Is the sweeper set for a return to prominence?
Jonathan Wilson recently wrote in his excellent ‘The Question’ series about the possibility of the return of the sweeper to football. The sweeper prospered as the ’spare man’ in a three-man central defence up against a two-man attack, so now we have two-man central defences up against one-man attacks, should one centre-back not become a sweeper?
Matthias Sammer, a classic sweeper
The idea is music to the ears of anyone who fondly remembers Euro 96. The player of the tournament was Matthias Sammer, the sweeper in the German 3-4-1-2 system that went onto win the tournament. As well as being the most important player in defence, clearing up behind the two markers, he also had license to go forward and launch attacks, and found himself scoring (in open play) on more than one occasion.
Perhaps the German success at Euro 96 was what sparked the brief mid-late 90s obsession with three-man defences in England, but they are currently a thing of the past across most of Europe, and certainly in the Premiership.
So, against a lone striker, one of the centre-backs in theory has a license to attack. This has been the case at Arsenal this season, where William Gallas and Thomas Vermaelen often charge forward. It was also demonstrated in the first leg of the Bayern Munich v Manchester United tie, where centre-back Martin Demichelis stepped forward into the midfield. Sir Alex Ferguson’s introduction of Dimitar Berbatov was thought by some to be primarily to prevent the Argentine doing so.
But the reality is that it is suicidal to leave your defence equipped with just one centre-back (see Vermaelen’s error in Arsenal’s defeat to Manchester United earlier this year), particularly if the opposing striker is faster than him and able to move wide before outpacing his marker to the ball. Considering how popular one-striker formations are today, it is still extremely rare to see a centre-back constantly looking to power forward to bolster the midfield – it is simply too risky.
And so it is likely that the equivalent of a sweeper in future years will be a defensive midfielder dropping into the backline – with the centre-backs moving wide – rather than a centre-back pushing forward into the midfield. On this site, we have referred to this player as a centre-half (see Carsten Ramelow at Bayer Leverkusen, for example), such is the similarity in its nature to the ‘original’ centre-half, who permanently moved from the centre of midfield to the centre of defence.
The advantages? It widens the active playing area at both ends of the pitch, making it easier to keep possession, and tougher for the opposition to cover the space. It also creates a difficult situation for the opposition in terms of picking up players.
There are two interesting modern examples of this in action – and tellingly, they involve the best club side in the world, and (possibly) the best international side in the world.
Barcelona have played a system for the past two seasons where the deepest midfield player (either Yaya Toure or Sergio Busquets) drops into the centre of defence, with the centre-backs, Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol, spreading into extremely wide positions whilst Barcelona are in possession, almost on the touchlines. This allows Dani Alves and Eric Abidal/Maxwell, the full-backs, to bomb forward without fear of leaving the defence completely exposed.
Similarly, Brazil’s shape sees Gilberto Silva dropping into the defence (either in the centre of the two centre-backs, or to the right), allowing Maicon and Michel Bastos forward.
How a four-man defence evolves into a three-man defence
This diagram on the right shows how a switch from a four to a three-man defence when in possession can outwit the opposition. The problem with attacking full-backs at the moment is that they are never completely free to attack, they are always concerned about their defensive responsibilities, especially with the tendency for sides to deploy their most creative players as wingers. With a more reliable three-man defence, they can get to the opposition byline without leaving a huge hole at the back.
A big part of the switch is the role of the wide players on the Yellow side. Rather than stay wide (which would hamper the ability of the full-backs to get forward), they narrow and become almost a conventional front three. This has the effect of narrowing the opposition defence, as their natural markers (the White full-backs) follow them into the centre.
Of course, this opens up a huge amount of space on the flanks, which the full-backs can exploit. This presents a further problem for the Whites, as their wide midfield players are suddenly charged with almost a solely defensive job. If the Yellow full-backs get to the byline and the White wide midfielders track them all the way, the Whites will end up with something approaching a flat back six.
Furthermore, the evolved shape makes it relatively easy for the Yellows to keep possession – the three defenders and holding midfielder should be able to play their way around the two White strikers at the back.
So the advantages can be summarized as:
a) It allows the full-backs freedom to join the attack knowing the defence is covered
b) It makes keeping possession in defence easier
c) It stretches the play high up the pitch
d) If the opposition are playing creative players in wide areas, the centre-backs will be in a position to pick them up immediately.
e) It results in a system with three central forwards, an obvious goal threat
f) The opposition will be confused about who to pick up in wide areas
So, in theory, this system should work extremely well against a two-man attack, although it might face similar problems as the traditional three-man defence against one-man/three-man attacks. But the difference comes because the traditional three-man defence is a completely different system to the traditional four-man defence, which necessitates a different way of defending, and most likely a different selection of players. These shifts, as shown here by Brazil and Barcelona, are more flexible, and happen within games, rather than them lining up specifically like this. The system doesn’t have to shift against one- or three-man attacks, and therefore is free to adapt into a three-man defence when required, and stay as a four-man defence when that is more appropriate.
Alex Song, a future centre-half?
So what qualities would this modern sweeper, or modern centre-half, need? They would have to be a good reader of the game, an excellent passer (especially over long distances), a decent tackler and competent in the air, so they were not targeted when up against a tall striker. In other words, exactly the same as the old-style sweeper, and it is no coincidence that many of the more prominent examples of sweepers – Sammer, Lothar Matthuas, Ruud Gullit – were central midfielders earlier in their career.
Perhaps the most convincing case for their imminent reintroduction is the fact that most top Premiership clubs already have players who match the above description. Arsenal have Alex Song, Manchester United have Michael Carrick, Chelsea have Jon Obi Mikel, Manchester City have Gareth Barry or Vincent Kompany, Tottenham have Tom Huddlestone – all of whom would be comfortable dropping back to allow the full-backs to venture forward.
