#false nine

By Patrick Mills on September 7, 2015

In recent seasons, and particularly at the beginning of the current campaign, a trend is emerging which could eventually see the extinction of the no.10 in its traditional role. Many have written about what they perceive to be the false no.10 position. Most of these pieces claim that the role comprises of a player who starts just off the main striker but ends up in the box to score. My argument is that this is either a mere misinterpretation of the second striker role or else it is simply a false nine playing behind a striker that drifts wide or drops off to create space for the false nine. The false nine position is based on the principle that it is better to arrive in a location of threat to the opposition than to start in it. My interpretation of the false no.10 is someone who starts elsewhere with the intention of arriving in the no.10 position. In doing so, they are running into a space where their threat is heightened, instead of beginning in this zone and having to leave it to find space.

Given the importance of playmakers in the game, coaches have found themselves reassessing where the team’s chief creator should play.

The no.10 is typically the player who starts just behind the striker/strikers, think Mesut Ozil. Their role in the team is to supply chances to the other attacking players. The zone in which they operate is known as ‘the pocket’, the space between the opposition’s defence and midfield. However, if the opponents congest this space, the no.10 can become stifled. Equally if a defensive midfielder is told to get tight to the no.10 and force him backwards, their effect on the game becomes restricted. While if players stand relatively still between the lines the opposition has the opportunity to screen any passes towards them.

The Deep-Lying Playmaker

One way in which coaches have attempted to solve this problem is by playing deep-lying playmakers such as Cesc Fabregas at Chelsea or Santi Cazorla at Arsenal. And while this can weaken a team’s functionality as a defensive unit, there are numerous attacking benefits. Taking Fabregas as the best example, the Spaniard made 23 assists in all competitions last season as Mourinho’s team won the Premier League. Fabregas started most often alongside Nemanja Matic. His role was both to pick up the ball from deep areas and start attacks and also to join the attack and supply Chelsea’s forwards. Because Fabregas’ natural marker was the opposition’s attacking midfielder, his deep role sometimes allowed him to roam forward as an unmarked ‘free man’.

Other players like Andrea Pirlo also operate under the title of ‘deep lying playmaker’ but his role for Juventus was usually restricted to staying at the base of the midfield.

How effective is ‘zone 14’?

Many coaches divide the pitch into 18 zones. Using this method, the space in front of the opposition’s penalty area is commonly known as ‘zone 14’. Due to the importance of this zone, the role of false no.10 was created solely to maximize its exploitation.

The other crucial attacking areas, i.e the wings and the penalty box are best accessed through zone 14. For example, a pass to the winger from the full back is normally restricted to being vertical and so the winger has to receive the ball and turn to face the play, giving defenders time to close down. In addition, the full back will find it difficult to play a pass to the winger beyond the opposition. The reason for this is the principle that a vertical run in behind is best combined with a diagonal pass, something that is almost impossible to occur between a fullback and a winger on the same flank.

A pass to the winger from a deep central midfielder is slightly less problematic as the winger should be able to receive the ball on the half-turn but in order for the winger to receive the ball while facing the play, the winger would have to start much deeper. The central midfielder is, however, in a better position than the fullback to play a pass to the winger beyond the oppositions final line of defense but said pass would likely have to evade two lines of defence.

Therefore, given that a pass from zone 14 to the winger should allow them to receive the ball facing the play and a player in zone 14 has just one line of defense to bypass with a through ball to the winger, combined with the fact that the through ball is diagonal rather than the more difficult vertical through ball, means that zone 14 is generally the prime position for feeding the winger.

A player in zone 14 is also closest to the striker but an argument to suggest that through balls to the striker are better coming from the half-spaces, the spaces between the wings and the centre, or the wings, does have some substance. As I have mentioned, playing a diagonal penetrative pass as apposed to a vertical one is usually more effective because of the benefits of diagonality. There are a lot of in depth studies of this online and so instead of relaying that, I’ll just briefly summarize the idea that diagonal passes can be more favorable than vertical ones.

Basically, the concept is that a vertical pass will usually require its receiver to face away from the opposition’s goal or at the very least receive the ball on the half-turn. Alternatively, a diagonal pass is more likely to allow the receiver to remain facing the play. Furthermore, a diagonal pass generally breaks an opposition’s lines more effectively. For example, if a player receives a vertical pass, the opposition’s defensive lines are only slightly disrupted, if even. While a diagonal pass should in theory unsettle their lines more as they will have to adjust body position more and judging the destination of the ball becomes increasingly difficult.

Despite this argument, which would suggest that the most effective through ball to the striker should come from wider to allow for a diagonal pass, zone 14 remains the location at which access to the penalty box in general is most prevalent.

How to create ‘the pocket’

Such is the importance of the space between the opposition’s defense and midfield, otherwise known as ‘the pocket’, the resurgence of the false no.10 has occurred as a way of maximizing this space. There are a number of ways in which coaches exploit the zone, some of which are outlined below.

One way of creating the pocket has been utilized for years, especially at Barcelona. Commonly, Barca’s two central attacking midfielders, Iniesta and Rakitic, will drop off slightly and almost stand still with the ball at their feet, this is called ‘La Pausa’ or ‘The Pause’ and can be used all over the pitch. The idea is to draw the opposing central midfielders out to create space beyond them. Iniesta is possibly the best in the world at this and can often be seen using it to create a pocket for Barca’s false no.10, Lionel Messi.

The Argentine’s role for the Blaugrana last season epitomized the hybrid position, beginning on the right and making late runs, with or without the ball, into the no.10 position. Based on Messi’s success in this role, the suggestions are that a 4-3-3 is the best formation to play when using a false no.10. This is because the opposition’s central midfielders will naturally be drawn to their correspondents. Whereas in a 4-2-3-1 for example, they may prefer to sit in front of the central defenders in an attempt to eliminate the no.10’s effectiveness.