The Return Of The Long Ball
How Going Long Gave City Control Again
This past weekend, we witnessed the execution of the long ball at near perfection on two separate occasions. Both instances resulted in goals and demonstrated just how effective this tactic can be when applied with the right timing. As with everything in football, context is key — and we need to consider what both teams are trying to accomplish.
Route 1
Manchester City's first goal against Newcastle perfectly exemplifies the effectiveness of a well-timed long ball. Newcastle pressed high, hoping to win possession and launch quick counterattacks—one of their main strengths as a team.
For large parts this season, City’s short passing game has made them vulnerable to such an approach, often playing into the opponent’s hands and appearing “shaky” in possession. For an extended period, they have lacked the right personnel and confidence in executing the style of play they are so renowned for. This has led to them conceding a lot of high quality chances and goals against.
However, since January, City seems to have found a solution, revisiting a tactic they have successfully employed in the past.
Let’s examine City’s opening goal against Newcastle. In simple terms, it was one direct pass from goalkeeper Ederson to Omar Marmoush, who made a perfectly timed run in behind.
As we can see in the image above, Ederson was the ‘free man’ and he was afforded a lot of time on the ball because of Newcastles aggressive man-to-man marking approach. With one pass, Ederson took out the whole Newcastle team.
The Paradox of the Long Ball
The long ball has historically been perceived as a tool for creating chaos—launching the ball toward a traditional target man and battling for second balls. However, modern football, shaped by Pep Guardiola’s influence on passing and structured build-up play, has evolved significantly. Most teams now employ highly organized pressing schemes, inspired by German Gegenpressing. This has led to a chess-like tactical battle, where possession-based teams constantly seek to find the spare man.
However, overemphasizing short passing has its drawbacks. If an opponent knows exactly how you intend to play—circulating neat and tidy short passes—it becomes easier to devise a strategy to counter it. Many teams, such as Newcastle and Bournemouth, now adopt aggressive man-for-man pressing or hybrid pressing approaches to capitalize on mistakes in possession in order to punish the opponent with high-quality chances.
The purpose of possession football is to exert control and dominate the game. However, teams like Southampton, Tottenham and City, at various points this season, have actually lost control by stubbornly sticking to possession-based play against highly aggressive pressing opponents.
The long ball, then, serves as a crucial variation—a way to bypass pressure and exploit the space left behind by an opponent pressing high. With the right personnel, this approach becomes a powerful weapon.
City now possess that weapon in Marmoush—or should we call him The Egyptian Prince? You can enjoy his hat-trick here:
When an opponent is punished by a well-executed long ball, it gets into their heads. They will unconsciously step back, causing their team to drop deeper. Newcastle, for instance, would start questioning their high-pressing approach, making them less aggressive. This, in turn, granted City more space and time on the ball, and reestablished their control over the game. Football is about momentum, and as both a coach and player, you can sense when the opposition begins to doubt their strategy.
It also helps that City appear to have found a new midfield orchestrator, someone who mirrors aspects of Rodri’s game. He displayed great composure on the ball, with teammates trusting him even in tight spaces. His touch map below is a clear testament to his influence.
Touch of Brilliance
A similar scenario played out in the match between Brighton and Chelsea. Chelsea started the game in control, dominating possession early on. However, the first goal of the game came not from intricate passing, but from another long ball—this time delivered by Brighton’s goalkeeper, Bart Verbruggen, directly to Kaoru Mitoma.
Similar to Marmoush’s goal, Chelsea’s press failed to engage the goalkeeper, affording Verbruggen all the time and space he needed to pick out a pass.
This tactic has become a hallmark of Brighton coach Fabian Hürzeler’s approach this season. Notice how Brighton deliberately ‘empty’ their midfield to overload Chelsea’s backline. When the long ball bypasses the press, Brighton create a 5v4 advantage in the final third. Meanwhile, Chelsea have five players caught out of play, failing to engage the ball. Brighton’s clever rotations along with their goalkeeper stepping in to form a ‘new’ back four, confused them into ball-watching.
It’s worth taking a moment to appreciate Mitoma as a player. Watching him play is pure enjoyment, and in truth, this goal owed as much to his brilliance as it did to Verbruggen’s long ball.
By the way, Brighton only had 30 % of possession in this game. But they were clearly the better team because of how they exploited the spaces afforded to them.
How Can Teams Counter the Long Ball?
If goalkeepers with exceptional distribution are now creating goal-scoring opportunities with long balls, how can pressing teams adjust?
One potential solution is for teams to press goalkeepers more aggressively, forcing them into rushed decisions rather than allowing them the time to pick a pass. However, this comes with its own trade-offs—committing more players to press the goalkeeper could leave a center-back or full-back unmarked. Alternatively, teams may opt to drop into a mid or low block, prioritizing defensive shape over high pressing. Nottingham Forest has mastered this approach this season, choosing to defend deep and spring counterattacks from further back.
For teams persisting with a high press, the level of detail in their pressing must improve. Defenders will need to make curved runs, block passing lanes, and press in a way that denies goalkeepers the opportunity to play long with precision. However, this still presents a problem—if teams press too aggressively, elite teams like City will simply play around them, utilizing the free man. In conclusion, you really can’t win if they are on it.
This brings us back to the paradox of the long ball. Once dismissed as a desperate or chaotic tactic from the “Dinosaur Era”, it is now being used as a strategic tool to regain control of the game. By adding a direct threat in behind, teams like City can disrupt pressing systems, force opponents to adjust, and ultimately regain control by keeping their opponents guessing.
References
Image: Man City (2025). Marmoush. URL: https://www.mancity.com/citytv/mens/marmoush-post-chelsea-citytv-reaction-25-jan-63873417
Image: Sky Sports (2025). Touchmap. URL: https://x.com/SkySportsPL/status/1890859880271032681
Image: The Athletic (2025). URL: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6138134/2025/02/15/mitoma-goal-chelsea-brighton/
Launched 11 days ago? Consider me subbed. 🙏🏽 Refreshing to read such in-depth pieces.
(By the way, I must’ve watched that Mitoma first touch back, at least 10 times. It was Bergkamp-esque) 😍