Space in Soccer

One of the aspects about my current position that I am beginning to really enjoy is teaching the game of soccer on a basic level.  When coaching high school I had come to rely on a majority of student athletes being relatively experienced in the game through years of travel and club soccer. Most of my current team's experienced has been in recreational soccer.  I am finding myself explaining and teaching on a simpler level than I am accustomed to doing at the high school level.  And I am really enjoying this as I embrace the process.

Space

One of the most used words in coaching soccer is SPACE.   It is used in a generic sense with a variety of accepted meanings dependent on context. Coaches and players alike are generally able to identify which definition to apply based on the situation being discussed. Of course, when the concept of space is first being introduced players are taught to "spread out" in order to find open space.  Spacing becomes important and how to utilize spacing becomes a focus of basic tactics. As our tactical understanding evolves we teach how to consciously create and deny space.  Throughout this process our use of the word space morphs.  This is what I want to focus on today.

Space is such a generally accepted and overused term that many soccer glossary's donot even list the word among its contents. There either exists an assumption everyone knows what space is or no one knows how to properly define what space is.

For me, it seems reasonable to look at space from an individual perspective.  Personal space might be considered as that which the body or its parts can reach without moving from its starting position. In my estimation that is a very narrow definition of personal space.  I prefer to elaborate upon it just a bit.  How much space does a player require to effectively maneuver in and play the ball? The answer to this question more realistically defines personal space for soccer players, in my opinion.

To descriptively define this space I think of it in terms of an individual's technical and tactical radius. This is a term that is, I believe, being adapted by US soccer.  Of course, each individual will have an unique technical tactical radius.  The more technically proficient and physically balanced a player is, the less space he will require to play confidently on the ball.  A colleague refers to this as spatial management which is great nonmenclature to be sure although it would probably not resonate with youth players all that well. At the heart of this matter is two relationships every high school player should have an understanding of 1) space and time  and 2) space and pace. In other words, a players awareness of space in relation to technical ability and tactical decision making.

What of other kinds of space?

Open space is easily recognizable. Neither players nor the ball are in open space. Ideally, from an attacking perspective, the ball carrier and a teammate will recognize open space with the ball carrier playing the ball into it and a teammate meeting the ball in the available space.

This leads us to idea that space, like the game itself, can be a living breathing entity that is constantly being created, destroyed and morphed to one teams advantage or the other.  When a player makes a purposeful run to open space for a teammate, the space created is live.

When an area of the field is congested or clutter we think of that space as being dead. Think bumble bee ball in you little play or some styles of channel play that see an overload of players in a single channel.  We could also visualize a pressing defense that seeks to get as many people around the ball and into passing lanes. All these are examples of what I refer to as dormant space. The space is not
dead, but is of little use at the moment.  Yet, it can and will be reawakenedthrough ball movement / player movement and game situations.

In other places on this blog we have written about negative space.  This is the space behind the backs and in front of the goalkeeper.  Attackers love to preserve this space until they can take advantage of it at pace.  Defenders seek to deny negative space to attackers by constricting it in relation to the threat level opponents present.

The overriding theme in this article is recognition that space is alive. Within the boundaries of the pitch space expands and contracts around the ball and players. Spatial awareness aids in the efficiency of ball and player movements with timing being a critical element. These things must be taught and developed in order to play at the highest possible level.

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.

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.

Tactics are about manipulation of Space

Whenever two or more soccer coaches are gathered to talk about the nuances of the game talk invariably turns to formations, tactics and space. Formations are employed to accentuate certain and specific areas of space on the pitch that a team either wishes to deny to an opponent or utilize themselves to attack through. How a team manipulates space is its system of play. Specific tactical emphasis such as a pattern of play, particular combination play or purposefully channelling an attacker a certain direction serve to manipulate play towards or away from specific areas or space on the pitch.

In it's simplest form, when defending a team will want to deny space in front of the goal and when attacking will look to create space in front of the goal to be used only at the moment of striking a shot on goal. In a broader sense, manipulation of space must in each phase of the game and in each third of the field of play.

If a team wishes to attack directly they must preserve "negative space" between the opposing backs and their goal keeper until they are ready to play in that space. Target players playing in the seams between defending backs and defending midfielders are essential in keeping the defending backs high and negative space open while looking for vertical seams to attack through.

If a team is more about possessing the ball and building an attack, they will want forwards pushing the defending backs to create more space in front of them to possess the ball in. Possession teams are very much about changing the point of attack and forcing a defense to move laterally to create seems to attack through.

In summation, the coach needs to identify individual and collective strengths and weaknesses of his players. Then the coach must selection a formation that will accentuate strengths and cover weaknesses. Finally a decision needs to be made concerning space - how to deny space, how to create space and how to utilize space to his teams best advantage. This manipulation of space is what tactics are all about.