Of course, you also need certain types of players in other positions on the pitch. Your centre-backs must be good on the ball, your full-backs must have both pace and stamina, and your wide players must be comfortable drifting into the centre. Not all top-level clubs can boast these players, but football is certainly heading this way on all three counts.
If Brazil use this system on their way to winning the World Cup, expect it to feature more and more across European football in the next few years.
Is the sweeper set for a return to prominence?
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[...] Jonathan Wilson recently wrote in his excellent ‘The Question’ series about the possibility of the return of the sweeper to football. The sweeper prospered as the ’spare man’ in a three-man central defence up against a two-man attack, so now we have two-man central defences up against one-man attacks, should one centre-back not become a [...] Zonal Marking [...]
Someone told me they read Ruud Krol talking about the dutch 4-3-3 and total football.
All defenders had license to go forward. For example, if he did an overlap on the left, rather than running back 90 metres, he stayed in the left of the front 3 for a short while, the left forward moved to left midfield and left midfield to left back. Eventually Krol would move back to midfield, then defense, so he had time to recover and not lose too much energy, so he was ready to make those runs again and more often.
Obviously you need tactically aware and technically flexible players in all positions to facilitate this. I guess why they called it total football as all players could play with the ball and defend and fill in for 2 or 3 positions.
I’ve played with a team who start with 3-5-2 and IMHO you need 2 very fit and tireless ‘wing-backs’ (the wide men of the midfield 5) to do this well, otherwise you get exposed by teams who attack down the flanks. In this system 2 of the 3 defenders mark and the other is a sweeper.
Nice article. I used to play sweeper at school. I enjoyed the moving diagram. I don’t think it’s called the Premiership any more though…
Also I think you have slightly underestimated the role of the wing-backs in this. It’s such a difficult position to play (well) and to accommodate a sweeper you need two good ones. They come as a three or not at all.
Nice article. Love the animation, makes the point really clear.
However surely this diagram should be skewed to one of the sides through which the ball is moved? It would be correct only if the ball is moved through the center but then one of the white forwards will be retrieved to balance the center?
Very good read, makes a nice change from the match analyses once in a while.
I think the title’s slightly misleading in that you’re not actually suggesting that the sweeper could make a return, but rather the centre half (which you even said yourself). The sweeper is generally someone who steps up from defence to utilise his ball playing ability, not a midfielder who steps back to provide additional cover for marauding wing halves. Well that’s what I’ve come to understand anyway.
Nice article.
This “new sweeper” role is what I think Song should be playing for Arsenal but he is too eager to get forward, leaving a huge hole in the middle. He will learn in time though.
Something you didnt mention is the asymmetry required to play this way. Both Brazil and Barcelona use a more defensive fullback on one side. Even when teams use 2 attaching fullbacks, they don’t go forward at the same time (again Arsenal are not getting this right). All the teams you mentioned have fullbacks who alternate their runs or play a more defensive fullback on one side, protecting the team from counter-attacks down the wings.
Really interesting article. It seems Arsenal meet every single criterion you mention for using this system.
Song seems to have all the required attributes of such a sweeper, and it would seem to enable our host of creative players to come inside where they prefer to be, without sacrificing the width of the team. I think Van Persie could cut in from the right and Arshavin from the left, with Bendtner/Chamakh spearheading the attack. Denilson hardly ever gives the ball away and could play the holding midfielder role, with Fabregas slightly further forward. The more I think about it the more I like it, both in terms of options going forward, and preventing counter attacks and winning the ball back quickly.
One problem though, Clichy and Sagna/Eboue seem ideal as full-backs in terms of stamina/speed, but would need to improve their quality in the final third if our offensive game was to rely on them so heavily.
Great article ZM.
I’d like to add one player from FC Barcelona and that is Gerard Pique, he has much of those qualities that you’ve mentioned of a good sweeper.
cheers
#7 Kevo
I was thinking the exact same thing. But I think Pique’s current role suits him better, I think he lacks the agility to play as holding midfield. And if he played there he’d probably receive closer attention, whereas playing at centre back allows him to step forward unmarked and spread passes to the wide areas.
John Obi Mikel was playing this role for Chelsea under Scolari, though he was limited by the fact that he passes like a man who has hooves where his feet should be. Still, it kept him away from goal. If there’s one thing worse than his passing, it’s his shooting. One afternoon at Stamford Bridge, after Mikel had planted the ball in the upper tier of the Matthew Harding Stand for the second time in ten minutes, I actually saw a blood vessel burst in Scolari’s brain. It would surely have killed him, but he was so angry he was, for a short time at least, invincible. He had his faults, did Big Phil, but mortality wasn’t one of them.
Anyway, I’m babbling. Move along. Nothing to see here.
in response to pheteesh, 5:
i see your point about the assymetry, as shown by the barca/brazil sides. but if the two centre backs were to split and go wide, the sweeper dropped back into defence, and a holding midfielder was stationed in front, i don’t see any reason why the two full-backs couldn’t both attack at once.
this would really spread the pitch as wide as possible when in possession, and give creative players the space and freedom to come inside where they’re more dangerous. for me, this is the main advantage of using a sweeper in this way
Another team that often employs this is Denmark under Morten Olsen, with Christian Poulsen dropping down into defence with Agger and Kjær.
To Steve (didn’t there used to be a reply button on this site?) .
Playing centerbacks so wide requires them to be comfortable playing as fullbacks so if the team lost the ball and suddenly they had wide players running at them, they need to be able to cope. Even Barca are often caught on counter attacks that come from the wing because both their fullbacks have pushed up(usually when they lose their defensive shape).
So your proposal could work but it would be very risky if your centerbacks lack mobility. In the scenario you describe, you would need two holding midfielders, one playing sweeper and the other being a destroyer in front of him. I have seen some Brazilian teams playing this way but it seems like overkill to me.
