Starting with or against the wind?

“I hated the wind. It levels the playing field and drags the game down,” says Frenchman Alain Blachon, former assistant coach at Paris St-Germain and Saint-Étienne. Like him, all coaches, at all levels, have had to deal with this challenge. How can you adapt to deal with it? Here are 5 tips from specialists.

1- "Start with the wind because it might change…" 

Among the necessary adjustments, the question of whether to start with or against the wind arises when you win the coin toss. “I advise starting with the wind. Simply because it might change or stop during the game,” says Alain Blachon. A common-sense approach. However, while this pragmatic point of view is widely accepted, some coaches point out the connection between the players’ technical level and their collective ability to implement the team’s game plan in strong winds: “The more a team masters building out from the back and relies on short passing, the less it will be affected or impacted by the wind,” notes Mickaël Boully, the goalkeeping coach at Paris FC in Ligue 2.

2- Forwards: "Take your chances!" 

Experienced coach Emerick Darbelet shares the advice he gives to his forwards at Rodez Aveyron Football in French Ligue 2: “We encourage them not to hesitate to take their chances, even if the shooting conditions aren’t always ideal. The same goes for crosses that can turn into goals with the help of a gust or confuse defenders trying to read the ball's trajectory. Defensively, we ask them to ramp up their pressure on defenders who will likely struggle to find their teammates positioned higher on the pitch. Against the wind, we remind them to chase all through balls, even if they seem unreachable, because the wind can slow them down and put goalkeepers in a tough spot when judging the ball's path.”

3- Defenders: "Less direct play, more short passes" 

Different position means different instructions for defenders, as explained by Alain Blachon: “When in possession and playing against the wind, defenders need to focus on short build-up and avoid long aerial balls that will inevitably come back and serve as ammunition for the opposition counterattacks.” So, less direct play and more sequences built on short passes. “Defensively, the challenge is managing the space behind and dealing with through balls, depending on how tightly the ball carrier is pressured, and especially if the defensive block is high. Near our goal, we emphasize closing down players as quickly as possible to prevent them from shooting.”

4- Goalkeepers: "Anticipate the long balls!" 

Mickaël Boully, goalkeeping coach at Paris FC, insists that “of all the weather conditions, the wind creates the most uncertainty, and even anxiety, for goalkeepers.” In these cases, he gives clear instructions: “Against the wind, it’s crucial to anticipate long balls. The focus should be on managing the space between the goalkeeper and the defensive line. With the wind at our backs, keepers often play higher up to shorten the distance between the lines. While this makes sense, it also carries a risk, as high-level players can take information and adjust very quickly, and the possibility of being lobbed exists if the ball carrier isn’t pressured. In either case, these are details that should be addressed in training. Before a match, I always check the weather forecast: the expected temperature, the risk of rain, and of course, whether it will be windy. I also consider the stadium’s configuration. In the pro setting, most stadiums are enclosed, but some, like the one in Istres, when the club was in an elite league, are exposed to open winds, which can have a big impact on the game. This is why it’s crucial to prepare during training, working on situations close to what they’ll face in the game.” Starting with the wind if possible, adjusting the game plan to the conditions, and giving specific instructions based on the circumstances are, according to our experts, the keys to winning a match in windy conditions.

5- "Use the wind as a teaching tool!" 

For Yves Débonnaire, head of youth national teams for the Swiss Football Federation, the wind can also be used as a teaching tool. “In youth football, I don’t think you can really design a training session around the wind. For the youth players, you just need to let them play and not complicate things with game plans. For players at the end of adolescence, you might not build a session plan around it, you can take advantage of the inevitable difficulties it presents. The wind often causes the game to lose coherence. It has a destabilizing effect and causes players to lose their bearings, so paradoxically, it’s a learning opportunity. In my opinion, simplicity is key. The coach’s message can be reduced to a few words like, ‘Keep the ball on the ground and find solutions!’ Relying on players’ adaptability and intelligence is perhaps the most educational act there is!”