A quick primer on 'parking the bus'

What is ‘parking the bus’?

Generally refers to any team which concedes possession as a rule and plays almost everyone behind the ball, often hemmed in their own half, only venturing to score on the break. Also known as “shelling.”

It can take several different forms, some more ‘cynical’ than others. Generally “direct” or “long ball” football isn’t quite synonymous with parking the bus, as the former are generally part of an overall tactical approach.

Why do teams do it?

For a host of reasons. Some teams do it if they’re playing away from home against equal or superior opposition and don’t want to be caught in possession high up the pitch. Others do it against teams which rely on intricate build up play through the middle. Still others believe it gives underdogs an advantage, although evidence is mixed on that score.

Is it fun to watch?

It isn’t if you’re a neutral, on the whole. No one likes to see attacking plays broken up over and over and over again.

Is it harder to play attacking football than to park the bus?

Depends on the team and the situation. This past weekend Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea were accused of parking the bus against Liverpool at Anfield, with Brendan Rodgers intimating that it was “easy” to park ten outfield players around the 18 yard box.

This is a hard accusation to defend against as some underdogs with little in the way of technical skill or even defensive intelligence are sometimes successful in this approach. Moreover Chelsea were guilty of time wasting and dragging the ball to the corner flag. It was clear from the off that Mourinho was content with 0-0.

Yet to say what Chelsea did was “easy” doesn’t exactly ring true either. Mourinho’s team were required to be sharp in repelling every single cross with a headed clearance, in addition to carefully tracking countless diagonal runs in the 18 yard box. Moreover, Chelsea was careful to put two markers on Liverpool’s wingers or full-backs at all times to prevent them from entering the area and sending a pass to the edge of the box, something highly difficult to defend against.

How do you defeat a team that parks the bus?

The problem with Liverpool on Sunday is they showed no variation in their attacking approach against Chelsea, regardless of how clearly ineffective it was even before Steven Gerrard’s slip.

Keep in mind, in a sport as varied and chance-driven as football, there is no fool-proof way to defeat any tactical system in a single match. Yet Rodgers’ might have been better playing a deeper defensive line with a more compact midfielder and a single striker. This would at the very least have drawn Chelsea forward. It would have been doggerel for the supporters, but how many would care had LFC nabbed a single point against Chelsea?

As we have seen however, LFC this season play a system which concedes a dangerous amount of shots. Rodgers’ Liverpool might not yet have the defensive discipline to vary their approach, as fun to watch it may be. Many teams are in the same boat, which underlines how “parking the bus” isn’t as easy as some believe it to be.