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3) 4-4-2 isn’t dead after all
Despite PSG ditching the system that worked so well for them in the latter part of Ancelotti’s reign in favour of a 4-3-3, this much-maligned tactical plan is alive and kicking on the fields of France. Claudio Ranieri’s Monaco have become its most celebrated exponents this season – though Lyon has also used it in recent weeks – despite beginning the campaign in a more vogue-ish 4-2-3-1.
It appeared to be an unlikely prospect at the Stade Louis II when young wingers Lucas Ocampos and Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco were in such sparkling form in the season’s opening weeks, but the pair haven’t started since the draw with Evian in early November. The following week’s win at Nantes saw Ranieri adopt a milieu en losange– or midfield diamond.
He had the ideal anchor for it in Jérémy Toulalan, with James Rodriguez perfectly suited to the number 10 role, making an impressive 2.9 key passes per game as well as 7 assists to date. The pair are Monaco’s top two performers on WhoScored, and it is little coincidence that all of James’ three goals have been scored since the switch. Flanking them, both Mounir Obbadi and João Moutinho are adaptable enough to cover the inside channels.
The only question for Monaco is whether they stick with the diamond when Radamel Falcao returns. Emmanuel Rivière (8 goals in 10 starts) and the teenager Anthony Martial have thrived, but El Tigre started just one match in the system, at Nantes – and was withdrawn after his lowest-rating match of the season (5.5).
4) Two playmakers can play together
Another attribute of the midfield diamond is allowing more central players freedom to express themselves. This has certainly been the case at Lyon since their own move to this system, with Clément Grenier and Yoann Gourcuff proving they can thrive together in the same team.
For a long time, many at Lyon doubted that this could be the case, and it was this thinking that strongly influenced the August 2011 sale of Miralem Pjanic to Roma. Last season, coach Remi Garde wasn’t often required to consider the possibility; Gourcuff has frequently been injured since arriving at the Gerland in 2010, and started only 15 Ligue 1 matches in 2012/13.
Those physical frailties haven’t totally gone away, but Gourcuff has been productive when he has played this season. In 8 league starts, he has scored twice and created another 5. Only PSG’s Lucas Moura creates anywhere near as frequently in the division, with 5 assists (and 3 goals) in 9 starts.
The real satisfaction for Garde is that Gourcuff and Grenier are dovetailing effectively. To incorporate them both in the final stanza of last season, the coach shoehorned Gourcuff into an unfamiliar position on the left, but both players now patrol central areas. It works, with Gourcuff assisting 2 of Grenier’s 3 goals so far, most notably the latter’s sensational strike at Lorient on Sunday. If the pair can continue their current success, Lyon may yet make a meaningful contribution to this Ligue 1 season.
