Long ball (Football)
Encyclopedia
Long ball is the term used in association football to describe an attempt, often speculative, to distribute the ball a long distance down the field via a cross
, without the intention to pass it to the feet of the receiving player.
It is a technique that can be especially effective for a team with either fast or tall striker
s. The long ball technique is also a through pass from distance in an effort to get the ball by the defensive line and create a foot race between striker and defender. While often derided as either boring or primitive, it can prove effective where players or weather conditions suit this style; in particular, it is an effective counter-attacking style of play in which some defenders can be caught off-guard.
During 2010 FIFA World Cup
, Franz Beckenbauer
criticized the way the English national football team
was playing under Fabio Capello
, which he termed "kick and rush". Many observers, including Capello, understood this term to mean the long ball. Germany
's opener in their 4-1 defeat of England resulted from a long kick from their keeper.
— in the 1950s in England
. Reep was an amateur statistician and analyzed not only the number of passes that led to a goal, but also the field positions where those passes originated. Reep documented his findings in various publications including match day programmes.
Reep developed a number of concepts describing effective long ball play. 'Gulleys' refer to the optimum position between the corner flag and six yard box from which to make the final pass into the penalty box; the '3-pass optimization rule' emerges from the fact that a higher percentage of goals are scored in moves involving only three passes prior to the shot; the '9 shots per goal' maxim, stating that on average, only one goal is scored for every nine shots; and the 'twelve point three yard' position, which is the mean distance from the goal that all goals are scored.. The long-ball game is also advocated in such books The Winning Formula: The Football Association Soccer Skills and Tactics, by Charles Hughes
, which demonstrates with statistics that a majority of goals are scored within 5 passes of the ball.
Jonathan Wilson
criticises Reep's statistical analysis as heavily flawed. The 'three pass optimum', for example, comes in for particular criticism. Wilson notes that while Reep's statistics showed that a higher percentage of goals were scored in moves involving three passes, they also show that three pass moves account for a higher percentage of all shots. Instead, the percentage of shots for which three-pass or fewer account is higher than the percentage of goals for which they account, implying that moves involving more passes have a higher ratio of succes. Furthermore, Reep's own statistics show that this trend becomes stronger at higher levels of football, indicating that moves with a greater number of passes become more effective amongst higher quality teams. Reep also fails to distinguish statistically between three-pass moves that emerge from long balls and those that emerge from other sources such as attacking free kick
s or successful tackles in the opponent's half.
. Hughes became the head of coaching at the FA
in the 1990s, and used this position to promote his theory of long ball, which followed on from the work of Reep. It is generally considered by many around the world to be a German
and Italian
style of play that is primitive and used by teams lacking the skill to create plays, it is heavily criticized by supporters who prefer more skill-based technical and tactical play. Hughes and those who defend the tactic note that time and time again, teams playing direct play have more success. At the 1994 FIFA World Cup
, for example, the winning Brazil
team scored the most goals from three or fewer passes, while the team to score from a move involving the most passes - the Republic of Ireland
- were eliminated in the second round. While multi-pass moves such as those by Brazil against Italy
in the 1970 FIFA World Cup Final
or Argentina
versus Serbia and Montenegro
at the 2006 FIFA World Cup
are widely lauded as brilliant examples of football, it is partially the rareness of success for such long moves that results in their appreciation and makes them ineffective tactics to attempt to replicate.
It is however used by teams desperate to score a goal before the end of a match. The long ball technique is also effective in lower level football matches since players lack skill to work as a team and pass the ball accurately up the field. A long ball is a quick counter attack move and with a fast striker will produce multiple goals.
One of the best uses of the long-ball was Holland striker Dennis Bergkamp
's goal against Argentina in the 1998 FIFA World Cup
. Dutch defender Frank de Boer initiated the move from near the middle of the field, with a long pass that curled over 7 opposing players. Bergkamp controlled the difficult ball, spun past a defender and smashed it home. The example illustrates the power of the long-ball style but also that it is more than simply pumping the ball upfield. Only Bergkamp's excellent skills were able to take advantage of the de Boer's outstanding, and daring pass. As such, it emphasizes that football is a game requiring not only a comprehensive package of individual skills, but imagination and creativity as well. Both are present in the long-ball style.
