Change the Channel

This is a repost from 2013.  When a reader recently asked about "changing channels" I thought to write an article about this and realized I already had.  Changing channels fits with the theme of other recent articles advocating unpredictability in the attack. 


As we have progressed through the spring season we have installed more and more of our system of play. The past couple of weeks we have focused on flank play utilizing wing midfielders and wing defenders. These players typically man the outside channels.

A channel extends the length of the field from end line to end line although typical channel play takes place between the 18's.  Dependent on who you ask there are either 3 or 4 channels on the pitch.  The two outside channels and either one or two channels through the middle of the pitch. I prefer to think of the pitch divided into 4 channels as this matches well with zonal back 4 so prevalent in today's game.

Anyone who has played basketball knows a key to defeating a zone defense is to overload one side of the court creating numbers up situations that forces the defense to lose the shape it prefers.  The same holds true in soccer.

Our focus has been on overloading the wide channels by playing to flank players and running two other players toward the wings - some combination of forwards and center midfielders.   I like to run both forwards toward the flanks when possession is in the midfield area as this draws additional defenders wide and opens the center and weak side of the field. Early crosses into the center channels or even better, to the opposite wide channel can open seams to attack through when they catch defenses shifting.

Why play wide first?  Because it draws defenders from the space we ultimately wish to utilize - the center channels or the area in front of the face of the goal.

Sometimes it is advantageous to attack "straight" down the outside channels utilizing an outside back to engage defenders before dumping the ball in behind the defense for the wing or a forward to run onto. These "through" balls need to be played in a manner that affords your teammate the best opportunity to win the ball. Too often we see balls played too direct and with too much pace that opposing goalkeepers easily pick up. What about playing a flighted ball with backspin just beyond the defenders?  This will keep the ball away from the goalkeeper and the backspin will also serve to settle the ball back towards the teammate running onto it. Defenders often over run this type of serve and then are caught attempting to turn back to the ball allowing the forward and the ball to run by them.

Sometimes a defense will seek to press and put numbers up in the outside channel and nearest central channel. When this occurs we need to change the channel either via a drop and switch of fields or by a long diagonal cross. These long diagonal crosses should be played just over the head of the defender being isolated.  If the cross is going to the opposite wide channel it must be a flat diagonal cross over the outside defender on the weak side. 

Think of sitting in your family room with a group of people and the person in control of the remote keeps flipping channels every few minutes.  Each time you become interested in a show, he flips to something else.  Such behavior can really get on a persons nerves can't it?  Is the picture beginning to come in clearer?  Switching channels can serve to drive an opposing defense nuts just as flipping TV channels can drive people nuts!

Corner, Corner, Post

EDIT:  I am constantly amazed how articles on this site can suddenly become popular once again months after their original publication.  Such is the case with this article.  Of a sudden it has received a number of hits so I am "re-publishing" it to the front page.

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Soccer coaches the world over like to spread the field when in possession of the ball. Wing or flank players are encouraged to "stay wide" in an effort to draw defenders away from the face of goal. This is all good and well as it addresses one of the three elements necessary to play effective soccer - Penetration, Width and Depth. This is what some refer to as the triangle or diamond shapes in soccer.

Over the years I have become accustomed to using two different coaching phrases when teaching players to maintain width; "Heels to the touch line"  and "Corner, Corner, Post.

"Heels to the touch line" applies to the middle "third" of the field give or take a few yards toward either end.

"Corner, Corner, Post" is the path a weak side wing player takes toward goal.

Options for Wing Play

Options for wing play  

A wing player or wingers responsibility when attacking is to draw defenders to himself. If in possession of the ball, the winger needs to engage the defense. If by engaging a defender with an individual move the winger can defeat that defender he will have succeeded in taking two defenders out of position as a second defender must come to defend him. This is one method a winger can use to break down a defense. 

The winger can also defeat multiple defenders by passing the ball. If we think in terms of the traditional cross from the flank we recognize the possibility of eliminating several defenders with one “pass”.  It is also possible to defeat many defenders at the same time by utilizing an early cross to switch fields (width)  or by playing a runner forward down the line or in behind the backs (penetration). The early cross can be particularly disruptive to a defense attempting to establish its shape around the ball in a pressing method.  

The opposite wing should remain very wide while his teammate attacks on the other wing. This will help spread the defense out making his teammates job easier. The opposite wings path to goal is through the corner of the 18 to the corner of the 6 to the post of the goal. A common mistake made by young or inexperienced wingers is to move central when the ball is on the opposite flank. Think of it these terms: the space we wish to utilize for a shot on goal is that directly in front of the goal. By moving into that space prematurely we bring defenders there with us thus cluttering or reducing the very space we want to use. 