@ #2: Yeah, the role of the wing-backs is very important and frankly there are few players around who could do it reliably for 90 minutes, such are the demands on stamina.
@ #4: Perhaps, but the title doesn’t say “The return of the sweeper is imminent”, and explains why it won’t work with a defender coming out from the back. And doesn’t actually term the players dropping back as a ’sweeper’…it’s tough to know what to call them. On this site they’ve been described as ‘centre-halves’, but that probably wouldn’t work as a lot of commentators and pundits use that description for centre-backs…
@ #7/8: Agreed, Pique could do a job there for sure. Although another important feature of the system would be that the centre-backs must be good on the ball when they move out wide, and so he can use his passing ability in that respect.
@ 11: Excellent! I look forward to seeing a bit of tactical variety at the World Cup.
Another example not mentioned in the piece is Benfica – Javi Garcia sometimes drops between the centre-backs, Luisao and David Luiz.
ZM, you say that using the spare centre back in a 2 man central defence as a sweeper is suicidal, but if you look at Barcelona or Arsenal, when Pique or Vermaelen step up from defence, the holding midfielder drops in to cover for them at centre back. Song in particular has learned to do it almost instinctively.
So I’d argue the old-style sweeper still has a place in the modern game (when 2 centre backs come up against 1 centre forward)
Aside from these minor details I agree with your article. Barcelona have mastered the 4 man to 3 man defence transition, at the Emirates I thought they were superb and Arsenal’s defence couldn’t cope with the 5 attacking players (3 forward and 2 marauding fullbacks) that such a system enables.
@ #15: That is certainly true, but for example when Vermaelen goes forward and Song covers – that isn’t really an actual change of shape, it’s just two players switching, in my view. So it’s not really leaving one centre-back on his own.
This looks like something Liverpool have been moving towards. However the lack of quality left wing back has at times left us exposed. The use of Mascherano as sweeper and Johnson as right wing back. Insua is a decent prospect but not good enough either defensively or attacking to carry out this role at this time. Also, Xabi Alonso would have been able to carry out the sweeper role much better than Mascherano for all his qualities.
I actually think Hiddinks Russia is the finest example to be found of a defensive midfielder dropping into centre-half. At least in Euro 2008 anyway.
Semak dropping from midfield would give freedom for (one of the sensations of the tournament and of the UEFA cup) Zhirkov and also Anyukov to move up into a wing-like position. I think they were pretty much attacking with 7 players on the counter while 3 CB’s sat back. Great to watch.
ZM
Yeah you’re right. I suppose the whole point of a sweeper is that it provides an extra man in midfield when needed, if the holding midfielder drops in to cover for him that’s going to defeat the whole purpose!
Are we going to have a final “tactics in the 2000s” post?
I think Thiago Silva would be perfect for this role at Milan. His passing (long ball especially) is excellent, and he is very good at making forward runs.
ZM, really not liking the new comments format…I’m scrolling up and down to try and follow responses…so instead of going off others I’m just going to repeat what others have probably said
I found myself reading this article thinking “yeah, but most top sides don’t play 2 forwards anymore…” Of teams at the top of the big European leagues, it seems only Bayern play a disciplined 4-4-2…
I emailed ZM something similar while watching Barca v Inter late in the match. But the difference for me, instead of the DM just sliding into a 3 man defense, the DM is replacing one of the CB. Against 1 forward, whichever CB that has the space carries the ball forward, essentially forcing a mid to confront the ball, with the DM sliding back into the space vacated by the CB.
I feel only a side that dominates the ball as thoroughly as Barca (or Arsenal is some matches) would be able to pull this off because while the CB brings the ball forward and the DM drops it will be massively important to retain position until the DM is deep enough to cover.
Thats it for now
Hmm, have only just installed the ‘quote’ feature (that wasn’t there this morning) so hopefully when people start using that, the discussions will be clearer. Cheers for the feedback, will give this system a go for a week or so, if people don’t like it we’ll change back.
Indeed, next week hopefully.
Ajax/Dutch in the 70s played 4-3-3 with a CB stepping into midfield instead of fullbacks rushing forward. This left 3-1-3-3 with Cruyff switching from CF to CAM with Neeskins at times. This was effective against the 4-4-2 esque sides they saw in European Cup matches. One response was the 3-5-2 or 5-3-2 with a sweeper. Germany and Argentina used this in the 70s to beat the Dutch. Is this history repeating? Center half, sweeper, CB, CDM: all really the same in this system. Hooray total football.
I think it has been a feature of Brazilian teams for quite some time to having a holding midfielder slot between the centre backs thus allowing both fullbacks to attack simultaneously. This blog discusses the point much better than I can
http://santapelota.blogspot.com/2009/12/3-5-2-in-provincial-brazilian-football.html
I think the main advantage of this kind of movement is that it allows a team to play through the first line of midfield pressure when the opposition plays a 4-2-3-1. For example, do the wide players in the 3 (e.g a Park or Kuyt style player) track the fullbacks, or push on to the centre backs to stop them from playing out. Does the central player in the 3 follow the withdrawn midfielder, or does he hold the space in the centre.
The downside to this is exposing slow central defenders to a pacey winger on a counterattack. In this case, it helps when you can retain possesion as well as Barcelona.
I don’t like it as much, as it is more difficult to see the dialogues taking place. The upside is that it becomes easier to see where the new comments appear.
I agree with this
I was actually going to mention that case, but also from a different view: David Luiz frequently advances with the ball, effectively creating one extra man on the midfield, whilst Javi Garcia fills for him at centre-back. The importance of this action is due to how comfortable David Luiz is on the ball (he has better technique than Javi Garcia), which means that Benfica gain an extra attacking midfielder for a while.
