How Bielsa-inspired Juan Pablo Vojvoda’s ‘intense, dynamic football’ is revamping Brazil’s Fortaleza – tactical analysis

In 2013, Juan Pablo Vojvoda’s coaching career began at the same club where his journey as a professional football player began  Newell’s Old Boys. The Leprosos academy product coached for Newell’s at youth level for four years  twice taking charge of the first-team on a caretaker basis in that time  before eventually moving on and taking his first permanent managerial role in senior football at Defensa y Justicia where he stayed for 25 games, winning 56% (14) of them.

Four years and four clubs later, Vojvoda now finds himself at the helm of Campeonato Brasileiro Série A side Fortaleza, where he’s thus far been in charge for 24 games, winning 66.67% (16) of them.

Fortaleza ended the 2020/21 Série A campaign in 16th place, level on points (41) and level on wins (10) with 17th-placed Vasco da Gama. They only avoided relegation on goal difference.

Vojvoda arrived at the Ceará-based club just before the 2021 season began in May but he has had an instant impact, helping Leão do Pici to start this season much better than they finished the previous one. They currently sit in third place in Brazil’s top-flight, trailing top-of-the-table Atlético Mineiro by just four points.

The Argentinian coach, who’s cited compatriot Marcelo Bielsa  currently of EPL side Leeds United and who coached Vojvoda in his days as a Newell’s youth coach from 1980-1990  as a major inspiration of his, along with former managers of La Liga side Barcelona, Gerardo Martino and Pep Guardiola, the latter of whom reached the UEFA Champions League final with Manchester City last season.

That’s not a bad list of influences for the 46-year-old Argentinian who’s declared that one of his “ideals”, in terms of his football coaching philosophy, is to play “intense, dynamic football with all players participating in the game, that all world wants to attack, but is also committed to defending.”

In this tactical analysis piece, we’ll analyse Vojvoda’s Fortaleza. We’ll highlight some of the key changes that have occurred at the Ceará-based club since the 46-year-old Argentinian’s arrival and provide analysis of some key elements of Vojvoda’s tactics to explain how he’s  thus far  successfully turned a club that was almost relegated earlier this year into one of Brazil’s leading lights.

Build-up

As with any team, how Vojvoda’s Fortaleza side shapes up evolves based on what phase of play they’re in and where the ball is at that moment. This context is always important and alters the team’s ‘shape’. However, if you were to label Fortaleza with playing a particular base formation, you could say that they primarily utilise a 3-4-1-2.

On the ball, within this shape, Fortaleza’s wing-backs typically provide the width, the strikers and ‘10’ alternate the directions of their movement and runs to offer the deeper players options for balls in behind or balls to feet in between the lines, the central midfielders stagger, with one dropping deeper and one remaining slightly higher, while the back three essentially becomes a back two with two centre-backs splitting either side of the goalkeeper and the other centre-back  usually, the right-sided one  advancing, either out wide  basically acting as a full-back would  or centrally, becoming another central midfielder.

This often leaves Fortaleza’s back three appearing as they do in figure 1 during the build-up phase. Just before this image, Fortaleza sent the ball back to the goalkeeper. Then, the three centre-backs readjusted themselves into the positions we see them here. The left centre-back and central centre-back pushed out wide into the typical left and right centre-back positions, splitting either side of the goalkeeper. Meanwhile, the right centre-back moved out wide, into more of a full-back position.

These movements allow Fortaleza to outnumber the opposition’s striker with their centre-backs  a key component of Vojvoda’s system in the build-up that inspiration Bielsa advocates. So, with the centre-backs splitting wide, forcing the opposition striker to make a decision and mark one  not both  the ‘keeper has one free short pass to a centre-back on. Additionally, the right centre-back’s movement into space further up is crucial too, as this gives the goalkeeper an option for a slightly longer chipped ball upfield, in case a short, accurate pass is impossible or the longer, chipped ball is simply the better option. Fortaleza often like to play the ball longer from the goalkeeper, so this chipped ball is sometimes utilised when the right centre-back finds enough space.