Blackburn Rovers opposition analysis –
By: Itfc Analytics
Tags: Sports, Tactics In Football, Football, Tactics, Analysis

In Possession –

Build up

• Blackburn are very good in possession, controlling the majority of possession in games but still progress it forwards very well & quickly therefore not becoming too slow & predictable in build up.

From goal kicks Blackburn will play it short & look to build out from the back with the CB’s splitting either side of the box to receive from Kaminski.

This pass map shows Blackburn’s preference to play out of the back, *credit to @DymondFormation on Twitter for his excellent pass maps as usual*

Blackburn’s CB’s & holding midfielder, mostly Bradley Johnson, will create a triangle in build up to easily rotate the ball between them. Kaminski will also come out of his box to create a diamond & give another option to Blackburn in build up, however he often misplaces simple passes so it is certainly an area to be improved & should teams put pressure on him could result in problems.

Blackburn’s structure when building up between CB, GK & DM

Moving further forwards, Blackburn will have a 2–3/3–2 structure when building out from the back which all depends on positioning of the outer CM’s. Should they drop deep into the half spaces to receive the ball this pushes on the FB’s & then means both winger can invert to support Adam Armstrong upfront, this gives Blackburn more bodies in the middle meaning plenty of options to progress the ball into.

Blackburn’s 2–3 structure when their CM’s drop deep to receive:

As a result of this movement the ball gets into Blackburn’s front 3 a lot more with passes in between the line due to Blackburn’s midfield 3 drawing the opposition out. Harvey Elliot will drop infield & take up positions in between the lines whereas Sam Gallagher will sit alongside Adam Armstrong to create a front 2. This movement brings in the opposition RB therefore freeing the LB huge space to attack. This also occupies defenders therefore giving more space to Adam Armstrong who’s runs can often go unnoticed by defenders as a result.

Blackburn’s wingers moving inside to support Armstrong:

The other 2–3 structure in build up is far more basic but means Blackburn hold much more width in attack. Should the outer CM’s stay higher up the pitch the FB’s will stay wide & deep alongside Bradley Johnson. This structure suits Johnson more as he can then play switch balls into Harvey Elliot who is holding the right touchline rather than dropping into the half spaces.

It is easier to progress the ball in wide positions by dropping your FB’s who can then combine with wingers & then overload wide areas with the ball near CM coming in to support. Both of Blackburn’s FB’s are good at progressing the ball but do it in different ways, Barry Douglas is better at progressing the ball through his passing (he ranks 3rd in the Championship for progressive passes per 90) while Ryan Nyambe is better at progressing through driving runs as he is not a very able passer at times. However due to sharing the same right flank with Elliot on the RW & Holtby coming wide from his RCM spot he has two elite passers for this level meaning his creativity isn’t needed too much & instead his athletic ability of getting up & down the wing is needed more.

Harvey Elliot pass map vs Norwich:

Blackburn are very strong down the right hand side & create a lot of chances from here which mostly comes from both Elliot & Holtby’s excellent passing. Both of them are left footed which means they will naturally cut in onto their stronger foot when coming wide which means angled/reverse balls can be played in behind to Armstrong, who is always on the run, or curled crosses into the back post where Gallagher is often vacating. To the right is Harvey Elliot’s pass map from his game vs Norwich & you can see the amount of attempted passes which are played in between the opposition LCB & LB and crosses into the back post.

The other #8 in Blackburn’s midfield alongside Holtby is Joe Rothwell who is also excellent at progressing the ball in midfield. He leads the Championship for progressive runs, 4.68 per 90, which is very impressive. This gives Blackburn a nice balance on the left hand side much like the right, Douglas at LB is good at progressing through his passing & Rothwell his dribbling.