Triangulation
The third principle of attack: Playing behind the opponent's defensive lines
This is a continuation in our series about attacking principles. The first two pieces were about Support and Width, and now we’ll dive into how we can progress the ball forwards.
My fingers are becoming sore from typing this so often, but as always I think it’s best to start with a definition that accurately describes what’s occurring while still having broad application. The way how I define Triangulation is forming a triangle using the ball, space and teammates to play behind the opposition.
Once again you have a description of what’s occurring (forming a triangle), a way to get it done (using the ball, space and teammates) and the purpose behind it (to play behind the opposition). It’s broken down into three distinct parts to help players better remember the definition so that coaches can use check for understanding questions to reinforce the information and build a stronger learning culture.
The Key Piece
The most important part of the definition is the purpose behind it. We often think that every player needs to have direct access to the ball (i.e. a clear passing lane) and in an ideal world that will happen. Yet if we’re clear that our main objective is to play behind the opponent it means there will be times when a player can’t directly receive the ball but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re in the wrong position as long as the ball can travel to them.
What we’re really trying to do is get players to recognize and adapt to the situations in front of them. If players can identify when to position themselves to directly access the ball versus when to combine with a teammate they’ll be better able to play through an opponent’s press and exploit the space between the defensive lines.
Split Passes
In my head there’s only four different passing options within the game: a wide pass, support pass, split pass, and deep forward pass. As long as you have players occupying those roles when in possession they’ll be able to make a play on the ball.
Relating this to our attacking principles of play means that our Width and Support players provide wide passes and support passes, our Triangulating players provide split passes, and our Threatening players provide options behind the opponent’s back line.
While Width and Support players allow us to play around defensive lines, Triangulation players allow us to play through opponent’s lines. This means our center midfielders need to position themselves between two defenders to provide split passing options. How they do that can differ depending on the space available and the physical/technical match-ups against the opposition.
Midfield players can player behind the opponents while positioned in the split and turn with the ball once they receive it.
If the space is too large between the ball carrier and the opposing players, or there’s simply not enough space behind the opponent’s first line, then they can play in the gap to receive and turn.
Triangulation players must be able to turn with the ball or otherwise find a way to quickly advance it. Depending on what their role is within your playing model, this can be more important for some interior players than others (ex: I like my holding midfielder to play more horizontal passes to the outside backs who are good at progressing the ball, therefore my holding midfielder does not need to turn as much).
Third Man
It’s important to recognize that the ball carrier will not always have an open passing lane to the free player. If the opponent is cover shadowing the player, or otherwise marking him, it means another player (who is usually marked as well) must be given the ball who then quickly finds the open player. Sarri at Chelsea and ten Hag at Ajax used these types of layoffs and third man plays in vertical spaces to move the ball forward.
This play should be taught as an evolution of the split pass. Players should be scanning to see if they can turn with the ball and/or communicating with their teammate to receive the layoff. While triangulating players can be positioned as a split pass or in the gap, players who want to layoff the ball should position themselves as high up as possible. This gives their teammates more space to receive the ball while facing forward.
Training Triangulation
So how do you train triangulation? I personally think it’s useful to use positional play games where players are forced to use structures that give them plenty of opportunities to play split passes. Using games that incorporate all-time offense players is also beneficial because it means each team has a free player and the main focus becomes how to get the ball to them.
A popular game is the 4v4+3 game where players occupy different quadrants of a box and an all-time offense player plays as a split in the center. This game clearly delineates the role of a central midfielder who can practice turning or laying off to players underneath them. These same concepts can also be brought out in a 2v2+3 game if it better suits your numbers.
While these games are good for introducing simple patterns of play and principles of attack they lack complexity. Therefore it’s helpful to also use exercises that introduce more chaos so players can figure out how to control different situations through their positioning and individual skills.
As an example, if I have 14 players I’d probably play two games of 2v2+3 then focus on introducing either the principle of Triangulation or the 3rd man concept. After that I’d play either 5v5+2 with goalkeepers or 6v6+2 with goalkeepers and have myself and an assistant coach play to ensure we have the numbers. After that we’d end with a numbers even scrimmage.
