Galo’s 3–0 win over Montevideo Torque was more than a scoreline—it was a tactical masterclass! Break down four key plays, Alan Franco’s game-changing role, and the sharp counters behind Atlético’s dominant performance. Watch and tell us if this was Barba’s best match yet!
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#Football #Soccer #Tactics
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0:00 - Galo’s Formation and Tactical Setup
2:14 - Franco’s Role in the Attacking Pattern
6:10 - More Positional Attacks and Disallowed Goals
8:20 - Compact Defending and a Transition Goal
11:59 - Reinier Creates Bernard’s Goal
14:26 - Squad Depth and Competition Management
We're now available on Spotify! Listen now https://open.spotify.com/show/
Subscribe for more football breakdowns!
Tell us what you liked most about the video in the comments!
#Football #Soccer #Tactics
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with https://www.youtube.com/@futebolmaximo
0:00 - Galo’s Formation and Tactical Setup
2:14 - Franco’s Role in the Attacking Pattern
6:10 - More Positional Attacks and Disallowed Goals
8:20 - Compact Defending and a Transition Goal
11:59 - Reinier Creates Bernard’s Goal
14:26 - Squad Depth and Competition Management
We're now available on Spotify! Listen now https://open.spotify.com/show/
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GamingTranscript
00:00This 3-0 win between Gallo and Montevideo Torque was the best match Atletico played under the leadership of Barba
00:05Domings.
00:06I actually think there were more memorable games in this campaign, but given the context of a Copa Sudamericana semi
00:13-final and how calmly the team played, I have little doubt about my opinion.
00:18And there were four plays that perfectly sum up why I think that, uh, shall we?
00:23Before any play, it's essential for us to understand how Gallo was organized for this game.
00:27Because there was a change that practically altered the team's structure.
00:31And it was this change that had such an offensive impact.
00:34How was the team organized? They started with this 4-2-3-1 formation, which the fans are already quite
00:39used to.
00:39But the new thing was Franco as the right back.
00:41The fans have been asking for Franco as right back for quite some time.
00:45Barba even used him there at certain moments.
00:47And now it seems he sees that in the starting lineup, the Ecuadorian has claimed that starting spot ahead of
00:52Nathanael.
00:53Mainly to improve the build-up with Maicon and Castaño in the first phase of build-up.
00:58And then, when it was time to attack, how did the team do it?
01:02Usually before. We saw the full-backs hold back a bit more and form a back-three, but that's been
01:07changing in Gallo's recent games.
01:09So, what started happening?
01:12Quejo sticks to the right wing and Alan Franco runs to fill this intermediate space here.
01:18And basically, he's going to organize a second line with two other players.
01:22He, as a defensive midfielder, will actually become a midfielder.
01:25But with a bit more presence up front, okay?
01:27Remember this, because it's going to be important.
01:30Bernard, who is the left winger, cuts inside and links up with other players who also like to play in
01:35this tighter space,
01:36like Renier and Vito Hugo.
01:39And here on the flank, Renan Lodi is the one who will take charge as the winger.
01:43So, if Quejo is the right winger, Lodi is the left winger.
01:47And here, I don't even think it's worth it for us to go into so much detail about how the
01:51Uruguayan team was organized.
01:53Mainly because there wasn't such a clear clash in the matchups that Gallo managed to cause a lot of trouble.
01:57But there were some details you need to pay attention to.
02:00Initially, they went with this line of five focused on defending and mainly protecting the box.
02:05And this quintet that Atletico put together with Quejo, Vito, Hugo, Renier, Bernard and Lodi had the goal of balancing
02:13out this equation.
02:14But there was a guy who was a bit more special than that, Alan Franco.
02:17He was fundamental in disrupting this line here a little bit.
02:21And even before the first goal, that already had an effect.
02:24Look, just check out this play.
02:25In the first minutes of the game, okay?
02:28And here, it's even more important for us to understand this structure and see how it actually worked in practice.
02:33Look, the ball comes back here.
02:34It gets to Bernard.
02:35And then we see how this line of four defensive, right, behaved in the attacking phase.
