Brazilian Serie A 2020: Corinthians vs Fortaleza – tactical analysis | OneFootball

The Brazilian Serie A continues its start to the 2020 season, with two historic clubs that were not too far apart in 2019. Corinthians and Fortaleza met for the first time this season during matchday 5.

As one of the biggest clubs in São Paulo, Corinthians has a massive following in Brazil and around the world. The Timão finished the 2019 season in 8th place and earned a qualifying spot to the Copa Libertadores. Corinthians have begun the 2020 season with a win, a loss and a draw.

Led by legendary goalkeeper Rogério Ceni, Fortaleza finished 2019 one point behind Corinthians. The Tricolor enjoyed a relatively competitive season, making it to the first round of the knockout stage of the Copa Sudamericana, losing to Argentine side Independiente. Fortaleza was able to bounce back from two early defeats to win and draw the past two games.

This tactical analysis will look at how both teams ended their first meeting in a stalemate.

Lineups and formations

Rogério Ceni lined the Tricolor up in a 4-2-3-1. Starting in goal was Felipe Alves with Paulão and Jackson as the centre backs. Gabriel Dias and Bruno Melo were the left and right backs. Fortaleza’s midfield three consisted of Juninho and Felipe in the double pivot, with David as the attacking midfielder. The wings Osvaldo and Romarinho, with Wellington Paulista leading the line at striker.

Timão in the attacking phase

Corinthians mainly attacked through the left-hand side, as we see above. The following part of the analysis will go into detail as to how they implemented this tactic.

Left side, strong side

Since the ball has been played quickly, Corinthians have caught Fortaleza in the middle of shifting over to the other side to defend. These tactics has given Avelar space to dribble into. We also see that Sidcley on the left and Léo Natel at the top of the penalty have pinned defenders to them with their positioning. This leaves Jo to manoeuvre against the two centre backs. Since Avelar has time and space, he plays a long pass into Jo which ultimately strays out of bounds.

Fortaleza’s defensive shape

With only one option left, Avelar passes the ball to Sidcley. The left-back is immediately under pressure by Romarinho who has covered the necessary ground to force Corinthians backwards again.

Fortaleza’s numbers in the box

The numerical superiority still lies with Fortaleza, with centre back Jackson able to mark two attackers by himself. As the ball comes loose, Jackson then clears the ball.

Fortaleza’s issue with space

When they were able to establish some type of possession, Fortaleza attempted to create space between the lines by stretching the defence. Looking at their average positions above, we see how Fortaleza attempted to get Corinthians to open up and allow pockets of space. What is also noticeable is how they attempted to exploit Corinthians right flank. Knowing that Sidcley would be higher up the field, Fortaleza was able to get in behind the defence through direct balls to the corner.

Due to the lack of awareness from the defenders, Romarinho is able to arrive in the penalty area unmarked and into space in front of the goal. Seeing the wingers run, Paulista then plays a cross into the area for Romarinho to finish.

Time do Povo siege tactics pay off

After the ball is not cleared properly, it falls to Luan. Since he has not been properly marked the Brazilian is able to volley the ball comfortably and score the equalizer.

Conclusion

This was an interesting tactical match between Ceni and Nunes. While Fortaleza attempted to stifle Corinthians with a low-pressure low block, the home side was able to tie the game up due to their sustained assault. Both teams can potentially be contenders for automatic Copa Libertadores places if they are able to close games out with their respective tactics.