Rotations: football tactics explained

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What are rotations?

Rotations are synchronised movements involving at least two players on a team in possession. Generally, the players who are rotating move into spaces usually occupied by a player in another position, with the aim of receiving the ball in space or manipulating the opposition’s shape.

When done well, how do coaches use rotations?

Rotations are used to get players on the ball in areas that will help the team progress up the pitch. Movements are made so that individuals can lose their marker, and when one move is paired with a teammate’s movement, there is a better chance of disrupting the opposition’s shape. Rotations can be particularly effective against a man-marking system, as specific defenders can be dragged into areas where they can’t protect their own goal. They are also more likely to help a player on the in-possession team find space to receive.

Coaches can use rotations to help their team target key areas of the pitch in which they think their opponents are vulnerable. Rotations can help drag key players out of specific areas of the pitch and help a coach get their most dangerous players into areas where they can threaten goal.

Coaches can also set up their team to use rotations that give certain players different roles in attack and in defence. For example, a full-back who is part of the back line when defending could play very high up the pitch when attacking as a result of a pre-planned rotation in the wide area.

Which rotations are most common? Which positions rotate most often?

Opposite movements are the most common and simple rotation, where two players essentially just swap positions. This kind of rotation is usually used in central spaces, in midfield or attack. One example would be a centre-forward dropping to receive and a deeper teammate running beyond the forward (above).

Another common rotation involves a winger moving inside, the full-back making an overlapping run and a central midfielder dropping into a wide position to cover underneath the advancing full-back (as shown by Luis Díaz, Andy Robertson and Jordan Henderson in the above image). This is particularly common in teams that use a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 shape.

The players within a central-midfield unit can attempt to lose their direct opponents by swapping positions (below). This is especially useful when a team comes up against an opponent with the same number of players in central midfield. A central-midfield unit that rotates fluently can help a team build from deep and progress play into the final third.

Third-man rotations are also very common, and can be performed anywhere on the pitch. This rotation usually involves three players, and ends with a penetrative off-the-ball movement to receive in behind an opposing line or unit.

What are the benefits of using rotations?

When done well, rotations are very difficult to track and defend against. If the movements are well-coordinated – whether pre-planned or improvised – they can give a team a huge and very immediate advantage. A coach can work on getting specific players into a specific place with a pre-planned rotation, but training rotations in general will help players learn to adapt and solve problems in-game. Improvised rotations are even more difficult for the opposition to deal with.

A significant benefit of rotations is that they can be performed by any group of players in any position and in any formation, and they can also evolve during a match. They can be tailored to facing a specific individual or team, or to get the most from a specific strength of your own team.

What are the disadvantages of using rotations?

Rotations can be complex and difficult to grasp, particularly in terms of timing – and it is also important for players to understand why a rotation is being attempted. If not performed effectively, they offer little chance of progressing play, manipulating the opposition’s structure or creating chances. Rotations just for the sake of rotating will waste the players' energy.

Rotations must therefore enhance a team’s attacking play, and not result in the most dangerous attacking players in a less threatening position than the coach would like. Wasted movements can weaken a side’s attacking structure, but also leave gaps in their own structure or attacking players in the wrong part of the pitch should the ball be turned over.

Which coaches use rotations well?

Marcelo Bielsa

Bielsa’s wide rotations at Leeds were unpredictable and effective, but it was the central-midfield movements that provided the foundations for his team’s best attacking play. When facing another three-man central midfield, Bielsa ensured his midfield three constantly swapped positions (below) to help Leeds progress forward with numbers and disrupt the opposition’s structure.

Pep Guardiola

With Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City, Guardiola has famously used a number of specific rotations to help his side attack. The use of Lionel Messi as a false nine meant he would drop deep as the wingers and sometimes a central midfielder ran into the space the Argentine had left vacant. Guardiola also consistently used inverted full-backs, with Philipp Lahm, Kyle Walker and João Cancelo among the players who played at full-back but moved into central midfield. This then allowed central midfielders to move into more advanced positions, and the number eights, such as David Silva, Ilkay Gündogan or Kevin De Bruyne, to make penetrative runs into the final third (below).

Jürgen Klopp

Wide rotations have been a key part of Klopp’s success with Liverpool. His team rotates effectively out wide, both in attacking transition and during sustained periods of possession. A winger – players such as Sadio Mané, Mo Salah and Diogo Jota – ran inside as centre-forward Roberto Firmino expertly dropped into central midfield. Full-backs Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold then provide the team's attacking width, with versatile and energetic number eights, such as Georginio Wijnaldum, James Milner or Jordan Henderson, providing cover and support underneath the ball (below).

What skills or strengths do players need in order to rotate well?

Players must have awareness of all four references in the game – space, the ball, teammates and opponents. Losing sight of one of these can have a significant impact on how effective a rotation is, and result in a move breaking down.

An understanding of how the timing of their movement can affect a rotation is also key, so it is important for players to be intelligent and be good at taking on the instructions of their coach. Rotating too early can mean the player is tracked easily, while rotating too late can give the opposition time to cover the gap where a player had wanted to receive.

Players must also have good technical qualities to receive on the move and play with their heads up to keep up with the pace of their team’s move.

How should a team facing rotations deal with them?

If defenders communicate well, and cover for one another when any teammate moves out of position, then directly following individuals can help nullify an opposing rotation. Alternatively, an organised zonal approach can effectively deal with a rotation, with defenders holding their positions and retaining their original structure while the opposition rotate in front of them.

Should a defender approach or press the ball-carrier while also blocking a passing line to one of the rotating players, then the rotation can be stopped. Screening passes can delay the opposition’s progress and allows teammates to cover the space the opposition is targeting with their rotation, while also putting the player on the ball under pressure.

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Author: The Coaches' Voice