One can debate many strategies in football.
But there is one thing no football coach will ever doubt: the importance of counter-attacking.
In football, goals can either be scored from a positional attack, from set-piece situations or counter-attacks.
The latter contains some advantages one can benefit from, which will be outlined in the following article.
In this analysis, we will take a closer look at different counter-attacking concepts.
The aim is to reveal the different advantages and disadvantages as well as how the concepts correlate with different types of players.
Why is counter-attacking so successful?
“We [Manchester City] use counter-attacks. It is a strong weapon. The biggest teams use all the weapons they can use.” (Pep Guardiola)
Football is always about space.
The more space one gets in possession, the higher the chances of scoring.
This is what counter-attacks benefit from.
If a team that is providing full width and depth loses the ball, it misses compactness.
Players will have more time on the ball, which increases the probability of correct decision-making.
Football players act differently in and out of possession.
That means every player needs to transition from attacking behaviour to defending right after losing possession.
In the situation below, you can see RB Leipzig winning the ball against Mainz 05.
Whereas Leipzig are ready to counter-attack, Mainz deploy a wide structure and thereby offer space in the centre.
As a result, Leipzig scored through a fast counter-attack.
Quick decision-making is important since the time to penalise the oppositions counter-attack disorganisation is limited.
Whereas in counter-pressing former Ajax coach Peter Bosz spoke about the “five-second rule”, there are several opinions on the time window when a counter-attack should be finished.
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