Going Vertical

The past decade saw a rise of possession-based soccer, led largely by Barcelona at the club level, and many of the same players for Spain at international level. The presence of world-class talents such as Xavi, Iniesta, and of course Lionel Messi certainly helped, but for several years, opposing teams seemed unsure how best to handle what was called tiki-taka soccer: short passes, small triangles, lots of movement off the ball.

Playing out of the back

As always, though, teams adjusted, and in recent years, both Barcelona and Spain have been brought back to earth with a thump. Bayern routed Barca 7-0 over two legs in the 2013 Champions League, and Spain were disastrous at the World Cup. A lot of people claimed this marked the death of possession soccer, but it ignored the fact that the new powerhouses - Bayern, Real Madrid, and Germany - all kept the ball, too. But they added a new element: verticality.

Playing vertical simply means getting the ball forward quickly, rather than passing side-to-side excessively. It does not merely mean playing long ball; indeed, vertical soccer doesn't really work when the ball is played long from the back (because defenders are generally too far from strikers to accurately get a ball into their feet), or without first breaking pressure. You need to draw the opposition forward first, to open up space in behind. Vertical soccer combines the possession passing of tiki-taka with the directness of pure counter-attacking soccer. Two or three passes to draw the opposition forward and break pressure, followed by either a direct ball forward into a striker's feet, or a fast player running with the ball straight ahead. This style worked to great effect for Liverpool last season:

This style is dependent on having at least one fast player who can either run with the ball or stretch defenders. It also needs players who recognize space and know how to exploit it. But mostly it needs the commitment to get the ball forward, and fast, at the first opportunity. The opportunity will not present itself every time you get the ball. Often, the opposition will be in good defensive shape, and you'll need to be patient and look to keep possession. But if there is space to get a ball into the feet of a player further up the pitch, or space to carry it at speed, take it.

The key to successful vertical soccer is recognizing when the opposition are not in good defensive shape and attacking with speed. Teams are most often in poor defensive shape at the moment they lose the ball, when all ten outfield players had been committed to attack. It generally takes only a few seconds for a well-coached team to regain defensive shape, so when we win the ball, we should always look to attack directly if possible. Is the other team in good defensive shape? If so, stay patient, pass, and move. Are they out of position? Attack with speed - either carry the ball yourself, or play the furthest pass forward you can play.

Always having this mindset means the opposition can never relax, even when they have the ball. Once a team has been hit with a fast attack a few times, it makes them hesitant and nervous about going forward in the first place. If you can intimidate teams even when they have the ball, you're going to be successful.

Good/Not Good

Since I have new teams, think of this as a 'User's Guide' to having me as a coach. This is not a comprehensive list, but it hits some main things you'll want to know.

Good:

Players who ask questions when they don't understand something. Don't ever think it's a stupid question, or that I will think less of you for asking it. If I ever say something that confuses you or doesn't make sense, stop me and make me explain it.

Not Good:

Players who ask questions they already know the answer to, because they want me to see how dedicated they are. I can spot this kind of thing a mile away. The best way to demonstrate your dedication is to come to training and work hard.

Good:

Players who let me know when they need a sub. I know everyone wants to play, but if you're exhausted and we have rested players on the bench, staying on the pitch hurts the team.

Not Good:

Fouling opponents who have their back to goal. If you have forced a player to turn away from goal, you've already done your job. Don't ruin it by giving away a free kick that lets their entire team come forward for a ball into our box. Remember that the laws of the game prohibit you from tackling from behind, even if you win the ball. If you give away one of these fouls, you'll probably want to try to avoid eye contact with the bench area for a few minutes.

Good:

Positive, encouraging communication. Bad things happen in almost every game. Leaders help their teammates forget mistakes (since you will make them too), move on, and keep playing.

Not Good:

Negative, dismissive, or demeaning communication. Don't. Failure is a part of competition. You have to be able to handle it.

Good:

Taking risks. Outside backs have to overlap and get forward. Midfielders have to run ahead of the strikers. Strikers have to try to beat people in a crowded penalty area. And everyone has to be willing to shoot. Teams that never take risks don't win trophies. Safe is death.

Not Good: 

Wide players being offside. This is simple: if you are in a wide position, it is very easy to look across the pitch to see the last defender. Usually, you can do this and watch the ball at the same time - so there is no excuse for a player in a wide position to be offside. Ever.

Good:

Having an open mind. Any time you get a new coach, it's natural to compare them to previous coaches. When I say or do something different, or that contradicts what a previous coach might have told you, don't dismiss it offhand. Every coach has their own methods and ideas. 

Not Good:

Arguing with or complaining about the referees. Referees are a variable beyond your control, just like the weather or the condition of the field. There WILL be bad calls this season - probably a lot of them. We will also benefit from bad call. It usually evens out. Take your cue from me: I don't yell at referees, so you don't yell at referees.

