“How we solve problems depends on if we play against a man-marking team or a complete zonal team,” said Matos.
“When you play against a complete zonal team, the most important thing is that you understand that you need to move them. By moving the opposition, you create spaces, you create a free player.”
Much of the historic success of positional play has been underpinned by that same idea – finding the free player.
Against zonal defences, an attacker can occupy a gap between opponents and become a free, unmarked player. If a defender comes across to mark him, they risk leaving another attacker unmarked elsewhere.
But the rise in man-to-man pressure in recent years presents a different challenge. With defenders following individual opponents, the free player can cease to exist altogether.
To solve this problem, Matos has drawn on his time in China for answers.
“In China, I understood that to arrive at a more positional game, you could have different steps beforehand,” he said.
“There is a benefit to having more players close to each other, rather than spreading them over space.
“If you spread them over space, you are demanding that, technically, they can solve many situations one-v-one. If they come closer to the ball, you can generate more possibilities. You can create a tempo that allows other players to be better in the big spaces.”
It is unique style of play but these overloads have given Swansea extra solutions around the ball, helping disorganise both zonal and man-marking systems.
Matos added: “Especially if you play with a midfielder outside, you can overload one side a little bit more. Let’s exchange the ball here five times, eight times and then when we go, we really go.”