The Early Cross 

As the wing player approaches a position on the field that extends from the top of the 18 yard area he should consider beating a defender to the inside. Traveling with the ball long the top of the 18 causes multiple defenders to move   towards the wing carrying the ball leaving the middle and opposite sides of the field open. 

If defenders do not engage the wing carrying the ball, the wing should take the shot towards the back post of the goal. If defenders do move to engage the wing carrying the ball the wing should look for a short cross to the back post of the goal.

The opposite wing should remain very wide while his teammate attacks along the top of the 18 yard box. This will help keep the defense spread out making his teammates jobs easier by creating space in front of goal. The opposite wings path to goal is through the corner of the 18 to the corner of the 6 to the post of the goal. 

The Traditional Cross 

When the wing possesses the ball below the top of the 18, a traditional cross is often the best option. The ball should be played across the 18 yard box through the area between the 6 yard line and the penalty mark (12 yard line).

If the wing is attempting to cross the ball to a teammate attacking the near post the ball should be driven below waist high. 

If the wing is attempting to cross the ball to a teammate attacking the back post the ball should be played, driven or lofted as circumstances dictate,  head high.  

The opposite wing should remain very wide while his teammate attacks along the opposite side of the 18 yard area. This will help keep the defense spread out making his teammates jobs easier by creating space in front of goal. The opposite wings path to goal is through the corner of the 18 to the corner of the 6 and then on to the post of the goal. 

The Deadliest Cross

A third option for the winger is to attack along the end line towards the goal drawing defenders and attention to himself and the ball. The winger can then execute a “bangoo” or cross from the end line cutting the ball back across the defense to the penalty mark.  This is the deadliest cross as it is nearly impossible for a goalkeeper to defend against. 

The opposite wing should remain very wide while his teammate attacks along the end line. This will help keep the defense spread out making his teammates jobs easier by creating space in front of goal. The opposite wings path to goal remains through the corner of the 18 to the corner of the 6 and then on to the post of the goal. However, he also needs to be alert to the possibility of flattening his run and bending it off towards the penalty mark to play the deadliest of crosses.

 

Lima Senior 8 Van Wert 1

I traveled to Van Wert tonight to check in on the Lima Senior Spartans.  Conceive Believe Achieve Soccer has conducted the Spartans team camp the past couple of summers and it has been a wonderful experience for us. A great group of hard working young men with a dedicated coaching staff of Mitch Monfort, Phil Vermillion and Matt Berney. It has been a most rewarding experience to witness the progress this program has made in the past 15 months.

Lima Senior plays one of the craziest schedules around. They battle the big boys of the TRAC conference - Findlay, Toledo St. Johns and Toledo St. Francis - and also mix in some WBL, NWC and WOSL schools.  Lack of consistency in the Spartans play has haunted them a bit during the first part of the season. They had stellar stretches of play against St. Johns and Findlay where it looked like they were ready to break through and then have had head shaking performances against other teams that left one wondering if they were ever going to get it right?

The Lima Senior Spartans got it right tonight at Van Wert against the Cougars. This was one the best team performances I have seen this fall. The Spartans were dominant from the opening whistle through the final whistle.  It was pure pleasure watching them play this evening as they really moved the ball side to side, forward and back and forward again. There was a steady stream of diagonal passes and crosses came from anywhere and everywhere. Talk about manipulating a defense?  WOW!  Just, wow!   This was beautiful soccer. The beautiful game at its best.

Senior Alex Ehora got the scoring started in the games 4th minute when he chipped the Van Wert goalkeeper from slightly right of goal at distance of about 27 yards.  The Cougars failed to get pressure on the ball and Ehora made them pay the price.

In the games 7th minute sophomore Caleb Grundisch playing as the holding midfielder pounced on  loose ball deflected off the Van Wert goalkeepers hands passing it into the back of the net from a distance of 12 yards out.

Nine minutes later junior Jayden Weltmer was left attended just right of goal at a distance of 24 yards and did what any good soccer player would do. He shot and scored the goal for his team.

The Spartan defense was instrumental in starting these attacks especially in switching the ball and making the initial passes to the feet of target players.  The outside backs also made well timed forays into the attack further pressuring and stretching Van Wert's defensive shape.

