Master Bielsa’s high-intensity tactics in FM24! Recreate Leeds' relentless pressing, fluid 3-3-1-3 shape, and dominant style to win big.
Recreate Marcelo Bielsa’s relentless Leeds United tactics in FM24 and
dominate with high-intensity pressing, fluid football, and stunning
results.
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When Marcelo Bielsa took over at Leeds United in the Summer of 2018, the club were off the back of a disappointing 13th place finish in the Championship the season before, and most observers expected the club to go through another disappointing season in the slumps of mid-table in the 18/19 season.
However, the appointment of Marcelo Bielsa was a revolutionary change as the
Argentinian quickly implemented his famous ‘Murderball’ training
philosophy. In El Loco’s first season at Leeds United, the club
skyrocketed into a 3rd place finish and narrowly missed out on promotion to
the Premier League following a famous defeat against Derby County over two
legs in the Play-Off Semi-Finals – a tie that was overshadowed by the
controversial ‘spygate’ incident. The season after, however, Leeds
United climbed to new heights as they won the Championship by a significant
10-point margin.
In this system, Ben White was the more progressive of the two centre-backs and would regularly look to use his comfort in-possession as a ball-carrying weapon, along with a good passing range and vision to access intricate passes into central/wide areas. Lastly, both centre-backs in this system would be asked to move wider to allow for the holding midfielder to drop between them. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect, with the added instructions:
Liam Cooper was the more conservative of the two centre-backs in possession and would usually opt for a safe pass into the holding midfielder dropping deeper, or the left-back. Lastly, as with Ben White alongside him, Cooper would move wider to allow Phillips to drop between them. Therefore, I feel this role is perfect, with the added instructions:
In this position, the left-back (typically Ezgjan Alioski) would perform a
similar role to his full-back counterpart, as he would sit narrower at times
to support the midfield. However, unlike Ayling, Alioski would typically go
wider more often and offer overlapping runs for Jack Harrison to find. Once
Alioski arrived in a higher position, he would usually look to cross the
ball in. Finally, when given the ball in a deeper position, Alioski could go
more direct to progress play if the opportunity was there. Therefore, I felt
this role was ideal, with the added instructions:
Kalvin Phillips had a very defined role in this system, and that was to drop
between the centre-backs and help central ball progression through
utilization of his excellent vision and passing range. Both of these talents
were crucial weaponry in Leeds’ arsenal, as he could regularly switch the
play to wider areas or play a riskier pass in-behind for an attacker to
chase – this meant teams became far less likely to hold a higher line
against Leeds. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect, with the added
instructions:
In this position, Pablo Hernández’ movement would depend on the positioning
of Kalvin Phillips, as if Phillips had dropped between the centre-backs,
Hernández would drop slightly deeper to become the central passing option.
However, if Phillips had positioned himself higher, Hernández could push
slightly higher as a box-crashing option. The aim of Hernández’ movement was
to position himself between the lines of the opposition meaning it’d take
just one line-breaking pass from deep to take a number of opposition players
out of the game and cause a chain reaction centrally. If the Spaniard
received the ball in this position, he’d usually look to take the ball on
the half-turn and either carry the ball forward or release a searching
through ball for an attacker to bear down on goal. Finally, Hernández would
often drift wider to support the players on the right-flank. Therefore, I
felt this role was suitable, with the added instructions:
In this position, Mateusz Klich would perform a similar role to Hernández as
the pair could, at times, interchange roles and positions. Primarily,
however, Klich would hold a slightly higher position than the Spaniard and
would often be a third-man runner and subsequent box-crashing threat,
leading to him conjuring up 7 goals in the 19/20 season. In a similar vein
to Hernández, Kilch would roam and drift wider to support the team’s
wing-play and offer a link-up option. Additionally, like his central
midfield team-mate, Klich would often position himself between the lines of
the opposition, and once he received the ball in this position, he could
either drive forward with the ball at his feet or play a pass in-behind for
an attacker to chase. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect, with the
added instructions:
In this position, Helder Costa, like the right-back behind him, had the
responsibility to perform a number of different roles from his position. He
could hold the width like a natural winger, move inside like an inverted
winger or make penetrative runs in-behind like an inside forward. Due to
this, Helder Costa could roam from his position to try and identify an ideal
position given the game’s situation. Therefore, I felt this role was
suitable, with the added instructions:
In this position, Jack Harrison had similar freedom in his role, however,
his role was slightly more defined as he’d usually move inside to leave the
flanks empty for Alioski to have the space to overlap. Therefore, I felt the
change from the ‘Attack’ duty to the ‘Support’ duty, along with the slight
tweak to player instructions, was ideal for recreating his role:
In this position, Patrick Bamford was the leader of the team’s intense press
and would have to press the opposition centre-backs constantly. When Leeds
had the ball, Bamford would look to roam from his position as this would
vacate the striker area for others, like Klich, to exploit. Additionally,
when he would receive the ball, Bamford would usually look to hold-up play
and lay the ball off to a midfielder/winger. Therefore, I felt this role was
perfect, with the added instructions:
In the Championship, we were absolutely exceptional as we dismantled the league and had the title wrapped up IN FEBRUARY! In our 46 Championship games, we won 40 games, drew 4 and lost JUST TWICE as we accumulated a record-breaking 124 points. Additionally, we scored a staggering 151 goals whilst only conceding 24 goals – ranking top of the league in both regards. Lastly, our attacking ventures didn’t come with a general lack of control in games, as we averaged 60% possession across the season, ranking joint-second in the league.
