Hello Team,
Today’s playbook talk will tackle a key strategic move that can seriously bolster our attacking game: the Overlapping Run Strategy. This tactic can become our secret weapon, keeping our opponents on their toes and opening up those game-changing scoring opportunities.
Consider our formation – we have a 3-2-2 setup. Here’s how the Overlapping Run Strategy would come into play:
Typically, we have our center-back and two wing-backs in our three-man defense, right? These wing-backs are stationed on the far left and right of our defense line, covering the width of the field. Now, let’s bring into play the concept of the overlapping run.
Here’s the scenario: one of our midfielders has the ball. Imagine one of our wing-backs suddenly surges forward, “overlapping” or sprinting past the midfielder on their side. This quick sprint down the wing, overlapping the midfielder, is the core of our strategy.
Seeing the wing-back make this run, our midfielder passes the ball to them. Now, our wing-back is in a prime position to send a cross into the box where our forwards are waiting to turn it into a goal!
But here’s the crucial part: after sending in the cross, our wing-back must waste no time in darting back to their defensive position. Why? Because if the other team gets possession, they might launch a counterattack, and we need to be ready to defend our goal.
So, to put it plainly, the Overlapping Run Strategy is a kind of surprise sprint from our wing-backs, momentarily transforming them into attackers. But, they must also remember to speedily return to their defensive duties if we lose the ball.
We’ll practice this in our training sessions until it feels second nature. I’m confident that with time, our smart use of overlapping runs will add a new level of dynamism to our play.
See you at practice, Coach Mick
Watch this video for examples:
