Dynamic Attacking Play- Creating and Playing Into Space

Space- in soccer, it’s sometimes THE FINAL FRONTIER . . . . Learning the power of available spaces on the field can be powerful for any player or team. It can be a difficult concept for some players to learn, mostly because they are accustomed to playing sports where the idea is to pass a ball directly to a person, not behind them or well in front of them. But in soccer, it’s often the key to a dynamic and successful attack.

The first trick in understanding space is knowing when and when not to play a ball there. Often times, our best option is to play a ball directly to a player- feet, head, etc. To make things even more difficult, players have to make these decisions in seconds. They need to be able to read attacking patterns on the field and often under pressure from a defender, especially during indoor where space is limited and pressure is tight.

Liverpool FC (The greatest club in the world! . . . I'm required to say that), are perhaps one of the best teams to demonstrate the ways in which playing to space or feet can be productive in attack, and usually through combination play that results in scoring opportunities. Take a few minutes to watch this highlight compilation from LFC's 2018 campaign to see what great attacking runs and combinations look like:

Playing the ball into space requires three very important things to take place:

1. A player, off the ball, making or initiating a run into the space
2. The player with the ball recognizing the run
3. The player with the ball getting the ball into space and how to get it there

So, how do we initiate a run into space? Often times, it's simply making a timed run off the ball. The player sees the space and makes a run toward that direction- sometimes communicating to the player with the ball through gestures or verbal cues. The other ways include making "check runs". During a check run, a player runs toward the player with the ball and then changes direction to move into the space. The strategic idea behind a check run is to bring your defender with you and then to use your change of direction run as a means of gaining an advantage.

Similarly, players can create space on the field by simply moving on the field. Similar to a check run, this is intended to drag a defender away from a space, thereby making the space available for another teammate to run onto the space and exploit it.

Types of Runs:

1. Run behind a defender- Players make runs behind a defender to take advantage of the defenders blind spot. As the defender is focused on the player with the ball, their gaze, and their attention, is away from the player they are marking.
2. Run in front of the defender- Rather than run behind, where you place the defender between you and the ball and/or risk offside, the player runs in front of the defender creating an opportunity to receive the ball in space or to their feet with the defender on their back.
3. Play the "1-2"/"give-and-go"/"wall pass"- The 1-2 works at taking advantage of the defender being off-balance and the attacking player making a dynamic run with speed.
4. The overlapping run- This run is usually performed on the flank or wing. During an overlapping run, a player makes an attacking run into space by running behind (or in front of) the player with the ball. Defensively, this creates a problem as the defender is stuck trying to figure out which player to defend. Done with speed, this run can result in opportunities to send in crosses or angled attacking runs.

The bottom line- players spend MOST of their time on the field WITHOUT THE BALL. Understanding their usefulness and the advantages they can create are extremely important for every player.