When you've tuned into Futsal for the first time it can feel a bit overwhelming, it is a chaotic game- the pace is frantic, the turnovers are rapid, players rotate at an almost dizzying frequency, yet in between the intensity the players find the opportunity to execute technical and tactical actions of the highest level. There's a reason why Futsal is entering coaching discussions and is undergoing a boom in global exposure, the sport which they play in a court and with a heavier ball ended up producing some of the highest quality footballers of the past 2 decades- think Neymar JR, Ronaldinho and Andres Iniesta to name a few.
Futsal is the predecessor to the street, it has a rich cultural capital, the game thrives because there is variation- across Europe a movement is gathering speed.
Following my article Big Picture vs Small Picture and discussions had on X, I've been wanting to take a deeper look at futsal's intricacies for a while, I love how the analysis is focused around the dynamic nature of the game rather than systems like we do in football, concepts are interpreted by both possessor and receiver, they are never identical. The concepts are the tools used to promote and realise an attack, 'the rapture' as its often referred to, it's up to the players to create something from the haziness of the moment.
In this article I'll analyse these interactions and how they influence tactical decision making in both futsal and football, examples from coaches in the modern game implementing these concepts and why coaches need to seriously readdress what they constitute attacking football.
CONCEPTUAL TACTICS
Futsal promotes creativity in tight spaces, a dynamic nature of affordances, invitations to combine based awareness to receptive information and relational outcomes. Instead of building attacks, futsal teams aim to find an escape from pressure by deceiving opponents- going against the flow. With Futsal you develop a greater appreciation of movement and space, interactions become the sole reference point of a methodological framework. With perception-action coupling, futsal creates more adaptive players who can recognise and exploit the situation of dynamic advantage.
Futsal's universal roles require a player to perform multiple functions, rather than positions that are pre-defined, self organising around the teams collective intentions and needs. In futsal where the space is reduced, where transitions are more frequent and rapid, a player occupying a consistent position is less seen as players often travel out of their starting positions after initiating attacks through wall passes, parallels, running to block or dummy a pass. Actions are intuitive multifunctional collaborations.
Players are active agents, learning to self organise through variable practice that builds perceptual empathy and relational tendencies. Let's look at some common Futsal core moves / group tactics and examples of this seen in football- the game of two.
WALL PASS
The wall pass, often known as a give and go (toco y me voy) is one of the most effective and frequently used concepts used in futsal. According to an FA analysis in 2023, around 50% of goals in elite level futsal involve a two player move in the build up. Due to the small sized playing area, this type of interaction is essential for eliminating defenders, creating and exploiting space.
Player A draws a defender out to press and passes to player B, who acts as a wall to play the return pass, player A immediately makes a run into the space on the blindside of the pressing defender. Player B's return pass can be in front of the last line of pressure or behind it- eliminating another defender by using his blindside. Futsal games are often chaotic and it's difficult to create a numerical overload as most teams go man for man and track runners all the way across the court, so exploiting individual marking with these types of actions can be very effective.
There are variations of this- the double wall pass which involves a third wall player after the initial 2 player move. Also the fake wall pass, this adds a more deceptive element to the move, player A fakes a pass to player B to sell himself to the defender followed by a change of rhythm to dribble in the opposite direction where the spatial advantage has been created.
PARALELA
A Paralela can be referred to as a pass down the line with multiple players positioned parallel to each other on the touchline, often 2 or 3. The parallel is often paired with the concept of a wall pass, the initial line pass will often be followed by a diagonal forward run as a way of receiving behind the pressure . The receptor will often start centrally then moving wide to receive to draw the marker and allow space for the forward run to pierce the space.
The nature of football is based around the idea of playing and going, it requires changing the picture constantly, manipulating rhythm as a medium of instigating attack and infiltrating the blindside. Movement occurs as soon as the pass is released, he aims to arrive in to the space at the appropriate moment.
credit- Maltese Futsal Analyst
OVERLAP
An Overlap is a common movement in both futsal and football, where Player A has the ball whilst Player B makes a circular movement on the outside of him. An Overlap can be used in three ways, both instigated by the possessor dribbling inside or at the defender.
