Keep Your Shape vs. Crossing Lines

"Keep your shape" or utterances to that effect are common calls from coaches in youth soccer competitions. Most of the time, especially at younger ages, this implies staying in the teams formational shape; 1-4-3-3 or 1-4-4-2 as examples. In the older age groups the word shape becomes more synonymous with the word support.  Support (and balance) takes priority over formational shape as the latter becomes a bit more fluid.

Typically a formation will have three lines; backs, midfielders, forwards.  Dependent on how each line is employed there might be what we shall call "sub-lines" within each line.  For instance, in a 4-3-3 the midfield might be deployed in a triangle as 2 holding midfielders with an attacking midfielder in front of them.  The triangle shape might shift to one holding midfielder and two attacking midfielders but the players manning these positions stay with their "line."

The same is true of the back line where two center backs are often found flanked by two advanced wing backs.  In this case, the two advanced wing backs might appear to form a line with the holding midfielder(s), but their roles and responsibilities are still associated with the back line.  Similarly if two or more forwards are deployed one might be pushed forward as a target while another is slightly withdrawn.

"Stay in your position" is another call often heard at youth soccer contests.  It can mean the same thing as "keep your shape."  Often times when I watch youth soccer matches I see two teams in rigid formation moving up and down the pitch in synchronization. A picture of armies of the 1700's facing one another in rank and file across a battlefield comes to mind.

Now, I think shape or more specifically support is a critical element to team defending. The system employed behind the support strives to make an attack(er) predictable and therefore more easily defended.  This is sound soccer at any age or competition level.

If predictability of attack is a desired result of properly supported defending, then unpredictability is paramount to effective attacking.  This is where crossing lines comes into play.

In review, formations deploy 3 basic lines with possible sub-lines fielded within any or all lines.  Backs, midfielders, forwards.  When defending these lines define the teams formation.  All too often in the youth ranks they also define a teams attacking shape.  However, this makes the attack very predictable.

Crossing lines simply means a player moves from one line to or even better through another line.  The easiest way to depict this scenario is to picture a wing back moving up the field through the midfield line and into an attacking position abreast of the forward line.  The wing defender has crossed lines and therefore fundamentally changed the shape (or formation) that his team will attack in. If the responsibility for crossing lines from back to front in the formation / shape is shared amongst all backs this movement can prove to be unpredictable and extremely disruptive to the opponents maintaining their own shape or support system.

This movement is commonly defined as mobility, the fourth element to the game of soccer. In previous writings we have discussed the first three elements of the game of soccer; penetration, depth and width.  It is the mobility used to establish these elements that help define a teams attacking shape and the support within that shape.  More precisely it should be mobility between lines that defines a teams attacking shape and manipulates the defending shape of the opponent.

Crossing lines brings a fluidity to the game that rigid deployment in formation shape does not allow for.  In military terms it is akin to defending in a castle while an opponent uses speed and mobility to bypass the castle. In soccer terms, crossing lines adds another dimension to a teams ability to create numbers up situations to attack with. Think again of the wing defender. In front of him a midfielder engages a defender. The wing defender moves forward on the flank isolating that defender in a 2 v 1 situation.  Now the overlap combination passing sequence might be on or the defender might be set up to execute a wall pass / give and go sequence against. But the real value of mobility and crossing lines might be what is occurring on the backside of the opponents formation where your other wing defender might have freedom to run the flank all the way into the final third. Now, the opponents defense is stressed and under pressure of attack from both on-ball and off-the-ball threats on different fronts.

Crossing lines brings with it an element of danger when the ball is lost.  You will find teams that are adept at crossing lines when attacking filling their defensive shape from back to front regardless of originally assigned positions.  This is where pressing defenses come into play.  Upon losing the ball the nearest three defenders press to either win the ball back or slow the counter attack allowing teammates to reestablish shape behind the ball. Six seconds.  That is how long those pressing have to win the ball back. That is also how long teammates have to regain defensive shape behind the ball. 

In conclusion, one of the games within the game of soccer is the battle of Keeping your shape vs Crossing lines and the transitional phases of going from one to the other. 

