Strategies

Offensive Strategies
The team that has possession of the soccer ball is on the offense. When on offense a soccer team
may take a number of different tactics or strategies depending on which players are in the game at
the time and on the skill level and type of the players.

One general strategy of offensive play that all soccer players should employ is Passing and Moving.
This means that you should never just stand still on offense. Whenever a player has the ball, they
need to either pass the ball or dribble. Just standing still is a sure way to lose possession. This also
applies to any offensive player near the player with the ball. They should always be moving and
looking for an opening and providing passing lanes for their teammate.

Another good strategy is to pass the ball and then move quickly to another open space closer to the
goal. By continuing to move and create passing lanes, the defence can be put at a disadvantage.

Another good offensive soccer strategy is to Switch the Attack. This is a long pass to another area of
the field that has less defenders. It may be backwards towards one’s own goal or all the way across
the field. This gives the offense a chance to re-group and form a new attack on goal.

Some offensive soccer teams will play Possession Ball. This is when the team tries to keep possession
of the ball for a long period of time. They may pass the ball backwards side-to-side with no real
apparent attack. This can be a good strategy at periods over a long soccer game. Passing the ball
takes much less effort than dribbling or chasing the ball. The defensive soccer team will use much
more energy to try and chase the ball down than the offensive team will passing the ball around.
This can also be a good soccer strategy when the offensive team has a good lead and wants to take
some time off the clock.

When playing on offense, there are certain other key skills and times during the game that any team
should be ready for and have a strategy. These include:

Throw-ins: Throw-ins seem like a small part of the game. You just pick up the ball and throw it back
in. However, there are lots of throw-ins during a game and they should not be taken too lightly.
Consistently getting a good throw-in to set up the next play can be key in keeping possession of the
ball. Players that can throw the ball far can be valuable in certain areas of the field and can even set
up goal scoring plays.

Goal kicks: Similar to throw-ins, goal kicks don't seem that important to many soccer players, but
since there are many during a game, the coach should have a few different strategies on how and
where to place the kick depending on the game situation.

Corner kicks: Most teams practice corner kicks and have a couple of defined plays. Corners are one
of the best scoring opportunities in a soccer game. There is usually a player that kicks the corner
best from the left side and another from the right side. Depending on the defence, kicking the ball
high and long or short can be the best play. Often goals are scored via headers off the kick, so there
should be some tall players that can jump and head the ball well charging toward the kick. However,
rebounds off defenders or the goalie is another great scoring chance, so a player or two that comes
in late looking for the rebound is also a good strategy.

Defensive Strategies
The team that does not have possession of the ball is the defence. Good team defence is essential to
winning any soccer game. Defence is not just the goalie's job, but the job off all eleven players.
A good defensive soccer team will learn to communicate and form walls of defence against the
offense. A player or two should always remain between the ball and the goal. Other players should
be covering the other offensive players to make sure that they can't get open for a short goal shot.
This is often called "marking".

It is a good idea for defenders to force the player with the ball towards the sidelines. By playing the
right angle and turning the body, the defensive player can guide or channel the offensive player to
the sidelines. This makes it hard for the offense to get off a good shot or get a good angle for a pass.
It can also cause them to lose the soccer ball over the sideline and, therefore, get the possession
back.

Some teams have a player they call the sweeper. This is a defensive player that positions in the
centre of the soccer field usually a bit deeper than the rest of the defence. The sweeper roams the
backfield looking to steal or "sweep" any balls that get through the defence.

Defences can also trap the player with the ball with two players preventing them from getting off a
pass and stealing the ball. This can be a risky but rewarding play.

Defences should take advantage of the soccer offside rule. By coordinating the last line of defence
and keeping track of the offensive player's locations, a defence can trap a player offsides and cause a
turnover of the ball.

(Ducksters, 2019).