Modern Football Lexicon

Modern Football
Lexicon
Terminology to add to your vocabulary to help you
understand more of the intricacies of today’s game.

Zone 14
This is the area just in front of the
opposition’s goal. It is here where
the magic happens. Most chances
created will involve a combination,
loss of possession, pass, or shot in
this zone of the field.
14
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
10 11 12
13 15
17 1816

Halfspace
14
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
10 11 12
13 15
17 1816
Halfspaces are areas that are not too
wide and not too central. They are
still central enough for shots, but
wide enough for crosses. A switch
can be made from a halfspace, and a
diagonal can be received in a
halfspace.
A player positioned in a halfspace
can still play in and see all directions.
A wide player can see the whole
pitch, but cannot play in all
directions, and is thus predictable. A
player in a central position can play
in all directions, but cannot see in all
directions. Possession here provides

Attacking, midfield, defensive third.
The pitch can be split into three
thirds. These thirds are largely
relevant to the positions on the
field. The defensive third
concerns the goal that your
team is defending, with the
attacking third being at the end
of the pitch your team is trying
to score goals.
14
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
10 11 12
13 15
17 1816

Second Six
If the penalty area were to be
divided into three six yard
boxes, the second six,
sometimes referred to as the
danger area, is the space
between the six yard box and
penalty spot, 6-12 yards from
goal. This is a prime location for
aiming crosses. It’s just too far
from the goal for the keeper to
be entirely confident, and close
enough to be deadly for the
attack.
14
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
10 11 12
13 15
17 1816

Shooting/Crossing Line
Should you shoot or cross? This
line that runs diagonally from
the post to the corner of the box
provides a good guideline.
Knowing this also helps players
off the ball know what their runs
should be.
14
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
10 11 12
13 15
17 1816

Ball-To-Goal Line
This is the direct line from where
the ball is to the goal that is
being attacked. Players on the
defending team should recover
into the line, slide and screen
this line, and position
themselves in this line to
prevent forward passes.

Recovery Run
Recovery runs are made by
players on the defending side to
get themselves in a position
back behind the ball, either to
defend the advancement of the
player with the ball, or to get
back into a defensive shape to
provide compactness behind the
ball.

Reverse Pressure
Applying reverse pressure to the
player on the ball is to chase
them from behind. This prevents
them from being able to stop, to
turn, or to play backwards and
bring others into play.

Tracking
Tracking the runs of players on
the attacking team means
marking them as they move,
and following them as they try
to receive the ball. Tracking the
run can prevent them from
receiving the ball, and can
prevent attacking overloads
being created.

Pressure
Pressure is the first defender
moving into way of the player
with the ball, looking to tackle,
intercept, block, delay, or steal
the ball.

Cover
Cover is the second defender(s)
to move into a positon to help
support the press of the first
defender, and cover the space
that would have been left behind
that first defender, preventing
overloads and pockets.

Balance
Balance is provided by the
remaining defenders moving into
a supporting position to the
pressure and cover providers.
Balance can help block passing
lanes, can hold offside lines, can
prevent gaps and pockets,
prevents overloads, by giving
the team horizontal and vertical
compactness.

Compactness – Horzitonal and
Vertical
Veritcal compactness is the
distance between the deepest
defender and the highest
forward.
Horizontal compactness is the
distance between the most
extreme left and extreme right
players.
Both terms refer to the team out

Marking – Zonal and Man-to-Man
Zonal marking consists of the
players being responsible for a
certain area. Any players or balls
within that zone are for that
defender to deal with.
Man-to-man marking assigns
each defender an attacker to be
responsible for, and to ensure
that player does not receive the
ball.

Width
Width is the distance from the
extreme right to the extreme left
of the team in possession. In
this picture, the red team has a
narrow width, while the blue
team has wide horizontal
compactness.
The team out of possession
should be more narrow than the
team in possession. Width is
necessary to compete against a

Depth
Depth concerns the distance
between the most defensive
(deepest) and the most
attacking (advanced) player on
the team in possession.

Dispersal
Dispersal is a team spreading
out. It is what should be done by
all players in all directions in the
moment following a positive
transition so that space can be
created and exploited.

Movement
Following the dispersal, if the
players that spread out are still
unable to receive the ball, then
they will need to move into new
spaces. This movement can
create either space for
themselves, or space for a
teammate.

