Umut Kabadayı

 Its all about Pele...                           14/12/11

A sense of nostalgia sets in when thinking of Pelé, arguably the best footballer of all times, and the one that gave “Futebol bonito” to Braziland to the rest of the world. Pelé’s memorable moments include the bicycle kick, winning three world cups for Brazil out of their total of five, and being one of the best ambassadors football could ever want and need. Nostalgia is only present because we can no longer see Pelé play football, now at 71 years of age.

“When football stars disappear, so do the teams, and that is a very curious phenomenon. It is like in the theatre, in a play, where there is a great star. If the star is not well, the whole cast suffers.” – Pelé

Pelé paved the way for other world greats, inspiring the football played by John Cruyff and his Dutch national team, Ronaldo and the great Brazil team he led to victory in 2002, and an endless list of attacking footballers that combined a touch of power, with a whole lot of finesse, unquestionable talent, and desire to become the best.

“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.” – Pelé

Pelé’s career started on the streets of São Paulo in poverty, where at a young age, Pelé could not afford a football but used socks stuffed with newspapers or grapefruits as replacement. Now the biggest name in the history of football, Pelé began with a promise to his father, at only 9 years of age, that he will win a World Cup for Brazil one day. The influence of street football and futsal are very clear in Pelé’s playing style and what made him different from other footballers. He describes his career as a hard working career, that he wasn’t born the best, that he worked his way into becoming the best.

“I don’t believe there is such a thing as a ‘born’ football player. Perhaps you are born with certain skills and talents, but quite frankly it seems impossible to me that one is actually born to be an ace football player.” – Pelé

When hearing Pelé talk about his career, one thing is clear above all – he’s grateful for everything football has given him. Often “O Rei” describes football as the source of everything he has and that as he gets older, the desire to give back to the game becomes stronger and stronger.

Advantages of a diamond
-A dynamic midfield shape that allows technically sound midfielders to control the game from the middle of the park.
-More space between the lines against a flat 4-4-2, particularly during periods where the AMC is unmarked.
-Narrow diamond variants maintain a numbers advantage in the central zones, both when attacking and defending
-With an initial presence out-wide on both flanks, 2 uptop and 1 in the hole, the wide diamond offer options in attack, even more so than even the most offensive of narrow diamond variants

Disadvantages of a diamond
-Can be unstable when defending against a 4-5-1 variant, especially a 4-2-3-1.
-Despite a midfielder moving across to help the wingback, there is always space down the flanks, particularly for a fast attack.
-Many AMCs can be a liability defensively, even if tight to their man.
-While a wide diamond covers both flanks at all times, it’s at the expense of a large gap in the middle

-A wide diamond is always outnumbered 2v3 in the middle of the park against any 4-5-1 variant 

Despite the fact that there are four ways to play a diamond formation on football, the differences between them are few and usually subtle. As a starting point, one thing each of them do have in common is a back four in defence. The defence will generally have more protection in the middle than with a flat 4-4-2, especially with the 4-1-3-2 setup. As a trade-off, in a narrow diamond the wingbacks are occasionally under more pressure, while what they offer when bombing down the flank becomes more important, too. Unlike in a flat 4-4-2 where the extent of their wideplay is more often than not to overlap a flank, in a narrow diamond, wingbacks are typically the players with the most impetus in regards to attacking the byline. For this reason, the ability to get past their man and put in a cross warrants that much more attention for a manager looking to get the best out of such a system. In contrast, a wingback in a wider diamond featuring an ML and MR will not be relied on as much to provide width and will link-up with the wide-man ahead of him in a very similar way to a wide-attack from a 4-4-2. 

UPFRONT
Despite the fact that there are 2 strikers, this isn’t quite as much of a similarity with a flat 4-4-2 in the final third as initially appears. The support striker has a choice between playing his striker into space, or an AMC if one is used. Naturally, this can lead to a different outcome where in a 4-4-2, the support striker may withdraw to the hole before deciding what to do next. With a player already there / emerging into there from the midfield, it means 2 players capable of creating a chance, of which accentuates a narrow diamond’s strength through the middle. Even against a 4-5-1, the support striker and AMC may find enough space between them to cause problems. Alternatively, the manager may wish to accommodate two strikers with an attacking duty, especially when playing against a 4-4-2, or against any formation if the team happens to have an exceptional AMC. Another notable difference between 2 strikers in a flat 4-4-2 and a diamond is how in situations where the striker would normally play-in a winger, and he can’t find one of the unmarked midfielders who are rallying in support, he will drift wide. Strikers can and will find themselves going out-wide slightly more often than in a flat 4-4-2.

Of course, with 2 striker roles, the manager has plenty of options with a goal in mind. A poacher may seem an attractive option, especially with his lack of contributions to the build-up being far less recognisable than in a flat 4-4-2. Then there’s a targetman, who can hold up the ball and find an AMC / unmarked midfielder. If fluidity is favoured and the calibre of personnel allows for it, 2 complete forwards with a creative AMC behind them might be a combination which could be a daunting proposition for even the most resolute of defences. The manager has options, arguably more so than with any other formation which plays 2 utop. featuring an ML and MR will not be relied on as much to provide width and will link-up with the wide-man ahead of him in a very similar way to a wide-attack from a 4-4-2.featuring an ML and MR will not be relied on as much to provide width and will link-up with the wide-man ahead of him in a very similar way to a wide-attack from a 4-4-2.

, Ankara