INTRIGUING Francesco Farioli Tactic

Back in the 2022-2023 season, Nice were a mid-table club in France. They did, however, compete in European competitions prior to that season, but had a drop in 2023.

On the 31st of June 2023, their luck was about to change, though.

Francesco Farioli is an interesting football manager, one to be keep an eye on. He is a former professional football player and the current manager of AFC Ajax, in the Eredivisie.

He studied philosophy and sports science at the University of Florence, before beginning his career in football as a goalkeeping coach with Margine Coperta from 2009 to 2011.

He then moved as a goalkeeping coach to Fortis Juventus and Lucchese before moving to Qatar, at the ASPIRE academy and then the Qatar U16s.

However, one man would put Francesco Farioli on the track he currently is – Roberto De Zerbi.

The Italian manager asked Francesco Farioli to return to Italy and after a brief spell with Benevento, as a goalkeeping coach, he followed Roberto De Zerbi to Sassuolo.

In the 2020-2021 season, Francesco Farioli had his first try as an assistant manager at the Turkish side Alanyaspor, where he impressed. He was appointed the manager of Fatih Karagümrük shortly after.

In December 2021, he joined Alanyaspor again, but this time as a manager.

On the surface, the formation he used at Nice is a 4-3-3. But when in possession, it changes to a 3-4-3 most often.

With a sweeper keeper on defend duty in goal. The goalkeeper must become a passing option, helping the defence passing the ball around until an opening comes up in the opposition’s pressing game.

The back four is made of 2 full backs on support and 2 central defenders on defend duty. Much like Roberto De Zerbi, Francesco Farioli encourages his team to play out of defence.

For this reason, the full backs are told to sit narrower, to aid the passing game. They are also told to cut inside with the ball, which will encourage them to become inverted wing backs at times.

The defensive midfielder is on defend duty, as he must be the screen in front of the defence. But when his team is in possession, he must become a passing option and link-up play, helping the ball progress towards the forward lines.

He is told to take more risks and tackle harder.

The central midfielder and the box-to-box midfielder are setup like this so one of them, central midfielder would go up in attack when the team is in possession. While the box-to-box midfielder would do it gradually, as the ball progresses.

And he is told to take more risks, get further forward and move into channels.

An inverted winger and a winger on support duty make up the flanks, while a deep lying forward on attack duty completes the formation.

The attacking trio is meant to interpret different roles, creating movement while the team is in possession, forcing the opposition’s defensive players to shuffle around to mark them.

The inverted winger is told to stay wider. The winger to take more risks and the deep lying forward to roam from position.

As mentality, I chose positive.

In possession, fairly wide attacking width, pass into space and play out of defence. Shorter passing directness and a slightly higher tempo.

Mixed crosses and work the ball into the box.

Francesco Farioli asks his team to pass the ball around with precision, trying to find the best channels to attack into and to not let go of the ball by shooting it wide.

In transition, counter-press, counter and distribute the ball to the defence, through short kicks.

And out of possession, a mid block and a much higher defensive line. Francesco Farioli’s defensive approach is to crowd the midfield area, making it very difficult for the opposition to build up, forcing them to play long balls. Which would then be picked up by his team.

Trigger press more often and prevent the goalkeeper short distribution.

This tactic helped us finish 3rd in the Eredivisie, scoring 90 goals and conceding only 26.

This hasn’t been my best season with Ajax and for this reason, I encourage you to employ only players that would be able to interpret the tactic.

Francesco Farioli’s ideas make the team he manages play an outstanding football, sometimes difficult to cope with by the opposition.

In my opinion, he is now managing a team which he can develop using his own principles, so I can’t wait to see what he manages to achieve with them.