In this article, the tactics of Palmeiras under Abel Ferreira, who are currently the second of the league with two games to play and the finalist of CONMEBOL Libertadores, are going to be analysed in detail.
In Possession
In possession, the Portuguese manager has integrated the concept of positional play in the Brazilian team. No matter whether he plays with the back three or back four, the system in possession will be modified to the 3-1-4-2 shape, which consists of the diamond shape at the back with two high and wide wingers and four attackers in the middle.
Unlike other clubs in South America, the players are positioned on the pitch with good balance and there are not so many movements to leave their positions.
Build up
When they play out from the back, playing through the middle and finding the target player up front is their main objective.
The illustration below shows how they played out from the back against Fluminense.
Against the opposition man oriented high pressing, the striker Vitor Roque and the left winger Ramón Sosa swapped each position in the flank and Roque received the ball from the left fullback Joaquín Piquerez. Eventually, he got fouled and the team successfully progressed into the opposition half. His physicality is so good that he can hold up and create time, which is effective and important against man-to-man pressing.
The example below illustrates the similar pattern of play, which resulted in the goal against Flamengo.
This time, Roque flicked the ball in behind and Sosa made the run forward to beat the opposition back line.
Another option to beat the opposition high pressing is to find a spare player in between the lines.
In the illustration above, Raphael Veiga, who played as one of the front two in this game against Vitoria, received the split pass from the right centre back Bruno Fuchs. The tendency of Palmeiras to play through the middle will be kept to be discussed in this article, so now the focus is on the split pass from Fuchs.
He can be played as a centre back or right fullback, but anyway as the team turns the shape into the back three, it is possible to say that he is the right centre back of the back three in possession. His awareness to find a spare player in between the lines and accurately pass the ball into the free teammate is the reason why Abel Ferreira can stick to play through the middle.
Positional Structure
In the middle third, their system usually becomes the 3-1-4-2 as mentioned.
In the illustration above, although the team’s defensive system is the 4-4-2, the defensive midfielder Emiliano Martínez drops into the back line to create the back three shape. This can let Fuchs or another centre back get involved more in build up play.
In addition to this, there are rotations in wide areas. In the example above, there is a rotation on the right as the right fullback Khellven moves higher and the right winger Maurício comes inside. On the other flank, the left winger Sosa stays wide and Piquerez positions himself deeper or bit inside. This kind of difference can be seen in their game, but as a main principle, there are two players wide and deep.
Mainly, the back three and the pivot are composed of two centre backs and two defensive midfielders, two wingers come inside to play like the attacking midfielders and the fullbacks move higher to play as the wingers. This is so much positional play.
From the 3-1-4-2 shape, there is an automatic movement, which is illustrated below.
Thanks to the player staying wide and high, the gap between the wide player and centre back is often open. And most Brazilian teams get the winger to drop back if the opposition fullback moves higher, so like the illustration above, when Piquerez went higher, there was space for Felipe Anderson to exploit by drifting outside.
This movement is not only for the inside wingers but for all four attackers in the middle.
This is the goal against Vasco da Gama, and here, instead of the inside winger, one of the front two, José Manuel López dropped into the outside pocket and played in behind to find Roque who eventually beat the opposition goalkeeper.
In case when the opposition winger doesn’t follow the fullback moving higher, the outside pocket is not open, but the option to play in behind will be available.
Here, the opposition winger didn’t track Piquerez’s movement, but the opposition fullback stuck to Sosa coming inside. Therefore, Murilo Cerqueira simply played in behind and Piquerez exploited the space there.
Final Third Attacking
In the final third, the main option is still playing through the middle.
Similar to what was discussed in the previous chapters, they tried to play through the middle by linking up the four attackers inside, and as the opposition closed the middle, Sosa played outside and Piquerez delivered a cross.
But mainly, they tend to be more simple and direct with long balls from the back.
The back three or the pivot often play long and diagonally to make something happen. Not only the physical striker Roque, other attackers can be targeted and by securing the second ball around the box, they want to create chances.
However, this can not only be too random or hopeless, but also generate the opposition counterattack opportunities.
As there is only a single pivot in the middle and both fullbacks are often high, after losing the second ball, there will be so much space for the opposition to exploit.
Like the illustration above, the space around Andreas Pereira is extremely open and the space behind Piquerez is also available for the opposition.
Even with the positional structure, they seem to rely on Roque and López in the final third too much and are not organised as detailed as European positional play teams.
Out of Possession
Without the ball, they press high really aggressively and there is a mix of positional structure and man oriented element.
High Pressing
Their main system out of possession is the 4-4-2, but it is often tweaked to the 4-1-3-2 or 4-Diamond-2.
This is the pressing structure against Flamengo. Instead of just pressing with man-to-man, their positional structure is there. The defensive midfielders shift into the vertical relationship as well as in possession and the wingers stay narrow. Then, they force the opposition to play outside and lock them in.
However, with the base of zonal pressing, the wingers are responsible for the opposition fullbacks like other typical South American clubs. Thus, if the opposition fullback steps higher, the winger is willing to drop into the back like.
This shows clearly that the left winger Anderson marks the opposition fullback and the left fullback Piquerez keeps tracking the opposition winger coming inside.
In another situation, the left winger Sosa initially stayed narrow, but as soon as the opposition centre back played into the right back in an advanced area, he dropped to press on the ball and Piquerez stayed in his position.
This element of man oriented defending can enable them to keep intense pressure on the ball and is one of the strengths of Palmeiras.
Abel Ferreira, the Portuguese manager, combined the strength of South American and European football. He proved the tactics can help the players effectively both in and out of possession. In his sixth season, Palmeiras are one of the most tactically sophisticated teams in South America.