In the Carabao Cup, we were just as brilliant as we won the competition! An inspired performance in the Final saw us draw 0-0 against Liverpool, before eventually winning 4-5 on penalties – that’s not to say we were holding out for penalties, as we dominated the game and should’ve won based on our chances. On our way to Wembley, we beat West Ham, Crystal Palace, Everton, Birmingham, Derby and Wigan! But were we able to make it a historic treble in the FA Cup?
Unfortunately not, as Tottenham Hotspur picked up a fortunate 0-1 win at Elland Road in the Fifth Round as we bowed out of the Cup. Despite this, Leeds fans can feel rather happy with their team’s performance as their team beat their bitter rivals Manchester United 2-6 at Old Trafford in a famous Roses Derby victory in the Fourth Round.
When Marcelo Bielsa took over a struggling, mid-table Leeds United in the summer of 2018, few could’ve predicted that ‘El Loco’ could drag the club to the Championship Play-Offs and be within 90 minutes of the Championship Play-Off Final. Whilst the 18/19 season ended in heartbreak for the club, their impressive league performance was a sign of things to come as they would go two better and win the Championship title just a little over 12 months later. In this article, I have provided my brief analysis of the tactics Marcelo Bielsa used to win the Championship with Leeds United in the 19/20 season, before demonstrating my recreation of said tactics in Football Manager 2024 and demonstrating the staggering results the tactic achieved in testing! If you want a taste of this unstoppable tactic, make sure to download the tactic using the link attached to this article and follow FM Blog and myself (@AshtonGgmu) on our respective socials. I hope you have enjoyed this article, and I wish you much success with this tactic on your saves! Thanks for reading!
In this article, I’ll be providing my brief analysis of the tactics Bielsa
used to win Leeds the Championship in 19/20, before demonstrating my
recreation of said tactics in Football Manager 2024 and showcasing the
outrageous results said tactic produced in testing. Firstly, let’s have a
look of Bielsa’s title-winning tactics!
‘Murderball’ was a training session Marcelo Bielsa implemented at Leeds United where the players would divide into two teams and would play a match without ANY stoppages. Additionally, if the ball were to go out of play, the Leeds players would have to sprint back towards a cone each of them were assigned. The incessant nature of the training match would create a hyperintense game environment that the Leeds players would have to adapt to, making it easier for the players to rise through intensity levels during competitive fixtures.
‘Murderball’ was also crucial for the Leeds players to adapt to Bielsa’s strict pressing philosophy, where the players are asked to constantly press the opposition. This is to force the opposition backwards to eventually attempt to regain possession closer to goal, meaning Leeds could create very dangerous counter-attacking scenarios once possession turned over. Lastly, by pressing high, Leeds United would always have the initiative in games and were always the primary aggressors.
When Leeds United had possession under Bielsa, they would form a very wide and fluid 3-3-1-3 shape, effectively forming triangles in wide areas and diamonds in central areas to allow for quick, short interchanges of possession. This shape could be formed in a variety of ways; however, the aim was to always maintain a 3-3-1-3 shape, with a priority on getting the ball wide and having players link-up in those wide regions.
‘Murderball’
‘Murderball’ was a training session Marcelo Bielsa implemented at Leeds United where the players would divide into two teams and would play a match without ANY stoppages. Additionally, if the ball were to go out of play, the Leeds players would have to sprint back towards a cone each of them were assigned. The incessant nature of the training match would create a hyperintense game environment that the Leeds players would have to adapt to, making it easier for the players to rise through intensity levels during competitive fixtures.
