AS Roma 2019/20: Paulo Fonseca’s build-up patterns – scout report

Paulo Fonsecas reign at Roma has got off to a promising start, particularly when looking at the style of play he has implemented at the Olimpico. One thing that has stood out so far is his innovative build-up patterns and the flexibility with which Roma move between structures depending on the players available to the coach. The purpose of this tactical analysis scout report is to look at the tactics of Fonseca when Roma are in possession of the ball and, particularly, Fonsecas build-up patterns.

Tactical analysis: Fonsecas system

In Serie A this season, Paulo Fonsecas Roma always play out of a standard 4-2-3-1 structure. Defensively, the shape often becomes a 4-4-1-1 or a 4-4-2. In attack, the shape is very flexible and can often be transformed into something akin to a 3-2-4-1 or a 2-4-3-1 with the full-backs providing width. Below, I will look at a few of these variations.

First phase rotations

One of the most interesting aspects of Fonsecas setup when looking to progress the ball has been the use of different setups in the first phase of ball progression. For instance, Roma have been seen building up with both two and three players in the first line. In recent weeks, Roma have largely used the mechanism highlighted in the image below. That one means Amadou Diawara drops in between the two centre-backs, who split wider, and therefore creates a situational back-three when building from the back.

On other occasions, Fonseca has opted to use his full-backs in contrasting manners. The image below, from the away game at Bologna, sees the right-back Alessandro Florenzi stay narrow to form a back-three, while the left-back Aleksandar Kolarov (black) moves high on the left flank. These movements are balanced by the left winger Henrikh Mkhitaryan moving inside while right winger Justin Kluivert stays wide on the right. The image below also highlights one of the preferred attacking shapes Fonseca implemented in the first few months of the season, a 3-2-4-1 with excellent spacing in the central areas at different angles and horizontal lines.

Away at Inter, Fonseca use