When a goalie could eliminate danger for his defense with a simple boot swing, why would he pass sideways? What was the purpose of the centre-back fiddling with it close to the corner flag? In retrospect, it all seems so simple: kick the ball far enough so that your team doesn’t give up.
Why then do so many managers fail to give their players the instruction? What makes teams continue to play from behind? Furthermore, why do they even give it a go in the first place?
Why do teams start play from behind?
Passing out from the back allows a side to maintain possession of the ball, which is the straightforward explanation. By doing this, the team in possession can advance the play without having to endure a fruitless long ball and overhead fight. This frees up the players to carry out the training instructions given by the manager instead of having to respond to a succession of balls that bounce randomly.
In most games, the team with the ball is in charge because managers aim to have as much influence over the game as possible.
The team can control the play by moving fast from their own half to the opposition’s, provided that players are available. Depending on the particular tactical systems used, this then permits the team to change into its attacking form as midfielders approach the goal, wingers become strikers, and full-backs become wingers.
When passing from the back becomes dangerous
After winning possession in the defensive third, which is when the defense is typically least organized, is the most dangerous time to try to play out from the back and the one that most frequently causes supporters to feel the anxious pounding of their own hearts.
In order to force turnovers close to the opposition goal, many Premier League teams use a counter-press strategy, where forwards rapidly close down the player in possession and block their passing options in an attempt to win the ball back as soon as it is lost. Effective use of this creates errors and excellent opportunities to score against a weak defence, as Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp has demonstrated over the past few years.
The Goalkeepers are a crucial part of this style of football
Locating players in space is crucial. Goalkeepers who can play accurate long balls to give their team another way to beat a high press force the opposition to play a slightly deeper defensive line to avoid being caught out over the top, which in turn creates more space between lines to play passes.
This is why Manchester City and Liverpool spent a lot of money on Ederson and Alisson, and why Man Utd splurged on Onana.