between the opposition’s defensive lines (e.g., between the midfield and defence). This makes it difficult for the opposition to mark them without leaving their structure.
• Breaking lines: Positional play involves frequent movement and rotations to break the opposition's defensive lines, making it easier to progress the ball and create goal-scoring opportunities.

Example:

• An attacking midfielder positioning themselves between the opposition's midfield and defensive lines can receive the ball in a dangerous area, turn, and either shoot or provide a key pass.

Where did positional play originate?

The ideas that underpin positional play have been around since the beginning of football in one way or another, but it wasn't until Hungarian manager Gusztáv Sebes in the 1950s created a framework for positional play to flourish.

Gusztáv Sebes' dominance with the Hungarian Golden Team paved the way for others to adapt and adopt his tactic, famed for deploying a deep-lying forward, Sebes demonstrated how a team can manufacture space by moving players into positions where the opponent isn't necessarily expecting them.

In the 1970s, Dutch manager Rinus Michels took Sebes' philosophy to another level, adding rules, structure and a framework, giving birth to Total Football.

What is Total Football?

Total Football is a tactical system and style of play associated with the Netherlands, Dutch teams and Dutch managers, primarily Rinus Michels.

Total Football and Michels pioneered positional play philosophies that are used in football today, in which any outfield player can fill the role of any other player on the pitch.

In short, when a player moves, a player steps into their position to keep a predictable structure when in possession, enabling players to automatically know when to move, and when.

Johan Cruyff popularised Total Football and positional play during his time at FC Barcelona, with its dominance over other tactics proving unquestionable throughout his tenure during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

His approach was a radical shift from traditional tactics, emphasising ball control, quick passing, and spatial awareness. Cruyff's ideas were so influential the foundation for what would become known as the "Barcelona Way," profoundly influencing modern football tactics.

What are the popular formations associated with positional play?

Since positional play relies heavily on controlling possession, formations such as the 4-3-3 and 3-4-3 are preferred as they give a more natural geometric structure for creating passing triangles and networks.

Pep Guardiola has constantly drawn comparisons with the game of chess, meaning that certain pieces, or rather players in the example of football, can only move into certain areas and at certain times depending on what's happening around them.

Why don't more teams use positional play if it's such a good tactic?

Positional play is incredibly complicated and complex to coach.

It requires players to have incredible technical ability, exceptional positional awareness, positional versatility (ability to play in multiple positions to a high level), football intelligence, and defensive work rate.

As such, building a squad, hiring a manager, and hiring coaching staff who have the qualities to build a positional play style, is astronomically expensive.

Although you may see some lower-league teams adopting some philosophies from Total Football and positional play, it will be hard to find a team that executes Guardiola's or Cruyff's vision of the tactic due to the technical, physical and mental limitations of playing squads at lower levels.

Who uses positional play today?

One of the most renowned proponents of positional play in contemporary football is Pep Guardiola, although managers such as Thomas Tuchel, Enzo Maresca, Marcelo Bielsa, Luis Enrique and Hansi Flick all use positional play in their tactics.

Having been mentored by Johan Cruyff at Barcelona, Guardiola has refined and advanced this tactical philosophy throughout his managerial career at clubs like Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City.

Under Guardiola's guidance, these teams have achieved remarkable success, characterised by their fluid ball movement, high pressing, and disciplined positional structure.

What are the benefits of positional play?

Improved team coordination: Positional play fosters a high level of coordination among players. Each player understands their role within the system, leading to seamless transitions and cohesive team movements. This structured approach reduces the likelihood of players drifting out of position, thereby maintaining team shape and balance.

Enhanced Ball Retention: By maintaining spatial superiority and creating triangles for passing options, teams employing positional play can dominate possession. This method reduces the risk of losing the ball and allows for sustained pressure on the opposition, often leading to more goal-scoring opportunities.

Tactical Flexibility: Positional play provides a solid foundation for various tactical adjustments during a match. Managers can tweak player positions to adapt to different phases of play, whether it’s transitioning from defence to attack or implementing a high press to recover possession quickly.

What are the weaknesses of positional play?

Vulnerability to counter-attacks: One significant drawback of positional play is its susceptibility to quick counter-attacks. Given that players are often positioned higher up the pitch to maintain possession, losing the ball can leave the team exposed to rapid transitions by the opposition.

High demands on players: Positional play requires players with exceptional technical skills and tactical intelligence. Players must constantly be aware of their positioning, understand the system intricately, and execute precise passes under pressure. This high demand can be challenging to meet consistently, particularly for teams with less technically gifted players.

Predictability: Over-reliance on positional play can sometimes lead to predictability. Opponents who study the system can devise strategies to disrupt the rhythm, close down passing lanes, and exploit the spaces left behind by the advanced positioning of players.

Positional play, a tactical innovation pioneered by Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff, to be later mastered by Pep Guardiola, remains one of the most effective and sophisticated strategies in modern football.

Its emphasis on spatial superiority, ball retention, and team coordination has led to the success of many top clubs. However, the tactic is not without its challenges, including vulnerabilities to counter-attacks and the need for highly skilled players. Understanding both the strengths and weaknesses of positional play is crucial for teams looking to implement this intricate and demanding style of football.

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