Thiago Motta Bologna Tactics

Motta’s UEFA Pro thesis when undertaking his coaching badges was titled The Value of the Ball.

The thesis walks the reader through the transition from him being a boy, to the managers which have helped to shape his footballing philosophy and significant importance placed on the value of the ball.

Thiago Motta’s philosophy is to pack central areas and largely leave the wide channels open to the full-backs.

As with most possession based systems, playing from the back is essential, the key ideas is to control possession and methodically work it up the pitch, using numerical superiority.

A typical build-up is about creating many diamonds, one around the ball carrier and others across the park, when looking at others positioning.

A blend of dynamism, strength, passing and goal instinct lies at the heart of the teams fluidity.

The FM Tactic

Full-Back (Support) – Shoot Less Often, Sit Narrower, Tackle Harder
Ball Playing Defender (Stopper) – Stay wider
Central Defender (Cover) – Stay wider
Wing Back (Support) – Tackle Harder
Half Back – Take Fewer Risks
Carrilero – Take More Risks
Box to Box Midfielder – Get Further Forward
Inverted winger (Support) – Cross Less Often

While some of the team instructions deviate a little from Thiago Motta’s philosophy, this is a good replication which will show the benefits of adopting a fluid footballing system.

Credits

This tactic recreation is created by Steinkelsson and published here with his kind permission. Make sure to follow Steinkelsson on twitter for further tactical / analytical updates.