Tactics & Formations

I’m really interested in formations and tactics used in the football world. The posts listed below will form a collection of my thoughts about the way that Blackpool play and hopefully you’ll find them of interest. Some of it might seem like stating the obvious, however, my match reports may well assume some knowledge of the basics when reading, so it might be useful to give them a little look over.

Blackpool Basics

What is the basic formation that Blackpool set up with and what does it look like?

The Ideal Combination

As Blackpool play a three man midfield, this is a little discussion trying to come to grips with the roles that each midfield is expected to play.

What’s in a pass?

Blackpool like to pass and will pass the ball all match long, mostly short passes along on the ground. How many passes do they make? Are they successful and what does their passing tell us about the way they play and the success on the pitch? This post was revisited a month later and the second part looked at Blackpool’s passing during a recent run of poor form: What’s in a pass? Revisited.

Dealing with Rory Delap’s Long Throw

How did Blackpool attempt to deal with the threat of Stoke’s approach to delivering long throws into the area?