Contemporary teams like Norway and Sweden have also demonstrated the viability of the long-ball approach when executed with skill, precision and creativity by top players. Norway played a characteristic 4-5-1 formation in the 1990s and early 21st century. The left back would often hit long crosses to Jostein Flo
, who in turn would head the ball to either one of the central midfielders or to the striker. This was known as the Flo Pass, and the Norwegian national team garnered much criticism for its perceived long-ball approach. Egil Olsen did, however, take the national team to two World Cups, and the long ball style of play is considered to have played an important role in accomplishing this.
One of the greatest of the Norwegian goals scored with this style was by the striker Tore André Flo
during the 1998 World Cup. Similar to the Bergkamp goal, but played to an advanced man on the wing, it began with an extremely long pass from Baiano. Flo was alone when he received. He ran on and cut inside to beat his defending opponent, then slotted the ball pass the goalkeeper Tafarrel. The Norwegians went on to upset the mighty Brazilian team in this match. However, Brazil had already won the group before this game took place while Norway needed to win.
It should be noted that accurate passes aimed at a specific player are examples of individual long balls, but do not represent the spirit of a team playing a long-ball game. In that situation, the team would be pumping long-balls up repeatedly into an area, rather than a specific player, hoping the striker would get some of them and the percentages would pay off in the long-run.
Another hope with the long ball is that by hitting it into the area, the defence may make a mess of it such as with Ireland's goal against Holland in the 1990 World Cup http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlt153FQsM0&feature=player_detailpage#t=171s. This is also part of what makes it attractive at lower levels. Like England, Ireland are notorious for playing the long ball forward, possibly owing to their shared footballing heritage and tradition which continue to this day.
Cross (football)
In football, a cross is a delivery of a ball from either side of the field across to the front of the goal by applying various kicking techniques. A cross is there to provide a goal-scoring opportunity...
, without the intention to pass it to the feet of the receiving player.
It is a technique that can be especially effective for a team with either fast or tall striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
s. The long ball technique is also a through pass from distance in an effort to get the ball by the defensive line and create a foot race between striker and defender. While often derided as either boring or primitive, it can prove effective where players or weather conditions suit this style; in particular, it is an effective counter-attacking style of play in which some defenders can be caught off-guard.
During 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
, Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Anton Beckenbauer is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed Der Kaiser because of his elegant style, his leadership, his first name "Franz" , and his dominance on the football pitch...
criticized the way the English national football team
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
was playing under Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello is an Italian football manager and former player. He is the manager of the England national football team.Capello has the distinction of winning the domestic league title with every club he has coached throughout his career...
, which he termed "kick and rush". Many observers, including Capello, understood this term to mean the long ball. Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
's opener in their 4-1 defeat of England resulted from a long kick from their keeper.
Statistical basis
The 'long ball theory' was first discussed by a retired RAF Wing Commander — Charles ReepCharles Reep
Thorold Charles Reep was a football analyst credited with creating the long ball game which has characterized English football...
— in the 1950s in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Reep was an amateur statistician and analyzed not only the number of passes that led to a goal, but also the field positions where those passes originated. Reep documented his findings in various publications including match day programmes.
Reep developed a number of concepts describing effective long ball play. 'Gulleys' refer to the optimum position between the corner flag and six yard box from which to make the final pass into the penalty box; the '3-pass optimization rule' emerges from the fact that a higher percentage of goals are scored in moves involving only three passes prior to the shot; the '9 shots per goal' maxim, stating that on average, only one goal is scored for every nine shots; and the 'twelve point three yard' position, which is the mean distance from the goal that all goals are scored.. The long-ball game is also advocated in such books The Winning Formula: The Football Association Soccer Skills and Tactics, by Charles Hughes
Charles Hughes (football coach)
Charles Hughes was the director of FA coaching for the Football Association. He authored the FA's official coaching manual and was an early developer of long ball tactics.-Coaching:...
, which demonstrates with statistics that a majority of goals are scored within 5 passes of the ball.
Jonathan Wilson
Jonathan Wilson (journalist/author)
Jonathan Wilson is a British sports journalist and author who writes for a number of publications including the Guardian, the Independent and Sports Illustrated. He is a columnist for World Soccer and is the founder and editor of The Blizzard...
criticises Reep's statistical analysis as heavily flawed. The 'three pass optimum', for example, comes in for particular criticism. Wilson notes that while Reep's statistics showed that a higher percentage of goals were scored in moves involving three passes, they also show that three pass moves account for a higher percentage of all shots. Instead, the percentage of shots for which three-pass or fewer account is higher than the percentage of goals for which they account, implying that moves involving more passes have a higher ratio of succes. Furthermore, Reep's own statistics show that this trend becomes stronger at higher levels of football, indicating that moves with a greater number of passes become more effective amongst higher quality teams. Reep also fails to distinguish statistically between three-pass moves that emerge from long balls and those that emerge from other sources such as attacking free kick
Direct free kick
A direct free kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football following a foul. Unlike an indirect free kick, a goal may be scored directly against the opposing side without the ball having first touched another player.-Award:...
s or successful tackles in the opponent's half.
