トッテナム・ホットスパーの新たな指揮官ロベルト・デ・ゼルビ監督が、プレシーズンを通じて戦術の進化に取り組んでいる。昨季までのビルドアップ手法が対戦チームに対策される中、中盤の密集を突破しアタッカー陣を生かすための新しい戦術的アプローチを模索している。
デ・ゼルビ監督の戦術的アプローチと相手チームの対策
デ・ゼルビ監督が2022年9月にブライトンでプレミアリーグに初めて登場した際、リーグ最高峰の指導者たちから賞賛される新たな戦術概念を持ち込んだ。当時の状況について、ペップ・グアルディオラは同監督を過去20年間で最も影響力のある監督の一人と称賛していた。
Roberto de Zerbi’s first task on arriving at Tottenham in March was to avoid relegation from the Premier League. With that mission accomplished, he has had time and money over the summer to start creating a new-look Spurs to aim higher. De Zerbi’s ideas were copied – and he was primarily influential around how he coached build-up play. The sight of the centre-backs standing tall, studs on the ball, waiting for the opposition forwards to become impatient before closing them down felt unnatural but it was purposeful. This pressure was the cue for ball-playing centre-backs to combine with nearby holding midfielders, using slick one-touch passing combinations before punching daring passes to their forwards. The speed at which a De Zerbi side could, and still can, turn slow meticulous possession in their own half into one-against-one situations for the attackers is a hallmark of his approach. But the game has changed – and with it, De Zerbi has sought to evolve. Even in 2023, De Zerbi was using the same shape and similar tactics as he has used in pre-season. Defenders wait on the ball, the two narrow holding midfielders are positioned nearby and the speed at which De Zerbi’s side could speed up play is worked on.
しかし、その手法が効果的であったがゆえに、対戦相手のコーチたちは現在、同じ戦術を無力化するための意識的な努力を重ねている。Knowing De Zerbi’s sides aim to play vertically through the middle of the pitch, the first thing teams have looked to do is block that path. Opposing teams can set up with a very narrow defensive shape, making it hard for Spurs’ centre-backs to find the holding midfielders. So De Zerbi has had to come up with new solutions – either by pulling the central players out of position, or by progressing the ball down the flanks.
ホッフェンハイム戦で見せた4-2-4の形状と新しい解決策
This can be illustrated with an example from Spurs’ 3-0 win against Hoffenheim in pre-season. Hoffenheim set up in a 4-4-2 defensive mid-block. What stands out is how narrow this shape was. Both the right and left midfielders almost looked like third and fourth central midfielders. To protect the centre of the pitch further, the two strikers stood in front of Spurs’ midfield two. Spurs’ shape on the ball here looked like a 4-2-4 – the most common shape they use in these situations. Highlighted in yellow is Hoffenheim’s very narrow 4-4-2 shape in defence. The aim was to block the centre of the pitch, preventing Spurs from playing their natural game. By passing between the central defenders, Spurs were able to shift Hoffenheim’s shape left to right, even if the distances they move were not the greatest. The wide positions of Spurs’ full-backs pose a difficult question to the opposition’s wide midfielders too. They stand free and unmarked, able to receive the ball under little pressure – but De Zerbi looks to use them as decoys rather than making this easier pass. Their position often pulls the wide midfielders away from their more central position, opening up space for the centre-backs to pass the ball directly into the centre-forwards dropping deep. When the pass finds one of these forwards, they have then been able to play first-time balls into the wide players in space. The wingers, often in one-against-one situations, are encouraged to play with directness and pace before shooting, or more commonly cutting the ball back for the centre-forwards to finish moves.
5バックに対する崩しの引き出しと今後の展望
ヘタフェが5-4-1の非常に狭い守備ブロックで臨んできた際も、スパーズは同様のパターンでスペースをこじ開けた。Getafe similarly took a very narrow approach defensively against Spurs, in a 5-4-1 shape. One way Spurs opened up space in the middle of the pitch was by having the midfield two move towards the centre-back with the ball. This dragged the opposition’s midfield across, at which point Spurs again looked to find the centre-back on the other side of the pitch quickly.
相手が素早く陣形を立て直す前に、深く位置取るセンターフォワードへ直接パスを差し込み、そこからフリーなウイングへと展開する。With the opposition slower to shuffle back across, the direct pass to the forward dropping deep was then played – the same pattern but executed slightly differently against a different formation. ウイング陣は1対1の状況で積極的な仕掛けを求められており、シュートやクロスで好機を演出するこの一連の崩しの形は、今シーズン注目すべき重要なパターンとなっている。This is a pattern of play to look out for this season.