German ‘Mono’ Burgos’ ode to defensive rigidity
German Burgos better known as ‘Mono’ was Diego Simeone’s trusty lieutenant as the Google-glass wearing and rock-band loving taskmaster decided to embark on his own Head Coaching career a few years ago. He has had two stops at Newell’s Old Boys and at Aris Thessaloniki as he has shown a preference for intriguing defensive automatisms and balance. At Atletico Madrid, he was well-known for utilizing his knowledge of English to aid Kieran Trippier’s transition into Spanish football at Atletico Madrid, drilling him on the details of being a fullback capable of shouldering both defensive and attacking responsibilities. There is a preference for young and attacking coaches in modern day football as Burgos is an aberration as some of his ideals on pressing and low block defending are interesting to analyse.
In his first Head Coaching job after working with Diego Simeone, Burgos’ preference for defensive solidity was obvious as he normally utilized a system with five defenders, defending in a 5-4-1 shape while pressing in a 5-2-3. In the photo above, they are in their 5-4-1 low block with tight spaces in between the lines as the ball-far winger has tucked inside. In Burgos’ system, both wingers will tuck inside in defensive situations as the ball-near wide-player is pushing up to engage the man in possession as if the opposition player in possession dribbles into the centre, then the winger will track him into the centre to regain possession as the attacker in the nine-space will also drop deep to force a turnover as Burgos’ side could create a 2v1 situation. If the ball is switched to the midfielder on the opposite flank, the winger will tuck inside to force a turnover as the winger tucking inside, allows the midfielders to maintain their positions in shielding the defence and keeping the spaces in between the lines tight. The wing-backs will also push up to man-mark the opposition wide player to cover for the wide-attackers. The attackers tucking inside also means that when Burgos’ Newell’s Old Boys side force a turnover, their attackers are spaced closer together to work quick connections before playing an early pass for a runner in the channels to surge forward on the break.
In Burgos’ 5-4-1 shape, the ball-near midfielder is covering a passing lane in between the lines while if the opposition attempt a pass into the attacking line, the centre-backs will push up to receive possession while if the opposition attacker manages to drop into space to receive the ball then the centre-backs will push up while the deeper-lying midfielders will drop deep to close down the space to force a turnover. Defensively, Burgos instils a mentality of players covering for each other to close down spaces as this allows his team to adapt to attacking movement as if the ball is switched to the ball-far wide attacker, the wing-back will push up or into a wider position to engage his man while the wide-attacker will drop into space to cover for him while also tracking a runner into the half-space as once the ball is played into the half-space, he can make a block or a tackle. If the ball is played in between the lines, the centre-backs will cover for the midfielders to regain possession.
In some defensive sequences, there are situations where the opposition would be circulating possession in the central zones as one of the midfielders will push up to engage the opposition player in possession. The midfielder will leave a space for the winger to tuck inside to cover the passing lane to the central channels while the wing-back will move to cover the wide channels. If the opposition circulates possession to the opposite flank, the central midfielder will push up as the ball-far winger will tuck into the centre, allowing the ball-far midfielder to move to the opposite flank and cover space behind the midfielder who has pushed up as Burgos; side could force a turnover while maintaining their defensive rigidity as their 5-4-1 shape will turn into a 5-3-2 shape. When Newell’s Old Boys were in the 5-2-3 shape, they had a situation where an opposition attacker dropped in between the lines to create a 3v2 overload in midfield as his centre-back tracked him into the area as the opposition tried to work a deep pass into that area for the striker to move into the space and make a timely interception.
Burgos’ side would have another situation of the striker participating in the defensive phase as the opposition would circulate possession to the ball-far side with the wide attacker pushing up to engage the opposition fullback. As the opposition fullback played a back-pass into the centre, the central midfielder pushed up to engage the man in possession, leaving a solitary midfielder in between the lines as the opposition worked a pass in between the lines. This triggered the defensive line into pushing up while the striker would retreat to close down the opposition player while the solitary midfielder would shift across to cover the space as the opposition player played a pass into the attacking line for a lay-off as the striker regained the interception as Newell’s Old Boys were in a tight and rigid defensive block. Burgos’ side can cover for each other as they adapt phenomenally to attacking situations to force turnovers and regain possession before bursting forward in counter-attacks.
