How Vojvoda’s change in structure revived Fortaleza – tactical analysis

After reaching unthinkable heights in his first year, Juan Pablo Vojvoda ran out of ideas as his team failed to win their first eight league games of the season. With a dynamic and daring 3-4-1-2, Vojvoda took Fortaleza from barely avoiding relegation in 2020 to comfortably finishing amongst the top four in 2021. The Ceará-based club had never been one to challenge Brazil’s elite, rather notoriously going back and forth between the country’s first two divisions. After Rogério Ceni settled the Leão do Pici in the Série A, club president Marcelo Paz looked for a replacement capable of leading them to the next echelon of Brazilian football.

Juan Pablo Vojvoda took over Fortaleza in May 2021, just before the league started. With a few interesting projects in Argentina, Vojvoda was much more of a promise than a sure thing. There wasn’t much time for projecting though, as Fortaleza beat Atlético Mineiro and Internacional in the Argentinian’s first two league matches in charge. The 47-year-old manager led the Tricolor to a top-four finish and a historic Copa Libertadores qualification.

As a player, Vojvoda was a product of Newell’s Old Boys’ academy, where he was coached by none other than Marcelo Bielsa in his youth days. Bielsa, an influential manager with experience in the Premier League, La Liga, and Ligue 1, has been cited as a big influence on Vojvoda’s coaching philosophy. In addition to El Loco, Man City boss Pep Guardiola has also been another major inspiration as Vojvoda has developed his playing style. This mixture of influences can definitely be seen through the Argentinian’s tactics, as it incorporates key principles of multiple schools.

These tactics took Brazil by storm in his first year, however, in the second, Vojvoda’s Fortaleza became a victim of their system. With such a unique structure, accommodating each player’s characteristics, Fortaleza were unable to cope with changes in personnel. Additionally, after a year of success, many clubs were beginning to solve the puzzle that was this new-look Fortaleza. Fortaleza – and Vojvoda – stared into an uncertain future after a win-less start to the season.

With his back against the wall, the Fortaleza manager decided to transform and restructure his side. In this tactical analysis, we will examine how a change in structure revived Fortaleza in 2022. After the side looked destined to battle out of relegation, Juan Pablo Vojvoda was able to lead them to a comfortable mid-table finish. This analysis will explore how Fortaleza’s tactics have changed, and more specifically, the side’s new attacking and defensive systems.

Structures and players

At first, there was not much change in Fortaleza’s squad. When the Ceará-based club began the 2022 Série A, aside from some new young and promising faces, they had the same resources as in the past season. At any rate, they struggled to get results. Although they played well, they constantly failed to win games. Their defensive system was nowhere near as secure, and with the ball, they struggled to find efficiency. The lack of change or adaptations in the tactics saw them become predictable and ineffective.

In the 2021 Série A, Vojvoda used a 3-4-1-2 56% of the time. Although there were a few adaptations and variations, none of them were significant. Their structure was their identity, and their formation was responsible for how they played.

This 3-4-1-2 saw them become very wing-oriented. With the central centre-back and the attacking midfielder being the only players occupying the central lane, the double pivot and the centre-forward duo looked to support the wing-backs and wide centre-backs out wide. This can be seen in one of their pass maps below, as their focus in possession was concentrated on the wide areas.

This was a direct result of their players’ characteristics. On the right, Yago Pikachu and Tinga were able to create overloads and progress forward. On the left, with Lucas Crispim being an inverted wing-back, the left-sided centre-forward and left-sided centre-midfielder were able to drift wide and interchange roles in possession.