COACHING SIDES TO PLAY OUT FROM THE BACK PDF

For those of you who have been fans of the beautiful game for a long time, changes in football will be something you’ve seen time and time again. In recent years the change has been around the way in which attacks are started.

These days it isn’t usually a direct ball that teams look to build attacks from, but from the goalkeeper playing through the opponent.

Playing out from the back or build-up play has become a popular approach to the game, with more and more teams looking to have an increased value on possession of the ball.

This means that build-up play has become vitally important and creating strategies to play out from the back has become critical. This trend in our game has been caused by some of the most influential coaches in world football, from Pep Guardiola and his time at Barcelona, to Swansea City in the Premier League and Ajax in Holland.

The influence has now spread throughout the game, with sides looking to encourage the opponent to press and breakthrough the pressure via building out from the back.

This method does come with increased risks and changing demand from players. Players are now required to be more comfortable with possession of the ball in all positions. This technical demand is not the only increased demand created by this type of play.

The defensive players must be more tactically aware of the opponent's press, the opponent's vulnerabilities and the tactical opportunities within the game. However, there must be a clear plan when a side looks to play out from the back. It provides a huge opportunity to find success and a huge opportunity to give away possession and concede. You as a coach must be clear on the formation you are playing, what that looks like when you build up and what challenges you might be exposed to.

The further you can understand these elements, the better opportunity you must stay on the ball and find success.