Throughout history, European coaches have helped revolutionise the beautiful game as we know it.
From Rinus Michels to Johan Cruyff, from Pep Guardiola to Jose Mourinho, from Sir Alex Ferguson to Arsene Wenger, the sport has been moulded like metal by some of the greatest locksmiths Europe has had to offer.
However, it is sometimes easy to forget that Argentina has had a major say in the rapid revolution of football over the past Century, from the development of Catenaccio to the elegant yet chaotic influence of Bielsa-ball.
Some of football’s greatest tacticians have managed in the Argentine Primera División before trekking overseas to implement their vision in Europe, and the league continues to churn out high-quality young coaches still to this day.
One of these newfound managers in the Primera Division is Fernando Gago, the former Real Madrid, AS Roma, and Argentinian national team midfielder in charge of the country’s giants Racing Club.
Currently the youngest head coach in the league at 36, and the fourth-youngest in history, Gago’s impact has been stupendous.
Racing Club is currently top of the division, two points ahead of champions River Plate, and Gago will be hoping to guide La Academia to its nineteenth league title this season.
This article will be a tactical analysis of Gago at Racing.
It will analyze the side’s tactics and examine how the young coach has implemented his philosophy in the Buenos Aries Province.
Fernando Gago Formation and style of play
Under Fernando Gago tactics, Racing Club utilise a positional play style system.
Sticking true to its Guardiola-esque routes, the head coach likes to set his side up in a 4-3-3, although sometimes the Argentine switches to a 4-2-3-1 if he needs a little bit more security in front of the backline.
The 4-3-3 provides the side with an ideal balance.
They have excellent advanced midfielders capable of pushing up between the lines into pockets of space.



![Bournemouth Vs Tottenham Hotspur [3–2] – Premier League 2025/2026: Andoni Iraola Plan Exposes Spurs Problems – Tactical Analysis 4 Bournemouth Vs Spurs 20252026](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Bournemouth-Vs-Spurs-20252026-350x250.png)



![Lazio Vs Napoli [0–2] – Serie A 2025/2026: How Antonio Conte Tactics Exploited Structural Flaws – Tactical Analysis 8 Lazio Vs Napoli [0–2] – Serie A 2025/2026: Maurizio Sarri Zonal Marking Weaknesses And Unsuccessful Attacking Choices – Tactical Analysis](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Lazio-Vs-Napoli-tactical-analysis--350x250.png)
