FOOTBALL STRATEGIES

As a team playing in a football league, professionalism, discipline, respect for players and team spirit are the basic pre-requisites of doing well.  The team needs to be well organised and function as  a unit.  From the goal keeper-defence-midfield-strike, all need to function as one unit.

Below are basic rules of a well organised football team playing as one single unit.  If this basic rules are adhered, you can play any team, in any division and give them a match.

DEFENDING

1) MAN MARKING

This is when the ball is not in the field of play.  Either the goal keeper has to roll the ball in the field of play; ball has to be thrown into field of play, or the ball has to be played from a set piece ie free kick.

In the above circumstances, the defending team needs to tightly mark each opposition player.  It has to be so tight, that you want the shirt of the players back, who you are marking.  Or you want to stand in his boots.

When this sort of tactics is applied.  The opposition team is under pressure and on their back foot.

2) CLOSING DOWN

When the opposition manage to get the ball in field of play.  As a defending team, the opposition players need to be closed down quickly.  They should have the time to pass or look around for options.

This particularly applies to the striker and the central midfield players to work as a team, and close the play down.

3) TRACKING BACK

With the striker and the central midfield player closing down, the left wing back and the right wing back, will need to track back from any player from the opposition team. 

ATTACKING

1)  PASS- MOVEMENT- SPACE

Attacking is the opposite of defending. So the reverse rules apply when defending.  Loose your markers !!!  Give your players options to pass.

If you can not get the ball forward, then pass back to defenders.  Make the opposition work hard and keep position.  Draw the opposition team in, and hit them on the counter. 

When attacking, the team needs to function as a unit with combination of passes.  Through balls, one-two's, hitting the ball into empty spaces for a player to hit the ball on the run with power, all need to be developed in the teams play.