It was after the Spartans third goal in the games 19th minute that their defense made its one serious blunder as a center back was caught stepping to the ball when he should have been giving ground with his back line mates. Cougar midfielder Eric Yeung chipped the center defender playing Jacob Williamson in on goal. Lima Senior goalkeeper Eyon Berney was able to deflect the ball but not prevent it from trickling into the net for the Cougar's lone score.

Freshman Colton Fry scored next for Lima Senior when in the games 26th minute he struck a ball from 30 yards out on the left flank that found its way over the Van Wert goalkeepers outstretched arms and below the cross bar to put the Spartans up by a three goal margin once again.

The final tally of the first half came in the games 32nd minute when Caleb Grundisch played Alex Ehora in for a shot from 22 yards out just to the right of the arc. Ehora finished to the back post side netting to make it 5-1 Lima Senior at the half.

The Spartans began the second half of the match as they had finished the first half with strong possession play backed by rock solid defense. It took less than 5 minutes to put goal number six on the board for the Spartans. Senior center back Levi Quintero played a long diagonal cross forward to Nicky Shauf who defeated a defender and drove towards goal before placing a shot into the net from a distance of 9 yards.

In the games 58th minute it was Alex Ehora playing a short through ball for an assist of sophomore striker Luis Mendez's goal from 15 yards out.  Mendez is one of the really good young players in the area and it was nice to see him get rewarded with the goal. He is not going to get mentioned nearly as often as he might, but the havoc he wreaks on opposing defenses with his movement and one touch play should not go unmentioned.

Lima Senior's final goal came in the games 76th minute when senior defender Taylor Mericle got onto a loose ball in front of the Cougar net off a deflected Colton Fry corner kick.

The final was 8 - 1 in Lima Senior's favor, but I want to point out that the Spartans could have named their score tonight such was the dominating performance they gave. Head coach Mitch Monfort should be credited with playing a lot of players and mixing up his line up over much of the second half of this game. The Spartans continued to play their possession style game but the final pass and finishing touches were a tad less efficient than when the front line players were in the game in their preferred positions. A nice display of sportsmanship by the Spartans.

It should also be noted that 7 different Spartans scored goals tonight. Only Alex Ehora scored twice. There was no running up the score or padding individual player statistics here tonight. This type of balance is a product of the system of play the Spartans have embraced. Versatility in the attack and balanced scoring are trademarks of this system of play. When ran properly it is extremely difficult to defend against.

In closing I just want to reiterate one final time what a pure pleasure it was to watch this Lima Senior team play this evening. The way they went about their business this evening is why we can call soccer the beautiful game. Well done Spartans!

Crossing the Soccer Ball.

What I am about to write will seem sacrilegious to soccer purists, but if you bear with me I think you will eventually understand the point being made.  The traditional crossing of the soccer ball is the most inefficient tactic for scoring the soccer ball in the game today. 

For years I have taught my teams to deny the opponents cross. The foundation of any good defensive scheme is to take away what the offense wants to do. In soccer finishing off crosses has long been a   staple of training around the globe. So, I have for years instructed my outside defenders to turn the ball inside toward their center backs thus denying the opponents the traditional cross.  This simply makes sense and I have noticed ever increasing numbers of teams adapting this strategy.

My own teams rarely practice crossing the ball in a traditional sense - driving the ball down the flank to the 18 extended and crossing into the space directly in front of the face of the goal. We do practice taking the ball to the end line and engaging the goalkeeper then slotting it back between the penalty mark and the top of the 18 - the bangoo.

I always try to stay ahead of developments in the game. My teams played zonal long before it became popular to do so. As I just stated, my teams rarely cross the ball in a traditional sense. We are different yet highly successful. Perhaps we are successful because we are different?

The traditional cross was viewed as a fundamental strategy when playing against a diamond man-marking stopper / sweeper system. It was intelligent play to shift the diamond towards one side of the field and play back against its grain to generate scoring opportunities. With zonal defenses being the staple of todays defending schemes that strategy is not nearly as effective unless a team over shifts its entire back line to ball side. If the backs remain in their channels it renders crossing the ball far less effective.

Changes to combat zonal defending schemes are driving todays game like never before. This is something I noticed 4-5 years ago and resulted in a different approach for our offense being developed. As I said, my teams have never been ones to spend much time in training on finishing off crosses. I have always considered this to be an inefficient means of generating quality scoring chances. We have always looked for different means to advance the ball into scoring position.

