Monthly Archives: March 2014

Space: The Final Frontier

No, I’m not talking about space cadets that every coach has on his team.  I’m talking about space – which along with time – are the basic elements of soccer.

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As parents, we always want our kids to be more aware of their surroundings, to see what’s around them and understand the environment that they are in.  If 90% of life is showing up, it’s a critical life tool to be able to acknowledge and interpret what is happening around them – so they may be able to understand potential implications and make good choices.

This is what a coach tries to instill in his soccer players – awareness.  A player must know where he is on the field in relation to the ball, as well as where his teammates and opponents are, in order to figure out how best to help his team.  This decision is determined by (among other factors) which team has possession of the ball.  If his team has the ball, can he find a “seam” on the field between opposing players where he could receive a pass in an advantageous position?  If the opponent has the ball, how can he help his teammates limit the space available to them?

How does a young player find space on the field?  How does he limit space defensively?  He certainly can’t be limited by position – the principles of the game should take clear precedence over simple positional restrictions forced on him by his coach.  The ball is always moving; young players need to rapidly calculate where in the playing area they need to be in order to impact the game.  The picture is always changing, and thus a player’s decisions that need to be made are also always changing.

Soccer can be very chaotic, and as a result the game is decided in part by who can make order out of it – who can exploit the space on the field to their advantage.  In the video below, watch how FC Barcelona’s Xavi Hernandez makes short, smart runs to find pockets of space between defenders.  This space that he receives the ball in gives him the precious commodity of time, which allows him to make the next play.

 

In the following video Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets and his teammates further demonstrate their understanding of space. Immediately after an attack breaks down and possession is lost, Barcelona players pursue the ball and take up positions that prevent a penetrating dribble or pass towards their goal.  Once possession is regained, Busquets makes a run off the ball down the touchline (taking a defender with him) and opens up a seam for a penetrating pass into the penalty area:

Note that Busquets – a central midfielder – is out on the wing running into the attacking third.  Regardless of specific positioning, coaches need to ensure that all players understand the concept of space (and awareness of it), in order that their players can better affect the outcome of a game.