Tactical Theory: Three methods for penalty box entries and how to train them – tactical analysis

In our October Total Football Analysis magazine, we released an article on the Creighton University men’s soccer team and the data analytics in place at the NCAA school.

The full analysis is available here, but two metrics we covered in our interview were field tilt and xG per shot. After each match, the staff tracks those KPIs for the performance report and reviews the results with the players.

Presenting the statistics is one thing, but using the data as a teaching tool is the secret sauce. The stats aren’t presented as a simple means of evaluating performance. They’re viewed as tools to understand the game and ascribe value to specific actions and responses. That counterpressing instinct…PPDA tracks the response in defensive transition, but emphasising the stat expresses an intention, a way of understanding and approaching the game.

Taking a cue from that article, this tactical analysis focuses on box entries. Each section will start with in-game tactics and then progress to training ground implementation. We’ll discuss different methods of entering the box against organised defences and how to train those ideas. Whether from wide or centrally, we want to teach the players how to keep opponents off balance by creating multiple forms of box entry from a single setup.

Let’s start this tactical theory piece with box entries through the centre of the pitch.

Central overloads 

Central box entries generate high-quality goal-scoring opportunities for both the most dangerous path forward and the most difficult to construct. Through passes and balls over the top are ways to get behind the backline, but we’re going to limit our focus to a more structured opposition that is prepared to defend in the defensive third.

Since we’re investigating how to attack an organised opponent defending in a low block, we want to identify the best practices for engagement for the attacking team. While there is no single way to approach box entry, we want to identify critical tactical principles that create opportunities to attack through Zone 14.

The way a team sets up will influence how they approach Zone 14 entries. A back three often corresponds to a single wingback or wide midfielder in each wing. That central concentration of the remaining eight field players creates tightly connected networks for central progression. When opponents become unbalanced centrally, an in-out-in pattern will move the opposition from the central channel into the wings, creating passing lanes to move them centrally once again, ideally with a better numeric situation.

The key here is that the central players understand the objective of the pass into the wings and how it relates to the next objective in possession. As the ball is pushed wide, some numbers are needed in support of the winger. As those players and the opponent move into the wings, shifting their block, the attackers who remain central must create outlets to play back inside and position themselves to quickly progress while the opponent is unbalanced in recovering from a broken press.

River Plate shows us the way forward. Compare the area occupied by the Racing press to the distribution of River Plate players. Some support was available in the wings, but there was a clear intention to move the ball into Zone 14 and attack the box from a central location.

One other note is the commitment of the players to push into high, central positions. The numbers are of the utmost importance. They enable the quick combination play that commits Racing’s deepest players near the ball. It’s sheer chaos for the backline and supporting midfielders.