Ramon Diaz CRAZY Vasco da Gama Tactic

Ramon Diaz has narrowly saved Vasco da Gama from relegation last season.

But Vasco da Gama is not the only club he managed so far. His manager profile boasts a lot of clubs to which Ramon Diaz brought results.

Born in La Rioja, Ramon Díaz was a youth player of River Plate, being noteworthy under youth manager Norberto Yácono. He made his first team debut on 13 August 1978, starting in a 1–0 win over Colón.

As part of his playing career, Ramon Diaz went to Napoli for a season, then Fiorentina later on, Internazionale Milano, AS Monaco and he returned to River Plate before going to Japan, playing for Yokohama Marinos.

He played one game shy of 500 professionally and started his managerial career at River Plate in 1995.

His managerial career boasts no less than 18 clubs and national teams, among which we can find Oxford United.

Of course, the Argentina-born manager was well known throughout his career, but what caught social and media attention recently was the playing style employed at the Brazilian club Vasco da Gama.

Ramon Diaz has employed a free-flowing, relationism-based football but more direct than we see being played by Fernando Diniz or Henrik Rydstrom teams.

A footballing approach based on relationism makes the players be in positions they wouldn’t normally find themselves in.

And in Ramon Diaz’s setup, the players must interpret different roles on the pitch, depending on the game moment and they also need to move the ball through the fastest route towards the opposition’s goal.

The base tactic is a 4-3-3 formation. But as mentioned, the formation changes according to each game moment.

A sweeper keeper on defend duty. Any duty can be assigned to the goalkeeper, the important thing is for him to become a passing option for his teammates, to help avoiding the opposition’s pressing game.

A back four made of two wing backs on attack duty and two ball playing defenders on defend duty.

The wing backs must go up the pitch when the team is in possession. While the ball playing defenders are expected to step out of their designated positions and help the possession game as much as they can.

The wing backs are told to cross more often and stay wider.

Now here is the trick, one roaming playmaker and two carrileros are used in the midfield trio.

So, no natural defensive midfielders.

Ramon Diaz’s team funnels the ball out wide, employing the wing backs as natural width to evade the pressing game.

So the midfield trio must first provide passing options in the central area, before taking up their required positions.

The roaming playmaker is the heartbeat of the tactic. He must become the link between defence and attack.

While the carrileros must provide a defensive approach in the center or the wide areas, depending on where the attack comes from.

An unusual setup, but one that confuses teams.

And the attacking trio is made of two inverted wingers and one pressing forward, on attack duty.

Since the wing backs overlap, the wingers must make room for their movement all the while tucking inside and becoming strikers, helping the pressing forward.

The inverted wingers are told to sit narrower.

As mentality I chose positive and I wouldn’t recommend anything higher, as the duties balance how the team approaches the games and dictates how each player should play.

In possession, fairly wide attacking width, pass into space and play out of defence. If the opposition defends with a low block, tick off pass into space, as there wouldn’t be any space to pass the ball into.

Focus the play down both flanks, slightly shorter or standard passing directness and slightly higher tempo.

Mixed crosses and run at defence.

In transition, counter-press, counter and distribute the ball to the defence, through short kicks.

Out of possession, a mid block and a standard defensive line. Trigger press more often and trap outside.

Ramon Diaz’s setup is an aggressive one in possession, that tries to exploit any free space or to create it.

But, out of possession, the team still needs to think like a relegation battle one. So defensive integrity is prioritized as much as possible.

We are in my save where I currently manage Ajax Amsterdam. We missed to win the title by 4 points, but we scored 86 goals (the most in league) and conceded 20 goals (the second less in the league).

Clearly, if you are starting out a save with this tactic, the players need to get accustomed to it. But as they do, their play grows, creating chances that wouldn’t normally be created.

Ramon Diaz has managed many teams through-out his career, but this gave him an outlook on the tactical setup that maybe not many managers have.

He managed to save Vasco da Gama from relegation using this playing style and I am curious to see what he can achieve next.