Switching the point of attack: against compact defenses, teams must create penetrating spaces to allow breakthroughs.

Well-organized defenses will typically place a large number of players between the ball and their goal, leaving very little space for an attacking team to create high-quality scoring opportunities. When faced with this type of defensive compactness, your team must vary its point of attack to create penetrating spaces for overlapping and supporting players away from the ball, and thus break down your opponent's defensive shape.

Changing the point of attack can be accomplished directly (by a single long service from one side of the field to the other) or indirectly (by having several players combine to quickly pass the ball from one touchline to the other). Your central midfielders and defenders will have the greatest influence over this element of your game, because they will have the most opportunities to switch the ball from one side to the other, and should be in position to see the attacking options in front of them.

If your midfielders are struggling to change the point of attack in game play, you should consider the following questions to identify the potential tactical causes of each breakdown:

Do your players recognize when to change the point of attack? When the ball is near the touchline and both teams have packed the space in front of the dribbler, you should look to switch the point of attack to the opposite side of the field. The middle third of the field is the best area in which to do this, since you generally want to drive straight to goal in the attacking third and you want to avoid playing balls across the center of your defensive third.

Are your central players providing close support when your wing players have the ball? Few players have the physical ability to strike a ball under pressure across the full width of the field. Because of this, your central players must constantly provide close support to your flank players so they can combine to move the ball to the far side while still playing within their physical limits.

Are your wing players (away from the ball) using the full width of the field to stretch the opposing defense as much as possible? Once the central player has received the ball and is looking to play it to the opposite side, he needs to have a teammate in position to receive that ball. The receiving winger must start square with the ball on the far touchline so he can receive the cross while running directly toward the goal. By starting behind the line of the ball and as wide as possible, the wing player will also maximize the amount of positive attacking space into which the ball can be delivered.

Are your players reading the opponent's defensive organization to serve the ball into the correct spaces? If the defenders on the far side of the field have taken a deep posture leaving a gap between themselves and your wing players, the service from your central midfielder should be played directly to the feet of your winger and away from the defenders. Alternately, if the defense has pushed out of the back, the service should be played into the open space behind the defensive line and away from the opposing goalkeeper.

As with any other aspect of the game, you may find that your players are making the correct decisions, yet they still give up possession whenever they try to move the ball to the other side of the field. In this situation, you should also consider some of the technical points of failure that could be limiting their success:

Are you central players able to turn with the ball on their first touch? When a central player receives the ball from a teammate on the wing, he needs to quickly adjust his body positioning to see the other side of the field. Typically, the receiving player should use the outside of the foot to "sweep" the ball towards the middle of the field on the first touch, and thus "open" his vision to identify all forward penetrating options.

Are your central players turning directly into defensive pressure? If the supporting player is closely marked, he should use the outside of the foot farthest from the defender to sweep the ball away from pressure, and thus shield the ball away from a possible tackle.

Do your players have the proper power on the ball when they strike it over longer distances? The pace and placement of longer crosses is especially important when your team uses a more direct approach to switch the point of attack. If your services are hit too hard, then your team may lose possession out of bounds. Worse still, if crosses are falling "short," you become vulnerable to a quick counter-attack when the ball is intercepted by opposing central defenders.

The following game helps train players to read an opponent's defensive shape, and encourages them to change the point of attack in midfield to find better attacking options:

Set up a 30 yd. long x 60 yd. wide field with three sets of cone goals placed along each end. The two cone goals in the center of the field should be only 2-3 yards wide; the other four goals (near each corner of the field) should be 6-8 yards wide. Play a game of 6 v. 6, with each team defending three goals and attacking the other three goals.

This exercise should give you many opportunities to evaluate and correct your players' ability to provide short supporting options to teammates on the wings as well as the timing of their decisions to switch the point of attack.

As your players begin to find success in this game, increase the dimensions of the area to play in half a field. The extra depth should now present more opportunities to adjust between direct and indirect styles, using the positioning of the defensive line to guide this decision-making.

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Finally, remove the small goals and play to two full-sized goals (with keepers) to confirm that your players continue to read their attacking options across the width of the field, even under game conditions.

Editor's note: The co-creator of www.SoccerROM.com. Robert Parr holds a USSF A license, a USSF National Youth Coaching license, and is currently the Head Women's Soccer Coach at Georgia College & State University. Previously, he was the Director of Training for the American Soccer Club "Eagles" youth program in Austin, Texas. He also served as the South Texas Men's State Team Coach from 1996-1998, and a South Texas YSA State Staff Coach for both the Olympic Development Program (1991-1999) and the Coaching Education Program (1991-2002). From 1989 until 1995, he was the Head Coach of the University of Texas Men's Soccer Team, where he led teams to a National Collegiate Club Championship in 1990, three other National Tournament appearances, and an overall record of 80-25-16. You can reach him at [e-mail].

For more information about the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, please visit NSCAA.com.

By Robert Parr, Courtesy of the NSCAA/Soccer Journal