1- To create space for the receiver, after the dribble inside and movement outside the defender gets drawn away from the wide area creating space for the receiver on the outside behind the line of pressure- creating a 2v1 advantage.
2- To create space for the possessor- the dribble inside and movement outside creates a doubt for the defender, if he hesitates and tries to defend the outside option he subsequently creates space inside for the possessor to drive- opening a chance to shoot at goal.
3- To create space for the third player- the dribble inside and movement outside from the second player, if a second defender covers across it creates free space in-front of the unit for a third player to attack and run into, creating an opportunity to break the line or shoot from range.
THREE IN A LINE
I often call this an Escadinha or a Ladder, the concept of this involves 3 players aligning themselves creating a relational structure, player A passes the ball through to Player C with Player B letting the ball run past him or opening his legs to dummy or create a tunnel for the ball to travel through or through a flick on/ back heel.
This is a very good deceptive tool when trying to create advantages through attacking and eliminating defenders from applying pressure to the ball. The element of surprise compromises the control the defensive unit tries to propose, creating opportunities for the in possession team to control the game and go against the rhythm.
Look at these clips from the Moroccan futsal team, they thrive in playing in congested spaces and the three in a line structure is a great tool to help them navigate the court. Here they use the flick on variant.
The Escadinha Corta Luz is something I've covered extensively, close proximity creates the conditions for these structures to emerge organically, it is a key pillar of associative play. Circulation occurs on the outside as players align with each other to form these transient structures, top down order disappears leaving the opponent helpless to defend several emerging situations at once, the receptors perceive local affordances- they play where they feel not just what they see.
Against a man marking system a player can make a movement to open up the passing lane into the cluster, the reaction to mark anyone in between the lines so tightly creates the ultimate opportunity to deceive by letting the ball breeze past. This is how the best teams maximise attacking affordances, they catch their opponent in a rhythm before they go against it. 360 degree perception at the moment of ball reception is the catalyst for elite attacking play.
BLOCK
A Block is when a player positions themselves to obstruct a defender from pushing out to apply pressure to the ball, creating time and space for the possessor. If the attacker stands in the path of the defender it's considered a legal move in both futsal and football as the positioning in stationary, where charging a defender or moving to obstruct is seen as illegal. This is commonly seen during kick ins, set pieces and counter attacks. A common variation is a Block and continue which involves a forward run to receive in behind after a block on the defender.
Kick off Routines - defenders blocking the path of the striker so the GK can play the diagonal ball upfield under no pressure and more accurately, also allowing him to position himself higher up the pitch and push the attackers further forward. Arsenal at Set Pieces are the most common example of how blocking is utilised in the modern game, it's used primarily to stop zonal defenders retreating to the back post following the initial movements to the front allowing a player to arrive at the target zone.
THE CURTAIN
The curtain involves an exchange of roles within a lead in pass, also changing how players align themselves to their teammates and from which vantage point they can see the game. The curtain facilitates the dynamic occupation of the central space, the game of futsal is always mutating, when every player is marked it can help players invade new spaces on a higher line.
The curtain can involve a block, which I described previously, the player without the ball deliberately moves in front of the pressing player to temporarily delay the defenders ability to close down the possessor giving the player time to direction change or exploit a passing lane. There are two types of curtains; direct- to disrupt the defensive pressure like a block - or indirect - the movement supports another player receiving the ball.
This can be compared to the use of the yo-yo pass in football, where most teams try to open up the pitch with a switch pass once they have moved into a congested area, the yo-yo pass aims to secure position on the ball side in order to progress the play locally. The curtain fulfils the same function, where the opponent expects the game to open up there is a change in pausa and direction.
A LA CORTA - DOUBLE MOVEMENT
The idea behind the A la Corta is to attack outside to exploit the inside, the double movement and change of direction as the ball travels to create space on the inside of the defender, exploited by a diagonal penetrating movement. The important aspects are to attack the back then front and move as the ball is moving to achieve maximal deception.
