As promised, here is a video compilation of highlights from a couple of futsal games featuring some of the world’s best teams… and, err, Japan.
There’s a lot of take from this video, but here are a few points of note:
- Positions aren’t fixed, but the players rotate to make use of the space and make them hard to mark. This transfers over to the 11-a-side game where the 6, 8 and 10 often rotate round for the same reasons.
- Nobody stands still after passing.
- How often the players pass the way they are already facing. This is a simple (but not always easy) way of helping you keep possession. And how patient the build-up is!
- Note how the defenders are applying pressure and not feeling the need to make a panicked tackle. They’re really quite some way back, which makes them very hard to beat. It does mean that the attackers are able to pass relatively easily, but when the pressure is applied well, the passes end up going further and further back. Also note that the closer the attacker is to goal, the closer the pressuring defender is to them.
If you remember nothing else from the video, just remember how much movement there is off the ball. It’s constant.