Defenders Stepping Into Midfield When In Possession

Defenders stepping into midfield with the ball:

Using Metrica Sports as a telestration tool to highlight how Manchester City are coached to free up space in between lines. This point is especially poignant when most teams set up in a low-mid block against them. Manchester City must find ways to disrupt an often rigid, deep-lying and unadventurous block.

They've got an abundance of players who are creative in half-spaces. To utilise them, City uses their defender's ball-playing abilities to start the attack by stepping into midfield in the hope to draw an opposition Midfielder out of their block, freeing up space in between the opposition midfield and defensive lines for their creative players to receive it on the half-turn. This works because at some point the defending team must engage the dribbler, in the process concentrating on defending that 1v1 situation. No player has got eyes in the back of their head therefore when the concentration is on the ball carrier it gives the creative midfield players behind the midfield lines to find space out of the shadow press to receive the ball. To then try and commit one or more of the defenders from the defensive line in order to play a key pass, assist or shoot.

As you can see by Laporte's reaction to Foden closing Dias's space this is a tactic and a pattern of play that is expected from Guardiola's men, rather than a coincidence. This is a tactic I try and employ in with my own team. As you can see by this brief video:

Coaching Points:

- Before receiving the ball check your shoulders to see if there is space to step into.

- Step at pace with positive first touch.

- Player in possession must be composed and patient for the movement in front of him to be carried out.

- Teammates must not close the space for the player to step into.

- Just before the player has engaged a defender, team mates must create angles for the player travelling with the ball to pass forward to outside of the shadow of the opponent who has engaged the player in possession. As well as an angle for the player to recycle the ball to if nothing is on, with defensive cover of the vacated space offered in case the player in possession turns it over.

Thanks for reading, this is just an example of how coaching points can be enhanced through best practice video's through the performance analyst workload. This post is solely my opinion and is not connected to any club or organisation.