Analyzing an individual soccer player in the context of team play. Depth.

It has occurred to me that depth is the least understood of the 3 elements of the game of soccer. When I think of depth in an attacking sense I consider the on-field positioning of forwards, midfielders and backs not only in the context of formation but also within their own lines. The position and spacing within a teams formation that defines a teams shape, if you will.

I think it perhaps best to begin with a concept of depth familiar to most - supporting players behind the ball carrier. The picture that comes to mind is that of the ball carrier have options for play both in the forward passing lanes and also in the passing lanes towards his own goal. This brings to light a very basic but often overlooked principle of play which states the man on the ball should play the way he faces.



An image that likely came to mind upon reading this is of a defender facing his own goal and dropping a pass back to a teammate in order to relieve pressure.  A back dropping the ball to the goalkeeper or an attacking player dropping the ball to a back.

Referring to the types of off-the-ball penetration I think it important to identify depth for these situations.  We might consider this positioning as near depth. The intelligent and purposeful establishment of near depth positioning must be included in the evaluation of a player.

Ways to penetrate without the ball:

1) A target player in front of the opponents back line.
2) Off-the-ball runs at or through the opponents back line.

We will consider a target player to be a forward for the purposes of this article although a midfielder could certainly be designated as a target as well.  Let us also identify the target player as the most advanced attacking player on the field and someone who is playing back to goal. With the inclusion of the basic principle of playing the way you face we now need to identify depth in support of the target player. 

In an alignment employing two forwards, near depth would be provided by the second forward and / or  the nearest midfielder to the action. In an alignment utilizing 3 forwards, near depth could be provided by a combination of the remaining 2 forwards, midfielders and even the ball side back moving forward into the attack.

Another basic principle of play defines ball movement as being predicated by off-the-ball player movement.  For our purposes these off-the-ball runs are being looked at as penetrating runs or runs into space and hopefully onto the ball.  In this case, near depth is provided by those positioned to hold the attention of the defender the teammate making the run is attempting to isolate. It is application of yet another fundamental attacking principle of play - create numerical advantage to isolate and defeat defenders.

It might be helpful to consider a common mistake teams fall prey to when attacking - a group of front runners in a relatively straight line advancing forward at the same pace of the ball carrier.  Where's the depth?  Where is the isolation of one defender to be picked on?

Now consider a ball carrier with 2 forwards making penetrating runs in front of him.  Between the ball carrier and the runs being made is positioned a teammate, a target playing back to goal in front of the defenders.  Now the defender(s) have a choice to make and the ball carrier has options for play. The target is actually providing depth to those making penetrating runs, but he is also positioned to isolate a defender by combining with the ball carrier on a wall pass or perhaps and overlap.

The evaluation of a player in the context of team play must include his understanding of depth from both an alignment perspective and that of combination play within the teams shape. The player who understands purposeful movement for  teammates is a precious commodity, but one whose value can often be overlooked.