Good:

Energy. By the time training comes around, we've all had a long day. You will have been in school all day, I will have already done a high-intensity 7:30 AM session at NC State. You're not always going to feel your best, but letting yourself drag through a session is not only a waste of your time and mine, it can actually make you worse as a player. Don't let that happen, even if you have to fake it. 

That's enough for now. I'll hit you with more later, but this gives you a few ideas. I'm looking forward to getting started!

Justin

Louis Van Gaal on How to Dominate

"Dominant football, in my opinion, means that you are the team that decides the flow of the game. Meaning creating more chances than the opponent, playing offensively and doing this based on technical and tactical capacity, whereby the will to win plays an essential role. You therefore assume an offensive rather than defensive organisation. The core of this is that you decide what happens on the field; of course this is open for discussion, because when you play from a defensive organisation you can also dictate to a degree, as you determine that the opponent attacks in a small space. This, however, is not dominant play, because you do not determine the situation in an offensive manner.

"I see dominant play as playing offensively and pressing in the opponent’s half. Whenever you fall back more you will be playing with less initiative and with dominance only in phases. 

"When you opt to play with a 4-3-3 you will, in my perception, have optimal field positioning. The beautiful thing about my choice of system is that it creates a lot of lines. When you play with a 4-4-2 you have a flat four in midfield, creating only 3-4 lines.

 In our system of play we usually have about 6 lines. 

So from a mathematical point of view you are creating a lot more passing opportunities. Your positioning is not only better in attack, but also in defence.

"Within this formation you always have the positioning whereby there is one player who can execute pressure on the ball. When you are playing with more lines it will be easier to constrain your opponent. It is always about occupying regions.

"When you play fast circulation football you will be able to continuously pressure the opponent. Whenever you circulate the ball a lot, the opponent will likewise have to circulate a lot, increasing their chances of making a positional mistake. When a player is not moving or is dribbling slowly, you are making it easy for the opponent. Not moving for 2 seconds means an opponent can correct a positional mistake.

"Ball movement does not necessarily mean that you can’t dribble. You have to recognize the moment in which you can create a 2-v-1 situation. Whenever the opponent has moved in such a way that they can pick up their man and provide cover you should not initiate a dribble, because you will be outnumbered 1-v-2.

"When you move the ball the opponent has to constantly concentrate. And some weaker teams are unable to do this. They are mentally unable to adhere to the positional organisation for 90 minutes." 

The Importance of Shape

A.C. Milan was once the most powerful team in the world. They won three European Cup/Champions League titles in six seasons, culminating in a 4-0 beating of Barcelona in the 1994 Final. They were led by legends such as Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten, and were managed by Arrigo Saachi, who was simply a genius.

At Milan, Saachi got fed up with his players complaining about all the training they did on team shape, and so he convinced them of its worth with a simple drill. "I told Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit that five organized players would beat ten disorganized ones," Saachi says. "And I proved it to them. I took five players: Giovanni Galli in goal, Mauro Tassotti, Paolo Maldini, Alesandro Costacurta, and Franco Baresi." That's a back four with no holding midfielder. "They had ten players: Gullit, van Basten, Frank Rijkaard, Carlo Ancelotti, Pietro Paolo Virdis, Alberigo Evani, Angelo Colombo, Roberto Donadoni, Christian Lantignotti, and Graziano Mannari. They had 15 minutes to score against my five players. The only rule was that if we won possession or they lost the ball, they had to start all over from 10 meters inside their half, thus ruining their team shape. I did this all the time and they never scored. Not once." 

High Defensive Line: Big Reward, Bigger Risk

Holding a high defensive line is a modern, sophisticated way to play, and it comes with major benefits. Playing high allows us to compress space and keep more of our players close to the ball when defending. It means the other team have to slow or stop forward runs to avoid being offside. And it means we 'sucker' teams into playing balls into the space behind our defenders - balls which almost always go all the way to our goalkeepers. As a system, holding a high line stops a lot of attacks before they can even begin, and it works about 90% of the time.

The problem is that the other 10%  often results in a goal.

The 00 Navy girls have conceded just two goals in seven games this season. That's a great defensive record. But both goals we have allowed have cost us wins: the first to the South Carolina team during TFC Friendlies, and the second last weekend to GUSA Navy. The goals were almost identical - a ball played into space behind the defensive line, finished off by a fast striker. This is a problem that needs to be addressed now, because this team is increasingly coming up against teams who are bigger, stronger, and faster than we are. This wasn't such an issue not so long ago, but looking at recent games - GUSA, ACS Sandhills, SCUMP (SC) at the CESA Tournament - it's increasingly obvious that, a couple of players aside, we are a small team. That's okay  - you'll all grow and get bigger, but right now, we're at a physical disadvantage against a lot of opponents, and playing a high line allows them the space to exploit it.

