How To Beat a Low Block

Summary

The script discusses football teams' tactical approach, focusing on high pressing and positional play versus the defensive low block strategy. It explains how teams like Mourinho's Inter Milan and Simeone's Atletico Madrid use a low block effectively with counter-attacks and strong defenders. The script also explores statistical measures of a low block, such as average start distance and pressure in the attacking third. It concludes with strategies to break down a low block, including playing with width to exploit spaces and playing through with technical skill to find gaps.

Takeaways

• 🏃‍♂️ The trend among top teams is to play with pace, high pressing, and positional play to gain superiority on the pitch.
• 🚫 Some teams use a passive low block as a defensive strategy, which is generally seen as a sign of weakness.
• 🔐 Teams like Mourinho's Inter Milan and Simeone's Atletico Madrid have had success with a low block combined with counter-attacking and high-quality defenders.
• 📊 A low block can be statistically approximated by the average start distance of play sequences and the percentage of pressures in the attacking third.
• 🛑 Teams employing a low block defend deep, start attacks from deep positions, and are more passive in higher areas without the ball.
• 🔄 On the pitch, low block teams aim to congest the middle, compress space vertically, and minimize gaps between defensive and midfield lines.
• 💡 To beat a low block, teams can use set-pieces, but these can work against any team; low block teams like Burnley, Wolves, and Newcastle conceded below average numbers of set-pieces.
• 🎯 Having a go from outside the box can be effective against low block teams as their back line has retreated.
• 🤾‍♂️ Two main ways to score against a low block are playing with width to exploit space in wide areas and playing through with technical players who can find space between the lines.
• 🏃‍♂️ Quick switches of play and fast breaks into wide areas can create surprises and chances against low block teams.
• 🤝 Playing through requires quick interchanges and movement, with players arriving at pace into the danger area to find space and shoot.

Q & A

What is the prevailing trend among the biggest and best football teams?

The prevailing trend is to play with pace, high pressing, and positional play, attempting to win superiority in certain areas of the pitch with overloads or freeing a team’s best players to attack weaker, isolated defenders.

What is a passive low block and why is it generally considered a sign of weakness?

A passive low block refers to a defensive strategy where teams retreat towards their goal and attempt to compact space regularly without pressing aggressively in the opposition's defensive third. It's considered a sign of weakness because it prioritizes security over challenging for honors.

How do teams like Mourinho’s Inter Milan or Simeone’s Atletico Madrid find success with a low block?

These teams find success with a low block by pairing it with lethal counter-attacking in transition and having very high-quality defenders.

How can the low block be statistically approximated?

The low block can be statistically approximated by looking at the lowest average start distance of each team's open play sequences or the percentage of a team’s pressures that occur in the attacking third.

What does it mean for a team to defend deep and start their attacks deep?

Defending deep means the team is positioned in their own defensive third. Starting attacks deep indicates that the team initiates their offensive moves from their own half of the field.

How do teams playing a low block try to make themselves hard to attack?

They congest the middle, compress the space vertically, and try to leave as small a gap as possible between the defensive and midfield lines, often dropping the attacking line back as well.

What challenges do teams face when trying to score against a low block?

The challenges include the relative absence of a high press, which makes it tough to draw the defending team forward and create space behind them.

How can set-pieces be effective against a low block?

Set-pieces can be effective because they provide opportunities to score from dead-ball situations, but they can work against any team, not just those employing a low block.

Why does having a go from outside the box make sense against a low block?

With the back line having retreated, shooting from outside the box can be effective as it can obscure a keeper's view and create deflections or rebounds.

What are the two main ways to score against a low block?

The two main ways are playing with width to exploit space in wide areas and playing through the lines with technical players who can find space and achieve quick interchanges.

How can teams exploit the space in wide areas against a low block?

Teams can break quickly into wide areas, look for runners from deeper positions, or use quick switches of play to find open far sides and attack at pace.

What role does movement play in scoring against a low block?

Movement is key in both exploiting wide areas and playing through the lines. Players need to arrive at pace into the danger area and burst beyond the last line of defense before they can be closed down.

Outlines

00:00

🏟️ Football Strategies: Low Block Defense

This paragraph discusses the defensive strategy known as the 'low block' in football. Teams employing this tactic play deep in their own defensive third, aiming to compact space and minimize gaps between defensive and midfield lines. The low block is often seen as a reactive strategy rather than a proactive one, used by teams like Mourinho's Inter Milan and Simeone's Atletico Madrid, who pair it with effective counter-attacks. The paragraph explores how to statistically identify teams using a low block, such as analyzing the average start distance of open play sequences and the percentage of pressures in the attacking third. It also touches on how teams with a low block can be difficult to score against, with a focus on the effectiveness of long shots and the importance of good goalkeeping.

