Jimmy Thelin at Elfsborg: The tactics behind their great start to the Allsvenskan season – tactical analysis
After a sixth-placed finish in the Allsvenskan last season, Elfsborg have had a tremendous start to the 2023 season, with Jimmy Thelin‘s side currently sitting in second place, two points back of Malmö. However, going into last weekend’s set of matches, they were top of the Swedish league, before dropping points to Djurgåden.
With that being said, Elfsborg still possess one of the best attacks and defences in the Allsvenskan, with this tactical analysis taking a look at some of Jimmy Thelin’s tactics this season with the Swedish side.
Preferred formation and style of play
The image above shows the formations that Jimmy Thelin has used so far early in the new Allsvenskan season. As we can see, he has heavily used the 4-2-3-1, and this is the one fans of Elfsborg should expect going forward in this campaign. When it comes to a certain style of play, under Thelin, Elfsborg are a side that look to not necessarily always control the majority of possession throughout a match. Instead, they often look to win possession back in the midfield areas and transition quickly, with Elfsborg looking to catch opposition sides pushed up in advanced areas.
Thelin also looks for his side to press and put the opposition under pressure when their centre-backs have possession and are looking to build out from the back. The end goal is Elfsborg trying to catch an opposition player in possession, force them into an errant pass that will allow them to win a loose ball, or get a throw-in in an advanced attacking area of the pitch.
Looking to create chances through transitional moments
When it comes to how Jimmy Thelin’s Elfsborg side look to create chances, the main thing they try to do is attack quickly in transitional moments when the ball is turned over in midfield. A lot of these attacking transitional moments originate from Elfsborg’s use of pressing in these advanced areas, something that will be covered in more detail later on.
The image above shows the progressive passes of Elfsborg so far in this young Allsvenksan season so far. As we can see, the majority of the Swedish side’s progressive passes have come from the wide areas. This is rather typical for Thelin’s side, with Elfsborg looking to shift the ball out to the wide channels once they gather possession in midfield in transitional moments. This allows the Swedish side’s attack to hopefully gain a numerical advantage with numbers forward in these areas, due to the likely possibility of the opposition’s fullbacks being pushed higher up in advanced areas. Elfsborg can then penetrate opposition defences more easily, with them resorting to the wide areas.
The image above shows the first part of a transitional attacking moment from Elfsborg that results in the ball being shifted out wide to create a potential goalscoring chance. As Malmö look to build into midfield, the Elfsborg defence attempt to close down the ball receiver, with them succeeding in this goal. One thing to notice is the positioning of the wide midfielder from Elfsborg located on the far sideline. Even though the Malmö fullback is pushing into an advanced position, the wide midfielder from Elfsborg does not track him, with him anticipating receiving the ball if Elfsborg are able to win back possession, which they succeed in doing.
The image above shows the second phase of this transitional attacking moment once Elfsborg are able to gather possession. As already previously mentioned, the ball was shifted out wide to the winger, who is able to get into the space with the fullback advanced. As a result, this forces the Malmö central defender to move out of position to go and try to engage the wide midfielder before he gets to the penalty area. However, the Elfsborg attacker is able to get past the defender, allowing him to drive towards the byline. As a result of the central defender moving out of position, this allows Elfsborg to overload the penalty box, with the wide midfielder looking to take advantage. His ensuing cross is played towards the penalty spot, but unfortunately no attacker is able to get onto the end of the ball.
The image above shows another transitional attacking moment that results in a good chance being created from the wide areas by Elfsborg. Preceding this still image was the Swedish side again forcing a turnover in midfield, allowing them to use quick passing sequences to transition quickly and progress the ball into the position it is currently.
After winning possession, the first pass is played to the Elfsborg striker who positioned himself between the lines. His ensuing pass is played to Jeppe Okkels, the left attacking midfielder, who made a diagonal run across the field to occupy the position where he is currently in possession. This run behind the fullback attracts the attention of one of the opposition centre-backs, who moves wide to engage, vacating his position in the process. This allows the ball to be played to new Royal Antwerp signing Jacob Ondrejka, that former Barcelona and Bayern Munich player Mark van Bommel has signed to join Royal Antwerp from next season, who has drifted unmarked into this space. He is able to get a shot off, but unfortunately, it is blocked by the central defender who slides over to get into the shooting lane.
Also, notice how Elfsborg still commits numbers forward into the box in preparation for a potential loose ball in the penalty area. The ball ricochets out for a second phase, with Elfsborg able to keep the pressure on the Norrköping defence before eventually hitting a shot wide of goal.
This section has highlighted how Jimmy Thelin looks for his Elfsborg side to create chances. They are a dangerous side when it comes to transitional attacking moments, as well as when they are able to shift the ball out wide looking to create numerical advantages or to send the ball into the box to their target men.
