What is Mauricio Pochettino’s Ideal CB-profile?

A tactical contribution article from Ryan Gunness

A contribution from Ryan Gunness (@carefreeplaceYT)

Known for beautiful attacking football, Mauricio Pochettino’s teams have been praised and held in high regard by football lovers all over the world.

In the last tactical article, we discussed how it is Pochettino’s defensive philosophy that acts as the glue that allows Poch’s attacks to flourish. When it comes to roles, there is no position that is as important when it comes to impacting the game in both attack and defence than centre back. So, without further ado, let’s begin: 

1. In attack 

Making up half of the team’s vertical launch point (a 4-man base which is responsible for vertical distribution into progressive pockets), Pochettino’s CBs play a vital role in attack. Not only that they need to have excellent short, medium and long passing ability, they must have the tactical know-how and awareness to consistently alternate and cover positionally with surrounding vertical launch point players in order to constantly create optimum angles for distribution. 

Along with excellent passing ability, Poch’s CBs must also have top ball retention ability under-pressure, as such positional rotation is what “attracts” the opposition press, and as a result, creates space in the pockets for play to be progressed.

It cannot be understated just how important the CB’s role is in ball progression, especially as Pochettino’s fullbacks are often used to keep the width in advanced areas, making them more “receivers” than distributors. In this case, that means that it is the CBs and DMs that are bestowed with the responsibility of ball progression from the back. 

1. In defence 

Now, we talked about the role the 4-man vertical launch point has in attack, and the extent of positional rotation it takes in order for such to come to fruition. It must be stated however, just as much tactical know-how it takes for Poch’s CBs to know when to roam and advance to create passing angles, they must also have the tactical know-how to be cognizant of when to drop back and cover fellow teammates to reduce danger. 

Despite speaking of reducing danger, Poch’s CBs must be tactically and physically equipped to deal with danger, more so than other possession-based philosophies. This is due to the relentless nature of Pochettino’s style. That is, instead of patient recycling of play, and the picking and choosing of moments when to penetrate, Poch’s teams consistently penetrate in a direct and vertical nature. Due to this, it can very much seem like a ping pong match, back and forth between teams, due to the riskiness of such approach by Poch teams which put them in a position to lose the ball often. 

As a result, Poch’s CBs must be equipped to deal with the challenges of such turnovers, and counters, in all aspects. As well as tactical know-how and positioning, Poch’s defenders must have the speed, power, and 1v1 ability in huge spaces in order to reduce as much danger as possible.

Lastly, it is very often you see Poch’s teams comfortably defend in a mid-low block 4-3-2-1, where they overload central areas narrowly, in order to win possession in such zones and spark counter attacks. Therefore, Poch’s CBs must have the ability to defend and progress possession if needed, in tight, pressurised situations, both aerially and with feet. 

Conclusion - 

All in all, we see that the CB role is a vital piece in Poch’s system, in both attacking and defending aspects of the game, and thus, the role is invaluable in Poch’s entire philosophy. 

Ryan Gunness