05:01

🔍 Breaking Down the Low Block: Tactics and Techniques

The second paragraph delves into strategies to score against teams that use a low block defense. It outlines two primary methods: playing with width and playing through the defense. The first method involves exploiting the space in wide areas, either by quick breaks or by pulling the defensive line横向移动 to create gaps for unmarked players on the far side. The second method requires technical skill and precise movement to find and exploit spaces between the defensive lines. The paragraph also discusses the potential for scoring from distance, as players arriving at pace can shoot with a clearer view of the goal. It concludes by acknowledging the effectiveness of low block systems despite the financial disparities in football, suggesting that such defensive tactics are a common response to the challenge of facing higher-quality attacking teams.

Keywords

💡Pace

Pace refers to the speed at which a team plays the game. In the context of the video, playing with pace means moving quickly up and down the field, trying to catch the opposition off guard. This is a key strategy employed by modern football teams to create goal-scoring opportunities.

💡High Pressing

High Pressing is a tactic where a team applies pressure high up the field, near the opponent's goal, to win the ball back quickly and create counter-attacking opportunities. It is mentioned as a prevalent trend among top teams and is contrasted with the low block defensive strategy.

💡Positional Play

Positional Play involves the deliberate positioning of players to create numerical advantages in certain areas of the pitch or to free up key players. The video describes how teams use movement and occupation of space to exploit weaknesses in the opponent's defense.

💡Low Block

A Low Block is a defensive strategy where the team sits deep in their own half, compacting the space between the defensive and midfield lines to make it difficult for the opposition to create scoring chances. The video discusses how some teams use this tactic for security rather than to challenge for honors.

💡Passive Low Block

A Passive Low Block is a more conservative version of the low block, where the team retreats towards their own goal and focuses on defending rather than pressing. The video suggests that while this can be effective, it is generally seen as a sign of weakness and is not typically used by top teams.

💡Opta

Opta is a company that provides sports data and statistics. In the video, Opta's data is used to identify teams with the lowest average start distance, indicating a more defensive approach to play.

💡FBref.com/Statsbomb

FBref.com/Statsbomb is a source of sports statistics mentioned in the video to support the analysis of defensive pressure tactics. It provides data on the percentage of pressures occurring in the attacking third, which is used to approximate the low block strategy.

💡Counter-attacking

Counter-attacking is a tactic where a team looks to exploit the space left by the opposition after they have lost possession. The video notes that teams like Mourinho's Inter Milan and Simeone's Atletico Madrid have had success with a low block combined with lethal counter-attacks.

💡Defensive Third

The Defensive Third refers to the area of the pitch closest to a team's own goal. The video discusses how teams employing a low block tend to have a higher percentage of their defensive actions occur in this area.

💡Playing with Width

Playing with Width involves utilizing the full width of the field to stretch the opposition's defense and create space for scoring opportunities. The video suggests this as a strategy to exploit the compactness of low block teams.

💡Playing Through

Playing Through is a tactic that involves threading passes through the lines of the opposition's defense to create goal-scoring opportunities. The video describes how this requires technical skill and intelligent movement to find and exploit spaces between the defensive lines.

Highlights

The trend among top teams is to play with pace, high pressing, and positional play.

Positional play aims to win superiority in certain areas of the pitch.

Some teams use a passive low block to counter high pressing and positional play.

A low block is generally a sign of weakness but can be effective with lethal counter-attacks.

Teams employing a low block prioritize security over attacking.

A low block involves defending deep in the defensive third of the pitch.

Statistical approximations of a low block include the average start distance of open play sequences.

Another stat is the percentage of a team's pressures occurring in the attacking third.

Teams with a low block defend deep, start attacks deep, and are more passive higher up the pitch.

On the pitch, teams playing a low block aim to congest the middle and compress space vertically.

Low block teams try to minimize the gap between the defensive and midfield lines.

Set-pieces can be effective against low block teams, but they are not the only solution.

Shooting from outside the box can be effective against a low block as the back line has retreated.

Playing with width can exploit the space in wide areas left by compact low block teams.

Quick switches of play can catch low block teams off guard and create scoring opportunities.

Playing through requires technical players who can find and exploit spaces between the lines.

Movement is key in both playing with width and playing through against a low block.

Shooting from distance can be a tactic against low block teams due to the obscured keeper's view.

It is possible to score against low block systems, as shown by teams with the worst goals conceded record.

The low block is a defensive strategy often used by teams lacking the quality to attack more aggressively.

The financial disparities within football may contribute to the increasing use of low block systems.