The 97 Navy boys scored 8 goals in 3 games at The Ultimate Cup, but we won only one of them, because we conceded 7. Of the 7 goals, 3 were directly or indirectly conceded from corners (an ongoing issue we'll be working on). Most of the others were a result of the opponent exploiting the space behind our back four. It's important to understand that this is not the fault of only the defenders. When strikers or midfielders don't put pressure on the player with the ball, that player will have time to pick the kind of pass that can beat even an organized line. No matter what the system, we have to defend as a unit, starting from the front (the strikers) all the way back to the goalkeeper.

Defending with a high line takes almost perfect timing and coordination with all players, and it takes a LOT of practice. Our problem is that 1) we don't train every day, and 2) Most of our training sessions are in small spaces that don't allow us to work on full-field tactics.

The high line puts too much pressure on our goalkeepers, who so far this season have been spending more time outside their penalty box than inside it. I would like them to be able to focus on their main job, which is saving shots, rather than being forced to play as an extra defender. It also puts too much pressure on referees and linesmen, who ARE going to miss offside calls every game.

Both teams are going to change. We're still going to press high up the pitch when we have the ball. But when we lose possession, unless we win it back very quickly, the defensive line - as defined by the two central defenders - is going to drop deeper into our half - much deeper. We'll keep retreating as long as we're being attacked, finally holding for good around the top of the penalty area. We're going to force teams to play through and around us with skill and strategy, rather than by simply kicking the ball and running after it.

The picture below shows that the higher the defensive line is, the more space there is to play in behind it:

A deeper line compresses this space, and requires a player to produce a much more difficult pass.

Note that even though in the second picture the opponent is closer to our goal, the situation is less dangerous, because there is far less open space in behind our defenders.

Defending with a deeper line means more work. We wont get 'bailed out' by teams getting caught offside
multiple times, or playing long balls all the way to our keepers. But we also won't get burned by one simple ball.

We will still pick our times to press high; we're just not going to rely on it as our only defensive approach.

We'll work on this in training (as weather allows) in coming weeks - but it really is as simple as the central defenders dropping deeper when we lose the ball.

In addition to playing deeper, both teams have to commit to working harder to prevent teams from attacking us straight down the middle - a topic for another day.

East Wake Goals

The camera doesn't lie. Let's check our egos, look at some still pics (click to enlarge), and see how we can improve:

Here we see a completely unmarked player beyond the far post. Our widest players here appear to be even with or only just beyond the far post. This player most certainly should have been accounted for prior to the kick being taken, and should have been tracked once the ball was in the air.

We are not playing the ball here - we've been suckered into jumping with/challenging an opponent who has no chance of reaching this cross. Always play the ball, not the man.

Just prior to the header which makes it 1-0, you can see the spacing between the goal scorer and our two closest players. This is obviously way too much space, allowing him to not only win the ball, but direct his header at goal without fear of challenge or collision. You can also see that he's actually ducking to head this ball, not jump. If there had been anyone within two steps of him, he would not have scored.

This is the second goal:

We see three distinct clusters of players here. Four of our players to the right, two of our players to the left, and three of their players directly in front of our goal, unmarked. One of them scores. Much like the first goal, we allowed a corner to be played over us to the far post to a player who collected it. At that point, too many of us overreacted and ran towards him, even though he did not have a good shooting angle and was looking to cross. We chased the ball, rather than tracked and marked runners.

Third goal was a fluke. Won't happen again.

Fourth goal:

Blake, you're coming to help Sean here, and though he does get beat, his man is going outside him. We don't want to step and help in this situation, unless the player immediately cuts in on goal. Instead, let's drop centrally and help with the cross, while Sean recovers. This situation came about because we tried to take a player on deep in our end and lost the ball. We should be looking to pass in this area.

Fifth goal:

Another free header. Way too much space. Another player ducking to head the ball, meaning if anybody had been close, they could have easily prevented this.

We'll work on it and get better.

Crossing Runs - the Perfect Example

From Bayern v Arsenal comes the best example of crossing runs you could ever hope to see. The first goal, from Toni Kroos, is great - but pay attention to the second. Watch how Claudio Pizarro runs from left to right in the penalty box, dragging Per Mertesacker with him and opening space for Thomas Muller to slip into the vacated space and head home.

It's important to understand that Pizarro was intentionally running away from the danger area in front of goal  and was not expecting the ball to come to him. He is making a decoy run, looking to open space for a teammate. Why not just stay there himself and wait for the ball? Because he was stationary, and marked by the (very tall) Mertesacker. He wasn't dangerous, and he knew it - so he did something about it.

Support Play - How to be an Option for Your Teammates

**note - click the pictures to enlarge them, so you can really see and understand**

Keeping the ball requires having someone to pass to. Look at this picture:

The player with the ball has only one realistic option (the player ahead, on the right), or a long ball towards the middle, where three white players (Fulham) are marking two red players (Manchester United). Even the 'safe' ball to the right is going to leave that player with two Fulham defenders to deal with.

Wouldn't you rather have this next situation?