In the above situation, Newell’s Old Boys are in their 5-2-3 medium block which can transition into a high press as it is easier for team to transition from a 5-2-3 press into a 5-4-1 medium block and vice versa. The striker is closing down passing access to the six-space while the two midfielders are behind them, closing down access to the midfield line as the wide attackers are tucked inside, closing down space to the centre while also looking to apply pressure in the wide areas if the ball is moved to the flank. The opposition playing the ball to fullbacks will trigger the wingers into apply pressure on the opposition fullback to force a turnover or a back-pass which will lead to the central striker pushing up to apply pressure as passes to the fullbacks and back-passes were some of Burgos’ pressing triggers.
However, in their medium block to pressing phase, Newell’s Old Boys would look to cover spaces in the centre to win turnovers and break on the counter-attack. In the situation above, if the opposition attempt to play a direct pass in between the lines, the ball-near midfielder and winger will drop into space to close down the area as if the opposition centre-back in possession plays the ball to his partner, the wide attacker will look to close down the passing lane to the midfield line. If the striker pushes up to apply pressure and the midfielder pushes up to close down the six-space, the winger will tuck inside to close down passing access to the midfield line. In a standard pressing situation, the striker will be closing down the six-space forcing the opposition to play the ball into the wide areas for the wide attacker to push up and apply the press as the defensive line shifts to the ball-near flank with the ball-far wide attacker tucking inside. The wing-back will push up to close the space behind the wide-attacker as the ball-near wide centre-back shifts to close down a wide attacker and the central midfielders cover passing lanes in between the lines.
If the opposition circulate possession and work passes in between the lines, the ball-near midfielder will push up to engage with the opposition player who has received possession while if the ball is played into the wide areas and the opposition fullback dribbles the winger tasked with marking him misses the first tackle as the opposition fullback drives the ball inside, the ball-near midfielder will push up to close him down and cover for the attacker. The midfielder will also be engaged if the opposition centre-back is pushing the ball forward as the winger will move to close down the wide areas as once the defender pushes the ball into the midfield line for Newell’s Old Boys’ midfielder to push up and engage the defender, leaving his man-marking responsibility to make a tackle. In situations in the wide areas and central areas, once a player is dribbled, Newell’s Old Boys’ midfielder was tasked with evading his marking responsibility to push up and engage the man in possession to close him down and make a tackle. During the opposition build-up phase, if one of the midfielders drops closer to the centre-backs to create a three-chain, the wingers will not push forward to close him down but the ball-near midfielder will push up to apply pressure on the three-chain next to the strikers in the front line as once the midfielder pushes up, the winger will tuck inside while the ball-far midfielder will cover the space to close down markers in between the lines to make a tackle and regain possession.
At FC Aris, Burgos has interchanged in between 5-4-1 and 4-4-2 defensive shapes before settling on the latter with a continued focus on closing down spaces in between the lines as well as using covering or tracking movements in a rigid zonal block to deny the opposition opportunities from crossing situations. In the above situation, his team are in a 5-4-1 low block as the opposition look to create wide combinations on the flank as the spaces in between the lines are tight while the ball-far winger has tucked inside, closer to the flank with the ball ball-far wing-back closing down the opposition ball-far winger in case of a switch ball. The ball-near wing-back has tucked inside to close down a passing lane towards an opposition attacker positioned in the half-space. The wide attacker is covering the wide zone with the midfield double-pivot closing down the passing lanes as if the opposition manage to work the ball in between the lines, the centre-backs will push up to regain possession while the midfield line drops deep to close the spaces and force a turnover.
