Football tactics glossary

A centre-back who drives forward with the ball and breaks lines with vertical passes, acting as a built-in extra midfielder.

The combined defensive lines moving as a unit. High, mid or low depending on their position on the pitch.

A midfielder who covers the entire pitch — from his own box to the opposition box — typically the no. 8.

Keeping short distances between the defensive and midfield lines, denying space between them.

Pressing immediately after losing the ball to win it back within the first few seconds — before the opposition can reorganise.

A run made to distract defenders or draw markers away, creating space for a teammate rather than the runner themselves.

A centre-forward who drops deep into midfield, dragging a centre-back out of position and opening space for the wingers.

The vertical channel between the central corridor and the wide corridor. The preferred creative zone for modern midfielders.

A full-back who tucks inside in possession, becoming a second holding midfielder and protecting against the counter.

Defensive shape height: low = deep own half, mid = centre of pitch, high = opponent's half.

Each player locks on to a specific opponent regardless of zone, not just whoever enters their area.

The post closer to the ball (near) and the post farther from the ball (far). Delivery targets in set pieces.

Having more players than the opposition in a specific zone of the pitch.

The defensive line stepping up in unison at the moment of the pass to catch the attacker in an offside position.

Pass-and-move to beat a marker by using a teammate as a wall.

Concentrating players on one side to attract the defence, then switching to the isolated side where a 1 v 1 remains.

The event that fires collective pressing: a back-pass, a heavy touch, a slow square pass.

The defensive structure maintained during your own attack to prevent a counter-attack.

A movement where an attacker legally positions their body to block a defender's path, freeing a teammate.

The side where the ball is (strong) and the opposite side (weak). The defence slides to the strong side.

A long pass that moves the ball from the overloaded strong side to the open weak side.

A physically powerful striker who holds the ball up with his back to goal, acting as a lay-off point.

Combination A→B→C, where C arrives in motion and receives in space — impossible to track.

The moment the ball changes hands: offensive (you won it) or defensive (you lost it). Where modern matches are decided.

Stretching the defence horizontally (width) and vertically (depth).

A very attacking full-back, typical in 3-back systems (3-5-2), who effectively acts as a winger.

The central space at the edge of the box — the zone from which the most assists and shooting opportunities are created.