Ray Booysen<\/a> \/ Wikipedia.org)<\/p><\/div>\nAs well as the sort of everyday football lingo you might hear in the pub, from time to time, you might hear something that sounds like it has come from the coaching manual. Dropping a few of these phrases into your conversation will make it sound like you really know what you\u2019re talking about.<\/p>\n
False 9<\/h3>\n
Spain, and more recently, Man City (before they signed Erling Haaland), regularly played without a traditional striker and instead deployed a false 9. This player, not necessarily a striker by trade, would frequently drop back into a deeper role (see In the Hole above) giving a side more midfield control and allowing other players to move into attacking positions with more of an element of surprise.<\/p>\n
Gegenpressing<\/h3>\n
Gegenpressing is a German term that literally means counter-pressing and is related to the high press (see below). Gegenpressing is more about trying to win the ball back as soon as it is lost and though subtly different to a high press, the terms are often used interchangeably. Gegenpress will probably make you sound a bit cooler though.<\/p>\n
High Press<\/h3>\n
A high press is a term that started being used more frequently in the 21st century but is arguably a tactic that has been around much longer. In the 1980s, for example, Ian Rush was often cited as Liverpool\u2019s first defender for the way the striker harried the opposition defenders. Some date the high press to the Dutch team at the 1974 World Cup whilst others trace it back to \u201cforechecking\u201d, a tactic developed in Canadian ice hockey in the 1930s!<\/p>\n
Whatever its origins, a high press is when the team out of possession puts pressure on their opponent\u2019s defence, rushing and harrying them. This allows them to have their own defenders further up the pitch, compressing play. One of the chief benefits of the high press is that if you are able to win the ball in the opponent\u2019s defensive third you have a great chance of mounting a dangerous attack.<\/p>\n
In the Hole<\/h3>\n
A player operating in the hole is typically a deep-lying attacker or attacking midfielder who plays in between an opponent\u2019s midfield and attack<\/p>\n
Inverted Winger<\/h3>\n
An inverted winger is a wide player who is right footed but plays on the left side, or left footed but plays on the right. This allows them to cut inside on their better foot and shoot or make a more dangerous, central pass.<\/p>\n
Knuckleball<\/h3>\n
Possibly originated by Cristiano Ronaldo, though a skill he subsequently seemed to lose, a knuckleball is a freekick struck with very little spin. This can cause the ball to dip, move erratically and speed up, rather than slow down. This is achieved through technique and possibly hitting the ball on the valve.<\/p>\n
Low Block<\/h3>\n
As in life generally, much that is new in football is simply something old, repackaged and rebranded. One might say that a low block is simply parking the bus (see above), sitting back, defending deep or defending in numbers. No matter what we call it, this is a tactic that involves accepting limited possession, protecting your defensive third, maintaining shape and limiting the opposition\u2019s chances to find space.<\/p>\n
Overlap<\/h3>\n
An overlap is a run made by a player on the outside of another player, which is to say closer to the side of the pitch. This either creates space for the player with the ball to cut inside and shoot or allows the overlapping player to receive the ball in space and get a cross into the box.<\/p>\n
Overload<\/h3>\n
Overloads can be key to creating a chance and involve a team getting more players than usual into an area of the pitch. This may be as part of an overlap, with an additional midfielder pulling out wide, or be achieved by a full back stepping into central midfield, as Man City often do under Pep Guardiola.<\/p>\n
Sweeper<\/h3>\n
A sweeper traditionally plays behind the defence (but can also play in front), \u201csweeping up\u201d, whilst also having the ability to bring the ball out into midfield. This is not a position that is particularly in fashion anymore.<\/p>\n
Sweeper Keeper<\/h3>\n
Germany\u2019s Manuel Neuer was perhaps the original sweeper keeper, for both the national side and Bayern Munich. When their side have possession, a sweeper keeper will be on the edge of their penalty area or perhaps even higher up the pitch. This facilitates a high press (see above) by allowing the defence to play higher up the pitch, knowing that any long ball over the top can be covered by the goalkeeper. It also refers to the fact that the keeper can start attacks and pass the ball out, with Brazilians Ederson and Allison masters at this.<\/p>\n
Switch\/Switch Play<\/h3>\n