If the opposition work a pass into the wide areas, the winger could track the ball engage the player in the wide areas while the fullback covers him with a narrow position, closing the passing lanes to the half-space. There is another situation where the wing-back makes a run into the wide areas as the winger will be tasked with tracking a runner into the half-space to close down passing access to the area while if the ball is played to a runner in the half-space, the winger will be tasked with closing down the space and making a block on a crossing situation. If the wing-back pushes out to engage the man in possession and the ball-near centre-back also makes a movement into the half-space, then the ball-far midfielder will drop into the defensive line as an auxiliary centre-back to cover space while the ball-far winger tucks into the midfield line. If the ball is played back into the centre of the pitch, the midfielder will push out of the defensive line to create a midfield four with the centre-backs and wing-backs moving back into position. If the opposition switch the ball to the weak side, the ball-far wing-back will be tasked with pushing forward to engage the wide player with possession while the winger will shift to the ball-far flank to cover for him as the midfield double-pivot will also shift across to cover the flank. In some situations, if the ball-far midfielder is closer to the ball-far flank, he will move to cover the wing-back while the ball-far winger will tuck inside as an extra midfielder in order to facilitate a transition of defending one flank to defending the other.
If the ball is being switched with shorter passes rather than a more direct switch, the ball-far winger will be moving to cover his flank while the opposition are working possession in the centre. If the ball is moved into the central midfield zone, the ball-near midfielder will be tasked with pushing up to apply pressure on the ball while the wide attacker will move towards the flank to engage the opposition wide player when the ball is played to him. In defensive situations, players are constantly scanning to check the positions of their teammates and to cover passing lanes as this constant scanning allows the defensive shape to adapt to specific situations. For instance, if a wide-attacker is scanning and ascertains that his wing-back has adequate 1v1 coverage on an opposition winger while the opposition are driving the ball into the central spaces or a back-pass is played, the winger will tuck inside to directly engage an opposition player in possession or will make a curved run from the flank to apply pressure and deny him passing access to the flank, forcing the ball long or into the centre where the midfield double-pivot are marking opposition central midfielders.
In Aris’ defensive block, their preparation for defending crossing situations is also very intriguing as the use of covering runs is important but their rigid zonal block across the defensive line to block deliveries in the box at the source in the wide areas or in the box. In the situation above, the opposition are playing a triangular interchange before looking to play a cross into the box as defenders have shifted to the wide areas to close down the delivery as the opposition are looking to work a cross from the half-space. The ball-near centre-back is making a movement towards the ball to block the cross while the two defenders marking the back-post are looking to get goal-side of their markers to block shooting opportunities. As the ball-near centre-back is being drawn into the wide areas, the deepest-lying midfielder is making a run into the centre to cover the space, so he can block the crossing situation. Triangular three-man combinations are very common in modern day football as Aris look to limit these with direct engagement of the player in possession while the midfielders will make covering movements into the half-space to block crosses while also occupying spaces vacated by the centre-back to maintain the zonal block.
In the situation above, Aris have a zonal block which allows them to block crosses into the box while holding a defensive line that makes it more difficult for the opposition attackers to make late runs into the box due to offsides. In the situation above, the opposition drove the ball forward to work a pass into the wide zone as the wide attacker engaged the opposition wide attacker with the wing-back tucking into the half-space to cover as the ball was played into the half-space as an opposition attacker made a run to the near post. A cross was played into the centre of the box as the ball-far centre-back was positioned perfectly as he remained goal-side and make a clearance. With the rigidity of their 4-4-2/5-4-1 defensive shape, closing down spaces in between the lines and looking to deny the opposition passing access to these areas with the midfielders shifting over to the ball-near zone while the ball-far winger tucks inside as the opposition can be forced to play early and low quality crosses into the box as their organized zonal block allows them to defend these situations with ease. In the pictured situation above, the ball-far wing-back is behind his attacker as once deliveries are played into the box, he will move in front of his attacker to make an aerial clearance as there is a focus on defenders occupying a goal-side position against their attackers in the box.
