América Mineiro: The tactics behind Coelho’s quiet ascension – tactical analysis

For the past few years, the Brazilian league has been dominated by a few elite clubs. A few of these come from Brazil’s traditional 12 big clubs, while others have slowly asserted themselves at the top of Brazil’s food chain, such as Fortaleza and Athletico Paranaense. Nonetheless, the top of the Série A table has been seeing the same familiar faces for a few seasons now.

Occasionally, the less traditional clubs will pop into the spotlight for one reason or another. The most common is obviously young stars going to Europe, with Ituano selling Gabriel Martinelli to Premier League’s Arsenal, for instance.

Cups are another source of light for the less popular clubs, with non-league Água Santa eliminating the likes of Red Bull Bragantino and São Paulo to take on Palmeiras in the final of the Paulista. However, these successes come and go. Sustainable success in ascension to the top of Brazil’s food chain is rare, but it is quietly taking place in Minas Gerais.

After reaching promotion to the Série A in 2021, América Mineiro have established themselves in the first division with back-to-back mid-table finishes. Continentally, the Coelho were surprisingly competitive in last year’s Copa Libertadores, and this season, they have recently defeated South American giants Peñarol 4-1 in the Copa Sudamericana. The Minas club’s ascension is undeniable, and without the typical pressure of a big club, Vagner Mancini is slowly building an exciting project at the Arena Independência.

The results are merely a reward for the organisation introduced by Mancini. Tactically, the Brazilian manager has introduced a fluid structure in possession guided by clear principles, and out of possession, América are aggressive and disciplined.

The system has certainly fostered individual success. Martín Benítez has found a home after displaying flashes of brilliance at Vasco da Gama, São Paulo, and Grêmio. After being called up to Brazil’s national team, 20-year-old right-back Arthur has earned a summer transfer to Bundesliga’s Bayer Leverkusen.

This tactical analysis will provide an in-depth breakdown of Vagner Mancini’s tactics at América Mineiro, identifying how the Brazilian manager has been guiding the Coelho to the top. In and out of possession, this analysis will outline the guiding ideas behind América’s recent success.

Structure

While América Mineiro are far from a possession-based side, with 47.84% average possession this year, they certainly look to construct organised and intentional attacks. They are generally more vertical in their passing behaviour, with 12.93% of their passes being long passes. At any rate, before exploring the guiding principles in their progression, breaking down the structure provides the necessary context.

While the structure is extremely fluid and at times emergent (non-imposed) based on spontaneous developments, there is a relevant guiding organisation in possession. This organisation begins in an expansive 4-3-3 shape, looking to maximise the playing area. Despite initially holding maximum width, the organisation’s structure is very fluid and dynamic in its development.

The image below outlines their 4-3-3 shape, identifying the names of the players in order for clarity throughout the analysis. The midfield trio has Benítez and Juninho sitting ahead of Alê, albeit they tend to rotate a lot like in the example below. With their stretched nature, they are able to easily switch the ball and circulate possession from side to side.

Directing possession to the wide areas, they are able to create effective structures from their initial organisation. In the example below, the centre-back drives the ball forward in the wide channel. The winger and the nearest midfielder, Matheusinho and Alê respectively, provide support from the half-spaces, creating diagonal angles to the fullback and the centre-back. Once the centre-back plays it inside to Alê, Arthur, the right-back, makes an overlapping run to continue the ball progression.