Using A Low Block To Structure A Counter-Attack – Training Analysis

This tactical analysis highlights some practices that would allow your team to understand how to counter-attack quickly through a low block.

In previous coaching articles we have provided an analysis of coaching the key football tactics of defending in a low block.

This session would build nicely on this topic, allowing them to understand how this tactic can be used to prevent goals and also create them.

This article merely outlines examples of practices that could be used and doesn’t suggest copying and pasting these ideas, for they may not suit your game model, players, or age level.

However, hopefully, it can prompt some thought and even spurn similar ideas based on these examples.

Part 1

Generally, in these articles, I suggest one practice. However, I had two ideas and wanted to share both as alternatives or even compliments of one another.

Firstly, we want our players to understand the importance of playing forward quickly and accurately in these moments, allowing them to progress the ball forward securely.

Whilst there can be a temptation to hit the long pass, and we don’t necessarily want to discourage this approach strictly, we do want our players to understand that the ball can be moved forward almost as quickly, but certainly more securely, through sequences of quick forward passes.

David Moyes’ West Ham side has used this tactic to great effect with some of their goals from counter-attacks this season, and they are an excellent team to watch for real-life examples.

Throughout these practices, players should be encouraged to play firm passes and make quick decisions in possession.

They should be encouraged to scan before receiving, which will support quick decision-making and fast, short passes.

They should be asked to receive on whichever foot allows them to play quickest in that momentum.

Attacking players should be prompted to anticipate possession turnovers and begin to push forward in transition before the defending team can react.

They should also be asked about the benefit of changing the point of attack when countering.

Playing down the same side of the pitch where possession has been won is likely to give the defending team a greater chance of being successful in the counter-press.

A positional game, particularly one with a simple structure that the players are familiar with, is a good way to introduce this initially.

This practice will be slightly different from a standard transitional positional game in which the attackers and defenders essentially swap positions in transition.

As the image below shows, there are no end neutral players, but instead two goals.

However, we do have two neutral players in the centre of the pitch, which gives the in-possession side a 6v4 overload.

The possession team will look to combine passes, and can be given a pass target to reach in order to score a goal.

We do want to force turnovers to bring out our coaching points, so we force our possession team to play the ball inside and not use simple passes down the line to their teammate on the same side of the grid as them.

As possession is turned over, the defending team will look to find a neutral player, receive a pass close to them, representing a third-man run, and finish in one of the mini-goals.