50: Grow Coach Newsletter
Football Coaches: Develop your Coaching Craft.
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Coaching Craft: Unlocking the Half Spaces
Full 60-Minute Practice: Linked to Playing in the half spaces
Coach Project: Practice design for half-space mastery
“When you play between the lines, in the gaps, you create problems for the opposition. It forces them to make decisions they don’t want to make, and that’s where we can hurt them.” - Jürgen Klopp
The Hidden Goldmine: Unlocking the Power of Half-Spaces in Soccer
Ever wonder where some of the world’s best goals and plays are born? They’re not always from the wings or the central channels but from soccer’s most underrated area: the half-spaces.
From creating chaos in defensive lines to scoring from impossible angles, mastering the half-spaces could be your team's edge.
When Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City or Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool dismantled opponents, the half-spaces are often their secret weapon. These pockets of the pitch aren’t just another area to cover—they’re the keys to unlocking elite-level play.
Understanding and exploiting these zones allows your players to dominate possession, break defensive lines, and create golden opportunities.
Here’s why playing in the half-spaces can revolutionise your team’s approach and elevate their performance.
1. Space to Shine: More Time, Better Decisions
“Half-Spaces Are Less Crowded, More Rewarding”
Positioning in the half-spaces offers players time and room to make game-changing decisions. These areas allow teams to maximise width and depth while freeing players from the congestion of the central zone.
Lionel Messi frequently receives the ball in half-spaces to avoid heavy marking, enabling his lethal dribbles and precise passing.
Coaching Questions:
How can you position yourself to find time and space in the half-spaces?
What options do you have when you receive the ball here?
2. Creating Overloads: 2v1 Duels That Win Matches
“Half-Spaces: Your Secret to Overloading Fullbacks”
In the half-spaces, players can create 2v1 situations against fullbacks, isolating them and opening space behind the defensive line.
Kevin De Bruyne thrives in half-space overloads, delivering pinpoint crosses or threading through balls that split defences.
Coaching Questions:
How can you create a numerical advantage in the half-space?
What runs or passes could exploit the space behind the opposition fullback?
3. Passing Lanes: Pathways to Goal
“Threading the Needle Through the Half-Spaces”
Half-space positioning opens direct, vertical passing lanes, enabling incisive through balls and blindside runs that dismantle defensive blocks.
Thomas Müller, Bayern Munich’s “space interpreter,” uses half-spaces to receive passes and assist teammates with blindside runs.
Coaching Questions:
Can you spot passing lanes between the opposition’s lines?
How can your movement open space for teammates in the half-spaces?
4. Cutbacks: High-Percentage Scoring Opportunities
“Cutbacks from Half-Spaces: Precision Meets Chaos”
Operating in the half-space inside the box creates opportunities for cutbacks, targeting attackers arriving at different angles.
Mohamed Salah often exploits half-spaces to deliver devastating cutbacks, leading to tap-ins or first-time finishes.
Coaching Questions:
Where can you position yourself to provide or receive a cutback?
What movement can you make to lose your marker when attacking cutbacks?
5. Finishing Angles: The Perfect Shot Pathway
“Half-Spaces: The Sweet Spot for Scoring”
Shooting from half-spaces allows for optimal angles to curl shots across the goal and increases the chances of rebounds or parries.
Erling Haaland frequently finishes from half-spaces, using their angles to place shots beyond goalkeepers’ reach.
Coaching Questions:
What finishing techniques work best when shooting from half-spaces?
How can you anticipate rebounds or deflections when teammates shoot from these areas?
6. Ball Retention: Connect, Control, Conquer
“Half-Spaces: The Glue Between Wide and Central Play”
Half-spaces are pivotal for retaining possession, offering a link between the wings and central areas while staying less predictable.
Luka Modrić masterfully used half-spaces to recycle possession and build attacks for Real Madrid.
Coaching Questions:
• How can you use the half-space to connect wide and central players?
• What can you do to maintain composure and keep the ball in these areas?
7. Disrupting Defensive Units: Confusion Creates Opportunities
“Pulling Strings in the Half-Spaces”
Positioning in the half-spaces forces defenders to make tough decisions: press and leave gaps, or hold and risk conceding time and space.