I would enjoy a return to the libero days. That was always my position when defending, but I agree that such a type of player is not really possible nowadays. The only option I see is the appearance of more and more centre-backs who can go forward in the presence of holding midfielders who can fill in the role. Otherwise I don’t see much of a chance.
Relatively to your analysis, I think that not so many teams have the players capable of playing like this. The fact is that there simply aren’t many players capable of doing the full-back position like this or the centre-half and centre-back positions as you describe. I think it may be something for the top teams. Still, it’s an advantage that can be easily dismantled by a tactically capable team.
I have to say that although the article is articulate and well written, it appears that pundits galore have forgotten what a sweeper actually is. The sweeper is a player who plays BEHIND the defense. Not in front of. A midfielder dropping in as a third back when the fullbacks go forward is no more a sweeper than the keeper is just because he stands outside the box. The sweeper position has always been pretty specific in its detail – play as 2nd defender cover, no marking responsibilities except for pressuring the ball when being the nearest defender, regain possession behind the back line for long balls played into space, and build from the back when possible. What’s being suggested here is a totally different concept, probably a new type of position that needs a new name.
As for the comment above (#11 Steve), in my experience playing a sweeper doesn’t open up the field, it actually makes your team more defensive, because of the offside law. Forwards can move up to the level of the sweeper knowing he is keeping them onside, which gives one of two situations – Either the sweeper pushes up to the level of the marking backs, in which case the sweeper position is nullified; or the marking backs drop with their marks, which leads to a huge separation between defense and midfield, requiring the midfield to drop to the defense, and the forward dropping back to be close to the midfield. In short – Catenaccio.
I don’t think this “sweeper” talk is anything new, though. I’ve been using it for 10 years on and off (depending on opponent and the team I’m coaching), and Greece have used it in 2004 in winning the Euro’s. There are a few coaches I know who use a 1-4-4-1 formation with 4 backs in front of a sweeper, 4 mids and one forward, where the wings and outside backs push up on possession to make a 3-4-3 with a sweeper on attack. Not a widespread formation, but I’ve used it with youth teams and it has worked very well. You need, as always, the right players in the right positions to make it work though.
The 3-2-5 seems almost like a W-M formation again. Football is becoming more and more total, perhaps because we now have so many versatile players. I wonder if the next revolution might be playmaker-keepers.
As for Song, he surely has the required attributes for a centre-half. The full-backs need to provide more in attack for the system to work with Arsenal though. It will be interesting to see Vermaelen getting more involved in the midfield as well.
I’m brazilian, and I have to say that here in Brazil many teams play with 3 defenders, using a Sweeper. In fact, it’s so popular that some teams have had trouble to get back to classic 4-4-2. Sao Paulo and Flamengo are good examples. Sao paulo won 3 brazilian championships using a sweeper, and Flamengo too, while Joel Santana was the coach.
Hi there,
Good site. Lots of interesting stuff to read. It would be really nice if you could do some tactical analyses of classic matches at the club as well as international level. I know it is asking a bit too much…but would be fun to read.
Regarding the sweeper role, my personal view is that Xabi Alonso and Michael Essien are excellent in the holding role and have all the qualities to be a good sweeper. Liverpool are really struggling to replace Alonso and Chelsea withour Essien are unpredictable – They crush smaller opponents but falter against better ones.
Cheers
Jayanth
Very interesting article. I already read the article of Wilson, and the same thoughts came through my mind which you have written here. I am from Germany, and I am a fan of Mainz 05. They are new in first Division, and they have a new, young trainer.
He is very good in tactics an these things, and he already used this tactic you explained.
Mainly against teams with good wingers, Bayern, Hamburg or Gladbach, they played with very offensive full-backs, so the good wingers had to work in the defense and could not play in offensive like in the other matches. Mainz won against Bayern, the two goals where initialized by the full-backs, and the wingers of Bayern could not stop them and lost their power and could not play as effective as in the other matches.
I think this tactic has a future, because when the opposite don’t play on that way you can play normal, it is only a chance when the centre-backs are less busy.
@steve – I Completely agree that Arsenal seems to be perfectly equipped for this system, and take into account that Nasri is being used as a wide player but he is excellent in a central position. If he drifts inside he could create space and chances for Cesc to exploit
liverpool play this way with mascherano dropping back between the two centrebacks. it’s a lot more fluid with skrtel/agger than it is is carra or krygiakos in the line-up. it’s rather flexible since the movement of the “Centre half” as you described can also open up space in midfield for either one of the centre backs to move into with the ball.
a common problem though, as apparent from your moving diagram, is that defending teams often end up with a back six. there is space to play the ball in the wide areas, but the attacking thrust of the team is heavily contingent on the two outside forwards making good movements to create advantageous situations.
in other words, lots of possession, very few good goal-scoring chances usually.
If Alex Ferguson was ever questioned intelligently by those who attend his media conferences each week it is likely that he might admit that the purchase of Owen Hargreaves was made from Bayern Munich to play such a role, to allow Manchester United’s creative wing backs the freedom to launch attacks. Ferguson knew he had the Da Silva brothers coming through so he must be frustrated that he has not been able to match such a system to the available players. In the season that United last won the CL Hargreaves was constantly found “sweeping” up at the back and if he finds himself back in a team that includes both Patrice Evra and Rafael Da Silva or both twins it will be interesting to see how he plays, and how it works out for Ferguson’s team. The real point about playing such a role in the modern game is that it needs a player with enormous stamina and better-than-average technical skill. Hargreaves fits that criteria, but whether he will come back the same player remains to be seen. I would probably argue that without Hargreaves or someone like him who can play as a defensive sweeper across the back, Ferguson is going to have problems with the Da Silva twins. Yes he wants them to go forward but he doesn’t want them to get caught and United do not appear to have anyone good enough to cover at the back if that is the game Ferguson wants his team to play. If Hargreaves had been playing against his old club, Rafael might not have felt the urge or the need to foul his way out of trouble.
