Tactical theory: Coaching half-space combinations to enhance your chance creation – tactical analysis

Deriving from the German word “Halbraum,” half-space is the vertical zone between the central and wide areas. It has entered the football lexicon and become a widely used term for what was once referred to as the “inside channel.” It is an area of the pitch not quite as crowded as the central area and not as far from the goal as the wide area, making it a key zone from which to create goalscoring opportunities.

As will be analyzed in this tactical theory, it is an area that is very hard for defenders to mark in and allows the receiving player to play in multiple directions. The half-space is often targeted by the likes of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal and Brendan Rodgers’s Celtic in the attacking phase. Examples of tactics from Rodger’s double-winning team will be provided in this tactical analysis. This analysis also offers coaches examples of how they can implement these tactics into their training sessions. A crossing and finishing exercise, a small-sided game and patterns of play are included. These are designed to enhance penalty box entries and goalscoring opportunities from this zone.

This analysis will focus on movements in the half-space in the final third just outside the 18-yard box, highlighted in red in the tactical diagram, on either side of zone 14. This tactical theory will be based on teams using a 4-3-3 formation. The focus of the analysis is on the movements and combinations that allow players to receive the ball here, in between the lines, and create penalty box entries.

Winger receiving in the half-space