Weak Side CM Runs (That Every 8/10 Should Be Making)
“How can I score and assist more goals?” … This is the most common question we receive from our CMs (8/10s). And it’s an excellent question to ask because a CM (or any player for that matter) that can create or finish goal-scoring chances will always have a spot in a team.
While there is no simple answer to the question (after all, creating scoring chances is perhaps the hardest part of the game) there are ideas that you should understand that will improve your ability to help your team score goals. One of these ideas is the weak side midfield run, which we’ll explain in detail in this technical-tactical analysis.
The Tactical Advantage Of Being Weak Side
The defensive team must focus on the strong side (where the ball is) to prevent direct goal-scoring opportunities.
You can operate in the blind spots of defenders, making yourself incredibly difficult to track.
You can see the play develop and adjust your movements to exploit the spaces created by the actions of your teammates and the opposition defense.
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Choose Your Channel Wisely
Use your strikers positioning and movement to determine the optimal run path. Don’t run into spaces where you’ll be smothered by your teammates and the opposition defense.
Exploit the space between the opposition center back and outside back. It causes confusion as they are unsure of who is responsible for you in that space, and often times the CB won’t see you (blind spot run).
If your striker is central and high, the run between the center back and outside back also creates a 2v1 scenario for the center back, increasing the difficulty in defending it.
A Defensive Tracking Nightmare
Defenders are generally organized in horizontal blocks or ‘lines’. More advanced lines are taught to track attackers for a certain distance but then pass off players to preserve their shape.
When you run through multiple defensive lines or zones, you cause massive problems for defenders as they are not sure how long to track you and will often stop at some point.
Similarly, running in the vertical half spaces, between opposing fullbacks and CBs or CMs and Wingers (as seen above and below) wreak havoc on defenders as they are unsure who and when they should mark you.
Pay attention to the deeper stating position of weak side CM and also the run central to exploit space vacated by the strikers moving wide.
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No Pressure On Ball = Run In Behind
Using all of the above, make sure that when there is no pressure on the ball, RUN IN BEHIND!
Also, notice below where space is created by your striker being deeper in the midfield.
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