Andrés Iniesta exploited half-spaces to break defensive lines, creating confusion and gaps for Barcelona’s attackers.
Coaching Questions:
How can you exploit the gaps when a defender presses in the half-space?
What movements can destabilize the opposition’s defensive structure?
8. Facilitating Counter-Pressing: Quick Recovery, Fast Attacks
“Half-Spaces: Your Launchpad for the Counter-Press”
Half-spaces enable quicker counter-pressing, forcing opponents into wide areas where they’re less effective and recovering possession faster.
Klopp’s Liverpool used half-spaces to initiate their devastating counter-pressing and transition attacks.
Coaching Questions:
How can your positioning in the half-space help you press effectively?
What options should you look for after winning possession in these zones?
9. Crossing Angles: Precision Delivery from Unique Positions
“The Half-Space Cross: Unpredictable and Lethal”
Players in the half-spaces have better angles to deliver unpredictable crosses—low, driven balls or lofted passes that bypass defenders and target runners. These positions allow attackers to exploit spaces defenders may overlook.
Trent Alexander-Arnold often delivers crosses from half-space positions, bypassing blocks from wide defenders and finding runners in the box. His vision and execution in these areas are pivotal to Liverpool’s success.
Coaching Questions:
How can you adjust your crossing technique based on the position and movement of your teammates?
Where should you position yourself in the half-space to deliver the most effective crosses?
10. Disguising Attacks: Keep the Defense Guessing
“Half-Spaces: The Zone of Unpredictability”
Operating in half-spaces allows players to seamlessly switch between wide and central zones, making it harder for defenders to predict the next move. This unpredictability creates confusion and opens gaps to exploit.
Neymar’s ability to drift between half-spaces and wide areas keeps defenders guessing, enabling him to either play teammates through on goal or take on defenders directly.
Coaching Questions:
How can your movement in the half-space create uncertainty for the opposition?
How can you disguise your next pass, dribble, or shot?
11. Supporting Play: A Link Between All Phases
“Half-Spaces: The Perfect Supporting Role”
Half-spaces provide ideal positions to support teammates, acting as a bridge between central midfielders and wide players. This positioning offers safe passing options while drawing defenders away from critical areas.
Toni Kroos excels at using the half-spaces to support Real Madrid’s buildup play, offering consistent passing options that help his team control possession and dictate the game.
Coaching Questions:
How can you position yourself always to be an option for the player on the ball?
What decisions should you make to maintain possession while supporting your teammates?
Conclusion: Exploring the Space to Shine
The half-spaces are more than just an area on the pitch—they’re a gateway to unlocking creativity, control, and chaos against any opponent.
These zones offer endless opportunities for players to dominate, from creating overloads and dissecting defences to crafting lethal cutbacks and unpredictable crosses.
The insights, examples, and coaching questions are your roadmap to mastering this underutilised area.
Now it’s your turn to bring the half-spaces to life on the training ground and in matches. Challenge your players, explore new ideas, and watch as they transform their decision-making and effectiveness.
Are you ready to give your team the edge? The half-spaces are waiting—use them wisely!
“ “In football, the worst thing is to play predictable. You need to occupy the spaces where the opponent doesn’t expect you to be. The half-spaces are crucial for that.” - Pep Guardiola
Full Practice: Playing Half Spaces
Possession Practice | Movement into the Half-Space
⚽️ Created On: @TacticalPad
Aim:
Encourage Player movement and ball circulation under pressure.
Set-Up:
On a 40 by 30 pitch split in half with a 5 by 7-yard box in each half.
👕 Teams: 🟢s act as support players, ⚫️s play against 🔴s for possession
How to Play:
⚫️s vs 🔴s, +4 🟢s. The out-of-possession team can only defend on the outside of the small squares. The in-possession team scores by moving into a square to receive the ball and passing it out to a different player.
Note that the 🟢s can be the players moving into the boxes to receive the ball along with the ⚫️s or 🔴s depending on who has possession of the ball.
Progress the practice by moving 2 x 🟢s into the main playing area so the game becomes a 3vs 3 +2🟢s.
🚧 Constraints:
🏆Reward: The possession team double goals for 1st time passes into and out of the boxes.
