Serie A 2018/19: A look at how Sassuolo are outperforming expectations

With four matchdays gone the top of the Serie A table already has a familiar look. Juventus sit in their now customary position at the top of the table with Napoli close behind in second. Perhaps with Fiorentina in third place, there is something of a change with the Tuscan side arguably performing above expectations. Behind them in fourth though sit Sassuolo who have impressed so far this season playing an exciting brand of football and outperforming the expectations that a club of their stature could have had going into the new season.

That Sassuolo are perhaps overperforming should come as no surprise as in 2016 they finished sixth in Serie A securing Europa League qualification. The 2017/18 season was then something of a transition year with coach Eusebio Di Francesco moving on to become coach of AS Roma and first Christian Bucchi and then Giuseppe Iachini being appointed as coach. In June 2018 the Sassuolo board turned to Benevento appointing their coach Roberto De Zerbi to take charge of the first team, an appointment that appears to be inspired.

There is a tendency when a club performs above expectations for their players and indeed their coaching staff to be coveted by other clubs who look for clues for the success of others and to take parts of that success to emulate it for themselves. Indeed, after leaving the club to join Roma Di Francesco led his new side to the Champions League semi-final. What people fail to take into account, however, is that sometimes a club is well run from above the coaching position with the recruitment of coaches and players handled well and a continuity plan in place. This may well be the case at Sassuolo with De Zerbi playing a style of football that is reminiscent of when Di Francesco was in charge.

If nothing else then the performances so far this season warrant closer inspection both from a tactical and from a recruitment point of view.

Passing connections and compactness

One of the most striking things that you will see when watching this Sassuolo side under De Zerbi is that they retain their compact shape both in the attacking and in the defensive phases of play. They very much work together as a single unit pressing high up the field to overload the opposition and prevent them from being able to play in quick transition.

This compactness in attack leads to a lot of situations where the man in possession of the ball has numerous passing lanes and angles with Sassuolo forming a number of triangles to facilitate ball circulation and ensure that the man in possession always has at least two passing options in close proximity.

If you take in to account the goalkeeper at the base of the structure then in this typical attacking shape from Sassuolo has 11 triangles across the width and depth of the structure. The compact nature of the team from front to back means that they can quickly create overloads on either side of the field or in the central areas should the opposition defensive structure start to break down, the ball can also be moved quickly and safely in order to either rest in possession or keep the ball in order to move the opponent out of place.

The general focus for Sassuolo in attack is very central with the majority of their players being blocked in the central areas. The fullbacks do provide width in the attacking phase as both move high to the same line as the attacking midfielders and cover can be provided through the wide central midfielders moving out to cover passing lanes behind them.

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