The player with the ball now has three realistic options, and just as importantly, whoever he passes the ball to will also have options. This is Bayern Munich (red) against Manchester City (blue). An important thing to note is that the support players are close, but not too close. They are also not running straight at the player with the ball, but holding in a good position to receive a pass.

Again, we see the problem Manchester United have below. This one is a real mess:

The closest support player is not in a good passing lane for the player with the ball. There are not one but two Fulham players in the way. There is nobody 'showing' for the ball at what should be the third point of the triangle, in that big area of space in the blue circle.  Instead, everyone has just rushed straight into the penalty area. Worse, the four attacking players are occupying just two positions, basically, since they are standing so close together, in two pairs, making them easy to mark. One of those players needed to drop out into a support position for the player with the ball, especially as that player is not in a good position to carry the ball to goal himself, with three defenders within ten yards of him. 

Now we see Bayern again, and how well they support the player with the ball:

Two good options, one square and one further forward, and another player who is not in good position to receive the ball right now, but will be in great support position once it is passed to either teammate. 

Again below, Manchester United players are too concerned with running into the box, instead of supporting the player with the ball. And again, they have two players occupying the same space. One of these players should be making a crossing run; the other should be showing for the ball.

Bayern:

The player with the ball has three good, short options. The one ahead of him is occupying two defenders. There is also a 4th teammate behind him to offer immediate defensive pressure in the event they lose the ball.

Bayern again:

 Again, it's not just a case of the player with the ball having options; it's that whoever he passes to will also have options. That's how you keep the ball. That's how you overwhelm the opposition. Bayern won this game 3-1. Watch this short clip from the game to see how this kind of positional dominance plays out:

(click this link if embedded video doesn't work: http://vimeo.com/76244286)

Does it look like the Manchester City players were having a lot of fun?  Those players make a million dollars a month, and they couldn't wait for that game to end. Nothing kills the opponent's belief and will to compete like chasing the ball.

If all the above seems harsh on Manchester United - who are still trying to settle into a system after changing managers for the first time since the 80s - watch what they can do when they get players in good support positions around the ball:

Keep in mind that the way Bayern (and Barcelona and Arsenal and - note to '00 girls - CASL Elite) play is just one way to play. You can also sit deeper, invite the opposition into your half, and then counter-attack at speed, like Chelsea or Real Madrid, or press all players high into the opponent's half and play a very high-pressure, high intensity pressing game, like Liverpool. But you need exceptionally great athletes for both of those systems. You don't need to be super-athletic or technically gifted to play like Bayern; you just have to be smart. Smart enough to constantly evaluate the ever-changing situations in a game, moment to moment, when your teammates have the ball, and understand where you can go and what you can do to help them keep it. It takes a player with soccer smarts, discipline, and creativity.

Wouldn't you like to be described that way?

Defensive Principles

If you defend well, you have a chance to win every game.

Some teams sacrifice attack, play with two holding midfielders, and don't allow the fullbacks to get forward or the midfielders to overlap. They play long balls out of the back at every opportunity. They 'park the bus,' to use the common phrase. Not many people enjoy playing this way, even when it works.

The shame is that a team needn't do any of those things to defend well. We are not going to, no matter who we play. We're going to follow these six basic principles at all times.

1) Press and cover. The player closest to the ball presses, closing space, and tackles if (and only if) the opportunity presents (bad touch, etc). The next-nearest player covers by tucking into a space anywhere from 6 to 10 yards behind him.

If you press and cover every time, all over the pitch, you'll be ahead of 75% of the teams you ever play, in your entire life. I am absolutely astounded by how infrequently teams and players are taught this.

2) Individual defending. Stay in good 1v1 body shape, side on, with your feet constantly moving and adjusting. Do not dive or lunge into tackles. Show the attacker the direction you want him/her to go (away from goal, into already crowded space, etc).

3) Track runners. Don't chase the ball, and don't chase the runner. Track the runner. Chasing is not tracking. If you're chasing, that means you didn't track when it mattered, and are now desperately trying to make up for it. Good teams won't let you.

4) Spacing. The concept of keeping good defensive shape really comes down to the space between you and your teammates. Basically - further apart when we have the ball, closer together when we don't, especially in central areas.

5) When in doubt, retreat centrally. Do not point at just any player and say "I got my man." Find the most dangerous unmarked player and mark them.

The next one is the most important:

6) Win the ball back as soon as we lose it.

Do not foul; remain in control of yourself. But be absolutely possessed by the need to win the ball back immediately. Let's look at two facts:

1) Our team cannot score a goal if we don't have the ball.
2) You cannot have any real fun if we don't have the ball.

We only win the ball back if we understand the first five principles. We also have to be fit - it takes bursts of high and sometimes sustained energy to win the ball. That's why we have subs. If you allow a team to pass the ball because "they're not in a dangerous area" or "it's just possession for the sake of possession," you are allowing them to dictate the game and play it on their terms. Teams who dictate the game usually win. Not always, but usually. You may someday play a team so good that you just can't get the ball off them, but it can't be for a lack of trying.