Effectiveness
The long ball strategy has often been criticized as a method that has held back the England national football teamEngland national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
. Hughes became the head of coaching at the FA
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
in the 1990s, and used this position to promote his theory of long ball, which followed on from the work of Reep. It is generally considered by many around the world to be a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
style of play that is primitive and used by teams lacking the skill to create plays, it is heavily criticized by supporters who prefer more skill-based technical and tactical play. Hughes and those who defend the tactic note that time and time again, teams playing direct play have more success. At the 1994 FIFA World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
, for example, the winning Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
team scored the most goals from three or fewer passes, while the team to score from a move involving the most passes - the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
- were eliminated in the second round. While multi-pass moves such as those by Brazil against Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
in the 1970 FIFA World Cup Final
1970 FIFA World Cup Final
The 1970 FIFA World Cup Final was contested by Brazil and Italy on 21 June 1970 in the Azteca Stadium in Mexico, to determine the winner of the 1970 FIFA World Cup....
or Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
versus Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro was a country in southeastern Europe, formed from two former republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia : Serbia and Montenegro. Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, it was established in 1992 as a federation called the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
at the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
are widely lauded as brilliant examples of football, it is partially the rareness of success for such long moves that results in their appreciation and makes them ineffective tactics to attempt to replicate.
It is however used by teams desperate to score a goal before the end of a match. The long ball technique is also effective in lower level football matches since players lack skill to work as a team and pass the ball accurately up the field. A long ball is a quick counter attack move and with a fast striker will produce multiple goals.
Managers & Players
- Sam AllardyceSam AllardyceSamuel "Sam" Allardyce , nicknamed "Big Sam", is an English football manager and former professional player. In June 2011 he was appointed as manager of West Ham United....
- Joshua Caporaletti
- Aidy Boothroyd
- Jack CharltonJack CharltonJohn "Jack" Charlton, OBE, DL is a former footballer and manager who played for Leeds United in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and was part of the England team who won the 1966 World Cup...
- Jamie CarragherJamie CarragherJames Lee Duncan "Jamie" Carragher is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League side Liverpool...
- Terry ButcherTerry ButcherTerence Ian "Terry" Butcher is an English football manager and former player. He was a highly successful football player and made his name as an uncompromising defender with Ipswich Town and Rangers in the 1980s. He was also a captain of England and won 77 caps in a ten-year international career...
- Egil OlsenEgil OlsenEgil Roger Olsen , nicknamed Drillo, is a Norwegian association football manager and former Norwegian football player. He is best known as a highly successful coach of the Norwegian national football team. He has since been coach of the Iraqi national football team, his departure from which caused...
- Tony PulisTony PulisAnthony Richard "Tony" Pulis is a Welsh former football player and is currently the manager of Stoke City. Pulis obtained his FA coaching badge at the age of 19, followed by his UEFA 'A' licence aged 21 – making him one of the youngest professional players ever to have obtained the qualification...
- Roy HodgsonRoy HodgsonRoy Hodgson is a former English footballer and current head coach of West Bromwich Albion.Hodgson, who has managed sixteen different teams in eight countries, guided the Switzerland national team to the last 16 of the 1994 World Cup and qualification for Euro 1996; Switzerland had not qualified...
- Steve BruceSteve BruceStephen Roger "Steve" Bruce is an English football manager and former player. Born in Corbridge, Northumberland, he was a promising schoolboy footballer but was rejected by a number of professional clubs. He was on the verge of quitting the game altogether when he was offered a trial with Gillingham...
- Graham Taylor
- Russell SladeRussell SladeRussell Slade is an English football manager currently in charge of League One side Leyton Orient.-Notts County:Slade was assistant manager to Mick Walker at Notts County, and took over as caretaker manager when Walker was sacked in September 1994. When County appointed Howard Kendall as manager...
- Gary MegsonGary MegsonGary John Megson is an English former football player and is currently manager of Sheffield Wednesday.He has previously managed Norwich City, Blackpool, Stockport County, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City and Bolton Wanderers...
