Ono & Ruzzles,
The 3 in th back is designed to provide wide cover for the flying wing backs. When you try to stifle the outlet (Dinho yesterday) the space has already been created for Silva and KDB (in yesterday's team) to come back in the channel and pick it up. We did it numerous times when they pushed up on Dinho.
When one of the back three plays into Dinho and he is pressured, he simply plays the ball back where it came from or to one of the wider centre backs. When Silva or KDB sees this happen, they come short for the ball to relieve the pressure. If their midfielder comes with them, then the ball goes to the other side OR you spray the ball over to the flying wing back.
Any attempt to suppress all of that movement creates spaces and holes all over the field. The reason for the sideline hugging fullbacks is to create the space that is needed for all this to work. And, if all else fails, you send the ball up to the retreating centre forward (which Sergio is improving at in leaps and bounds) and then he lays it off to the now advancing Silva or KDB, or sprays it wide. He didn't manage to pull off the dink around the corner too often yesterday, but it was there to see if you watched how it developed.
Pep's entire game plan is exploitation of the space left by the "non-normal" movement of players. In the 3/5/2, this means stretching their midfield as widely across the field in the oppositions half to provide the creative midfielders and two forwards the room they need to play and create...be in the ball into the slot, or with one dropping back into the supporting role to pick up the payoff and/or make the second run. Within that system is the constant rotation of go, and come back, and go again. This is what makes marking our players so difficult and why teams are forced to collapse in on themselves...hence the need to have the highest quality wing backs who can play that killer ball into the box.
The problem, of course, is that if the build up is slow and plodding (half a dozen short passes across the back three before it goes forward), then we allow the opposition to collapse into their shape and nullify the prime objective of exploiting the space they have left as they moved forward. This highlights the need for speed on the break, which we most definitely possess, but which we don't always exploit to the fullest. Unfortunately, it might require almost superhuman athletic abilities to pull this off in the high press defensive game we are playing, because the level of speed/exertion needed over such a long period, which is why a phalanx of ready replacements is needed on the bench. Thankfully, we have that in spades in almost every position now.
I have to agree with Ruzzles, though, that inverted fullbacks was Pep's method of solidifying the midfield while letting the midfielders and wingers (Sterling & Sane) provide the width last season, with Silva and KDB playing the withdrawn second striker role with Yaya on the pivot. These are two vastly different ways of playing. One is 5/3/2 & 3/5/2-3/3/4, the other is 4/3/3 & 2/2/3/3, on defence and attack, respectively. As you can see, the first system, with 3 at the back, gives us greater flexibility IF (and only IF) we have the flying full backs who are able to get all the way back and forwards. Anoer thing the high press in midfield does is allow that the time to happen when we lose the ball, with a covering centre back on whichever side we are being counter attacked.
The future is exciting. The future is Blue!