There are other defensive principles - stay goal side, fullbacks don't be last, etc - that you should already know and will hear from me regularly. Let's make these six the core of how we play when we don't have the ball.  

The Goalkeeper

I have a written a blog specifically for goalkeepers for six years. It can be found here. But I'll add a few important points about the role of the goalkeeper in our 4-3-3.

Make saves. That's your number-one job. But you too have tactical responsibilities.

The most important tactical element for the goalkeeper is staying connected with the back four. To do this, the goalkeeper will have to be at the top of our outside the penalty area when the back four are at midfield. This prevents the gap between the keeper and defenders from being too big. The bigger the gap, the easier it is to exploit.

If the ball is played into this gap, the goalkeeper will have to make a quick decision about whether to run out and kick the ball away, let it come into the box and pick it up, or retreat and let the defenders deal with it. These can be difficult decisions to make, but remember that, generally speaking, the more aggressive your starting position, the less damaging it is if you happen to make the wrong decision.

This is because whatever happens - whether you leave a ball for your defenders that you should have come for yourself, or you attempt to play a ball better left to your defenders - it will be happening further away from our goal than if you had started closer to your line. The further from our goal, the more likely it is that tracking defenders can help.

Very simply, we cannot compress space and press the ball if our goalkeeper is hiding well inside the box. The gap between the back four and keeper will be so big that even poor teams can exploit it with a simple long ball. Staying 'connected' to the back four achieves two critical tactical aims: it allows our defenders (and, consequently, midfielders) to press high and compress the space for the opposition to play in, and it minimizes the danger of a ball over the top.

Another important duty for the goalkeeper is to communicate. While a lot of goalkeepers chatter endlessly, and others never say a word, effective communication means giving specific information and instruction to the players in front of you. Tell them who to mark, when to step up, and warn them about things they might not notice (overlapping runs, short corners, etc). Be positive and encouraging at all times. You will want and need the encouragement of your teammates; make sure you provide it for them.

Take care of these basics. If you do this every now and then, it's a bonus:

Strikers

Because they are furthest forward in attack, striker has traditionally been considered a 'glamour' position. But in-between the chances at goal, a striker has to do an awful lot of moving, supporting, chasing, and, yes, defending.

Let's start with that. Strikers not only must defend, they must defend with purpose. A single striker in among two or three defenders playing the ball back and forth is probably not going to win the ball; but they can dictate which way the opposition plays, making life easier for everyone behind them. This is easy to do: simply shut down one of the options a defender has, and make it obvious to everyone you are doing it. Look at the situation below:

Player 1 in red, the right winger, can pressure the ball. But by running straight at the player, he gives him the option of playing right or left. This leaves the center striker, Player 2, guessing. But if Player 1 takes an angle, as indicated by the arrow, Yellow Player 2 can no longer play to Yellow Player 3. Red Player 2 should be able to anticipate this, and can either cut off the forward option to Player 5, or try to intercept the square ball to Player 1.

Keep in mind that this is often going to feel like work for no reward. A good, well-coached team will be able to bypass the striker, by simple virtue of having more players in that area of the pitch. But a striker who consistently shuts down options prevents the opposition from dictating play. Hard work in this area of the pitch will also inevitably lead to turnovers and chances at goal.

Strikers also must be willing to work very hard off the ball when we have possession. By virtue of being pressed high against the opposition's back line, and the opposition generally concentrating more players in this area, strikers are often outnumbered and are easily marked, especially if they are just standing and waiting for the ball to come to them. It is critically important that you do not 'hide' when your teammates are fighting and challenging for the ball. If you are standing behind a defender, we can't get the ball to your feet. Unless you are already completely unmarked, you should either be moving into a position to receive the ball at your feet, or looking to stretch the field and get in behind the back four (while staying onside).

While the two wingers and center striker have some different responsibilities, they should be looking to interchange and swap positions regularly. This serves two purposes: it makes you harder to mark, and it allows for flat runs in behind the back four. These runs are generally better than runs straight at goal. It is very difficult to connect a straight run with a straight ball, without either being offside, or the ball running all the way to the goalkeeper. See the image below:

It can work, but the timing, the run, and the ball have to be perfect, and the goalkeeper has to be caught unaware. Teams who try to make this run and play this ball over and over again become very predictable and easy to defend. You can victimize bad teams like this, but good ones will be largely untroubled.

Flat, crossing runs present a different proposition. The striker can build up full speed without straying offside. You also force defenders to make decisions about whether to run with you or pass you off to another defender. These runs and balls also keep the goalkeeper from intervening. See below:

The wide strikers - wingers - will generally attack more down the touchlines. Wingers have the freedom to dribble more than any other position, as long as it is dribbling with intent. You are trying to get around the outside of fullbacks and either run straight to goal (if no other defender steps up to challenge) or cross.