Examples
The long ball is sometimes criticized as being used by weaker teams with less tactical skill. In the hands of mediocre teams, or at the lower youth leagues this might be so. Analysis of its implementation at world-class levels however, shows that effective use of long-ball techniques can be found in numerous competitive World Cup or championship club teams. It can be used as a counterattacking style, or as a daring through pass when opportunities open up during a game. The long ball requires top level skill to implement correctly. Mere passing is not the only variable- intelligent running into space, good dribbling and crisp finishings also required.One of the best uses of the long-ball was Holland striker Dennis Bergkamp
Dennis Bergkamp
Dennis Nicolaas Bergkamp , is a former Dutch professional footballer who is currently the assistant manager to Frank de Boer at Ajax. At club level he played for Ajax, Internazionale, and Arsenal, and also represented the Netherlands at international level...
's goal against Argentina in the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
. Dutch defender Frank de Boer initiated the move from near the middle of the field, with a long pass that curled over 7 opposing players. Bergkamp controlled the difficult ball, spun past a defender and smashed it home. The example illustrates the power of the long-ball style but also that it is more than simply pumping the ball upfield. Only Bergkamp's excellent skills were able to take advantage of the de Boer's outstanding, and daring pass. As such, it emphasizes that football is a game requiring not only a comprehensive package of individual skills, but imagination and creativity as well. Both are present in the long-ball style.
Contemporary teams like Norway and Sweden have also demonstrated the viability of the long-ball approach when executed with skill, precision and creativity by top players. Norway played a characteristic 4-5-1 formation in the 1990s and early 21st century. The left back would often hit long crosses to Jostein Flo
Jostein Flo
Jostein Flo is a Norwegian former football player, famous for his physical playing style and aerial dominance.-Biography:...
, who in turn would head the ball to either one of the central midfielders or to the striker. This was known as the Flo Pass, and the Norwegian national team garnered much criticism for its perceived long-ball approach. Egil Olsen did, however, take the national team to two World Cups, and the long ball style of play is considered to have played an important role in accomplishing this.
One of the greatest of the Norwegian goals scored with this style was by the striker Tore André Flo
Tore André Flo
Tore André Flo is a Norwegian football striker, who plays for the Norwegian club Sogndal. He initially retired after being released by the Milton Keynes Dons in 2009, but announced his comeback in March 2011. His brothers Jostein Flo and Jarle Flo, and cousin Håvard Flo are also professional...
during the 1998 World Cup. Similar to the Bergkamp goal, but played to an advanced man on the wing, it began with an extremely long pass from Baiano. Flo was alone when he received. He ran on and cut inside to beat his defending opponent, then slotted the ball pass the goalkeeper Tafarrel. The Norwegians went on to upset the mighty Brazilian team in this match. However, Brazil had already won the group before this game took place while Norway needed to win.
It should be noted that accurate passes aimed at a specific player are examples of individual long balls, but do not represent the spirit of a team playing a long-ball game. In that situation, the team would be pumping long-balls up repeatedly into an area, rather than a specific player, hoping the striker would get some of them and the percentages would pay off in the long-run.
Another hope with the long ball is that by hitting it into the area, the defence may make a mess of it such as with Ireland's goal against Holland in the 1990 World Cup http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlt153FQsM0&feature=player_detailpage#t=171s. This is also part of what makes it attractive at lower levels. Like England, Ireland are notorious for playing the long ball forward, possibly owing to their shared footballing heritage and tradition which continue to this day.
See also
- Formation (football)Formation (football)In association football, the formation describes how the players in a team are positioned on the pitch. Different formations can be used depending on whether a team wishes to play more attacking or defensive football....
- Football tactics and skillsFootball tactics and skillsThere are various individual skills and team tactics needed to play effective association football . Football is in theory a very simple game, as illustrated by Kevin Keegan's famous assertion that his tactics for winning a match were to "score more goals than the opposition"...
- Revie PlanRevie PlanThe Revie Plan was a tactical system in association football used by Manchester City in the 1950s. The system was named after Manchester City player Don Revie, who had the most important role in it....
- Total FootballTotal Football"Total Football" is the label given to an influential tactical theory of association football in which any outfield player can take over the role of any other player in a team. It was pioneered by Dutch football club Ajax from 1969 to 1973, and further used by the Netherlands National Football...
- StrikerStrikerForwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...