Match moments / We have the ball
Go over them
A high back line leaves a lot of grass behind it. The striker's position, the weight of the pass and the first touch decide whether we use it.
In the match
- Decision 1Striker
- Decision 2Centre-back
- Decision 3Striker
You are 9, our striker.
Their back line is high. Where do you stand?
Play the build-up, then choose.
Best choice
Level, half-turned, you are onside and one step from the space behind.
It can work
You can get it, but now the space behind is far away and a defender has followed you.
Costly
Any pass to you now is offside.
In the match, play carries on from the best choice.
You are 4, our left centre-back.
Their midfielder is coming at you. 9 is on the shoulder. What pass?
Play what happened next, then choose.
Best choice
Into the space, not to feet: 9 runs on to it facing goal, and their defenders have to turn.
It can work
Safe, but 9 receives with a defender tight behind and facing our goal.
Costly
Too long. It runs through to their keeper, and we have given the ball away.
In the match, play carries on from the best choice.
You are 9, chasing the ball.
The ball is bouncing ahead of you. Their keeper is coming out. What do you do?
Play what happened next, then choose.
Best choice
The keeper is coming fast and low. A soft lift, early, goes over them into the empty goal.
It can work
Fine with time, but the keeper is arriving. The touch gives them the moment.
Costly
Waiting for the bounce lets the keeper arrive first.
How you know it is happening
- Their back line is high, with space behind.
- Our passer has time to look up.
- Their keeper is on the line.
Why it works
A high back line squeezes the space in midfield but leaves room behind it. A pass over the top makes defenders turn and run towards their own goal, and a striker who started level is already running.
The tactics behind it
Your job, by position
- STStriker
- Stand level with the last defender.
- Spin as the passer strikes it.
- If the keeper comes, lift it early.
- CBCentre-back
- Look up before the press arrives.
- Pass into the space, not to feet.
- WWinger and wide midfielder
- Make the same run on the outside, so their full-back has to drop too.
- CMCentral midfielder
- Push up behind the ball for the second ball.
- GKGoalkeeper
- Start it from the back with a kick into the channel, if the line is high.
How to explain it
- Teach "weight": the pass should land in front of the runner, not on them.
- Practise the chip with a target cone, not a goal.
- Remind players offside is when the ball is played.
On the training pitch
- On your ownNeeds a friend or the teamIt is about reading other players, so there is no honest way to practise it alone.
- The practice1v1 with the goalkeeperThe same decision, over and over, with a little pressure.
- The gameEnd-zone gameA small-sided game set up so the moment keeps happening.
Set the game up so it keeps happening
- A goal from a ball played over the defence counts double.
- Defenders must stay in the middle third until the pass is played.
Three things to say
- Start level.
- Pass into space.
- Lift it early.
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
- Were you level when the pass came?
What to look back on
- How high was their line, and did we use it?