Denying Negative Space

I learned about negative space and early retreats at a coaching clinic in Florida conducted by our USMNT staff a few years back.  I want to share some of the things gleaned from those sessions.

What is negative space?

Negative space is the area located behind the backs and in front of the goalkeeper.

This is the area that teams attacking a zonal defense want to play in. 

The preferred method for attacking negative space is through balls or dump and runs. When done successfully, breakaways occur with defenders in a foot race with opposing forwards to see who can get to the ball first.

Naturally zonal defenses have a strategy to defend against balls being played through or in behind their backs. This strategy is known as Early Retreat.  There is a very simple cue to be read for when to begin an early retreat:  When an opposing ball carrier is not being pressured, the backs must begin an immediate retreat.

By giving ground the backs are shrinking the amount of open space behind them and in front of the goalkeeper.

They are also providimg themselves time to solidify their spacing and support angles amongst themselves.

Executing an early retreat also provides midfield and forward teammates time to gain proper position behind the ball and bring pressure to the ball carrier.

So, how far back should the backs retreat before making a stand?

The backs Hold! once pressure on the ball has been re-established in front of them.

OR

The backs retreat until they reach a position approximately 25 yards from their own goal. At this point the 4 backs and goalkeeper should normally be able to defend until help arrives in the form of midfielders and / or forward teammates.

Key Consideration for backs playing near the center line:  Normal spacing when defending in the defensive third is approximately 10 yards between backs. They can fairly easily cover the width of the penalty area (44 yards) and a bit more.  However, when the ball is in the middle or attacking thirds of the field the spacing of the backs is often much greater. Typical horizontal spacing between backs near the center line can be as great as 20 yards.  It is much more difficult to support one another at that spacing than it is at 10 yard intervals.  The spacing is greater near the center line or in the attacking third because the backs are in support of the attack more so than in support of one another.

Another Key Consideration for backs playing near the center line is when one or more of them push forward into the attack.  The vertical spacing between backs can go from relatively flat to the normal 7 - 10 yard support drops all the way to one or more backs being pushed 25-30 yards forward in support of the attack.  Early retreats allow the backs to consolidate their shape and regain the necessary angles for properly supporting one another before fully engaging the attack.

The strategy behind early retreats is to slow the opponents attack thereby providing time for the team to regain its shape.

Teams that allow their backs to step to pressure the ball in the middle third of the field before their spacing is consolidated open themselves to being attacked via through balls. It can lead to a lot of unnecessary running towards your own goal and having your team strung out over 40-60 yards of play from which it is nearly impossible to support on defense or on attack. It's a recipe for disaster.

An amazing thing often occurs when a team executes early retreat properly. Players are taught that when they have open space in front of them they should take it via the dribble.  Is it faster to advance the ball via the dribble or by passing the ball forward?  Yep, inviting the opposing ball carrier to dribble at a retreating back line is all part of the strategy of slowing the attack while actively denying negative space thereby allowing teammates time to recover and pressure the ball.

Backs in a zonal defense also need to realize it is not a ball tackling defense.  It is a defense based on support and designed to intercept passes to start counter attacks from.  Therefore it is helpful to know another set of cues that provide a guideline for when to attempt to tackle the ball away from a ball carrier.

1) Establish containment of the attack.  Slow forward progress by giving ground while staying in front of the attacker.

2) Make the attacker predictable. Force the attacker to move laterally in one direction towards support provided by a teammate.

3) The time to attempt a tackle is when the ball is outside of the attackers footprints or has been mis-touched too far away from him to maintain control.  When the ball is between the attackers feet, the defender can be defeated to either side - the attacker has the advantage. WAIT, be patient until you have the advantage.

What about backs stepping to win 50 / 50 balls?

I will answer that question with one of my own:  Do you have teammates in support of your attempt to win a 50 / 50 ball?  If not, you must be 100% confident that you will win the 50 / 50 ball. Otherwise, organize as a back line unit and  prepare to play the second ball by getting into the anticipation area. In this case the anticipaton area can serve dual purpose by also being the start of an early retreat giving the backs options for play.