After Aris defend crosses with their midfielders dropping into the box to cover for centre-backs, they are well drilled in pushing out of the box to defend the second delivery and reorganizing quickly to get into shape. Midfielders will push back into the six-space while Aris will look to get pressure on the ball in their defensive shape. Burgos’ side are also well-drilled at closing down the opposition in switching situations which is key to defending crosses. They will maintain constant pressure on the ball in their low block with the winger applying pressure and the wing-back pushing up to cover for him as if the wing-back pushes higher out of position, the ball-near midfielder will shift across to cover his vacated zone while if Aris are operating in a deeper block, the centre-back and defensive line will shift across to cover the space as a midfielder could drop into the defensive line when a centre-back moves out of position or to track a deep runner into the box. Their tight player spacing and covering also allows the Greek side to close down low crosses into the box as the wide-attacker and wing-back are constantly covering for each other while the ball-near midfielder is tracking runs into the half-space as if the opposition play a low cross into the box from the deep half-space area or from the by-line then the midfielder is in the perfect position to make a block or an interception.
Despite their organization and rigidity from defending crosses, Aris have already conceded a goal from a crossing situation this season as it was avoidable. The opposition switched the ball Aris’ left flank as the fullback pushed out to engage the opposition wide attacker with his winger making a covering run behind him. The winger was drawn towards the ball instead of covering his attacker who continued his run to receive possession and cross into the box for the opposition to score a header at the back-post. If Aris’ winger made the covering run as Burgos coaches, then they may have blocked the cross as there was a misunderstanding in the situation. Aris have also conceded from a switching situation in the same game against Panetolikos with the wing-back covering the switch and being beaten in a 1v1 for the opposition attacker to score a shot from the top of the box. These two goals were avoidable for Burgos’ side as despite his influence in coaching low blocks and defensive automatisms, his team can fall prey to human error.
Aris would also operate in a 4-4-2 defensive shape which Burgos is very familiar with due to his stint as Simeone’s assistant coach at Atletico Madrid. The Argentine seems to have settled on this shape during the season while his team can also transition into a higher 4-4-2 press with more fluidity and ease. In the situation above, Aris’ midfielders are denying the centre-backs passing access to the midfield line as the ball has been played into the wide areas as the ball-near winger has been engaged to push forward and apply pressure on the opposition fullback. The ball-near fullback will push forward to close down the opposition winger as the defensive line have shifted to the ball-near side as the ball-near midfielder will push up to apply pressure on the opposition midfielder if he receives the ball. Burgos’ side could work a pressing trap with the ball being played back into the central spaces as the ball-near midfielder and the ball-near striker will close down the space to force a turnover. If the fullback plays a back-pass, this will trigger Aris into moving into a higher press.
If the opposition manage to work a pass to the player in between the lines, the ball-far midfielder will tuck inside with the ball-near centre-back pushing up to regain possession as the ball-near midfielder will make a recovery movement to create a 3v1 situation in between the lines to force a turnover. One of the fascinating nuances of Burgos’ defensive shape and defensive automatisms is that the shape is so compact and the spaces in between the lines are so compact that if an opposition player makes a blind-sided movement behind a midfielder to receive possession, the ball-far midfielder can tuck inside to close down the space while the centre-back pushes up. Players are able to consistently cover for each other in the system, especially in between the central lines to force not only turnovers but back and sideways passes as well.
On the ball-far flank, the ball-far is looking to close down the ball-far fullback in the case of a switch ball while the fullback is tucked inside and marking an opposition attacker in the half-space in order to deny the opposition a numerical superiority in between the lines while Aris are prepared for switching situations. If the ball is played in between the lines to the half-spaces, the fullbacks can push up to regain possession while if opposition players drop deep, the Aris defensive block is so compact that the midfielders and wingers will take responsibility for marking them. There is also an importance of the centre-backs pushing up to close down markers and spaces in between the lines to regain possession and close passing lanes. Aris had a situation where they were in their 4-4-2 medium block as the opposition attacker in the half-space made a deep run with a central attacker dropping deep. The centre-back tracked his marker into the deeper areas as the ball-far centre-back tucked inside as did the ball-far fullback. The opposition worked a pass into the attacker as the centre-back remained touch tight to him, forcing a back-pass as the centre-back then dropped deeper into the defensive line.
In the defensive shape, wingers will tuck into the central spaces to close down switch passes as Aris had a situation where the ball was switched to Aris’ right flank for the winger to provide cover in a 2v2 situation before the ball was switched to the opposite half-space for the winger to tuck inside and pick up a free man. The winger was beaten for the fullback and ball-near midfielder to close down the space and provide cover as the opposition switched the ball to the opposite half-space once more for the ball-far winger to tuck inside and regain possession to start a counter-attack. In Burgos’ 4-4-2 defensive shape, there was an impressive amount of cohesion and coordination with dealing with opposition attacks as there were situations where the opposition would circulate possession to the wide areas with the winger tucked inside, as the fullback would push up to engage the wide player in possession while the defensive block shifts across with the ball-near centre-back providing cover and intercepting passes into the half-space.
Burgos’ side were also organized with defending counter-attacking situations as they looked to isolate the opposition in the wide areas to prevent passes or crosses into the centre as there was a diligence in the way that they would retreat into position and cover for each other. Aris were in a 5v5 counter-attacking situation as the ball-far fullback tracked a marker into the centre as the opposition would work a pass to the right flank. The centre-back would follow his attacker towards the flank to close him down while his fullback would move into the centre-back role to maintain the defensive shape and provide cover as Aris managed to regain possession. In another situation, the opposition would counter-attack from an Aris corner in what could have been a 4v2 situation, but the closest players were rushing back into position to provide cover, especially with two players making runs into the fullback zones to support the centre-backs as the player covering the left-back zone made an interception on a deep pass into the channels to end the counter-attacking situation. Aris had another situation where they were under the threat of a counter-attack during a crossing situation as they did not have the coverage to counter-press with their players holding their positions.
At the beginning of his tenure in Greece, Burgos’ side would not counter-press, instead looking to retreat into their defensive shape after losing the ball. However, as his tenure developed, Aris built a ferocious counter-press, focused on applying immediate pressure on the ball after losing possession to force a turnover or a long pass that their defenders could sweep up. This is another way that the Argentine manager sought to mitigate the effect of counter-attacks as once possession was lost, the player who lost possession would push up to engage the opposition player in possession to lead the counter-pressing phase as if a pass was played backwards or sideways, he would continue the press, pushing forward to close down other players while his teammates close down other passing options in the area to force a long pass. Aris would counter-press within the opposition box to regain possession and deny the opposition the opportunity to build a counter-attacking situation as they would lose possession from crosses and direct passes into the box due to their style of attacking.
Under Burgos, Aris would utilize a higher press in a man-orientated fashion as a 4-4-2 shape as they would also employ a diamond to gain coverage in the pressing phase. They would utilize pressing triggers such as backwards or sideways passes to push up and close down spaces in order to force turnovers or long balls while they would also look to funnel opposition attacks into the wide areas where they will apply pressure with more ferocity to force a pass down the lines, turnover or a back-pass that can lead to the attackers applying pressure on the goalkeeper. Burgos’ side are rigid in the way that they close down spaces in between the central lines as they look to deny the opposition access to players in the central spaces as if the opposition do manage to work passes into the central midfielders, Aris’ midfielders would be triggered into applying pressure to force a back-pass which would lead to a higher and more intense line of pressure.
