Match Patterns
The Third-Man Run: Why the Best Pass Can Be the One Before It
Understand the third-man run in soccer: spot the support movement that helps a team pass beyond pressure and see why…
The reading room
All articles
Explore football through the shapes, roles and decisions that make a match more than a sequence of highlights.
Player Roles
False Nine or Target Forward: Two Different Jobs at the Centre
False nine or target forward: learn how each role changes passing links, defensive attention, and the space teammates…
Formations
How to Read Man-Marking and Zonal Pressing in Football
Learn to read man-marking and zonal pressing by tracking runners, pressure and cover, so you can tell how a defense…
Pressing
The High Line Is Not a Shortcut to Control
A high defensive line can tighten midfield pressure but exposes space behind. Learn how to read the press, goalkeeper…
Transitions
Watching the First Five Minutes After a Turnover
Watch five elapsed minutes after a turnover to spot how teams press, retreat, protect space, and find an…
Our point of view
The score is only one part of the story
We look at the choices and patterns that shape a match, without pretending every move has one obvious explanation.