Arteta has previously spoken often about this, not wanting players to receive on a straight line as the defending player can actively prevent turns as the possessors body shape limits the opportunities to turn and carry forward, meaning he has to defend less space. As seen in the Everton vs Leicester game, the receiving player Ndiaye gestures for the ball inside so the pass goes away from him so he can spin away from the defender and attack the space diagonally towards goal.
Credit- John Tapia Owens
SOLE CONTROL
Each touch of the ball with the sole has a meaning, it triggers something to the players ahead of the ball, it activates a response- a chain - it acts as a layer of non verbal communication. The touch of the ball not only changes the path the ball may travel on but can invite movement towards the ball carrier to commit opposing players and create space on the blindside.
There are various types of sole control as a strategical tool ; the roll inside, the roll forward, the roll back or simply the foot resting on top of the sole- also negative touches used when playing with your back to goal. These are typically based on the movement trajectory and direction of the ball, changing the momentum to outwit the opponent. How could this be important in group/individual tactics- the football micro game context? The sudden stop kills the momentum then the acceleration and change in direction ensures better opportunities for progression.
De Zerbi says he uses the sole with his centre backs in build up because he likes it as a 'tactical gesture', giving the possessor the control to be able to play to either side. He references his exchange with his former player Antonio Vacca at Foggia- ''when I use the sole the opposition come to press me harder, therefore I use the sole to get the opponent to press me and jump from their block''.
If you receive the ball leaning to one side you exclude exploiting options on the other side, with the sole you can play wherever you wish, giving players the opportunity to go against the flow and find the diagonal line break. This allows players to play with their heads up and perceive the environment, being able to feel the ball, controlling the rhythm and opposition reactions- a tool to instigate pressure- outplaying the opposition by forcing them to commit.
Russell Martin spoke about this in an episode of the Coaches voice regarding Swansea's away win at Cardiff in the South Wales derby. Martin knew due to the emotional element of this highly charged fixture that if his defenders stood on the ball in front of Cardiff's mid block it would cause a reaction of violent cries from the home fans begging for Cardiff's strikers to go press, the striker acts emotionally deviating from the tactical plan, creating the opportunity to be vertical.
We can look at an alternative use of the sole by Malmo, the sole here is used to fake a pass before orientating the other way to open the inside passing option. Not only is this really hard to defend, it doesn't give the defending players the indication where the attack is heading unlike when a player receives side foot.
Credit- Bene Schneiderbauer
Credit- Higor SantosTHE SCOOP PASS
The scoop pass is used to elevate the ball over the defenders legs or body, it's a great tool used in Futsal to escape pressure in tight spaces. In tight spaces ground passes are intercepted quite easily, especially when there is pressure coming from different angles are restricting angles to play, the scoop allows precise passes into players attacking the next line- often on the defenders blindside.
Variations of scoop can include the sole control manipulations that I described in the last section; a standard scoop uses the front, inside or outside of the foot, a pull and scoop involves the sole trap first, rolling it back to then scoop and the outside parallel scoop uses the outside of the foot to curve or lift the ball on a sideways angle. It's almost comparable to a wedge, with a medium to low arc, the heavier nature of the futsal ball makes this move a lot more common in the court than in football- yet if utilised can be just as effective.
As Jamie Fahey describes in Futsal - the story- ''The scooped pass has come to typify the subtleties of the sport, a skill born out of necessity in an arena not too dissimilar to the street, playing with a half pumped ball on a tiny pitch littered with obstacles. It's a futsal fundamental often employed instinctively as a flicked parallel pass, floating tantalisingly through the waist-height dead zone- just above the straining defenders leg or thigh''
An Alternative to a scoop can be a lofted diagonal pass over an opponent into the vacated space, this typically happens from deep and is a common way of bypassing pressure by isolating the pivot 1v1 in the corner with the two wingers dropping deep to attract pressure and create space.
Affordances in Futsal are dynamic in nature, opportunities arise from the interaction between a player's capabilities and the changes in the playing environment. These are not static interactions, they dynamically evolve with factors such as the ball, position, opposition movements and the spatial constraints of the court.