In the situation above, the opposition have shifted possession into the wide areas which has triggered as the ball-near attacker has moved to close down the space while the winger has also pushed up to press in a 2v1 situation to force a long pass. The fullback has pushed up to provide cover and track the opposition winger into the deeper areas as the ball-near central midfielder has pushed up to close down the opposition’s deeper-lying midfielder. Aris are applying pressure in a man-orientated fashion with a focus on closing down the opposition wide players to force a turnover or long ball in the wide zone as the ball-far striker has tucked inside to mark the ball-far opposition centre-back, the ball-far winger is marking the opposition’s ball-far fullback while the ball-far midfielder has tucked inside towards the ball-near flank to provide cover and mark an opposition attacker. The defensive line has shifted to the ball-near flank as the centre-back has pushed up to sweep up any deep passes into the area.
If the opposition play a back-pass to the goalkeeper, the ball-far striker will lead the pressing phase, applying pressure on the goalkeeper to deny him time on the ball and force a long pass while if the opposition lob a pass into the six-space where they have a free-man, the striker will drop back to regain possession while the midfielder will slide across to regain possession. Burgos’ ideals of players covering for each other in the defensive phase will apply in the pressing phase as if the opposition manage to work a pass down the line and break, the centre-back will move into the wide areas to engage the attacker while the ball-near midfielder will drop into his zone to cover for him while the fullback will also retreat from his higher position to provide support to his teammate.
In their standard 4-4-2 press, the strikers will mark the centre-backs, the wingers will mark the opposition fullbacks while the midfielders will mark the opposition fullbacks. Once an opposition centre-back receives possession, the ball-near striker will push up to apply the press while if he plays the ball to the fullback, the ball-near winger will then push up to apply pressure as if possession is forced to the goalkeeper, both strikers will push up to apply pressure to force the long ball. If a pass is played to the central midfielders, Aris’ central midfielders will be engaged to apply pressure to force a back-pass as once the ball is played to the wide areas then the ball-near fullback will push up as will the ball-near midfielder to cover passing access to the opposition’s ball-near midfielder. Burgos’ Aris would usually switch to a diamond if the opposition were building up in a 2+3 shape with a pivote in midfield as the ball-near midfielder would push up to close him down as if the ball was played to the wide areas then the winger would be engaged to apply pressure. The fullbacks are tasked with closing down deep passes into the half-space which is similar to their role in the medium and low block.
In the pressing phase, Burgos’ side would also consider the distance in between the players as if the distance in between the centre-back and fullback was too wide to cover, and the fullback was maintaining a deeper position, if the ball-near striker did not push up to press his centre-back, Aris would maintain a medium block. This would also be due to the fact that the central midfielders would have been too deep to push up and apply pressure on the opposition midfielders when the striker pushed up to press the centre-backs as Aris would maintain a medium block, closing down the central spaces as the opposition circulate possession before a sideways pass or back-pass would then trigger a higher press from the Greek side. Aris were well drilled at transitioning from their medium block into a higher press as well as transitioning from a press into their medium or low block as if they were pressing in a man-orientated press and were beaten in the pressure phase, the players covering for each other to quickly close down open spaces would mitigate the effects of an opposition attack. In some situations, when Aris were applying pressure in their diamond shape, the attacking midfielder would be closing down the opposition deep-lying midfielder as the ball would be moved to the wide areas while the winger is covering a marker and maintaining a deeper position for the attacking midfielder to shift to close down the opposition player on the flank while the ball-far striker tucks inside to close down the six-space.
In possession, Aris under Burgos preferred to be direct with deep passes and deep runs as they also sought to circulate possession with quick triangular interchanges to attract markers before using blind-sided movement in between the lines for deep passes or to switch the ball to the opposite flank to create crossing situations. In the build-up phase they would circulate possession to attract pressure for deep and direct passes in between the lines or into the channels to create quicker and more fast-paced transitions. At Aris, the Argentine manager saw an improvement in his ideals in possession with coordinated moves, especially to create triangles for circulation with teammates making runs off the ball to create higher quality opportunities as even against lower blocks, Aris would prioritise depth in ball circulation and runs off the ball to establish quick attacking moves.
