Match moments / We have the ball
Get past their midfield
Their midfielders are marking the passes into 8 and 10. The way through is not to come closer, it is to run, as a teammate gets the ball beyond them. Three decisions, from 8 and 9, take us from halfway to a shot.
In the match
- Decision 1Midfielder
- Decision 2Striker
- Decision 3Midfielder
You are 8, our central midfielder.
Their midfielder is blocking the pass to you. What do you do?
Play the build-up, then choose.
Best choice
You are the third man. Their midfield is watching the ball go into 9, and you arrive beyond them, running at goal, for 9's lay-off.
It can work
You might get it, but in front of their midfield and facing your own goal. The safe pass, not the one that hurts them.
Costly
9 has nobody to lay it off to, so they hold it with a defender behind them and lose it.
In the match, play carries on from the best choice.
You are 9, our striker.
You have laid it off. Their centre-back is still behind you. What now?
Play what happened next, then choose.
Best choice
Your marker watched the ball go past them. Spin now and you are level with the last defender, ready for a pass in behind.
It can work
It gives 8 a pass, but a backwards one, and their midfield gets time to recover.
Costly
With you standing still, their back line can deal with 8 alone. Your job did not end with the lay-off.
In the match, play carries on from the best choice.
You are 8 again, with the ball.
A centre-back is in front of you and 9 is level with the last defender. Pass, shoot or dribble?
Play what happened next, then choose.
Best choice
The centre-back has stepped to you, so the space behind them is empty and 9 is already running into it.
It can work
It might go in, but the keeper sees it all the way and the defender can block. 9 was in a better position.
Costly
You take on the one player who can stop you, with a teammate free. If you lose it, they counter with our midfield caught upfield.
How you know it is happening
- A midfielder is standing in the line between you and the ball.
- A teammate further forward is coming towards the ball.
- The space behind their midfield is empty.
Why it works
Defenders watch the ball. While their eyes follow the pass into the striker, a runner from behind can arrive unseen. Three players working together beat a midfield that two cannot.
The tactics behind it
Your job, by position
- CBCentre-back
- Play the firm pass into the striker's front foot.
- Then step up behind the play so the team stays close.
- CMCentral midfielder
- Be the runner: go as the first pass is played, not after.
- Check your shoulder first, so you run into space.
- Once through, look for the run in behind before you shoot.
- AMAttacking midfielder
- Find the gap between their lines and check your shoulder.
- If 8 runs, you stay to give the lay-off a second option.
- STStriker
- Drop to receive and drag a defender with you.
- Lay it off first time, soft and in front of the runner.
- Then spin and run in behind, staying level with the last defender.
- DMHolding midfielder
- Stay behind the ball as the safe pass back.
- If we lose it, you are the first to stop the counter.
How to explain it
- Name the three players: A passes, B lays off, C runs. Swap roles every few minutes.
- Coach the timing: "go on the pass", not "go when you see it".
- In games, freeze when a midfielder is marked and ask: who can you set up instead?
On the training pitch
- On your ownWall passes across the bodyThe technique underneath it, with a ball and some space.
- The practiceTriangle passingThe same decision, over and over, with a little pressure.
- The game4v4 with three floatersA small-sided game set up so the moment keeps happening.
Set the game up so it keeps happening
- A goal only counts if a pass was played first time in the move.
- Floaters can only play one touch.
- Bonus point for a pass that lands with a runner beyond the middle zone.
Three things to say
- Go on the pass.
- The lay-off is soft and in front of the runner.
- Run into space, not to the ball.
On Saturday
Tick them off on the day. Nothing is saved: print the page if you want to keep it.
After the whistle
Ask yourself
- Did you run beyond the ball at least three times?
- Did you come short when you should have run?
What to look back on
- How often did the ball go into the striker and come back to a runner?
- Which pair worked best together?