02:40Look at Vital and Lianco being the deepest players practically by themselves.
02:44Franco is more in the middle, a little further forward than Castaño and Maicon who are over here.
02:49And look at Lodi playing as a winger.
02:51He's actually acting more like a midfielder.
02:52Castaño actually is out here on the side, just a bit more.
02:55But we see Franco, Maicon and Castaño practically in a line.
02:59And remember this because it's going to be fundamental.
03:02Check it out.
03:03The play is being built.
03:04We see Bernard moving to the right.
03:06And this is where all the magic is going to happen.
03:09I want to draw your attention to this connection between Alan Franco and Cuejo over on the right side.
03:14Remember that I just showed you on the board how Gallo set up five against five and Franco could be
03:20the surprise element to create that numerical superiority?
03:23He was that guy.
03:25He would leave the second line of midfielders to step up as a surprise element in the final third and
03:31destabilize that line of five.
03:33But it wasn't just him, okay?
03:35Rainier and Vitor Hugo also looked to make those runs throughout the game.
03:38The goal didn't come from that, okay?
03:40But this was important for us to understand the ideas of how Barbado Mingo's Gallo plays.
03:45Check it out.
03:46Look, Franco and Cuejo over there on the right.
03:48And then this movement is very important.
03:51Franco is going to attack what we call the half space, which is the space between the full back and
03:56the center back.
03:56Here, there are two possibilities.
03:58Franco can attack, receive the ball and score the goal.
04:00Or if he doesn't get the ball, he forces the Torque's full back to follow him.
04:05And if the full back follows him, Cuejo is going to be left free as the open man.
04:09Remember that it's six against five.
04:11The idea is that there's always someone left free.
04:14Even if we do the basic math here.
04:16Look, it's Cuejo, Franco, Vitor Hugo, Rainier, Lodi.
04:19Here Castaño pushed up a bit more when Bernard dropped back against one, two, three, four, five players from...
04:27You can even add a sixth player here if you want from Torque.
04:31And always arriving with this extra man.
04:33Maybe the only player really balancing things out would be this center back.
04:36But he's kind of out of the play.
04:37He's almost just providing cover there.
04:39Franco is going to push forward here.
04:42But I also want to draw attention to the movement of Vitor Hugo and Rainier.
04:45Look at how they're constantly dropping back to pull apart and destabilize Torque's defense.
04:49If they just stand still, it's kind of comfortable work for the defenders, right?
04:53I'll just stand still too.
04:54I'll track him.
04:55I'll protect the area.
04:56Now, if Rainier and Vitor Hugo drop back, move out, then attack that space.
05:01If they move out and Franco attacks, this constantly creates offensive dynamics in what we call positional attack.
05:08That's the moment when you take up positions in the attacking half and try to create dynamics to exploit space
05:13in the final third,
05:14to go after the opponent's goal, exactly with all this movement to draw them in.
05:18And look at Franco on the fullback again.
05:20Franco attacks, pulls the fullback with him.
05:22And if he pulls the fullback, Bernard has a passing lane.
05:24Pass to Cuejo, who's free on the wing.
05:26The ball gets to Cuejo.
05:28He looks for a one-on-one against the number 10, who's a winger that's dropping back here, kind of
05:32improvised.
05:33So he's not the guy with the best marking ability, and he's not really used to this kind of duel
05:37against Cuejo, who's very comfortable, very at ease.
05:40His confidence is sky-high.
05:42He's living the best moment of his career.
05:45Cuts inside.
05:46He's gonna look for a shot across goal here.
05:48Lodge deflects it.
05:49Scores one to zero.
05:50But obviously Lodge is offside, so we're seeing a goal that's offside.
05:54So it could have been another goal for Gallo.
05:56I don't know if Lodge could have held back a little more, or if Lodge hadn't touched it.
05:59The shot might have caught the goalkeeper off-guard and Cuejo might have scored.
06:02We're seeing patterns that will repeat in other plays.
06:05And with that, we'll also see how Gallo had an offensive repertoire.
06:09For me, the second most important thing in this game is exactly what I just said.
06:15Offensive repertoire.
