Although the issue currently dominating the headlines is this worrying statistic, Gombau’s influence is starting to become apparent with the basic ideas of positional play, or Juego de Posición, beginning to emerge from the performances of his team.

INTRODUCTION

The intention behind this article is not to defend Gombau, nor is it to say that the recent performances of his charges have been acceptable; the purpose is none more noble than simply to highlight what these performances consist of from a tactical perspective, with one eye on the future and on what may be seen in months to come.

A key takeaway message from Gombau’s early press conferences was one which called for patience during the transition between playing styles; it is not exactly out of the ordinary for a newly-arrived coach to ask for time and cool heads, but in the case of Gombau, it could be said that there is a valid reason for this.

Positional play as a concept is not a particularly simple philosophy, and is certainly not inherent within Australian football. When these factors are combined with the mechanised and rigid structure of former coach Tony Popovic, Gombau is effectively asking his squad to learn how to play football again.

This is no easy task, and is most likely why media reports abound regarding player fall outs – every time an individual learns something new, it first requires an ability to lessen one’s ego and acknowledge that the subject was not already known.

Professional football players are consistently associated with high degrees of ego, and some may find the process of learning a new approach more difficult than others.

Despite this alleged resistance, there has been a clear progression in the execution of the game model over the past few weeks, and it could be posited that this trend will continue into the near future.

THE CENTRAL IDEA

Many people associate positional play with a desire to retain possession for possession’s sake. In world football, there would without a doubt be many instances where this belief could be proven to hold true.

However, when the philosophy is applied in the manner in which it was intended to be used in, possession and dominance of the ball becomes a tool to control time and space on the pitch – a means to an end rather than an end in and of itself. The focus with the ball is to move it to in turn move the opposition, whilst at the same time maintaining occupation of space in a way which facilitates access to dangerous positions on the pitch.

Former Manchester United, Barcelona, Ajax and Bayern Munich boss Louis Van Gaal.

The philosophy goes beyond even the concept of movement of the ball to move the opposition. Louis Van Gaal puts it like this: “it is not about the opponent, it is not about the ball, it is about the space the ball may be played into and the opponent that may come into it”. To illustrate this point, think about what happens if the ball is played in the space in front of an opposition fullback.

The defender would approach the ball and in turn remove himself from his positional slot, opening space for a teammate to run into. If the space is covered by another member of the opposition team, there will come a point when space is opened somewhere else on the pitch after the chain of reactions ceases or comes to a break. This is the crux of positional play; the understanding and utilisation of space and time on the pitch.

THE FUNCTION OF POSSESSION

In a competition such as the Hyundai A-League where many teams defend deep and compactly, possession can be a critical means to a victorious end when effective strategies are able to be implemented, such as those of Ange Postecoglou and his all-conquering Brisbane Roar side of a few years ago.

The aforementioned of ‘move the ball to move the opposition’ is key in framing the purpose of possession under the tenets of positional play, as it provides a different reference for what having the ball actually means.

Gombau’s Western Sydney attempt to build-up through varied areas of the pitch, often playing in depth but switching regularly to wider areas. Prolonged and multi-directional possession is considered to have two effects, with the degree of emphasis on either dependent on the opposition and their own strengths and weaknesses.

The densifying of the opposition, thereby making space in other areas of the pitch available.

The increasing of distances between opposition players, thereby allowing a greater opportunity for penetration.

In these two outcomes, possession has been used to manipulate the defensive shape of the opposing team in a manner which is conducive to either penetration or the increase of accessibility to a free man.

The first outcome is one wherein the opposition have been drawn towards the ball, away from their positions, increasing the density of the area surrounding the ball. This can be achieved by sustained possession within a small, controlled area, and triggers multiple defenders to approach the ball, creating space away from pressure for a teammate.

This principle also applies when explaining the rationale behind playing out from the back; as more members of the opposition press the ball in deeper positions, they become more detached from their supporting line, ensuring that the ability to play between the lines is enhanced and resulting in an increased likelihood of a successful build-up.

