Play the way you’re facing in soccer: If there’s one thing a soccer player can do to simplify their game and make the game easier, it’s by playing the way you’re facing. Keep the game of soccer as simple as it should be. And this can be done by simply playing the way you’re facing when you receive the soccer ball.
In many ways, playing the way you’re facing in soccer is really just hold up play and enabling your team to build an attack and keep possession of the ball.
What does play the way you’re facing mean exactly? This means when you are under pressure from behind don’t try to turn or play a difficult pass, instead just play the ball back where it came from – as in the way you are facing.
After you lay the soccer ball off you then move into the open space where you can face up towards the attacking goal and get the ball again. Soccer is all about passing and moving, in one and two touches.
For example, if you are checking back to receive the soccer ball you should play it back to a teammate and not try to turn and beat a defender who’s marking you tightly. But you can do this anywhere on the field too, not just when your back is facing the goal as a forward. Another forward who knows how to play the way he’s facing is the LA Galaxy’s Robbie Keane, who keeps the game simple with one and two touch layoffs when it’s on.
If a midfielder receives the ball from another midfielder they can just play the ball back to someone in their field of vision. In most cases there’s no need to make the game of soccer more complex. If you’re under pressure play the ball back and then move into a new space where you have more time on the ball and can get a look up to see the field. Play the ball and then get it back when you’re in a position with more time and space.
Playing the way you’re facing is also a good idea when you are trying to take a shot off a corner kick or a cross. Rather than trying to redirect the ball to the far corner just keep it simple and head or volley the ball back towards the player you received the ball from. Of course, here you’re not actually playing the ball back to the player who sent in the corner kick or cross but just directing it in the same direction where it came from. So, if you are running towards the near post to head the ball off a corner you head it right into the near post – send the ball right back where it came from.
The concept of “play the way you’re facing” is essentially: give it and get it. If you watch players like Xavi and Iniesta of Spain and Barcelona they keep the game very simple. If they receive the ball they might just play it right back to the player they received it from and then get it back again when they are open a few yards away. This way they have a moment to look around and see the field when they receive the ball the second time.
Play the Way You’re Facing in Soccer
Playing the way you’re facing is most common with forwards and midfielders, but defenders can do this too. For instance, if a defender receives a pass from the last man back, or even the goalkeeper, they often just play the way they’re facing and lay the ball right back to the keeper or to the defender who played them the ball. There’s no sense in trying to turn and beat the player who’s closing them down when they’re in their own defensive third. It’s too risky. Just play the ball back so that player can clear it away if needed. Or the defender can play the ball back and then open up out wide where there’s more space.
What’s more, by playing the way you’re facing your team can move the ball much more quickly via one and two touch passes. If players are always trying to turn or beat another player the game will slow down. They will end up holding on to the ball too long or losing it.
The masters of course of playing simple soccer and playing the way you’re facing is Barcelona. Watch how the players don’t try to complicate things with too many turns or moves but just move the ball. They get the ball and give and play the way their facing – play the ball back where it came from and then begin again.
But to play soccer this way, simple and with one and two touch passes, players have to communicate. Players have to let their teammates know they are under pressure or if they have time and can turn. Because it is of course ideal and good if a player can turn and beat another player, but there’s just a right time and place for this. When a player makes a pass they should include a message with that pass, whether the player has time, can turn, or if they should play the ball back.
Most goals are scored through a series of three or four one and two touch passes. The soccer ball is laid off by a forward, the midfielder plays the ball through to a winger, a cross is served in, and the forward hammers the ball home – back to where it came from or the way he is facing.
Another crucial aspect of playing the way you’re facing is movement off the ball. If one player passes the way they’re facing, they need players around them to make runs and move off the ball. When the forward lays the ball back to a midfielder, they need the winger to make that run down the line.
Next time you watch a La Liga, Serie A, or English Premier League soccer game, notice how many times players just keep the game simple and play the ball in the direction they are facing. You’ll notice that top players lay the ball off and then make a run. They get the ball and then give it right back. It’s all about passing and moving – playing the way you’re facing. Making the game of soccer easy.
Hold Up Play -Robert Lewandowski
If you watch Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, one of the best forward’s to play the game, he’s very good at just laying the ball off and then moving into the box to get the ball on the cross. And why he scores so many goals. He plays simple and plays the way he’s facing. Sure, he can beat defenders on dribble but he also knows when to lay the ball off.
4 things to learn from Robert Lewandowski – in today’s video, we will take a look at 4 things that EVERY striker needs to learn from Lewandowski to make sure that you will improve your shooting technique, your positional awareness, your penalty taking AND learn how to become a more clinical finisher to score more goals.
Robert Lewandowski is one of the greatest strikers of our generation, and by analyzing his game, we can identify 4 things that every striker should learn from Lewandowski to give you an idea about what you need to focus on in order to improve as a striker and centre forward. It’s no secret that Robert Lewandowski probably deserved to win the Ballon d’Or in 2020 after winning every title possible, but the FC Bayern striker is also a class example of how to become a clinical finisher and a lethal striker who also helps the team in the attacking build-up process.
So today, we will give you some tips to 4 things every striker should learn from Lewandowski in order to score more goals. Watch how often Lewandowski plays the way he’s facing.
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