But what’s more important than the number of players available is the structure that you have teams play in — and that structure should be based on the specific situation that you’re trying to recreate.
Here’s what I mean: One holding midfielder will triangulate with the center backs differently than if you play with two holding midfielders. And attacking midfielders will triangulate differently with the center forward(s) or outside wingers. So whatever moment you want your players to focus on needs to match-up to what you would expect them to come across during a match.
If I’m working on two attacking midfielders playing through the opponent’s midfield line and combining with our attacking line then I might make our teams in the 6v6+2 game use a 3-3 formation. Then it recreates two attacking midfielders being able to turn and work with three forwards ahead of them.
If I was working on building out of the back with two holding midfielders I might have them use a 4-2 formation, or a 2-2-2 in attack where the second line of 2 acts as outside backs positioning themselves higher up the pitch and the third line of 2 plays as two forwards. So in some ways it matters less about the exact numbers and more about the situation that you want players to experience.
Skills for Triangulating Players
It’s worth mentioning that triangulating players in particular need to be good at scanning. But they must also be “press-resistant,” i.e. they need to be able to hang on to the ball when they’re being pressured. This is particularly important for interior players because you want to limit the amount of turnovers your team has in the center of the pitch. There’s lots of ways to develop press resistance but here are a few key skillsets midfield players should be able to execute.
Shielding
Simply shielding the ball (keeping your body between the opponent and the ball) is perhaps the easiest way to maintain possession, but it requires physical strength to hold off the opposition player. These types of players need to be able to keep the ball close to their body as they manipulate it; whether it’s through pushing the ball with the top of their foot or keeping the ball under their body with the sole of their foot. Marco Verratti does a good job of using small touches to keep his body between the ball and the opponent while Sergio Busquets will use the sole of his foot to manipulate his opponent into providing better angles for him to either pass or dribble the ball. Higher up the pitch, while Eden Hazard had explosive speed he also used his body well to protect the ball and deceive the opponent.
It’s also worth noting that good midfield players will know how to draw fouls from pressing players. (For the record, in my mind this is separate from diving and more akin to pump-faking in basketball before jumping into the opponent to draw the foul.)
Accelerating
Midfield players who need to turn with the ball (and usually play higher up the field) also have the option of accelerating away from players. Some examples of this are Luka Modric and Frenkie de Jong who will push the ball forward into space because they have the acceleration and dribbling skills to run away from opponents. This allows them to move the ball toward the next line and then release the open player once a new defender steps to pressure, or they simply continue their dribbling run as it’s harder for defenders to effectively press the ball once the dribbler has built up speed. Of course dribbling in the midfield, especially in your team’s defensive half, can be risky so dribbling moments must be chosen appropriately.
Turning Opponents
Xavi Hernandez perfected the technique of getting his opponent to keep pressuring the ball while he turns in a circle around them. It requires a low center of balance, quick touches, and the ability to hold off an opposing player – but it does work.
There are other ways to do this besides dribbling though. Good interior players will have deceptive first touches that allows them to move around their opponent. Thiago Alcantara has mastered using different surfaces of his feet, combined with deceptive body orientation and feints, to turn his mark and advance the play forward.
It’s worth noting that most high-quality midfielders can execute all of these types of movements, but they will have favorite moves that they use more than others. Therefore it’s not simply mastering one and using it as a get out of jail free card, but instead of being able to find the moves that best match their skill set and accurately reading situations to decide which techniques best fit the moment. Having sessions that give players multiple opportunities to practice these concrete skills in game-like conditions is the best way for players to elevate their abilities.
Wrapping Up
Obviously there’s much more to being a midfield player than what’s mentioned here. Midfield players must be able to pass quickly and with a variety of techniques, find ways to play through or over defensive lines, compete for aerial balls, and so on. However, this is merely a primer to help players understand a game model that looks to play through the opponent’s defensive line and position themselves as split passes. It’s a necessary component for any team that wishes to possess the ball, and ultimately contributes to developing a more complete player.