In today's world of football, transitions have become some of the most crucial actions in the game. But what is a transition?
A transition is that moment when a change occurs in the game that causes a series of actions by both teams. Some with the objective of attacking and the others with the objective of defending.
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Types of transitions
In all games there are two types of transitions. The offensives and the defensives.
On the one hand, offensive transitions are defined as those in which the team has recovered the ball and tries to mount the attack towards the opponent's goal.
On the other hand, defensive transitions are those in which the team loses the ball and must reorganize to recover it and thus avoid the attack of the rival team.
Offensive transitions
- Counterattack. The counterattack is defined as the offensive reaction, to the previous advance of the opposing team, in which the pace of the play is highly fast and frenetic.
- Static play. If our team has recovered the ball and wants to start an offensive play, we must find a safety pass that from there will return us to the game cycle that gives way to starting the attack.
Defensive transitions
- Pressure at the ball exit. If we have lost the ball and now the opponent has it, we must go up to put pressure on the opponent and try to recover the ball as soon as possible in the same area or a nearby area from which we have lost the ball.
- Defensive retreat. Once the opponent has recovered the ball, this transition refers to the action of moving back towards our goal and reorganizing the team with the aim of being prepared to defend the rival team's next attack.
Transitions according to coaches
Two of the best coaches in the world and current coaches of two great Premier League teams such as Liverpool and Manchester City, shared their respective opinions on transitions at the time.
The charismatic Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp stated: "Soccer is about speed. It's a game of transitions. The best time to win the ball is immediately after your team has lost it. If you win the ball back up the field and close to the goal, it's just a pass, and that pass will turn into a really good opportunity most of the time. No playmaker in the world can be as good as a three-quarter-field turnover recovery.".
Also, the model Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola He said: "My players must always want to have the ball. If they don't have it, they must chase it like hunting dogs to recover it quickly and close to the rival goal, since we are closer to the goal.".
The importance of training transitions
As we mentioned initially, transitions are actions of great importance within the match, which arise constantly throughout the match. Therefore, it is necessary to train both offensive and defensive transitions in training, since it is vital to master them throughout the match.
Because team play is important, but transitions can win games.