Mindset is important. Wingers cannot be timid. A winger who continually turns away from the 1v1 battle with a fullback is doing the opposition a favor. If you are faced up 1v1 with a defender who has no cover behind them, look to take them on. A winger who relentlessly runs at the fullback can help push the opposition deeper and deeper, giving us more space in which to play. You will not always be successful; a good defender will actually 'win' most of these battles. You still must commit to it. This is a low-risk area in which to lose the ball. Frequently, the best the defender will be able to do is play the ball out for a throw-in or corner. The times you do beat the defender will bring us chances and goals.

Wingers should also have the opportunity to combine with overlapping fullbacks. Also, when the ball is on the opposite side of the pitch, the weak-side winger should be looking to get on the end of a possible cross, but always from a wide position. In the event the cross is slightly over-hit, you should be there to contain it. If a cross ends up going all the across the face of goal and out of play for a throw-in on the other side, it is the fault of both wingers - the one who over-hit it, and the one who failed to contain it.

Finally, wingers - don't be offside. You only have to look in one direction to see where the defenders are. This is very easy. Do. Not. Be. Offside!

Finishing - scoring goals - is still how most strikers are judged, but we will not be successful if our strikers do not contribute in all these other ways. When chances come, good finishing is a result of composure, skill, and lots of practice. Right, now, Messi and Ronaldo are the most devastating finishers in the game, with the likes of Sergio Aguero, Luis Suarez, and Robin van Persie not far behind (Fernando Torres is very, very far behind. Sorry, Sean).

Attacking Midfielders

Attacking midfielders in a 4-3-3 are tasked with significant attacking and defending responsibilities. They operate in the most crowded part of the pitch and must have the vision and composure to keep the ball moving to teammates under high pressure. In the attacking third of the pitch, they have to be creative and unpredictable in order to unlock organized defenses. They also serve as the first deeper-lying line of defense when we are being attacked.

It's important to recognize that an attacking midfielder is still a midfielder, not a striker - meaning there are important defensive responsibilities. The most important of these is not wining tackles but tracking runners. I can't emphasize this enough. It's wrong to think, "I can be reckless here; I have teammates behind me." Midfielders who dive into tackles and chase the ball leave the players behind them in numbers-down situations against good teams who pass and move. When you step to pressure an opponent with the ball and they pass it and move, you move with them - not after the ball. There are exceptions, of course, such as when the pass is very short, to a player you are very close to, or is mis-controlled. But good teams don't play this way, and chances are, you cannot outrun a soccer ball passed firmly.

All three midfielders - holding midfielder included - must be willing to play with positional fluidity, interchanging as the game demands. You may need to tuck in for an overlapping outside back, for example. A prime responsibility for attacking midfielders is supporting your teammates by showing for the ball whenever possible. Keep in mind that showing does not necessarily mean running all the way to them; it means getting into their line of vision and finding space to receive a pass. Below, you can see Player 3 has made a support run to show for the ball, getting out from behind the opponent in blue. Very basic - and very important.

 Attacking midfielders can also open space for teammates by making creative runs. If you play a ball wide to one of the wingers, then make an overlapping run around them, you've just put the opposition outside back in a difficult position. Do they track you, or step to the ball? There is an upside for us no matter what decision they make. The more often we put the opposition into these confusing situations, the more success we have as a team.

Another critical element for attacking midfielders is speed of play. This does not mean running at speed with the ball; it means making and executing decisions quickly. The middle of the pitch is crowded. If you take extra touches or linger on the ball while making a decision, you will get tackled and/or the strikers ahead of you will get marked. The ability to play one and two-touch soccer is vital. Moving and playing the ball quickly keeps the opposition unsettled. Dallying on the ball and getting tackled repeatedly disrupts any momentum and makes it difficult to sustain offensive pressure.

Attacking midfielders have to look to connect with the strikers in front of them. One of the strikers should always be showing for a pass, and one of them should be playing off the last defender and looking to stretch the pitch vertically. A final important point is that midfielders must be willing to make runs beyond the strikers. If they do not, the strikers never have an option ahead of them, and we become very easy to track and mark. If a striker shows for you and you play to their feet, and there are other support players available, look to overlap. This, again, puts opposition defenders in difficult positions. Does a defender leave the striker with the ball to track your run? If not, you'll be unmarked; and if so, the striker will have room to turn. It doesn't always work this well, of course, and overlapping always carries the risk of being out of position if we lose the ball. But the attacking third of the pitch is where we take risks. We will not score goals if we don't.

There are fantastic creative midfielders around today: Fabregas, Xavi and Iniesta at Barca, David Silva at Manchester City, Eden Hazard at Chelsea, Luka Modric at Real Madrid, and Juan Mata at Manchester United, among many others. Check out some of Iniesta's best work:

Fullbacks/Outside Backs

Outside backs are responsible for defending the wide areas of the pitch in the defensive third. They will also need to help out centrally when the ball is on the other outside back's side of the pitch. Nobody does more 1v1 defending than outside backs; proper form and technique is crucial. Outside backs must accept that teams are going to test them, and should see it as a fun challenge.

