Tactical Cues for Pressing.

In recent years there has been a lot made of the value of pressing defense in soccer at the high school level. The basic idea is to decrease the space / time an opponent has to play in. The thought behind this is to increase the rate of decision making and force the opponent from his comfort zone. If successful, the opponents should make more mistakes including turning the ball over more. In a sense, it is a strategy of defending to attack. In can also serve to change the tempo of a game.

The pressing strategy does not come without risk though.  The backs in a zonal defense cannot step unless first in proper shape to support. A back stepping before shape is established is a recipe for disaster and will often result in opponents breaking through, a collapsed defense and lead to defenders running at their own goal.  So obviously effective communication is a necessity to pressure properly. Keeping with our examples of backs in a zonal stepping to pressure the ball it must be a collective decision for an individual back to step. That decision has to be made and called by support players responsible for protecting the pressure defender.

Soccer Opposites

Was Sir Isaac Newton a football enthusiast?

Newton's Third Law for Motion is that, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
This law states that in every interaction, there exists a pair of forces. These forces always come in equal and opposite action-reaction pairs.

Kind of sounds like two teams playing soccer, eh?

Counter Attack                      Defending the Counter Attack

Safe pass                                Pressing Defense

Establishing Rhythm             Disrupting Rhythm

Transitioning to Attack          6 seconds to regain shape behind ball

Building from the Back         Defending at Line of Confrontation

Building in Attacking Half    Bunkering in

Attacking Restarts                 Defending Restarts

Only in soccer, while there are draws, more often than not there is a winner and a loser.  The outcome of the match does lie in the battle of opposites. Above we have identified 7 basic opposites in the game of soccer. Perhaps you can identify others?  It seems fair to say the team who wins the majority of the battles of opposites has the best chance at winning the match, yes?

Key Considerations for Alignment and System of Play

Key Considerations for Formational Alignment and System of Play

 

1) If the other team cannot score, they cannot win.

 

·        We need to be secure defensively

·        The alignment of players within the defensive system of play must consider the attacking abilities of each player as well

·        Line of confrontation – where do we wish to win the ball?

 

·        Where do we want to funnel the opponent / where do we wish opponent’s shots to originate from?

·        What is the strength of our goalkeeper? What type of shots does he handle best? How can we best funnel the opponents attack to our goalkeepers strengths?

·        How can we best funnel the opponents attack to best create the space we want to use in transition and attack? Can we play 3 to 4 steps ahead defensively to set up our transition to the attack?

2)  If we cannot score, we cannot win.

·        Identify the players with the best attacking skills and finishing ability

·        Identify the players that form the best attacking combinations

·        What space must we open up for the best attackers / combinations of attackers to play in?

·        How do we best position the best attackers / combinations of attackers defensively to move them as quickly as possible into the space from which they can best utilize their attacking abilities?

·        We must recognize that variety of attack comes from not establishing a single pattern of play – that how we attack down the left flank might differ significantly from how we attack down the right flank and that how we attack through the middle should be a constant variable both player based and availability dictated.

3) Rate each player on the team based on individual strength and weakness.

 

·         Determine overall strength of the team and overall weakness of the team.

·         How can we best play to our strengths?

·         How can we best limit the opponent’s ability to expose our weakness?