But this applies to all the teams that want to use technically creative wing backs. If you want your backs to support the attack, to play a kind of total movement, when the team attacks all the creative players move forward, then you need not just the usual central defenders to be alert, you desperately need that extra defender, as stated, someone who can read the game, with the stamina and skill to counter any danger.
I got the feeling watching the team Harry Redknapp selected for the PL game against Portsmouth that he wants his Spurs team to play like this, Gareth Bale and Kyle Walker surging forward, Tom Huddlestone filling in as the defensive sweeper.
Any club team that gets this right is going to be hard to beat; this is a perfect example of needing to have the right players to match these specific tactics; without the players, fast creative wing backs and a reliable defensive midfielder it won’t work, which is stating the obvious.
But I don’t believe this is a relatively new tactic and I would probably argue if pushed that several teams across Europe have wanted to or tried to play such a system in recent seasons but have lacked the players, at the back and in midfield. However, it does seem that it is being noticed and I would like to see more attacking soccer, especially in the English game, because it filters down to the lower leagues.
A very long time ago Brian Kerr’s St Pats tried to play such a system in the League of Ireland with Curtis Fleming making exciting runs on pitches more suited for race horses knowing that he was covered at the back.
@Kevo –
The absolute perfect sweeper candidates are surely Sergio Ramos, Xabi Alonso, Piqué, Essien and Yaya Touré. Fellaini could be good too.
[...] Is the sweeper set for a return to prominence? Matthias Sammer, a classic sweeper “Jonathan Wilson recently wrote in his excellent ‘The Question’ series about the possibility of the return of the sweeper to football. The sweeper prospered as the ’spare man’ in a three-man central defence up against a two-man attack, so now we have two-man central defences up against one-man attacks, should one centre-back not become a sweeper? The idea is music to the ears of anyone who fondly remembers Euro 96. The player of the tournament was Matthias Sammer, the sweeper in the German 3-4-1-2 system that went onto win the tournament. As well as being the most important player in defence, clearing up behind the two markers, he also had license to go forward and launch attacks, and found himself scoring (in open play) on more than one occasion.” (Zonal Marking) [...]
@ZonalMarking –
ZM, I’ve long been a crusader for the use of the term ‘centre-back’ and letting us reserve ‘centre-back’ for the central holding midfielder. In fact, in Spanish the term ´mediocentro’ for central midfielder conserves this orignial meaning
@mcgie76 –
Amen, McGie
The sweeper moves FORWARD, the defensive mid drops BACK.
Perhaps the modern keeper has allowed the sweeper to move into midfield permanently.
@Zeitgeist -
Good point. FC Porto does something of the kind with Fernando in its 4-1-2-3 tactical form, so that Bruno Alves and Rolando can move wider and the full-backs can bomb forward. One interesting thing in the way Porto moves is that this allow Bruno Alves to start the play from the left usually with a long ball towards the right side of the attacking zone or even going forward – in this case Fernando drops deeper and Fucile, or Alvaro Pereira, stays put. In the latter games however, do to the fact that 3 of its 4 wingers are injured, Porto plays in a 4-4-2 fashion so this isn’t happening anymore.
I think that Carlos Queiroz was looking for something of this fashion when he decided that the defensive midfielder role on the Portuguese squad should be played by Pepe. As it seems that Pepe will make a full recovery in time to be called to the World Cup, we’ll see if he resumes the post. But as Bosingwa is out – and the need for a centre-half that can play deeper was due to the fact that Portugal’s full-backs were very offensive (Bosingwa and Duda) – and Miguel isn’t in his best form, it seems more likely that Queiroz will chose Pedro Mendes to play as something as a “regista” like Pirlo does.
Interesting article.
I think Barcelona are one of the few teams which implement the system you describe, whereby Pique and Puyol split wide to open up the play when Valdes has the ball at feet. And it is somewhat noticeable that when Barca have a defensive midfielder on the pitch, then they often drop deep to provide additional support. However, when the opposition have the ball it is not possible to keep this system in place, and i think that is what you show in the diagram. When the oppositions midfield have the ball, its not possible for the defensive midfielder to sit so deep, as they have to close down the midfield, particularly if the midfield partner is ahead of the ball as the opposition break.
A traditional sweeper system comprises a centre half and sweeper along with 2 full backs. The centre back picks up a forward (in a front two) and one of the full backs marks the other, thus requiring the wide midfielder on this side to mark the opposing wide midfielder. The opposite full back is able to mark the other opposition wide midfielder as he pushes on. The two centre midfielders can then pick up the other 2 centre midfielders. This works when 4-4-2 plays aganst 4-4-2 but can be adapted to play against 4-3-3 etc as long as manager can identify the opposition shape and adapt.
@mcgie76 –
“As for the comment above (#11 Steve), in my experience playing a sweeper doesn’t open up the field, it actually makes your team more defensive, because of the offside law.”
Agreed, but I wasn’t referring to a traditional sweeper, I was talking about this ‘new’ role highlighted by the article.
Having a player play this role clearly does open up the field, and I think it would provide a technically superior, mobile team with more options to break down inferior opposition.
The holding midfielder dropping back doesn’t become a sweeper, he just becomes the central defender in a back 3 when the team has possession of the ball, to enable the regular centre backs to push wide and the full-backs to attack.
Therefore I agree with you that it’s completely inaccurate to call this player a sweeper, but we don’t need a new name for him either. He’s a centre back when his team’s got the ball (maybe in a 3-4-3), and he’s a defensive midfielder when the opposition has it (perhaps in a 4-5-1).
