In one of the Copa Sudamericana games last week (I think Union Espanola-Sport Huancayo) the ref awarded an indirect free kick for a back pass. As you would expect the team awarded the free kick did the same thing I think most teams do: short pass that is blasted into a swarming group of defenders most of whom left the line before the ball was even touched. I know this tactic has worked but I can't really remember how many times I have seen it work. I know that it mostly does not work. Taking a free kicks that close (in this case just at the outer corner of the six yard box) isn't easy but I would think that other tactics might work better:
(1) The team that earned the free kick should line up players in front of the wall of defenders to (A) block the views of those defenders, (B) prevent those defenders from moving off the line so quickly, and (C) ideally distort the keeper's ability to get a good angle. The attacking players could either jump or duck once the ball is in play as we see attacking players do from time to time during direct free kicks.
(2) Instead of playing the ball to the side, which is easy for the defending team to reach, how about playing the ball back. I get that doing this increases the distance to the goal but at least the team awarded the free kick has a chance to hit the net instead of blasting into a wall of bodies.
(3) Instead of passing the ball and then shooting, blast the ball toward the side of the goal where there are less defenders and hope for deflection off a teammate.
These are just three suggestions, none of which I have ever seen used. Of course, there might be a good reason for not using any of these tactics, but what most (all?) the teams are doing now don't seem to work either. Has anyone seen an approach that ups the percentages of success with indirect free kicks in the box? Or does anyone on this board who coaches have a different tactic besides the short pass/blast into the wall failure?
(1) The team that earned the free kick should line up players in front of the wall of defenders to (A) block the views of those defenders, (B) prevent those defenders from moving off the line so quickly, and (C) ideally distort the keeper's ability to get a good angle. The attacking players could either jump or duck once the ball is in play as we see attacking players do from time to time during direct free kicks.
(2) Instead of playing the ball to the side, which is easy for the defending team to reach, how about playing the ball back. I get that doing this increases the distance to the goal but at least the team awarded the free kick has a chance to hit the net instead of blasting into a wall of bodies.
(3) Instead of passing the ball and then shooting, blast the ball toward the side of the goal where there are less defenders and hope for deflection off a teammate.
These are just three suggestions, none of which I have ever seen used. Of course, there might be a good reason for not using any of these tactics, but what most (all?) the teams are doing now don't seem to work either. Has anyone seen an approach that ups the percentages of success with indirect free kicks in the box? Or does anyone on this board who coaches have a different tactic besides the short pass/blast into the wall failure?
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