You can always find out how well your football team has performed in a match, whether you win, draw or lose. The result doesn’t really matter. Sometimes a team will win even though the play is poor; at others playing their best may only result in a draw. Worse still, they may end up with a loss despite good play. The final score doesn’t always reveal how the players did, but you can use these three rules for good team play to assess your team’s performance.
The three rules govern communication, support and possession, and they work equally well for attack and defence. The first thing to establish is which team has possession of the ball. When you know that, it’s time to start your analysis.
Possession
When your team has the ball, check to see how they manage to maintain possession. This is very instructive. If a team sends the ball in any direction or always lets the other team gain possession, then that’s not a good sign. Maintaining possession is a key way to control the play, and set the tone and pace of the game. However, possession is not the only thing that’s important.
Penetration is another key factor. When players have possession, they should seek opportunities to create a scoring chance by moving the ball towards the goal. Getting a shot should be the ultimate aim of possession. The only reason to give up possession is to penetrate the defence by dribbling, passing or shooting. In your area and the middle of the pitch, then a team should keep possession.
It’s also important to see what happens if a team loses possession of the ball. Observe how the players try to regain possession, both as individuals and a tam. Check whether the first defender tries to stop the build up of an opposition attach, and check where the other defenders are in relation to the first.
Does the opposition evade your players when they try to tackle? Is there a defender covering the angles? Can your team get runners and close down the play? Can they pressure their opponents so that they have no chance to build an attack?
Once you have seen how your players maintain or win back possession, then you can look at the next two rules.
Three Rules For Good Team Play In Football Part 2