Aris will regularly switch to a three-chain in the build-up phase in a 3+2 shape or a 3+1 shape with free 8s either side of the six-space as the three-chain and deep-lying midfielder would circulate possession to attract pressure and play a direct pass in between the lines. In their three-chain, the fullbacks would rarely drop into the defensive chain as Burgos preferred to take higher and wider positions as the midfielder would drop into the defensive line to establish the three-chain. This could take place in two sequences as the ball-near midfielder will move outside the two-chain to establish a three-chain to create a numerical superiority against the first-line of pressure with a teammate in midfield tucking inside to the six-space and another player dropping into the eight space to receive a direct pass in between the lines. Or the ball-far midfielder can move outside the centre-backs as the defensive chain will circulate possession to him, allowing him to drive the ball forward and look for a deep pass in between the lines.
In the situation above, Aris have switched to a three-chain with a double-pivot as the right-back has remained deep to receive possession and establish a three-chain as Aris could create space and evade the opposition press in this situation by pushing the right-back forward and having the ball-near midfielder drop into his space which is a build-up sequence that was frequently utilized by Burgos as it allows the fullback to stretch the pitch, disorient opposition pressure as the fullback moving into the wide areas allows a winger to tuck into the eight space to receive a deep pass in between the lines. Aris could re-organize their shape from a 3+2 to a 3+1 with two 8s in midfield as they can circulate possession to the ball-far centre-back to move the line of pressure and work a pass in between the lines. In the tight 3+2 shape in the above situation, Aris would circulate possession in their tight 3+2 shape to attract pressure to play a deep pass to the 9 space for a lay-off and switch pass to the weak side to establish an attacking move.
As Burgos’ side preferred to build-up and circulate possession with quick triangular passing routines before playing deep passes to runners or in between the lines, Aris would utilize staggered player spacing to facilitate transitions as if they played a direct pass into the wide areas for the fullback, an 8 would drop into the half-space to work a one-two to play the ball for the winger who dropped deep to lay-off for the fullback making a run into the half-space to play the ball to a striker in the nine-space who will lay-off for his strike partner or the ball-far 8 who has pushed into the 10 space to facilitate a switch ball to the opposite flank with quick vertical connections. Aris can also work a pass into the wide areas for the fullback to work a quick one-two with the ball-near 8 to drive the ball inside and attempt a pass in between the lines or a pass to the ball-far 8. Aris frequently work passing rotations where they play deep passes to the 8 space or nine-space in build-up for lay-offs as once the ball is played to the eight space, the fullback will overlap, and the winger will drop deep as Burgos side could play triangular vertical connections as a striker moves to the ball-near side to facilitate a switch to the weak side.
Once the ball is played to the flank, the ball-near winger, striker and midfielder will all move into the wide zone to alternate in between the wide zone and half-space in a staggered formation as this allows the ball-far striker to make deep runs off the striker to receive early passes in behind or for Aris to switch the ball to the weak side for a high quality crossing or shooting opportunity. The constant movement of the midfielder moving into the three-chain, creates space for direct passes to the eight space or to the wide areas for the fullback to work combinations with a teammate in the eight space to drive the ball quickly and effectively. In possession, Burgos’ Aris looked to establish width and depth with quick vertical interchanges and intelligent movement into space as Burgos’development in the possession phase from his Newell’s Old Boys tenure to his Aris tenure has been quite impressive.
In the attacking phase, Burgos’ Aris side were coordinated with vertical triangular connections, stretching the pitch through switching the ball as well as deep runs for teammates to be found with deep passes. They utilize blind-sided movement to draw markers out of position for passing interchanges in triangular passing sequences while attackers will regularly drop deep for teammates to make third man runs in behind. They will also utilize triangular passing sequences in the wide areas to create higher quality crossing situations as Burgos’ side attack quickly with verticality and tempo.
