A modern football team doesn’t just stick to one way of playing. Depending on the position on the pitch and the circumstances it might change to adapt to its environment. The best tactical coaches in the world set up plans in each phase to maximise their teams chances of succeeding. How do we differentiate each phase and which importance does each hold?
The first phase
In general, three of the four phases represent a third of the football pitch. So the first phase would be the third closest to your own goal. That’s why it’s often referred to as the ‘Build-Up Phase‘. The build-up often starts from a goal-kick and the team in possession can decide whether to play over the first third, by going long, or to play through the thirds by choosing a more traditional possession-based football.
The latter often starts with two centre backs staying very deep next to the goalkeeper to start the play with the goal kick. This ensures enough options to pass to at the beginning, as the opponent – if the decide to press high – starts outside the penalty box, whereas the defenders can start inside. The other players position themselves to their manager’s preference. Often you see the full backs staying very wide and deep to offer an outlet for the centre backs. Alternatively, one or even both can move into midfield to offer an extra man and ease the progression into the second phase. The goal of the first phase is to overplay the opponent’s press and move the team in possession forward.
An essential part to any first phase is to offer overloads. There should always be a numerical advantage which offers the player on the ball a free man to pass to. Also, to ease any progression of the ball there have to always be options vertically and laterally to pass to.
The second phase
The second phase is all about progression. We successfully managed to overplay the opposition’s press and now find ourselves in the middle third. Typically the opposition is less engaging in these moments so how do move the ball into the final third? The use of wide areas, rotations and block manipulation.
What is block manipulation?
Block manipulation is the technique of disrupting the defensive shape of the opposition through strategic movement, positioning, and passing to create space for attacking opportunities. It involves drawing defenders out of position, creating overloads, and using quick passing or positional rotations to break down the defensive block.
Especially maintaining the width is crucial in this phase of play. If the wingers stay wide, the opposition full backs will have to mark them, opening up more space in the middle to exploit. Alternatively, they stay narrow to maintain a compact block which leaves the wide players with more space.
Talking about block manipulation, any movement by any player can create gaps. Whether that is a striker dropping deep, dragging a centre back with him, or any lateral movements which can disrupt the opposition’s shape and open up passing lanes. There is also the possibility of making runs in behind to push the back line back, as they track the runners, which stretches the defensive block as a whole.
The main goal of the second phase is to progress the ball into the final third. The most effective way of accomplishing that is by disrupting the opposition’s shape which creates gaps to pass or run into.
The third phase
If a team arrives into the third phase, it means they have either played over or through the first two thirds and now find themselves in the final third with the objective to turn a good field position into a goal. The opposition, if not for a counter attack, are positioned in a low block, close to their own goal. One good individual action can lead to a goal in this position. It is the phase a coach has the least influence in as it’s mostly down to individual brilliance.
This doesn’t mean that a manager isn’t influental at all. An often used tactical instruction is the creation of overloads. Good players can spot potential 2v1 or 3v2 situations and can force them with good off-the-ball movement. It can also be instructed by the manager. Pep Guardiola is a big fan of underlaps. So when the winger receives the ball a more central midfielder would run in between the oppositions’ full back and centre back to receive the ball in behind the back line.
With all the excitement of finally being close to goal and being able to let individual brilliance shine, you can’t neglect the defence. At any moment when you lose the ball, you must have a good rest defence. So that any counter of the opposition can be defended.
The fourth phase
This phase doesn’t represent a third on the pitch, it’s rather the quick movement in between all phases. It’s often referred to as the ‘Transition phase’. It can be applied to both teams in and out of possession and occurs when there is a change in possession. It’s often a moment of chaos because the attacking team is set up to maximise their chances on the ball and there are often gaps to be found.
If a team just lost possession, their reaction is often determined by their identity. Do they want to win it back as quickly as possible (Gegenpress / counter pressing) or are they happy to drop deep? Of course, it’s not always black or white for each team. It is dependant on the number of players they have close to the ball or even the scoreline. A losing team will want to win the ball back more urgently.
The opposite scenario is also influenced by their playing philosophy. Do they want to capitalise on the opposition being uncoordinated and counter or do they want to recycle the ball and regain control of the match?
