South American teams never settle for one way to attack, and the primary tool they use is the careful alignment of three players on the diagonal from out to in: the man with the ball, a middle option, and a third option.

This is the most recognizable repeated pattern that can form anywhere on the pitch. It is a simple bridge to break a line that can be assembled anywhere at any time.

The perfect balance comes when those three players, including the man with the ball, align. If you add more than three on the same diagonal, it can become crowded.

Once the pass is played, the fourth and fifth men join to combine, and that is when the skill shows because each player needs to have a complete understanding of where the next pass may be.

I rarely see the Europeans organizing themselves in this way, which can lead to more wing play and less time within the penalty box. More time on the perimeter. The South American teams are finding a way to break through in unpredictable but natural ways using this method of organization.

They can pop up anywhere; it just has to align from out to in. From the wing to the center, from the back to the half-space, anywhere. Pass to the center, and then work the ball through. Out to in and then through, quickly.

The ball can either be dummied through to the third player or taken in by the second player. The key is the deception because you never know what combinations will be created after that first pass.

Every attack is unique, and you are always anxiously waiting to see what new combinations the players will come up with on the fly. I say “on the fly,” but these are practiced and coached patterns, but not in the sense that they are planned. It’s an unpredictable way of building up, which forces the attacking team to never stop moving, looking, and thinking. It is much more entertaining to watch.