Infos about split block and out-of-possession instructions

[sejo]

Hi guys, it's all about the topic title but I tell you more:

- how can I create a good split block?

- what about the link between LOE and DL? I've read this:

  

Il 13/1/2020 in 01:02 , Experienced Defender ha scritto:

The 1st combo:

- higher DL, standard LOE, prevent short GKD and either default or more urgent pressing

The 2nd combo:

- higher DL, standard LOE, default pressing and split block*

The 3rd combo:

- higher DL, higher LOE, prevent short GKD and defaut pressing

The 4th combo:

- higher DL, higher LOE, default pressing and split block*

It's what I'm doing in my 4123 formation (positive mentality) and it's very good generally speaking, but I want to know how they work and link together in order to tweak them properly for tough away games or when I lead by 2 or more goals and I just want to prevent those stupid long balls at the back of my defence.

Thank you!

Edited January 16, 2020 by sejo

[Experienced Defender]

2 hours ago, sejo said:

how can I create a good split block?

There is no "good" or "bad" split block. The split block is a safer way of putting more pressure on the opposition without (overly) disrupting your defensive shape. Therefore, instead of increasing the pressing urgency for the entire team, you tell your 3-5 most advanced players to close down more in their player instructions, whereas the others close down normally (the default setting). 

 

2 hours ago, sejo said:

what about the link between LOE and DL?

The distance between DL and LOE determines your vertical compactness when defending (i.e. out of possession). The lower the distance - the more compactness. The greater the distance - the less compactness. 

A low(er) level of compactness means there is more space between your lines that the opposition can potentially exploit. Consequently, your players will have to cover more space when defending.

A higher level of compactness logically means the opposite - lines of your team are closer together, so your players can better help one another if anyone of them makes a defensive mistake or gets drawn out of position during the defensive phase of play. 

So basically, it's better to have more than less compactness. However, too much compactness can sometimes be even more risky than too little compactness. For example, let's say you play with much higher DL and much lower LOE. In that case, you have maximum compactness. But, you are not really solid defensively. Because there is too much space both in front of your forward line for the opposition to organize their attack without pressure and behind your defensive line, which the opposition can exploit via balls over the top of your defense.

So it's key to find an optimal level of compactness. This will depend in part on your formation - is it top-heavy or bottom-heavy, with or without a DM, omni-strata or not - but generally the optimal compactness is achieved when your DL is one notch higher than LOE (e.g. higher DL/standard LOE or standard DL/lower LOE etc.). 

When I use a split block, I prefer to have precisely this optimal compactness (although I prefer it even when I don't use the split block). 

2 hours ago, sejo said:

I just want to prevent those stupid long balls at the back of my defence

If your defense have problems dealing with these long balls over the top, it can be caused by a number of different reasons:

- your DL is higher than optimal in relation to your defenders' abilities (they are either not fast enough or not intelligent enough or both)

- the team mentality is higher than optimal in relation to your DL setting (because whenever you change the mentality, it automatically moves your DL either up or down proportionally, as well as your LOE and all other instructions and individual player mentalities)

- your fullbacks or wing-backs are more attack-minded than optimal and there is no adequate defensive cover for them in the midfield, so your flank (or both flanks) is (are) overly exposed

- your non-defensive players - i.e. forwards and more attack-minded midfielders - are not doing their defensive job properly (too passive when pressing the opposition or pressing in a wrong way, etc.)

- your overall setup of roles and duties is not balanced enough, so there are gaps that can be easily exploited by the opposition

- your style of attacking can also cause defensive issues if your players are not good enough to play that way, so they may tend to lose possession in dangerous areas or in situations when too many of them are out of their defensive positions due to being overcommitted to attack

[sejo]

Thank you so much, I'll tweak a bit and report you later