06:16The first is for you to remember to leave a like and subscribe to the channel, right?
06:19Whoever watched the game saw that there was this other disallowed goal by Lianco, right?
06:23So, if it was three to zero, it could have been five, except for a few details, right?
06:28There was the missed chance by Vitor Hugo, and Igor Gomez also missed the chance.
06:31But I want to show you the play that comes before this corner kick, where Lianco scores from an offside
06:36position,
06:36and Alan Franco plays a very important role once again.
06:39Check it out. Gallo building up.
06:41We're going to see Vitor Hugo and Rainier in those same positions,
06:43and they're going to make that same move of dropping back to try to break up the Uruguayan defense line.
06:48Take a look.
06:49Both of them. First, Rainier drops back and pulls the defender away.
06:52So, if Vitor Hugo, for example, wanted to make a run here, that movement alone would already have paid off.
06:57The ball comes back, a bit of a tussle.
07:00Castaño even moves up a little more here while Bernard drops deeper to help build the play.
07:03And then check this out, now it's Vitor Hugo breaking things up.
07:06Less support, but shielding the ball with his back to goal, breaking down towards defense.
07:11What happens after that?
07:13The ball goes to the wing, to Cuejo, and when the ball gets to Cuejo, it's two against the fullback
07:18once again.
07:19In the first play I showed, Franco attacks, pulls the fullback with him, and Cuejo has space.
07:25Now it's kind of the opposite.
07:26The ball gets to Cuejo, and Franco is the surprise element to make the run and receive the ball, since
07:32the fullback is occupied.
07:33Ball in behind.
07:35Franco gets there, tries the cross, and it's intercepted.
07:38Right after, Maicon takes the set piece.
07:40The ball is deflected here at the near post, I think by Rainier, and Lianco, who is offside, scores.
07:45This, to me, starts to explain why I think this was Gallo's best game under Barber's command.
07:51We saw two positional attack plays where Gallo scored goals, but they were offside.
07:56In other words, plays that probably no one would even remember at the end of the game, but I'm making
08:00a point to show you this here.
08:02And a nice way for you to show your appreciation is to do the following.
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08:10There, you can check out the stats from the Brazilian Championship.
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08:18Then, you can thank me again, alright?
08:20The thing is, I just showed you two extremely dangerous plays in positional attacks.
08:26Offensive organization camped out in the attacking half, moving the ball around, trying to break down the defense, making runs
08:31behind.
08:32And that's how you create chances, you keep bothering the defense, right?
08:35They can't stay at peace.
08:37But that wasn't working out so well, right?
08:39Gallo scored two goals, both disallowed.
08:41And then comes the moment when Montevideo Torque starts to have a little more possession.
08:46It's hard to say here if this was intentional, with Gallo drawing Torque into their own half,
08:51or if they were just taking advantage of the natural swings of the game, right?
08:55No team can have possession the entire game and never see the opponent with the ball.
08:58And here, for me, is the key point.
09:00Let's take a look at this play.
09:02Check it out.
09:02Torque starts here with the ball, moves it around, and then we'll see Atletico's defensive organization.
09:07If they attack in that other kind of crazy formation, right?
09:102-3-5, or some variation along those lines, they defend in a 4-1-4-1.
09:15And then, there's a line of four here.
09:17Very clear.
09:18Mai as the one in the 4-1-4-1, protecting the space between the lines.
09:21And here, another line of four with Cue-Cuejo, Vitor Hugo, Kevin Castaño, and here on the left.
09:26And not.
09:27The build-up is happening, but the most important thing I want to show you is how compact it is.
09:32It's very hard for the ball to get in here between the lines, and the feeling you get is that
09:36Gallo waits for the opponent to try,
09:38so they can intercept, steal the ball, and speed up.
09:41Check it out.
09:42The ball comes back, and this ball guy from Torque, he was responsible for two of Atletico's goals.
09:47Take a look at this.
09:48Check it out.
09:49He tries to play out, and makes bad pass.
09:51And it's on the first mistake that Castaño reacts quickly.
09:55Remember when I said compact?
