Hellas Verona Football Formation
Starting Lineup
MONTIPO (Perilli / Berardi) · TCHATCHOUA (Faraoni) · DAWIDOWICZ (Daniliuc) · COPPOLA (Magnani) · BRADARIC (Frese) · SERDAR (Belahyane) · DUDA (Dani Silva / Kastanos) · LAZOVIC (Mitrovic / Alidou) · SUSLOV (Kastanos) · LIVRAMENTO (Harroui / Lazovic) · TENGSTEDT (Mosquera)Hellas Verona prefers to sit deep and hit opponents on the break using a 5-4-1 formation. This lineup aims to be defensively solid and compact to frustrate teams that want to dominate the ball. The team focuses on staying narrow and waiting for the right moment to strike through quick transitions.
Tengstedt guards the goal as the last line of defense. The back five relies on a central trio of Suslov, Serdar, and Duda to hold the line and protect the penalty area. Duda and Serdar act as the central defenders to win headers and clear the lines, while Suslov provides cover. On the flanks, Lazovic and Livramento play as attacking wing backs. They must track back to help the central defenders but also look to push up and provide width when the team wins the ball.
The midfield functions as a flat line of four to cover the width of the pitch. Bradaric and Tchatchoua occupy the wide areas to provide defensive cover and support the wing backs. In the center, Coppola and Dawidowicz form a pairing to control the middle. Coppola acts to connect the defense to the attack, while Dawidowicz works to intercept passes and win the second ball. This unit must stay close together to squeeze the space between the lines and deny the opponent time on the ball.
Montipo acts as a lone striker to lead the line. His job is to hold up the ball and wait for the midfield to arrive. He works to pin the last defender to create space for the midfielders. When Hellas Verona wins the ball, the wing backs like Lazovic and Livramento sprint forward to create width. The team looks to move the ball quickly to Montipo so he can lay it off to the oncoming runners or play a one-two to break the line.
One major strength of this formation is the compactness when defending in a low block. With five defenders and four midfielders, it is very difficult for the opposition to find gaps. Hellas Verona also benefits from the speed of transition when the wing backs move forward. This creates wide overloads that catch the opponent out of position during a counter attack.
This formation provides a reliable way to defend against teams that possess high levels of possession. It is best suited for games where the team needs to stay compact and exploit space behind the opposition defense.