Understanding the game (Part 3): Offensive transition

In this third entry of the different chapters of Desgranando el juego we are going to talk about the offensive transition (OT). In the previous two entries we have talked about Understanding the game (Part 1): The attack, and Understanding the game (Part 2): The defense. In traditional soccer, the moments of regaining the ball and losing it are called transitions. One is the offensive transition and the other is the defensive transition, which means that we must change our patterns of behavior as the objectives change from being one to the opposite. That moment of transition between attacking and defending is just that, the moment in which we try to take advantage to damage the opponent because he is vulnerable since he is disorganized (we recover the ball) and we try not to be damaged because at the moment of the loss we are more vulnerable. So the OT is nothing more than that situation in which our team recovers the ball.

When recovering the ball, a very useful concept is to cut through. This is nothing more than trying to intercept the ball and pass it to a teammate so that he can initiate the counterattack.

In these patterns that I am going to propose below you will see that some of them are repeated. And there are behaviors that are fundamental for the good performance of the team.

Índice

Zone 3 recoveries

When we recover in zone 3 or finishing zone is a very good opportunity to try to finish the plays, because it is the way we have to be as close as possible to the opponent’s goal with relative spatial or temporal ease or maybe both.

Central lane recoveries

The recoveries in zone 3 or finishing in the central lane are those that can benefit us the most in the short term, because the recovery will occur in the perpendicular to the goal and less actions we will have to do to try to finish the action.

In my case, this is the following proposal that I think can be useful to try to achieve success:

Finish actions

The first option in case of recovering has to be to finish whenever possible. For this it will be important to always have the opponent’s goal located and get a small spatial-temporal advantage to be able to arm the leg to shoot at goal. In case of not being able to finish right after finishing we would have to look for one of the following options that we will see next.

Passing with an advantage

When recovering and not being able to finish the action, my priority must be to pass the ball to a teammate with an advantage, that is, facilitating the next action, which, as a priority, will be to finish the play. To do this we must have a very good perception of our surroundings to be able to get an advantage. Normally, the type of advantage we will look for will be numerical or positional. To look for the numerical one we will normally have to look for a 2 vs 1 situation, therefore, we may have to make a small fixation before passing. To look for positional we will have to see the best possible location of our teammates.

Try to progress inside/outside

In the case of not being able to find any of the two previous options, our priority will be to try to progress with the ball inside (or through the central lane) or outside (through the outside/side lane). That is why we will always have to try to have a good body orientation to facilitate this action in order to give continuity to the game and not slow it down. As a general rule, it will be easier to progress on the outside because there will be fewer players (own and opponents) and more space (although limited by the touchline).

Prepare to attack the area

This point is especially important if we are moving out wide, as we will need players to attack the different finishing areas, but also if we are playing inside, as we will need our forwards to make the appropriate movements to create space.

Securing possession in the opponent’s half

If we cannot achieve any of the above, we will try to secure possession of the ball and establish ourselves in the opponent’s half in order to successfully resolve situations that will bring us closer to the goal.

Side lane recoveries

Side lane recoveries in zone 3 or end zone are not as optimal as those in the central lane but can be beneficial as we are still very close to the goal.

For me, these are the priorities:

Get crosses out

The first option should be to play a cross as long as we have a player to finish in the box. This can be a very beneficial situation as the opponent will be disorganized and the players in the box will have a greater distance from their direct opponents.

As a general rule, the situation of recovering the ball in the outside lane and having at least one player in the box will be fulfilled on most occasions, unless it is our striker who has recovered the ball, in which case it would be difficult to have a player in the opponent’s box and we would have to go to the second option.

Taking the ball out of the area

In case we can’t get a cross, either because we don’t have any possible receiver or because we don’t have the advantage to get a cross, we will prioritize getting the ball out of the zone. Normally a back pass will be produced, although we will always try to look for a numerical or positional advantage to try to get a better chance of success.

Attacking the area

In case we can’t get a cross or find an advantage by taking the ball out of the area, we will try to attack the area. To do so, it can be through a cross, usually with a back pass and players from previous lines that join the attacking situation, or through a back pass and a movement of a player from the last line (forwards, wings…).

Situations with an advantage

Same as in the center lane point.

Securing possession in the opponent’s half

Same as in the central lane point.

Zone 2 recoveries

The recoveries in zone 2 are a good opportunity to try a quick attack if the opponent leaves us space and can be a way to damage him. It is more feasible to steal in this area of the field than in zone 3 so it should be taken into account when training and analyzing the opposing teams. Here it will be important to see how the opponent attacks and where he places his block, because a team that likes to play in the opponent’s half will leave more free spaces available to attack than a team that likes to play direct.

Recoveries in the central lane

Recovering in a zone of progression in the central lane can be a good way to achieve success in our actions as we can find ourselves with few opposing players and, therefore, more spaces to attack the opponent’s goal.

These are the 5 behaviors that I would prioritize in this location:

Looking to progress inside/outside.

When recovering the ball in this area the first premise must be to progress. This progression is usually effective when we recover the ball and we have space to run, so the best way to progress is by driving. This driving must allow us to be thinking about the next action, that is to say, what purpose it has and what we intend to achieve with it. So, we can drive vertically (we progress inside) or horizontally (we progress outside). In case of not being able to drive we would go for the second behavior.

