The Messi 1-2

In recent seasons Lionel Messi has emerged as one of (if not the) greatest players on the planet. He has incredible skill even at the incredible speeds he reaches, perhaps only rivaled, if at all, by Ronaldo.

With the departure of Ronaldinho and Deco from Barca, Messi has also had to bare the burden of instigator for the Catalan side.

This post is to highlight what I believe to be his signature move. It might be something you’ve never noticed, but believe me, after you’ve read this article, you will see Messi perform this routine several times a game. It’s like when you buy a new car – you start to see that car everywhere, when you’d never seen it before. (It’s known as the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon)

The signature move is essentially a 1-2, but in this specific case that fundamental football technique is a fine-tuned ‘play’, rehearsed and performed with the regularity of a West End actor.

Messi (10) recieves the ball on the right touchline and draws the opposition left back out to the wing. Once level with the 18 yard line, Messi cuts in at a right angle, at pace. He pushes the ball into his striker and instantly darts inside his tracker. The ball is played first time by the attacker into Messi’s path and he recieves it in a position where he can choose between blasting at goal, slotting in the far corner, curling around the keeper or cutting back for a team mate.

This is a simple move on the face of it, but the devil is in the details.

Messi is the perfect player to execute this play. He is a left footed right-winger. This means that when he cuts inside the left back and dribbles towards the corner of the box his body is between the ball and the defender. It also means he can push the ball into the feet of his attacker and accelerate into space without breaking stride (a right footed pass here would mean a very slight hesitation before the following run). The position he ends up in is also favourable for a left-footer.

What I love about this attacking play is its simplicity. It is very easy to coach, partly because it is player specific. If a team includes a pacey left-footed right winger, or right-footed left winger, then that player is the only one who really needs to learn the play. The rest of the team only need to expect it and be aware to make the one touch pass into the space. (It is very important that it is one-touch otherwise the winger is going to be offside.)

The other beauty of this play is that it can be very easily utilised. The starting position of Messi in the above diagram is a position wingers recieve the ball in several times every game. (if they recieve the ball 10 yards back from there, they should just edge into position before accelerating away from their defender.) It is also very difficult to defend, because of the run the winger makes, they will inevitably end up goalside of their defender, which means the only way to defend it is for the centre back to drop off. This requires good anticipation from the defender and I have only seen one team performance where this play has successfully being shut down all game.

That was in the Manchester United vs Barcelona game in the 2007/08 season, and the defender who demonstrated the vision to block this move was Rio Ferdinand. He made the run shown in the diagram below which shut off Messi every time. This defensive action does require good cover from the rest of the defense. The full back who lost Messi in the first place should be making a recovery run towards the penalty spot to block any cut back should the winger still beat the centre back to the ball.

I hope to find or record a good example of this soon, and will post a video of this move in action as soon as I can.

Was Heskey really the difference? Croatia 1 – 4 England postgame analysis

In light of the fact that England performed as well as I had predicted (okay, a little better, even) I wanted to take a look at what really worked for England.

It’s hard to overlook the contribution of Theo Walcott who was exceptional; everything the youngster touched turned to goals. So I’m going to analyse the goals in depth, rather than the whole performance.

If you want to see them to watch as you read they are collected on one page here.

One of the major positives for a lot of journalists and fans that I have talked with (I’ve talked with fans, not journalists, I’ve just read them) was the inclusion of a big target man, namely: Emile Heskey. But as you’ll see from a close look at the goals, Heskey wasn’t really included the plays.

Take a look at the first goal and you’ll see Heskey doesn’t even move, almost until the ball is already in the goal. He starts in an offside position so he cannot take part. Instead he holds still until he realises the move still has potential then he makes his move, long after Joe Cole, who tried the initial burst into the box that Rooney attempted to feed. It was also Cole who was on hand to tap-in if the keeper had got a hand to Walcott’s strike.

Walcott did the right things all night. But most noticeable was the way he struck this first goal across the goalkeeper. If the keeper gets a touch it turns into a cross, if not you score. This is in stark contrast to the overly unselfish style he has had in the past – always trying a cut-back or driving the ball across the 6-yard line.

In the fourth goal, again Heskey finds himself in an offside position, but he is lucky that Rooney completely ignores him–perhaps Rooney was looking to get Walcott a hatrick–and slides the ball inside the left back for Walcott to run onto. In these two goals it’s hard to even defend Heskey’s contribution in keeping defender’s busy. In the first he is unmarked throughout the move; in the fourth his marker lets him wander offside and tries to double-up on Rooney.

I don’t want to get on his case, but his play, although ultimately irrelevant, during the 3rd goal (Rooney’s) is also poor forward play.

