Rare formation: New Pirates coach’s favourite playing system

New Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro could be very refreshing as far as playing structure, we’ve found he has a unique preference.

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ORLANDO PIRATES APPOINT JOSE RIVEIRO

As The South African website reported on 25 June, the Sea Robbers surprised us all by naming the Spaniard as the new head coach, while everyone was expecting the likes of Benni McCarthy or Gavin Hunt.

The club further confirmed that the 44-year-old will arrive with his own assistants: Sergio Almenara and Miguel Bellver Esteve as the fitness trainer.

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RIVEIRO’S PLAYING SYSTEM

After doing a bit of searching around, we have discovered what the new Bucs coach favours in terms of setting up on the pitch.

While most coaches will tell you that the system depends on the players you have, a personal style does exist.

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For Riveiro, who coached FC Inter Turku in Finland for the past three seasons, his go-to formation was a rare 3-4-2-1 style, according to Transfermkt’s statistics.

According to Soccer Training Guide, the 3-4-2-1 style uses three defenders, four midfielders, two forwards, and one striker.

“This formation has also wingers that will guard your team’s sidelines and support your strikers/forwards in offense,” the guide says.

“However, the formation has only three defenders which makes it vulnerable in defense.

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“Another negative aspect of this formation is that midfielders need to be highly active in defense.

“This requires a lot of energy and as a midfielder, you will need to have great stamina and conditioning,” the explanation added.

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