Talking tactics – the Peter Luccin system

When Peter Luccin was named interim manager of FC Dallas he didn’t really have all that much time to work with the team on tactics and concepts. The games were coming fast and furious, so we saw a variety of tactical shapes depending on the opponent.

After crashing out of Leagues Cup, and to a lesser extent the US Open Cup, Luccin had a couple of weeks window to work with the side. The Frenchman got a chance to drill down on his preferred shapes and concepts.

Coming out of the other side of that break – and after the club added Show and Ruan – Luccin has predominantly run the 3-4-3 each game.

Let’s break it down.

The Biggest Changes

You might be saying to yourself, “I’m pretty sure Nico Estevez ran a 3-4-3 a whole bunch too.” And you would be right.

The biggest changes Luccin has implemented are on the mental side. Self-belief, a willingness to attack and take risks, and a more balanced approach. A willingness to give up some defense for some offense. Freedom!

If my math is correct, in MLS regular season play, FC Dallas under Luccin has scored over 2.17 goals per game on average when it was 1.13 under Nico Estevez. So approximately a goal a game better under Luccin.

On the other side of the coin, Luccin’s team is giving up 1.67 goals per game compared to Estevez’s 1.56. So yes, it’s worse under Luccin but only by a small margin.

The biggest tactical change under Luccin as I see it is more use of the flex. Luccin used the flex even more before he got Ruan and got his system dialed in, more than he does now, certainly. But he still uses it quite a bit.

We’ll come back to flexing later.

The Luccin 3-4-3

There isn’t a large difference between the Luccin 3-4-3 and the Estevez 3-4-3.

I wrote about Coach Estevez’s system back in February. I broke down the use of the narrow “wings” in the front three as more like 10s, the wingbacks getting forward, and the fluid nature of tactics. At the time, I was trying to explain why 3-4-3 sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t with FCD.

But now the players have the concepts down and we can just talk about how the 3-4-3 executes under Luccin and how he tweaks it from game to game depending on tactics and personnel.

The Base 3-4-3

3-4-3 is pretty simple in its base.

The Base 3 4 3
The Base 3 4 3

But remember, modern soccer is all about transition. “Tactics are fluid.” The base shape often only appears as the team transitions through midfield. It’s the starting state of the game or half from which the other game-states flow.

So let’s look at the shape in advanced offense and defensive game states.

3-4-3 on Offense

The base 3-4-3 on offense morphs into the W-M. This is the tactic of many high-level modern managers. They want to 5 across the front with two builders underneath and 3 defenders in support. A three-man backline with wingbacks is the easiest shape to morph into the WM.

The 3 4 3 In attack becomes the W-M.

This fluidity in the 3-4-3 is all about wingbacks getting forward and into those high positions. This is also why you are seeing more three-back systems being used worldwide. (And the death of fullback!)

Ruan excels at this. On the left, Sam Junqua is better at it than Marco Farfan cause the former is a better attacker and crosser. Paul Arriola… well, we’ll get back to that.

3-4-3 on Defense

At its most extreme bunkering, the 3-4-3 under Luccin compresses deep into a 5-4-1.

Luccin’s 3-4-3 in a low block.

Flexing

Man, Peter Luccin sure seems to love him some flexing. And no, I don’t mean posing. I mean shifting players from one position to another, usually in transition.

Remember when Greg Berhalter used Tyler Adams as a right back who would shift up into the midfield? He also tried Reggie Cannon in the role. GGG eventually realized no one but Adams could do this flex and Adams was his best 6 so he mostly gave it up.

I won’t run through all the flexes Luccin has used since he took over but let’s hit on a couple of the bigger ones post-Leagues Cup that I think you will see going forward.

The Asier Illarramendi Flex – aka The Build-out Struggle Flex

At times Dallas can really struggle to build out of the back, mainly cause their defense is not made of elite passers. When that happens you can see Asier Illarramendi “dropping in” between the CBs to help with the build.

Asier Illarramendi drops in between the center backs.

Obviously, Illarra’s not going to stay there long. When the build is successful he moves back up into midfield.

But there is a version of this higher up the field where the left center back has moved up in support of the wingback and Illarra will drop in to help with the defense shape to stifle the enemy’s transition back. This keeps three defense players back in cover and the shape intact.

Asier Illarramendi drops in while in the offensive half.

The right 6/8 will do this same high flex on the opposite side but they don’t seem to do the build-out of the back version as much. Just flip the shape in your head to contemplate the right-side versions via Show or Sebastian Lletget.

The Paul Arriola Flex – aka The Free the Captain Flex

Paul Arriola is a smart player who is well-trusted by his coach. Luccin gives him a lot of freedom, particularly when playing Arriola as a wingback. On defense, his role as a wingback is the same, it’s on offense that Arriola is allowed to flex.

However, since PA is right-footed and really wants to be cutting onto his right foot to drive or shoot, his flex is mostly when he’s on the right (see right image) and not so much when he’s on the left (see left iamge). It seems the Arriola flex also happens at his discretion and isn’t implemented 100% of the time.

So on the right Arriola flexes, or “inverts” into the middle and will take up one of the 10 positions, often drifting between them. The nominal right 10 – in the Vancouver Whitecaps game this was usually Tsiki Ntsabeleng, but it can be whoever is in either 10 spot – flexes wide to fill the usual high wingback position.

So keep an eye out for this one when Arriola is at wingback as seemingly no other wingbacks are given this freedom.

The 4-3-3 Flex – aka Change it Up Flex

While post-Leagues Cup crash-out Luccin has mostly used the 3-4-3, there was a tactics shape change in the 2nd half at Vancouver.

“The first half was bad. Our press was too passive and we lacked aggressiveness and we did not press our opponent nor did we go forward. In the second half we changed our shape and did a better job of not letting them get the ball. Tonight was not good enough.”

Interim Coach Peter Luccin

Since that shape change is post-Leagues Cup, I wanted to bring it up as you might see it again.

I went back, looked at the tape, and I saw a 4-3-3 in the 2nd half (see left image). Defensively, you can low block into a 4-5-1 with it. But offensively? Luccin still wanted to get into that WM up high. So how does that flex?

The midfield triangle rotated back with Tsiki Ntsabeleng dropping in next to Illarramendi more than Sebastian Lletget did (lots of freedom between those two). Junqua moved up like a wingback and the back four rotated into a three. Here it is before any 2nd-half subs. (See right image)

Wrapping It Up

As I said at the top, most of the differences with FCD between Coach Luccin and Coach Estevez have been in the mindset of the players and the freedom to attack, not the shape.

But man does Luccin love him some flex tactics.

I ran through some of the common examples here and, in general, you should now know what to look for and can look for the offensive WM. Perhaps you can spot some if further flexes develop.

Like the “Nolan Norris is John Stones Flex” that North Texas SC deployed in the first half last Sunday.

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