Positionally, outside backs play slightly higher up the pitch than central defenders. One of the most important guidelines for outside backs is to never be deeper than the central defenders. This is because central defenders, who are defending players running directly to goal, need to have the freedom to stop retreating towards their own goal and let an opposition player run into an offside position. An outside back sitting too deep ruins this. Since outside backs are defending players in wider positions further from goal, they shouldn't need this last resort. If they get beat, one of the central defenders should be able to slide over and offer cover.

Remember to 'show' the attacker into areas you want them to go. Generally, this means inside when higher up the pitch (the middle third, which is very crowded) and outside when in the defensive third, away from our goal. We never want to allow a wide player to cut inside into a shooting position near our goal. This option must be taken away. Remember that even if the attacker wants to go wide, and you are showing them that way, they still have limited space in which to work, and you can use the touchline to your advantage. When isolated 1v1, it's also important to remember that you don't always need to cleanly win a tackle. Sometimes it's fine to give away a throw in by poking a ball out of play, or even a corner by blocking a cross. It's always better to give away a corner than to allow a cross into the box. Corners give us time to get into good defensive shape. You should also consider it a 'win' if the attacker turns away from goal and plays a negative ball, even if they keep possession. This slows down the attack and, again, lets everyone else get into good defensive shape. We want to avoid letting the opposition attack us at speed, so anytime we force them to slow the pace, we have increased our chances of defending successfully.

At the U13 level and above, outside backs should think of making attacking runs both with and without the ball as a part of their role. An outside back who overlaps the midfielder ahead of them causes confusion among the opposition. Defenders expect to defend strikers. Midfielders expect to defend midfielders. Strikers don't really expect to defend, but when they do, they only expect to defend against defenders playing the ball in their own half. When an outside back overlaps or carries the ball into the opposition half, it sets off a chain reaction of confusion - usually because the opposition strikers have failed to defend (see pic below). Most strikers either aren't great at defending or don't take it very seriously, since they are doing it in a low-risk area, far from their goal. Outside backs can take advantage of this. Running past the half-hearted defensive efforts of a striker forces opposition midfielders, who are already occupied with your midfielders, to deal with you, presenting our team with a numerical advantage. Well-coached teams will adjust, but you can still take advantage of momentary confusion to connect with midfielders and strikers.

Outside backs new to this sometimes freeze up when they find themselves with the ball at their feet, 35 yards from goal, and a mass of players in front of them. Remember that in this situation, the opposition is more concerned than you are. Their goal is under threat. Try to keep moving forward or play the ball forward. There is not much point in taking the risk to overlap or carry the ball well into the other team's half, only to stop and play a safe 7-yard pass to a teammate right next to you. When you overlap or dribble, do it to attack. You are going to lose the ball sometimes; you will have teammates behind you who will try to slow down the subsequent counter-attack so you can recover. This is a risk that is worth taking.

Finally, remember that when the ball is on the other side of the field, you have to prioritize the danger to our goal. Look at the graphic below. There is no reason for the left back (in yellow) to still be marking a player so far from both the ball and our goal, when there are bodies much closer to goal who need to be marked.

 Pinch inside. If the other team plays a miraculous 60-yard ball all the away across the pitch to the wide player on your side, you'll have time (when the ball is in the air) to shift back out there and defend. But that's a ball you won't see until you are in college - and it really isn't that dangerous anyway, because the player it's going to isn't directly threatening our goal.

Watch a few minutes of Bayern Munich right back Philipp Lahm:

Holding Midfielder

The holding midfielder is, along with the goalkeeper, one of the two most important positions on the pitch. It is also frequently misunderstood. A holding midfielder can and should join the attack, while attacking midfielders absolutely will help defend. The key difference is that the holding midfielder must be disciplined enough not to chase the ball in the middle third of the pitch, but instead adopt a 'screening' position in front of and between the two central defenders. This takes patience. The holding midfielder will do a great deal of work side-to-side, shifting as the opposition passes the ball in front of him/her, only looking to challenge or tackle when the opportunity presents. The key defensive duty is to prevent balls being played to the feet of a central striker, and prevent players dribbling straight at the back four. The holding midfielder should think of him/herself - with some pride - as a 'destroyer,' working relentlessly to break up attacks on goal.


The picture below is a simplified representation. The holding midfielder is not marking the center striker, but preventing the ball being played directly into him/her, while being ready to step forward and pressure the player with the ball if they carry it closer.

The key to this situation is knowing when to sit deep, and when to step and pressure the ball. This is different for every situation, but in general, look to pressure when:

a) the player with the ball gets into an advanced area, close enough to consider shooting
b) the player with the ball takes a bad touch

Remain patient when:

a) you see someone else is about to close down the player with the ball
b) we are numbers-down defensively and need to slow down the counter-attack


There are unique attacking opportunities afforded to the holding midfielder. This is the player the center backs should look to play to first, so it is important to make checking runs and show for the ball. A quick, short run can give you time and space to receive the ball and turn, with plenty of options ahead of you. If we do this correctly, you'll have at least five players in advanced positions. A holding midfielder can pass simply, or, when options are limited, look to carry the ball into more threatening areas. Especially when playing against an opponent sitting deep, this can help free teammates by forcing an opponent to step out of a defensive shell and challenge, thus opening they space they vacated.

