Line-Ups
Southampton (SOU): in-possession various structures & out-of-possession 442
Brighton & Hove Albion (BHA): in-possession 343 & out-of-possession 442 (1st half) / 523 (2nd half)
More details on each team's shape, in and out of possession, and general observations below.
Southampton Observations
In-Possession:
In-possession, SOU had various structures, depending on the area of the pitch they had the ball, and players would interchange positions regularly
In their own third, SOU would predominantly build up in a 424 structure - as per the visual example below
Both fullbacks would pull wide towards the touchline and positions themselves on a higher horizontal line than the BHA two centre forwards
Whilst both fullbacks would initially tend to stay slightly deeper in SOU's build up, Walker-Peters looked to be given license to advance higher up the pitch at times - this looked to be a specific tactic of exploiting space on the right flank following Armstong coming infield (further comment on this tactic below)
Ward-Prowse and Diallo would try to play on different horizontal lines to disrupt the two BHA central midfielders - Ward-Prowse would tend to stay central and Diallo would either pull a bit wider left or advance slightly higher up the pitch
However, Ward-Prowse and Diallo could also switch roles which again would help disrupt BHA's central midfielders
Minamino and Armstrong would both initially stay higher to pin the BHA fullbacks back but both had license to come inside too to offer a vertical passing lane from deep, if the situation arose
Armstong was the more likely to come inside of the two wider players, as a) he's suited to finding space and receiving the ball between-the-lines, b) he could draw Burn inside which created space on the right flank for Walker-Peters to advance into and then Vestergaard could play a diagonal switch pass into that area for Walker-Peters to receive in space and c) in SOU's build up phase, Minamino was tending to hold SOU's width on the left flank
Up front, Tella and Adams would be positioned inside the BHA back four but had different roles - Adams would often come short to receive the ball in between-the-lines, either to feet or an aerial pass, and Tella would position himself predominantly between the right back and right-sided centre back and offer runs in-behind the BHA backline
As SOU progressed the ball into the middle third their structure would shift and again, each player had specific roles / areas of the pitch they could / would be positioned in
The visual example below shows the predominant structure SOU would shift into when they had controlled possession in the middle third
Bertrand would regularly hold a deeper infield position to give SOU three at the back which helped overload and draw out BHA's first line of defence (their two centre forwards)
SOU's two central midfielders would also help further overload, and as a result bypass, BHA's first line of defence by making angles to receive passes from the back three in-behind BHA's centre forwards or with one of them pulling slightly wider on the outside of them
Whilst BHA's two central midfielders did at times try to jump up to engage the SOU central midfielders, they were also concerned about leaving too much space in-behind them for the likes of Adams and Armstong to exploit
Adams and Armstong, and at times Minamino, would look to position themselves between-the-lines to receive vertical passes from deep where they could then turn and attack the BHA back four e.g. with a pass in-behind for Tella or utilise an overload situation out wide
All of the aforementioned positions and movements would enable SOU to be brave in possession when BHA got into a high block and try to beat their press by playing through-the-lines using fast, vertical passes
In addition to trying to play these vertical passes through BHA's out-of-possession shape, another key tactic of SOU, in both their build up and middle third possession, was, as previously mentioned, trying to create space / an overload situation for Walker-Peters on the right flank
With Armstong regularly coming infield or short to show for passes from deep, this often drew Burn infield / up the pitch slightly which in turn would create space for Walker-Peters to advance into on the right flank as the spare / free man
SOU would try to find Walker-Peters in these areas with diagonal switch passes, often from Vestergaard or even Ward-Prowse if he had rolled out into a deeper left half-space area - the trigger for this tactic would be if BHA sat off SOU in a mid-block and therefore one of the aforementioned players had time and space to make the pass
This specific tactic also had the benefit of after a few times of it happening it helped draw Trossard (a key attacking player for BHA) deeper defensively to help support Burn which meant in attacking transitions for BHA Trossard had longer distances to cover to help the attack
The two below images show this tactic in real-life - the first image shows how BHA are sitting off SOU which allows Vestergaard time on the ball to look for the pass and highlighted in yellow is Armstong's position infield
In this second image, you can see Walker-Peters position high on the right flank who was Vestergaard's intended pass but on this occasion the execution of the pass failed as it ended up with Burn who decided to drop to cover Walker-Peters as Dunk had already jumped out of position to follow Adams who had dropped short in the space behind the BHA midfielders
Whilst the initial intention of this pass did not come off, from this position SOU were in good shape to compete for the second ball (using their counter press tactics)
