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.