In direct answer to the article then, errrr …. no
This is exactly what happened in the Bayern/Lyon match yesterday. The introduction of Tymoshchuk at halftime gave Demichelis license to go forward while he dropped to partner Van Buyten. Lahm and Contento were allowed to roam the wings and Robben wasn’t confined to the touchline anymore, allowing him to cut inside, take on defenders and use his pace to stifle the opposition.
Interesting article.
I would say the system would be preferred only by those teams which wish to keep possession rather than counterattack. Effectively it is increasing the number of players thrown into attack.
Also the team using such a formation would have to play a high line and be adept at springing the offside trap for balls played over the top.
It also creates certain problems for the centre-backs when faced with counters where the ball is quickly transferred to the flanks.
Do they stay wide and attack the ball ?
If they are beaten it would elapse into a 4 on 2 or 3 on 2 situation.
If they run back towards the centre who will challenge the man on the ball ?
In Barça’s case, these questions are answered differently by the 2 centre-backs. Puyol prefers to concede space and move towards the centre waiting almost untill the attacker is inside the penalty box to make a challenge. Pique, on the other hand, prefers to challenge early or at least cover the movement to slow the attack untill reinforcements arrive.
Most coaches have suggested that the best way to attack Barça is to transfer the ball to the flanks early and attack with speed from there. The system stabilises somewhat by having on wingback who does not venture too far forward.
[...] on the attack, allowing the full-backs “to bomb forward.” If Brazil wins the World Cup, look for English clubs to convert the proto-sweepers they already possess. (Zonal [...]
[...] bomb forward, then at least one of the midfield players will need to cover on defense, much like is explained in this article. Melo and Sissoko are both capable of doing this, they just don’t need to be on the field at [...]
Another excellent piece.
Back in my playing days (surely it can’t be so long ago now :S) I spent a few months playing in variations on the sweeper and defensive midfielder role, perhaps not quite as sophisticated as you’ve described here. It was more that one of our centre-backs was quite adventurous and prone to leaving himself out of position (a-la Vermaelen, or thinking about it maybe more like Phillipe Albert for Newcastle in the 90s). I spent most of my time doing the usual sweeper things like mopping up loose balls and launching counter attacks, but the most important part of it was simply slotting straight in to a centre back role whenever my team mate went adventuring.
We abandonned the plan for precisely one of the reasons you put forward. I’m quite short and lightweight, so if the opposition had a big centre forward he just targetted me and there was very little I could do about it.
I look forward to seeing Brazil put it into practice with a bit more panache in South Africa.
brilliant article, i wrote a similar piece myself recently but, like Wilson, i didnt really expand on the point that you link to vermaelan: leaving a 1 v 1 is just not the same as the 2 v 2 of old.
as you say its noticeable how wide barcelona play their centre-backs.. furthermore, with valdes’ virtual refusal to kick long he is surely the old-style ’sweeper’ in all but name, often forming a defensive diamond with busquets.
This change demands, more than anything else, two ball playing center backs. This is something that not all clubs have adopted (Chelsea spring to mind). We may see a shift in what clubs look for in that position.
Another question that this shift in tactics poses is the role of the keeper in possession. Now that the center backs and the modern sweeper can turn into a 3 man back line to deactivate opposition pressure (from 2 forwards). However, the opposition may sacrifices some of the redundancy in the central midfield/defensive area in order to commit more men to pressure the ball as it leaves your defense. When this is effective, having a keeper who can play the ball safely is a real asset.
Valdes does this very well, and is, in my mind, one of the many reasons Spain need to take him to South Africa.
you forgot gheorghe popescu ,ex barcelona capitain,when you said “it is no coincidence that many of the more prominent examples of sweepers – Sammer, Lothar Matthuas, Ruud Gullit – were central midfielders earlier in their career.” popescu was a central midfielder and, very interesting, he was the main scorer for the romanian national team in world cup `98 preliminary. however, in 3 games out of 4 ,that romania played in coupe du monde 1998,he was used as a sweeper and he was perfect in that role. there was a three man defence with filipescu-popescu-ciobotariu. he played so well that role,that from there on untill the end of his career he only played as a central defender,altough not only in three man system,but also in a 4-4-2 module.
ps
sorry about my english,as you probably realised ,i am from romania and i am a huge fan of your site.
great read, very enlightening…thanks!!
hope wenger reads this!lol
@Angry Pierre –
@ Angry Pierre, your experience was by no means unusual. Some classic exponents of the libero role could be merely spare central defenders with decent ball control (like Picchi of the 1960s Inter), whereas others could be more technically proficient and creative players (like Scirea in the 70s and 80s).
@LaBlaugrana – Reina does it better than Valdez I reckon
@Roberticus – I’d say English needs to create a whole new vocabulary for positions (and roles?) to be honest.
@drwtw –
Right, but the trouble is, as much as we might try, it would end up as cultish jargon, since the broader popular culture tends to prevail. There simply isn’t a mainstream interest with tactics in British football.
Nice article!
I’m thinking maybe Pep should start the Inter match with a 4-2-4 with
———Ibra———-
Maxwell—-Messi–Pedro
———-Xavi———
———-Yaya———
Abidal————-Alves
——-Milito–Pique—-
———–Valdes——-
then utilize the animated diagram you have there with yaya dropping back and Alves and Abidal bombing forward and forming a 6-man attack that will probably work very well against an ultra-defensive Inter side in the first half. Now, imagine the yellow side in the diagram being Barça
@karo – Like the idea of using Toure in this way, but I think you need Busquets and Xavi ahead of him. Also, I don’t think Maxwell would be comfortable playing this role, as you’d want your wide left player to cut inside and become a striker, allowing space for the full-back to come forward. I’d go with:
—————–Bojan——————–
—Pedro————————–Messi—
———————–Xavi—————
Abidal——————————-Alves
—————Busquets——————-
—-Milito——–Toure———–Pique—
——————Valdes——————
This way it’s a 5 man attack when in possession, but gives Xavi more space and freedom to probe knowing Busquets is just behind him. The 6 man attack will reduce space, not increase it, and I think Maxweel would find himself contributing nothing in the poition you suggest.