Due to Armstong and Adams initial positions between-the-lines, and Walker-Peters high position, the three are in close proximity to harry Burn following his heavy touch and win-back possession for SOU where from this situation they combined to create a shooting opportunity for Armstong which was saved
Another observation of SOU in controlled, middle-third possession was Minamino initially holding the width on the left flank but then coming infield to either receive the ball to feet between-the-lines (like Adams and Armstong would do) or as a decoy run to draw Veltman infield and then Tella making a run out into the vacated left channel for passes over the top
As SOU progressed possession into the final third, their structure would shift again and transition into more of a 235 shape (see visual example below) - with Minamino predominantly coming infield which created space wide left for Bertrand to advance into and Armstong dropping slightly deeper into right half-space areas where he could find more time and space on the ball to make passes and crosses into the box
Within this 235 final third structure, SOU would still execute a number of positional interchanges
Armstong and Walker-Peters would often rotate positions as to who was widest right, on the occasions when Walker-Peters was playing in a more inside right position he would look to make runs in-between Dunk and Burn for passes from Armstong
Whilst Tella would predominantly look to position himself in-between BHA backline, mainly in the space between Veltman and White, he could also at times interchange with Minamino and Adams with the three being quite fluid to try and disrupt the BHA backline and midfield
In the 2nd half, as SOU were a goal down and also as BHA had changed their out-of-possession shape, SOU made substitutes around 65 minutes (Redmond on for Minamino and Djenepo for Tella) and tweaked their final third attacking structure
Whilst this structure was still similar to their 235 shape, SOU tried to exploit the wide areas more with Redmond and Walker-Peters holding the width, Armstong and Djenepo occupying the advanced half-spaces and Bertrand and Ward-Prowse supporting the deeper half-spaces - see visual example below
These tweaks allowed SOU to commit more bodies forward in attack in an attempt to find an equaliser and also tried to find / exploit the space around BHA's out-of-possession shape - as they switched to 523 without the ball, there was more space in wider areas, so SOU tried to create overload situations
Whilst ultimately SOU failed to find an equaliser, eventually losing the game 2-1, throughout the game they had various attacking tactics to try and play through, over and around BHA's out-of-possession shape(s)
Out-of-Possession:
Out-of-possession SOU got into a compact 442 shape
In a high block, SOU's wide midfielders, Minamino and Armstong would come infield to help press centrally with Adams and Tella, one central midfielder, usually Diallo, would jump up to cover a BHA central midfielder (SOU front four would try to cover shadow the other central midfielder) and the other central midfielder would cover deeper, in addition to this SOU fullbacks would jump up if BHA progressed the ball up via the flanks
SOU would try to remain compact as a unit, both vertically and horizontally, and try to squeeze the areas where BHA had the ball to prevent them from progressing
Therefore, if BHA could get through this press, then BHA could often get an overload on one side of the pitch as a result of the whole team shifting over to one side of the pitch to press
In a mid and low block, SOU would get into a compact 442 with both centre forwards dropping
SOU would prioritise blocking the centre of the pitch and the whole team would work hard to get back into shape and all cover a lot of ground, shifting across the pitch together as a unit to help squeeze wherever the ball was
Visual examples of SOU's out-of-possession shape is shown in BHA's in-possession section
Brighton & Hove Albion Observations
In-Possession:
In-possession, BHA played different variations of 343 in the 1st and 2nd halves
In the 1st half, with the ball, BHA set up as per the structure in the below visual in their build up play
BHA would have a back three, with a double pivot of Lallana and Bissouma, Grob and Burn as wingbacks, Trossard and Maupay in the half-spaces and Welbeck leading the line as a central forward (or traditional 'number 9')
BHA were comfortable trying to play out from the back, as a) they have players used to playing that way - including the goalkeeper and b) they could create numerical overloads not only with their three centre backs and double pivot but also by using either their goalkeeper or having one of the wingbacks drop short to offer a passing angle
BHA tried to exploit SOU's high pressing structure by circulating the ball centrally between their goalkeeper, back three and double pivot to invite the SOU central press before trying to find a pass out wide to a BHA wingback in space which would consequently draw out a SOU fullback to go and engage and then in turn BHA would try to exploit that vacated space (where the SOU fullback had left) by using a run from deep of Trossard or Maupay
In addition to this, BHA would also try to build up play on one side of the pitch to draw the whole SOU team up and over as a unit and then trying to exploit the SOU weak side with a switch to the free man on the other side of the pitch
This would often involve BHA working the ball up their left-hand-side via Burn and then switching the play to Grob on the right flank who would be in space due to SOU trying to squeeze the left-hand-side of the pitch where BHA were building up their possession