A players perceptual skills are important to navigating the court, they must be receptive to constant cues like diagonal angles and invitations to combine. Variation helps players navigate these emergent possibilities, the aim is to attack the space in between players not the structure, to commit players into uncomfortable situations- mismatches- by dribbling, rotations to open angles or push and run type moves like parallels or block + continue.
Navigating and manipulating momentum in futsal is a key concept, generated through these rotational movements often centred around the pivot- the central attacking player. The pivot is often a teams sole anchor, the focal point, with his teammates as moving components using circular rotations around the ball carrier. 3 players often perform a 'wheel' rotation to draw markers and create space to attack the oppositions blindside.
This involves fluid interchanges, a harmonised understanding of where and when to move, where the team can create an imbalance, when to build momentum by accelerating/slowing ball circulation- curtains are a great tool for this, and when to make an insertion- a penetrative interaction that involves a player receiving the ball behind the last line. Due to the spatial conditions and the 5v5 format of futsal , these explosive, unpredictable and aggressive movement patterns happen with a high frequency. Futsal in its nature is a game about verticality.
A lot of these movements, rotations and passes happen on a diagonal line, passes or movements at 45 degree trajectories are harder to intercept or block than one on a vertical or horizontal line. The interplay in futsal attacks have a rhythmic flow, momentum accumulates through chained actions acting as a non verbal cue to start a progression.
Credit- Maltese Football Analyst
Pivot play is important for orientating futsal attacks, a focal point/target man, the pivot gives the team depth, occupies defenders to create space for the fixo or ala or by using his strength to hold up the ball and act as a wall pass option. He also tries to spin in behind as often as possible to get goal side of the defender, as I showed in the Sole control example the negative sole touch sets up the opportunity to turn quickly and create the directional advantage to shoot.
Diagonal runs are an essential component of pivot play, when a gap opens up by the defender jumping to apply pressure or when he waits for cover this situation is typically exploited by a diagonal movement on the defenders blindside. Pivots can also help instigate the parallel combination with this movement across the defender into the wide area. Also there is the false pivot- which involves him dropping deep or moving wide to combine with the alas, creating space for the weak side ala or fixo to exploit with a run.
An example of Pivot play in football is through Carlo Ancelotti's use of a Benzema as an advanced pivot during his second spell at Real Madrid, they build their attacks towards the striker, players queue up to the striker from the ball carrier with 360 body shape. Benzema was often seen moving wide with Vini Jr to combine together with wall passes and double wall passes. Play is orientated towards the frenchman, there was no need for him to drop deep into the midfield and create when Kross and Modric did that on an elite level.
Diniz had used a similar concept at Fluminense, Ganso explains how the striker was the only attacking player with a fixed position, he could move laterally but he very rarely interfered with constructing attacking moves by dropping deep. The strikers open body shape and positioning on the backline gave the team a constant attacking reference, whilst the rest of the team self organised in the paralela cheia- tilt.
For those who are not familiar with futsal's ruleset it limits the goalkeeper to holding the ball for 4 seconds before having to release it to a teammate. For this reason you don't see teams attempt to use their goalkeepers to bait pressure to find the spare player, like you see done tediously in football. The creation of advantages in futsal are generated through dynamic movement, not static superiorities like positional and numerical ones, movement and arriving into spaces are always more advantageous than just occupying them.
Teams have found other ways of using the goalkeeper to create the 3v2, like in the Germany vs England game recently. In this build up Germany rotated the GK into a wing position to create the third man option in build up with the defender moving into the base. Ahead of the ball, the left wing and pivot pin back 2 England defenders creating the initial +1.
However this rule doesn't exist once the ball reaches the opposite half, throughout the game the German goalkeeper would be active in their attempts to break down the English defensive block by moving into thew opposition half to form the base, flanked by the pivot with both Alas moving on the blindside of the pressure. From here the alas could rotate into the first line with the pivot making a burst forward after instigating a wall pass.
