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Posted by
Kevin Duarte,
April 21, 2013 |
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Kevin Duarte
Twitter @DuarteK27 |
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Felipe Campanholi Martins, or Felipe for short, has become a marquee player for the Montreal Impact since signing for the club on December 21, 2011.
In his first year with the team, Felipe started slowly by taking the first few matches to get accustomed to the league. But after that, the Brazilian went on to become one of the league's best center midfielders in 2012.
Initially, under former Impact coach Jesse Marsch's original 4-4-2 formation, Felipe's creativeness and freedom was restricted. He and the rest of his newly formed team had to not only adapt to the league, but also form some chemistry between the group.
Once things settled down, Marsch finally switched to a 4-2-3-1 formation, in which Felipe was used as the attacking midfielder playing ahead of the two defensive midfielders, Patrice Bernier and Collen Warner.
In this 'number 10' role, Felipe's role on the pitch was much more unrestricted. He was able to follow the ball wherever it went. On offence, Felipe was always able to find space and, together with Bernier and Warner, dictate the entire pace of the match.
Without the ball, the attacking midfielder role allowed him to be less involved defensively. He had a simple job, which was to get back and close the center, but to also be ready to explode once his side recovered possession.
In this system, Felipe flourished by dazzling opponents, coaches and spectators with his great control, in-close dribbling abilities, perfect passes and cheeky flicks. His chemistry with Marco Di Vaio was instantaneous, leading to a handful of assists on the Italian's goals.
By the end of the season, opposing teams would always be sure to mark, or even double mark, him. But, the Brazilian would always manage a way to find space and have the ball at his feet.
Altogether, Felipe finished the 2012 season with 30 appearances, all as starter, four goals and ten assists. He was fourth on the team in goals and first in assists and shots.
In 2013, Felipe is off to a slow start that is very similar to the one he had last season. No, this is not because he got worse as a footballer, but rather he has to adapt not only to a new formation, but also new manager.
With Marco Schällibaum in charge, the team has slightly altered its formation by playing a 4-1-4-1. Essentially all that has changed is one defensive midfielder from last year's 4-2-3-1 has advanced a little to join the other center midfielder, now leaving one defensive midfielder (Bernier) alone.
What this formation does, in comparison to the 4-2-3-1, is give the team another option on offence, while ensuring there's still a player playing behind as a defensive midfielder, bridging the back line to the midfield. Also, just as important, there are still three capable midfielders in the center.
In a 4-2-3-1, where the attacking midfielder had lots of space and freedom, these attributes now fall to the defensive midfielder in the 4-1-4-1. This is one of the reasons Bernier has been world class this season. On offence, Bernier is able to do what he wants, as long as the middle stays closed, and control the tempo.
So what happened to Felipe in this new 4-1-4-1? Well, now with another center midfielder playing beside him (Davy Arnaud), Felipe loses his attacking midfield role and now has to share the work with his partner in the middle.
This means Felipe is more restricted. He needs to be way more organized and has to always be in the right spot. If Arnaud decides to play higher up, Felipe must play a little more behind, or vice-versa. Offensively, there is more congestion in Felipe's part of the pitch, so it is harder for him to find space and control everything like he used to do.
However, the most notable difference is defensively. The two center midfielders (Felipe and Arnaud) playing ahead of the defensive midfielder (Bernier) are required to put in a lot of work. They become the first to pressure the ball and have to ensure they are sitting behind the ball, while keeping the middle closed and compact.
This addition of defensive responsibilities requires Felipe to adapt to his team's new style-of-play. Judging from his opening matches this season, Felipe is doing an excellent job in his new role. Many people will not recognize his play, solely based off the fact they expected him to play like he did in 2012. Naturally, under this new system, he can't.
The Brazilian acknowledges the fact that he needs to pick up the pace a little. In his new role, Felipe needs to be as good as he was with the ball last year and even better defensively.
"When you play, you need to adapt to how the team plays and how the coach wants", he said. "We are compact and you can see that when we play. So, I don't see it as something that affects only me personally, but I think it's what's best for the team."
"I know it's a bit different than last year, where I don't have the ball as much, but, like I said what's important is that the team plays well, stays compact and wins the three points."
Now six matches into the season, the Brazilian feels he's getting closer and closer to the 100 percent player he was last year.
"I feel good," said Felipe. "Now, my form is starting to come back after a long off-season, but slowly I will be 100 percent back in form."
In terms of what is preventing him from finding his 100 percent form, he says most of the work has to come from off-pitch.
"I think I need to do a little more," said the 22-year-old. "There are things I need to work on off the pitch to return to my good form, like explosiveness, agility and force. The team and I are working hard to get to that point."
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