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The draw against Hellas Verona last week has raised some serious questions about Conte’s 3-5-2 approach. Juventus had taken the lead by a couple of goals as Tevez ended his goal scoring drought with a brace. However, Luca Toni’s goal early into the second half gave the side contending for Europa League a lot of hopes and they equalized through Juanito in stoppage time.
Many critics and the Juve tifosi have blamed the formation for this blemish and they may not be completely wrong. But, before we go on to accuse Conte of a lack of tactical flexibility, let’s look at some of the reasons as to why Conte employs such a system.
3-5-2: Complicated formation?
Background
Juve’s 4-3-3: First step to success
When Antonio Conte was hired as the manager to lead the Bianconeri in their inaugural season in the new Juventus stadium, he gave hope to all the people who love the most coveted team in Italy. The Black & White had finished 7th on two successive occasions in the Serie A. Conte was a leader on the field and off the field as a player, the right one to bring success to a club that had lost its sheen.
Conte was accustomed to using a 4-2-4 or an attacking 4-4-2 prior to joining Juve and some suggested that he may employ a similar system. However, the Juventus tactician employed a 4-3-3 with Pirlo playing in the regista role surrounded by Vidal and Marchisio at the center. Had he been stubborn to using the same formation he was familiar with, Juventus would have ended up in the 7th position again.
It is a well-known fact that the 4-3-3 used by Conte massively benefited the team and the likes of Marchisio and Vidal broke through. Conte primarily used the 4-3-3 in his first Scudetto winning season because he had the likes of Pepe and Giaccherini to slot into wide positions. During this time, Juventus scored 68 goals, conceding only 20 with 84 points and going unbeaten for the whole season.
Juve’s 3-5-2: Tactical modification by Conte
The mercato of the succeeding season brought the likes of Giovinco to bolster the attack and Asamoah. An injury to Pepe made Conte shift to a 3-5-2 with Asamoah and Lichtsteiner on either flanks. Unlike the previous season, the Turin giants had to compete in the Champions League. This would obviously effect the performance in the league as Juventus recorded 5 losses. Apart from the two losses to Sampdoria, the 3 other losses came during crucial Champions League fixtures.
Juventus beat Chelsea at home and Celtic away before losing 1-0 away to both Milan and Roma while losing to Inter at home before defeating Nordsjaelland at home. However, during this title winning season it is astonishing that the Bianconeri scored 71 goals conceding 24 and securing 87 points.
Juventus maximized their performances against the middle and lower table teams winning more, scoring more and securing more points than the previous season despite competing in Europe. Had Conte stuck with the 4-3-3 as the previous season would the Bianconeri be this efficient? Hasn’t Conte shown tactical flexibility by moving from a 4-2-4 to a 4-3-3 and eventually to a 3-5-2.
As of now
This season Conte has stuck with his 3-5-2 bringing in Llorente and Tevez to improve a depleted attack. Despite going out of the Champions League rather bizarrely, Conte’s men are at the top of the table scoring 59 goals, conceding 19 and securing 63 points in 24 games. This in comparison to Conte’s first season, Juventus have scored only 9 goals lesser with 14 games still remaining.
This in comparison to a 4-3-3 that Conte used in his first season, Juventus have been more efficient. Despite playing in Europe and the improvement in the quality of the league as of now in compared to the last two seasons, Juventus have been very productive. Having failed to secure maximum points in a game on only 4 occasions, this team is breaking records this season. The Old Lady have shown their critics the steel they are made up of.
However, this team is vulnerable to opposition teams that employ a very high tempo system. They have been exposed by Fiorentina and Hellas Verona for the same tactical reason. The only loss came away to Fiorentina while one out of the three draws taken this season came against Hellas Verona.
The 3-5-2 is here to stay
The 3-d wall
The wall of Juventus
In the Conte era, Juventus play a very slow tempo football from the back. Everyone has noticed that this team employs 3 center backs, 3 center midfielders and 2 center forwards. It is clear that the team plays through the center. The combination of Barzagli, Bonucci and Chiellini has been present for over a year at the defense.
