The Ultimate Book of Soccer Set Pieces (eBook)

KICK-OFFS

Kick-offs tend to be among the most neglected of set-pieces with regard to preparation. Most teams are of one of two mindsets. Some coaches simply want to keep the ball away from their own goal. Consequently, the team is instructed to play the ball deep to a corner in the opposition’s end of the field. This is a safe option, particularly at the youth level, where the dangers of mental lapses across the team in the opening moments of play or the return to play after a goal can be a concern. The concern here is an obvious one, in that the team is conceding possession with just a few touches of the ball.

Other coaches want to get their players a touch on the ball and get the ball circulating immediately on the kick-off. These teams tend to knock the ball around in their own half a bit, developing rhythm and getting the team’s identity on the ball established. The danger here, of course, is that there can be a tendency to turn the ball over given that the game has just started or restarted, and the opponent can be free to press without much concern and with fresh legs.

Who trains their team to defend kick-offs? Interesting question, and the answer is likely very few. Does the team ease into the defending, more concerned with keeping the ball in front of them, or does the team fly into their opponent’s end, trying to win the ball immediately? Either way, the discussion and mentality are very important to how the team approaches defending kick-offs.

ATTACKING CONSIDERATIONS

1.Does the team want to go forward immediately?

2.Does the team prefer to knock the ball around and get everyone involved?

3.Is there a reliable long-ball server who can put the ball in a dangerous space right away?

4.How many players should the team commit to an immediate attacking move?

5.Does the team have speedy player(s) who can perhaps surprise the opponent off of the start?

6.Is there a player, perhaps not a front-line player, on whom the team should depend to start the attack? For example, perhaps there is a dominant personality in the midfield that is the target of any early possession after a kick-off.

7.Does a particular opponent offer an opening for a specific kick-off play? For example, a team that immediately presses high may be vulnerable to an early long ball service.

8.Does the team need multiple options, perhaps one for the opening kick-off and one for subsequent kicks?

picture alliance/dpa | Sven Hoppe

Marco Reus of Borussia Dortmund prepares to kick off a Bundesliga match at Bayern Munich.

ATTACKING PLAYS

Typical attacking shape for a kick-off. Note the expanded shape, with the outside backs and wingers shading wider to create more space both for the attackers and also in the defensive shape of the opponent. Players likely to be involved in any opening move (i.e., the center forward and central midfielders) are arrayed around the ball. The center backs are split to give more room and better angles for possession, and the goalkeeper is in a position to be an outlet against early pressure. There are many variants, of course, but the general idea here is to give a framework from which players can be moved to create a particular attacking sequence.

Conservative Start

This is a safe option, and one that many coaches opt to pursue to start a game or half and also with a lead. Off of the kick-off, the striker plays a negative pass to a holding midfielder (this could be any player designated to play in that spot for the moment due to their ability to play a powerful long ball on a consistent basis). The holding midfielder plays the ball high and deep to a designated attacking corner of the field. It is very important that this ball be played deep enough to turn as many as possible of the opponents to face and move toward their own goal.

The coach can designate the level of pressure to be applied immediately to the ball. In the diagram above, the near-side wing, center forward and attacking midfielder begin to move toward the ball with the idea of applying pressure far from the team’s goal. The coach might move the entire team forward, or opt to impose a low restraining line, perhaps allowing the other team to get into possession in with the idea that the team will be compact and able to defend against any long ball.

Flank Attack

This is a common approach to taking a positive, if low-risk, approach to the kick-off. Similar to the previous option, the ball is laid off and then played deep into the opponents’ half. However, the target this time is not an area, but rather a winger. This approach can work well if the team possesses a dangerous, speedy player, who may win in an isolated duel with an unprepared or overmatched opponent. This approach is also recommended against teams who either press up high (caution the runner to stay on-side) or sit very deep (drop the ball in front of the back line). Note the supporting runs across the front line, as the winger will often need early assistance or want to quickly change the point of attack to one of the other runners.

Flank Overload

This scheme builds on the idea of a flank attack and adds another runner, forming a target group. In the image above, the right-side winger has moved over to the left to join the left winger as targets for the midfielder’s serve. Note also that the left back will follow-on in case the attackers need an immediate support option. Encourage the two wingers to think in advance how they will exploit the situation if they win the ball. For instance, if #2 wins the ball, can he put the ball in behind for #1’s run? If #1 wins the ball, can he play a 1-2 with #2 to get himself in behind the defense?

This scheme is a bit more risky in the sense that the overload inherently imbalances the team, and there is no way to disguise the runners here. It’s pretty obvious where the ball is going, and a counter will find the team trying to recover its balance on the right side in particular. The coach should talk with the right back to specifically outline that player’s attacking and defending responsibilities in this situation, given that he or she is without help if the ball is lost.

Misdirection

This is the same set-up, but after the midfielder squares up to play the long ball to the runners on the opposite side, he or she instead plays wide to the near side to the outside back, who has pushed forward. The idea here is that this would be a good variant to use after the previous play has been run one or more times. Note that a second runner, here the attacking midfielder, makes a deep run up the touchline to run onto the ball played by the outside back, setting up an ideal crossing situation, with multiple runners approaching the box from the back side. The hope is that the defenders are off balance from the change of direction and then pay insufficient attention to the runners at the end.

Once again, the risk here is considerable, as the team is committed forward, and heavily, on both flanks. If possession is lost, the team will have to work to delay and channel the ball away from dangerous space while the committed players recover.

Central Option

In the previous example, the defending team, though compressing their shape somewhat, is unprepared for a direct attack at their goal. The attackers execute a short pass and a 1-2 (1) and then a through-pass behind their opponent’s back line (2) to create an opportunity to score off of a quick, central attack. This approach is not often successful against a prepared team, but is worth considering as an option to try to surprise the defenders. Many variations can be created and rehearsed to push numbers into a dangerous, central area and overwhelm the defense.

FOCUS ON TECHNIQUE: LONG PASSING

The ability to change the point of attack through long passing is essential to efficient attacking set-pieces. Whether it’s a long ball from a holding midfielder to the far attacking corner from a kick-off or a cross served in by a forward after a throw-in, every player on the field needs to be able to pass the ball over distance with both feet. Additionally, the ability to choose and deliver the correct type of pass is critical.

There are three kinds of long pass:

1.Driven. The driven pass is used to move the ball to another part of the field, over distance, as quickly as possible. Height is not critical and the ball is struck with the laces along the back (similar to...