In the situation above, Burgos’ side are circulating possession on the right flank with tight triangular player spacing for quick interchanges while they are stretching the pitch for immediate switch passes. The player positioned in the right half-space can move wider, creating space for a direct pass in between the lines to the nine-space for a lay-off to the ball-near central midfielder who will work a pass in between the lines for the ball-far central midfielder who will tuck into the ten space to receive possession. The central midfielder could spread a pass for the ball-far fullback who has made an overlapping run, or he could work a connection with a player in the nine-space to lob a pass to the flank before making a run into the box to get on the end of a crossing opportunity. The midfielder in the half-space can also drop deep to receive possession, dragging his marker out of position for the player in possession to work a pass to the flank as the ball-near midfielder moves into the space vacated by the player in the half-space to receive possession. In this instance, the player in the wide zone will make a movement into the centre after releasing possession for the player in the half-space to make an overlapping run into the wide zone to receive possession as if he cuts inside, the midfielder will make an overlapping run with the fullback making an underlapping run into the half-space. Burgos’ side could work the same sequence with the player in the half-space dropping deep for a direct pass to the fullback who will burst forward, working a pass into the centre or driving a cross into the box.
In the actual situation, the midfielder in the half-space made a double-movement, drop into space before backing into the pocket of space, he created for himself as the player in possession traded passes with the fullback before playing a pass to the ball-near midfielder in the six-space who then played a line-breaking pass for the player in the half-space. To drive the ball forward and play a vertical pass into the ten space as the central midfielder turned and played a pass for the fullback with the midfielder making an underlapping run into the half-space as the fullback switched the ball to the opposite flank for the ball-far fullback to cut inside and score. In possession, Aris would consistently encourage players to drop into space to receive possession while other players would make penetrative third man runs into space to facilitate quick vertical interchanges and the creation of opportunities.
Burgos utilized a predominantly two striker system as the Argentine manager employed fluidity in the nine-space with one striker dropping deep and the striker making a run in behind to receive early passes. In the wide areas, a striker will make a run in behind for his teammate to drop into the ten space or half-space to receive a pass in the centre and play a one-touch pass in behind the striker for a shooting opportunity. Triangular movements and passing sequences around the opposition box are one of Aris’ main avenues for chance creation. In attacking sequences, one of the strikers will drop deep while the ball-far winger will make a vertical run into the central spaces, so he can receive possession in the half-spaces or central spaces to play a cut-back into the centre for a tap in opportunity. The winger can also make a run in behind to receive possession and have a shooting opportunity as Aris created a few high-quality opportunities through this sequence. Burgos’ side could play deep passes in between the lines for a striker to drop deep and the winger to make a vertical run into the centre to quickly transition into the chance creation phase as whenever Aris regained possession, they would look to penetrate with a deep pass in between the lines or with triangular vertical interchanges.
Conclusion
After 2 games in the Greek Super League, conceding 3 goals but with a 0.99 expected goals conceded number, Burgos was sacked for Aris’ loss to Maccabi Tel Aviv in UEFA Conference League Qualifying. In the UEFA Conference League, they played four games and had a 10.19 expected goals number and a 4.37 expected goals conceded number as Burgos deserved more time in the job but such is the unforgiving nature of Greek football. Burgos is a manager who treasures defensive rigidity and balance as Atletico San Luis, Pumas, Club Tijuana and Mazatlan should be good roles for him as Liga MX would suit his balanced style quite well. The Brasiliero Serie A could also be a good landing spot for him as teams like Coritiba, Atletico Goianiense and Ceara would also be strong landing spots for him. His style would also suit La Liga as teams like Cadiz, Getafe and Elche would also be good fits for the Argentine manager as he may also be able to thrive in the Segunda Liga as well. Mono Burgos would also be an intriguing option at National Team level as a coach for a South American or African country. Burgos is certainly a talented coach but will need to find the perfect team to develop his ideas as he is an intelligent educator of defensive transitions.
