How do you solve a problem like a low block?
Perhaps the short answer, without claiming it’s an exact science, is that beyond the presumed qualities of speed, tempo, and aggression, teams require variety. The wider your scope of threat, from maximising set-pieces to deploying two tricky wingers or a midfielder able to run beyond and attack the box, the more variables an opposition manager must account for, and the more angles a team must defend.
In the modern game of analysis and structured game models, an attacking team benefits from having as many dribblers as possible. Dribblers are disrupters, players who can break through a defensive system and attack in unexpected ways. In limited spaces, when a defensive side is content to blockade around their goalkeeper, sometimes the simplest action, beating a man, is the most effective way to shift the block and change the picture.
Taking it a step further, and based on emerging trends in the Premier League, the most vital component for breaking down a low block is not just dribbles, but dribblers in central areas.
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The reason Rangers are conceding so many shots, Russell Martin's conundrum
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have been known in recent years for their wide wingers, but recent signings such as Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders reflect a growing shift in recruitment trends. Back in 2016, during his inaugural address to City’s recruitment department, Guardiola is reported to have said: “It’s simple, guys, find me players who can dribble. I will do the rest.” You can teach a lot in professional football, but probably not the innate ability to dribble. The No.10 role is, to a large degree, back in fashion, as shown by Liverpool’s big-money move for Florian Wirtz over the summer.
During last Saturday’s frustrating 1–1 draw with Dundee, Rangers did have two effective ball-carriers on the wings in Oliver Antman and Djeidi Gassama. Both, especially the latter, have shown in Europe their one-on-one ability. But as we all know, in a game with limited space and an opposition defending in a bank of five, there is no free out ball to either winger. The only way for them to receive possession facing the goal is via a well-timed rotation to free them up, and the speed of play must match that movement.
Often, Lyall Cameron tried to open up central spaces at the weekend by running wide and dragging his marker with him…
However, the space created for Gassama was rarely exploited, with the timing of his inside runs not quite coming off.
Moreover, space out wide is often only created if the opposition is first drawn to a central threat, and as the passing network shows, that central threat simply didn’t exist last weekend. Rangers failed to commit sufficient central numbers forward to disrupt the visitors properly.
On the right, Mohamed Diomande received the ball in a few promising positions before the break, but it remains to be seen whether, domestically, the Ivory Coast international has the end product to thrive over a season in such an attacking role. He is far more of a No.8 ‘connector’ than a No.10 who will live or die by goal contributions, and so failed to truly exploit these spaces at the weekend.
Throw in the fact that Cyriel Dessers is not at his best operating with his back to goal, and the central spaces that did open up were rarely taken advantage of. The team’s dribble map tells the story; few carries originated outside the box and progressed into it.
Dundee were comfortable for large parts of the match because they didn’t face a variety of threats. Once Antman and Gassama were marked out of the game, there was little one-v-one danger elsewhere, making the match manageable.
Although Alloa, on paper, are a lower-quality opponent, the League One side defeated Dundee in pre-season and will travel to Ibrox today knowing that many teams have frustrated both the home side and the home crowd this season.
Martin’s squad will be boosted by the returns of Thelo Aasgaard and Mikey Moore, both recruited this summer to address Rangers’ central ball-carrying problem. They bring spontaneity and the ability to operate in tight spaces, qualities currently in short supply in the squad.
Aasgaard’s introduction has been delayed by an injury sustained in a pre-season friendly against Dunfermline, but before that, he had impressed in training. Martin admitted the Norway international was “all that we thought we were getting and more.” Signed from Luton, he is seen as the most advanced operator in a midfield three, capable of functioning in various positions from the left, whether receiving with his back to goal, attacking the box, or drifting into wide, winger-like zones to run with the ball.
Crucially, like Moore, Aasgaard can beat his man and draw a second defender, freeing up the extra player needed to dismantle a low block.
Although Moore was deployed by Ange Postecoglou as a touchline-hugging left winger, there is a growing belief he could also play centrally, whether starting there or drifting inside. The 18-year-old is only on loan for a season, but Martin will hope that this player, regarded by Spurs as fantastically gifted, can make an immediate impact, even if that’s a big ask for someone so young.
Joe Rothwell, meanwhile, has been used as a deep-lying No.6 so far, often the more conservative figure in midfield, but he also has a background as a ball-carrying No.8. There were glimpses of that at the weekend before he was replaced around the hour mark.
Football is ultimately played in the small details. How do you create an overload or get half a step on your marker? The purpose of all these rotations and seemingly unnatural positional movements is to think one step ahead of the opposition, creating just enough space to tip the duel in your favour, and force defenders onto their heels, not their toes.
Undoubtedly, what will help Martin most are those in central areas who can beat their direct opponent and open up space for others - players who can change the picture, for the opposition too.
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