In this article, we're going to discuss the basics of team philosophy. Philosophy is probably the most basic thing to organizing a team; determining positions, choosing players, deciding on formation, all those things are based off of a team's philosophy.
For the beginner, it's easiest to divide philosophy into two areas: How does the team approach attack, and how does the team approach defense? Within each area, a team can act fast and aggressively, or they can act slowly and conservatively.
Aggressive defense - pressing
When a team defends aggressively, they try and win the ball back as soon as they lose it. The goal is to force the opposition into making mistakes by never giving them a chance to catch their breaths. By doing so, a team can get the ball in dangerous positions, in the opponent's side of the pitch. Players on a pressing team run as fast as needed to stay close to their man. This has the dual benefit of giving them the ball near the opponent's net, and keeping the ball out of their own half, away from their own goal.
There are a couple of downsides to this style of defense. First, it leaves a team exposed at the back if they are unable to win the ball back. Look at the following example:
In this example, the red defenders are playing close to the halfway line in an attempt to press the blue team. This is called playing a high defensive line. The highlighted area behind them is currently offside. However, if the blue team passes the ball long, into the highlighted area, the blue player can run into the highlighted area and be onside, since he would be behind the ball. The red defenders will have a hard time catching up to him, because they'll be running backwards while the blue player can run forward. If the blue player is fast enough he'll have a ton of empty space between himself and the goal. Aggressive pressing is a high-risk high-reward strategy and against a team with speedy attacking players it can result in giving up a lot of chances.
The other downside to pressing is that it requires a lot of stamina to constantly run up and down the pitch after opposing players. As a result, it's usually only a strategy that can be played at higher levels of the game.
Conservative defense - defending deep
Obviously, the opposite of pressing. A team that defends deep tries to keep a cohesive back line puts as many players between the ball and goal as possible. The strongest version of this usually designates nine of the ten outfield players to stay in their own half on defense, with one forward playing closer to the opponent in case of a long ball opportunity; the (derogatory) nickname for this is "parking the bus." When a team that plays this way loses possession, their response is not to try and win the ball back immediately, but rather to retreat into their own half and wait the opponent out.
Look at the following example. Here, the blue defenders mostly stay near their own goal, even when their team has possession. This is called playing a deep defensive line. While the opponent in these cases will have the opportunity to set themselves up on attack and pass the ball around, they'll have a hard time getting good shots because the defending team is blocking access to the goal. Breaking down this type of defense and scoring requires the defense to either make a mistake, or the attack to have play makers who can generate space for decent chances.
The downside to this style of play is that it doesn't lend itself well to scoring chances. A team that plays this deep on defense will give their opponents plenty of time to get back themselves when they finally get possession back. This sort of defense is how teams that know they have a disadvantage in attacking players will setup, because the goal is to frustrate their superior opponents. While it doesn't need to be, defending deep is usually seen as a negative tactic because it hamstrings the attack of both sides and keeps the score down.
Aggressive attack - long balls
On attack, acting aggressively means moving quickly and passing long. The goal is to use your superior pace to get the ball up the pitch as fast as possible, before the opposing defense has time to reset. This style of attack usually relies on speedy wingers, deep midfielders and defenders that can make long, accurate passes, and big, strong forwards who can bring in an aerial pass and protect the ball, distributing it to their teammates. Long passes are called direct passes. A player who specializes in racing off into the opponent's side to receive a long pass is sometimes called a direct player or direct option.
While this can be a very exciting way to play, long balls have a sordid history in world football, especially in England. A team that has no interest in scoring and wants to fight for a draw will often hoof the ball as far as possible from their own half one defense, which will get the ball far away but also results in merely frustrating their opposition, who have to take the time to gather up the ball and walk it back down the pitch just to see it hoofed away again. Because of this, short passing is considered stylistic and difficult, while long passing has a reputation as crass and simpleminded.
The obvious downside to passing aggressively is that you're more likely to give up possession without getting anything out of it, since it's more likely than not that an opposing player will get to the ball first. The upside is that when your players corral the ball successfully it is usually against an unprepared defense.
Conservative attack - short passing
The "beautiful" version of the game. Short passing back and forth along the ground requires skill and technical ability on the part of your players, and thus is seen as more impressive on the part of a team. Short passing aims to keep the ball moving between players until the opposing defense makes a mistake, at which point the attacking team pounces and tries to score. This is style of play is based around possession of the ball, on the idea that if you keep the ball your opponent can't score. When a team like this wins the ball back, they work the ball up the pitch from defense to midfield to attack; this is called buildup play.
The stereotype about this kind of offense is that the players involved are more interested in making pretty passes, and actually scoring is less important that racking up possession and moving the ball around. This is famously how some think of the current Spanish national team, or Barcelona under Pep Guardiola. The downside to this strategy is that it requires high quality players who can pass and make intelligent moves around the ball.
So, a team's philosophy depends on where they fall on these two axes. Remember that soccer is a fluid sport, and so a team may not always play entirely one way or another; for example, a long-ball team that is trying to protect a lead may opt to pass short and keep possession, while a possession based team that needs a goal in the closing minutes of the game may lump the ball forward. Instead, think of these philosophies as the way a team might want to play under ideal circumstances.
Aggressive Defense/Aggressive Attack - Gegenpressing
Gegenpressing (Counter pressing in German) is a high octane strategy designed to beat an opponent's press. My favorite team, Borussia Dortmund, innovated it, but the purest current instance of this strategy is Bayer Leverkusen, in the German Bundesliga. Gegenpressing involves pressing the ball in the opponent's half of the pitch, and when you regain possession, going at the opponent's goal as quickly as possible. This style of play is fast and exciting - swarm the ball, then go for the goal when you get it back. If you lose the ball, swarm it again. Leads to high scoring, fast paced matches.
Aggressive Defense/Conservative Attack - Tiki taka
The strategy of the Spanish national team and Barcelona under Pep Guardiola. Attempts to press the ball in the opponent's half, then build up towards a goal with a series of short, incisive passes. In this strategy you keep the ball safely out of your half, and in possession try to force your opponent into making a mistake. If the opposing defense chases the ball around it might open up space for your attacking players to run into. If they choose to keep their positions than that also affords space in front of them. By keeping possession you minimize the opponent's chances at scoring and patiently keep up your own.
Conservative Defense/Aggressive Attack - Counter attacking
The strategy of underdogs everywhere, though it's become a strategy of some big clubs in recent years. Defend carefully, closer to your own goal, with the hopes of drawing the opponent's side into your half, vacating space behind them. Then, when you get possession back, launch a quick, long strike into the opponent's half in the hopes that your players can take advantage of the empty space. Counter attacking can be devastating if done correctly, but has the big flaw that it requires you to allow your opponent to bring the ball close to your goal, potentially giving them goal-scoring chances.
Conservative Defense/Conservative Attack
The classic way of playing, which has fallen out of popularity in recent years in favor of pressing. The goal is to defend carefully without taking risks, and attack carefully without taking risks. This style of play requires talented players at every position, because it requires skill and creativity to break down the opposing defense, and intelligence on defense to protect your own.
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