Go to Goal!

Play the ball in behind the opponents backs and watch your teammate run onto it and go to goal!

This is direct play at its most extreme and often its worst.

Lionel Messi is considered one of if not the top player in today's game.  He's a terrific "dribbler."  That is, he runs with the ball extremely well.  This ability to run with the ball can pressure defenses to the breaking point. When Messi is on the run with the ball everyone rises to their feet in anticipation of something great about to happen.

A great ball carrier who can break down the defense is an extremely valuable commodity to have on your team, but only if he knows how to use his ability for the greater good.

At my last stop as a high school head coach I had a young lady who was a state qualifier in track and could run as fast with the ball as she did without the ball. She was stunningly gifted in this regard.  Unfortunately she never did learn to use her gift to the full benefit of her team. Kelly was content to break behind the defenders and go to goal. Taking a shot was the only thing on her mind. I have never witnessed more blown break-away opportunities than I did during her career.

Why?

The reason is found in how Messi plays. 

Messi carries the ball with the intent to engage defenders.  It's great if the only defender he must engage is the opponents goalkeeper, but more often than not it will be an opposing field player that must be engaged before a shot on goal opportunity arises.  Messi knows when to pass.  More precisely, Messi uses his run with the ball to set up the pass. He pulls players out of position to create numbers up situations with teammates and then utilizes a cross or combination passing to generate the shot on goal opportunity either for himself or a teammate.

There is a player on one of my son's teams who is good at getting played in behind the defenders.  Jonathon has had several opportunities running with the ball at goal.  Many of these occur with his path being from the corner, corner, post wedge.  In a sense, by going to goal,  Jonathon is engaging defenders and drawing them to him.  Invariably he ends these sequences with taking a shot from a nearly impossible angle... while one or more teammates are open in front of the face of the goal. I would like to see Jonathon more fully explore all options available to him. This will necessitate a change from being a ball watcher to being a game watcher. 

Kelly was never willing to make the transition from going to goal to intelligently and purposefully engaging opponents and incorporating teammates into attacking the goal. There's still time for Jonathon.  To develop game intelligence, one must become a game watcher.

And that is what makes Messi so great, his game intelligence.  When he carries the ball, Messi sees multiple options and chooses the one that best benefits his team more often than not.  There is an understanding of engaging defenders to set them up to be defeated with the help of one or more teammates.  Messi sees the broader game instead of just himself, the ball and the goal.  When Messi goes to goal he purposefully takes a mate or two long with the intent to increase the chances someone will score the ball!