Wolfsburg usually plays with 4-2-3-1 line up. In Wolfsburg’s attacks, key players are full backs, offensive midfielder and forwards. Their movements create spaces and they can make game with these movements.
In set attacks, they transform to like a 3-1-1-5 line up. One of the full backs support the attack from wing and the other one stays at the defense line. One of the defensive midfielders stays at the defense line’s front and the other one closes to midfield’s centre. The winger who is in the wing where one full back didn’t support the attack takes position closer to the touchline and the other winger takes position in half-space. Offensive midfielder closes to centre forward and takes position side by side.
They use attacking full backs. When one of the full backs support the attack, the other one takes position closer to the defense line but he stays in the wing. So it means, when one full back supports the attack from wing, the defense line doesn’t transform to a classic 3 stopper defense line.
It can be a problem for defense line because this time, defense line’s balance becomes less. Because now they have 2 players in the centre and 1 player in the wing. If one of the stoppers close to half-space and full back closes to other half-space from wing, they can support attacks more centrally. And also, with that positioning, if they lost the ball from the wing which the full back supported the attack, the stopper who closed to half-space can cover wing quickly because he would be in half-space, not in centre. And of course, half-space is closer space to wing than centre.
5 forward players’ movements usually determine attacks’ results. All movements have a purpose and balance.
Sometimes the offensive midfielder closes to a wing or half-space from centre between forward and midfield line. And it can be confusing for the opponent. In our situation, Wolfsburg tries to make game against Leipzig. Leipzig tries to meet the opponent with 4-3-2-1.
The ball goes to the right back from the right stopper. The opponent’s left centre midfielder closes to right back. The offensive midfielder closes to the right wing and pulls the opponent’s left back to himself. And this time, the right winger runs from the opponent’s left back’s behind.
In this situation, as you see, the opponent’s right centre midfielder doesn’t shift to left from right. He still tries to control left back. And it will be a big problem for Leipzig.
Right back tries to pass to right winger who escaped from the opponent’s left back’s back as quickly as when he takes the ball. But he can’t pass to him greatly because he doesn’t control the ball. And long ball is always a risky pass and also now, right back tries to pass without controlling the ball. So it is more difficult. And they can’t evaluate these great movements. Of course, there are some reasons.
In this situation, everything and all movements look ok but it’s not. First of all, right back has enough time to think what he has to do or control the ball because the opponent’s left centre midfielder closes to him by being careful about passing connections. He doesn’t just try to steal the ball as quickly as from the right back. Because of that, he has little time to control the ball and look at his pass options so he doesn’t need to use long ball to pass to the right winger quickly.
And also to pass to right winger, he has to use long ball. So this is an extremely risky pass. And even if he can control the ball, he can’t pass to right winger. Because before he passes long, the opponent’s left centre midfielder can steal the ball from the right back. He doesn’t have time so much to pass from this way. From a different way, they can attack more productively.
When the ball goes to right back from right stopper, offensive midfielder starts his movement and right winger starts his run. When offensive midfielder closes to wing, right back can’t pass to him because the opponent’s left winger can cut the connection between them. And this time, right back’s only pass option is right winger but because passing to right winger is too risky, he can’t pass to him either.
But also, offensive midfielder’s and right winger’s movements are so productive. With offensive midfielder’s movement, the opponent’s left back has to shift to him now. And right winger’s movement is productive too because when he runs from the opponent’s left back’s behind, the opponent’s left stopper and centre midfielder focus on to him. Just to benefit from these movements, they need 1 more movement.
If right defensive midfielder closes to right back diagonal, they can benefit from these movements and make game. When right defensive midfielder closes to right back diagonal, he can take the ball comfortably because nobody is around him. Because of right winger’s and offensive midfielder’s movements, the opponent focused on to the wing.
Normally, the opponent’s centre midfielder could close to right defensive midfielder but he focuses on to right winger’s movement and also, before he focuses on to right winger’s movement, he was following offensive midfielder. So as a result, offensive midfielder and right winger distract him and right defensive midfielder can find space.
Also the opponent’s right centre midfielder could cover him but he didn’t move in a coordinated way to left with his team. He focuses on to left back so he is not close to centre to cover right defensive midfielder.
Right defensive midfielder’s diagonal direction movement is important to make game better. Because, when he moves diagonally, he closes to right back and the distance between him and right back becomes less. And it means, right back can pass to him quickly and he doesn’t need to kick the ball with a huge power. In this situation, it’s an important thing because if right defensive midfielder would be too far away from right back like right winger, right back will lose too much time to get energy from his legs because he will stretch his legs more. And this time, the opponent’s left centre midfielder can take the ball from him before he passes to right defensive midfielder.
