Why teams use initially offside players at indirect free-kicks – set-piece analysis

Teams defend against indirect free-kicks using many strategies, which are zonal marking in a high line with a late drop, zonal marking in a high line with an early drop, zonal marking in a deep line and a man-marking system.

The use of initial offside players is most common against teams who defend with a high line, especially with a late drop depending more on the offside trap.

In this tactical analysis, we will show that many teams give instructions to a player or more to stand, initially, in offside positions for many reasons, using different tactics. Those players are asked to block defenders from their backs, preventing them from stepping back, which causes gaps in the defending line.

Other teams use those players to receive the second pass or to be targeted by using deceptive runs by other players to break the offside or be the bait to break the offside trap for other players.

Different roles

In the first photo below, Man United use four players in initial-off-side positions: Scott McTominay, Jonny Evans, Rasmus Højlund and Harry Maguire, who stands narrow more inside to force the last defender to get more narrow, leaving more space for Alejandro Garnacho, who comes with his pace from a farther distance.

In the second photo, as the taker moves, Maguire pushes the second last defender, getting more back with the line to be onside, and then he moves forward again as the taker touches the ball, as in the third photo.

In the third photo, Evans and Højlund block the second and third last defenders, preventing them from stepping back, which provides a 2v1 situation against the last defender. At the same time, McTominay stands in an offside position, but for another reason to be onside later receiving the second pass, having a positional superiority against defenders to get first to the ball because of his offside initial position, as shown in the fourth photo.

The last defender is in a 2v1 situation, so he decides to chase Maguire, which makes Højlund free when the ball gets over them, as shown below. Here, we need to note that if the cross was more toward Maguire, it would also be a direct threat because of Maguires initial offside position, which makes him free to go and jump, having a positional superiority against the last defender who comes from Maguires back, so this cross target this area exploiting the 2v1 situation either Maguire or Højlund.

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