Holding Midfield: Lille: How did the French champions play in 2010/2011?

[Holding Midfield]

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There’s already a lot of articles and analysis of the winners of the Spanish, Italian, English and German leagues, so here is tactical analysis of the French champions, who demonstrated an attractive game under the management of Rudi Garcia – another coach who likes makes notes during the match. Formation Lille played a 4-1-2-3 formation, which due to movement of Eden Hazard, who cut into the zone between the lines, and another wide forward transformed to something like a 4-1-2-1-2. Other key facets of the applied formation: * Holding midfielder (Rio Mavuba) focused on closing the central zone outside the penalty area and covering the positions of central defender. * Central midfielders were the base of the attack’s development and engine of pressing when defending. * The full-backs actively get involved in attack – playing high, like wide forwards, they often reach the byline. Defence 1. How central midfielders press The team tried to meet the attacks of the opponent high up the field (so called high line of confrontation).* Mostly the pressing started in the opponent’s half (fig. 2). Key figures in pressing development were central midfielders Florent Balmont and Yohan Cabaye. The respective centre midfielder (depending on whether [...]

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