Elevate Your Soccer IQ

When the opposition CB or CDM has the ball and space, often they’re going to look for a long ball over the defense for their striker to run on to. Here’s how to prevent that ball from coming in.

The truth is it’s hard to see elite defending from CBs because their opponents are trying to take advantage of their mistakes. If the CBs are doing their job, the CM with the ball is going to drop it or switch fields. This is great defending.

Getting the right positioning and not letting them win the ball at the same time. No need to worry about clearing it until after you make sure they aren’t going to get a clean header.

Two common things CAMs can do to be consistently great: finding the pocket between the CBs and the the CDM, then play empathetically so that your teammate has an easy pass to get you the ball. Do those two things consistently and the other team is going to have a tough time containing you.

When you have the ball, the first man is the one passing it. The second man is the one receiving it. The third man is the outlet to the teammate receiving the pass. Making the run as the third man creates so many opportunities and drives defenses crazy.

CMs have a lot of responsibility in the middle of the park — they have to be able to support their teammates and be an outlet. Here’s a great example of a CM in the middle of their decision-making process and helping his teammates every step of the way.

Look at how the CM and RW combine for this play. The CM takes space, the RW looks for the ball behind the defense, and a small feint of a pass unbalances the defense for a perfect throughball.

Controlling your emotions is one of the most important aspects of the game. When your emotions control you, it hurts your team.

Sometimes refs miss calls, sometimes they don’t but you think they did. Keep playing and be careful about picking fights with the ref.

Does it feel like your team isn’t passing you the ball enough? Time to go get it yourself and create your own chances.

If a defender sees you, as a CAM, making a run, they are going to think you are looking for a footrace with them. This creates a lot of space behind you. See how it works in this play.

As a CAM, you should do this all day: create a pocket, pass the ball to your striker (or winger), then make a run. If you do this again and again, you’re going to get a lot of G+A in every game.

On offense you want to create space (whereas on defense you want to shrink space). This is a great chance created by the winger pinching into the middle of the field and playing as a CM to create a great chance on goal.

When resetting the attack, we commonly expect to switch fields to the weak side as that’s where the space is. But a well timed (meaning after the defense has started switching sides) line-breaking pass back to the strong side leads to some great goal scoring opportunities.

‘Stand them up’ is often the best 1 v 1 defense. You don’t have to win the ball, just don’t let them by you to create a good chance. Textbook examples that will kill the other team’s opportunities every time.

It’s a simple movement — when you as the CAM receive the ball, cutting in front of the CDM chasing you down creates a lot of space to work with. But this play doesn’t stop there.

Wingers and Outside Backs love the cutback cross as it’s hard to defend. A good defensive midfielder can neutralize it — they just have to anticipate the play a few seconds before the ball is played.

A soccer field is large, and good defenders will do everything they can to make it smaller. As an Attacking Mid, your job is to find the pocket of space the defenders create and use it to your advantage.

A well timed move by a CDM can take pressure off of the OB and the CB at the same time, allowing them to focus on a single threat rather than multiple, and stop an attack in its tracks.

CDMs don’t need to be fancy — what they need is good positioning. Here’s a great example of one of the best CDMs to play in MLS and how he moved off the ball quickly and smoothly to ensure there was no chance of a counterattack.

This is the kind of work that coaches love.

As a CM, receiving the ball while shielding it from the defender and turning upfield is one of the most effective turns you can learn.

See one of the best all time at it in action and learn to make this instinctual. You’ll drive every coach your team plays against mad if you do.

Pushing forward as a DM is a good way to overload the other team…but it leaves you open for a strong counterattack. Tracking back to fill in space is one of the most important runs a DM will make in a game.

Legendary Liverpool coach Bill Shankly once said, “If you're not sure what to do with the ball, just pop it in the net and we'll discuss your options afterwards.”

Sometimes, as players, we overcomplicate things. Sometimes, just committing to crash the box is the right move.

Center Mids are constantly operating with little to no space. Finding a way to switch fields keeps the defense pinned back, creating more space to work with for the rest of the game.

When defending, focus on shrinking space — if you are going to press, you create space behind you.

When your team has the ball, you want to create space. And there’s often space between the last defender and the keeper. Here’s how to use it.

The best strikers just now how to score. Sometimes that inolves poaching, sometimes they have to create the chance from midfield.

This is how you get involved in the buildup as a striker.

When your partner CB is goalside, it’s your job to be in line with them. It’s the easiest way to close down space in front of the goal and helps to defend against the early cross.

When trying to score a goal, timing is everything. It’s not always a full out sprint as you want to be in the right place at the right time — too early or too late and the goalscoring opportunity is usually gone. Here’s how to adjust.

When your team has the ball and time to look up and see the space, check in then go.