Levante Football Formation

Starting Lineup

Levante seeks to control the middle of the pitch and dominate through a high volume of passing in a 2-5-3. This formation is built to play with extreme aggression in the center, pushing numbers forward to pin the opposition back. By using a heavy midfield presence, the team aims to squeeze the space and win it back high up the pitch.

Ryan sits behind a very narrow defensive line consisting of Mandi and Ndukwe. This back two operates as a high line, meaning they must step up frequently to catch opponents offside and sweep behind the advancing midfield. Mandi and Ndukwe must be prepared to cover large amounts of space when the team loses the ball, relying on quick recovery runs to prevent being hit in behind.

The midfield acts as the engine of the Levante lineup with five players occupying the central zones. Dela and Sánchez form a double pivot to shield the two center backs, while Sotelo and Bardeli operate as inverted eights to link the play. Romero plays as an attacking ten behind the striker, finding pockets of space to play through the lines. This five man unit works to compress the midfield and ensure that the opposition cannot easily progress through the center.

In the attacking phase, Levante utilizes three attackers to stretch the defence. Ratkov plays as a lone striker, working to hold up the ball and find the feet of his teammates. On the flanks, Fernández and Etta Eyong act as wide wingers who look to isolate one on one defenders. They can either hug the touchline to spread the pitch or cut inside to create numerical superiority in the final third, allowing Romero to arrive late into the box.

One major advantage of this formation is the ability to create numerical superiority in the middle of the park, making it very difficult for opponents to play through the center. The heavy concentration of players in the central zones also allows the team to trigger a press in coordinated waves. This setup forces the opponent into making long balls that the defensive duo can intercept.

Levante uses this aggressive formation to suffocate teams that prefer to play short from the back. It is a high risk high reward system best suited for matches where the team needs to dominate possession and pin the opponent into their own half.