09 Oct How Adjusting Your Offensive and Defensive Shape Can Improve Match Strategy
In football, making precise tactical decisions can make all the difference in competition. From a recent study, we identified key patterns in team positioning (known as «centroid variation») that can help coaches refine their approach to both attack and defense. Here, we explain the most important results and how they can impact your training plans and match-day strategies, all in more accessible language.
What we discovered:
Through the analysis of multiple LaLiga matches, we found two powerful conclusions that can help you rethink your tactical approaches:
- Increasing offensive variation does not guarantee more goals: While it may seem logical that pushing your team forward creates more goal-scoring opportunities, the results do not confirm this. In fact, teams that push their offensive block too far forward don’t necessarily score more goals. This could be due to a lack of cohesion or gaps that open up elsewhere on the field. In other words, attacking with more players can dilute the effectiveness of the play if it’s not well-organized. Practical takeaway: Before you push your players further up, make sure the lines are compact and the defensive transition is covered. Balance is key.
- Dropping back more defensively helps concede fewer goals: This result is more intuitive: the more a team drops back, the fewer goals they concede. This doesn’t mean parking the bus but knowing when to adjust the defensive block to reduce the space available to the opponent. Practical takeaway: Plan training sessions where the team practices effective dropping back without losing organization. The key is to train defensive compactness, ensuring players understand when and how to retreat based on match situations.
How to apply this in training?
Offensive phase:
Train your team to avoid always pushing the block forward at all costs. Work on decision-making: when is it better to hold position and when is it necessary to move the lines up to press? Practicing scenarios where the team maintains a balance between offensive depth and defensive security can be key to making better use of attacks.
Defensive phase:
Practice retreating movements with a focus on organization. Retreating should be fast but ordered, with an emphasis on keeping players aligned to reduce the space that opponents can exploit. Develop strategies to control space and limit the opponent’s opportunities.
Key match strategies:
- It’s not about moving the block at all costs but doing it intelligently.
- Effectively dropping back can significantly reduce the opponent’s goal-scoring opportunities.
- Offensive and defensive balance: knowing when to press forward and when to stay composed defensively is crucial.
This study provides key insights to help you adjust your training plans and match-day strategies based on patterns observed in high-performance teams. It’s not just about pushing more or dropping back more—it’s about doing it with tactical intelligence.