CHAOTIC Henrik Rydstrom Tactic
Henrik Rydström had this to say about this playing style and about having fun playing football – “That was also my feeling when we played - that we could do so much more than we were being allowed to do. When I played with my friends when I was younger, I played in a totally different way to how I played when I played professional football." He told Sky Sports.
According to the man himself, the tactical epiphany came in 2006 when his club, Kalmar played against FC Twente in the now extinct Intertoto Cup.
FC Twente passed Kalmar off the park, all the while Henrik Rydström was asked to play a rigid, waiting and defensive game, blocking the passing lanes as much as he could.
"We did not have the ball at all," he told Sky Sports. "We had been taught that football was all about defending, counterattacks and set pieces."
According to him, it was wanting to break away from this style of play that pushed him to look for innovative ideas. Which led him to discovering Fernando Diniz and his style of play.
"There were some clips starting to circulate on Twitter," recalls Rydström. "The positions were like... messed up. What is this?", Henrik Rydström told Sky Sports.
Studying Fernando Diniz’s styles of play helped him implement something that was virtually non-existent in European football at the time.
A footballing approach based on relationism makes the players be in positions they wouldn’t normally find themselves in.
Before we go deeper into the tactic, you should know that I used it playing in a save with Manchester United from the 2007-2008 season. The database was created by the MadScientist. Make sure to follow him if not already.
The base formation can be the most basic one. The important thing is choosing the right roles and duties for the players, to determine the match engine to replicate the way Henrik Rydström’s Malmo plays.
So, we have a 4-2-3-1 formation. Sort of. It is an asymmetric 4-2-3-1, that would help recreating some of the movements the Swedish team creates.
With a sweeper keeper on attack duty in goal. The goalkeeper must be good in goal, obviously, but also a passing option for his teammates.
In front of him, we have a wing back on support, two ball playing defenders on defend duty and an inverted full back.
According to the way Malmo play, the right sided wing back is asked to go up the pitch when the team is in possession. And the way the formation is made, the pitch will tilt more to the left side, overloading that part, creating room for the right sided players to attack into.
The inverted full back was chosen as it will help forming the back three when in possession, guarding against the opposition’s counterattack.
The wing back is told to cross from byline, dribble more and stay wider. The first two player instructions ensure that this player will go up the field when his team is in possession.
One defensive midfielder and one roaming playmaker on support duty. The defensive midfielder is told to take more risks. While the roaming playmaker is told to dribble more and move into channels.
This player is the heartbeat of this tactic. He should be the one moving up and down and left to right on the pitch, linking up play and ensuring the possession of the ball is kept.
The right-sided winger is a trequartista. The role was chosen as he must be able to roam from his position and find the best channels to attack into.
A raumdeuter was my first idea, but the raumdeuter finds the open space only on his designated flank.
The player is told to stay wider.
And advanced playmaker on attack duty and a raumdeuter made up the attacking midfield trio.
The advanced playmaker is assigned an attack duty, as he must become the second striker of the team.
As mentioned, the raumdeuter is expected to take advantage of any open space on his designated flank.
Tackle harder for the advanced playmaker and hold up ball for the raumdeuter. The raumdeuter must hold up the ball, so the playmaker, the advanced playmaker and the striker could be integrated into play efficiently.
And the striker is an advanced forward, who is told to mark tighter.
As mentality I chose positive. You could also choose attacking or balanced, but for the full experience of the tactic I recommend positive.
In possession fairly narrow, pass into space and play out of defence. Shorter passing directness and a higher tempo.
The tactic requires the players to be close to each other in possession and pass the ball around fast, to not give time to the opposition to react.
Low crosses, work the ball into the box and run at defence.
In transition, counter-press, counter and distribute the ball to the defence through short kicks.
Out of possession, a high press and a higher defensive line. Trigger press much more often, prevent the goalkeeper short distribution and get stuck in.
The team must be aggressive when out of possession, reacting fast to losing the ball and trying to recover it as fast as possible.
Of course, this comes with its own risks – as your team can get overrun but a better opposition, so pay attention and adapt accordingly.
This tactic has helped my team destroy the Premier League – finishing with 102 points and scoring 137 goals, while conceding only 28.
There is a reason behind me playing a retro database save. As Manchester United had world class players in their team at that time.
And if the tactic is supposed to work properly, it will surely do with a team like the English one. And as we can see, it did.
The tactic is very, very fun to play with. Be it a retro database or a normal one.
Henrik Rydström’s style of play is a refreshing one in a world of football where the players are mostly asked to stick to one area of the pitch and one role.
I am glad his experience as a player helped him develop this style of play and I hope more managers like him or Fernando Diniz are going to become successful in the world of football.
