Tigres De La UANL And Their New World Of Tactical Options

The 2010 Apertura tournament in the Mexican Primera was a disappointing one for Tigres. Despite some high expectations for the side from Monterrey, a big derby win over Pumas, and a decent standing in the table for much of the season, they were eliminated from the Liguilla on the final day of the tournament. Their loss to Morelia and their draw against Atlas in the final two games of the tournament could accurately be classified as a collapse. As a result, Tigres has decided to completely re-tool in preparation for the Clausura.

A variety of new players have been added to the roster, the most familiar to American readers likely being Jonathan Bornstein. The Chivas USA and United States national team attacking left back helps to add a new dynamic to the team, but he was signed before Tigres went into free fall mode. Their other signings, arguably, were reactionary and were made because of the team’s failings.

Jaguares de Chiapas were pillaged by Tigres ahead of their Copa Libertadores campaign, as they lost Danilinho and Carlos Ochoa. Hector Mancilla has moved to Tigres from a Toluca side that looks to be in a bit of trouble. They were also in negotiations to sign Renato Augusto from Pumas, but that deal may have fallen through over the player’s asking price. Still, if the signings they have made are any indication, if Tigres are unable to sign Augusto, they could very well pursue a different midfielder with similar qualities. A player like Augusto would give Tigres some incredible tactical flexibility, but with the players who have already joined improving the side significantly, along with Manuel Viniegra’s rapid improvement, Tigres have a lot of different options when it comes to how they want to set up their team.

Between Viniegra’s maturation and the possibility of signing Augusto or a similar player, Tigres could possibly afford to get very ambitious and aggressive with their tactics. Their scoring rate was terrible in the last tournament, and everyone from the fans, to the board, to the manager will be looking for improvement in that department. That manager, Ricardo Ferretti, has shown a willingness to change his tactics quite a bit. In the coming season, he will have a much more talented and much more versatile squad than Tigres played with in the most recent tournament. Many of these players play their best football in different formations and are able to play multiple positions, so the possibilities are vast.

Tigres used two different formations on a regular basis last tournament. One of those was a 5-3-2/3-5-2 hybrid where the wing backs had extensive and offensive responsibilities and were asked to cover a lot of ground. As a result, it would occasionally appear as if they had a five man and a three man back line. Jonathan Bornstein was a great addition if Ferretti wants to continue to play this way. Jose Torres Nilo is a good player and should probably be first choice in a 4-4-2 setup, but Bornstein is perfectly suited to the left wing back role in Ferretti’s 5-3-2/3-5-2. First choice right back Israel Jimenez is probably well suited to either this setup or a 4-4-2, but he’s probably best utilized as a wing back. In this setup, the most likely odd man out would be Fransisco Acuña and one of Damien Alvarez, Lucas Lobos, and new signing Danilinho would likely have to sit.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, the other setup that Ferretti has utilized is a pretty standard 4-4-2. Damian Alvarez and Fransisco Acuña have done a great job on the wings. Last season, Tigres mostly played a “flat” 4-4-2 with two “box-to-box” central midfielders, but this season, due to the acquisition of Danilinho, Ferretti might be more inclined to utilize a diamond formation with either Danilinho or Lobos at the head of the diamond and the other central midfielder playing a defensive role, sitting in front of the back four. It’s highly unlikely that all three of Jose Torres Nilo, Damian Alvarez, and Jonathan Bornstein would play in this setup, and Bornstein seems like the most likely to sit.

Both of these formations present one problem, though. That problem is the issue of Danilinho and Lucas Lobos essentially playing the same position. It’s conceivable that one could play a second striker’s role while one played an attacking midfield role with some defensive responsibilities, but they have both played their best football in the past playing off of a center forward with minimal defensive responsibilities. Rumor has it that Danilinho has been playing on the right wing in practice, which would certainly solve the problem of them playing the same position in theory, but it seems like a serious waste to acquire a player of Danilinho’s talents and play him out of position. Therefore, it’s time to get inventive. Do we have any Palermo fans in the house?

Serie A’s Palermo had a similar problem going into this season. Josep Ilicic and Javier Pastore both play their best football in a similar attacking midfield position. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to bench either of these players or play either of them out of position. So, Palermo plays a “Christmas tree” formation, the 4-3-2-1, with two trequaristas. I’m well aware that Mexican football is not Italian football and that there isn’t a whole lot of precedent for something like this, but doesn’t the coolest stuff happen in football when someone does something that was previously without precedent? If I’m Ferretti, I’m going to do whatever I can do to get both Danilinho and Lucas Lobos on the same field playing their preferred positions. The starting center forward, Carlos Ochoa or Hector Mancilla, would probably love this setup as well.

Those reading this who are knowledgeable about Mexican football might be wondering where Damian Alvarez goes in this situation, and possibly making the false assumption that he can’t play in this formation. Back to precedent, there’s plenty of it for allowing Alvarez to do his thing in a formation where a more centrally and defensive minded player might go. He’s good enough that it’s worth it to ask a fullback and his midfield partners to compensate for his possible (but not inherent) defensive and positional deficiencies. If there’s a league where fluid and asymmetrical will work, it’s the Mexican Primera.

No matter how ambitious Ferretti wants to get or how practical the above described 4-3-2-1 setup is, the point stands that Tigres, through their decision making, have created a team that has a wide variety of tactical options. I think it’s safe to predict that Tigres will recover from their bad tournament and make Liguilla next season. However, I’m not sure that they’re in the category of the elite just yet. Perhaps they legitimately believe this and perhaps they’re just looking for a storyline in December, but the Mexican media seem ready to anoint Tigres as the new team to beat. Despite their great off-season acquisitions, it’s unfair to predict that they will be better than the likes of Monterrey, Santos Laguna, and Cruz Azul before they play a single game. However, their tactical flexibility is a massive plus and it’s something that the three aforementioned teams have considerably less of than Tigres. Those three big boys might still be the three best teams in Mexico, but Tigres has the potential to be the most interesting team in the Primera.