This season, the Bulgarian First Division is currently in a tight race for the top spot through the first 17 matchdays. With only a three-point gap separating the 1st placed side from the 4th placed side, it looks to be an entertaining second half of the season in Bulgaria. One of these teams currently in this fight is Lokomotiv Plovdiv, with the 4th placed side playing some very entertaining football under 45-year-old Bulgarian Aleksandar Tomash.
The Bulgarian side have arguably been one of the more entertaining teams to watch in the league this season, with this tactical analysis and scout report taking a detailed look at the tactics of the Bulgarian manager, analysing his principles and what makes him such an interesting name to keep an eye on in the managerial world.
Priority placed on possession-based principles in attack
When it comes to the attacking side of things from Aleksandar Tomash’s side, his tactics and principles revolve around possession-based football, with Lokomotiv Plovdiv possessing the ball the third highest percentage in the Bulgarian First Division, at an average of 58.3% per match. This helps to illustrate how the Bulgarian side want to play football, with a majority of build-up play being long and methodical and involving plenty of passes to progress the ball into the opponent’s final third. In fact, Lokomotiv Plovdiv possess a passing rate (passes per minute of possession) of 13.7, the third highest in Bulgaria.
With that all being said, most of the ball possession of Lokomotiv Plovdiv occurs in the defensive and middle third of the pitch, with Tomash looking for his side to play quickly once they reach the attacking third. The data viz graphic shown below gives us a more detailed look at this, with it showing the pass map of Lokomotiv Plovdiv through the Bulgarian First Division so far.
As shown in the graphic above, most of Lokomotiv Plovdiv’s passing sequences occur in the defensive and middle thirds of the pitch. Once Tomash’s side cross midfield with possession, they look to play more directly, tending to look for the wingers out in the wide channels or over the top of opposition defences, looking for the runs of the forward and attacking midfielders making runs from deeper.
This is not to say that Lokomotiv Plovdiv are a direct attacking team under Aleksandar Tomash. In fact, it would be safer to say that the Bulgarian side have displayed a bit of both at times, with Tomash showing the ability to be flexible depending on the opponent and how aggressive they are in terms of pressing or looking to neutralise more sophisticated styles of build-up play. Looking at some statistics among the Bulgarian First Division this season, Lokomotiv Plovdiv have played the third most passes in the division, behind only Levski Sofia and Ludogorets.
At the same time, they have also played the 5th most long passes. This shows that while looking to prioritise being a possession-oriented side, Tomash also does not mind playing direct at times, an ode to this flexible style of play. Let’s now look at some examples of how Aleksandar Tomash likes his Lokomotiv Plovdiv in the attacking and build-up phases of play.
The image above shows a standard shape for Lokomotiv Plovdiv this season during the build-up phases of play. Under Tomash, the Bulgarian side have normally opted for a 4-3-3 formation, at least during attacking phases of play. This phase of play above against Lokomotiv Sofia shows a variation of shape during phases where opposition sides are sitting off Lokomotiv Plovdiv. As we can see, the back four stays pretty tight, with the two full-backs, Angel Lyaskov and Oliver Kamdem, becoming inverted and staying tight with the two centre-backs.
The defensive midfielder, in this case, Brazilian Ewandro Costa, drops deep when the centre-backs are in possession, with the Brazilian’s role to support in build-up and also help to create triangles in the midfield. Further forward are the other two midfielders in the three, Hristo Ivanov and Ivaylo Ivanov, who have set themselves up to be able to make off-the-ball runs either out wide, through the middle, or dropping deeper to be a progressive passing option. The front three for Lokomotiv Plovdiv stay pretty wide, with the wingers in Tomash’s system generally tasked with keeping the width.
Something that was briefly mentioned was how Aleksandar Tomash looks to use triangle passing sequences to quickly move the ball when Lokomotiv Plovdiv reach the attacking third. His use of triangle passing allows the wide players in his system to thrive, with these quick interchanges allowing the wingers to find themselves in favourable positions against the opposition full-backs, leading to crosses from wide and chances being created.
The image above shows an example of how Lokomotiv Plovdiv are able to utilise these quick passing sequences to break opposition lines and create chances in the wide channels. In this phase of play above, the ball is in possession of the centre-back, Martin Paskalev, with the Bulgarian able to drive into the opposition’s half. Now, this is where the use of triangle passing sequences allows Lokomotiv Plovdiv to quickly progress the ball into the final third.
