The Case for Sole Control
With De Zerbi joining the Premier League, so will his enthusiasm for sole control. This piece articulates why this idea may have more merit than is first apparent.
When first learning football, young players are taught and encouraged to put their foot on the ball to control it. It gives them total control of the ball, which is uncommon for kids when starting out, and allows them to move the ball in any direction they choose next. This logic is accepted and understood by all.
But as they begin to master sole control, something funny happens. They get encouraged by coaches, teammates, parents to drop this skill they have been mastering. "Football's a fast game and using sole control is too slow". So maybe they start ditching the idea of "taking a touch" of any sort and begin pushing the ball on as they receive it to keep the ball moving. Sure, they make mistakes, and the play often isn't as smooth as it sounds but they'll get over it. Sometimes the ball now runs away from them, or sometimes it results in their body orientation being poor for their next action. But hey, at least they're not slowing the game down!
This mastery they developed and the control they once had and felt as a child begins to disappear as teens get barked at to keep the tempo up. This inevitably leads to them rushing and perhaps even losing the ball to an opponent or out the park. This isn't what anyone shouting on the side lines was after, so why does it happen so consistently?
The players lose the time to think that they once had before. We put this down to football being a fast game but, perhaps, it doesn't have to be as fast as we make it? Perhaps by slowing on the receiving end we aid keeping the ball and finding better solutions. And those barking on the side lines are right, the game is fast. But that doesn't mean we rush everything we do. In fact, we should take refuge in where we can find this alternate tempo, a breathing space that is becoming increasingly scarce.
With Roberto De Zerbi entering the premier league, it's only a matter of time before discussion about Dunk/Veltman/Webster taking too long and putting the foot on the ball starts surfacing. But is this really a bad thing to do?
RDZ clearly doesn't think so, and neither do I. So here's why.
Sole control is the best way to control a football there is. Using it means you know exactly where the ball is, you know it's not running away from you and you can roll it any direction to set you up for what you want to do next. This can be particularly useful for strikers with their back to goal. It allows them to hold the ball up while waiting for support and gives them the ability to take the play in any direction at a moment's notice.
The next reason is more tactically nuanced. Using sole control is provocative and angers the opponents press. Exacerbating the asymmetry in knowledge between the defender and attacker about what is happening behind the presser. A defender putting his football on the ball lackadaisically can be like a red flag to a bull for attackers - particularly when their team is in need of goal. A more extreme and high profile example of provoking the opposition into a response can be seen below.
By encouraging the opposition to rush out of position, it allows your teammates more space to get into good areas to receive the ball from you and also gives them more time when they receive it. It's hard enough for attackers to ensure their cover shadows are adequate at the best of time never mind when they've been goaded out of position unplanned. The clip below from David Selini shows how using sole control can help give your teammates time to get into good positions.
While this is unlikely to be as effective near the end of a game when it is your own team needing a goal, generally speaking it brings success. As the game at the elite levels becomes more compressed, players need to find ways to draw the opposition out of possession as space becomes increasingly scarce and those who control it are king.
A third reason is all about tempo. The best teams have players who are able to alter the tempo of the game at will. Even Jurgen Klopp, well known for his full throttle, “blood and thunder” style football, signed Thiago for this reason. It is generally accepted that Liverpool play better with Thiago and a big reason for this is his ability to dictate the speed of game. It's a concept Guardiola has talked about publicly and part of the reason he may have signed Jack Grealish (Jon Mackenzie has more on this here). It's maybe not always meant literally, but fans shouting for X to "put their foot on the ball" is because we innately know you can't attack hell for leather for 90 minutes and there are times you need to take the sting of the game. Sole control achieves just that.
Well, there you have it, the case for putting your foot on the ball. De Zerbi has had a positive start to life in the premier league with Brighton’s draw at Anfield but there will be many more challenges ahead as he aims to make this team his own. It will be interesting to see if he continues this trademark aspect of his teams thus far and how exacerbated this may. I, for one, will be watching eagerly to see how this chapter unfolds.