Counter different styles

[Morgan Kane]

Does anyone have any tips as to how to counter different tactical styles? I know it is also dependent on formations and strengths of both your own team as well as your opponent. I still wonder if there is a certain trick to beat tiki taka, gegenpress or other tactical styles?

[Atarin]

11 minutes ago, Morgan Kane said:

Does anyone have any tips as to how to counter different tactical styles? I know it is also dependent on formations and strengths of both your own team as well as your opponent. I still wonder if there is a certain trick to beat tiki taka, gegenpress or other tactical styles?

Block their approach and exploit the space they leave. Its really that simple. If they want to come through the middle then make it difficult for them. If they want to guy wide made it difficult for them. If they want to play high and be aggressive then try and hit them over the top. If they want to sit back and soak up pressure then make sure you move them around. Its hard to be more specific than that but that's the general idea. If your game plan is to see what they do and counter it then the first thing to do is to understand what they're trying to do. From there you can work out if you want to tackle things at source and disrupt the guy making the pass or whether you want to let them open themselves up by advancing the play and then force them into dead ends where you can gang up on them. Every system has its weak spots. Sometimes the opposition will still be better you than you, it happens. 

[wixxi]

Like Atarin said, the fundamental core of football tactics is space. So to try and counter the opposition you ideally want to restrict the space they like to play in i.e. if they play through the middle then try to congest it, if they like to play with attacking wingbacks + a winger cutting inside make sure your fullbacks aren't left in a 1v2, and of course you want to ideally attack the space that they leave as a result of their formations natural structure or through their player movement e.g. bombing wingbacks, a mezzala who pushes right up to the edge of the box in the halfspace (and ideally you are creating and attacking space yourself with your tactical setup in the attacking phase).

It's important to realise there are no perfect solutions that don't give up another option one way or another, so make sure you're aware of the implications of any changes you make so you can keep an eye on any problems that may come up as a result. Every option you have has it's strengths and weaknesses so it becomes a choice of risk management - you might even choose to leave your fullbacks overloaded and gamble that you can win the ball back and quickly release it to your winger who stayed up the pitch provided the situation calls for it, I would do that if we were 1-0 down in the 85th minute, not if we were 1-0 up.