Paskalev plays a pass to the right winger, Babacar Dione, who plays a first-time pass centrally to Hristo Ivanov, who drifts into the half-space to receive the ball in the pocket as well as create this triangular shape with the other two players. Ivanov’s movement, along with the ball being played wide to Dione, sucks the full-back in, forcing him to be caught out of position. He gets too tight to the winger, allowing Dione to pass centrally and run behind the full-back, with Ivanov playing a first-time pass into the space wide for Dione to run onto. The winger can then send a dangerous cross into the box that Lokomotiv Sofia must clear behind, giving up a corner.
This example shows the type of trouble these quick passing sequences are able to cause for opposition defences, with three quick passes allowing Lokomotiv Plovdiv to go from just inside the opposition’s half all the way to sending a dangerous cross into the opposition’s penalty area.
The image above shows another similar example of Aleksandar Tomash’s principle of utilising triangle passing to quickly progress the ball in the wide channels, where Lokomotiv Plovdiv have created the majority of their attacking chances. In this phase of play from their recent derby match against Botev Plovdiv, we can easily see the triangles being made by the positioning and movement of the Lokomotiv Plovdiv players on this near side.
In the span of three passes, the Bulgarian side were able to progress the ball from just outside their penalty box all the way to the edge of Botev Plovdiv’s penalty area. The ball is played short from the goalkeeper to the centre-back, with the ball then being played to Kamdem on this near touchline. He takes a touch to settle and then plays the ball down the line to Giovanny, with the Brazilian then able to play a first-time pass inside to Ivanov. Notice how the three closely positioned players make a triangle, this allowing this quick passing sequence to start.
The Bulgarian midfielder then plays a first-time pass behind the Botev Plovdiv defence and into the path of the forward, Dimitar Illiev, who is able to sneak behind the full-back, who gets caught ball-watching and gets disconnected with the rest of the backline. This allows Illiev to receive the ball unchallenged, with the centre-back unwilling to vacate his central position to engage the 35-year-old forward. Again, the positions of the three most advanced players create another triangle, showing Tomash has success in implementing this into his Lokomotiv Plovdiv side.
As this section has been able to illustrate, Tomash wants his side to prioritise looking to lure opposition defenders out of position using off-the-ball movements and the creation of passing triangles to create the majority of goalscoring chances. It is not uncommon to see his centre-backs stand on the ball in possession, almost like Roberto de Zerbi at Brighton, looking to draw opposition sides out before playing quick one-touch passes and quickly progressing the ball into the attacking half.
Looking to press opposition defenders with a high line of confrontation
Regarding the defensive side of things for Lokomotiv Plovdiv, Aleksandar Tomash has implemented an aggressive defensive philosophy and a side that looks to press relatively high and often.
First, from a pressing perspective, Lokomotiv Plovdiv are one of the more front-footed sides in Bulgarian football when it comes to their pressing. Their 8.15 PPDA is 4th highest in the First Division, highlighting that they will not look to sit off and allow opposition defenders time with the ball at their feet.
The data viz graphic above shows the high regains from Lokomotiv Plovdiv during this current Bulgarian First Division season. As mentioned, while they are not the most aggressive pressing side, they still do it often and have success, highlighted by their 142 high regains and 238 counterpressing recoveries. Much of this is due to the high line of confrontation in which Aleksandar Tomash sets his side up. It is common for all three attacking to start just on the edge of the opposition’s penalty area when the goalkeeper has possession.
The image above shows an example of the high starting positions of the attacking players. In this phase of play from a recent league fixture against CSKA 1948 Sofia, the Lokomotiv Plovdiv attackers have all started on the edge of the opposition penalty area, looking to force CSKA 1948 to play long. In this specific example, they were unsuccessful, with the opposition able to break through their press and progress the ball all the way to Lokomotiv Plovdiv’s defensive third.
This is a high-risk, high-reward philosophy from Aleksandar Tomash, especially with the massive gap between the Lokomotiv Plovdiv forward and midfield lines in this specific example.
The image above shows another example of this high line of confrontation in which Aleksandar Tomash looks to set his Lokomotiv Plovdiv side up when the opposition are trying to build up play from the goalkeeper. In this phase of play against Lokomotiv Sofia, Lokomotiv Plovdiv have four attackers set up in their starting positions just outside of the opposition’s penalty area.
