Arne Slot about attacking strategies
Depth without the ball and cutback cross as main weapons
Arne Slot is Liverpool FC's new manager. Marco van der Heide interviewed him for the Dutch soccer coaches magazine De Voetbaltrainer when Slot was still coach at Cambuur Leeuwarden. Many coaches see the high cross from the flank as one of the most important attacking strategies in the hunt for goals. Arne Slot does not belong to that group. In fact, he sees the cross through the air as a particularly ineffective means of scoring. Football through the centre of the field, combined with many runs in depth, form the core of his football vision. “I would rather have four players go deep at the same time than no one at all.”
How did your football vision come about?
Arne Slot: “The fundament is laid in my time as a player (from PEC Zwolle, Sparta Rotterdam and NAC Breda, ed.). I was neither strong nor fast, so I had to be smart, especially tactically. How I make myself playable? Who can I reach once I have the ball? I was constantly thinking ahead. In addition, I have been watching an incredible amount of football for years, always in an analytical manner. At a certain point you discover certain structures: game elements that are applied structurally and produce results. I have taken over things from all kinds of different teams, often at top level, and added them to my own vision. You always adjust that vision slightly at a detailed level, for example by regularly exchanging ideas with fellow trainers, such as Marcel Keizer, Hennie Spijkerman and Pepijn Lijnders. Ultimately, the trick is to make your vision, which is never 'finished' and always continues to develop, trainable on the field. It's about making the complex things you want to see very simple for the players. So you are constantly trying to simplify game elements.”
Game principles
Arne Slot: “What helps enormously in simplifying your game vision is working with game principles. They offer a lot of support. Thus, players are not dependent on a certain game system against another game system, but are given general guidelines that apply in every situation are applicable. I don't believe in a certain ideal formation. The formation you choose depends heavily on the players you have at your disposal. By working from game principles instead of a fixed game system, you as a trainer never have to abandon your beliefs when working with players with different qualities. The game principles always form your basis. Once the players understand them, they can apply the principles in different formations.
The big advantage of game principles is that we know them as a team and therefore continuously know what will happen. Opponents quickly catch on which formation you play, but the ideas behind your way of playing are more difficult to understand. Our players know what choices we want and that gives you a big advantage in the field. By the way, that is very different from the fact that the ball has to go from A to B to C for me. The game principles guide our game intentions, but not the manner in which we play. For example, one game principle is: 'If the ball is on the side, it must return to the centre'. The whole team knows that and that is the collective idea. How that happens is different every time and that is where the creativity and individual freedom of the players come into play.
I will give an example of a game situation where it is a great advantage that several players know what is going to happen. Already during my time at Zwolle we played the following pattern (image 1): the right back plays into the right half with a slow ball.
The right winger recognizes this and sprints into the depth 'with a run-up'. The right half launches him. The left winger already knows what is going to happen and runs deep when the ball is on its way to the right half, in order to have an advantage when the ball is played into the box. He can then walk right in. This is not an example of one fixed game principle, but the advantage you have when you, as a team, know what is going to happen. Raymond Verheijen states that communication between players is of the highest order and I agree with that. The most important task for a trainer is to improve the interaction and mutual communication between players.”
Chaos
Arne Slot: “What I have noticed in twenty years of professional football is that many trainers pay a lot of attention to the way the opponent applies pressure. They do that with the 9 and the 10, or with the three attackers? But those moments only occur sporadically in the match; excessive time is spent on it in teamtalks. Football is chaos because there are constant transition moments. In the field, players will never know exactly where they are on the imaginable coach board with magnets.
What I do before a match is add one or two accents based on the players I have available. I mainly look at which players fit together and how their individual qualities can compare with each other. A good passer and a player who goes deep without the ball, for example. We then briefly go through where the spaces are likely to fall and how we can take advantage of them. Furthermore, we rely on our own way of playing, on our own playing principles.”
You indicate that you are not a fan of the high cross from the flank. What attacking strategies do you use to score?
Arne Slot: “In general, I'm going uses four very effective ways to score:
- depth in behind the defensive line of the opponent; (attacking)
- the cutback cross; (attacking)
- standard situations; (set plays)
- and the switch from defense to attack. (transitions)
Of course there are other roads that lead to Rome, but in my opinion, they are much less effective. The above four ways form the starting point for the style of play that I strive for. Since the focus of this article is on the attacking team function, we discuss depth in behind the defensive line of the opponent and the cutback cross.