With Barzagli and Chiellini on his side, Bonucci has massively improved under Conte. With a combined total of 115 interceptions and 110 successful tackles in the league alone, this defense is very solid. Bayern Munich playing with 4 defenders have posted a similar total. While the likes of Barcelona, Madrid, Man City, Roma and Chelsea fair better in these statistics fielding 4 defenders but they have also given more fouls in comparison to Juventus.
Obviously, it would not be right to compare a 3 man defense to a 4 man defense but despite playing in the center making that many interceptions and successful tackles is really impressive. It exactly shows where the Juve defense stands compared to rest of Europe. This defensive combination is one of the best defensive combinations in the world, if not the best. It would be wrong to disturb this chemistry and shift to a formation having 4 defenders.
The Fantastic four
Quality at the center of midfield
Moving on to the center of the midfield where there is no shortage of talent. Pogba has broken through for the Bianconeri this season. The midfield combination of Vidal, Pirlo and Pogba has been magnificent. Marchisio is an integral part of this squad as he has started getting back to his best and showing versatility to undertake various roles in this system.
In between the 4 of them, they have made close to 250 successful tackles, 100 interceptions on the defensive aspect while making close to 3700 successful passes with a combined accuracy of 87% in the league alone. They have 22 goals between them and have provided 13 assists. In comparison to the contribution of other center midfielders to their teams in Europe, this midfield contributes the most defensively and to the attack while falls short of only Barcelona and Bayern in the passing department. The midfield is the most significant to this team’s progress and it is safe to conclude that it will remain untouched.
The deadly duo
Tevez and Llorente remind Juventus supporters of the legendary Sivori and Charles combination
The attack was the only flaw in Conte’s first two seasons. Vucinic was the only world class player in the attack in Conte’s first two seasons. The forward line up had to definitely improve if Juventus had to be successful. The arrival of Tevez and Llorente this season has illustrated how crucial a clinical attacking combination can be.
With a combined fee of close to 13 million euros, Tevez and Llorente have already reached double figures in the league contributing 23 goals and 10 assists between them. However, this was not sufficient to send Juventus into the knock out stages of the Champions League as they managed to score only 2 between them in the group stages of the competition. Although, Llorente did struggle in the first two games of the competition and Tevez was used out of position in both the games against Real Madrid.
As time has passed by, they have grown onto become a formidable force. The game against Real Madrid illustrated Tevez’s versatility as he could play down the left flank. It also portrayed that a 4-3-3 must be employed only in emergency situations and not on a regular basis. In both the games, Juventus were not able to penetrate the attack as they have done efficiently all season. The three goals that were scored in these games originated from the flank where Ronaldo did not track back. Against teams with wingers who track back, the Bianconeri are bound to struggle.
Importance of Tevez at the center of the attack
Tevez has done well in his debut season in Italy
Tevez is the more important player of the two of them. He could not score a goal in all of the 6 games in the group stages of the Champions League which really effected Juventus a lot. Tevez was pretty mediocre by his own standards in all the group games. But, he lacked the support in attack in the first two games and was employed on the flanks in the two games against Real Madrid. If Tevez is used at the center, his contribution to the game is more.
He can bring his marker further up the field or take them wider disrupting the defensive organization of the opponents for the likes of Vidal to get into goal scoring positions. Its Tevez’s ability to bring his team mates into play that is admirable. He is a very tough attacker to mark as his work rate is very high and he is a player who does not stand idle. Carlitos has also been ruthless in front of goal and is second among st the top goal scorers in Italy.
Tevez’s tendency to drop deeper and get involved when the team is struggling to keep hold of possession is also another reason to employ him in the center. Clearly, a 4-3-3 would put Tevez in a position where he does not thrive that much also making it a necessity to buy a winger on the other flank.
If Juventus are to shift to a 4-3-3 with Tevez as a lone striker then Juventus need to invest in the market for two wingers and bench Llorente. Why would anyone bench Llorente when he is such an asset as a target man in the attack? Clearly, Conte is left with no choice but to employ both of them in the center of the attack.