The holding midfielder can also be an effective attacker by arriving late at the top of the box when the ball is being crossed. While strikers and attacking midfielders will likely be the ones making runs into the box (and drawing most of the attention of the opposition), arriving late leads to shooting opportunities when balls are half-cleared. The 98 Navy Girls scored goals like this from the holding midfield position in both the State Cup semifinal and final this season. Watch this example from Claude Makelele, the player who defined the role in the modern game while playing for Chelsea:

Because the holding midfielder will often be 'between the lines' of the back four and the two attacking midfielders, communication with both sets of teammates is crucial. The holding midfielder will more often GIVE information to the attacking midfielders, who are in front of him/her, and RECEIVE it from the central defenders, who are behind. This is simply because the deeper a player is, the more of the game they can see. When the holding midfielder sees an opportunity to overlap the attacking midfielders and join the attack - as they should from time to time - they should communicate this (a simple shout of "switch with me!" should do it), so that one of the attacking midfielders can cover for them in the event we lose possession.

In addition to Claude Makelele, some great examples of holding midfielders in recent years are Javier Mascherano of first River Plate and then Liverpool (he now plays as a central defender for Barcelona); Fernandinho of Manchester City; Sergio Busquets of Barcelona; Javi Martinez of Bayern; and in the women's game, Shannon Box.

The attitude of a holding midfielder is critical. Playing this position can be demanding, but it is not 'punishment.' On the contrary, you should understand and embrace the fact that you are in the ideal position to dominate the flow of the game, as the professional players listed above do.

Claude Makelele is the player most closely identified with the position. Listen to him explain it in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63WojjZy7QE

Central Defenders

More so than any other position, central defenders have to think of themselves as a partnership. Communication and understanding between the two is critical. Central defenders primarily defend central areas, in front of goal - obviously the most vulnerable part of the pitch. One of the two will always be the DEEPEST player - the one closest to our goalkeeper. This should shift depending on where the ball is. The defender closer to the ball will be pressing higher and providing cover for the outside back or midfielder who is attempting to tackle; the other central defender will sit deeper. The deeper player not only provides cover in this case, but has the option to step up and allow an unmarked opposing player to run into an offside position (this is why outside backs should never be the last - deepest - player). The picture below shows the left back (player 1) pressing/challenging a player in a wide position. The left-sided central defender (player 2) is providing cover, while the right-sided central defender (player 3) is slightly deeper, while staying connected to his/her partner.

Because central defenders set the defensive line, it is important that they defend neither too deep nor too high. The line will vary from moment to moment, game to game, based on the strength or speed of opponents, pitch or weather conditions, and amount of pressure we may be facing. Resist the temptation, when under heavy pressure, to simply drop deep. This only invites more pressure. Think about compressing space in front of you, forcing the opposition play in a narrow, crowded strip across the pitch.

When the ball is in our defensive third and we are under pressure, central defenders must work to maintain 'connection' with each other. If you get pulled too far apart, you will be unable to cover for each other, and will allow too many channels to goal. When in doubt, tuck in close together and defend from inside to out.

When a central defender steps into a tackle or an aerial challenge, their partner MUST ALWAYS tuck in behind and cover them. If a central defender knows their partner is always doing this for them, they can tackle and challenge more aggressively.

Especially against an opponent sitting deep and playing defensively, central defenders can initiate attacks by carrying the ball into the opponents' half and drawing an opponent out before passing. If the situation is right, an extended dribbling run can cause chaos and help break down a team 'parking the bus'. More often, central defenders will initiate attacks by passing. The first option is to find a midfielder  - often the holding midfielder - in space, but if that option isn't available, they should look to retain possession by connecting with the other defenders. Long balls out of the back should be considered a last resort, but don't be afraid to play it long if you feel pressured.

Winning tackles is of course an important part of the job, but a central defender should be looking to read the game, anticipate passes, and cut them out before they can reach their target (see the video at the bottom of Alessandro Nesta demonstrating this).

Central defenders are team leaders, and must communicate accordingly. Especially important is communication with the holding midfielder, since the role of that player is to 'screen' the back four, and not allow balls into the feet of a central striker. Especially when that striker plays 'between the lines' (behind the holding mid, ahead of the central defenders), it is difficult for the holding midfielder to see or track him/her. They need a shout to let them know where they need to be.

Finally, it is critical that central defenders exhibit confidence and poise with the ball at their feet. No other position is likely to have as much time and space on the ball. Our central defenders will set the tone early in every game that we are comfortable on the ball, and will look to retain possession.