Even though the US team is out I’m still interested in Soccer. However I’m not really clear on how the offsides rule works.
What types of strategies to teams use and how do they work?
I’m not a “sports guy” and yet I like soccer. I’m going to try and follow the EPL when it starts in August (well pre-season is in July)
There are usually two players involved in a play. You have the player making the pass and the player receiving. If the player receiving is off sides (behind all players from the opposing team) when the play starts (when the pllayer making the pass kicks the ball) then he is off sides. Otherwise the play is good.
So the strategy is in the timing. You want the receiving player not to be offsides when the pass is kicked but the receiver wants to run past the defensive lines by the time the ball reaches him.
That’s not entirely accurate. The off-sides rule says that there must be two defensive players between the receiving offensive player and the goal line when the ball is played forward. Usually one of those is the goalie and the other is the last defensive player, but this isn’t always the case. There was a player called offsides in an early World Cup match (can’t remember who) because the goalie had stepped forward to try to punch the ball out and missed. There was a defensive player standing on the goal line, but no other defensive players were near the offensive player.
So one defensive strategy is for all the defenders to step up just before a ball is played forward. This is dangerous if not timed appropriately.
A player is in an offside position if there are less than two players between him and the opposition byline. IF a player is in an offside position when the ball is passed to him that’s offside, which concedes a free kick. Except when the ball is passed by a member of the opposition, the receiving player is behind the ball, the receiving player is in his own half or the ball is passed as a throw in.
Strategy basically consists of creating and exploiting mismatches: creating a numerical advantage in certain areas, setting up your best attackers against their worst defenders, fast players vs slow defenders, big vs small.
How you do this depends on what sort of formation you use, the speed of play, how the team chooses to attack, etc. Zonal marking does a good job of breaking this sort of thing down in specific games.
This is what I was looking for an explanation/examples of.
This site gives pretty good breakdown of specific matches and general tactics that have been popular recently. Now, it assumes some level of familiarity with the subject, so maybe you’d be better off poking around wikipedia for a bit.
While watching, try to keep some things in mind. Don’t just watch the player with the ball. Look at how players near him position themselves, watch how players make runs away from or towards that player and how those runs adjust the defense and create open areas in the defense. Watch how the defense pressures the ball. Do they do it as a team and in a controlled motion, or are they panicky and lunging? Does the offense consistently attack one area of the field? Often this will be down the wing where a fast or skilled player has an advantage over a slow or less intelligent player. Does a team gradually try to work the ball up the field, or are they playing long balls from their defense. If they are, are those balls purposeful, or are they basically praying for something good to happen? Watch how a team positions themselves when they win possession, or lose it. Do they immediately look to attack, or compose themselves? Is the team that lost possession in good shape to defend, or are they out of sorts and susceptible to a counter attack?
With those sorts of things in mind while watching a game, you should get a better feel for what each team is trying to do.
Here’s (http://www.zonalmarking.net/2010/06/26/ghana-2-1-united-states-tactics/) a US v Ghana breakdown. See if any of that jives with what you saw while watching the game.
Offside, for me, is much easier to explain visually, and the good folks at FIFA have made a nice little video to explain what counts as offside and what doesn’t. Here you go:
One of the best ways to learn is to watch games with knowledgeable people. If you don’t know anyone like this, you can probably find a pub that shows the EPL games regularly. I’m sure there would be people there who would like to share.
I’m in the middle of nowhere Maine. There aren’t many (if any) tv stations showing EPL games.
Quick question: is there a soccer equivalent of the full-court press, where the defenders all play their opposite numbers very closely, trying to force mistakes and turnovers (but, of course, risking allowing offensive opportunities for the team with the ball)?
yes. I don’t know if there’s an equivalent term, but there are definitely games (and teams) that use their forwards to pressure the defense regardless of where the ball is, and those that have their forwards drop back to midfield to help with the defense, usually leaving one guy alone up there hoping for a break away chance off a clearance.
All I know is what worked in FIFA 2001 for PS1 which was pass the ball to the wing, sprint down the sideline and kick a cross when I was parallel to the goal box. Hopefully one of my guys would be there and have a chance to bicycle kick or head it into the goal. Though it may work every now and then against a really terrible team in real life, it’s not really a viable strategy.
That’s typical English or Paraguayan (and many others) strategy, not used so much anymore since it wasn’t extremely effective, but far from non-viable.
I don’t know the English term for it, there must be one. how you say “Tirar centros y esperar el cabezazo” in English?
try centering it and hope for a header?
I believe in English it’s simply called the “long ball” where the defense boots it up field relying on the speed of a forward to get to it, the forward then makes a bit of space for himself and centers or has a go at goal.
The Netherlands/AJAX “Total Football” would be one option.
The system had it’s heyday in the 70s against highly defence orientated teams. Might have become more widespread if they had won in either '74 or '78. But now even the Netherland prefer to base their game plan around the counter attack.
Total football was having fluidity in positions, not playing a high pressure defense.
True but the strategy was about “we put pressure on you when we have the ball, and when you have the ball” and to gain possession where ever the ball was.
You mean pubs showing the games? I think the games will be on Fox Soccer Channel & ESPN, so they won’t be too hard to find? But, yeah, middle of nowhere Maine may not have too many viewing options.
Most the pubs will be showing American Sports. I doubt they’d like to watch soccer.
I found a way to watch Fox Soccer Channel on a regular basis, so it doesn’t matter.
I’d also like to say that ESPN 3’s business model is totally screwy. You need to have one of their “affiliated ISPs” in order to watch stuff on ESPN3.com. Instead of offering a subscription model.