This is how the second goal occurred.

A. Cole (3) wins the ball. Jenas (16) breaks and cuts back for Rooney (10).

The defending by Croatia is awful. #13 starts off tracking Lampard (8) but is forced to leave his man when inexplicably #15 retreats away from the ball. Had #15 closed down Jenas before he got to the box he would at least have forced a difficult cross instead of allowing a simple cut-back.

Once Jenas gets on the ball and races clear he has three choices, a low hard cross, a chip to the back post or a cut-back.

Rooney (10) is coming in from deep, as is to be expected from the supporting forward, so he should take the cut-back; Walcott (7) had rightly tucked in and was waiting at the back post; Heskey (9) should have taken his defender towards the front post which would have left Walcott wide open. Heskey even thought about it, but then changed his mind, instead he waits stationary for a pass. To be fair he’s open himself, and if he gets the pass he might score, but he should be thinking about the team and doing his job which is to make the front post run so that all bases are covered.

That sounds complicated–how can you expect Heskey to think about all that in the few seconds of play?–but it’s not; those are the practiced runs and roles for this kind of breakaway with a 4-4-2. As the front-man, he should dart for the front post, if the cross is repelled first time, or Jenas waits to cross then he goes back post where he offers his height advantage. (Rooney–now at the penalty spot–would make the dart for the front post and Walcott (along with Lampard who had followed up) would drop-off for the nod-down.)

I saved the second goal for last, because this is where Heskey does extremely well. He is playing right on the last man, where he should be in this kind of build-up. When Lampard drills the ball in, Heskey has to stretch and does great to bring the ball under control before rolling it back to Rooney then turning to get in the box. Rooney plays a lovely 1-time pass for Walcott who again shoots across the keeper. This time Heskey’s run is spot on too; if the keeper spills a save, Heskey has timed it to pounce before the defender.

My problem with Heskey as a player is shown in this analysis, it was the same problem I had with him when he was at my team (Liverpool): he doesn’t get into goalscoring positions enough. From set plays he is useful and he gets most of his goals that way; sometimes he is also picked out by an excellent cross and will score. That might be good enough for Wigan, but it wasn’t good enough for Liverpool, and it’s not good enough for England.

His other asset is his link-up play as a target man. He is strong and he works hard, and he is an outlet who a decent midfielder can hit with a long pass and expect him to hold it up while players move around him. At this he’s good, but is he the best? The other alternatives for this role are Crouch and Ashton. The problem with Crouch is he is a weak player and is too often bustled off the ball when you need him to hold it up, but his footwork is brilliant. The problem with Ashton is he always injured, and is unproven at the highest level. I’ll reiterate that I think Ashton is the long term plan for this role, but for now Heskey will have to do, despite his short comings.

The only other alternative is to play a different kind of partner for Rooney. Owen is that man (with Defoe as understudy) and that can work – it has in the past. Owen is a natural and he would have made that run that Heskey didn’t, but he’s no target man.

Depending on the opposition Cappello needs to assess whether a big man up top us necessary, if not then Owen should step in, if so then let’s give Ashton a chance. We entertain Kazakhstan in a month and then travel to Belarus. Although 6 points is necessary, I think we can afford to give Ashton a chance in these games; either starting him with Rooney, or bringing him on to replace Owen. It depends on how physical those teams are in defense, and how much they plan to pack the back line. I’d expect Kazakhstan to get men behind the ball, in which case Owen might be the better option.

This was an excellent start to the campaign though. It banished all memories of the Andorra game – which now definitely seems like ‘3 points, that’s all that matters’. This game was the biggest of the campaign and a win sets us in good stead to qualify.

I didn’t want to go into too much detail about their goal (as it should have been a free-kick on the half-way for dangerous play), or the sending off, which was very harsh–a yellow would have sufficed–it did allow England to dominate though, as switching to one up front meant Croatia had no outlet, and with Barry stifling Modric all game, they couldn’t even run it out. It was a fine performance made easier by the red card, but the result was the right one anyway.

England-bashing is in fashion

BBC pundit Robbo, today wrote:

“Is it time to accept that England are a poor football team?”

Maybe I’m just an optimist–although I think I’m a realist–but I don’t believe England are as bad as everyone makes out. For years we have got our hopes up and we’ve been disappointed and bored and then suddenly rewarded with a glimpse of what England can really do when everything clicks. It’s just that the most recent one has been a while, and having (the pleasure) to watch the most exciting international competition in my lifetime this summer, only rubbed salt in the wound.