Creating pressing triangles
Another thing to look at that Elfsborg look to do under Jimmy Thelin is press the opposition. In fact, so far this season in the Allsvenskan, Elfsborg are one of the most aggressive pressing sides.
The data viz graphic above shows the number of high regains that Elfsborg have so far this season domestically, with these numbers further highlighting the emphasis to win back possession in advanced areas and transition into the attack quickly. This is emphasised by the 66 dangerous recoveries from the Swedish side this season, with this showing how many of their recoveries resulted in a shot within a twenty-second time frame.
The image above shows an example of Elfsborg’s ability to regain possession by pressing the opposition and forcing them into errors. In this phase of play above from their recent match against Norrköping, the ability of the Elfsborg players to put the opposition under pressure allows them to force an error and begin a transitional attacking moment.
As the ball is played out wide to the fullback, the trio in Elfsborg’s midfield create a triangle, preventing the ball from being played centrally to the opposition midfielder. This means to progress the ball forward, the fullback really only has one option. With the wide midfielder putting pressure on the opposition fullback, his only option is to attempt a pass down the line to the winger, with the Elfsborg player reading this and jumping in front of the pass. As a result, Elfsborg regained possession and were able to start a transitional attacking move due to the amount of numbers still in advanced positions.
The image above again shows the shape that Elfsborg shifts into when opposition sides are looking to build out from the back. As the phase of play above shows, the Swedish side have formed almost two triangles with their press, with this essentially cutting off the ability for the centre-backs and fullbacks to play the ball centrally into their defensive midfielders. This eliminates the midfielders as options to bridge the defence and attack, with defenders almost forced to play the ball long.
That is exactly what happens in this phase of play, with the centre-back’s only short option being the fullback nearest to him. As a result, this is where he plays the ball, with the Elfsborg midfielders already anticipating this and moving out of the triangle to engage. With instant pressure being applied, the fullback is forced to just play the ball long, towards the Elfsborg backline, where they are able to retain possession.
As this section has illustrated, these tactics of using triangles in their press to eliminate the central passing option forces the opposition to play wide, with Elfsborg able to anticipate this. The ability of Jimmy Thelin’s side to cut off the bridge between the defence and attack forces opposition sides to play route one football, with their defensive line then tasked with regaining possession for the Swedish side.
Defensively solid
The final thing that this tactical analysis piece will look at is the solid defensive structure that Elfsborg have had so far this season under Jimmy Thelin. So far, their nine goals conceded this season is the joint fewest in the Allsvenskan, level with league leaders Malmö and mid-table side Mjällby.
The data viz above shows the defensive territory covered this season by Elfsborg, along with showing their average area of engagement defensively and the average height of their defensive line. What this graphic also is able to show is that Elfsborg are a side that will foul their opposition, but still hold a superb defensive record this season. They are quite a compact defensive side and will drop into a low block at times, but for the most part, will try to play a more mid-block defensively.
The image above shows the typical defensive shape that Jimmy Thelin’s side have shifted to out of possession so far this season. As we can see, the shape becomes more of a 4-4-2 from a 4-2-3-1, with one of the attacking midfielders pushing up to join the striker and form a front two. We can also see that the shape is typically a mid-block, with the Elfsborg defensive and midfield lines staying compact and close together to prevent space between the lines, but are not sitting too deep.
This use of a mid-height line allows the opposition not enough space to sit on the shoulders of the last defenders and make late runs but also does not pin Elfsborg too deep where they can not absorb any attacking pressure from opposition sides.
One of the main reasons that Elfsborg have had a great defensive record this season is the ability of their defenders to consistently outnumber the opposition’s attackers in key areas. In the phase of play above from a recent league victory against Malmö, we can see that Elfsborg have created an overload against the Malmö attackers out wide. As a result of this, the ensuing pass from the opposition player in the more central area does not find the overlapping runner, but instead the Elfsborg central defender, with him able to gather possession and start the Swedish side on a transitional attacking move.
As this section has shown, Elfsborg have become a force defensively under Jimmy Thelin, with a lot of this coming down to his defensive principles, as well as the personnel that he has at his disposal. All in all, Elfsborg have been a dominant side in the Swedish league from a defensive standpoint so far this season, and they should hope to carry it on throughout this campaign.
Conclusion
As this tactical analysis has shown, Elfsborg have had a great start to the new Allsvenskan season. While they are no longer top of the Swedish league, they are still right in with a very good chance of challenging for the title for the duration of this season.
The goal for the Swedish side should be to finish in a position where they are able to get into the UEFA Europa League for next season, but under Jimmy Thelin this season, they are off to a tremendous start, and should not be looked over when it comes to who could win the Allsvenskan title this season.
