How To Beat A Defense

Soccer Yoda would like to thank the many readers of this blog. In the last couple months soccer fans from many countries around the world have become viewers. It is quite an honor to have an audience as widespread and diverse as this one has become. Thank you all!

This past week the European Champions League played it’s first leg of it’s quarterfinal matches. As expected, Barcelona did well against Roma, winning 4-1 and Bayern Munich downed a surprisingly stubborn Sevilla team 2-1, in Spain. This makes Bayern a large favorite for the overall result given the second leg will be at home. Liverpool astounded everyone, especially Manchester City, in thrashing them 3-0 at home. It remains to be seen if City can come back in Manchester this week. The big contest, pitting Real Madrid against Juventus in a repeat of last years final proved to be disappointing, unless one is a Real fan. Madrid rolled to a 3-0 win, and in Italy no less. In doing so, Real scored a terrific goal that caught the eye of the Soccer Yoda in it’s application of modern soccer tactics. And no, I don’t mean Ronaldo’s overhead scissors goal. That was an amazing display of technique and athletic ability. That kind of skill can decide matches regardless of whatever tactics are being applied.

The goal that impressed the Soccer Yoda so much was the third one, scored by Real’s left back Marcelo. It involved a fair amount of technical skill with the ball, mainly the ability to control a pass to feet and the ability to deliver an accurate pass under some pressure. But what it really demonstrated is that an understanding of space and movement can beat the best defense. And the fact is that this understanding can be taught to youth.

At the beginning of the move (above picture), Ronaldo has the ball in Real’s attacking third. He is moving with a deliberate slow pace. Marcelo has moved up the left side and is position to support Ronaldo. Farther away on the right Isco is literally in the picture but is a tough pass for Ronaldo. It should be noted that Juventus has 5 defenders in the area and another moving in from the far right. Real has 3 attackers against 5+ defenders of one of the best defensive teams in the world. This doesn’t look like a positive situation for the Spaniards.

With no penetrating move available and Juventus defenders closing in, Ronaldo makes a safe pass to Marcel0. Meanwhile Isco sees space open behind the 3 defenders marking Marcelo and Ronaldo. He starts a diagonal run into that space using the concept that attackers away from the ball should make runs into space left open by the defense.

Marcelo takes the ball inside toward the space while Isco continues his run across the defense. Isco’s run forces the Juventus defenders to decide whether to stay where they are or to follow him as he moves into an open area.

Isco’s run takes him into the space and the defenders decide to move with him to prevent him from getting the ball unmarked in a dangerous area.But diagonal runs that are properly made allow the receiving player to shield any following defender with his body and Isco can take a pass from Marcelo while shielding the defenders. So Marcelo slips Isco a short pass using the outside of his left foot. The diagonal run has taken 2 Juventus defenders out of crucial areas and now there is a large open space inside the Italian penalty area right at the penalty spot. But how to get the ball into that spot at a Real player’s feet and at the same time keep that space devoid of defenders?

Isco is receiving a pass with a defender on his back preventing him from turning with the ball. This is a classic “man on” situation in which the receiver being pressured passes the ball back to the original passer. In this case, the original passer has moved since making the first pass. The defender marking Marcelo has turned to watch the ball and lost sight of Marcelo who is now in a good position to receive Isco’s return pass.

Marcelo has the ball he obtained from Isco. That big open area at the penalty spot (opened by Isco’s run) is still there but Marcelo is surrounded by defenders and the chances of carrying the ball into that spot past all those defenders is slim. However, Ronaldo has followed one of the basic concepts of possession soccer. He has put himself into a position where his close teammate with the ball can reach him with a pass. Marcelo knows that although he would have trouble reaching the open space with the ball, there is another way.

Marcelo takes advantage of Ronaldo placing himself on a line with him. He passes the ball through the surrounding defenders to Ronaldo. But he knows the importance of that empty space in front of the goal and he continues his movement toward it after making the pass.

Ronaldo receives the pass from Marcelo and although he could shoot from where he is, he sees Marcelo making the run toward the penalty spot. Juventus defenders have been turned again as they follow the ball. Each turn costs them a couple steps and so they seem rooted to the ground while the Real players move around them. Ronaldo makes a “second side” pass to take advantage of the turn and cause the defenders to lose sight of Marcelo. A “second side” pass is made to the opposite side of a defender than the side that the offensive runner is on in respect to the defender. Since the ball and the runner are on opposite sides of the defender he will not be able to keep both of them in sight. In this case, the Juventus defenders are watching the ball and lose sight of Marcelo.

Marcelo is meeting the ball in open space with only the keeper to beat. The defenders are calling for offside, but Marcelo timed his run to coincide with Ronaldo’s pass and he is not offside. Ronaldo gets the assist for the prospective goal and the player who created the goal by his run is standing alone watching the culmination of his work. Isco knows that he played a crucial role in this score even though he neither scored nor assisted on it. In modern movement-oriented soccer, many times the player whose movement opened the defense is not part of the actual scoring of the goal.

Ironically, Marcelo fumbled the actual shot on goal, but the position and lack of defenders around him allowed him to stumble into the goal with the ball. Real was up 3-0, the game and likely the movement into the next round was settled.

Real scored with only 3 players against a number more defenders by using modern offensive concepts that involve possession by having close support, movement by players into space from off-the-ball locations, forcing defenders to make choices as to their position and then taking advantage of those decisions. This may seem like extremely high level play reserved for only the best of the best in the world. It is not. The basics of this style of play can be taught to single digit aged youngsters. As they become familiar with possession and simple movement they can learn more complex strategies like diagonal runs, second side passes, decoy runs designed to move defenders away from important areas and more. And while they play this type of offense they develop the technical skills of control, passing and vision that this style of play needs to be successful. If American youth coaches were tuned in to developing these ideas and skills in our youngsters, we would not be worrying about qualifying for the World Cup. It can be done, we just need to educate our coaches to teach our youth and eventually the USA will have our own Isco, Marcelo and Ronaldo scoring goals like this one.