Analyzing Pablo Machín's 3-5-2

Barcelona may be on top of the La Liga table as usual, but this has been quite the bizarre season as far as the Spanish top flight is concerned, with teams like Abelardo Fernández’s Deportivo Alavés and Quique Setién’s Real Betis catching the eye with some impressive performances. The pick of the lot however has been Pablo Machín’s Sevilla, whose unique tactical structure has rejuvenated the Andalusian outfit, with the team producing the kind of performances that fans were so used to under Unai Emery.

Machín, who previously spent four seasons at Girona, has brought and implemented his system at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium to stunning effect, with familiar names Wissam Ben Yedder, Pablo Sarabia, Éver Banega and Jesús Navas producing some top-notch performances as part of this new structure. This post seeks to understand Sevilla’s success by analysing the game plan that Machin has implemented at the club, as well as by looking at who have been the club’s most improved performers.

Importance of wing-backs

Machín uses a 3-5-2 formation, which jibes in sharp contrast to the majority of formations in La Liga. This system is heavily centred around combinations in wide areas between the wing-backs, midfielders and strikers, all of whom have to work in conjunction to stretch opposition teams and fashion goal-scoring chances.