When Atletico Madrid use 5-3-2 line up in set defences, centre forwards take position between opponent’s defense players and defensive midfielders. So they don’t let opponent’s defensive midfielders take the ball and make game comfortably. But also, after the ball goes to wing or after Atletico Madrid’s centre forwards close to stoppers a little bit, they can’t cover defensive midfielders closely.
After the ball went to wing, they can’t keep covering defensive midfielders closely because they don’t take position between the opponent’s player, who has the ball in wing and defensive midfielders. They still take position closer to defensive midfielders but can’t cut connections between opponent’s defensive midfielders’ and teammates anymore.
After centre forwards close to opponent stoppers, they can’t cover defensive midfielders closely. It’s all about the distance between centre forwards and defensive midfielder.
For example now, before centre forwards close to stoppers, the distance between centre forwards and opponent’s defensive midfielders is so little. So even the ball goes to the other stopper, centre forwards can accord their positions to the new situation and keep covering defensive midfielders quickly. Right centre forward matches with left defensive midfielder and left centre forward matches with right defensive midfielder.
When centre forwards close to stoppers and left stopper passes to right stopper, now because the distance between centre forwards and defensive midfielders is too much, even they shift to try to cut connections between right stopper and defensive midfielder, it’s not enough to cut connections. They shifted with the same quickness as the previos situation but this time it wasn’t enough. Because the distance between centre forwards and defensive midfielder was more and this time, centre forwards’ shifting to keep covering defensive midfielders distance became more too. So right stopper could pass to left defensive midfielder and right centre forward couldn’t cut the connection between right stopper and left defensive midfielder.
I want to explain this situation also with this picture. This is the first situation. Atletico Madrid’s right centre forward takes position to opponent’s left defensive midfielder. The black line shows the distance between centre forward and defensive midfielder. And as you see, it is so little.
The white line shows the connection between right stopper and defensive midfielder. And the red line shows the distance that right centre forward has to go to cut the connection between right stopper and defensive midfielder.
And this is the second situation’s picture. Right centre forward closed to left stopper. And this time, as you can see, the distance between centre forward and defensive midfielder (the black line) was more. And this time, the distance that right centre forward had to go to cut the connection between right stopper and defensive midfielder (the red line) was more too. And this time, centre forward couldn’t cut the connection between right stopper and defensive midfielder and the ball went to defensive midfielder.
If centre forwards close opponent stoppers or they aren’t able to cut connections between stoppers and defensive midfielders, this time Atletico Madrid’s centre midfielder closes to defensive midfielder who will take the ball and cover him. But the problem is, sometimes he isn’t able to cover defensive midfielder.
For example, if opponent’s one forward is free between Atletico Madrid’s defense and midfield lines centre and any defenders are not close enough to this player, Atletico Madrid’s centre midfielder has to cover this free player and this time, he can’t cover opponent’s defensive midfielder. And this time, defensive midfielder can make game comfortably.
If centre midfielder can close to opponent’s defensive midfielder quickly, they can cover defensive midfielder but this time, a worse situation happens. When centre midfielder closes forward to cover defensive midfielder, naturally, because now he is closer to forward, midfield’s centre is free for opponent. And opponents can benefit from this free space in midfield centre because Atletico Madrid’s right and left centre midfielders don’t close to centre more when centre midfielder went forward.
If opponent has a player in half-space who helps to defensive midfielder about making game from behind, opponent can make game from this player comfortably.
For example, in this situation, full backs are in half-space to help defensive midfielders about making game. Left stopper has the ball. When he passes to right stopper, because right stopper is able to pass to left defensive midfielder, Atletico Madrid’s centre midfielder closes to left defensive midfielder. Right stopper can’t pass to right defensive midfielder because Atletico Madrid’s left centre forward cuts the connection between right stopper and right defensive midfielder.
Then right stopper passes to right back. When right back takes the ball, right defensive midfielder pulls Atletico Madrid’s left centre midfielder to right half-space. And when opponent’s centre forward closes to midfield to take the ball, right back can pass to centre forward. Atletico Madrid’s left centre midfielder couldn’t realize that centre forward was closing to centre because centre forward was in his back and also when opponent’s right defensive midfielder started his movement, left centre midfielder focused on to this movement. So now, he can’t focus on centre forward’s movement. So opponent could make game from this central space.
When Atletico Madrid start to meet opponent more forward and with more pressure, for example in mid block, defense line doesn’t support midfield good enough.
Defense line takes position in midfield’s behind. When midfield players go forward to press opponent players, the distance between defense and midfield lines is more. This time, opponent’s forward players can find free space to take the ball and be effective in between Atletico Madrid’s defense and midfield lines. Atletico Madrid defenders can’t go forward by themselves because if they go forward alone, because now the distance between midfield and defense line is too much, defense line would be broken. And opponent’s forward players can use this problem to be effective.