SL Benfica B Football Formation

Starting Lineup

Trubin (Soares) · Di María (Rollheiser) · Otamendi (Bajrami) · Kökçü (Aursnes) · R.Sanches (Florentino) · Schjelderup (Prestianni) · Pavlidis (Arthur) · Joaõ Mário (Barreiro) · Kaboré (Bah) · A.Silva (Araújo) · Fernández (Beste)

SL Benfica B plays with a high press and verticality. The team uses a 4-3-3 formation to control the pitch and hunt the ball high up the pitch. This lineup is built to win it back high up the pitch and immediately break quickly to catch the opposition off guard.

Trubin acts as the last line of defense, playing out from the back to start attacks. The back four functions as a flat line with Kaboré acting as an attacking full back to provide width on the right. On the left, Fernández can overlap to stretch the defence. In the middle, Otamendi uses his aerial strength to win the header and clear the lines, while A.Silva acts as a ball playing defender to progress through the thirds. The unit works to squeeze the space and hold the line when the opposition tries to build.

The midfield relies on a three man unit to control the central zones. Kökçü works as a carrier to drive forward with the ball and connects the defensive and attacking lines. R.Sanches plays as an aggressive midfielder to press in the mid-block and win the second ball. Joaõ Mário operates as an attacking ten behind the striker to find the feet of the striker and play through the lines. This group works to compress the midfield and deny the pivot from receiving the ball.

Up front, the team uses three attackers to pin the last defender. Pavlidis acts as a pressing centre-forward to lead the hunt from the front. On the right, Di María is an inverted winger who will cut inside to use his passing range and set piece delivery. Schjelderup stays wide on the left to spread wide and deliver early crosses. The movement focuses on link-up play between the lines and making runs in behind to break quickly.

A major strength of this SL Benfica B lineup is the ability to press high in coordinated waves. By using Pavlidis and the wingers to trigger a press, the team can force a long ball from the opposition. Another advantage is the wide overloads created when Kaboré and Di María combine to isolate a one on one wide. This creates constant pressure on the opposing full backs.

This 4-3-3 is a high intensity system designed to dominate possession and punish mistakes. It is best suited for matches against teams that play a high line or struggle to pass out from the back.