Another tactic BHA used when they had possession in their own third was pushing Burn higher up on the right flank and playing longer, aerial passes towards him where he could try to use his aerial advantage over Walker-Peters and then BHA could compete for second balls higher up the pitch
When BHA had progressed the ball up the pitch, they would maintain their 343 shape with each player having specific roles and movements to help the team attack
White and Dunk would be BHA's deepest players and whilst Veltman would also make up the back three, when BHA had sustained possession in the final 3rd he would advance higher into the right half-space to help support attacks
Bissouma would tend to back up BHA's attack and remain their most central player, always offering a passing option either inside or backwards to help BHA maintain possession and sustain their attacks
Lallana would often advance from the double pivot to try and combine with BHA's forward players, due to his ability to receive and make passes in tight areas, Lallana would have license to get into central areas between-the-lines
Grob and Burn would maintain BHA's width, with both willing to run towards the byline but both also tasked with at times holding a slightly deeper position out wide to try and draw out the SOU fullbacks so that then this vacated space could be exploited by Trossard or Maupay making runs in-to-out from the half-spaces
In addition to attacking the spaces in-behind where SOU fullbacks vacated, Maupay and Trossard would also position themselves in the pockets of space between the SOU defensive and midfield lines to receive passes through-the-lines where they could then try and make a further pass forward or out wide, dribble or shoot
Welbeck would occupy the SOU centre backs and make runs in-behind and drop short at times, to receive to feet and try to play quick combinations with Trossard, Maupay or Lallana who would be making forward runs towards the SOU backline
Whilst in the 1st half, BHA's build up, middle third and final third tactics did help create chances, as SOU were so compact, the most joy they had was working the ball down one side of the pitch and then switching to the free man on the opposite side
Due to an injury at half-time BHA were forced into a substitution and swapped Burn for Zeqiri, in addition to this, they also made some tactical tweaks to their shape in and out-of-possession
In-possession, whilst BHA maintained a 343 shape, the differences were that the back three changed roles so White became the right-sided centre back, Dunk in the middle and Veltman left-sided centre back
The midfield remained the same with Lallana and Bissouma as the double pivot and Grob and Zeqiri (Burn's replacement) as the wingbacks
The other tactical tweak was the forward line - instead of Welbeck leading the line and Maupay and Trossard in the half-spaces, Trossard instead played more central, slightly behind Welbeck and Maupay who would each take up positions between the SOU fullbacks and centre backs
Below is a visual example of BHA's tweaked in-possession shape in the 2nd half
There were a number of benefits of these subtle, in-possession tactical tweaks - all which were evident in the 2nd, and eventual winning, goal
(These tactical tweaks also helped BHA without the ball too, more detail on this in the Out-of-Possession section below)
The benefits of these in-possession tactical tweaks were;
as Veltman was playing on the left-hand-side of the back three as a right-footed player, he could open up new passing angles into BHA's double pivot by naturally looking inside for forward passes, helping BHA bypass SOU's first line of defence,
due to Trossard's new central position between-the-lines, he would give SOU's central midfielders new problems to deal with as a) they would need to be mindful of not allowing any passing angles into him - impacting on their positioning and b) it would give them a decision to make as to whether to go and press the BHA double pivot and potentially leave large areas of space for Trossard to exploit or stay in position and potentially allow BHA's double pivot more time and space on the ball, and,
the new positioning of Welbeck and Maupay gave the SOU centre backs new problems to deal with, such as a) deciding whether to go and engage Trossard if free between-the-lines and therefore potentially leaving a gap in the backline for a run in-behind and b) maintaining a close distance between them, as their focus would partly be on their outside shoulders (due to the positioning of Welbeck and Maupay between them and the fullback) they could get drawn apart and this could create a space between them which could be exploited from a deeper runner in-behind e.g. Trossard
As mentioned, all of the above was demonstrated in BHA's 2nd, and ultimate winning, goal - see images below
In the first image below, the red lines depict SOU's 442 out-of-possession shape and circled in yellow is 1) Lallana in space in central midfield and 2) Trossard in his central position between-the-lines
Due to Trossard's position, Diallo decides to stay deep and block any passing lanes into Trossard and therefore not to go and engage Lallana who is free, presumably as he thinks SOU's more advanced players are either in good positions to block out such passes and/or ready to execute their high press - notice how Tella has already set off, ready to go and press the expected backwards pass from Veltman towards Dunk
However, Veltman is able to find and execute a tight pass through-the-lines into Lallana - a benefit of him playing as the left-sided centre back - and this pass consequently takes out four SOU players from the game and leaves BHA in a good position to attack