👨🏫 Review: The timing of the run, the quality of the pass and the ability to secure the ball under pressure
🚫 Restriction: It has to be a 1st time pass in and a 1st time pass out of the boxes
Functional Practice | 3v2s in Half Spaces
⚽️ Created On: @TacticalPad
Aim:
Using the half spaces down the sides of the pitch to create crossing opportunities.
Set-Up:
Box off the wide areas as shown above and place a pair of mini goals in line with the corner of the 6-yard box and line with the penalty spot.
👕 Teams: 3 x ⚫️s vs 2 x 🔴s
How to Play:
3v2's down the sides of the pitch. ⚫️s try to combine using the spare player in the half-space to score in the mini goals.
The 🔴s win the ball and try to hit their target player at the top of the grid. 🔴s rotate each pair of defenders following every attack.
Progress to ⚫️s only being allowed to score off a 1st time finish.
Add a 3rd mini-goal if the 🔴s drop off to cover a goal each.
🚧 Constraints:
🏆Reward: ⚫️s for 1st time finishes double points for playing quickly.
👨🏫 Review: The passing and movements of the ⚫️s to expose the 🔴s
🚫 Restriction: Time limits on the ⚫️s attacks, if it takes longer than 8 seconds a 2nd ⚽️ is served into the 🔴s.
A Phase of Play | Exploring the Half Spaces.
⚽️ Created On: @TacticalPad
Aim:
Explore the half-spaces to create scoring chances.
Set-Up:
On half a pitch funnel the pitch space centrally toward the halfway line and place 3 x mini goals at different angles. At the opposite end have a larger goal guarded by a GK in 🟢.
👕 Teams: ⚫️s vs 🔴s and 🟢 (GK).
How to Play:
8v7 Phase of play, ⚫️s circulate the ball and look to combine through the half spaces to score in the large goal. 🔴s regain the ball and play off their target player into any of the 3 mini goals.
🚧 Constraints:
🏆Reward: A 2nd transition ball to the ⚫️s if they get a shot on target
👨🏫 Review: Combination play, the timing of movement and the attacking team's ability to control possession whilst occupying the half-spaces.
🚫 Restriction: ⚫️🔴s can only finish off a 1st time shot from behind the dashed line, once the ball is beyond that line the touch limit is removed.
“The half-spaces are where control meets creativity. They’re the areas where we can manipulate the opposition’s defensive structure and attack effectively.” - Thomas Tuchel
Coach Project: Practice Design
Designing a Session for Half-Space Mastery
Objective: Create a training activity that emphasises the benefits of playing in the half-spaces. The session should challenge players to:
Recognize and exploit half-spaces effectively.
Develop decision-making in these areas.
Use half-spaces to create scoring opportunities or retain possession.
Key Considerations for Your Activity
Game Scenario: Design a small-sided or conditioned game where half-spaces are marked and incentivised. For example, create zones between the wide and central channels that offer bonus points for effective use.
Focus Areas: Choose one or more benefits to highlight, such as:
Creating overloads (2v1 situations).
Breaking lines with incisive passing.
Cutbacks or shooting from optimal finishing angles.
Player Roles: Set specific roles and tasks for players in and around the half-spaces. Include off-ball runs, positioning to receive passes, or providing support options.
Example Activity: 7v7 Half-Space Challenge
Setup: Divide the pitch into 5 lanes (As shown above). Use cones or flat markers to create visible half-space zones.
Conditions:
Goals scored from moves originating in the half-spaces count double.
Players must complete a pass or dribble into the half-space before progressing to goal.
Reward cutbacks from half-space zones with bonus points if they lead to a shot on target.
Introduce defenders who actively press in half-spaces, forcing attackers to find creative solutions.
Reflection Questions for Coaches
Are your players consistently positioning themselves to receive the ball in the half-spaces?
How well do they recognize when to pass, dribble, or shoot from these areas?
Are defenders being challenged to make difficult pressing decisions?
Share your designed activity with your coaching team or peers, implement it in your next session, and reflect on how players respond to the half-space focus.
“Good teams dominate the central zones, but great teams dominate the spaces in between—the half-spaces. That’s where modern football is won.” - Ralf Rangnick
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