Transcripts

The prevailing trend among the biggest and best teams is to play with pace, high pressing,

and often positional play – the attempt to win superiority in certain areas of the

pitch with overloads or freeing a team’s best players to attack weaker, isolated defenders

through patterns of movement and the occupation of certain zones.

To counter this, some teams have used a passive low block. Generally, a low block is a sign

of weakness. While some teams, like Mourinho’s Inter Milan or Simeone’s Atletico Madrid

have found success with one, this is because they’ve partnered it with lethal counter-attacking

in transition and very high quality defenders. But teams who employ a low block don’t usually

challenge for honours; it’s more about security.

But when we talk about a low block, what do we mean? ‘Low’ simply describes the area

of the pitch, the defensive third, and all teams will have some instances where they

have to defend this area and even energetic pressing sides don’t press as aggressively.

The low block in this sense therefore requires a degree of passivity, retreating towards

the goal and attempting to compact space regularly, and the absence of a press in the opposition’s

defensive third.

How best to approximate a low-block statistically? According to Opta, these five teams had the

lowest average start distance of each of Europe’s top five leagues – that is, the average

distance in metres from their own goal that a team’s open play sequences start.

Another approximation might be the percentage of a team’s pressures that occur in the

attacking third. This data from FBref.com/Statsbomb shows that three of the sides in the above

table are also in the bottom ten for percentage of pressures in their attacking third, or

the opponent’s defensive third.

So, the kind of teams that might be described as having a low block as a function of system

rather than situation defend deep, start their attacks deep, and are more passive the higher

up the pitch they are without the ball.

On the pitch, teams playing this way will look to congest the middle and compress the

space vertically. This means, in effect, that they try to leave as small a gap as possible

between the defensive and the midfield lines, and will often drop the attacking line back

as well.

This makes them hard to attack.

So how do you beat a low block? Given the relative absence of a high press, it’s tough

to draw these teams forwards to leave space in behind. Set-pieces can work, of course,

but they can against any team. It’s worth noting, though, that looking at assists conceded

from set-pieces in the Premier League last year, Burnley, Wolves, and Newcastle, probably

the three most low-block system teams, conceded below average numbers of set-pieces

Having a go from outside the box makes more sense, as the back line has retreated, and

if you can get a shot away – more on this later – it can be effective. Burnley conceded

18.0% of their goals from outside the box, Newcastle 13.8%, and Wolves 7.5% – the average

was 11.9%, so only Wolves bettered that. And all three teams had good goalkeepers last

season.

There are two main ways to score against a low block, though: playing with width and

playing through. The first is easier and can also generate chances for long shots. As low

block teams like to be compact, this can leave space in the wide areas, both close to and

further from the goal line.

There are two ways to exploit this: the first is to break quickly into the wide areas and

look to have runners coming from deeper positions that take defenders by surprise, often from

positions between the two defensive lines.

This has two possible effects. Either the nearside full back stays narrow to protect

the shape, in which case the attacker can get a cross in.

Or the nearside full back goes out to block the cross, which leaves a space somewhere

else. This could be the channel between that full back and the nearside centre back, which

can then be attacked.

Or it could be on the far side of the pitch. As the defensive line moves horizontally across

to maintain spacing, this can allow for players on the far-side to enter the box unmarked.

A cross pulled into the centre and then quickly played out, or half-cleared to an opponent,

can then find a player in space to attack the far side.

This can also be achieved by quick switches of play. Liverpool excel at this, as do Bayern

Munich – stacking one side of the pitch against a low block, drawing the opposition

over, and then hitting a switch pass that finds the open far side, attacking it at pace.

Playing through is harder and requires technical players who can find space between the lines

and achieve quick interchanges. Again, movement is key. You need players arriving at pace

into the danger area, even if part of the passing move is one static player who receives

and passes on. Finding space between the lines is hard, and so players have to arrive between

the lines as the ball does, then burst beyond, before they can be closed down.

Both of the above situations can also generate chances to shoot from distance – a player

arriving at pace can shoot from in front of the last line of defence, which can obscure

a keeper’s view – and players who are found in wide areas can have shooting opportunities

cutting quickly inside, as the defence try and scramble back across. Again, this can

pose issues for keepers with deflections or an obscured field of vision.

It is definitely possible to score against teams playing low block systems – Lecce,

one of the teams mentioned above, had the worst goals conceded record in Europe’s

top five leagues last year [2.24 per 90]. Being hard to break down is an alternative

to trying to attack when you don’t have the quality, and this can also extend to the

defence. But it’s a conundrum faced by better side regularly – a consequence perhaps of

the financial disparities within the game - and that’s why these sorts of attacking

moves have become increasingly common.