The game principles are aimed at scoring in these two ways. when we are in possession of the ball. Ultimately, everything I ask of my players comes together in one simple basic rule: 'The ball must go into space.' By this I do not mean the place on the field where there is the most space, but where we can make the most benefit from it."
Into space
Arne Slot: “The best zone which we can pass to someone is the scoring zone: the space between the goalkeeper and the defenders (image 2).
That is always the first option for my players. But that zone is often difficult to reach, especially if the opponent is grouped behind the ball. This means that we shift our focus to opportunities in the hot zone: the space between the defense and the opponent's midfield, between the two sixteen-meter areas. Almost every successful attack goes through that hot zone. By the way, I'm not a fan of that term, but I haven't come across a better name so far. If there is no space there either, then possession of the ball in the half-spaces is a good alternative. If the ball is on the side, it must be returned to the axis as quickly as possible. I therefore do not distinguish between 'own half' and 'opponent's half', but 'the ball is in the centre' and 'the ball is on the side'. If the ball is already in the axis, we keep it there where possible. If the ball is on the side, we as a team ensure that we move the ball back to the axis. We specifically look for the hot zone on the opposite side.”
Hotzone Far-side
If the ball is on the side, for example at the back, there is often space in the shaded zone in Figure 3. The opponent tilts, often occupies the hot zone in the middle and on the ball side and leaves space on the opposite side just free space. When the ball is with the back, the entire team knows that we are looking to play to free people in that zone. That gives a lot of guidance to our game intentions.
In your opinion, what is the biggest disadvantage of high balls from the side?
Arne Slot: “High crosses rarely arrive, and if an opportunity does arise, it is often in the middle of a physical duel with an opponent. Finishing the ball through the air with your head or foot is very difficult. It is not without reason that only one in seventy to eighty crosses results directly in a goal. The high cross is a very inefficient means of scoring. Definitely crosses from the back, who swings the ball towards the crowded penalty area with an early cross. A ball like that is really out of the question for me.
There are of course exceptions to the 'ban' on crosses. If you have a great header like Luuk de Jong and a player with a hard-hitting, accurate cross like Jetro Willems, the cross suddenly becomes a lot more effective. But without the specific quality For such players, I am convinced that giving a high cross is not a good attacking strategy. The play of Atlético Madrid supports my view. They force the opponents to make many crosses with their field occupation, which is extremely focused on keeping the axis of the field closed. For years they have been very few goals conceded for a long time.
There is also an exception to the 'ban' on crosses. When an opponent is extremely focused on closing the centre, and hardly steps out to the side to prevent a cross, it is very difficult to get through the centre and you are almost forced to to give crosses. That's what we do. I don't believe that those balls are often suddenly headed or shot. But by capturing the second ball, the opponent is sometimes still disorganized. From that chaos we can then create opportunities.
I often talk to my players about the effectiveness of crosses. For example, I often show them images of matches in which we lose the ball when such a ball is given. If a header from a cross goes in, they have the most fun. “See, trainer.” But eventually they realize that these are just incidents. If we get the ball back to the centre, we have a much better chance of scoring a goal. My players are also learning to understand this better and better. And they see that our way of playing works. That belief gives an enormous boost to the execution of our way of playing.” “First of all, the ball is often given from closer to the goal, so the opponent has less time to react to it. But more importantly: a cutback cross that arrives has a much greater chance of a goal than an attempt at goal from a high cross. A player can run into a pulled ball and use the speed of the pass to shoot. An opportunity from a returned cross relatively often leads to a goal, provided the ball is passed over the ground without bounce.
What you almost always see is that defenders run into the goalmouth when the cross comes. That is a natural reflex: they want to stay between the attackers and the goal. Atlético Madrid has found a solution for this: their two controlling midfielders take away the space for the cutback cross. Barcelona scores incessantly from cutback crosses, but rarely if ever against Atlético Madrid. Many teams do have that space for the cutback ball. Then it comes down to the quality of the pass and the shot.
The occupancy in front of the goal is especially important. I never give my players fixed assignments, in the sense of: the striker runs to the first post, the winger to the second post and the attacking midfielder arrives at the penalty spot. Every situation is different and players must anticipate this. With such well-defined assignments you deprive players of their much-needed freedom. But there must always be an occupation to score from a returned ball. Players must of course look at each other, because if three of you arrive at the penalty spot, only one opponent needs to realize the running action and all three of you are covered.”
You indicate that you are a big fan of depth without the ball, or people running behind the opponent's last line.
