Block & Roll II

The game we’re analysing today is from OkLiga Day 17 between Liceo and Sant Just, which ended in a 6-2 victory for Liceo.

As a reminder, follow these steps:

1. Take a look at the video.
2. Read and think about the analysis.
3. Match the analysis with the video. It starts at 3:55.

Setting Up

We pick up the action just after the beginning of the second half. Cesar Carballeira (Liceo Nº5) gets the ball and quickly passes to Dava Torres (Liceo Nº8), who is positioned on the side. Cesar then moves to block for Dava.

Block & Roll

This situation is particularly interesting because Dava isn’t skating along the wall as expected. Instead, he moves parallel to the midline, while Cesar performs the rolling action towards the side. Dava manages to pass the ball back to Cesar, even with a defender attempting to intercept—a risky manoeuvre that I’d generally advise against.

Defending a Block

Sant Just's defenders are aware of the block play. Xavi Crespo (Sant Just Nº2) is assigned to mark Cesar, but he steps back too far, losing track of his man. Crespo ends up defending space rather than staying close to Cesar. Liceo isn’t necessarily benefiting from a perfect block but rather from Sant Just’s poor anticipation, allowing Cesar to cut to the side unchallenged.