Creating dynamism through strategic positioning on the field

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of our newsletter! In this issue, our focus is on the following topic:

• ⚽ 4 Advantages of Efficient Space Utilization

⚽4 Advantages of Efficient Space Utilization

Simply keeping the ball without a clear plan isn't the main aim of effective positional play. Instead, a well-organized distribution of players creates opportunities to pass the ball around within the team.

The ultimate goal is to circulate the ball with precision until an opportunity presents itself to penetrate the opponent's defensive structure, whether by passing into or behind it. Positional play is designed to gain an advantage over the opponent, and this advantage should be exploited to advance towards the opponent's goal.

What benefits can an attacking team get from smartly occupying spaces on the field?

1. Structural Advantage: Our team is better organized by dividing the space effectively, giving us an edge over the opponent.

2. Dynamic Advantage: Our team displays greater dynamism, allowing us to pick up speed and put pressure on the opponent.

3. Quantitative Advantage: We outnumber the opponent near the ball.

4. Qualitative Advantage: This refers to the individual quality of the players. Our players' actions promise a high probability of success.

The advantages rarely occur individually. When a numerical advantage near the ball is created, the pace can be increased, leading to a dynamic advantage. Therefore, a team can utilize multiple advantages simultaneously.

In today's article, we aim to demonstrate how dynamism can be generated:

Dynamism means speed. Players create speed by picking up pace. This includes individual runs where players leave their positions, thus bringing dynamism into the game. However, such runs cannot be forced easily.

If players were to start running into open spaces randomly, the structure of good positional play would be compromised. Especially, securing the defense after losing possession would become problematic if attackers simply sprinted towards the goal without a plan. Therefore, it is important to make agreements and set guidelines on when players are allowed to leave their positions to move into open space.

Creating dynamism through positional changes:

One way to generate dynamism without abandoning our positional structure is through positional changes. When an attacking player leaves their position, another player takes over that position. The vacated space is then occupied by another player - and so on.

Such rotation of positions ideally allows for building momentum towards the opponent's goal. Positional changes are particularly effective when the opponent employs strong man-marking tactics. The defender will follow the attacking player when they leave their position, creating space that another attacker can then occupy.

Generating dynamism through "one-two" passing:

A simple way to create dynamism in the game is through the "one-two" passing combination. Essentially, this is a special form of a give-and-go or a triangular combination, depending on the number of players involved. In this scenario, an attacker receives the ball, often with their back to the opponent's goal, and lays it off for a teammate.

Ideally, this teammate now has the ball at their feet and their eyes set on the opponent's goal. This kind of play is great for getting into a strong attacking position: The pass to the forward, who's facing away from the goal, gains us space, and their pass onwards puts the teammate in a good spot to keep the action going. They get the ball facing the opponent's goal and can then make a move straight towards it.

Creating dynamism through overlapping and underlapping:

An easy and effective tactical method to generate dynamism is called overlapping or underlapping. In this tactic, a player starts from a deeper position, sprints past the teammate with the ball, thus creating momentum. Essentially, this is a run into open space, with the condition that the initiating player begins the sprint behind the ball.

In the case of underlapping, it follows a similar pattern, except that the player cuts inside, passing the ball-carrying teammate. This allows the player to pick up speed towards the opponent's goal.

⚽ If you enjoyed this post, feel free to share it with another football enthusiast like yourself. ⚽

👉 3 New Exercises:

• Finishing Drill (Third man)

• 2 against 2 + 2 jokers on 2 goals

• Passing Activation Schalke 04

Check out our Homepage for exclusive training videos and products.

Was this post forwarded to you? Subscribe here.

Have an idea or feedback to share? [email protected]