To switch the ball, or switch play, is a tactic to open up a defence by rapidly moving the ball from one side of the pitch to the other, usually with a single, long pass.<\/p>\n
Third Man Run<\/h3>\n
A third man run is a useful attacking tool to open up a defence. There are many variations but it may see two players interchange passes before a third, running \u201coff the ball\u201d (not in possession) receives it in space that is created by the defence being drawn to the original two players.<\/p>\n
Tiki Taka<\/h3>\n
Style of possession-based play involving short, quick passing with intricate patterns and lots of movement of players. Associated with the great Barcelona and Spain teams from around 2005 to 2012, it has now begun to take on a negative connotation. Critics feel it is too focussed on possession and passing for its own sake, rather than as a means to scoring.<\/p>\n
Total Football<\/h3>\n
This style of play is most linked to the Dutch National team of the 1970s, but also Ajax and, before those, the great Hungary side of the 1950s. The key theory is that players can rotate and switch positions and that any player is capable of fulfilling another\u2019s role (goalkeeper aside).<\/p>\n
Underlap<\/h3>\n
An underlap is like an overlap (see above) but the player usually runs inside the player with the ball, closer to the centre of the pitch.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bestonlinebettingsites.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/10481"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bestonlinebettingsites.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bestonlinebettingsites.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/articles"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bestonlinebettingsites.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Speech](\"https:\/\/www.bestonlinebettingsites.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/speech-bubble-graphic.jpg\")
Football, like many sports and interests, can seem to have a language all of its own at times. This can make it seem hard to understand, or even impenetrable at times, for those that have not grown up with the beautiful game, especially if English is not your first language. Is a clean sheet something to do with laundry? Does the sweeper help out with such matters? What about the draft excluder? Those are just the basics, with a whole array of terminology that is either far more niche, more technical, or both! What hope is there for a football newbie?<\/p>\n![\"Sir](\"https:\/\/www.bestonlinebettingsites.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/alex-ferguson-1.jpg\")
![\"Leeds](\"https:\/\/www.bestonlinebettingsites.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/leeds-united.jpg\")
![\"Cristiano](\"https:\/\/www.bestonlinebettingsites.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/ronaldo.jpg\")
![Ray Booysen<\/a> \/ Wikipedia.org)<\/p><\/div>\nAs well as the sort of everyday football lingo you might hear in the pub, from time to time, you might hear something that sounds like it has come from the coaching manual. Dropping a few of these phrases into your conversation will make it sound like you really know what you\u2019re talking about.<\/p>\nFalse 9<\/h3>\nSpain, and more recently, Man City (before they signed Erling Haaland), regularly played without a traditional striker and instead deployed a false 9. This player, not necessarily a striker by trade, would frequently drop back into a deeper role (see In the Hole above) giving a side more midfield control and allowing other players to move into attacking positions with more of an element of surprise.<\/p>\nGegenpressing<\/h3>\nGegenpressing is a German term that literally means counter-pressing and is related to the high press (see below). Gegenpressing is more about trying to win the ball back as soon as it is lost and though subtly different to a high press, the terms are often used interchangeably. Gegenpress will probably make you sound a bit cooler though.<\/p>\nHigh Press<\/h3>\nA high press is a term that started being used more frequently in the 21st century but is arguably a tactic that has been around much longer. In the 1980s, for example, Ian Rush was often cited as Liverpool\u2019s first defender for the way the striker harried the opposition defenders. Some date the high press to the Dutch team at the 1974 World Cup whilst others trace it back to \u201cforechecking\u201d, a tactic developed in Canadian ice hockey in the 1930s!<\/p>\nWhatever its origins, a high press is when the team out of possession puts pressure on their opponent\u2019s defence, rushing and harrying them. This allows them to have their own defenders further up the pitch, compressing play. One of the chief benefits of the high press is that if you are able to win the ball in the opponent\u2019s defensive third you have a great chance of mounting a dangerous attack.