The 3-5-2 problem-High Tempo
Defensive organization
The 3-5-2 approach of Conte is a very good approach against teams who play patiently and employ a slow tempo system. The concern with this approach of his is against teams employing a high tempo, high pressing system. Teams such as Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich clearly demonstrated it in the Champions League last year with Juventus losing to one of them in the quarter-finals of the esteemed competition.
Loss against the Viola and a draw against Hellas Verona also illustrated the drawback of Conte’s approach. The problem when Juventus counter against such opponents is that the opposition give lesser time for the Juve players to hold onto the ball and press higher up the pitch forcing them to make a mistake or two.
When Juventus have the ball, the distance between Bonucci and his other two compatriots is very large understandably as Juve like to pass the ball from the back. When the Bianconeri lose the ball, Chiellini and Barzagli need to quickly organize themselves and shift back to center and not leave Bonucci isolated.
When one of Chiellini and Barzagli fail to do so, Bonucci is left alone to deal with the situation. As Barzagli and Chiellini are stretched away from Bonucci, it gives them less time and more ground to cover regardless of where the ball is. When Juve play against opponents with a slow tempo, their opponents pass the ball around giving more time for the Bianconeri back line to organize themselves.
Issue on the flanks
Montella changed his formation in the second half and overloaded his flanks
The responsibility of the players on the flank is immense in every regard. They need to run forward assisting the attack and track back assisting the defense. When Juventus come across a team that uses 4 players defensively and in the attack, it becomes tougher for the likes of Asamoah and Lichtsteiner to man mark their opponents using 2 players on each of their flanks.
Fiorentina did exactly that after they replaced Aquilani with Jaoquin and shifted to a 4 man midfield playing Jaoquin and Cuadrado on either flanks. As soon as Juventus lost the ball, Cuadrado and Jaoquin found themselves in acres of space against the back 3 of Juve.
One might probably question the credibility of the center midfielders in this regard but if you look at the roles of the 3 players playing at the center of the midfield, they are very different. Vidal is clearly not responsible for stopping a counter attack as he is required to close down his opponent faster, win back position and find himself in goal scoring positions. Pogba or Marchisio are to try playing key effective passes linking the midfield and attack, in the final third. Pirlo is too slow in his deep lying play maker role to stop this from happening.
Notably, the chemistry of not just the back 3 is important here but the co-ordination of the back 3 with the whole of midfield is essential under these circumstances. Even with a lot of practice week in and week out nullifying this, it is really difficult to get it right during the match. There is just too much chemistry between players that is needed to annul this problem.
Loss of possession
Bayern’s pressing game against Juventus
Another interesting fact is our loss of possession against teams pressing us higher up the pitch. It is not that tough to pass the ball accurately when you are not under pressure, but under extreme pressure, passing the ball efficiently is very important. Bayern Munich showed the way to limit Pirlo from controlling the tempo of the game, the pressed him harder and pressed him faster. The bearded genius lacks pace to beat one opponent and easily distribute the ball.
He managed a total of 50 passes in both those Champions League games against the reigning European Champions. It is wrong to entirely blame Pirlo as for a pass to be completed there should be a player to pass the ball and a player to receive the ball. He clearly needs assistance from his team mates to get into positions which can help him pass the ball a lot easier to them.
He could not play a single successful long pass against Bayern considering their quality on the flanks and our lack of quality on the flanks and in the attack. Bonucci’s role in this team is that of a ball playing defender, which he has excelled in thus far. But, he too has failed on multiple occasions to find his teammates when Juventus faced off Bayern.
Every starting eleven player squandered possession by failing to find his team mate when put under pressure. The best way to beat Juventus is to dominate Juventus and that is by ensuring they have very less possession of the ball. Losses to Bayern and Fiorentina have illustrated that Juventus had lesser possession of the ball than their opponents.
Any other alternatives: 4-1-3-2?