When playing out from the back, Western Sydney draw the opposition onto them before exploiting the space left behind.

The second outcome introduced above was in relation to increasing the distance between opposition players through rotational movement of the ball. By playing the ball into different areas, heights and lines across the pitch, individual defenders will generally become less and less inclined to remain in their set position. This can sometimes lead to an increase in the total distance between a team’s players, creating better conditions for penetration as a result. The total distance between defenders is in itself an important aspect of football, as it has been shown that the team that has the highest cumulative distance between players when without the ball is more likely to lose the match.

SUPERIORITIES

Now that the theoretical context behind possession from a positional play lens has been provided, it is necessary to describe the processes which allow for progression up the pitch when a team has the ball.

These processes are commonly referred to as superiorities, and describe situations in which one team or player has a clear advantage over their opposition, which has the potential to provide the conditions required to progress the play.

The most widely understood concept is that of quantitative or numerical superiority, in which one team has more players within the active area in close proximity to the ball. As an example, a 2v1 situation in a wide area, where fullback Llorente may link up to isolate an opposition player, presents an opportunity to the team to progress should the 2v1 situation be completed successfully. Even within central areas, quantitative superiority can be employed to densify the opposition through controlled possession, before playing the ball into the newly available space to find a free player.

A 4v2 situation in wide areas assists the Wanderers in progression whilst playing out from the back.

Qualitative superiority represents a situation where one player has an advantage over his direct rival. This echoes the sentiments of FC Barcelona’s in-house genius Paco Seirul-Lo, who once said that “not all one versus one situations are of equal standing”. This is true, and the reason behind this is of a qualitative nature. For example, a 1v1 situation where Lionel Messi has the ball is heavily weighted towards the success of Messi rather than the success of the defender. In some instances, situations with one attacker against two defenders can also be situations containing elements of qualitative superiority. Another objective of positional play is to find the moment where qualitative superiority exists in a dangerous area of the field, such as in central or wide areas of the final third. However, these opportunities are just as advantageous during build-up, and a successful 1v1 situation limits the effectiveness of the opposition defensive structure. In the right areas, qualitative superiority is crucial in creating goal-scoring opportunities as well as bringing the ball out from the back, and is often a focal point at some stage during the development of a positional play philosophy.

The final common method of superiority is that of a positional nature; where one player is positioned in a manner which provides advantage over his opponent. A necessary condition for this kind of superiority is that the receiver is able to beat his direct opponent upon receiving the ball.

As per the example below, the receiver is able to pick the ball up behind the active line of pressure, therefore having an advantage over his direct defender who is already behind the ball. The player now has space and time, and can freely choose the next desirable action within a state of control.

Positional superiority can be achieved through drawing opponents away from their positions, allowing opportunity for a teammate to move into the vacated space in an attempt to receive the ball in an advantageous position.

The player between the lines possesses a positional superiority and is able to offer an option to progress.

All three types of superiorities share a common objective: to progress the play. All three are employed consciously and regularly by Gombau’s team, and serve as an alternative method of progression when compared to Popovic’s more direct style.

LOOKING FORWARD

If Gombau’s previous tenure at Adelaide United is anything to go by, it can only be assumed that Western Sydney will simply get better at what they are already doing.

The basics of positional play are beginning to emerge, and the most likely scenario is that these methods will become clearer and clearer as the season progresses as the existing members of the squad continue on the journey to transition between a direct style to Gombau’s version of positional play.

This will no doubt be coupled with new signings who are familiar with the system already, such as Marcelo Carrusca, but the real question is will it be coupled with results? If so, when? If not, we may never get the chance to see the full fruition of Josep Gombau’s vision for his Western Sydney Wanderers, however tantalising a concept it may be.

Nathan Muir is an Australian coach and tactical analyst. You can find him on Facebook @NathanMuirFootball or on Twitter @NathanKMuir.