Partner with space – time and advantage

In the case of not being able to drive “in the open field”, as it is popularly called the space in front of us with few opponents and none nearby, we will have to look for a teammate with a numerical or positional advantage to carry out the counterattack. This is usually by passing (either vertical pass – we progress inside or horizontal/diagonal pass – we progress outside).

Vertical pass to break pressure

The two previous behaviors are designed to be performed with relative space in front to be able to advance towards the opponent’s goal.

This behavior is designed to be used in case we are pressured quickly when the opponent loses the ball. The main idea is to try to make a vertical pass to be able to break this pressure and eliminate the opponent from the play. For this, it will be important the movement of the players in the back lines to favor the appearance of these passing lines.

Securing possession

In the event that none of the above can be achieved, we will ensure possession. To do this, it is usual to play horizontally or backwards. It will be important to have a good spatial-temporal perception of our surroundings to be able to pass the ball to a teammate with enough space-time so that he can think about the next action and that this can facilitate our final objective of getting close to the opponent’s goal to score a goal.

Offensive restructuring

Continuing with the previous behavior, once we have secured possession, we will have to restructure offensively, distributing ourselves in the space in an adequate way to avoid losing the ball and to be able to subdue the opponent through the ball. To do this, we will try, with a sequence of passes, to install ourselves in the opponent’s field and from there decide what action suits us best depending on our teammates and our opponents.

Side lane recoveries

Recovering the ball in the lateral lane in the zone of progression or zone 2 can be a good way to get to the opponent’s area, because in the lateral lane there is less density of players and, therefore, more space.

Here are the five behaviors that I would prioritize in this zone:

Partner with space – time and advantage

The best way to hurt the opponent is usually through the central lane when it is unprotected, i.e. there are few opponents there. Therefore, when recovering the ball on the outside, we will try to look for a teammate who has a positional advantage and who can enjoy enough space – time to be able to make the following actions good for our interests.

Getting the ball out of the zone

This is why we will prioritize getting the ball out of the zone, looking for players in the central lane. That is why it will be very important the appearance of players from the opposite lane, i.e. players from the outside lane of the other wing, appearing in the center lane in a trajectory parallel to the baseline. The pass, on this occasion, will be mostly horizontal or diagonal.

If we can achieve this interaction between the passer and the future passer, the latter will have enough space and time to be able to set up a good counterattack.

Looking to progress inside/outside

If it is not possible to find the player in the opposite lane in our free center lane, but we can find him with an opponent player nearby or we can simply count on another player in the center lane with opponents nearby, we will prioritize progressing inside – outside.

When recovering the ball on the outside, a good solution may be to look for a close teammate who is located in the central lane, but without space to set up the counterattack on his own. That is why we will look to progress inside – outside, that is, with a pass to the center lane followed by another pass to the side lane. This action is usually done with a wall in which you can eliminate opponents. It is important here the interactions between the two players, how they communicate on the field to understand each other.

Being vertical

Linked to the previous points, recovering the ball must always be linked to the idea of trying to be vertical. This idea avoids the concept of recovering and playing forward without sense or with few opportunities to make good this first vertical pass, because, sometimes, we will need a pass before being able to play vertical.

Hence the importance of understanding the concept of being vertical but always trying to use the right interactions to be able to execute it successfully.

Securing possession

In case we cannot be vertical or execute any of the 4 previous behaviors, we will try to secure possession, the same as if we recover in the central lane.

Recoveries in zone 1

The priority when recovering in zone 1 or our initiation zone, is to avoid losing the ball quickly, as the ball is closer to our goal than to the opponent’s goal.

On the other hand, the positive side will be that we will have many opponents in our own half and we will be able to enjoy space to try, in some action, to reach the opponent’s goal.

Recoveries in the central lane

Recovering in our initiation zone but in the central lane can give us a good perspective of how our team is and how the opponent is, as we have a much wider view of the playing space than if the recovery takes place in the side lane.

The suggested behaviors here are:

Look away.

Continuing with the idea of being vertical, the first thing we should do when recovering is to look far and see if we can find a teammate with a numerical/positional advantage to deliver the ball to. If so, we will be ready to pass him the ball and travel next to him to be close and offer our help for the following actions that will be triggered.

Looking for progress inside/outside

In case we look far and find no teammate with an advantage, we will look to progress inside/outside, either with a wall or simply with a pass to a player in the side lane.

Securing possession

If we cannot execute either of the two previous options, we will secure possession of the ball. We will do the same as if we were doing it in zone 2.

Playing forward

Once we have possession we will try to play forward to see if it is possible to make progress avoiding the opponent to organize himself to defend us. To do this, we will try whenever we can to play forward looking for an advantage in a teammate.

Offensive restructuring

Once we have secured possession of the ball and we have not been able to play forward, we will reorganize ourselves to be able to prepare the attack. A very common resource to give the team time to restructure can be to play with our goalkeeper. He will give us the necessary time to prepare the attack.

Lateral lane recoveries

The behaviors of recovering in the lateral lane are very similar to those of recovering in the central lane. As we are close to our goal, we will try not to lose the ball.

To do this we will have to:

Look away

The same as if we recover in the central lane.

Look to progress inside/outside

The same as if we recover the ball in zone 2.

Take the ball out of the zone

Here it will not be the same as in zone 2, because it will be difficult for a player in the opposite lane to have space to appear with enough advantage to be able to set up a counterattack. That is why here we will try to get the ball out of the zone with a close player with enough space – time to improve his next action.