Also when he moves diagonally, he has a great visual angle to pass to forward players. If he would close to right back vertical, he could close to right back quickly but he wouldn’t have a productive visual angle like in diagonal movement. Because he couldn’t see forward players.
With diagonal movement, also he will go forward too and it means, when he takes the ball, he will be more close to the forward line. So he can support the attack quicker and better.
Lastly, I want to say that, right defensive midfielder has to move and it doesn’t matter where. I mean of course if he moves diagonally to right back, he can be more effective but in this situation, even the worst movement is better than movelessness. Because if he doesn’t move to anywhere, the opponent’s centre forward can close to him and cover him. But if he moves to somewhere, even if the opponent’s centre forward closes to him, because he moves too, he can take the ball from right back. Because the distance between him and the opponent’s centre forward doesn’t change and when he takes the ball, he will have enough time to pass forwards before the opponent’s centre forward catches him.
In this situation, Leipzig tries to meet Wolfsburg with 4-2-3-1 line up. Left stopper has the ball. Wolfsburg’s right winger takes position between forward and midfield lines and centre forward’s behind. And also left winger takes position closer to the midfield. These positionings confuse the opponent’s players and they can make game.
And also I have to say that, as you see left defensive midfielder closed to stoppers before making game and be the third stopper in the left. It gives one advantage and one disadvantage to Wolfsburg. The advantage is, left back can take position in midfield to make game, and in this situation, they use this advantage to make game. If there were 2 stoppers, left back couldn’t take position in midfield. He had to take position closer to the defense line and it would lessen his effectiveness about making game. He had to take position closer to the defense line because if he wouldn’t, the opponent’s right winger could cut the connection between him and left stopper.
The disadvantage is, if left defensive midfielder would be in midfield, they would have 1 more player in midfield and they could break the opponent’s marking plan. Because without left defensive midfielder, the opponent can cover other dangerous players. The opponent’s offensive midfielder can cover right defensive midfielder, the opponent’s right defensive midfielder can cover left winger and the opponent’s right stopper can close to offensive midfielder. He can close because he doesn’t mark anyone. So he is free for marking. And other stopper can mark centre forward. The opponent’s left defensive midfielder can cover right winger 1 by 1. But Wolfsburg could use the advantage and made the game.
After the ball goes to left defensive midfielder from left stopper, offensive midfielder starts his run to between the opponent’s right back and right stopper diagonal. At the same time, right winger starts to run to left half-space from between forward and midfield lines diagonal.
Left back takes the ball from left defensive midfielder. When he takes the ball, he has little time to look at his pass options before the opponent’s right winger covers him.
The opponent’s right back was taking position closer to left winger and because left winger was taking position closer to midfield, the distance between the opponent’s right back and right stopper is so much and offensive midfielder can find enough space to run. Also because he runs diagonally, he pulls the opponent’s right stopper far away from centre.
And because offensive midfielder pulls the opponent’s right stopper to left wing, right winger can run diagonally. The space between forward and midfield increases diagonally. And he can run free.
Then left back passes to free right winger and they complete a making game situation.
Before right winger runs, the opponent’s left defensive midfielder could cover him. But after right winger started running diagonally to left, he didn’t follow him. Because he thought the opponent’s stoppers could cover right winger and he made a hand sign to stoppers. But stoppers were busy with marking centre forward and offensive midfielder.
In this situation, the opponent’s left defensive midfielder had to shift to right to keep covering right winger. Because there weren’t any Wolfsburg’s player around him in his area. But also, before Wolfsburg’s offensive midfielder’s diagonal run, his decision was right.
If offensive midfielder wouldn’t run diagonally, when right winger closes to left half-space, the opponent’s free stopper could cover right winger as the opponent’s left defensive midfielder thought. But when offensive midfielder and right winger moved perfectly at the same time, the opponent’s defensive midfielder couldn’t understand the new defending situation and let right winger free. Then right winger could take the ball free.
Also in this situation, before the attack starts, when left stopper has the ball, Wolfsburg’s midfielders and forwards take position in such a confusing way for the opponent. If you look at the midfield, left winger takes position in the midfield and half-space. If we think that his regular marker is the opponent’s right back, the distance between left winger and the opponent’s right back is so much. It means, if left winger can take the ball in midfield, the opponent’s right back can’t cover him quickly. The opponent’s right back doesn’t take position closer to the midfield because he knows if he goes, Wolfsburg’s one player can escape from his back. And actually, in our situation, offensive midfielder escaped.
Offensive midfielder takes position beside left winger. And the opponent’s right defensive midfielder takes position between them. So now, the opponent’s defensive midfielder has to cover 2 players at the same time but of course he can’t do that.
Right winger takes position nearly centre forward’s behind and nobody marks him. The opponent’s left back can’t mark him because now, right winger is not in his marking area.