One Washing Machine, Two Rhombuses, Three Centre Backs

I remember one incident: we bought a washing machine and mom used to let my immediate elder brother and me operate it. When my brother started his job and I started going to university, she had to learn to operate it. I tried to make her understand but I could not. My brother did it in one sitting. Mom's reaction was "You explain things in a complex way."

This was not just mom. My friends were on with it too, "You do understand we cannot comprehend a single word you are teaching us?" they used to say during group study.

I developed a lot from those times. I could hold a teaching job for two years with dignity- so I guess this says a bit. But in my mind, in my subconscious, I was always- a lover of complicating and complex things.

I love seeing complex equations in papers, books and slides. I remember, in my final year, I used to attend one of our teachers' class with an enhanced level of concentration, unlike other classes- because the slides he taught had shitloads of complex equations.

I just loved watching them.

Even when I taught, I used to write equations filling the whole board to explain it because I think those were beautiful and everyone has a right to taste this beauty.

I love anything that I cannot grasp fully. I love anything which is so complex that I cannot make myself understand how anyone can think about it.

Even in my PhD (which I am performing closer to zero), I chose to do theoretical things because I think it would give me the chance to encounter more complex things I have always liked. All my life, I have asked questions- "How?", "Why?". Why do I need to put a wooden stick to stop boiling milk to flowing over? How can my friends understand a political situation and analyse the outcomes?

My love towards the intricate mysteries knows no bound apparently.

And this is the same reason I loved following Atalanta B.C. this season.

They broke records of scoring goals in a single Serie A season. Any team with a great attack can do that. Man. City, god knows how many records they have broken like this.

They were unbeaten for a long time since the restart. Well, I support Liverpool. So, nothing unusual.

So, why I started following them and loving their gameplay?

Because the "complex" tactics they implied. Formation wise, it's 3-4-3: 3 Center backs, 2 wing backs, 2 central midfielders, 3 attackers. Not an unconventional formation. In fact, it is the most favourite formation Johan Cruyff used to apply.

The beauty lies in their tactics.

They form two rhombuses in the field, in each side, with a side center back, a wingback, a central midfielder and an attacker. They interchange the positions among themselves. The center back overlaps with the ball like a wingback, the wingback runs into the channel like a winger, the attacker moves into the half-space like an attacking midfielder and the central midfielder drop backs like a centre back. If it were a Chess move, I bet Gary Kasparov would make a video drooling over it.

Rhomboid total football. Just like the equations I used to love. The questions I asked. The thoughts I have. The explanations I asserted. Complex.

You need a risk-taking genius brain to think about it and applying it. You need brilliant players to implement it.

Atalanta did it nicely. Just have a look at the goal they scored today. Center back Rafael Toloi overlapped like a wingback and then burst into the central space. His movement made PSG left back Bernat so confused that instead of right attacker Pasalic, he tried to track Toloi, leading Pasalic to score.

And they have been doing it for three years. I came to know about them from an article-" Atalanta: a rebel with a cause."

Some days ago, I told a fellow Football tactics enthusiast friend of mine - "I think there are two things I find romantic - the idea of love itself, and playing with three centre backs. And I do find similarity between them- both are eye-catching, needs risk and passion, hard for me to understand and experience, people crave for them-only handful of them can truly comprehend them."

Overlapping centre backs- A beauty with a gargantuan risk- that Atalanta has been following for three years, paying dividends and costs both.

The team might get broken in next season. Zapata may move to Juventus, Gosens was tracked by Chelsea, Castagne may join Spurs. But I hope they will build from the tragic end they had to suffer today.

Just like they build a play from the back, using a ball-carrying defender, with the help of Rhomboid positioning.

A complex thing.

Just like my washing machine instruction tutorial to mom.