It’s hard to recall those games that are so few and far between: back-to-back 3-0 wins one year ago against Isreal and Russia; a thrilling come from behind 3-2 win against Argentina in November 2005; another 3-2 win against Colombia earlier that year; and the one you’ve all been waiting for, 5-1 defeat of Germany, all the way back in 2001.

(Interestingly, considering his omission from the current squad, of the 17 goals scored in what were the only 5 great performances in 7 years, Michael Owen has scored 11 of them.)

For reasons I’ll discuss shortly, England have consistently failed to disappoint a demanding fan base and it has resulted in the now fashionable conclusion that England just aren’t good enough – it’s time we faced the music. Well I’m not dancing to that tune.

It is undeniable that the Premiership is the strongest league in Europe. Last season 3 English teams played in the semi-finals of the champions league. In recent years the Italian game has faltered with the match-fixing scandal scattering the cards, and in Spain after a few years of holding a monopoly on attractive successful football, their flagship teams have fallen to pieces. For the last decade English teams have equaled, and recently surpassed, the success of any other nation in European Club competition. Why then are England so bad when it comes to the international stage?

Well it can be pointed out, and fairly, that the number of English players that feature in the top English sides is quite low, that young talents are being deprived of the opportunity for first team football. But this is xenophobia disguised as patriotism. It is all true but it has no baring on the quality of the England team – if an English trainee cannot force his way into a Premiership side’s first team, then he is not good enough for England.

The real problems, as I see them, are ones that have been identified for a long time, and one that I have seen recognised in the media for the first time.

Robbo wrote:

“Why is it that Rooney is a worse player now than when he was 17? Shrek is slowly but surely turning into the bloody donkey.”

This season, barring injuries, I suspect that Wayne Rooney will begin his transition to attacking midfielder in the Manchester United team. With the acquisition of Berbatov and the securing of Tevez on a long term contract, United will be forced to choose between dropping one of their three strikers or dropping Rooney into an attacking midfield role – and with the inevitable decline of Scholes and Giggs – that choice has been made simple.

The simple fact is that Rooneyhas lost that striker’s edge and instinct, whether it is through injury or vanity. Since his explosion on the international scene, Rooney has been lauded as the saviour of the England team – however this has only resulted in his over-confidence which leads him to seek the ball out anywhere on the field. He rarely recieves the ball facing the goal anymore, he tends to pick it up on the half way line and drop it back to a defender. Capello needs to recognise this and either drop Rooney, force him to stick to his attacking duties or play him in a deeper role.

The other dilemma is the Gerrard/Lampard conundrum. It is a conundrum why they cannot play together, but it is a fact that they cannot play together. And yet, every manager persists. England have played their best in recent games when Lampard has pulled out of the squad. It is clear that this allows Gerrard the freedom with the responsibility to control the midfield. But with Gerrard absent through injury, perhaps Lampard will be able to shine. I’m yet to be convinced.

The real drought for England has been in the striker department. In the last decade we have seen the emergence of the injury prone Michael Owen, degenerative Wayne Rooney, inconsistent Heskey, Defoe and Crouch. Other inadequate strikers have been drafted in on the off chance that they might save the day, but with the exception of Ashton, who is yet to be fit enough to get his chance, and Bent, who is still a couple of 20-goal-seasons off ready, they have all been found wanting.

We have also lacked a world class goalkeeper since David Seaman retired. Many pretenders have laid claim, but in the end we have had to settle for veteran choice James after a series of prospects tried and failed. I still hold out hope that Ben Foster will succeed Van der Sar at Man Utd and make the England number 1 his own also.

But it is not a lack of World Class players, as many pessimistic fans attest, (Gerrard and Ferdinand are among the greatest players in world football in their position. Terry, Barry, Lampard, J Cole, Bentley, Rooney, Owen are all world class players, also) the problem is in the motivation to perform and the team that is picked.

It is just too easy to pick the England team – and when a team picks itself, those players become complacent. J Cole was dropped by Capello and when given the chance showed how willing he was to fight for his place with a brace against Andorra. When did we last see Terry or A Cole or Lampard or Rooney show that drive?

It is time to mix up the England team, play players on merit and current form and not on reputation.

I expect that Capello will pick:

James

Brown – Terry – Ferdinand – A. Cole

Walcott – Barry – Lampard – J. Cole

Rooney – Heskey

and I expect that team to do the job against Croatia. I don’t think that’s the best team we even have available, it lacks a goalscorer and a creative force in the centre but with two hungry wingers, and a solid defense that shouldn’t have trouble shutting down a weakened Croatia attack we should be favourites (despite what John Terry says). Perhaps the lack of pressure, that is the one positive result from the pervading pessimism, will allow this team to give us another game to remember.