Support
Support is movement specifically
to help provide easier passing
options to the player on the ball.
As an example, the red RM could
run to receive a diagonal in
behind, but that is a difficult
pass and requires a lot of skill
from the ball passer.

Creativity
Creativity can be both with or
without the ball. With the ball, it
concerns disguise, moves to
beat, first touch, passes.
Without the ball, it can be
movement and rotation. It is
doing something unexpected or
unconventional that catches the
opposition off-guard by the
unpredictability.

Penetrate
Penetration is the breaking of an
opposition line by playing the
ball through, over, or around so
that it can be received by a
teammate in an advanced
position.

Switch
Switching the play is passing the
ball horizontally, lofted or along
the ground, to a teammate on
the opposite side of the field.

Recycle
Recycling is passing the ball
backwards to a teammate that
will allow them to either find
another vertical passing option,
or to look to switch the ball out
to the other side of the field.

Vertical, Horizontal, Diagonal Pass
Vertical – Passing the ball
forward, making the opponents
drop.
Horizontal – Passing the ball
sideways, making the opponents
slide.
Diagonal – Passing the ball
forward and horizontally, making
the opponents drop and slide.

Gap
A gap is a space between two
opponents that are level
horizontally that allows for a
forward pass to be played
through along the ground.

Pocket
A pocket is an area of space
between the lines of the
opponent. Players can move into
these spaces to receive the ball.
When defending, players will not
wish to be drawn out of position,
so an attacker moving into a
pocket asks the question; stay
or go? Stay and a player
receives unmarked, go and the
defender leaves space behind
them.

Stretch
An attacker making runs to
receive behind the defence will
cause the defence to drop,
affecting their vertical
compactness, and thus leaving
pockets of space between the
defence and midfield lines.
Stretching the opposition makes
it easier to create and expand
pockets in order to receive the
ball.

Primary, Secondary, Tertiary players
Primary players concern those
directly involved in the play; the
ball carrier, maybe the first
defender, and maybe the receiver.
Secondary players are those that
could provide some influence
around the ball.
Tertiary players are players that
are away from the ball and provide
little influence on the immediate

Cover Shadow
Imagine if the ball was a light
and the defending team were
casting shadows. That shadow
demonstrates the area on the
field that they would be
covering, screening, blocking,
and intercepting at the moment
the ball is played.

Blindside
The blindside is the area of the
field that is out of the vision of
the defender. Humans have a
horizontal range of vision of
114˚. Between 60-70 ˚ of that is
covered by only one eye. This
means that there are many
areas that cannot be seen, or
cannot be seen with clarity.
Players looking to receive on the
blindside may be able to afford
themselves extra time and space
on the ball.

Combination
A combination is an attacking
move consisting of two or more
passes. It can have many
different components, including
a dribble, turn, cross, overlap,
switch, and many more. Often
played one or two touch with
much movement and rotation.

Rotation
Can happen as part of a set-piece
or as part of a phase of play,
rotation is the exchange of
teammates’ positions, or the filling
of space left by moving
teammates, by the team in
possession. It is done to draw
opponents out of position by taking
up unconventional positions, and
by making unpredictable runs.
In this example, Red LM moves
into an attacking position, the CF
goes to LM, the CM to RM, and the
RM to CF. It has helped to place
these players into dangerous
positions all the while maintaining

Up-Back-Through
A move than can involve two,
three, or four players on the same
team. The move starts with a
vertical pass, then a backwards
pass (can be a one-two), often in
the form of a set pass, then
finishes with another vertical pass
which penetrates the defence
(through ball).
The first pass (up) can act as a
decoy to the defending team, who
may move in to press the receiver,
thus allowing space behind them
for the third pass (through) to be

Up-Back-Switch
Similar to the up-back-through,
but the final pass is a diagonal
or horizontal. The first and
second passes act as triggers for
the receiver of the third pass to
begin their run to receive the
ball.
The up-back can make the
opposition close in on one side
to press the ball, creating space
on the far side to play the ball

Pause (La Pausa)
A pause is when one player is in
possession of the ball, in space,
and stands completely still. It acts
as a message to move teammates
into better supporting positions,
without having to carry the ball out
of position.
It can also be a false trigger for the
opposition to press, as they could
be drawn out of position. In this
example, three blues go to press
the red CB. While that happens,
the red RB + LB come short to
receive. One pass bypasses the
pressing blues, and allows the reds
to attack the space left behind

