Monaco defend in a classic 442 block as the ball is played out wide from PSV. The purpose of todays blog is to identify defending errors so that we can take advantage of them. The error that we will look for today is when the opposition lines of defence are able to stay compact, but come too close together.
Keep reading to learn exactly when this is! PSV in white and Monaco play this match in navy.
(Figure 1.1)
As the ball is played out wide Monaco are still defending in a way that is well structured, in a classic 442 block. At this point it is still relatively clear to see the zones and PSV players that each of the Monaco players are responsible for.
(Figure 1.2)
The problem occurs however as the FB performs the underlapping run. At this point both wide players from Monaco are man oriented and for this reason get dragged out of position.
***When both wide players are on the same horizontal axis there is no cover.
(Figure 1.3)
The pullback is an effective way to create goal scoring opportunities inside the box because the defending team must prioritise the ball and opposition players who are close to the goal.
This often leaves players on the edge of the box unmarked.
Let’s now look at the theory:
(Figure 2.1)
Standard set-up of a 433 attacking (PSV) vs. a 442 block (Monaco) as the ball is with the right fullback.
(Figure 2.2)
Any time we refer to a “block”, this refers to a zonal style of defending. The defending team must prioritise staying close together so that they can cover in case a teammate is outplayed.
The concept of the “Cover shadow” is very important in this situation. This way the defending team is able to prevent passes being played into the “block” or the central areas and effectively force the opposition out wide.
(Figure 2.3)
The problem that occurred for Monaco was that PSV effectively used positional rotations. We see here the RB running through the inside lane after playing the ball out wide to his winger.
(Figure 2.4)
As Monaco players track the run the distance between the FB and wide MF come much closer together and at one point these two players are almost in line with each other.
(Figure 2.5)
This creates spaces in behind the Monaco defence which PSV are able to take advantage of.
(Figure 2.6)
If the wide MF does not track back, as with Monaco in this situation, the FB has problems since they are already occupied with the winger.
(Figure 2.7)
The closer you get to the opposition goal the more the defending team must focus on the ball and this often leaves players on the edge of the box free.
(Figure 2.8)
This is why the pull-back is an effective strategy, especially when one of your players is able to get to the byline.
If you made it this far, thanks for sticking with us through the whole analysis!
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