<\/p>\nIn the Hole<\/h3>\nA player operating in the hole is typically a deep-lying attacker or attacking midfielder who plays in between an opponent\u2019s midfield and attack<\/p>\nInverted Winger<\/h3>\nAn inverted winger is a wide player who is right footed but plays on the left side, or left footed but plays on the right. This allows them to cut inside on their better foot and shoot or make a more dangerous, central pass.<\/p>\nKnuckleball<\/h3>\nPossibly originated by Cristiano Ronaldo, though a skill he subsequently seemed to lose, a knuckleball is a freekick struck with very little spin. This can cause the ball to dip, move erratically and speed up, rather than slow down. This is achieved through technique and possibly hitting the ball on the valve.<\/p>\nLow Block<\/h3>\nAs in life generally, much that is new in football is simply something old, repackaged and rebranded. One might say that a low block is simply parking the bus (see above), sitting back, defending deep or defending in numbers. No matter what we call it, this is a tactic that involves accepting limited possession, protecting your defensive third, maintaining shape and limiting the opposition\u2019s chances to find space.<\/p>\nOverlap<\/h3>\nAn overlap is a run made by a player on the outside of another player, which is to say closer to the side of the pitch. This either creates space for the player with the ball to cut inside and shoot or allows the overlapping player to receive the ball in space and get a cross into the box.<\/p>\nOverload<\/h3>\nOverloads can be key to creating a chance and involve a team getting more players than usual into an area of the pitch. This may be as part of an overlap, with an additional midfielder pulling out wide, or be achieved by a full back stepping into central midfield, as Man City often do under Pep Guardiola.<\/p>\nSweeper<\/h3>\nA sweeper traditionally plays behind the defence (but can also play in front), \u201csweeping up\u201d, whilst also having the ability to bring the ball out into midfield. This is not a position that is particularly in fashion anymore.<\/p>\nSweeper Keeper<\/h3>\nGermany\u2019s Manuel Neuer was perhaps the original sweeper keeper, for both the national side and Bayern Munich. When their side have possession, a sweeper keeper will be on the edge of their penalty area or perhaps even higher up the pitch. This facilitates a high press (see above) by allowing the defence to play higher up the pitch, knowing that any long ball over the top can be covered by the goalkeeper. It also refers to the fact that the keeper can start attacks and pass the ball out, with Brazilians Ederson and Allison masters at this.<\/p>\nSwitch\/Switch Play<\/h3>\nTo switch the ball, or switch play, is a tactic to open up a defence by rapidly moving the ball from one side of the pitch to the other, usually with a single, long pass.<\/p>\nThird Man Run<\/h3>\nA third man run is a useful attacking tool to open up a defence. There are many variations but it may see two players interchange passes before a third, running \u201coff the ball\u201d (not in possession) receives it in space that is created by the defence being drawn to the original two players.<\/p>\nTiki Taka<\/h3>\nStyle of possession-based play involving short, quick passing with intricate patterns and lots of movement of players. Associated with the great Barcelona and Spain teams from around 2005 to 2012, it has now begun to take on a negative connotation. Critics feel it is too focussed on possession and passing for its own sake, rather than as a means to scoring.<\/p>\nTotal Football<\/h3>\nThis style of play is most linked to the Dutch National team of the 1970s, but also Ajax and, before those, the great Hungary side of the 1950s. The key theory is that players can rotate and switch positions and that any player is capable of fulfilling another\u2019s role (goalkeeper aside).<\/p>\nUnderlap<\/h3>\nAn underlap is like an overlap (see above) but the player usually runs inside the player with the ball, closer to the centre of the pitch.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bestonlinebettingsites.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/10481"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bestonlinebettingsites.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bestonlinebettingsites.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/articles"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bestonlinebettingsites.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}](\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cristiano_Ronaldo#\/media\/File:Ronaldo_-_Manchester_United_vs_Chelsea.jpg\"){kind=link}