Persistent Pressing
‘Murderball’ was also crucial for the Leeds players to adapt to Bielsa’s strict pressing philosophy, where the players are asked to constantly press the opposition. This is to force the opposition backwards to eventually attempt to regain possession closer to goal, meaning Leeds could create very dangerous counter-attacking scenarios once possession turned over. Lastly, by pressing high, Leeds United would always have the initiative in games and were always the primary aggressors.
Beautiful Football Within Fluid 3-3-1-3 Shape
When Leeds United had possession under Bielsa, they would form a very wide and fluid 3-3-1-3 shape, effectively forming triangles in wide areas and diamonds in central areas to allow for quick, short interchanges of possession. This shape could be formed in a variety of ways; however, the aim was to always maintain a 3-3-1-3 shape, with a priority on getting the ball wide and having players link-up in those wide regions.
READ ALSO: Fixing Arsenal FM24 Tactic
When Leeds United had possession, they would primarily look to build-up from the back – this would give them the platform to retain possession reliably and maintain pressure on the opponent. Within their possession, they would use a range of short, quick passes to link-up play and pull opposition players out of position. Within their 3-3-1-3 shape, the players were given full licence to roam and rotate their positions with team-mates. This 3-3-1-3 shape, unlike the likes of Cruyff’s and Van Gaal’s shapes, was built to create wide overloads, allowing for patterns where the ball could arrive at the wingers’ feet following a pattern of zigzag passes between the wide players and players centrally. Finally, Leeds would constantly look to penetrate space in-behind with searching through balls for attackers/third-man runners from midfield to chase.
When Leeds would lose possession, they would immediately swarm the opposition to win it back. If successful, Leeds would fly out of the traps in devastating fashion to punish their out-of-shape opponents. Finally, when the ‘keeper has the ball, he would help to form a central diamond containing himself, the two centre-backs and the holding midfielder dropping in.
When Leeds didn’t have the ball, they would relentlessly press to try and regain possession. To aid this press, the defence would hold a very high line and the centre-backs were given licence to jump from their positions to engage in duels between the lines – within these duels, Leeds were very aggressive and would go to ground often. The aim of the press, apart from winning back possession, was to close the central space and mark all central passing options, forcing the opposition into wide areas where Leeds could hound their opposition.
READ ALSO: One Starter Tactic for EVERY 24/25 Premier League Team in Football Manager 2024
Iilan Meslier’s role in this system is relatively simple to understand now, however, it was a fairly new proposition to the Championship in 19/20 as he was asked to support build-up play and sometimes move higher to form a back-three in possession with the two centre-backs. When Leeds didn’t have the ball, he was asked to position himself slightly higher to sweep up any loose balls in-behind from the opposition. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect. No additional instructions.
Luke Ayling’s role in this system was arguably the most complex in the squad as he was asked to perform multiple different duties from his position. Firstly, he’d have to understand when to move into a narrower position to support the midfield and when to provide underlaps and overlaps from this narrow position. Additionally, when he had the ball to feet, he'd have to assess the situation and understand when to try a riskier pass, a safer pass and when to carry the ball forward himself, as he would be asked to perform each and every one of these nuances in his role. Therefore, I felt this role was best suited, with these added instructions:
Let’s Break Down the Tactic
In Possession
When Leeds United had possession, they would primarily look to build-up from the back – this would give them the platform to retain possession reliably and maintain pressure on the opponent. Within their possession, they would use a range of short, quick passes to link-up play and pull opposition players out of position. Within their 3-3-1-3 shape, the players were given full licence to roam and rotate their positions with team-mates. This 3-3-1-3 shape, unlike the likes of Cruyff’s and Van Gaal’s shapes, was built to create wide overloads, allowing for patterns where the ball could arrive at the wingers’ feet following a pattern of zigzag passes between the wide players and players centrally. Finally, Leeds would constantly look to penetrate space in-behind with searching through balls for attackers/third-man runners from midfield to chase.
In Transition
When Leeds would lose possession, they would immediately swarm the opposition to win it back. If successful, Leeds would fly out of the traps in devastating fashion to punish their out-of-shape opponents. Finally, when the ‘keeper has the ball, he would help to form a central diamond containing himself, the two centre-backs and the holding midfielder dropping in.