Okay, that is a brief overview of negative space and the strategy behind early retreats. Watch the USWNT and USMNT as they both practice early retreats. Especially the women's side.  It is a terrifically sound strategy once it is understood and executed properly. Hope this has been helpful to you.

Where to play someone

During a recent question and answer period concluding a coaching clinic I had mentioned the need for center midfielders to be 360 degree players.  This sparked further questions concerning where to play someone based on how they approach the game.

This is actually something I have studied quite a bit over the years. I don't have it down to an exact science, but I do feel there are certain indicators that can help point the way dependent somewhat on the training circumstances available to the player and his team.

A 360 degree player is one who is comfortable playing in any direction on the pitch. This ability obviously comes in handy for central midfielders.  However, in the ever increasing single forward / target forward systems of today this type of player is highly prized as a target forward as well.

My answer to questions about filling positions was to designate players by their strengths in play to a position that requires those strengths be accentuated to fulfill the expectations for the position

We had just spent a half hour or so discussing the need for players to play the way they face being a requirement for possession play. A specific question posed was "where to play the player who wants to turn and go to goal?" Well, obviously this player would not fare well as a central midfielder or as a target forward.  All too often he would be self-inflicting pressure by turning into defenders.  This is the type of player who will need to play facing the goal.  So, my response to the question was in the form of another question, where should a player who wants to face goal play?

The obvious answers are 1) as a defender and 2) possibly on the flank as a wing player. 

A rather animated discussion followed as one of the coaches spoke of a player who likes to turn and go to goal being his best goal scoring option.  It was as if the only place he could be played was as a forward or as an attacking mid. I replied with yet another question, why can't a defender score goals?

I went on to explain how on our spring teams defenders were regular contributors to the attack both as assisters and goal scorers.  You need an aggressive defender who is offensive minded to man the outside back positions in many of todays zonal systems.  The coach, after some reflection, commented that I had just described his "forward" who struggled to play the way he faced.

If you do not have the time to work with such a player to teach him how to and the benefits of playing back to goal and playing the way he faces, why not save everyone a lot of stress and allow the player to play as his instincts tell him to - facing the goal and with your approval to "get forward into the attack?"

The next question to surface was, "who do I play at forward, then?"  Again I countered with a question, what do you want in a target player?

Typically we want a target player to be big and strong. Capable of receiving under pressure, shielding the ball and playing the way he faces.  It's great to have speed, but not absolutely necessary.  Remember, a primary purpose of playing to a target player who then drops the ball back is to allow teammates to join the attack.  Do we really want a target player who always turns and attempts to go 1 v 3 or 1 v 4 against the opponents defense?  Of course not! 

The target player who can receive, shield and drop the ball back allows for teammates to join him in the attack creating more favorable conditions and increasing the chances for success in the attack. All we are talking about is two passes before turning and attacking goal at pace.  1) Play to the feet of the target player who 2) plays back to the feet of a midfielder.  The precious few seconds that sequence takes allows teammates, who are running at goal, to come forward enough to be active participants in the attack instead of being trailers in the attack.

We were shooed from the building at about this time. I would have liked to continued the discussion. Perhaps another day? For now, the proverbial light bulb seemed to go off in the coaches mind during the course of this discussion. I could see the wheels churning as he pondered changing the positional assignments of some players on his team.  I'm anxious to get back out to see the team to see what he has implemented.

When they break your press.

This is a companion article to Tactical Cues for Pressing

Zonal defenses by design are meant to get as many people behind the ball as possible. That is, a zonal defense wants to keep the ball in front of it and force opponents to attempt their attack through multiple layers of defenders.  It is very much a style of defense that seeks to intercept passes and win 50 / 50 balls to then counter from to goal. Pressing from a zonal defense can be an effective strategy when executed as a coordinated team effort. 

There are, however, some associated risks with pressing and those must be accounted and planned for as part of a teams overall strategy. I think it will help to think of pressing as the defense being numbers up around the ball and / or the ball carrier.  Logic then dictates that if both sides are playing with equal numbers the defense will then be numbers down elsewhere on the field.