The Neo-4-3-3

For my first post I thought I’d discuss what has become one of the most successful formations of the modern game. It’s a little bit complicated to describe in the standard numerical format. It is a 4-3-3, but it’s also a 4-5-1 and a 4-1-2-2-1. I’ll refer to it as a 4-3-3 from now on.

Here you can see how the formation lines up.

This is the formation used by many of Europe’s top sides for the last 5 years or so.

Chelsea, Manchester United and Barcelona are very prominent examples, and in part Liverpool and Arsenal have followed suit. Spain also used this formation in the Euro final.

As you can see the defense is essentially a traditional flat-back-four. The full backs (2 & 3) however, are used in almost a wingback role, offering support to the attacking wingers (7 & 11). For this reason top sides who use this formation have paid lots of money in recent years to find very athletic fullbacks. The signing of Dani Alves to replace the ageing Thuram at Barcelona is a prime example. But also Cole and Bosingwa at Chelsea, Evra at Man Utd, Sagna at Arsenal fill this role. These players are among the fastest in their leagues and they need to be; during the transition from attack to defense, they must recover their defensive position from very high upfield.

This has traditionally worked with two fliers on the wings. Chelsea have tried and tried to find these players, Mourinho signed a rash of players in his time, none of whom really cut it. Duff, Wright-Phillips, Robben, J. Cole, Malouda. Ironically, it is the only player who lacks pace that has been successful in that position for Chelsea. At Utd Ronaldo has of course defined this role, but other players have had limited success, specifically Nani. Barca might have had the strongest side for this formation however, when Ronaldinho was at his peak playing the #11 role, and Messi on the opposite flank (7), both marauding down the wings, with the ability to go outside or cut in. It is role for pacey, tricky wingers, and they must love playing it as they get away with little contribution defensively.

The key to this formation is the central defensive midfield player (4). A role defined by Makelele, although he wasn’t the first, and certainly not the last. All major sides looking to use this formation have paid over the odds for their destroyer, but when you consider that he must do the work traditionally done by two players you can understand why. There is no room for a missed tackle when you are the sole player in that penultimate line of defense. This was a role held as I mentioned, by Makelele, but also Mascherano, Viera followed by Flamini, Yaya Toure. It could be to their extreme detriment that Arsenal did not replace Flamini in this year’s transfer window. Manchester United have known the importance and difficulty of finding this key player since Roy Keane retired. Currently they rotate Hargreaves, Carrick, Anderson and O’Shea in that role. It is a hard-working, no-nonsense job; break up attacks and keep possession with an easy pass.

This allows for more free reign from the attacking midfielders (8 & 10). And affords the luxury of one or two players who wait for the ball to come to them; a Riquelme type, someone who can make that killer pass for a lone striker, or perhaps round the corner for the pacey winger to latch on to. At Barca this was Deco, now succeeded by Iniesta. At Liverpool Gerrard linked up so well with Torres during his debut season. Fabregas is of course the Arsenal talisman, and Chelsea have used Lampard, who will now take on more responsibility after the arrival of Deco.

The other necessity is a strong front man, a player who can toil away on his own. Drogba, Eto’o and Torres have been the finest examples of this in recent years. Although Tevez has been very effective when used in that role also.

The true beauty of the formation, as I touched upon, is it’s flexibility. By dropping deep the two wingers can create a 5 man midfield. By pushing on they create a 3 man attack. You can rotate the forward line until you have a 4-4-2, the 7 or 11 dropping back and the 8 or 10 moving out wide.

I believe this formation is an innovative result of the superior athleticism in the modern game. Now that a few elite players exist who can dominate midfields single-handedly (such as Mascherano) players like Riquelme, who were in the past over-run, now have the free role to perform their artistry and it is making for some thrilling football. I don’t expect this trend to die out. Rather that it will gain steam, as teams like Spurs and Man City and Villa all look to transition into this formation.

Do you think there are any problems with this formation? Do you prefer a different formation? Let me know your thoughts and feel free to digress.

Welcome to talk tactics!

I’ve started this blog as a forum to discuss football tactics in depth. I am an English coach in the US and I mostly work with very young children, where I teach basic technique and fundamental principles of the game such as: if you don’t get the ball, get the man! No, I teach them to kick towards the goal, that kind of thing.

I will soon be coaching older teams where I will have the opportunity to coach the tactical side of the game as well as the technical side. So, I wanted to open up this forum for discussion on tactics, from formations, individual positional play, set pieces, rehearsed attacks, etc. Anything I, or you, can think of.

So if you have a suggestion for a topic, or even a question, then please email me or leave a comment. If you want to submit an article I will be happy to publish it on the blog.