UNDERSTANDING TACTICS OF YOUR TEAM GAME MODEL

Primary circulation points of the ball

When you set up your "team" Game Model, utilizing The WSA Way "club" Game Model, you'll be directed to set a focus on "ball mastery" and "ball-centricism".    In other words a WSA team carrying out the club Mission on the field will try to do so with the ball.  This is The WSA Way of respecting aspects of the game we value:  "SKILL", "AMBITION", "TEAMWORK", "CREATIVITY", "SPIRIT".   "The ball is always ours" is a concept in ideal form that we strive for. 

As the coach you will also be able to determine at 9v9 and 11v11 which part of your team might execute the majority of the ball "control" or "circulation".    The primary patterns of your team might be directed by you, or they might evolve such that you begin to understand the best patterns of play for your team's success. 

In either case, ball circulation is not usually an "equal opportunity" scenario. 

While many factors can impact a team's game model on match day: The Opponent, The Purpose of the Match, The Weather, The Fitness of the Team, The Surface, Travel, etc.. etc... etc...  The Quintessential, The "Meta Principle of the Divine Proportion" is what ultimately drives a team's Game Model and certainly primary patterns, and primary ball circulation:  THE PLAYERS. 

3 EXAMPLES OF PRIMARY BALL CIRCULATION AS IT RELATES TO 3 UNIQUE TEAM GAME MODELS ARE BELOW 

INVERTED FULLBACKS or NARROW WINGERS:

INVERTED FULLBACKS or NARROW WINGERS:

One particular team having an abundance of gifted  "midfielders" and few outright forwards, wingbacks, or wingers, created a game model that allowed "wingbacks" to "invert" in the team's "phase III" (midfield) play to create numerical superiority in the center channels.  

The primary ball circulation would often occur between the 3-6-10-11 (Left Back, Holding Mid, Center Attacking Mid, and Left Forward).

The narrow position of the Left Back and Left Forward (in the team's 4231 attacking formation) would provide a numbers advantage, and the giftedness of the players, passing, receiving, vision, skill, and final balls, was accentuated.  

While the 3-6-10-11 primary ball circulation was "unorthodox" it fit the schematic of the team, to control the game w/ the ball, and the player traits, by drawing in players skilled with the ball into positions where opponents were often outnumbered.  The advantage conferred was that the 3 and 11 were often "undefended".   The 3 could "underlap" while the 11 played in the "half space" or "shallow channel". 

This methodology prohibited the team from attacking wide as much, and required cover into wide channels by the CBs.  

However, because the team determined that the 3-6-10-11 combo of primary ball circulation would be relied on to transition the team from phase II (build out) to phase IV (final attack) the phase III (consolidation phase" dominated the team's schematic with the team's players most adept at passing, receiving, sight and vision, and final balls.  

THE GK-CB-6 CIRCULATION:

THE GK-CB-6 CIRCULATION:

Another team set up to focus on circulating the ball between the team's GK-CBs-HM (1-4-5-6). 

This was an important trait of the team which possessed midfielders more inclined to "attack" and utilized speed, power or dribbling to advance the team into the phase IV (attacking phase) of play. 

The coach directed this primary ball circulation to ensure the team's most composed and gifted ball mastery players would elect and execute the passes that would transition the team from Phase II (build out) and Phase III (midfield consolidation) into the team's Phase IV (attack). 

Often times the combination of passes would effectively keep the opponent's pressers at bay, allowing the team to have time on the ball, and alleviating pressure from the attacking players who were not adept as well at keeping the ball.  

This primary ball circulation method also allowed the CB's and HM to be primary distributors by allowing them to keep the ball through Phase II (build out) and advance with the ball into Phase III (consolidation).  

The team understood the game model, and would execute this regularly.  It allowed the team to gain confidence, and assurance that they could play the game with the ball, without compromising the team's less composed players, by placing them in uncomfortable space.  These players were more athletically and attacking gifted and could focus on individuality, creativity, and making and finishing attacks for the team. 


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THE CB-8-10-9 CIRCULATION:

THE CB-8-10-9 CIRCULATION:

A team with a strong "back to goal" #9 (Striker) found success creating a circulation that occurred primarily between the CB-9-8-10.  

The most common pattern was the CB to 9 to bumper to 8 or 10 pattern.  

The two CBs were both adept at skipping midfielders with driven balls, and had the vision and composure to complete those passes.  The 9 was adept at "hold up" play, and escape dribbling. 

The primary circulation between this group would often move the team quickly out of "build up" (Phase II) play, which mitigated risk in possession during build up.  This limited the wingback's decision making, deliveries and allowed the team's wingbacks to be focused on defending, and being used to overlap or support attacks, instead of create attacks, decision make, and disperse the ball. 

The 11 and 7 were able to play between narrow and wide positions, finding the most space for themselves, allowing them to play to their strengths which was in space with clear lines of sight. 

The 9-8-10 dealt with the traffic and chaos in the center of the park, while the two CBs were primary distributors and could easily respond to mistakes with quick transitions to defending organization, because they were involved in the mistake or turnover.  This also played to the strength of the 8 & 10 who had great sight, vision and delivery, and the 9 who was not the speediest, but excelled at finishing, combo play, strength, and repositioning. 


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It is hypercritical to understand the application and transference of "primary ball circulation".

This must not be applied to the detriment of the development of your athletes through challenges that require failing forward.  Protecting players from their weaknesses prior to u14 year, would be detriment to development.  From U14 year onward The WSA Way does call on coaches to teach players that "failures have consequences".   Learning this means the athlete will grow towards minimizing mistakes, becoming more team-oriented understanding his/her functional role within a team structure, and developing the emotional maturity to manage success and failure. 

HOWEVER, understanding PRIMARY BALL CIRCULATION will allow you to develop and expand your thought processes as a coach.  How you evaluate your team, possibly tactically adjust your team, or revise and refine your team game model.   You might adjust a 9v9 match set up because now you are able to note that your team's "primary ball circulation" is happening at the exclusion of other participants. You can now intervene to help facilitate growth in players not engaged, involved, or capable.  Whereas before you might have evaluated and thought the entire team was reaching a "mastery level".  

You might be able to reposition your team with an understanding of "primary ball circulation" to create the amount of "control" you'd like, while not requiring 11 "ball mastery specialists" to be on the field at the same time. 

This is a concept to understand, and to use and apply where and when appropriate.  And it is a concept that is best and most useful if first "understood" and "considered" before applied with high degrees of intentionality. 

Proceed with caution if you attempt to intentionally direct "primary ball circulation" at sophisticated level. 

It is important to note in EXAMPLE #1 "INVERTED FULLBACKS/NARROW WINGERS" above, that this game model required a transition strategy, cover strategy, failure recovery strategy, and restructuring of the backline and midfield line in press structure and coordinated defending.  Many other revisions were made to set up a team for success whose "wingbacks/defenders" were not skilled "defenders".  This seems like an oxymoron, and it can become "moronic" if the game model is not shifted to account for the specific roles required to provide the "primary ball circulation" pattern that best suited the team's capacity to "control the game with the ball". 

The WSA Way reminds us:  "We cannot coach beyond what we have the Capacity to see and understand in the game.  And we shouldn't."