09:57Compact block, wait for the opponent to play the ball, or at least make a bad pass.
10:01And then you recover and start the attack play.
10:03What do we notice right away?
10:04Okay?
10:05Here, I don't think it was intentional, but it shows the effect of the good qualities of Barba's Atletico side.
10:11A team that knows how to play in tight spaces, knows how to pass, knows how to set up a
10:16rondo.
10:17And tell me if this doesn't look like a rondo.
10:19Four Atletico players against three from Torque work to find numerical superiority.
10:25And look what happens.
10:26Maicon.
10:27Here it's Maicon.
10:28Castaño.
10:28Alan Franco.
10:29And here further up, I think it's Ranier.
10:31Looks like he dropped back a little more.
10:33Maicon passes the ball to Franco.
10:35This guy is forced to press Franco.
10:36Franco gives it back to Maicon, and when this Marco goes back to Castaño,
10:40the defender has to split his attention, and the ball goes back to Franco.
10:44And that's what I'm saying.
10:45It looks like rondo, right?
10:46Like a keep away drill to look for this situation of numerical superiority.
10:50Franco, once again, is important.
10:52He passes to Cuejo.
10:53Look at how the full back, the center back, I don't even know who this is,
10:56comes in completely off balance, and Cuejo seems to know that.
10:59And then the level of confidence is really high, right?
11:02He gives a little touch with the side of his foot, knocks the ball around the defender and runs past
11:07him,
11:07takes out the opponent, starts the transition, and here, once again, it turns into a domino effect,
11:12taking advantage of numerical superiority.
11:14It's three against two, Cuejo, Vitor Hugo, and Ranier against these two guys, since Cuejo already beat his marker.
11:18This guy here, he has to go after Cuejo.
11:21Or at least try to cover both options.
11:23To disrupt Cuejo, who's coming at full speed towards him.
11:26The moment the guy makes his decision, Ranier even signals,
11:29look, now that the guy went after you, the one who's left open is Vitor Hugo.
11:33Pass the ball to him.
11:34That's exactly what happens, and now it's two against Vitor Hugo, and Ranier against the other defender.
11:39When the defender commits to go after Vitor Hugo, that's when the midfielder, number 30, passes the ball here to
11:44Ranier,
11:45who now, with no goalkeeper, manages to score.
11:48Pretty cool, right?
11:48I showed you two plays in positional attacks, where Gallo created danger,
11:53and now a play in transition, starting from a mid-block defense.
11:56That's why I believe this was Gallo's best game of the year.
11:59A lot of people might argue, saying,
12:01Come on! Against Montevideo Torque, it's easy.
12:03But I think it's in these games that you need to make your home advantage count, and show your style
12:08of play.
12:09And if you try to attack positionally, and it doesn't work out so well,
12:12we could even say it almost worked.
12:14It was just a detail that made it fail.
12:16You need to have other ways to trouble the opponent.
12:19And it's exactly in these transitions that the first and also the second goal happened.
12:24Another play here.
12:25Look, Atletico's defense is really compact.
12:27Here we're talking about ten players, right?
12:29Actually, not ten. Nine players.
12:31Yeah, the back four here.
12:32Maicon between the lines and the other line of four further up,
12:36with only Ranier more advanced.
12:38They kind of form this cage, right?
12:40Waiting for the opponent to try a bolder pass.
12:42And the one who's gonna try the bolder pass,
12:44is Torque's bold guy once again.
12:46He's gonna try to make this play out from the back.
12:48Isn't as daring this time, right?
12:50But the pass comes out too weak.
12:51Bernard intercepts ball to Ranier,
12:53and Ranier carries it forward.
12:56And here, there's not a big collective tactical effect,
12:59but I think it's the individual tactical effect,
13:01the player's ability to understand the play,
13:03and know how he's gonna get the best out of his teammate.
13:07This obviously comes from the guy's intuition,
13:09his experience, and there are also a lot of players
13:11who end up studying the game, reviewing,
13:13studying possibilities, making mistakes in one game,
13:16and studying to get it right in the next play.
13:18Oh man, this second half of the season for Ranier,
13:21he's at a very, very high level.
