Újpest Football Formation

Starting Lineup

Újpest aims to dominate the central areas and use a vertical style of play with a 3-5-2 formation. This lineup is built to control the middle of the pitch and launch quick attacks through the center or the half-spaces. The team looks to win the ball high up the pitch and use their numbers in the midfield to drive the play forward.

Piscitelli operates between the posts to organize the defensive unit. The back line consists of a back three where Duarte sits as the central defender to command the area. To his right, Fiola acts as the right centre-back, while Nunes plays as the left centre-back. The three defenders defend zonally to cover the width of the pitch, with Duarte acting as the anchor to pick up runners. When the team plays out from the back, these defenders look to find the midfielders to start the build up.

The midfield uses a three-man unit with a central attacking ten, Ljujic, operating behind the two strikers. Onovo and Tajti form a central pairing to control the tempo and connect the defence to the attack. Onovo works to shield the defence and win the second ball, while Tajti looks to progress through the thirds. Bese and Gergényi provide the width as wing backs, pushing high to support the attack and tracking back to defend the flanks. This midfield block is designed to squeeze the space in the middle and force the opposition wide.

In the final third, Újpest employs two forwards in a partnership with Brodic and Mucsányi. Brodic plays as the left striker, often looking to run in behind the defence, while Mucsányi operates as the right striker to hold up the ball and link with the midfield. Ljujic plays as a shadow striker in the hole to exploit the space created by the movement of the two forwards. The wing backs, Bese and Gergényi, provide much needed width, allowing for cutbacks from the byline and crosses into the box.

One major strength of this Újpest formation is the ability to create numerical superiority in the midfield through the movement of the wing backs and the central trio. The team can also achieve compactness when defending by dropping into a mid-block that is very hard to break down centrally. The presence of Ljujic behind the strikers creates a constant threat of a third runner arriving late into the box.

This 3-5-2 formation provides a strong central presence and allows for quick transitions. It is best suited for games where the team needs to control the central corridor against opponents that play with a single pivot.