Long Ball Football

Overall Forward Movement

Check the overall forward movement of your players is balanced by using the table below, which shows scores for each player role/duty that can be added together to give an overall penetration score, solidity score and support score.

Add together the scores shown for each role/duty and compare to the targets shown at the top of each column. If your total scores are below the targets then consider adjusting roles/duties as appropriate.

For example, you can increase your penetration score by moving a player to a similar role/duty in a more advanced position, increase your solidity score by moving a player to a similar role/duty in a deeper position and increase your support score by moving a player to a similar role/duty in a position closer to the M(C/R/L) positions.

Long Ball Football Example Tactic

Modify this example tactic for your team or create your own. Then check your long ball football tactic using the System Analyser and Style Analyser and see how it performs in matches.

Team mentality: Cautious

Team passing directness: More Direct Passing (one notch up)

Formation:

• 4-2-2-2 DM – fairly defensive
  • 4 Ds / 2 DMCs / 2 M(R/L)s / 2 STCs

Player roles and duties:

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Goalkeeper (GK Defend)

Forward movement scores:

• Penetration score = 1.5 + target = moderate to high
  • Left side = 2.5 – target = high to very high
  • Right side = 0.5 + target = low to moderate

• Solidity score = 1.5 + target = moderate to high
  • Left side = 0.5 + target = low to moderate
  • Right side = 2.5 + target = high to very high

• Support score = 0.5 + target = low to moderate
  • Left side = 0.5 + target = low to moderate
  • Right side = 0.5 + target = low to moderate

Other team instructions:

• Play For Set Pieces
• Counter
• Lower Defensive Line
• Defend Narrower

Team instructions added to balance risk:

• Hit Early Crosses
• Shoot On Sight
• Run At Defence

Offsetting Contrasting Player Instructions

Contrasting player instructions given by roles and duties: none.

Balancing Risk

Before adding any team instructions to balance risk there are many more lower risk in possession instructions than higher risk in possession instructions, as shown below.

Notable lower risk in possession instructions include:

• Cautious team mentality
• Play For Set Pieces TI
• Run Wide With Ball PI (2)
• Dribble Less PI (3)
• Take Fewer Risks PI (3)
• “Use more tactical discipline” (3)

Notable higher risk in possession instructions include:

• More Direct Passing team passing directness
• Counter TI

“Notable” instructions include all team instructions, and player instructions which are given to two or more players (excluding ignored player instructions).

Therefore, the Hit Early Crosses, Shoot On Sight and Run At Defence team instructions, as higher risk in possession instructions, have been added to balance the use of lower risk in possession instructions.

The Run At Defence team instruction also specifically offsets the Dribble Less player instruction.

The Higher Tempo or Much Higher Tempo TIs, and the Wide or Very Wide attacking width TIs, could be used to further increase risk in possession if desired, although increased tempo is set automatically to some extent by the team passing directness.

Ignored Player Instructions

Player instructions ignored in the above example analysis are shown in brackets below the roles/duties.

Ignored player instructions include:

• Hold Position – 3 is typical so the first 3 are ignored.
• Dribble Less – 2 is typical so the first 2 are ignored.
• Shoot Less Often – irrelevant for D(C/R/L)s instructed to Hold Position, so they are ignored.
• Stay Wider – 1 off-centre M/AM/ST(C) on each side instructed to Stay Wider to provide support to a lone D/WB(R/L) offsets the narrow formation, so they are ignored.