Arne Slot: “It's a very effective way to create danger. Especially if the starting point, direction and timing of the runs in depth are in order. We train a lot on it and I give players clear guidelines on how to go deep.
One of the most important instructions I give is that the draft should always be 'with run-up'. I don't want a player to be standing right on the edge of offside, with his hand pointing into the depths. In that case, you can only start running when the ball is already on its way, otherwise you will be offside. So you still have to get up to speed and you can't get a lead. Moreover, the defenders are not surprised by your running action, because the player who goes deep has contact with the passer first. The defenders see this too, because the passer looks in their direction. An additional advantage of the depth running action with run-up is that a fellow player registers your running action better if you start a full sprint. If the pass comes at the right time, you cannot be traced (image 4).
In addition, it is important that you go deep outside the opponent's field of vision. If you walk past him, he sees you and can also sprint or catch you with physical contact. If you walk away from his field of vision, he will lose you.
In addition, the moment is crucial: as a deep player you should start running if you expect that the 'run-up' you take will give your fellow player on the ball enough time to receive the ball and play deep. There may be some margin in this: your fellow player does not have to send the pass exactly at the intersection with the offside line.
Two meters for that is also fine, because you are at full speed. As a deep player, you must therefore estimate how much time your fellow player needs to receive and pass the ball. He must always walk towards the goal and not towards the back line. So it often runs in an oblique line.
The player with the ball then estimates where exactly he should put the ball. That's quite an art, but if you succeed, you immediately create a great opportunity. A rule of thumb is that it is better for the ball to be a little too hard than too soft, otherwise the defender can intercept the ball and launch a counter. Are you further from the goal? Then better give a 'no risk pass' with a bounce if you want. But close to the goal the ball must be in perfect flow and given when the attacker reaches the intersection with the offside line. You often see this at FC Barcelona, against an opponent who drops far: those balls are delivered at exactly the right speed in the right direction. Barcelona is the master of playing depth: there are players constantly on the move.”
What are the ideal game situations to make such a deep run?
Arne Slot: “In general: a fellow player must have time and space to make the pass and the distance between the runner and the passer must not be too great. If the player on the ball is under pressure, there is little point in running. The same applies if the distance from passer to receiver is fifty to sixty meters.
In addition, there are a number of situations in which I always want players to go deep. If the ball is on the left wing and a player is played in the left half-space, there must always be depth on the right (image 5).
Provided, of course, that there is time and space for the pass and the distance to the receiver is not too great. It doesn't matter which player goes deep. Sometimes the right winger, as in the drawing, other times the right winger half. If we move the ball over the ground to the right side, the back will run for the overlap.
If we release someone into the hot zone facing the goal, at least two players must always go deep (image 6).
First of all, a player on the opposite side. If the ball is slightly right of center, that means depth on the left. In addition, I want to see the striker make the Luis Suárez run: between both centre-backs, in the back of the central defender on the ball side. This way the striker can get the ball towards the goal.
By the way, as a midfielder or winger you shouldn't just go deep, because then you become very predictable. Suppose the right half is lurking in depth when the left half has the ball, and the opponent's number 4 looks straight into his eyes. Then there is little point in going, because then you will be easily taken care of. In that case, you can, for example, choose to play in midfield. If you go deep and don't receive the ball, I always expect you to get back into the hot zone. There you can become playable again or go deep again with a run-up.
A third fixed situation in which I always want to see depth goes as follows. The ball is on the side, let's say at the right front. He looks for the axis by playing in a midfielder. He turns open and moves the play to the left, with a pass to the left front, who has come slightly inside. That is always the moment for the left back to make the overlap (image 7) and go deep. It is important that he already recognizes that the game is being moved, so that he can start walking.
A training exercize that fits well with this is a 7:6 + goalkeeper, which contains a number of fixed features (picture 8a). We start at the number 8, who plays to number 11 (the left winger). At that point the right fullback of the opponent moves up (press) and helps the right midfielder. Our 8 drops out and gets the ball back. At that moment the opponent's right center back steps out, because otherwise our 8 can continue towards the goal. He then has three choices, depending on what the opponent does.
Do you want to read more of this article? Please get in contact with De Voetbaltrainer (the Dutch soccer coaches' magazine) by e-mail redactie@devoetbaltrainer.nl, . In the rest of the article Arne Slot tells more about the hotzone, the optimal occupation in front of the goal, variation of the exercizes, his video library.
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