The latest iteration of the Sydney Derby ended in a two-all draw, although both teams had opportunities to kill the game off earlier and take away the three points.
The atmosphere generated by both sets of supporters was immense, and from a tactical standpoint the match saw Western Sydney take advantage of perceived weaknesses in the Sky Blue defensive set-up.
The problem: Sydney FC’s compact block
The excellent defensive record of Sydney FC is a topic of conversation which has been dominating the headlines for the previous year.
Conceding just 12 goals throughout the entirety of last season, with only four of them coming at home, Graham Arnold’s side have earned themselves a reputation of being stingy in what they give away at the back.
After three games this season, they have already conceded four – is this due to poor execution of the existing plan, or have some Hyundai A-League coaches identified chinks in the armour?
To provide a recap of earlier analysis on Sydney’s defensive scheme, it is generally considered to be built around the creation and subsequent maintaining of defensive numerical superiority in central areas of the pitch.
Including the goalkeeper, the team is positioned on four horizontal lines in a compact fashion. The compactness of this block is such that it restricts the space available in the middle, making it difficult for opposition to alternate passes between outside and inside, thereby increasing the predictability of opponent possession and decreasing the risk of penetration through central areas.
At the same time, this structure provides cover for teammates who are vulnerable to losing in 1v1 situations, as well as facilitates counter-attacking football with the low-medium block pulling players away from their positions, creating space in behind. All-in-all, Sydney FC under Graham Arnold have been one of the best, if not the greatest, sides in the history of the A-League, largely down to their detailed approach to being without possession. detailed approach to being without possession.
Operating inside during build-up
As previously stated, one of the aims of Sydney’s defensive set-up is to reduce the potential for their opposition to build up through central areas of the pitch.
This, when successfully executed, is hugely beneficial in preserving the integrity of the defensive structure, as defensive blocks are usually designed to defend from the outside in as opposed from the inside out – in short, getting players on the ball within a defensive block drags players out of position and ensures an easier passage to creating goal-scoring opportunities.
Usually, teams find doing so very difficult against Sydney FC, but Hayden Foxe’s side were up to the task.
Kearyn Baccus played a vital role in Western Sydney’s build-up play during the match, with his movement between and behind the first line of Sydney pressure easing the process of his side’s construction of possession.
Effective possession is often characterised as being so because it ‘breaks a line’. The line being referred to is of course a line of pressure – the space between two or more defenders who are engaging as a unit during an act of organised pressing.
In the example above, Baccus positions himself between and behind the first line of pressure, providing a solid option to his team by ensuring he is in a clear passing line. The fact that he is positioned behind the immediate defenders means that he is out of their line of sight, giving him a slight advantage if he receives a pass.
Secondly, being between the defenders maximises the validity of the passing line, creating a comfortable option to progress the player. As he generally receives the ball facing forward, Baccus is able to immediately begin attacks by driving into space or giving the ball to a more progressed player from within the heart of the Sky Blues defensive block.
This movement was key in any sustained possession which Western Sydney enjoyed, and Baccus was a key figure in the game as a result.
Western Sydney’s masterclass in wide play
It was hinted at earlier that perhaps A-League opposition may have figured out Graham Arnold’s team – this belief was reinforced after watching this iteration of the Sydney Derby, as Western Sydney adopted and extended a tactic successfully employed by Melbourne Victory in round one.
As shown above, Victory’s use of combination play in central areas, combined with Mitch Austin leaving his wide position to move more centrally, opened space on the right-side of the pitch for Jason Geria to run into.
This caused havoc for Sydney FC, with multiple opportunities stemming from this side of the pitch, with Geria’s often poor final ball leading to a lack of proportionately created goal-scoring opportunities.
Sydney FC’s weakness was exposed again during the derby, with Michael Zullo having a hard time to cope with the space left behind by the more central Ninkovic, a feat which was made even more difficult during transition.
A slight variation in Western Sydney’s execution of the strategy was that instead of quick combinations in the final third, Cejudo moved inside a lot earlier in build-up, completely vacating the space on the right-hand side of the pitch.
This allowed Josh Risdon to overlap and exploit the space left behind, often unmarked as Zullo tracked the movement of Cejudo. This approach paid dividends quickly – so quickly in fact, that Oriol Riera scored Western Sydney’s third-quickest goal in the history of the club, heading past Redmayne after a pinpoint cross from Risdon.
The principle of vacating space for a teammate to rotate into is not a new one, stemming originally from Cryuff’s Total Football and being extended in many different ways since then, with possession-based teams often relying upon it as a way to displace opposition and create space to receive the ball.
There were two new variations which Western Sydney introduced, culminating in what some would describe as a masterclass in wide combinations. When Risdon was on the ball, Zullo would move towards him to apply pressure.
When this happened, Cejudo engaged in an inside-out movement behind the left-back and into the space left behind. This 2v1 situation was a viable method of penetration and often resulted in Cejudo having time and space behind the opposition back four.
Cejudo’s movement was generally covered by the nearest centre-back, which opened up space for Roly Bonevacia to move into provided Oriol Riera took the opposite centre-back in the other direction, as shown above.
There were times when Cejudo maintained his width, and would often receive the ball in wide areas. In these circumstances, Risdon would act in a completely different manner, engaging in behaviour consistent with a typical inverted full-back.
Aiming to attack the half-space (as highlighted above), Zullo looked to exploit the area between opponents in a position which was unclear in terms of defensive responsibility. This allowed Risdon to get in behind Zullo and create goal-scoring opportunities on a regular basis. Melbourne Victory’s successes were obviously identified by Western Sydney and taken a whole lot further, with two distinct variations adding further ways to break down Sydney’s defensive block.
Conclusion
A drawn Sydney Derby that could’ve gone either way was high on atmosphere and provided interesting viewing from a tactical perspective, as Western Sydney expanded upon previous approaches to take advantage of Sydney FC’s weaknesses in their defensive scheme.
This result, in combination with the goals conceded in earlier rounds, may well provoke Arnold into changing the way his side defends. If they are to stand any chance of winning a second championship in a row, it may be their only option.
Nathan Muir is an Australian tactical analyst and coach. You can contact him on Facebook @NathanMuirFootball or on Twitter @NathanKMuir.
Related Articles
Sky Blues, Wanderers to clash in ALM first-round derby
Socceroo-in-waiting seals Championship deal
.jpeg&h=172&w=306&c=1&s=1)
