Breaking Down the 4-2-3-1

The 4-2-3-1 is by far Benfica's most used tactical formation, Camacho has favored this formation ever since he arrived, and despite the alternative, 4-4-2, being a formation that has brought Benfica a certain degree of success, Camacho persists on using the 4-2-3-1. I'd like to take a minute to explore the 4-2-3-1 and how Benfica uses it.




Positioning and Functionality

The 4-2-3-1 is a system that is aimed at midfield control and fast counter/transition game. There's no change when it comes to the back four, the changes start in the defensive midfield zone. Two players sit right in front of the defensive line in this system, one of them(#6) is responsible for defending, recuperating balls and creating turnovers, while the other(#8) is the attacking starting point. The "8" will also defend but his main objective is the transition game. The transition man is the player that will look up and lead the team out of their half into the attack, he is what you'd call a box-2-box player, responsible for helping out defensively as well as offensively.

The 3 midfield players ahead of the defensive midfielders, are positioned higher than your typical midfield 3, their positioning is clearly an offensive one, this positioning allows for the side backs to advance more freely and get in to the attacking third. The 2 flank players, play very close to the sideline, often being the favorite target of the transition man. The 2 flank players need to be very fast as they will often be the ones who will try to penetrate the final third with speed and quickness. Being close to the touch line adds width to the build up game, and frees up the middle of the field for the team to push up as a block.

The player in the middle(10) is the "playmaker", he is the one that organizes the attack in the oppositions' half, he too, is a target for the transition man, although he is often better covered by the opposition's zone defense than the flank players. The "10" also has the mission of supporting the lone center forward, and will look for spaces between the oppositions defensive midfield and the defense to make a play. The support to the center forward is done in the form of providing a target for the center forward to play the ball back once the team comes into the attacking third, the center forward will have numbers against him and needs to hold the ball. The playmaker's positioning in this system is absolutely crucial as he is the link between the transition man and the attacking players. Too much room between himself and the center forward, will make the center forward an easy prey for the defense. In essence, once the ball comes into the final third, the playmaker is responsible for, not only running the offense but also to offer support to the attacking players. For that he will need to be close to the attacking line in order offer another target to, a more than likely, uneven numbers situation.

The center forward has two basic roles in this formation. The first one is to offer a target for crossed balls into the box from the flanks. The second one is to hold the ball and serve the oncoming midfielders, whether they are coming forward on a counter or they are getting behind the defense.
The center forward role can also change based on the players characteristics. A faster player will benefit from his quickness in the form of making runs into space hence getting away from their direct marker.
Offering a target in different areas of the attack, will not only help the center forward get away from the 2 central defenders, but it will also free up the center of the field for another player to slide in, where the numbers might be more favorable. A quick player will often facilitate the "10's" mission as he can drop into any area of the attacking third to offer himself as a target, but the mobility will often result in the lack of an attacking presence in the penalty area. The more mobile player, will have to know how to balance his mobility with his box presence.

Benfica's 4-2-3-1

In Benfica's 4-2-3-1, Petit takes on the "6" role while Katsouranis is the "8". Rui Costa is the playmaker, while Rodriguez and Maxi are the players on the flanks. If we follow the model i described above, we can tell right away that Maxi is not the right player for the right flank, as he lacks speed and offensive spark. He does provide another defensive player to the midfield, but for this system that is not needed.
As far as personnel goes Maxi is the only player that does not have the right characteristics to play on the wing. Di Maria would be better suited for the wing position, as his characteristics are a perfect fit for this system.
The lack of speed on the right is not the only down fall of this tactical system, Rui Costa's positioning often affects Cardozo's performance, as there's often too much space in between the 2. I think presently Benfica is very dependent on Rui Costa. Rui Costa will often come back to get the ball, and he is often times the transition man. By being the transition man, he leaves Cardozo unsupported, and very easy to defend against. Why not drop Rui Costa into the transition man and put someone else in the "10" position? The answer is simple - Rui Costa does not have the stamina to be a box-2-box midfielder, he also does not defend as well as Katsouranis. So we are left with a Benfica team that is currently bastardizing the 4-2-3-1, Katsouranis has not assumed the transition man role, and Rui Costa is forced to move away from Cardozo in order to transition the team into the attack. When the team changes to a defined 4-4-2, Benfica is a lot more dangerous, Cardozo is more effective as he has a player supporting him in Nuno Gomes. The midfield seems to have more room to play, as a result of the playmaker not dropping back too much, leaving room in the middle, and the team is able to impose a favorable flow of game.

It's a tough situation, as Rui Costa is the fans' darling, but Camacho needs to either tactically set up around the current abilities of Rui Costa, or use the right personnel in the 4-2-3-1, in which Rui Costa could be very helpful, but only with a good box-2-box midfielder.
Hopefully the January window will bring some of the pieces that Benfica needs, and we will see how Camacho sets up the team.