In the second image below, you can now see Welbeck and Maupay's positions between the SOU centre backs and fullbacks, plus, Trossard positioning himself between the centre backs to exploit the space in-between - here Lallana has a simple pass into Welbeck's feet
Welbeck then lays a first-time pass into Trossard who's touch takes him into the box where he shoots and scores - see final image below
Whilst it may be a stretch to assume all of these tactical tweaks were intended to work out exactly as they did for the goal - they all helped contribute and cause disruption in SOU's out-of-possession shape which would have been an intention - plus, the goal was scored in the 56th minute so very soon after half-time when SOU were still adjusting to BHA's new structure in-possession
The biggest assumption (granted) is Veltman's shift to left-sided centre back and whether the primary intention for this was that with him playing on the opposite side it would help BHA find passing angles inside or whether this was just a consequence of him playing on the opposite side (as both White and Dunk are right footed too)
However, the TV cameras did capture Potter clearly praising Veltman following the goal for his pass into Lallana so whilst it may have just been credit for an off-the-cuff spontaneous pass, I'd like to give BHA and Graham Potter the benefit of the doubt due to the actions that followed which were undoubtedly intentional e.g. the forward line's change of positions, that disrupted both SOU's midfield and defence
For the remainder of the 2nd half, as SOU were trailing and had the majority of possession, BHA predominantly tried to attack via attacking transitions from their 523 mid and low block out-of-possession shape
In attacking transitions, both wingbacks would get up quickly to support the three forwards whilst the back-three and double pivot stayed behind the ball to maintain a balanced shape and deny SOU too much space to attack in the event of a turnover
As will be detailed in the BHA out-of-possession below, the tactical tweaks at half-time also meant that Trossard had a different defensive role in the 2nd half and was not required to constantly drop into a wide defensive role when BHA were without the ball
BHA used a five at the back out-of-possession in the 2nd half with both wingbacks (Grob and Zeqiri) dropping either side of the back-three - this meant BHA could keep their three forwards higher up the pitch so in better positions to counterattack following turnovers
In summary, whilst BHA's in-possession tactics in the 1st half were causing SOU problems, their proactive tweaks at half-time helped find better solutions in the 2nd half which ultimately helped contribute to their winning goal
Out-of-Possession:
In the 1st half, without the ball, BHA got into a 442 shape
BHA would aim to press high when SOU played out from goal kicks and on backwards passes from the defence to the goalkeeper but predominantly got into a mid-block shape
As SOU progressed the ball upfield, Maupay would drop slightly onto SOU central midfielders so BHA would resemble more of a 4411 shape
The biggest issues for BHA without the ball in the 1st half were - 1) SOU getting an overload on the right flank with Walker-Peters pushing high and Armstrong coming infield leaving Burn in 2v1 situations and 2) Trossard getting pulled too deep defensively and therefore a) reducing his threat in attacking transitions, as too much ground to cover, and b) generally negating his attacking threat / focus as he had key defensive responsibilities
SOU's attacking movements and interchanges resulted in them regularly getting five forwards against BHA's backline of four and therefore having an numerical advantage
See previously used visual below as an example
However, as explained above, in the 2nd half, BHA switched their out-of-possession shape to a 523 - see visual example below
Above you can see how BHA's now back five could better cope with SOU's attacking structure as the wingbacks, who dropped on the outside of the back three, could deal with SOU's player out wide, the back three could stay narrower which therefore reduced the spaces between them and also allowed the wide centre backs more confidence in jumping out to any SOU players between-the-lines in the half-spaces
This tweak of three forwards as the first line of defence also helped BHA a) engage the SOU defenders and midfielders on the ball more and b) put the BHA forwards in more advanced positions for attacking transitions - easier to attack the spaces on the outside of the SOU centre backs following turnovers as less distance to cover
One other benefit of the BHA 523 shape was that the wide centre backs were comfortable covering the spaces out wide in defensive transitions e.g. when SOU won turnovers, they would look to exploit the spaces behind the BHA wingbacks (as they were attacking higher up the pitch) but in White and Veltman, BHA had two defenders comfortable covering / defending out in wide areas
Plus, BHA still had cover in the middle if they were beaten with Dunk and the opposite wide centre back
In the last 15 minutes of the game, as SOU began to build more pressure on the BHA defence, BHA substituted Welbeck off for another midfielder (Propper) and became a 532 without the ball to help cope with the additional bodies SOU were committing forward
BHA's tactical tweaks at half-time were doubly beneficial - as they not only managed to help contribute to the ultimate winning goal but they also found a solution to the problems they were facing without the ball in the 1st half
Result
Half-Time = 1-1
Full-Time = 1-2
Thank you for reading.
Images used in this piece were obtained from the official Southampton and Brighton & Hove Albion FC YouTube channels.
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