Athletico Paranaense vs Palmeiras: The battle of the low blocks – tactical preview

The first semi-final of the Copa Libertadores 2022 will be a Brazilian clash between the current champions, Palmeiras, and Athletico Paranaense. Led by Portuguese manager Abel Ferreira, Palmeiras are in pursuit of a historic third consecutive title. This year, the side from São Paulo had the best group stage campaign in the competition’s history, winning all of their matches and scoring a total of 25 goals while only conceding three.

On the other hand, Athletico Paranaense are after their first-ever Libertadores title. The Curitiba side are led by former Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, or Felipão, and have the former Man City midfielder and Premier League champion Fernandinho. With a mix of experience and youthful talent, the Furacão will look to gain the edge over the current champions in what will certainly be a fascinating tactical battle between two brilliant managers.

In this tactical analysis preview, we will examine the tactics of both Athletico Paranaense and Palmeiras in order to understand how the two teams match up. With that in mind, we will also identify key tactical points that will prove decisive over the two legs.

Tactical matchup

Last month in São Paulo, Athletico surprisingly beat Palmeiras 2-0 in a Série A fixture. Not only were Palmeiras favourites coming into the match, but they also fielded a full-strength eleven while Athletico played their reserves. Felipão’s astute strategy proved highly effective and served to highlight how significant of a role both managers will play in this semi-final. While both sides have very talented individuals, collective strategies will be the defining factor. However, before understanding how the two systems clash, this analysis will briefly examine each team’s identity.

Abel Ferreira took over Palmeiras in late 2020, and while their tactics have constantly evolved since, they are still centred around the idea of adaptability. Abel’s football perspective is a rather democratic one, viewing each phase of the game with equal importance. Additionally, he is constantly studying and adapting to the opponent and their structure, especially defensively.

As a result, Palmeiras have become a well-rounded and incredibly dynamic side. Verdão are constantly reacting and adapting to the natural flow of football matches. They are able to control possession and press high but also sit in low blocks and play in transition when required. Whatever they do, they do it well.

Likewise, the experienced Felipão has adopted a similar strategy at Athletico. Most impressively, though, is their ability to defend in low blocks. Especially against stronger opponents, Furacão will deploy an incredibly tight defensive system with lethal attacking transitions. Described as “Copeiro” in Brazil, the 73-year-old manager is able to achieve difficult results with effective strategies, especially in knockout tournaments.

Despite Athletico’s 2-0 victory, Palmeiras had an xG of 3.79 compared to Furacão’s 1.91. Verdão had 71.37% of possession with an incredible 35 shots. On the other hand, Felipão’s side only created 12 shots from 28.63% possession. Athletico were certainly the more effective side, with 0.16 xG per shot. Palmeiras were not as successful at 0.11 xG per shot, highlighting their struggle to create high-quality opportunities.

While Felipão’s low block will be examined in-depth in the next section, it is important to understand how they were structured in this match. The Curitiba side deployed a 4-2-3-1 which could be turned into a 4-4-1-1 depending on the wingers.

However, Felipão has been quite flexible with his formations. In 2022, he used a total of nine different formations. While some are variations of others, it serves to show how adaptable and dynamic the 73-year-old is. Athletico may start off with a similar structure against Palmeiras, as it proved successful, but they may certainly change it depending on how the match goes.