Playing out from the back

[Prando]

I’m sure many of us have played the game at various levels. For me, Saturdays Birmingham AFA and Sunday mornings Sutton Sunday League. (1966 onwards) Whatever standard, we understood the game and endeavoured to play to our team/individual strengths.

Within the current tuition, I appreciate short passing and playing out from the back is in vogue. The theory, I understand, is that by inviting pressure, we will be able to create attacking opportunities.

Unfortunately, the invited pressure is causing issues for us and the proposed attacking opportunities are not evident. This practise is playing to our weaknesses not our strengths.

PS When 2-2 in the 80th minute and awarded a free kick, not far from the opposition penalty area, surely the ball will be floated into their goal area ? Not so, a one yard pass followed by another short pass and the inevitable loss of possession.

The unlucky losing deflection was not the sole contributor to our demise.

[boingy]

Its the way a lot of teams play now Prando and I think we have largely done this well. If a team has a high press and is pushing us back I can see that it can be problematic. I think it depends on the team we are playing and on the situation in the game. I get your point though that it can cause problems because we have seen that at every level.

[kettering_baggie]

Yes, good points. Many of us on here have been watching ( and playing) football for more years than we probably care to remember, far longer in many cases than the current crop of managers/coaches, so we understand what we are seeing. We may not have the technical coaching ‘skills’ but we can see what works and what doesn’t. We can also quickly determine whether a player is any good or not. So, in many respects, we can see more than aforementioned managers/coaches, who I feel, sometimes cannot see the wood for the trees. Most seem so determined to play their preferred system, that they seem to overlook the shortcomings of the players at their disposal.

[Prando]

Indeed boings buddy. Though I am not convinced that the team has bought into this strategy - nor does our defence have the necessary ball playing skills to undertake.

[baggiematt]

Playing out is almost becoming mandatory in the modern game. Only a few in the top flight don’t adopt it these days and it’s consumed the top half of the championship too.

It comes with risk but you don’t maintain momentum giving the ball away and it just allows pressure otherwise. The Spanish and German systems of play are now proven to be the best two in this era and both need modern centre halves.

Pieters isn’t shocking on the ball and even O’Shea has improved recently but they were undone yesterday. Watford have 3 fast attackers and it would cause most defenders issues keeping the ball. We’ll have better days at the office.

[saltnshake]

If we don't play out from the back what should we do? Neither Dike or Thomas-Asante are capable of holding the ball long enough to bring other players into the game, also I'm pretty sure we played the same system during our winning run, its far easier to pick faults during poor results the simple fact is apart from probably Wallace everyone has dropped off a few % we have a few injuries and the squad is not good enough so we can't make to many changes, Corberan isn't stupid given time I believe he will get it right.

[DaveP67 is back!]

There is a time and a place, we have conceded too many goals by trying to play out when under a lot of pressure, that’s when you have to play the channels..

[Calgarybaggy]

Playing out from the back requires you to have players who are excellent on the ball and at keeping possession. Otherwise, you get yourself into too many messes. Look at our second goal yesterday - Watford lost possession trying to play out from the back and we scored.

The style these days seems to be possession ball at all costs but you have to have the players that can keep possession. I know managers like Pulis were heavily criticized for their hoof ball and "old fashioned" tactics but I would like to bet his teams rarely got scored on by the back four losing possession in their own half Possession ball is seen as the "attractive way" and the "proper way" of playing but how often do you see a team get a corner or a freekick in an advanced position and yet there is no attempt to play the ball into a dangerous area. Instead the ball gets passed around and eventually gets played back to the goalie, all in the name of keeping possession. How pretty is that? I also think a lot of teams play possession ball to avoid being criticized. That doesn't make any sense to me. I think its far more important to play to your strengths whatever those strengths may be.

I remember helping to coach a team of 12-15 years olds a few years ago and we had players who could score lots of goals but we lost our first five games because every time the ball ended up in our goalie's hands, they tried to play out from the back and the kids never got it past the half way line before the other team swept in and scored. Then i spent one entire practice drilling the team on getting the ball over the half way line as quickly as possible and we won the rest of our games. I know they were hardly pros but the principle is the same.

So whatever you think about Darryl Dike, the kid is a monster of a human being and would terrorize defenses if he were allowed to run onto long balls played over the top. But instead we play this passing possession game, leave him alone up front with little support and wonder why he's not making an impact. If Dike is on the field, stick a supporting player up with him and let him run onto long high balls. If he's not on the field, use a different strategy. Its not fashionable to play like that but its got to be more effective than watching pass after pass after pass after pass and then back to the goalie to start it all again.

Diangana loves to run at players. Put in him into positions where he can do that. Don't put him in a midfield that's perpetually clogged up because that doesnt work for him. Stick him up with Dike and let him run off Dike. Similarly, Grant is never a center forward but he's a decent inside forward. Same with Thomas-Assante - never a center forward in the same mold as Dike but more of a damn useful inside forward. Play them in the style and position that suits them best and let them do their thing. Furlong and Townsend aren't full backs. They are wing backs. Why play them as full backs? If you want full backs, sell those two and replace them with full backs. Would Willie Johnston be the legend he is if he were told never to run at a defender but always to find the safe pass??

I think too many managers have this idea of exactly how they want to play but don't have the right players (and could never afford the right players) so they make their team into square pegs trying to fit into round holes. If it somehow works they are hailed as geniuses but when it inevitably doesn't they are fired.

[Leicesterbaggie]

To my mind, the problem with playing out from the back is that it requires a high degree of technical ability. Having said this I’ve seen quite a few unnecessary goals conceded by players in top sides in the Premier League. There is risk, even at the highest level. I don’t have a problem with us playing this way when the situation lends itself to play the ball in this manner. What does annoy me though is playing short passes in our own area then either losing possession or having to hammer it upfield anyway. As Prando states, why play two or three passes when one will do.

[Prando]

As said in my initial post and as Calgary buddy states more specifically, playing to our individual strengths (and avoiding weaknesses) should be paramount. I consider our defensive players are evidently not comfortable, nor proficient, in constantly playing a short passing game out from the back.
Both Furlong and Townsend, despite shortcomings, are competent on pushing forward up both wings - certainly more competent than repeating short passes between the centre halves and keeper.
Sadly, the ‘modern game’ will dictate otherwise !