The Premier League season has begun, and a specific tactic is gaining popularity among the big six teams. This tactic, known as La Salida Lavolpiana or LaVolpiana buildup, was observed in several matches, including Arsenal's game against Everton, Chelsea's game against another team, Manchester City's game against Villa, and Liverpool's game against Brighton. In each of these matches, a centre midfielder dropped between the two centre backs to receive the ball, creating an overload and allowing the team to build up and progress the ball.
The LaVolpiana buildup tactic was developed by Mexican coach Ricardo LaVolpe, who coached the Mexico national team and several clubs in Mexico. LaVolpe, a former goalkeeper for Argentina in the 1978 World Cup, began his coaching career in the early 1980s and continued until the late 2010s. His approach to buildup involved creating an overload against a front two by adding an extra player to the first line of buildup, allowing the team to access the spare player on the far side and create positional advantages further up the field.
LaVolpe's innovation was to add an extra player to the first line of buildup, creating an overload that allows the team to progress the ball. This tactic also frees up the fullbacks to get further forward, creating tensions higher up the pitch. The winger is then faced with a dilemma: if the centre back steps into space, does the winger come towards them, potentially creating a free player in the next line? By adding the extra player, the team can create a series of free players down the field, helping them progress the ball.
While the LaVolpiana buildup is often associated with a centre midfielder dropping between two centre backs, LaVolpe's Mexico team used a back three, and the buildup ideas still applied. The main idea is to create an overload against a front two and use it to create positional advantages further up the field. This tactic has been adopted by several Premier League teams, including Manchester United, who have used an asymmetric fullback to create a similar structure.
The LaVolpiana buildup tactic may have reached European football through Pep Guardiola, who played for Juan Manuel Lillo in Mexico and later wrote about LaVolpe's ideas in a column for El País during the 2006 World Cup. Guardiola discussed LaVolpe's demands for his players to play out from the back, advancing together simultaneously with the ball. This approach has influenced Guardiola's own tactics, and he has implemented similar ideas at Manchester City.
The adoption of the LaVolpiana buildup by Premier League teams demonstrates the influence of LaVolpe's ideas on modern football. The tactic allows teams to build up and progress the ball in a sustainable way, creating overloads and positional advantages. As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see how teams adapt and respond to this tactic, and whether it continues to be a key part of their strategy.
Key points
- The LaVolpiana buildup tactic, developed by Mexican coach Ricardo LaVolpe, involves a centre midfielder dropping between two centre backs to receive the ball, creating an overload and allowing the team to build up and progress the ball.