It's impossible to talk about futsal and football without mentioning Tim Walter and his innovative approach to build up, which is directly influenced by futsal's game of two and these types of dynamic build up sequences. The CB will often start by playing to the GK followed by a movement beyond the 1st line of press, covered by the defensive midfielder. If the defensive midfielder is followed into the 1st line the CB can receive higher up facing forward, if not they can easily bypass pressure in the first line through out to in/ bounce pass moves. Sometimes the CB moves to the opposite flank to receive the ball, the ST never follows him that far across so as a result it creates the free man in the half space.
The German coach has also been known to use his GK higher up when his team are looking to play in behind a mid- low block. Clips of his Hamburg side went viral years ago for playing in the centre circle during Hamburg's settled position, allowing them to get an extra player in between the lines, rotate players on different lines and dynamic forward movements from defenders in the 1st and 2nd line. A similar approach was adopted by Rosenior at Strasbourg, but in a more rigid tactical system where the GK was there primarily to free up an extra player to instigate a positional attack.
The overload can also be dynamic and socio-affective as it improves combination play and results in quicker passing sequences, concentrating players on one side improves the facilitation of the game of two concepts I analysed earlier, with the directional advantage it also creates conditions for moving actions like double wall passes that overwhelm defenders.
Wingers crossing sides is something that we have come to see in relational teams, abandoning central structural references to play on the ball side- play where you feel you can make an impact. This is common in Brazilian football, teams like Corinthians, São Paulo under Dorival Junior and Fernando Diniz at Fluminense. As we see in this clip of São Paulo the defensive shape tightens aggressively as both wingers loose their positions and relate on the ball side, creating uncertainty within the block over who jumps out and who covers. Sometimes problems proposed by aggressive defences are solved by being unorthodox- could you imagine an elite team in Europe doing such a thing to escape pressure?
Credit- O Segundo Volante | Relationism Inc
When you watch teams like these play futsal it makes what we constitute attack in football as tedious, dull and lacking any imagination. It inspires me, it makes me believe that there are no conceptual limits to attack, if these guys can create such genius on a tiny pitch, with a heavier ball, with just 4 outfield players then why can't eleven 80 million pound players produce something of the same aesthetic calibre?
We talk about ways of finding gains in attacking strategies, if the opposition defends with 5 we should attack with 6 to put a plus one in between the lines, why is this such a universal solution in positional logic? To attack large spaces is often attacking without dynamism, an over reliance on large space circulation often neutralises the potential than an attacking move can bring. We see fewer teams look to dictate the flow in the short spaces and look for directional references- like the pivot or the opening of the diagonal channel.
Why attack around the block in a U shape when we can use dynamism as a way to play through? There seems to be a growing sentiment amongst coaches and analysts that play must go through the wide areas to generate half space progressions because central combinations are deemed too risky. We need a mentality shift, those who deem to take risks actually take less risks but then use Rest Defence as an excuse to fall back on. This is holding back the development of our sport.
This is why the work of Hellberg at Middlesbrough is gaining so much traction, they're going against an unwritten rule of modern football by orientating all of their attacks centrally. This bravery has led to some of the best exchanges being played in England, by a Championship team with a budget that is dwarfed by the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea who in my opinion have an inferior understanding of vertical possession based football. But that discussion is for another article.
Some closing thoughts.
Where football and futsal coexist is the importance of relational driven outcomes, opposed to the systematic, the futsal environment excels in creating an environment for this- players engage with each other, they self organise and self prescribe to problem solve both offensively and defensively. The game of two is only effective when players have the same emotional connection.
Modern Futsal frameworks are dictated by momentum and exploiting the court diagonally, solutions are contextual to the demands of the game and the reaction of the opponent. Where football contrasts with rigid game models and imported criteria, it could benefit our game to take inspiration from futsal- which harnesses the creativity, tempo and spontaneity that football frameworks increasingly overlook.
Thank you to England National Head Coach John Tapia Owens for sending me videos which I used throughout the article and others which I hadn't included that inspired some of the talking points. Additionally a thank you to all the people making content on this subject helping it gain further traction in the analysis world.
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