Q: Do you think the defensive line know when to shuffle across? There was no cover on Chelsea's right as the right centre back took Havertz.

Not yet. As you will have seen throughout the class, the opposition are building quite easily up to a point where it puts real pressure on the back five and the midfield two, and they are being asked a lot of questions. The right solutions are not quite there yet from the right centre back in terms of when to jump out and when to shuffle across. That will be work in progress on the training pitch, no doubt. There are new players and new combinations in there, and it can be really effective once it clicks. But at the moment, with the volume of decisions they are having to make and the decision process itself, it is not quite working.

Q: Should Lacroix shuffle across to cover Acheampong as Fofana was already on Havertz?

Without the full context of that specific example it is hard to be definitive, but in general he has struggled in terms of when to cover and when to hold his position. Havertz will quite often pin that right centre back, so it comes down to communication while the ball is live and what that defensive structure looks like on the line. Lacroix could have shuffled slightly across if Fofana takes Havertz, but Havertz is really bright. He was finding that position which isolated the counter attack on the left hand side, making good runs himself, and that in turn opened up the counter attacking threat for Tzolis.

Q: Is it easy for the centre backs and goalkeeper to notice that Arsenal went man to man and they need to go long, or does it come from sideline instructions?

This definitely comes from the centre backs and the goalkeeper, and it is actually quite simple to identify. They just need to look at the top line. If they can see it is a man to man setup, the numbers are equal and you know you need to find a way to play long into them. If it is not man to man, there is a spare player somewhere in that top line, and that is where you play out. The patterns will come from there.

Q: Do you think there is residual knowledge of the man to man from Enzo Maresca in this team, and is it affecting how the midfield defend in terms of leaving large gaps?

That is a difficult one to answer, but what you will find is that Alonso is going to have plenty of time on the training ground and you will see improvements. My only concern at the minute is how predictable it has been. It has been heavily reliant on the counter attack with the front three and Neto joining in. Alonso is going to have to find more unpredictability in both his pressing and his playing out.

Questions we couldn't answer as we ran out of time

Q: If Chelsea had better midfield personnel who can create from deep, would it reduce the amount of times Palmer drops out of the block and remove him from being in the last line of defence?

Good point. You want Palmer on the ball, but when he drops deep it also impacts Chelsea's rest defence because he is not going to be part of it. With the wide triangle on the right, the question is how they find the balance between Neto, Palmer at ten, and exploiting the space in behind while maintaining a strong rest defence. I don't think the answer is pushing the right centre back into those positions, whether that's Fofana, Lacroix, or Acheampong. None of them are going to have the attributes to hold the highest line comfortably. In terms of the midfield, you can see Reece James dropping onto the defensive line with Lavia holding the centre of the pitch rather than joining the connections on the right hand side. So I can't see a central midfielder being the pivotal factor in changing what that looks like on the right side of the pitch.

Q: What differences in the relationship do you think White and Timber have with Saka, and how does that translate onto the pitch?

We touched on this one in the class. Both White and Timber have really strong relationships with Saka, and when you throw Havertz and Odegaard into that mix as well, they are going to cause problems down the right hand side. There is very little to choose between White and Timber in that regard. I would say White has a slightly better relationship with Saka, but it is minimal. Very little between them.

Q: How do you think Xabi will balance out the rotation without losing out on quality in the rest defence while also having top quality in the attacking zone?

That is a big challenge for them. He will have time on the training ground to work on it, but if you are using that back five with Neto as the right wing back and you want to create the wide triangles, it has to come from the right centre back. That is going to require some sort of system adjustment, particularly if you want to keep Palmer in that right ten position. You might end up focusing more on the counter-attacking threat than the attacking organisation as a result, but a good manager and a good coach is going to look to improve all phases of the game. That is the challenge Alonso has to solve.

Exactly this Roscoe.

Such a simple practice that is replicated in so many positions and scenarios on the pitch. 

Brilliant for younger players. 

Hi Daniel,

We love that you are finding them useful. 

The link below is the four-against-a-back-four. We don't have the back-five ones in place in this format on the website yet; the upcoming Coaches Pathway will take care of that.

https://tactxcoach.com/programs/manchester-united-high-pressing-performance-problems-collections

These X posts also support your request. https://x.com/Tactx_/status/1734239197953683930?s=20

Thibaut R.

Yes, exactly, Thibaut. 👍🏻

For me it’s less about the starting formation and more about what the opposition actually becomes out of possession and where the spaces appear. Against an aggressive 4-3-3, I think there’s definitely an opportunity for the full-back to roll inside the wide forward’s press. That can give your 10 and wide forward really good options to offer around, while the full-back moving inside can also create the extra player and potential overload in midfield. If they follow him inside, you potentially open the outside. If they don’t, you can find the overload centrally.But again, for me flexibility is key. I wouldn’t want the full-back automatically inverting every time just because we’re playing against a 4-3-3. Sometimes roll inside, sometimes stay outside, sometimes arrive later. Keep changing the picture and asking the opposition different questions.Ultimately, the more predictable our positioning becomes, the easier we are to defend.

I want enough structure to create advantages, but enough flexibility to keep surprising the opposition. 👍🏻