Hold
Similar to a pause, but the hold
is often back to goal, receiving
under pressure. Using strength
and body shape to shield the
ball, the red CF cannot be
disposed. While shielding, the
other reds are allowed time to
move into better supporting
positions.
A player holding the ball may
also draw in extra defenders as
it appears it takes more than
one defender to dispossess this

Bounce
A bounce is a one-touch one-two
back to the player that it came
from, or to another teammate
also within that field of vision.
For instance, if the Red CM were
to pass to the RB after receiving
from the CB, it would also be a
bounce pass.
A bounce should be used when
there is no opportunity to play
forward, and backwards is the

One-Two
Sometimes called a wall, the
one-two sees two teammates
perform two passes to bypass an
opponent. The first passer
moves into a new space to
receive the ball from their
teammate, much like kicking a
ball against a wall from an angle
and moving to receive it further
along.

Take
Similar to a one-two, but instead
of a pass back to the original
player, the ball is held by the
receiver, shielding it from the
defender, while the original
passer runs over to collect from
the holder.

Give and Go
Immediately after playing a
pass, the passer runs into a new
space, either to receive the ball,
or to run away a defender. In
this example, the Blue RB
follows the Red LM, thus
creating a huge space on the
edge of the box to be exploited.

Collect
In this example the Red CB runs
right up to the GK to collect the
ball. This can be done from
keepers that decide not to
distribute long due to lack of
options, or because the CB is a
very competent passer. The
same can be done from corners
and free-kicks to restart play
quickly and create overloads.

Overlap
An overlap is a teammate
running from behind, going
around the outside (towards the
touchline) to become a passing
option in advance of the ball.

Underlap
An underlap is a teammate
running from behind, going
around the inside (towards the
centre of the field) to become a
passing option in advance of the
ball.

First, Second, Third Line Pass
First line pass is played in front
of the opposition.
Second line pass is played
around/to the side of the
opposition.
Third line pass is played
through/behind the opposition.

Rondo
A rondo (round) is an exercise,
often with no goals or direction,
often with an overload, with the
purpose of working on
possession, pressure, or
combinations. No direction and
an overload mean that the ball is
kept in play for long periods,
and that the pictures are always
changing. There can be
conditions such as one touch, or
challenges such as split. The
underloaded team can be tasked
with keeping the ball, dribbling it

Overload/Underload
An over or underload concerns
an exercise or phase of play
where one team holds a distinct
type of superiority. In this
exercise, the blue team hold a
numerical (quantitative)
overload over the reds. It is a
4v2 overload from the blue point
of view, or a 2v4 underload from
the red point of view.

Quantitative, Qualitative, Positional
Overload
Quantitative is to have better
players on around the ball than the
opposition. It could be a 3v3, with
one 3 being significantly stronger.
Qualitative is to have more
numbers in an area of the field,
such as a 4v2 or 2v1.
Positional is to have trapped the
opposition into an area of the field
where their space and options are
limited, such as boxing in at a
throw.

Sweeper Keeper
A sweeper keeper comes way out
of their goal to collect, win, or clear
the ball, acting as an extra
defender. Speed and bravery is
needed to be successful as it is a
great way to nullify counter-
attacks.
They can also be used as extra
players to recycle the ball to. A GK
forty yards from goal means the
ball can be recycled back into
attack much quicker than a GK that

Holding Midfielder
A holding or deep-lying
midfielder stays close to their
team's defence, while other
midfielders may move forward to
attack. A player in this role will try
to protect their goal by disrupting
the opponents' attacking moves
and stopping long shots on the
goal.
The holding midfielder may also
have responsibilities when their
team has the ball. This player will
make mostly short and simple
passes to more attacking members
of their team but may try some
more difficult passes depending on

False 9
The False 9, in some ways similar to a more
advanced attacking midfielder/playmaker
role, is an unconventional lone striker or
centre-forward, who drops deep into
midfield. The purpose of this is that it
creates a problem for opposing centre-
backs who can either follow him, leaving
space behind them for onrushing
midfielders, forwards or wingers to exploit,
or leaving him to have time and space to
dribble or pick out a pass.
Key attributes for a False 9 are similar to
those of a deep-lying striker; dribbling
ability to take advantage of space between
the lines, good short passing ability to link
up with the midfield and vision to play