They also outnumber the Lokomotiv Sofia outfield players 4 to 3, with the opposition full-back set up in a more advanced area on the near touchline. Again, Tomash wants opposition sides to play long into the midfield, where these attackers can drop and position themselves in good areas to win the second balls. Due to the high starting line of the attackers and the numerical superiority for Lokomotiv Plovdiv in this area, it forces the goalkeeper to play long, with Tomash’s side able to eventually regain possession and begin an attack from the opponent’s half.
As this section has identified, Aleksandar Tomash wants his Lokomotiv Plovdiv side to start in higher positions with the intention to force play long. However, they also are looking to force turnovers and press the opposition centre-backs if opponents are brave enough to try and play out from the back against them. While it can sometimes leave them exposed defensively due to the gaps that may arise between the lines, it has so far yielded great results for the Bulgarian side domestically, as they sit fourth in the table.
An aggressive defensive style sometimes leads to problems
Finally, from a full-on defensive perspective, Aleksandar Tomash has turned Lokomotiv Plovdiv into one of the more aggressive and physical sides in the Bulgarian First Division this season. This is shown both on the pitch and in the statistics, with Lokomotiv Plovdiv being one of the most aggressive sides from a statistical standpoint.
Their 6.5 challenge intensity (duels, tackles, and interceptions per minute of possession) is the third highest in Bulgaria, while their 225 fouls committed are the third most in the division. They are also not afraid to get stuck in and look to aggressively win the ball, with their 48 yellow cards second most in the division and their four red cards second most.
This is where the issues begin to arise potentially. Sometimes, Tomash’s side becomes too aggressive, as the number of cards highlights. However, Lokomotiv Plovdiv have not become a nasty side under Aleksandar Tomash; instead, they have been aggressive and physical, with his players not afraid to go into 50/50 challenges and always looking to regain possession when it is lost.
The data viz graphic above shows the defensive territory of Lokomotiv Plovdiv this season in Bulgaria, showing the average height of their defensive line and all of their defensive actions around the pitch. As we can see from the graphic, Tomash’s side looks to hold a high defensive line, with this being one of the main culprits of the number of fouls and cards they have picked up this season.
A lot of fouls have been as a result of trying to prevent opposition counter attacks, with the Lokomotiv Plovdiv defensive line sometimes being caught too high in moments when possession is turned over. Many of these fouls also come from pressing and counterpressing moments, though in general, Lokomotiv Plovdiv are a side that looks to get stuck in and have a tremendous work rate from a defensive standpoint.
The image above shows an example of the defensive work rate and aggressiveness that Aleksandar Tomash has been able to implement at Lokomotiv Plovdiv. In this phase of play above from their recent derby match, Botev Plovdiv are in possession, with the midfielder driving into space in midfield to create a better angle for a pass into the wide channel into the path of the winger.
However, with Lokomotiv Plovdiv having just turned possession over, the three closest players all converge on the opposition midfielder, looking to engage him and win possession back in the middle third. Though they are unsuccessful and the pass gets off, the pressure from the converging players forces an errant pass, with the Lokomotiv Plovdiv defender able to intercept the pass and regain possession for the Bulgarian side, eliminating a potential goalscoring chance being created. This shows the aggressiveness and work rate that the Lokomotiv Plovdiv players demonstrate, displaying their gritty mentality.
The image above shows another example of the work rate that Lokomotiv Plovdiv displays from a defensive standpoint. With the opposition in position, the ball is played backwards to the goalkeeper, with this being the cue for Tomash’s side to step up and put pressure on the ball and players in the vicinity, which is precisely what the Bulgarian side do. As the ball is played backwards, this activates the defensive shape and high line for Lokomotiv Plovdiv, with all the players stepping up to a free player or into space to win a potential first or second ball.
The pass back to the goalkeeper is put under immediate pressure, which forces him to play long and into the waiting arms of the Lokomotiv Plovdiv defenders. With their aggressive nature and mentality to get stuck in, they are able to win possession back in the middle third of the pitch, allowing them to embark on another attacking sequence, again showing the intense nature of this Lokomotiv Plovdiv defence.
Conclusion
As this tactical analysis and scout report has shown, Lokomotiv Plovdiv have become one of the most entertaining teams to watch in Bulgarian since the appointment of Aleksandar Tomash. The 45-year-old Bulgarian has had some great success with the Bulgarian side so far, and it would be unsurprising if a club at the level of the UEFA Europa League or Europa Conference League potentially became interested in his services in the near future, potentially even the Champions League.
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