The art of positional rotation: How Amorim can harness Pavlovic as an attacking wild card

As surprising as it might sound given how impressive he was last season, there is a bit of mystery surrounding Strahinja Pavlovic.

The intrigue surrounding Pavlovic is not necessarily regarding his qualities, which were on display for the vast majority of last season. It is not about his future, with no talk of an imminent exit or even bids arriving from interested clubs.

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Instead, it centres around a key question: can the new head coach Ruben Amorim harness Pavlović’s greatest strengths without abandoning his own principles? For a reminder of what those are, check out our tactical analysis on the Portuguese.

The premise

We start from something that has already been established: Pavlović and Mario Gila are ball-playing centre-backs, but Pavlović’s ball-carrying doesn’t naturally fit Amorim’s Sporting system.

The be more specific, the Serbian often runs out from the back line with the ball (erratically on occasion) rather than passing through the lines. Yet, there’s a simple tactical tweak that could make it work.

We saw it many times under Massimiliano Allegri where Pavlovic would become almost an added forward, bombing on to try and not only get involved in attacks but even score, like against Roma in the 1-0 win at San Siro.

The issue is that Allegri facilitated and encouraged it. Amorim’s three-man defence diktat is a bit more rigid: he wants the central defenders to contribute to vertical movement of the ball, but not at the expense of leaving their position (potentially) wide open.

What do the numbers tell us?

Pavlović averages 0.53 successful dribbles per game (50% success rate), ranking in the 92nd percentile for completed dribbles per 90.

Gila averages 0.22 successful dribbles per game with an outstanding 85% success rate, ranking in the 65th percentile.

The contrast is clear: Pavlović was a high-volume ball carrier under Allegri, regularly looking to progress play by driving forward.

Gila, meanwhile, is a more selective dribbler: he carries the ball less often, but chooses his moments well, resulting in a much higher success rate.

Why encourage defenders to dribble?

In Serie A, where man-to-man marking is widely used, defenders on the ball often find every passing lane covered.

A well-timed ball carry can disrupt that structure, forcing an opponent to step out and break the marking chain, which in turn opens up new passing lanes and spaces elsewhere on the pitch.

A perfect example came against Milan, when Felipe recognised that every passing option had been shut off. Instead of forcing the pass, he carried the ball forward, broke the press and progressed possession himself.

🤔 But why encourage defenders to dribble?

🇮🇹 In Serie A, where man-to-man marking is widely used, defenders on the ball often find every passing lane covered.

🏃‍♂️ A well-timed ball carry can disrupt that structure, forcing an opponent to step out and break the marking chain,… pic.twitter.com/wrMMNfabz9

— Rohit Rajeev (@keralista) July 15, 2026

How can Amorim make it work

So how can Amorim maximise Pavlović’s – and even Gila’s – ball-carrying ability without sacrificing his principles? The answer could be simple: positional rotations.

Amorim’s rest defence is built around a 3+2 structure to protect against counter-attacks.

💡 So how can Amorim maximise Pavlović’s—and even Gila’s—ball-carrying ability without sacrificing his principles?

🔄 The answer could be simple: positional rotations.

🛡️ Amorim’s rest defence is built around a 3+2 structure to protect against counter-attacks. pic.twitter.com/b4HZVI88Ik

— Rohit Rajeev (@keralista) July 15, 2026

Further ahead, Pulisic can drift wide to pin and drag the opposition full-back with him, opening up the left half-space.

Saelemaekers can then rotate inside alongside Rabiot to form the double pivot, maintaining numerical superiority in midfield while preserving Amorim’s 3+2 rest-defence structure.

🔄 Further ahead, Pulisic can drift wide to pin and drag the opposition full-back with him, opening up the left half-space.

📍Saelemaekers can then rotate inside alongside Rabiot to form the double pivot, maintaining numerical superiority in midfield while preserving Amorim’s… pic.twitter.com/85JrRp9WiO

— Rohit Rajeev (@keralista) July 15, 2026

These simple positional rotations could create the space needed for Pavlović to carry the ball forward without compromising Milan’s defensive balance.