Insane intensity: Why the Santos press wasn’t enough to win the Copa Libertadores – tactical analysis

Despite it being a very aggressive battle with many fouls and failures under pressure, the Copa Libertadores final between Palmeiras and Santos offered some interesting tactical decisions.

Due to the lack of precision from both teams and their aggressive defensive actions, they didn’t manage to score in the full 90 minutes, but Palmeiras took advantage of their opportunities in the stoppage time and won the competition.

Abel Ferreira’s team dominated the game and despite Santos’ efforts to keep up with the tempo, they reached the wanted result and lifted the cup.

Extremely committed to their defensive actions, both teams were constantly aiming to recover the ball and expose the opposition immediately. While their attacking strategies were different, the ends result was almost the same – a few imprecise shots that could’ve decided the outcome of the game a lot earlier if the attackers were more solid under pressure.

The press intensity from both teams was impressive and while Santos were dominant in that indicator and had more of the ball, they didn’t manage to use this advantage and capitalise on their chances.

In this tactical analysis, we examine both teams’ tactics and follow the tactical decisions that led to Palmeiras’ triumph.

Line-ups

The 42-year-old Abel Ferreira relied on Weverton on the goal, with Matías Viña, Gustavo Gómez, Luan and Marcos Rocha in defence. The central areas were covered by Zé Rafael and Danilo while Rony and Gabriel Menino were responsible for the wings, although they would often tuck in and occupy the half-spaces. Raphael Veiga supported Luiz Adriano in attack. Veiga was one of their key players in attack and managed to threaten the goal on a few occasions. This was mainly possible thanks to Danilo’s ball progression involvement and long ball efforts.

They were main figures in their build-up and attacking movement which resulted in Palmeiras creating most of their positional attacks through the right flank or the central areas. Their positioning in the half-spaces was beneficial for their efforts in the final third. Even the ex Juventus and Inter player Felipe Melo got some playing time at 37 years of age.

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