Tactics – Counter Attack
Depending on the scoreline during a match and on a team’s defensive capabilities, a team may be in the position to sit back, allow their opponent to attack, and wait for an opening for their quick players to exploit on the “counter attack”. The aim of this football tactic is to break away with the ball when the opponent is committed to an attack and take advantage of the opponent’s temporarily weakened defensive formation.
When a team is committed to an attack, especially if they are chasing a result, their defenders may be further up the field then usual. This attacking positioning of defenders may leave room to be exploited by quick opposition attackers on the counter attack. A team that likes to play on the counter attack usually leaves one or two strikers near the halfway line to wait for any long or through balls that they can run on to and catch their opponent off-guard.
Speed and speed of thought is essential in counter attacking football as opportunities are gained and lost within seconds if a defending team manages to reorganize their defense. Defenders and midfielders must be able to play the perfect pass within a few seconds to employ their team’s quick striker further up the field before the opponent has had a chance to track back and reorganize.
Consistent counter attacking tactics are usually deployed by visiting teams who lack the support of their home crowd or teams who otherwise feel inferior to their opposition as this style of football allows the team to not commit unnecessary risk in their quest for goals. Counter attacks in general however are utilized by all teams whenever the opposition defense pushes high up the field and loses the ball. Manchester United and Liverpool are high profile teams that have fully mastered counter attacking as a tactic and demonstrate its efficiency frequently.
Coaches wishing to teach their team the skill of counter attacking in order to use it in matches should work on a few things including:
1. Play long balls behind defenders in training sessions to allow strikers to run on to and attempt to score. Defenders and midfielders should work on their passing skills as passing accuracy plays a big role in the success of a counter attack.
2. Players, both attackers and defenders, should work on their speed. Attackers must be quick as a through or long ball behind the defense will go to waste if the attacker is not quick enough to capitalize on the chance. Defenders can use their speed to catch up to and thwart a counter attack.
3. When positioning to defend or attack set pieces like free kicks and corners, players (defenders and attackers) should be aware of their opponent’s formation. Attackers should look to exploit the space left by the opposition defenders that have gone up to attack the set piece. If attacking the set piece, defenders should be aware that they cannot leave too much space for their opponents to use in any eventual counter attack.
Counter attacking is a highly efficient tactic that teams turn to when looking to win matches without compromising their defense. Modern football especially has seen this type of football played by more teams as the financial costs of defeat put more pressure on coaches.