Out of Possession
When Leeds didn’t have the ball, they would relentlessly press to try and regain possession. To aid this press, the defence would hold a very high line and the centre-backs were given licence to jump from their positions to engage in duels between the lines – within these duels, Leeds were very aggressive and would go to ground often. The aim of the press, apart from winning back possession, was to close the central space and mark all central passing options, forcing the opposition into wide areas where Leeds could hound their opposition.
READ ALSO: One Starter Tactic for EVERY 24/25 Premier League Team in Football Manager 2024
Player Roles
Sweeper Keeper – Support
Iilan Meslier’s role in this system is relatively simple to understand now, however, it was a fairly new proposition to the Championship in 19/20 as he was asked to support build-up play and sometimes move higher to form a back-three in possession with the two centre-backs. When Leeds didn’t have the ball, he was asked to position himself slightly higher to sweep up any loose balls in-behind from the opposition. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect. No additional instructions.
Full-Back – Attack
Luke Ayling’s role in this system was arguably the most complex in the squad as he was asked to perform multiple different duties from his position. Firstly, he’d have to understand when to move into a narrower position to support the midfield and when to provide underlaps and overlaps from this narrow position. Additionally, when he had the ball to feet, he'd have to assess the situation and understand when to try a riskier pass, a safer pass and when to carry the ball forward himself, as he would be asked to perform each and every one of these nuances in his role. Therefore, I felt this role was best suited, with these added instructions:
Ball-Playing Defender – Defend
In this system, Ben White was the more progressive of the two centre-backs and would regularly look to use his comfort in-possession as a ball-carrying weapon, along with a good passing range and vision to access intricate passes into central/wide areas. Lastly, both centre-backs in this system would be asked to move wider to allow for the holding midfielder to drop between them. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect, with the added instructions:
Central Defender – Defend
Liam Cooper was the more conservative of the two centre-backs in possession and would usually opt for a safe pass into the holding midfielder dropping deeper, or the left-back. Lastly, as with Ben White alongside him, Cooper would move wider to allow Phillips to drop between them. Therefore, I feel this role is perfect, with the added instructions:
Wing-Back – Support
Half-Back – Defend
Box-to-Box Midfielder – Support
Central Midfielder – Attack
Inverted Winger – Attack
Inverted Winger – Support
Pressing Forward – Support
Results
Championship
In the Championship, we were absolutely exceptional as we dismantled the league and had the title wrapped up IN FEBRUARY! In our 46 Championship games, we won 40 games, drew 4 and lost JUST TWICE as we accumulated a record-breaking 124 points. Additionally, we scored a staggering 151 goals whilst only conceding 24 goals – ranking top of the league in both regards. Lastly, our attacking ventures didn’t come with a general lack of control in games, as we averaged 60% possession across the season, ranking joint-second in the league.
Domestic Cups
In the Carabao Cup, we were just as brilliant as we won the competition! An inspired performance in the Final saw us draw 0-0 against Liverpool, before eventually winning 4-5 on penalties – that’s not to say we were holding out for penalties, as we dominated the game and should’ve won based on our chances. On our way to Wembley, we beat West Ham, Crystal Palace, Everton, Birmingham, Derby and Wigan! But were we able to make it a historic treble in the FA Cup?
Unfortunately not, as Tottenham Hotspur picked up a fortunate 0-1 win at Elland Road in the Fifth Round as we bowed out of the Cup. Despite this, Leeds fans can feel rather happy with their team’s performance as their team beat their bitter rivals Manchester United 2-6 at Old Trafford in a famous Roses Derby victory in the Fourth Round.
Conclusion
When Marcelo Bielsa took over a struggling, mid-table Leeds United in the summer of 2018, few could’ve predicted that ‘El Loco’ could drag the club to the Championship Play-Offs and be within 90 minutes of the Championship Play-Off Final. Whilst the 18/19 season ended in heartbreak for the club, their impressive league performance was a sign of things to come as they would go two better and win the Championship title just a little over 12 months later. In this article, I have provided my brief analysis of the tactics Marcelo Bielsa used to win the Championship with Leeds United in the 19/20 season, before demonstrating my recreation of said tactics in Football Manager 2024 and demonstrating the staggering results the tactic achieved in testing! If you want a taste of this unstoppable tactic, make sure to download the tactic using the link attached to this article and follow FM Blog and myself (@AshtonGgmu) on our respective socials. I hope you have enjoyed this article, and I wish you much success with this tactic on your saves! Thanks for reading!