@steve –
Song pretty much plays the sweeper role infront of the CBs as modern DMs in a 4-3-3 are asked to do ala Barca, and he does certainly provide cover for the fullbacks as well. I don’t like the idea of playing him at CB/sweeper though. He is developing into one of the best young DMs in the game IMO, and at 22 has 10 years to perfect his judgement which has been much better the last season and a half. Previously he was often caught out and gave up rash catch-up fouls infront of the box. When playing CB he tends to revert to such tactics. Denilson is not tough enough to fill in for Song. His strong point is gaining possession by intercepting balls and then keeping it with accurate passing, but not quite adventurous enough to provide the attack with the options Song does.
If Wenger can find another 24ish gem of a CB (who also can make the runs forward) to partner Vermaelen and Song in this system I see a very solid Arsenal defence shaping up. Losing out on Smalling was perhaps the miss of the season. Sagna was a bit off this year, and the upheaval at LB hurt badly. Clichy and Gibbs are going to be top notch and are pushing each other, but Wenger needs to look at the right side to both shore up defence and attacking options IMO (crosses especially). I can seriously see Eboue moving on and Eastmond asked to fill in at RB and DM much more next season.
@ping –
Reina does have great distribution with his hands, I haven’t watched him enough to commment on his play with his feet (Liverpool rarely play the ball around the back). I’ll take your word for it.
As for Spain, it is good thing Reina can do this, because Valdes isn’t likely to be called up. He is good enough, mind you, but I’m told he and Reina have a feud. There is also the inevitable civil war in the press here if a Catalan Barça keeper is competing for a place with a Castillian Madrid keeper. Avoiding those things is worth taking an inferior keeper.
I have seen a very interesting tactic deployed against my team which worked very well and in a very similar manner, but with much different styles of player.
This team started with a 3-5-2 variant with 2 very deep central midfielders and wingers rather than wing-backs.
The key was the left and right centre-backs who had license to go forward, with the deep midfielders sitting in their place. Leading to a very similar back 3 + wide player setup like the .gif shown.
Going forward on the wings, the winger and wide centre-back would double up and there would be two big centre forwards in the middle (one of which who would at times play as a false 9) and the midfield would be a man lighter compare to the gif.
Against my team, it resulted in them getting lots of crosses into the box and lots of bodies in there too.
The only major weakness tactically was that it left a bit of a hole in midfield and a fast counter-attacking team with quick passing could create there own chances. In the Scottish 2nd Division, this is rare though!
Another team that did this on occasions was Milan in the last years of Ancelotti. Playing a 4-1-2-1-2/4-3-2-1 Pirlo would drop down in line with the CB’s and spread play from there. It was actually quite normal to see Pirlo pass as the last man to one of the full backs who would then be on the wing.
[...] The sweeper position set for a comeback? [Zonal Marking] [...]
[...] a passing and fluidity point of view central defenders covering the wing is really important. Throughout a Barcelona game they will pass forward as much as possible, looking to probe an [...]
i think on many occasions Chelsea effectively play with Mikel as the sweeeper in front of the 2 centre backs and when they choose to narrow the midfield and put numerical pressure in the centre of the pitch it allows the space for Cole and Ivanovich to exploit the flanks… but it still leaves them with cover defensively should they give the ball away.
as stated alot of players play like this. for manU its fletcher who drops backs and can cover ferdinand and vidic going forward(more ferdinand), for barce its toure, for chelsea its mikel(who has excellent passing unlike another poster said, his passing and first touch is one of the best in the league).
the reason is simply due to attacking fullbacks, the Centrebacks need to cover the attacking fullbacks but that leaves space in the middle so a player needs to drop back. if one of the fullbacks dont go up then the defensive midfielder is able to go up. If anything the Defensive midfielder has become the fullback in the centre of the pitch, players like essien, cambiasso and such are all played this way.
[...] Iѕ thе sweeper set fοr a return tο prominence? | Zonal Mаrkіnɡ [...]
[...] Is the sweeper set for a return to prominence? | Zonal Marking [...]
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All the trends currently suggest that each player needs to be as flexible as possible tactically, to play different roles and have different technical attributes. There is no place for players with only one function
[...] Is the sweeper set for a return to prominence? | Zonal Marking [...]
true to an extent that a player needs to be multifunctional but in general the rule is:
quick and agile players on the wings, more solid and slightly slower players in the centre. A quick forward can be used but in general only employed by teams that use a quick break and even then the first touch and vision needs to be high.
Simply put you generally cant find big and fast too often, thats why specialisation still there. i think currently their are nearly 5 lines of formation, the central defenders, the fullbacks/defensive midfielders,central midfielder, withdrawn strikers/wingers and the out and out strikers. Their is overlap between these but in general only in the order of 1 or 2 levels up or down and biggest movement by the second line of fb/dm that are there to not only put men into the midfield to provide an extra body to pass to but also as a way to draw players during a zonal marking system. players like anelka for instance play havoc in those lines and messi utilises them to escape through players because alves can stretch the fullback and CB away from a lane and messi can speed through.
the sweeper has no place because they are too far back too the action, its much easier for a quick fullback or DM to fall back into a CB spot and a central defender into a sweeper spot then for the lines to move up.
yes by multi functional i meant a player has to be flexible enough to play in 2 or 3 similar positions with overlapping tactical requirements. players have to be capable of understanding and implementing those tactical requirements in different roles in the same game .. more dynamic change of formations within the game without using subs
alot of the multi functional roles come from training and physical abilities. for instance c.ron would make an excellent RB but hasnt been trained in defense and doesnt have the positional sense to play that role, likewise xavi is too lightweight to play anywhere but midfield.