Inverted Winger
A when the position is inverted and a
winger instead plays inside-out on the
opposite flank (i.e., a right-footed player as
a left inverted winger), they effectively
become supporting strikers and primarily
assume a role in the attack.
As opposed to traditionally pulling the
opponent's full-back out and down the
flanks before crossing the ball in near
the by-line, positioning a winger on the
opposite side of the field allows him or her
to cut-in around the 18-yard box, either
threading passes between defenders or
taking a shot on goal using his or her
dominant foot.[4] This offensive tactic has
found popularity in the modern game due
to the fact that it gives traditional wingers
increased mobility as playmakers

Inverted Full Back
The inverted fullback position is
typically used to combat wingers
that like to cut inside to get
involved in the game. Bucking the
trend of staying wide when on the
ball, inverted fullbacks will carry
the ball into central areas when
going forward.
The major benefit of this concept is
that players who are able to play
this way are often effective in
nullifying the threat posed by
inverted or false wingers due to
their tendency to drift infield. The
concept of the inverted fullback is
one way of helping the centre

Number 10 (CAM)
An attacking midfielder is a midfield
player who is positioned in an advanced
midfield position, usually between
central midfield and the team's
forwards, and who has a primarily
offensive role. Some attacking
midfielders are called trequartistas. A
creative playmaker between the
forwards and the midfield, some
attacking midfielders are very vertical
and are essentially auxiliary attackers
who serve to link-up play, hold up the
ball, or provide the final pass, i.e.
secondary striker.
According to positioning along the field,
attacking midfield may be divided
into left, right and central attacking
midfield roles. A central attacking

Rabona
The rabona is a method of
kicking the football whereby the
kicking leg is wrapped around
the back of the standing leg,
effectively with one's legs
crossed.

Trivela
To kick the ball to either cross or
shoot, using the outside of the
foot, giving the ball a spin
creating a unique curve. People
that don’t rely much on their
weak foot practice to master this
skill.

Panna
A nutmeg (tunnel or nut meg),
is a playing technique used The
aim is to kick, roll, dribble,
throw, or push the ball between
an opponent's legs.

Panenka
the Panenka is a technique used in penalty
kick-taking in which the player, instead of
kicking the ball toward the left or right
corner of the goal, gives a subtle touch
underneath the ball, causing it to rise and
fall within the centre of the goal thus
deceiving the goalkeeper.
The aim of the technique is not to chip the
ball over the goalkeeper but to take
advantage of the fact that many
goalkeepers will dive to either side of the
goal in anticipation rather than waiting to
see in which direction the ball is going. It is
a very risky technique, because the subtle
touch on the ball gives it a very slow speed,
thus allowing the goalkeeper to move back
from where he jumped to or even just stay
at the same spot and wait for the ball to
easily fall on his hands.

Passing Lane
A passing lane is when a gap
opens up between the opposition
that would allow for a pass to be
played, unobstructed, along the
ground. Imagine the ball emits a
laser. If that laser is able to
shine on the feet of a teammate,
that presents an open passing
lane.

Third Man Run
While a move is happening
between two players, the third
man (highlighted) runs into a
position to receive the ball. The
first man (passer) plays the ball,
the second man receives and
passes it into space for the third
man to run onto, to receive.

Slide
A slide is performed by the units
on the defending team as they
move laterally (horizontally)
across the pitch, in response to
a horizontal pass by the
attacking team.

Squeeze
In response to the opposition
passing the ball backwards, the
defending team may choose to
move their units higher up the
field, by squeezing longitudinally
(vertically), moving the offside
line higher up the pitch.

Drop
When a forward pass is played,
or when anticipating a direct
aerial ball, the defending team
may choose to drop by
retreating longitudinally towards
their goal to provide more
numbers behind the ball, and
reduce the space available to the
receiver.

First and Second Ball
FIRST AND SECOND!!! Is a
shout commanded by players
that are about to compete for an
aerial ball. The first refers to the
long ball that is about to be
fought for. In this example it is
the Red CF and Blue CB. The
second refers to where the ball
goes next, and who can win it,
as often the first ball is not a
clean take, resulting in the ball
bouncing off and needing to be
contested again.

