The Art of the Assist: Soccer’s Unsung Heroes

In the world of soccer, it is the goals that make the spectators jump up from their seats and celebrate in wild cheers. Scores are the moments that most often define matches and players’ careers. But behind every goal, there is often another decisive action – an assist. The assist is the carefully devised passing game that allows the attacker to score. Yet the assist maker is often overlooked in the spotlight, while the goalscorer receives all the credit. The same goes to the pundits: they most often analyze and make informed predictions, give sport betting tips to the fans and bettors, while they can just choose to follow these ideas and save time.

What is an assist?

An assist in soccer is the last decisive move that leads directly to a goal. It can be an accurate pass, a cross, or even a pass that is disallowed by an opponent before the ball ends up in the net. Assist providers are often creative midfielders or fast wingers who have the ability to see and execute passes that others cannot.

Through balls: a through ball is a pass that splinters the defense by passing the ball between defenders and finding an attacker in a running position. This requires timing, precision and an in-depth view of the opponent’s lines of defense. Players such as Kevin De Bruyne have excelled in this discipline, regularly managing to find attackers at the right time with razor-sharp through balls.

Crosses: crosses are passes mostly provided from the wings, which are sent into the penalty area with the aim of finding a fellow player to finish. Angel Di Maria is known for their precision with crosses, often delivered from far out, but always with a predicted address in the field. Crossings require not only technical finesse, but also the ability to read the game and anticipate the positions of fellow players.

Short passes: some assists are about creating small spaces close to the opponent’s goal with quick, short passes. Thomas Müller, known for his intelligence on the pitch, is an expert at making small dismissals, which open up space for strikers. Knowing when and how fast to pass the ball is an art, and Müller often takes advantage of chaos close to the goal to find a fellow player in a better position.

Free kicks and corners: delivering a good ball on set pieces is an art in itself. It requires precision and the ability to vary your approach to surprise the opponent. David Beckham is well-known for making precise shots from the point.

Skills that define a good assistant

To become an excellent passer, a player need to master a number of skills:

Vision: a great athlete must be able to see opportunities before they arise. This involves scanning the field constantly and anticipating the evolution of the game.

Technical ability: accurate passes, good first touches and the ability to hit the ball with different parts of the foot are essential.

Decision making: knowing when to play the ball and to whom is as important as the pass itself.

Creativity: the best assistants think outside the box and find solutions that the opponents do not expect.

Endurance: many assists come after long runs or at the end of the match when others are tired.

The importance of assists for team success

Assists are not only crucial for creating scoring chances, but they also help shape the dynamics of the match. An effective assist maker can turn a static play into a dangerous attacking action with just a single pass.

Increased offensive efficiency: by creating high-quality chances, they increase the likelihood of scoring.

Tactical flexibility: teams can vary their attacking style based on the assist provider’s strengths.

Relieving attackers: with a good assist provider, attackers don’t always have to create their own chances.

Morale boost: a fantastic assist can boost the morale and energy of your entire team.

The underrated art

Assists are essential for the goals to exist, yet they don’t always get enough attention. There are multiple reasons why the situations hasn’t changed still:

– Media focus on goalscorers

– Lack of statistics that completely capture a player’s creative contribution

– The subtle nature of many assists, which can be difficult to appreciate for untrained eyes

Final considerations

The history of soccer has so many notable players, who became noticed for their assists, not for the goals, like Kevin de Bruyne or Cesc Fabregas, but they won’t be remembered as much as the likes of Pele, Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo simply because of the nature of pass. The one who makes a pinpoint cross for the forward to tap in would still be considered as a mere squire to an extraordinary knight, who fights a dragon, which isn’t fair, but it is what it is.

What we can do as fans is try to watch the game as a whole and respect the players, who work on the goal-scoring combination, not just applaud the person, whose surname is written on the scoreboard.