A player to look at is essien, essien make a very capable RB and i think he probably would be playing their now if he had come to a big club earlier. essien has the physical qualities to play anywhere on the pitch, he is strong and as fast as c.ron in a run, his technical abilities are nothing to be laughed at either.
the ideal world would have every player able to play in every position but thats impossible unless you find 10 genuine athletes at an early age, expect them all to be talented at football and then train them in a way to make them all perfect footballers. their is overlap in physical abilities and training or natural tendencies and thats why most overlap exists, for instance malouda can play fullback if needed, bale is a LB playing as LW at tottenham, d.alves is played on the left and middle when needed but none are comfortable there, its more a case of physical abilities and positional training overlapping.
what you are saying is how to make players adapt to 2 or 3 different positions, my point is that today most managers expect players to adapt to 2 or 3 positions, to be flexible tactically so that they can use them depending on the situation in the game. players who are not so flexible either need to be really good at what they do or they will have limited playing time
Playing in the junior sides of a lower league professional club in England in the early 1990s I would normally play either at the back of a midfield diamond or as a sweeper in a back 5. As a sweeper my primary role was not necessarily to cover the centre backs but to move into the full back position when one of them pushed forward to join the attack and to carry the ball out of defence to create an extra man in midfield.
At that time every team at the club (from 1st team to under 10s) played the same system and the general consensus seemed to be that this shape would come to dominate the game at all levels. Within a few years this idea seemed ridiculous but I think what killed it was mainly the improved athletic abilities and stamina of the modern full back, it simply became unnecessary to have another defender shuffle across to cover the attacking full back because in general he was perfectly capable of regaining his position quickly – particularly since the opposing team´s wide midfielder would almost certainly have had to track back and defend against him.
As an additional point I also think that the vast majority of central defenders actually prefer marking man for man (although not necessarily man marking) rather than having a spare defender, as the latter often causes indecision and confusion about who is picking up who.
Great site by the way!
Quite interesting that you mention Alex Song in this article. As a matter of fact, the Cameroon coach, Paul LeGuen got him to play exactly the way you suggested in this article in their final game of Africa Cup of Nations against Egypt.
While Geremi Njitap and Nsame Bedimo (who were the right and left-backs) pushed forward, Nicolas Nkoulou and Aurelien Tchedjou spread to the right and left allowing Alex Song to drop into a sweeper position.
They lost due to individual errors by some of the players but it was their best display of the tournament. They held Egypt at b ay for long spells and looked a real threat. I suspect Le Guen plans to keep this system of play at the World Cup.
What I am not sure is if this system is the best to play against a team like Egypt which effectively plays with 3 at the back (3-5-2). What do you think? Could they be able to sustain it at World Cup level?
I think you are spot-on about the relevance of the other players in the success of this formation. In Cameroon’s case, they have problems with finding real wing men and the full-backs are not as explosive as Abidal/Alves or even Clichy Sagna.
For info: LeGuen’s Cameroon is set-up as a 4-3-3 with Eto’o on the left, and Achille Emana (Betis Sevilla)on the right of a front three spearheaded by either Idrissou (Frieburg, Germany) or Webo (Majorca, Spain). The three midfielders are Eyong Enow (Ajax, holland), Alex Song (Arsenal) and Mandjeck (Kaiserslautern) or Ngeumo (Glasgow Celtic). It seems he plans to play Stephane Mbia (Marseille,) Basson (spurs) at the back alongside Nkoulou (Monaco) and Assou-Ekott
Haven’t read all comments, but I have to say that you are making two assumptions that are not based on anything:
A) That full backs would follow Messi and Pedro (using Barcelona names so I don’t have to draw a diagram with numbers). Interesting, considering this site is named ZONAL MARKING!
B) That having three forwards playing inside the area, wouldn’t clog things up for the attack, setting the foundation for murinho-like defending.
IMHO, most of the time one of the two wingers will be on a trequartista role and the other a SS, allowing the holding mf to cover the former, and the second defender the latter. Even if they play on a straight line, I can’t imagine why one of the two midfielders can’t fall back to cover the extra man.
The wingers won’t actually have to defend the attacking fullbacks, and will generally play narrower so they don’t let too much space for Xavi-Iniesta to roam (effectively turning to:
GK
–x–x–x–
x—-x—-x
–x—–x–
—-x-x—-
The only occasion they have to go back, is traditional overlap (Messi dribbling inside – passes to Alves), but that is a pretty standard tactic, with the left winger picking Alves and the right rotating to the middle to cover for the midfielders that collapsed inside and cover the shot.
So, it would definitely give possession but it wouldn’t score many goals
That’s easily the best blog I’ve ever read. Great job, ZonalMarking!
Did you watch the friendly between England and Mexico? Mexico actually played exactly like this with Marquez dropping deep almost every single time they were in possession. And it seemed to work pretty well indeed. But whenever they turned the ball over, they looked vulnerable. Was that mainly because Mexico didn’t play it well defensively or is that a general concern with this tactics?
Hi ZM, huge fan of your stuff. Just set up a site: http://www.hooksaway.com starting to write features about the adaptability of tactics to lower level amateur football, see what you think of our sweeper article thats just gone up.
Keep up the good work x
[...] central midfield role, meaning the side would become more like a 4-1-2-3 fairly seamlessly. ZM has recently put forward the view that an imminent tactical trend is a ‘centre-half’ …, creating a back three and allowing the full-backs to push on – Mexico’s switch to a [...]
[...] central midfield role, meaning the side would become more like a 4-1-2-3 fairly seamlessly. ZM has recently put forward the view that an imminent tactical trend is a ‘centre-half’ …, creating a back three and allowing the full-backs to push on – Mexico’s switch to a [...]
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