Knock-Down
The knock down, if the first ball
is not successfully cleared by the
defending team, is the ball
bouncing off either the forward
or the defender (the second
ball). If the attacking team wins
the knock down, they have
successfully gambled on a direct
pass and now possess the ball in
a more dangerous area.

Restart
A restart is any time that the
game stops, or the ball is out of
play, and the game has to be
started again. Examples include
free-kick, goal-kick, corner,
throw-in, goalkeeper possession.
It could be an opportunity to
move players into important
positions, or to restart quickly
and take advantage of a
disorganised or distracted
defence.

Sole-Roll
The sole can be used for
trapping, receiving, rolling, and
passing. The sole provides a
larger surface area than any
other part of the foot which
allows you to move the ball
around whilst still keeping
contact with it. The sole is also
multi-directional, meaning that
upon controlling the ball, the
receiver can pass, dribble, or
turn in any direction, and only

Triangle
A triangle is when two
teammates each provide an
option to the player on the ball,
as well as having a passing lane
open between the two potential
receivers.

Diamond
Four teammates can form a
diamond shape when in
possession of the ball, offering
width, depth, and multiple
passing options to the player on
the ball, and to the potential
receivers. In this example, each
of the blues will have two
passing options readymade
when in possession of the ball.

W
The W shape is made by the
team in possession, providing
width and depth, created by the
back four and one holding
midfielder. It can be at
goalkeeper’s possession, or with
any of the five players involved
in the W.

Build-up Play
Build-up play is how a team may
choose to create attacking
opportunities. Some teams are
more direct, while others are
patient. Some may choose to
attack centrally, while others will
look to go wide, or switch the
ball around. Build-up play is
usually associated with more
patient, possession based
teams, that are looking to get
their players into more effective
positions, while creating gaps in
the opposition defence.

Non-Event
A non-event in football is where an
action does not take place. These
happen all the time and are very
difficult to record. In this example, the
Blue CM tracks the Red CF, and so the
CF does not receive the pass. The reds
choose to play sideways rather than
forwards. This is a successful outcome
for the blues, as the forward pass is a
non-event. Other examples include not
having a shot at goal because the
defender was blocking the opportunity
to shoot, and so the ball is then passed
to a player in a less dangerous position.
The shot never happened, and is

Draw Them Out
It can be done through a pause
or patient passing. When the
defending team is playing a low
block, it can be hard to find
space in their half. Drawing
them out attempts to get one or
more of the defending team to
break rank and lose discipline,
and press in a way that is
different to their teammates. It’s
a trap to spring the press, which
can then be easily bypassed.

Trigger
A trigger is any action in football
that would cause a specific
reaction. For example, a trigger
to press the ball would be a bad
pass, the ball needing to be
brought down or controlled, a
player receiving facing away
from teammates etc. The bad
pass would be a trigger for the a
defender to move in and try to
steal the ball.

Passing On
When an attacking player takes up new
positions to receive the ball, the players
the defending team have the choice to
follow or to stay. The attacking player
still needs to be tracked or marked, but
to do so man-for-man could pull
defenders out of position. This is why
the defenders pass on the attacker.
Each defender takes responsibility for
the attacker while in their area. In this
example, the Red CF moves horizontally
across the front of the Blue defence,
engaging the RB, CB, and LB. Each
defender passes the CF onto the next

Runs – One for your teammate, one
for you
The Red CF makes two runs in
this move to receive the ball.
The first run takes the Blue CB
out of position. The Second run
is into the box to get on the end
of the cross.
The first run creates the space
for the pass to the RM, while
creating a pocket of space to
break into the box to receive the
cross.

Strong Side/Weak Side
The weak or strong side depends
on which side of the field the
defending team has the majority
of their players. In this example,
the reds are 4v6 while in
possession on their right wing,
making it the blues’ strong side.
On the other side of the field,
the reds would be 3v1, making it
the blues’ weak side.
STRONGWEAK

Scan
Scanning is searching for
options, with or without
possession. The Red CB on the
ball is scanning for players to
pass to, while the Red CF is
scanning for space, to see where
the defenders are, and looking
for passing options if he were to
receive the ball.

Modern Football Lexicon

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