Soccer Attacking Support, Corner Kick Tactics, Soccer Defense, Long Balls as a Tactic in a Short Passing Soccer Attack
6 Soccer Coaching Tips from the World Cup
Part 3 of a Four Part Series

Note From David. Below is part of a 4-part series about Lessons from the 2010 World Cup.

  1. Attacking Support and Movement Off the Ball Are Necessary to Retain Possession. In the World Cup Final, Spain did a much better job than Netherlands of supporting the attacker. There would always be 3 or 4 players supporting the First Attacker (the onball attacker) within what appeared to be a distance of 20 yards. By comparison, the Dutch players appeared to be about 40 yards from the First Attacker (possibly trying to create a lot of width in their attack). The result was that the Dutch First Attacker often had to look for someone to pass to (which slowed play) and when the pass was made it was often stolen by Spain because the passing distance was so long. In the match, Spain had possession 64% of the time.

  2. Short Corner Kicks ("Short Corners") are Better for Youth Soccer Teams. I loved the way Spain mixed up short and long corner kicks. Even the Dutch tried one and had a good chance with it. SoccerHelp recommends Short Corners for youth teams because they teach possession and control and has a great Short Corner Set Play.

  3. Defense Wins Championships. In 7 games, Spain only gave up 2 goals. Spain's defenders were brave and body-blocked a lot of shots. To quote the famous soccer coach Anson Dorrance "Usually a championship team is built on a strong defense. That is something you can bring to every game. A great attack is always going to be inconsistent - at least on the scoreboard - that's the nature of the game." Anson Dorrance in "The Vision of a Champion"

    From Motivational Coaching Quotes


  4. Great Goalkeeping Makes a Difference. We could see the difference in this World Cup.

  5. "Boom Ball" Can Even Work in the World Cup. Some people mistake every long ball for a "Boom Ball". That isn't true, but I will go with that term here for fun. If you have an attacker pushed up and send the ball long and your attacker can win the ball, it is a "tactic" that can result in a scoring opportunity. In England vs. Germany, there were hundreds of short passes, but the first goal scored (in the 19th minute) was on a very long goal kick that Klose ran on to and one-touched for a goal. The fourth goal in that game was also a "Boom Ball" when on a counterattack Germany sent a long ball to a breaking attacker. The Netherlands first goal vs. Slovakia was also a breakaway on a long ball. And in the final, late in the match Spain even started booming the ball to get it away from their goal.

  6. Don't Disrespect Your Opponent, You Might Motivate Them. Maradona disrespected Germany and they crushed Argentina 4-0.