Torino Football Formation

Starting Lineup

MILINKOVIC-SAVIC · TAMEZE · SCHUURS · MASINA · BELLANOVA · LAZARO · RICCI · VLASIC · ILIC · SANABRIA · ZAPATA

Torino focuses on a high press and quick verticality through a 3-5-2 formation. This lineup is built to control the middle of the pitch and hit the opposition on the transition. The goal is to win the ball back high up the pitch and use the width of the wing backs to stretch the defence.

In goal, MILINKOVIC-SAVIC provides a massive presence to command his area. The back line operates as a narrow defensive block with MASINA acting as the left centre-back and TAMEZE as the right centre-back. SCHUURS sits in the middle as a ball playing defender to help play out from the back and organize the line. This unit works to squeeze the space and ensure the defenders are never caught out of position when the team plays a high line.

The midfield relies on a three-man midfield with a carrier. RICCI plays as the single pivot to shield the defence and win the second ball. VLASIC and ILIC act as the central engines, with VLASIC looking to carry the ball forward and ILIC working to connect the defensive and attacking lines. LAZARO and BELLANOVA provide the necessary width, with LAZARO pushing up as a left wing back and BELLANOVA overlapping on the right to create numerical superiority in the wide areas.

The front line utilizes a partnership of two forwards to attack the opposition. ZAPATA acts as a target man to hold up the ball and win the header, while SANABRIA plays as a second striker in the hole to find the feet of the striker and split the defence with a through ball. The team builds play by using the wing backs to get to the byline and deliver crosses. When the ball is lost, ZAPATA and SANABRIA press from the front to force a long ball and regain possession quickly.

This formation offers several tactical advantages, most notably the ability to create wide overloads from overlapping full backs. The movements of LAZARO and BELLANOVA force the opposition to track back and can create isolated one on one situations for the wingers. Additionally, the team shows great compactness when defending in a mid-block, making it hard for opponents to play through the lines.

The 3-5-2 formation allows Torino to maintain a strong presence in the center while remaining lethal on the break. This formation is ideal for games against teams that dominate possession but leave space behind their midfield for runners to exploit.