Control the ball to control the game. It’s a philosophy that places great demands on players. Including those who, not so very long ago, were under strict orders to operate on a no-risk basis in virtually every situation.
The Hibs coaching staff understand why some fans still get the heebie-jeebies when they see their goalkeeper place the sole of his boot on top of the ball – in open play, with strikers actually invited to come flying in – while weighing up his passing options. Which don’t appear to include simply shelling it up the park and hoping a centre forward wins a flick-on.
However, it’s becoming more typical for players to roll the ball to David Marshall on goal kicks and urge him to lead a methodical build-up—not just because it looks cool. Any coach who has ever attended a UEFA talk-in on cutting-edge tactics will recognise the ingrained logic in splitting your central defenders and pressing your fullbacks high to create space.
When executed skillfully, a few deft passes can eliminate four or five opponents from the game, thwarting their attempts to press and providing a substantial advantage to the team in control. Consider the first goal of the 2-1 victory at Dundee on Saturday as an example.
Miguel Miranda, the goalie coach for Hibs, is adamant that while turning over the ball so close to your own goal carries a clear risk, doing so also reaps rewards. He says, “The big teams, the teams who want to be more dominant, to have possession and control the game, they will demand that the custodian plays out better from the back.”
It might not matter as much if I play for a counterattacking or low block squad. But if you want to be in charge, it’s essential.
In nine of Nick Montgomery’s 12 games at the helm since replacing Lee Johnson, Hibs have enjoyed majority possession; remove their games against Rangers and Celtic and they’re averaging about 55 per cent. If you could argue all day over the value of a statistic heavily influenced by whether an opponent actually WANTS to have the ball, this is clearly a factor in how the new gaffer intends to play.
“And we want to be dominant. We think Hibs is a very good team so we should be in control, not just give the ball to the opposition, but control the ball. In theory, whoever has the ball controls the game.
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