You often hear supporters and commentators speak about patterns of play,
philosophies or team systems in football, but what exactly do those terms refer to?
Well, coaches and clubs at most levels have begun implementing what is known as a game model,
which are often based on the 10 phases of play and are used to guide the players actions,
behaviors and decision-making processes during each phase.
The 10 phases of play are broken down into different categories and subcategories.
The 4 main ones are In-possession, out of possession, transitions and set-pieces,
with each one having its own subcategories.
For instance, when a side is in-possession,
the 3 phases are generally based on the location of the ball.
Starting from the back, typically from a goal-kick or when the goalkeeper has the
ball in their hands, the in-possession side starts the build-up phase.
They attempt to break the first line of opposition pressure through various
principles such as always maintaining one player extra in relation to the opposition frontline,
playing with high tempo and few touches, and always attempting to offer both vertical
and lateral support to the ball carrier which increases simple passing options.
Once the first ball has successfully been progressed into the middle third of the pitch,
the team is then considered to be in the PROGRESSION phase.
Once the in-possession side has arrived into the progression phase, they must then look to move
the ball into the final third and by overcoming the opposition block. Typically, this can be
done by playing the ball around, through or over the block. To create these types of situations,
there are some key principles which the team may follow to increase their chances of successfully
progressing the ball, often including maintaining width with one player on each flank to stretch
the opposition laterally, and runs in behind the backline to stretch the block vertically.
Positional rotations can also create space and chaos in the opponent’s defensive shape,
and the creation of triangles in wide areas is also a key for
many sides when attempting to progress the ball.
After the team has built play through the first two thirds of the pitch, the side will now have
established possession in the final third – this phase has various names ranging from creation to
finishing, but the main goal of the phase, of course, is to create scoring opportunities.
In the attacking third of the pitch, many teams will look to overload the opposition backline
by attacking with 5 to 6 players across their attacking line and maintaining balance behind
them with either a 2-3 structure or a 3-2 structure. With 5 players across the frontline,
the team is able to occupy space across the entirety of the pitch.
In addition to this, teams will also attempt to switch the point of attack quickly
to the opposite side, trying to set up 1v1 and 2v1 situations.
For each of the three in-possession phases, there is an out of possession phase that mirrors them.
These are also typically defined by the geographic location on the pitch,
and are most often know as simply, High-block, mid-block and low-block.
When the opposition is attempting to play out from the back, and the side out of possession
attempts to pressure them high up the pitch, they are considered to be defending with a high-block.
Some teams will look to initiate and out-to-in press (forcing the opposition centrally),
while others employ and in-to-out system (forcing the opposition to wide areas of the pitch).
These types of systems are achieved through the use of pressing with a cover shadow
and bending their runs during pressure. Pressing as a unit and playing with a high and aggressive
backline is key to compressing the time and space for the opposition.
Once the initial press has been broken, the defending team will drop their shape back
into a mid-block. In this phase, the backline will continue to stay relatively high and aggressive,
and the block will often attempt to force the play around to the wide areas,
using the sideline as an extra defender.
Minimizing space between the lines becomes more critical while simultaneously shifting side to
side to try to keep numerical superiority around the ball.
The low block is where more examples of emergency defending may occur.
Remaining extremely compact with short distances between each line of players, and players within
each line is vital. Preventing the opposition from carrying or receiving between the lines
will allow for protection of the most dangerous areas in front of goal while also forcing the
opposition into wider areas. However, once they are forced wide towards the end line,
preventing cutbacks and crosses is also an important principle for nearly every side.
While one team is always in possession, and the other team out of possession,
the moments which possession changes from one team to the other is when transitions occur.
The moments of transition are very quick, tending to last between 5-8 seconds.
When a team loses possession, they must choose between a few
key options which are dependent on the current balance of the team.
If players are close to the ball, they are able to quickly
counter-press in attempt to retrieve possession as quickly as possible.
But if the team is unbalanced and there are large distances to the ball, the better option
may be to delay the ball carrier and return to their defensive shape as quickly as possible.
Upon regaining possession of the ball, teams tend to have 2 options.
If the opposition is unbalanced and there is space behind them to attack, the right choice
may be to counterattack quickly towards goal. If not, the better option might be to play the first
pass out of pressure and attempt to establish possession and enter the next phase of play.
Accepted as a phase of play by most, set-pieces are a hugely important
phase of the game though they can often be overlooked. For every attacking set-piece
there is of course a defensive set-piece for the opposition.
These include free-kicks, corner-kicks, penalties, throw-ins and even kick-offs.
And with football becoming increasingly dissected and analyzed,
principles and sub-principles for each phase will only continue to develop.