Team Attacking Principles

The goal of any team when attacking is to offset the opposing team enough to create space for scoring opportunities. A team can accomplish this by:

Width

An easy way to get a defense stretched out is to move the ball from side to side. A good rule of thumb when attacking is that once the ball has been won the attacking players should look to spread out as much as possible. This makes the amount of space the defense has to cover much greater and with good movement of the ball the team should be able to stretch the defense out enough to create passing lanes.

Length

Another way to get the defense stretched out is to move the ball from end to end. Usually this requires playing a long ball in behind the defense. This is one of the hardest balls to defend because the defender has to face away from their midfield support and try to recover the ball while under pressure from the strikers. The best area to play these type of balls are into the space outside the 18 yard box in behind the defenders.

Speed of play

A teams' speed of play or tempo is dictated by how quickly the ball and players off the ball are moving. Changing the tempo of the game makes it difficult for the defense to adjust. To increase the tempo players must be moving off the ball to create plenty of options as well as the use of quick one-touch passing. This makes it difficult for the defense to pressure because the ball is constantly moving.

Switching the field

This involves moving the ball in one direction and then when the defense gets to that side switching the ball in another direction. Its a fact that the ball moves faster then any player. So when a defense get overloaded to one side a quick switch to the other side using a long ball or quick one touch passes allows the attacking team to exploit spaces where there are less defenders.

Dribbling

Dribbling can be the most effective way to unbalance a defense. A player who can beat one or more defenders will draw more defenders away from other players and create space for others. The player can use any types of moves, feints, or just speed to get by the defenders. Once past one player the dribbler should look for open teammates in advanced positions.

Combination play

Probably the best way to unbalance a team team is to use combinations. This requires a total team effort and understanding of player movement. Some easy combinations to use are:

1. Wall Pass (aka Give and Go)

Player 1 passes the ball to player 2 and then runs into a space behind the defender for a return pass.


2. Overlap

Player 1 passes the ball to player 2 and then runs around player 2 into the space. Player 2 can either pass to player 1 if the defender stays in place or continue to dribble if the defender runs to mark player 2.