Besiktas Football Formation

Starting Lineup

mert (ersin/emre) · transfer (tayfur) · paulista (transfer/necip) · uduokhai (emirhan) · jurasek (transfer) · orkun (kartal) · transfer (demir ege) · rafa (muçi/salih) · transfer (rashica) · transfer (mustafa) · abraham (transfer)

Besiktas looks to control the tempo and keep possession through a 4-5-1 formation. This lineup relies on a high press and heavy ball retention to dictate how matches are played. The team seeks to dominate the ball in the middle of the pitch and use short passing to move up the field.

Mert acts as the goalkeeper to start the build up. The defensive unit sits in a flat back four with paulista and uduokhai as the central defenders. paulista acts as a ball playing defender to help play out from the back while uduokhai provides aerial strength to defend crosses. On the flanks, transfer and jurasek hold the line and can push up to support the play. The back four works together to defend zonally and keep the distance between the lines small.

The midfield is built around a three man midfield with a carrier and an attacking ten behind the striker. transfer plays as the single pivot to shield the defence and recycle possession. orkun and the other central midfielders work to connect the defensive and attacking lines by carrying the ball forward. rafa operates as the attacking ten, looking to find pockets of space between the opposition lines. This group works to win the second ball and press aggressively to win it back high up the pitch.

Abraham leads the line as a lone striker. He acts as a target man to hold up the ball and bring others into play. The attack relies on rafa to find him in tight spaces or through quick combinations. The wide midfielders must pull wide to stretch the defence and create space for the central players. When Besiktas wins the ball back, they look to hit in behind on the transition with runs in behind from the midfielders.

One main advantage is the ability to press high in coordinated waves to force a long ball from the opposition. The formation also creates numerical superiority in midfield when rafa moves forward. This makes it difficult for opponents to find passing lanes into their own midfield.

Besiktas uses this lineup to control games through ball retention and a high press. It is a setup best suited for facing teams that try to play out from the back against a high defensive line.