16 Sep 2025 20:46:42
Ed01
Are you aware of any examples of unorthodox tactics to break a low block?
Like instructing your team not to go more than 20yds past the halfway line to draw out the opposition?
What would Bielsa do or Cruyff when he was managing Barcelona (or was parking the bus not a thing then)?
We seem to face it so often, I’m starting to wonder if it justifies a radical rethink of how to combat it.
{Ed001's Note - nothing like you were suggesting, as that would do nothing. If a team is sitting in, they are happy to get a draw so they would just sit there too. There has always been teams that just got everyone behind the ball and defended deep, that is why Cruyff and Bielsa developed their attacking tactics, to get through them. It was all about speed and movement - not necessarily foot speed, you can move the ball about at pace just as well to create the speed.
Mainly though, the key thing is to use the width in the past. Cruyff used to do, similar to Guardiola, lots of quick short one-two passing moves, to try and get through the centre. It can work, but it struggles too against packed defences as it only takes a leg to get stuck out to divert the ball.
The new fad of set piece coaches is in part intended to answer the problem. Because you tend to be so limited in the good chances you create, you have to make the most of set pieces. I am glad to see that people are finally remembering the long throw can be useful as well! It used to annoy me when Gomez would be in our team and we never let him use his.
The key thing really is that a low block is useless once you have scored one goal. The minute a low block team concedes, they then have to come out or you can just sit there passing the ball across your own backline and wait out the rest of the match. It is a very limited tactic, so you have to make every set piece count. But move the ball with pace, quick one-twos, beat a man with a dribble, anything to pull someone out of position. Once there is a gap, you have something to exploit. If you can get to the byline, get the ball across the goal mouth, as it can just as easily be knocked in by a defender when there are so many bodies there.}
17 Sep 2025 10:46:30
There will never be a silver bullet that always breaks down the low block/ park the bus.
It’s been done for decades and when it’s done right it can work. I have to say though that what Burnley did was an extreme version, normally teams will have some attacking intent.
Like Ed says the only way to break it down is to move the ball quickly and create gaps. You need to hold width to stretch them out and switch the play quickly from side to side as when they shuffle from one side to the other gaps will appear which can be exploited. We did this on Sunday but it was way too slow so it allowed them to move across as a unit and keep their shape.
The other way is to have players who can go past people which then takes them out of the game and draws other players out to engage which in turn will leave gaps to be exploited. We didn’t do anywhere near enough of this.
Get to the byline and smash it across, we did this a few times but our attackers tended to hold the edge of the box rather than filling the 6 yard box which made it easier to defend.
The other way and probably the most common is an error from a defender. It’s tough to constantly be mentally switched on for 90+ minutes when all you’ve done is defend. That’s what happened in our game.
17 Sep 2025 11:00:37
If Ekitike stood between the posts we might’ve had someone to hit. He went deep Far too often.
Chiesa came on, stood in the middle, and had the best chance of the game (in open play) in seconds of being on the pitch.
Sometimes coming short looking for the ball just causes more problems than it’s worth, especially against the likes of Burnley etc.
17 Sep 2025 12:51:36
The plan seems to be when Ekitike drops deep Wirtz takes the space.
17 Sep 2025 14:25:40
"It was all about speed and movement - not necessarily foot speed, you can move the ball about at pace just as well to create the speed. "
THIS, Ed01. In our prime under Klopp, we were very good at moving the ball quickly to find gaps and most importantly, pinning the low blocks back so they couldn't come out hence, the fear of a counter is nullified.
Also, we were the best at scoring from set pieces under Klopp which helped us break down low blocks cos once you score first, the idea is abandonned by the oppo. These solutions have worked before and will work again if well executed. Just my take.
17 Sep 2025 14:53:05
To be fair there aren't a lot of teams that are going to be as good at defending in a low block as Burnley, it's the cornerstone of their defensive approach. They let in 16 goals all season last year, you can say that it was only the Championship but that's an incredible statistic by any standard and shows that they know how to be ridiculously stingy defensively.
As for the subject of Ekitike, that's just the way he plays, which might have something to do with why we bought Isak. Ekitike either comes deep to get the ball to feet or runs in behind, he's never going to be a massive box threat attacking crosses.
17 Sep 2025 19:42:34
Spot on Ed. Move the ball quicker, we just look too laboured at times. We've been struggling with the low block for a while now. Some long shots would be nice too.