The 3-5-2 of Fossati’s team: how it worked against Nicaragua and who could enter the system against the Dominican Republic

The idea is clear: try to be balanced, propose and not wait, press, recover far from your own goal and be closer to the goal, control the game in the center of the field and exploit the wings. To execute it, the new coach of the Peruvian team has turned to his old trusted one.

Fossati first thought of Cáceda as goalkeeper, behind a line of three defenders made up of Miguel Araujo, Carlos Ascues and Alexander Callens. With a second line made up of Martin Tavara as a central steering wheel, Wilder Cartagena and Joao Grimaldo as interiors, more Andy Polo and Miguel Trauco on the bands. And forward Paolo next to Lapadula.

Tailor-made companies

On the left, Trauco gave the round trip to Grimaldo due to his playing and present characteristics. The Rimense attacker was a constant threat and took advantage of his speed by opening up the side closest to him. The Criciúma player was projected as an inside player when Joao chose to climb close to the line and sought to associate himself with his greatest potential: the short pass and changes of front. At the other end, however, Polo took the spear to unbalance close to the line and had interior support from Cartagena, who did a good job supporting the unmarking and searching for the opposing area, showing itself as an outside passing option when Andy was passing diagonally at full speed.

Control in the center

In the new 3-5-2, the midfielders protect possession and look for width through short passes and openings on the wings, and thus achieve greater access for the team. The team reduced spaces with an accumulation of players and this facilitated the pressure after losing far from our goal. The intention is for the team to gain strength with the intermediate line by defending close to the center, reducing the spaces to attack the rival, being able to recover without the rival reaching the danger zone and having the shortest path to the opposing area. One of the qualities of this system is that, being protected by the block center, the wingers can go up even at the same time, generating numerical superiority in attack.

Counterpuncher

The placement of players in this tactical system promotes elaborate counterattacks with associated play from behind, allowing them to reach the opposing area well armed and with volume. If the men on the outside manage to open the field, the team will gain width and depth to search for the goal. But a disadvantage will be the wear and tear in the center of the field due to the defense-attack transitions, which forces the substitutes not to clash when they enter.

Versatility

The system requires technical players with game vision who generate constant triangulations, performers capable of deciding and executing well. And footballers who adapt to different variants, such as the defensive 5-3-2, applicable against certain rivals or certain situations; the 5-3-1-1, when a nine goes down, prevent the connection with the lead from being lost; with the 3-5-2 itself, when they advance to the wingers as wingers to attack with up to seven; or with the 3-1-4-2, when a midfielder drops back and leaves a kind of intermediate line for the creation of play, favoring fluidity when the opponent refuses to come out.

Where does the Peruvian style come in?

It will be the obligation of Fossati and his team not to miss the essence of Peruvian football, whatever system is executed, even if it represents a greater challenge due to the dynamics it requires. The touch must become a seal when connecting the lines, but achieving the desired fusion could take longer than the fan will demand. If not, even if we qualify for the World Cup, the questions will not stop. There is no system that prohibits walls and good play, once balance is achieved.

Dominican Republic, new opportunity

Looser and against a lower-ranking rival, Fossati’s team could not only present variations in terms of names in the Monumental. The Uruguayan coach has previously used the 3-4-1-2 variant, with a more advanced midfielder, almost like a 10, to connect with the forward line and generate greater offensive power. It would not be strange to see Sergio Peña or Piero Quispe in that role. Following the Uruguayan’s own words, in search of “everyone working on the idea”, Luis Abram, Anderson Santamaría and Aldo Corzo would have their turn to be in the showcase. Other players also did not enter against Nicaragua, such as Bryan Reyna, Edison Flores, José Rivera and Marcos López. And Erick Noriega could have more minutes, with good impressions in his debut.