Check out your back, baby

Today we are on OkLiga day 7. I guess. Let me check, yes day 7. This is Noia-Calafell. Noia’s team this year is missing two big players, the legendary Jordi Bargallo and Ivan Morales. They are missing something. I want to think that they will find it soon. On the other side there is Calafell, playing stronger this year. I think Cabestany’s project is moving on. The game ended 3-5 for Calafell.

As a reminder, Follow this steps:

1. Take a look at the video:
2. Read and think about the analysis.
3. Match the analysis and the video. Min 4:45

Let me introduce again a kind of tactic that I love. It is hard to do properly, it is risky, it can be extremely effective if done properly. Edu Castro is a big fan of it. Since he moved to Benfica I cannot see that often. You will know what I'm talking about soon if you haven't guessed it yet.

I will go from the complete positional attack, from the transition, to the goal. Both teams transition well, Noia prevents a counter attack and Calafell plays their part, not rushing just transitioning. As soon as they can, Calafell moves the defence that is already settled and looks to position a player in 7 or 4. Just behind the cage, just clarifying the name of the areas just in case the reader is a bit lost.

Once the player is at 7, Calafell moves the ball down. They even set a block. In my opinion, it is to project danger. Get the defence uncomfortable without getting crazy as an attacker. Leading the attack.

When the ball is getting to 7,Marti Zapater (Noia’s goalie) does his side. He is being proactive. Zapater cuts the pass to the player behind the cage which breaks the attacking flow in a way. I will always encourage that kind of attitude from the goalie. 

This is the key point for Calafell. There is one player at 7, one player at 9 who is cleaning the space, one player at 0 but on the same side to support the ball, and the last player picking up the ball at 4.

The player on 4 is Sergi Folguera (Calafell Nº83), player at 7 is Joan Pujalte (Calafell Nº33), the player at 9 is Aleix Marimon (Calafell Nº74). I cannot identify the last player. He is doing the backup work. Let me tell you he is doing an excellent job, keeping a pass line open, opening the space for a shot if defence gets so tight and doing the backup as last man in case of counter attack.