CONCACAF Central American Cup Final 2023: Alajuelense’s dominant attack versus Real Estelí’s adaptable defence – tactical preview

The inaugural CONCACAF Central American Cup Final is fast approaching. The stage is set for the highly anticipated two-legged clash between Alajuelense and Real Estelí.

The Costa Rican giants bring a legacy of success into the finals with an impressive record of 30 league titles and two CONCACAF Champions Cups, meaning they emerge as the probable favourites in this matchup. For those not acquainted with Alajuelense, one recognisable name is that of former Arsenal player, Joel Campbell. The 31-year-old forward has returned to his native Costa Rica after navigating something of a journeyman career which has seen him play in Ligue 1 and La Liga, respectively. Additionally, young players such as Doryan Rodríguez and Aarón Suárez have played crucial roles in the clubs journey to the final.

Meanwhile, Real Estelí are a force to be reckoned with in Nicaraguan football. Their path to the final has been defined by resilience and a never-say-die attitude. Ontiel Olivas has instilled a disciplined approach that centres around defensive solidity, tactical discipline, and knowing when to exploit their attacking opportunities.

The first leg will take place on Tuesday night in Nicaragua, with Real Estelí having the home advantage. The return leg in Costa Rica will take place one week later, after which we will know which team are the 2023 Central American Champions. 

As the final approaches, we are going to delve into what looks to be an exciting matchup between the two sides. This tactical analysis will take a look at what we can expect from each team. We will analyse the tactics we expect each manager to utilise and how they will set up.

Alajuelense

Andrés Carevic mostly utilises a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-4-2 system; both systems are very similar and provide him with the attacking freedom he desires whilst retaining the all-important defensive structure. In this section of the analysis, we will take a look at what tactics Carevic could look to utilise in the final. 

A lethal attack

Alajuelenses lethal attack has been a key component in their journey to the final. They have netted 20 goals in their eight games so far, averaging 2.5 per game from an xG of 2.03 per 90 from 15.5 shots per 90. They like to hit their opponents early, in five of their last six Central American Cup games, Alajuelense have scored within the first ten minutes. Carevic likes his team to establish their dominance and not give their opponents time to settle into the game. 

When attacking, Alajuelense looks to create overloads on one side of the pitch before quickly executing a switch. By overloading one side, they aim to draw the attention and defensive resources of the opponent to that specific area, as demonstrated above. This is achieved by committing more players to one flank, outnumbering the opposition in that region. The goal here is to create numerical superiority, forcing the defensive team to shift and adjust their formation to cope with the concentrated attacking threat.