Central Attack Combinations

You should choose role combinations in central attack that enable you to balance your playing system. The player roles and duties that you use should also be suitable for your desired tactical style and your players’ abilities.

You can generate an automatic tactical analysis of the central attack role combinations in your tactic by using the Role Combinations System Analyser. You can also analyse roles/duties individually by using the Player Roles & Duties Role Analyser.

Introduction & System Analyser
Central Defence Combinations | Central Midfield Combinations
Flank Combinations | Central Attack Combinations

Forward Movement Partnerships

Each role/duty’s possible partnership and partner types can be worked out based on its playing position and its tactical instructions related to forward movement (mainly Get Further Forward and Hold Position), as explained in the Player Roles & Duties guide.

Due to the importance of stretching play in central attack it is advisable to try to use forward movement partnerships that focus on penetrating space and relative vertical movement.

In particular, to focus to a large extent on penetrating space it can be useful to use:

• One or more high risk overlapping partnerships.
  • Useful if you are using attacking football in particular – to help to create space in congested advanced areas.
  • Useful if you are using short plays in particular – to help to create space when cycling possession.
• One or more high risk direct partnerships.
  • Useful if you are using defensive football in particular – to help to penetrate space quickly from deeper areas.
  • Useful if you are using direct plays in particular – to help to penetrate space directly.

Alternatively, you may want to use less risky options that still focus on penetrating space but to a lesser extent, such as:

• One or more medium risk overlapping partnerships – useful if you are using attacking football or short plays in particular (similar to high risk overlapping partnerships).
• One or more medium risk direct partnerships – useful if you are using defensive football or direct plays in particular (similar to high risk direct partnerships).
• One or more balanced interchanging partnerships (relatively lower risk) or overloading interchanging partnerships (relatively higher risk) – so that players can alternate their forward movement as appropriate. This implements a very fluid aspect to your playing system, with the partnership itself being very fluid, even if your system fluidity elsewhere is more structured.

Overloading direct partnerships are not suggested as they can be less effective at creating space by drawing opposition central defenders out of position.

Positional Responsibilities

Balanced role/duty combinations in central attack include roles/duties that stretch play, create chances, take chances and apply defensive pressure.

Stretching Play

Stretching play in central attack is considered to be of high importance. It is therefore advised to use at least one player who performs the responsibility or at least two players who contribute fluidly.

Roles that Carry Out the Responsibility

Stretching play in central attack can be carried out by any of the following:

• One AM(C/R/L) individual performer – specialises in stretching play from a deeper position.
  • Combine him with an STC complementary partner who makes less forward movement to create space more effectively using overlapping movement, with the performer overlapping his partner (forms a high/medium risk overlapping partnership).

• One STC individual performer – specialises in stretching play from a more advanced position.
  • Can directly penetrate space in central attack more effectively than an AM(C/R/L) individual performer.
  • Combine him with an M/AM(C/R/L) or STC complementary partner who makes less forward movement to create space more effectively using their relative movement (forms a high/medium risk direct partnership).

• Two fluid contributors – work together and interchange to stretch play (forms a balanced interchanging partnership).

Creating Chances

Creating chances in central attack is considered to be of high importance. It is therefore advised to use at least one player who performs the responsibility or at least two players who contribute fluidly.

Number-Tens & Focal Roles

There are two types of player who may perform creating chances in central attack. These are:

• A technical number-ten – a player instructed to Take More Risks but not to Get Further Forward (although he may be instructed to Get Further Forward if he is a DMC/WBL/WBR or MC/ML/MR who makes forward runs into central attack), subject to other instructions being appropriate for creating chances.
  • Most useful if you are using attacking football or short plays.
• A target-man – an STC instructed to Hold Up Ball, subject to other instructions being appropriate for creating chances.
  • Most useful if you are using defensive football or direct plays.

In some cases a player may be both a technical number-ten and a target-man, which can be particularly useful if you are combining attacking football or short plays with defensive football or direct plays. Alternatively for such playing styles, you may want to use either type of player or both types.

Some technical number-ten roles are playmaker focal roles, while some target-man roles are target-man focal roles. This means that teammates are instructed to pass to them more often, which enables your team to focus on using that player to create chances. This can help you to implement that aspect of your playing style more explicitly.

However, such focal roles can attract the ball away from the appropriate number-ten for your desired playing style if used for a different type of number-ten. Therefore, it is advisable to be careful when selecting number-ten roles.

Roles that Carry Out the Responsibility

Creating chances in central attack can be carried out by any of the following:

• One individual performer – specialises in creating chances (can be either a technical number-ten or a target-man).
• Two fluid contributors – work together and interchange to create chances.

Taking Chances

Taking chances in central attack is considered to be of medium importance. It is therefore advised to use at least one player who performs the responsibility.

Roles that Carry Out the Responsibility

Taking chances in central attack can be carried out by one individual performer.

Applying Defensive Pressure

Applying defensive pressure in central attack is considered to be of medium importance. It is therefore advised to use at least one player who performs the responsibility.

Roles that Carry Out the Responsibility

Applying defensive pressure in central attack can be carried out by one individual performer.

Related Guides

Other Role Combinations guides

• Introduction & System Analyser
• Central Defence Combinations
• Central Midfield Combinations
• Flank Combinations

Related Tactics Guides

• Player Roles & Duties – to analyse individual player roles and duties for use in your playing system.
• Adding Team & Player Instructions – to adjust your tactical style as appropriate, taking into account any less suitable roles/duties.
• Playing System Balance – tactical theory guide.
• Positional Responsibilities – tactical theory guide.
• Attacking Structures – tactical theory guide including forward movement partnerships and forward movement scores.
• Responsibility Distribution – tactical theory guide on assigning positional responsibilities.