The Blue Zone attacking strategy usually represents the ‘Core’ attacking game plan of the team. The challenges in the Blue Zone come in the form of advancing the ball while retaining possession against a defense that has a smaller backfield to defend than in the White Zone and for that reason can easily commit more defenders to the gain-line.

The shape of the attacking game plan is determined by a number of factors such as the skills set of the attacking team and the weather which will definitely have an effect on the attacking tactics a team can employ. But the most  relevant factor in designing an attacking game plan must take into consideration the time and space that the defense is prepared to offer the attacking team.

If the attacking game plan is one which is not suited to cope with the time and space the defense affords the attack then the job of defending is made much easier for the defense. For that reason it is important for the attack to have various attacking game plans that can adapt to the defensive system they are facing.

Because the defense can offer different degrees of time and space to the attack and the Blue Zone is the core of any teams attacking game plan, we will look at three different attacking game plans or shapes that a team should consider developing.

Some defenses opt to give the attack plenty of time on the ball in the belief that they can identify the space the attack wishes to exploit during that time and then shut the space down before the attack can exploit it. This is usually the principle that guides the “Drift Defense”. When attacking against the drift defense the space is on the outside of the defense i.e. on the wings near the touchline. The defense believe they can allow the attack move the ball to that space but they will be there to defend it as the attack arrives there.

The mistake most attacks make against the drift defense is they easily identify the space out wide and immediately move the ball there. But unfortunately that is exactly what the defense would wish them to do and will have no difficulty in arriving there in time to defend the space. The challenge for the attack is to conserve the space out wide by preventing the defense from drifting to defend it and then move the attack there while the space still exists. The attack must also be prepared to attack inside or through the drift defense if the defenders drift prematurely to defend the space they have conceded out wide. Another possible strategy is to entice the defenders to drift prematurely and exploit the space inside or through the drift defense.

So in summary, the key to attacking a Drift Defense, is to fix the defense and exploit the space out wide or attack under or through the defense as it derits to defend the sapce out wide.

The “Drift” defense was more in vogue  7 – 10 years ago. But it became less popular as it afforded the attack a lot of time on the ball and allowed the attack make long passes and attack the defense on the outside without too much pressure on the ball. As a consequence it was very difficult to force the attack to kick or turn-over the ball due to the lack of pressure on the ball.

But should the defenders run a Drift Defense it is important that the attack can retain it’s shape through numerous phases of play. To retain the ball they need to attack the correct areas on the gain-line i.e where the space exists. That will create ‘Go Forward’, build pressure on the defense and lead to scoring opportunities.

Next week we will look at attacking against a defense that does the exact opposite to the Drift Defense i.e. it takes away as much time and space as possible as quickly as possible. It is commonly known as the “Blitz Defense”

Eddie