Cliches in Football II. “We can´t play with high block because it is too risky”.

 

Author: Oscar Mendez.

This concept is something that when I arrived to Spain in the year 2004, when I began to watch Football-Soccer and training sessions there, it came upon my attention.

One aspect was how they pressed high on the pitch.

The other was how the played with high block, something that at the moment seemed very dangerous because of the distance between the defensive line and the goalkeeper.

Another aspect that surprised me, was how the defensive line defended zonally but in straight line or in two (depending if the central defender or lateral defender intervened).

As we know, when we defend zonally, the defensive line can adopt several positions or shapes, two, three or four lines (that is not used anymore) horizontally on the pitch.

When we began coaching, or when we played many years ago, we were told that defending in two lines was wrong because if someone broke those lines there wouldn´t be anyone behind to pressure, follow, delay or bother the ball carrier.

Something that is repeated over and over by sport journalists.

This concept had to do with how the game was played many years ago when  the game was played with “Sweeper” or “Libero” and “Stopper” where many times they marked man to man.

 

 

A change of Paradygm and time.

With the birth of Arrigo Sacchi´s Milan at the end of the 80´s , a new revolutionary concept begins to be noted in Italy and Europe.

The pressure on the player in possession of the ball, zonal marking and the reduction of space, reducing space to create a compact block and throw the opponent offside in some cases and deny the opponent  scoring chances.

New teams begin to  pressure with high block and begin to perfection this concept.

 

The union or fusion of two different schools and concepts.

At the same time with  the emergence of Johan Cruyff´s Barcelona and the model of Positional and Possession football-soccer, these two schools unite and what we know as the foundation of Modern football is born.

Positional play as Francisco Seirul-lo says, comes from the sport of Handball, where by the possession of the ball, movement and good occupation of spaces on the pitch we look to open the opponent for penetrating through those spaces created later.

The relevance of how we attack, for applying pressure later or press after losing the ball immediately.

As Guardiola says, it is very important that our team when attacking is thinking of defending and when defending is thinking also about attacking or counterattacking.

This is the reason of positional play and possession football, not an esthetic one.

Many people think mistakenly that this dilemma is esthetic, but it really is not.

Progressing-penetrating with short passes or as Cruyff used  to call it “traveling together”, is done to be able to pressure immediately in case we lose the ball.

IT IS NOT REGARDING IF IT IS NICER ESTHETICALLY OR NOT!

 

Modern football-soccer, it is characterized by its Organization-Disorganization and by the constant change in dynamic.

If our team when attacking is split in two parts with 2-3 players attacking  but the rest of the team is too far away, it is impossible for those footballers to press effectively (something that is very common to see in football outside of Europe).

If we attack by short passing, traveling together, risking as less as possible and moving the ball dynamically,  having a good balance it is much likely that we are going to able to recuperate the ball immediately after we lose it.

“We don´t run at the same intensity when we attack than when we defend”.

Alvaro Recoba.

When teams attack in an organized manner, they run slower as Recoba states. The way to the goal will be longer, the team when having the ball will begin to open itself looking for width, the rhythm of the ball circulation is fast even though how the players progress is not, not running like wild horses forward but “traveling together”, we look to not lose the ball and move the opponent to later find the free spaces to attack and take advantage.

The defensive line will defend in one or two lines.

As we mentioned before, many years ago we used to be taught that it was wrong if this happened because no one would pressure and teams would attack with few footballers.

Now we know that if we attack with a compact block, the defensive line will be placed near the center of the pitch, reducing space if it has to act. When out team has the ball, it will act as to support the ball carrier and will start defending zonally with reference to the opponent´s strikers when attacking near opponents goal.

When our team recuperates the ball, the defenders must stretch back to give space to our teammates, when we lose it, they will reduce space again moving forward maintaining the block very short and compact.

It is the opposite of what we were taught in the past.

 

The block or team will move maintaining a distance of about 25-30 meters long, maintain itself very compact.

It is very important to train repeatedly this coordination of the defensive line so they get used to this and behave as a whole or one.

Another problem is the lack of pressure by the strikers or forwards.

 It is very important that the forwards pressure immediately after losing the ball and not act passively, just looking after they lose it. Another change that is very significant compared to Europe.

Here many times, players that are more talented only play when the ball is in their feet.

It is important to make players aware of the importance of pressure or counter-press or as Jurgen Klopp mentions “ The counter-press or Gegenpressing is the best offensive midfielder we have”.

 

 

 

Another Dilemma is when players and colleagues here say “But if there is a long pass we are too exposed defensively”…

When they ask me this,  I normally answer with another question.

How are they going to be able to give long passes if your teammates or players are pressing and don´t let them give long passes? Obviously they don’t have an answer.

Outside of Europe it is much easier to play “long balls” because the teams attack with few players or when they attack, they do it splitting their team in two parts. They don´t move as a compact block or do it very disorganized.

This is why top teams like Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Liverpool etc are so hard to beat.

 The key to be able to play with a high block is to “travel together” through short passing, if our team plays constantly with long balls, reaching the final third with few players it will be impossible to press when we lose the ball. We defend how and where we attack and attack how and where we defend.

Position of Goalkeeper.

The modern keeper must not only stop the ball under the goal.

Now in modern football, he-she  must be the last player playing always on the strong side (where as the team attacks , the defensive line will move towards the middle of the pitch and he will have to move forward out of the box) and play as the last man or sweeper.

Again, if the goalkeepers have doubts (specially in the beginning), explain to them that if we are able to pressure the ball carrier he-she won´t be able to shoot from long distances.

Communication is very important, not only verbal communication but body language as well and we must emphasize their play with the feet.(examples of Neuer or Ter Stegen).

 

 

Pressure Triggers.

 By this we mean to the moments where pressure will be initiated or started.

In Spain we were taught about Standardized Pressure.

This meant that in certain situations that were trained and players were conscious about, these situations would start the press.

The most common were when the ball was on the sides of the pitch, back passes, bad controls by the opponents , back to our goal or it could be a certain zone. If we were on high block and press on middle for example. It would depend on the Model of Play of the team, the coach and strategy of the team and the match.

When we talk about press, we can be all night writing because it is very long, but I wanted to mention these aspects since I hear very often on T.V. and broadcasts, because many of these things have changed  based on information gathered from video analysis and game analytics.

If coaches and teams take many of these things in consideration, of course any team can play and defend with a high block.

I did not mention things regarding players like the speed of defenders that is very important , but rather focused  on the tactical mistakes that I hear about, based on ignorance of the  modern game.

“They forget that the whole is more than the sum of its parts, even though the parts don´t add up, but rather interact”.

Juanma Lillo.