How creating chances from wide areas can increase control— FAJ #3
Something I’ve been thinking about over the last couple of days is the attacking transitions that emerge from creating chances in the final third.
I’ve been looking more in-depth as to how to defend counter-attacks, including tactical fouling, rest defence and counter-pressing.
A theory I’ve had is that looking to create chances from wide areas, instead of centrally around the box, leads to better opportunities for second balls, counter-pressing and overall control of the game.
In this journal, I will take a look at the pros and cons of creating chances through central areas, and why doing so patiently from wide positions can result in increased dominance for a team.
There are two elements to counterpressing — you can look to control the match, through winning the ball back and continuing to dictate the tempo of the match, or you can look to create chances through winning the ball in advanced, threatening areas.
In terms of creating chances, playing through the centre is better than going wide, plainly because you find yourself in more threatening positions.
Looking to create through quick combinations around the box can result in chaos, as the opposition desperately defends, which can lead to opportunities to pick up second balls and find free shots from dangerous, central positions.
Simply shooting at goal from just outside the box against a packed defence can incite havoc, with the defending team unable to control where their attempted block will go, leading to chances for the opposition.
In theory, creating chaos in the box is clever, because if the bounce goes your way, you have a goalscoring opportunity, while if going to the opposition, from inside their box they will more than likely just have to clear.
But there are reasons why creating chances from central positions can be difficult and dangerous.
Firstly, it’s hard to do.
Defenders will always cover the centre first, so looking to attack the very space your opposition will defend most desperately and intensely — with more numbers — can be a difficult task.
In addition, when looking to attack the centre, you’ll be facing an opposition’s centre-backs and defensive midfielders, who will, in general, be stronger defensively than a wide combination of fullbacks and wingers.
But more importantly, the natural chaos created by forcing the ball into the box and counterpressing can lead to a general lack of control.
While usually beneficial for your side considering the stronger attacking position, it can lead to opportunities for counter-attacks for the opposition, where they can break the flow of the game.
And, due to the congested nature of around the box, a lower percentage of passes and dribbles will be successful, and these tackles and interceptions can break down attacks and lead to chances for the opposition to either directly create or begin to control the match with the ball.
This brings me to my general theory, which is that counterpressing is harder to do in central areas than in wide positions.
If your team loses the ball on the edge of the box, intense, efficient counter-pressing can be highly effective.
However, when winning the ball centrally, the opponent can make a pass forwards or sideways to the left or right, or progress through the centre or in behind.
Losing the ball in a wide area already gives the attacking team a counterpressing advantage, as one side is completely eliminated with the sideline as a defender.
A pass sideways can also be difficult and risky, considering the ball will then be moving closer to goal, leaving only forwards as an option, with a pass backwards more than likely resulting in an instant clearance forward anyway.
This is not me saying counter-pressing centrally is ineffective, but that losing the ball in wide areas after setting up with patient possession can lead to increased control, through forcing the ball to where a team wants it — something that is harder to do when central.
In this way, the side has already set a pressing trap following their loss of possession, allowing them to swarm, force the ball forwards and then regain the ball to attack again.
Importantly, this naturally limits attacking transitions, and also creates opportunities through counterpressing to either directly create or continue to control the game.
In addition, when a player makes a run in behind, a loss of the ball will mean they’re now out of play, not able to effectively counterpress.
From central areas, this can be significant as the rest defence cannot support due to having the whole space of the field to watch for, and with one player out of action having made a run in behind, minimal players are left to counterpress.
However, from wide positions, the rest defence can tilt, as it doesn’t have to cover the opposite side of the field, and central players can come across to help, which will naturally push the ball carrier wide.
This is more effective than a wide player coming to press a central player, as the ball carrier, once more, has far more options.
Conclusion
Overall, this is not me saying that creating from wide positions is vastly better than central areas.
My theory is that, with patient, probing possession in wide areas, a team can break down an opponent while being able to control defensive transitions, and therefore a match.
I am going to look to develop this idea by watching how both Manchester City and Arsenal look to counterpress and control games, but in the meantime, I welcome all discussions and debate surrounding this or any other topic!