To paraphrase Pep Guardiola: “We pass the ball to move the opponent”. With this in mind, we can assess the various ways we can move the opponent. To move the opponent is to eventually create some space to pass through them, to create scoring chances in the end.
Many teams now set up in a compact low block or mid-block, reducing the spaces horizontally to play through a line. This means we must be clear in our idea on how we can:
- Organise our structure to facilitate purposeful possession
- Provoke the opponent to release space
- Move our players to receive in space
- Develop the technical quality to execute effectively the decisions we make
In this article I will look at a few ways of moving the opponent to create penetration opportunities. Circulation, Switching Play and Backpasses to create space to attack through the lines. Without a basic structure to evade pressure, we cannot advance our attacks.
At the player level, we need to separate them into sections to help us develop the skills needed at individual up to team level.
Individual players need to be able to receive with an open body shape to allow them to pass at a variety of angles and distances within 2 touches when possible.
Small Groups need to be able to interact and read each other’s body language. How small groups of players combine with intricate short passing phases comes from communication – insight – decision – execution. Lots of players have the same level of technical skill but some work better as a group than others. This can come down to intuition (player knowledge), coaching (team system and style) or come down to just simply being players who play together for long periods and know how each other think and act within the context of the game.
Units need to know where to position themselves in accordance with the 4 reference points
When in possession, some players will be involved directly or indirectly. Players who are involved directly must take care of the ball and find ways to pass to a team-mate in an advantageous position, preferably where they can advance the attack quickly to create shots.
The Unit may be the back 4 – how the full backs position themselves may be depending on the system the coach uses or to assist with helping team-mates.
It may be depending on a game plan or to combat or expose a specific opponent.
It may also be simply to implement the coach’s idea irrespective of what their team-mates can or can’t do, irrespective of what the opponent can do, just simply to get a player in a position to maintain the shape the coach wants to see.
This isn’t advisable to not consider the other reference points but it happens at all levels of the game. This is not to say it can’t or won’t be successful. If you have better players than the opponent does, then the qualitative superiority aspect can be a bigger factor than structure of either team. Ignoring the opponent shape and system means to not factor that there is another team trying to prevent you implementing your ideas to beat you.
It goes without saying that more motivated, committed, organised and fitter players with more talent will win more than they lose against less talented or less organised players.
The 4 reference points in football
At team level, this is an indication of the overall style of play or, game plan for that match. A team playing 4-3-3 as a basic shape may morph into a 4-2-2-2 if the opponent defends man-man in midfield and try to nullify the 3 central midfielders. This may be a CF dropping in to become a false 9.
It may look like 2-5-3 in possession because the coach wants the wingers playing more like strikers and the full backs high like wide midfielders, like Liverpool do. There is no correct way to organise the players – the starting point is the base and how we move the ball, opponents our team and access the space will determine how successful you can be.
Irrespective of shape or system, one thing is clear – we need to generate good shooting opportunities. To do that by working backwards as per Jed Davies work on football theory – Goal – Shot – Assist – Pre-Assist – Forward Pass, the part before a goal in most cases will start with a forward pass at some stage.
You cannot score a goal without taking risks and you cannot take risks without passing forwards. Before passing forwards, we need space to play into. To make more space to attack into, we can find ways to move the opponent to create gaps in the defensive block.
Firstly, I would like to look at this from a match preparation outlook. It is very important to consider the day of the week, the training load, the timings and the objective of the session.
This is an activity I would do on a Tuesday / Matchday -4 as we build to a game on a Saturday.
Warm Up Activities
We may start off with a warm-up related to the activities we will be preparing for defensively. Here we want to start the process of the 4 midfielders working together.
The Midfield 4 shift and slide, returning passes from the player ahead of them. We can work on our defensive shape depending on which player moves forward to press the ball.
This is a passing activity designed to get the players to think about their positioning both horizontally and vertically while playing 1 touch and via the 3rd man.
Circulation to pass forwards
1 player presses on the side of the ball while the midfield 4 shift and slide, blocking the 3 goals on the opposite side. The. team in possession look to move the block to score from their own half.
Variation: 2 players from the possession can be in the opposition half ie CM and FB
Progression: 3 players can step up to press in the opposition half.
Idea 1: Circulation v a 4-1-4-1
Making space from sideways passing / Defensive Shape / Setting the press
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How can we create a training session to work on moving the block sideways to create forward passing lanes?
How can we make sure this session also works on defensive shape, attacking transition and defensive transition?
Circulation to advance
The GK and CBs need to get the ball from one side to the other GK by avoiding the midfield shape of the opponent. Whites line up in a 1-4-1 shape while the orange line up 2-1-2 + GKs. Both free players on the outside are to act as Full Backs who stay in the middle 3rd and stretch the play horizontally.
If the white team recover possession, they have 8 seconds to score in either goal. Either goal means they can win the ball and get a shot off quickly, working the GK reaction to a quick shot, the CBs reaction to close the ball down, or the DM reaction to apply pressure to the ball.
As the FBs on the outside are free, they can act as wide players to attack from the side in the final 3rd in transition.
Coaching Points
General in Possession
- Keep the ball moving as quickly as possible
- Be decisive on the forward pass
- Maintain balance and structure within the 2-1-2 shape
- Use the FBs to bounce the ball and stretch the opponent
Individual Technical – Tactical Points
- CBs must look to create a forward passing lane from CB to CM through the space between the opposition CM and WM
- The CBs must be reachable within 2 passes from the other CB or the GK. As they do this, they should keep an open body shape to receive and release quickly
- Often it can be faster receiving on the back foot (RCB receiving from GK on right foot) then releasing with the other foot (forward pass on the left foot)
- Often this can be predictable. To develop disguised passes, we can teach the player to receive on. The. Back foot, turn the body on the first touch to emphasise the wide pass before quickly closing the foot on the pass to redirect vertically through the line
- This means they take the reference point of the opponent wide and central midfielders by playing Infront and between 2 opponents when making the forward pass
- The DM must make the connection from defence to midfield – their position should evade the CF press in the diagonal position before looking to play forward
- Often the DM can make spare by simply ‘bouncing’ a pass from CB-DM-CB to attack the far side space
- The DM can disguise passes like the CB can but like Busquets, they could look like they are going to pass back to the CB but make a (difficult) reverse pass through the lines as the WM steps forward
General in transition
- Look to shoot within 2 touches after a regain
- A good chance to score is fine, it doesn’t need to be a great chance. Take the shot!
- CMs, WMs and FBs look to fill the channels in transition (if using a longer field)
- Defenders get pressure on the ball as early as possible if turnover is in the middle 3rd
- If you can see a turnover will happen, move to defend before it does (Pre-transition)
6v4 situation: Milan connecting the CBs to the midfield line via the DM linking the lines
We can connect the CBs to the CMs via the ‘X’ shape created by the DM connecting everyone. Each player should be able to receive or pass between 2 opponent players
Idea 2: Directional Possession v 4-1-4-1
Breaking the midfield line with forward passes / Preventing Penetration
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Directional Possession
The GK and CBs look to move the ball using the FBs as a back 4. The FBs and CBs should be on different lines to allow us to move the block more effectively.
The DM should be in the position between the CF and midfield line, linking the game. We want to bounce the ball out to the opposite side CB who will step into midfield and look for the ball beyond the midfield line into the opposition half.
You get 2 point for every successful transfer from one half to the other using the CMs before passing to the far side GK
You are not allowed to play direct from GK to GK unless all opposition players are in your half, this gains 1 point. You can play direct from CB to GK on the far side in the air for 1 point.
As this is a medium sized area within a 44×44 box, we could play for 4 mins with 1 mins rest. This is quite a normal load so depending on the intensity and quality, you may want to reduce the time if the intensity is low due to fatigue or increase it when needing to add loading into the players, perhaps in pre-season. Always monitor the RPE and body language.
Coaching Points
General in Possession
- Keep the ball moving as quickly as possible
- Be decisive on the forward pass
- Maintain balance and structure within the 2-1-4-1 shape
- Use the FBs to bounce the ball and stretch the opponent
- In transition, play quickly to establish shape then find a forward pass through
General Defending
- Start the press with the CF to cut off the opposite side
- Tilt diagonally to cut off circulation via the DM bounce to apply pressure
- Multiple layers behind the ball to regain possession on the forward pass
Individual Technical – Tactical Points
- Longer passes require more power – the faster it arrives, the more time the player in possession should have to assess their options and execute. Accurately
- Strike type depending on target player – Lofted? Driven? Backspin? Curved?
- 1st touch and body shape – do you need to protect the ball first?
- Next action – what are you setting up to do next?
General in transition
- Pass to the nearest open player who has a better field view to play from
- Play into the open space to move the opponent and re-establish your shape
- On a longer pass into space, speed to get into position to overload the opponent
- After a loss of possession, press and close down the outball away from pressure
- Body shape on approach to close the space to play through
- Press-Support-Cover-Contain the long ball
4v2 situation: CMs connecting DM to FB
We can connect the DM to the FBs pulling the CMs wider. This can flatten the line to make space for a CF or WF to drift into the space behind the opposition midfield line (Through)
Idea 3: 3 zone game within restricted field
Playing through the thirds / Defensive Layering
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Idea 3: 3 zone game within restricted field
Game Play // 8v8 + 2
Using the free FBs on each side, we can quickly move the ball from side to side while keeping our 3 attackers in the final 3rd.
You can organise each team into any formation you choose 2-1-2-3 + FBs is a 4-3-3, while you could set up in a 3-3-2 + FBs making a 3-5-2 system. Below, the whites would be 4-4-2 against the Orange 4-3-3.
With lower amounts of players, we could do a smaller field and within a 7v7 + 2 + GKs for 18 players.
You can even remove the FBs but that would have an effect on the ability to establish control and game organisation to move the block to play forward.
As this is a box-box length and restricted width up to full width in the example below, this would be a physically demanding activity, so the duration should be short with extended breaks, potentially doing 6 mins play / 2 mins rest with 4 repetitions.
This is an activity I would do on a Wednesday / Matchday -3 as we build to a game on a Saturday. This would look to replicate some of the game intensity we would look for.
The defending team must have at least 2 players in the central zone. They can press with a 2-2-4 shape if they want but they must balance the press with covering behind the press.
Coaching Points
General in Possession
- 6 angles in possession
- CB (Across), FB (Around), DM (Diagonal), CM (Through), CF (Over), WM (Stretch)
- Positioning infront and between or behind and between 2 opponents
- 1 player can drop from each zone to support the deeper area in possession
General Defending
- Within the 3 zones, we can press with 3 in the final 3rd, stepping up 1 or 2 players from the middle 3rd
- If one player steps up from the midfield to press in the final 3rd, one of the players form the defensive 3rd can step up into midfield
- Look to cut off the free players on the far side and force into traffic
Individual Technical – Tactical Points
- Understand the reason for each pass
- Think ahead of the game, how does each pass move the block to play forward?
- Where can we create positional superiority?
Playing through the press v 4-4-2 block
Man City keep an advanced CM in the pocket between WM-CM-FB-CB. They want to provoke the press with the horizontal pass to release the space to play behind pressure
Idea 4: Training Behaviours
After lots of passing drills and possession exersizes, you may find that it’s not the technical skill, the organisation or the way you have taught the game which is the problem – the player just doesn’t want to try these passes.
This is where we need to start looking at psychological methods of coaching.
In this activity, only the CBs are allowed to score into a specific goal. This trains the behaviour we want – CBs being aggressive with forward passes.
By creating a game simply to reward only the players who’s behaviour we want to change we can encourage them to make these passes. This can also train the. defensive pressure shape we want by teaching them what to block and where to force possession but we aren’t fussed about that right now.
By saying the GK and both CBs can score into the 2 central goals, we are creating the behaviour we want.
If they don’t want to score in the small goal, they can pass into the opposition half over, diagonally and around the block which leads to entering the final 3rd.
General Coaching Notes
- Let the game flow and give the players room to play
- Create the conditions for your objectives to come to life
- Design activities which lead players to your style of play
- Watch – Analyse – Correct – Coach
- What is the smallest piece of information which can make the biggest difference?
- Do you need to coach the individual, group, unit or team?
The above activities as always would require clarity of your own game model and how you interpret the interactions between the players across the team. The training periodization will depend on the day, the load, the accumulation of fatigue or if you are topping up the loading of the players to prevent injury. The free players in any activity will in the main do less work – this is because they don’t have to work to defend or press, or sprint in transition.
For players developing their fitness levels, being the free player is a nice way to re-introduce them back into the group while developing their physical capacity again. Depending on the amount of space needed or develop the physical load, you may choose bigger spaces for less contact but more extended periods of running with more time on the ball. Smaller spaces will reduce the amount of time at high intensity but reduce the amount of time on the ball. Depending on how you train technical skills, tactical skills, physical skills and communication on the psycho-social section within the context of the game model will all be impacted by changing am activity from a 30×20 area to a 40×30 or 60×40 area. 30×20 in a 5v5 is perfect, 60×40 for 5v5 would be physically very demanding. You must judge what is appropriate to the age, maturation, physical capabilities and the training day within the week.
For coaches of players aged 12-15, many players are within the PHV phase so understanding the physiological demands are critical to the health and wellbeing of the players more than success of the implementation of your ideas. Teach them concepts and how to problem solve more than how to win. Players need to learn the game more than learn to win. If they can understand. The effect one pass has on 10 opposition players, they can start to think ahead and make passes to move the block, they can then develop leadership skills by helping players in their own team to see and make better decisions to advance the attack.
For coaches of 15-18 year olds, demanding high standards, making sure we correct the little details and prepare them for the demands of competition are very important factors at training over this period as this is where many players technical skill, tactical knowledge and mentality to compete start to form to a higher level.
Again, understanding how to create attacking situations which are advantageous by knowing which passes to make ahead of the game will help create a successful team and help improve the game intelligence of the players in your teams.
@StevieGrieve