The head high school coach I worked as an assistant under was the first to utilize a zonal defense in our area. Our school was way ahead of the game in that regard and it was ultra effective. He was also a possession style coach for attacking the opponents goal.  Those teams were great defensively and struggled to score. A typical score would be a 1 - 0 victory and we were the dominant team in the area.  I remember countless discussions with that coaching staff on how to generate more goals.

Possession in those days and on those teams saw a primary focus on the number of passes a team could string together. Training games were built around this and those teams became pretty impressive in building up the number of consecutive passes they could make in playing keep-away. That was also the rub - playing keep-away doesn't do much for you if the intent is to score goals.

As a head coach in both the scholastic and club ranks I have stuck with zonal defending and a possession style attack, but it would be unrecognizable to those old teams. The foundation for our attacking philosophies are rooted in my love for basketball. I remember legendary coach Bob Knight instructing at one of his camps that you had to move the ball from side to side to open seams in a moving defense through which to attack.  Attacking zonal defenses in soccer works the same way. The beauty of this is it also works extremely well against man marking systems of defending.

So while traditional crossing of the soccer ball has been increasingly looked at as an outdated low percentage means of generating quality scoring opportunities the value of intelligent crossing of the ball has actually risen.

A 2010 study of the UEFA Champions League saw that while 16% of goals scored came from traditional crosses only 1 in 92 crosses resulted in a goal being scored. An efficiency rating of .01%. Yikes! Here's another interesting statistic from that study, possession was lost 73% of the time a traditional cross was made. In fact, the study suggests the cross is so inefficient teams would score .57 of a goal more per game if they abandoned the cross entirely. 

Comparisons between qualifying matches for the 2010 World Cup and qualifying for this summers World Cup also bolster the idea traditional crossing is becoming less prevalent in the game. There were over 3 fewer crosses per match in this last round of qualifying than there had been in the previous.

Tiki-Taka or touch-touch is surely responsible for some of this as possessions became longer and by extension fewer over the course of a match. Yet, tiki-taka was exposed in this summers World Cup for being nearly as ineffective as the traditional crossing style has become. So, what's going on?

To begin with, tiki-taka is basically what those high school teams I referenced earlier played in the late 1990's and early 2000's.  Those teams won games with typical scores of 1-0 or 2-1. They possessed the ball. They made opponents chase the ball. That is tiki-taka soccer. The underlying premise being the opponent cannot score if you possess the ball. However, the priority in tiki-taka is not about possessing to attack.

Over the last half dozen years I have directed and urged my teams to find the path of least resistance to goal. We do not work on traditional crosses at all. We do still work on the bangoo cross. And we work on early crosses as if it were a religion.  I provide two simple templates or patterns for advancing the ball up the field with both relying heavily on having at least two complete changes of field. If we can change the point of attack with one huge cross, I love it. If it must be done by 2 or 3 shorter passes, I still like it. But then the ball must immediately begin it's journey back across the pitch as we enter the final third. This can be done by another cross or by a player carrying the ball across. The entire premise is to force a defense to move to one flank then catch them moving in recovery to the other flank.  Flat or square passes are near useless as they do not force a defense to change its vertical positioning on the pitch. The key is for diagonal crosses. This is heretical to traditionalists who have long viewed the flat or square cross from the 18 extended to be the option of choice in attacking the oppositions goal.

Today's crosses must be diagonal, early and repetitive to be effective in moving zonal defenses not only channel to channel but also vertically up and down the pitch. Moving zonal defenses vertically is the key to opening seams to attack through.  And you know what?  It works against man-marking systems as well!  I do not have a formal name like "tiki-taka" for what we do. I call it possessing to attack although possessing to score might be a better description.

Now that the game seems to be catching up with our defensive philosophy I am strongly considering inviting the opponents to cross the ball in a traditional sense. We have the results and the stats to prove we can win convincingly by possessing to score through intentionally manipulating a defense. From what I am seeing the game is moving in this direction on the world stage right on down to the club and now high school ranks.  This is the driving force behind the ever more popular 4-2-3-1 formation we are seeing - opening flank play for the purpose of early crosses with an emphasis on intentionally orchestrated versatility in the attacking third of the pitch.

Traditions are great but like everything else in life they must also change with the times The new traditional cross is the early and repeated cross before reaching the attacking third.  The 4-2-3-1 formation opens the space on the flanks for this to occur. Whereas early penetration followed by successful use of width was once the accepted formula for attacking, the modern game sees utilization of width to open seams through which to penetrate as the emerging norm for attacking play.