Remember when the 3-5-2 was just Max Allegri’s default setting, or Antonio Conte’s bread and butter? This season, it felt like every other team was lining up in some variation of it, but with a major twist: it wasn't about sitting deep anymore. It was about *aggression*. Bologna, under Thiago Motta (yes, still there, and still brilliant), were the best example. They used the 3-5-2 to devastating effect, finishing fourth, their highest finish in over 60 years.
Their mid-season 2-1 win over Milan at San Siro in November was a tactical clinic. Bologna’s central midfield trio of Remo Freuler, Lewis Ferguson, and new signing Samuele Ricci absolutely suffocated Milan's double pivot, often pressing in unison to win the ball high. Ricci, in particular, was a revelation, completing 89% of his passes and adding five tackles. The wing-backs, Andrea Cambiaso and Dan Ndoye, weren’t just shuttling up and down; they were genuine wide forwards in attack, creating overloads, then dropping back to form a solid five-man defense when Milan tried to break. It wasn’t just about numbers at the back; it was about dynamic shape-shifting. Udinese, who surprised everyone by flirting with a European spot for most of the season, also leaned heavily into a front-foot 3-5-2. Their 3-0 thrashing of Fiorentina in December, where Isaac Success bagged a brace, saw them win possession in the final third eight times, directly leading to two of their goals. That's not a defensive setup; that's a hunting party.
We’ve talked about *gegenpressing* for years, but in 2025-26, the Serie A teams refined it into something surgical. It wasn't just about winning the ball back immediately; it was about *where* you won it and what you did with it in the next three seconds. Inter Milan, under Inzaghi, were masters of this, even after winning the Scudetto the year before. Their 4-3-3 formation was a fluid beast, often morphing into a 4-2-3-1, with Hakan Çalhanoğlu dictating the tempo from deep.
The Derby della Madonnina in October, a tense 2-2 draw, perfectly showcased this. Inter’s counter-press around the hour mark, right after Milan had equalized, was incredible. Lautaro Martínez, Nicolo Barella, and Federico Dimarco swarmed Milan's Tijjani Reijnders deep in his own half, winning the ball, and within two passes, Marcus Thuram was through on goal, forcing a save from Mike Maignan. That sequence, from winning possession to a shot on target, took just 4.7 seconds. Real talk: that's faster than most teams can even set up their defense. Napoli, despite a rollercoaster season, also had flashes of this. Their 1-0 victory over Lazio in January, secured by a late Victor Osimhen header, was built on exhausting Lazio through relentless pressure. According to Opta, Napoli made 19 turnovers in the attacking half that game, five more than their season average. It's a high-risk, high-reward strategy, but when it clicks, it's devastating. My hot take? The teams that master this high-intensity, immediate transition football are the ones who will consistently challenge for the Scudetto. Just having good players isn't enough anymore.
Here’s the thing: everyone talks about open-play tactics, but set pieces? They’re often overlooked until a major goal is scored. This season, though, we saw some genuinely ingenious routines that swung tight games. Juventus, under new management after Allegri finally moved on, became a set-piece juggernaut. They scored 17 goals from set pieces, excluding penalties, the highest in the league. This accounted for nearly 30% of their total goals, a massive number.
Their 1-0 win against Roma in March was decided by a corner kick that looked like it was straight out of a playbook by a chess grandmaster. Adrien Rabiot, instead of making his usual run, screened two Roma defenders, creating space at the back post for Bremer, who then flicked it on for Danilo to tap in. It was a perfectly choreographed move. Atalanta, too, continued their tradition of set-piece excellence. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side, who finished fifth, often used intricate blocking schemes and delayed runs. Their 2-1 victory over Bologna in February saw them score both goals from wide free-kicks, both involving decoy runs from Sead Kolašinac and then a quick pass to a free man on the edge of the box. Look, it’s not just about whipping a ball into the box and hoping for the best. These teams are putting serious thought and training time into these situations, and it's paying off big time. It's the marginal gains that decide these tight Serie A battles, and set-pieces are no longer marginal.
The 2025-26 season was a clinic in tactical adaptability and strategic nuance. The 3-5-2 evolved from a defensive shell to an attacking weapon, counter-pressing became sharper and more targeted, and set-pieces, once an afterthought, became a legitimate source of goals for the league’s top sides. I predict next season we’ll see even more teams trying to emulate Juventus’s set-piece prowess, leading to a new wave of dead-ball specialists becoming unlikely heroes.
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