Shift to a 4 man defense
Juve’s 4-1-3-2 could do well against the likes of Bayern
It is clear that the Bianconeri need to employ a 3-5-2 approach. In order to counter the problem against high pressing, high tempo opponents Juventus may need to change their approach. On slaughtering Roma 3-0, Juventus showed in the first 20 minutes that the team can sit deeper and invite their opponents to attack them instead of attacking their opponents.
This was very successful in every sense but the fact that was evident was that Roma pressed higher up the pitch, retained possession and adopted a slower tempo to attack the Turin side. Had Roma scored like Bayern early in the game or had they rigorously attacked Juventus giving no time for the team to settle, the result would have been entirely different. This is a major threat as many teams will look to employ the same approach when they face the Bianconeri.
One solution to this is shifting to a similar formation but resort to a 4-1-3-2 and employ Marchisio at the defensive midfield role. Using Chiellini and Lichtsteiner on either flanks while employing Bonucci and Barzagli at the center, not only can the Bianconeri stop the crosses from coming in but also have two men in the center dealing with any crosses that come in.
Employing Marchisio or Asamoah as a defensive midfielder, not only will Juventus succeed in retaining possession but also deal with counter attacks at any point of time. Either of Lichtsteiner and Chiellini can easily stretch the flank one at a time and assist the attack without the need for worrying against a counter attack. Chiellini did excel in this position in Conte’s first season.
Playing Llorente behind Tevez
When teams are playing higher up the pitch with a higher tempo, it is a disadvantage to them as well. If Tevez plays behind Llorente against such teams, he will not pose any problems to the opposing defense. On the other hand, this 3-5-2 may work well if Llorente plays a lot deeper and Tevez pushes further ahead, it is a great strategy.
With Tevez’s pace the likes of Pirlo and Vidal can at any given point of time play a through ball in the ground or in the air regularly not only pushing the opposing defense and their team backwards but also giving an opportunity to Tevez to score. On doing this, the players of the opposing team lose their energy, tracking backward and forward employing a high pressing game.
Football is such a game that once you score against the run of play, the level of adrenalin rises so much that it motivates your team to play a lot better. As long as Juventus continue to push their opponents deeper into their own half, the Bianconeri have no threats from their attack whatsoever.
Off the ball movement
Lichtsteiner’s eye is off the ball, Peluso and Marchisio are no where to be seen while Vidal is idle
The other strategy that needs to be employed in training is the art of moving off the ball. Off the ball movement is not necessary for only the strikers but for the midfielders as well. Every player needs to move in such a way in order to make himself free and help his team mate pass the ball to him.
Even if he is not successful in doing it always, he is always going to keep his marker busy draining a lot of energy out of him. There should be good chemistry to illustrate great short passing or tiki taka football between the players. This comes with confidence on the ball and movement into free positions closer to one’s team mate being on the ball.
A passer as Pirlo should be able to predict the movement of his team mates around him so that he can release the ball earlier in such areas when he is put under extreme pressure. If the present 3-5-2 does not support this formation, then Juventus can always shift to a 4-1-3-2 or a 4-3-1-2 acquiring and fielding the likes of Toni Kroos into the midfield to help keep the ball better and be an added incentive on the creative aspect of the game.
Conclusion
It is clear that Conte is left with no choice but to adopt the 3-5-2 on a long term basis. If he is to shift to any other formation, 4-1-3-2 would be the most ideal retaining players in the center midfield and at the heart of the attack. 9 of his players, including Gigi Buffon, are best suited at the center.
It is foolish to accuse Conte for not being flexible as he has clearly shown tactical diversity over the past two years by fielding 4-3-3 along with the 3-5-2 and adopting various approaches against top teams. Conte is definitely working on the problems with the 3-5-2. As Conte mentioned with respect to Juventus conceding a lot of goals in set pieces that it is more of a problem with focus during the game and not because of lack of tactical preparation. As long as Conte stays with us, we have nothing to fear and the 3rd Champions League trophy is not far away.
