Glossary
A tactics dictionary without clichés. Every term is explained the way it shows up on the pitch, with a hint of what to look for on video.
Pressing
Pressing
- Organised pressure on the opponent in possession.
- A coordinated reduction of space and time for the player on the ball, combined with closing passing lanes. Pressing is never an individual act: if the first player jumps without cover behind him, the team is not pressing, it is opening up.
Gegenpressing
- Immediate pressure right after losing the ball.
- Instead of dropping into a block, the team attacks the ball in the first seconds of the transition, while the opponent is still disorganised. It requires a compact attacking structure and agreed triggers.
Trigger
- A predefined cue to start pressing.
- A poor first touch, a backwards pass, a ball towards the touchline, or a player facing his own goal. Triggers are what separate organised pressing from running without a plan.
Structure
High block
- Back line and first pressure set high up the pitch.
- The team defends near the opposition penalty area and shortens the route to goal after a recovery. The cost is the space behind the last line, so it demands quick centre-backs and a goalkeeper who defends space.
Mid and low block
- A defence organised around halfway or in front of its own box.
- A mid block saves energy and guides the opponent into prepared zones. A low block seals the space in front of goal but concedes possession and territory.
Space between the lines
- The zone between the opponent's lines.
- The area between the defensive and midfield lines where a player can receive facing the opposition goal. Controlling it is the clearest indicator of positional-play quality.
Overload
- Deliberately creating a numerical advantage in one zone.
- The team gathers extra players on one side to attract the opponent, then switches play quickly to the free side.
Positions
False nine
- A striker who drops from the last line into the space between the lines.
- By pulling a centre-back out of the line he creates a channel for wingers or midfielders to attack. Without runners into depth the effect disappears and the role becomes just another midfielder.
Inverted full-back
- A full-back who steps into central midfield.
- Instead of holding the touchline, the full-back moves inside to help control the middle and maintain defensive balance in transition.
Phases of play
Rest defence
- Defensive balance while your own team attacks.
- The arrangement of players who stay behind the ball to cover a possible counter-attack. Usually one player more than the number of opponents left up the pitch.
Transition
- The switch from one phase of play to another.
- The moment possession changes. Attacking transition demands speed and verticality; defensive transition demands compactness and delaying the opponent's attack.
Third man
- A combination where the ball arrives via an intermediary.
- Player A passes to player B, who sets it to player C in a better position. It solves receiving under pressure and is the most common way into the space between the lines.