Colombia, coached by one-time Swindon Town defender Néstor Lorenzo, were one of, if not the stand-out teams at this summer’s 2024 Copa América.
La Sele progressed all the way to the Miami final before narrowly missing out in extra time to the current World Cup holders, Argentina.
A large part of their success was due to their pressing structure, the focus of this analysis, which saw them concede just two goals in regulation time in their six games at the tournament.
This structure, which is a somewhat modified 4-3-3, allowed Lorenzo to get the best out of former Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez when his team was out of possession.
This tactical theory will analyse the setup and critical components of Colombia’s press.
This analysis will also offer suggestions on how coaches can both implement and play against this setup.
This 2024 Copa América tactical analysis will show how Colombia reacted to certain scenarios and how their opposition adapted their tactics to overcome their solid defensive structure.
4-3-3/4-3-1-2 Structure
Colombia adapted slightly their in-possession 4-3-3 to become more of a 4-3-1-2 when out-of-possession.
The main difference from a traditional 4-3-3 structure was that the wingers played further inside the pitch, pressing the oppositions centre-backs.
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