13:23Ranier scored a goal, as I've already shown,
13:25and now he's gonna have an important role in Bernard's goal.
13:28Check it out.
13:29He passes the ball to Bernard,
13:30and he's gonna kinda play the same role
13:31that Franco did in the other plays.
13:33Take a look.
13:33He even mocks Ranier.
13:35He's gonna make a run in behind.
13:36And here, he's gonna create the effect,
13:38what I call a no-win situation, right?
13:40F!
13:41The defender follows Ranier.
13:43The space inside opens up for Bernard.
13:45F!
13:46He doesn't follow.
13:47Ranier!
13:48Ranier!
13:49Rakes free.
13:50The defender followed.
13:51Bernard cuts inside,
13:53and here there's a very interesting detail
13:54that I haven't seen many people talk about,
13:56which is the goalkeeper's positioning, okay?
13:59Bernard's most usual finish would be this more open shot,
14:02where he has more angle,
14:03and the goalkeeper is protecting his right corner here.
14:06But when Bernard adjusts the ball,
14:08look at how the goalkeeper takes a few steps
14:10to correct his positioning,
14:11and in my opinion,
14:12he's right here, okay?
14:13That's the goalkeeper's job,
14:14to try to correct.
14:15He took one step, two steps,
14:17and it's exactly at that moment,
14:19when Bernard pretends to shoot there,
14:21that he shoots a cross goal,
14:22catching the goalkeeper wrong-footed,
14:24and beats the Montevideo Torque goalkeeper,
14:26making it 2-0.
14:27The 3-0 Borbos' goal doesn't follow any of these patterns.
14:31I think it shows Gallo managed to change things on the field,
14:34and also has a bench with very influential players, right?
14:36Igor Gomez played well off the bench,
14:38Borbos did too,
14:39and so did Cissé,
14:40was involved in the goalplay too.
14:41And the 3-0 gives some peace of mind
14:43to maybe even rest some players for Bernard,
14:45the return match,
14:46and be able to reprioritize.
14:48Copa do Brasil,
14:49Brazilian championship,
14:50because playing in three competitions at the same time
14:52is pretty tough.
14:54Atletico suffered with that,
14:55for example,
14:56in 2024,
14:57when they reached the finals of the Libertadores
14:59and the Copa do Brasil.
15:00They didn't win either of them,
15:01and fought against relegation until the last round.
15:04That team became quite memorable,
15:06and the fans still have affection for Milito, right?
15:09Which, obviously,
15:10also went through the difficulty of having a very thin squad.
15:13The squad had to be reinforced halfway through the season,
15:16and had to keep making adjustments.
15:19And obviously,
15:19when they reached the final stretch with three competitions,
15:22they did have trouble managing everything.
15:24Today, I see this Barba's team as more balance than that Milito's team.
15:27I think the squad is better,
15:29but it's not that much better.
15:30The Barba makes much better use of the young players.
15:33Cissé, Gabriel, and Delphine.
15:35Though using Delphine was somewhat forced.
15:37Passini, on the left,
15:38even used Cavan Soares at some moments
15:40in the first phase of the Copa Sudamericana,
15:43and he knew how to balance things,
15:45using Vitão in defense as well.
15:48And he knew exactly when to prioritize each competition.
15:51And today, there's much more peace of mind in the Brazilian league,
15:55because he prioritized the Brazilian league at the beginning.
15:57He's even fighting for the top four
15:59in the easier stages of the Copa Sudamericana.
16:01He fielded mostly reserves, if not an entirely reserve lineup.
16:05And now, when he needs to split the load a bit more,
16:08he took advantage of some reinforcements.
16:10Now, in the middle of the year, that's true.
16:13Castaño Araiz, for example, and he's fundamental.
16:15Fred Araiz, and he's fundamental.
16:16And then he's able to balance the three competitions for me.
16:19This work by Barba is already better than that work by Milito.
16:22Do you agree or disagree?
16:23Leave your thoughts here in the comments,
16:25and also remember to download our app,
16:26which is here in the comments.
16:27Alright, I'll stop here.
16:29Big hug, and see you next time.