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The operator of Spielverelagerung, Germany's leading football tactics website,
The core of modern football tactics

There are many opinions that the charm of soccer comes from none other than its 'simplicity'.
In reality, soccer players move with the simple goal of somehow getting the ball into the opponent's goal.
Moreover, most of the rules governing the game are intuitive and common sense.
Although many details have been added to the rules in recent years, the fundamental spirit of the rules of soccer is still based on simplicity.


However, if you take a closer look at the battle between the two teams on the field, you will realize that soccer is not as simple as it sounds.
In the midst of the constant battles of attack, defense, and ball battles, players try to move in a way that gives their team a more advantageous position.
Of course, there are times when exquisite technique or an absurd happening determines victory or defeat.
But what most likely determines the outcome of the game is which side is making more effective moves at each moment.
In modern football, it is no exaggeration to say that 'tactics' are the concepts that dictate these movements, and with tactics becoming increasingly diverse and detailed, football also has the double-sided coin of 'complexity.'


"The Modern Football Tactics Bible" is based on the four phases that make up a game, and it explains in an easy-to-understand way what moves teams and players should make in various situations, and it also conceptually explains why such moves are advantageous.
Why, when, where, and how should we apply pressure? Should we counterattack if we lose the ball or should we retain possession? What should we do when the opponent counterattacks? This will be helpful to readers curious about the countless operating principles that make up soccer.

When one defender moves, the factors his teammates have to worry about change.
When a player moves after the ball and an opponent, his teammates on the defending team must move to fill the space created by the player's movement.
One individual tactical action, called movement, leads to a tactical move by the team, which moves all players.
--- From "Chapter 1: The Stage Where the Opposing Team Possesses the Ball"

Defenders fear passes that come deep into their own half.
Therefore, the attacking team must continue to target deep areas and exploit the space behind the opponent's defense.
And then, if you catch the ball behind the defensive line, it's like a 'jackpot'.
Or, by pressuring the opposing defenders, they force the defensive line back and take advantage of the space created in front of the defensive line.
This is a principle that cannot be overemphasized.
Attacking deep into the enemy's territory is the most important key to attack.
Perhaps the most important principle in positional play.

--- From "Chapter 2: Team Possessions of the Ball"

The transition phase after winning the ball is usually used synonymously with counterattack.
However, it is more accurate to view this as a stage where the team in possession of the ball changes.
The team that was attacking previously lost the ball, and the team that was defending took the ball back.
This transition situation is prolonged by the amount of time it takes for the team to change from a defensive formation to an offensive formation.
Conversely, if the time required is short, the transition will also be quick.
When the team in possession of the ball changes like this, a phase of change in the overall situation naturally follows.

--- From "Transition phase after stealing the 3rd ball"

Few managers have performed as well as Jose Mourinho over the past few years.
He spent his prime at Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan, training his players to counterattack quickly and accurately.
Perhaps that is to be expected.
Mourinho still says this to this day.
“It’s foolish not to counterattack.
“Counterattack is a very good tactical tool.” It is true.
There is no better tactic to intercept the ball and then create a scoring opportunity than a counter-attack.
The opposing players may not have formed a proper defensive formation yet, or they may be standing far away from their own half.
Therefore, when intercepting the ball and counterattacking, you can reach the opponent's goal without having to pass several opposing players.
Additionally, if the team that intercepts the ball moves quickly, they can occupy advantageous space and force the opposing players back.
--- From "Transition phase after stealing the 3rd ball"

Gegenpressing is a concept that describes the systematic pursuit of an opponent after losing the ball.
The difference from regular pressing is that the team attempting pressing forms an attacking formation.
Players pressure the opposing team to prevent them from counterattacking by trying to win back the ball after it has been lost.
That's why gegenpressing is called 'counter pressing' in English.
It's a more intuitive name.
Because it is a pressing to counter the opponent's counterattack.

--- From "Transition phase after losing the 4th ball"

When the opposing team adopts a defensive strategy that mixes man-to-man marking and zone marking, there are ways for the attacking team to gain a numerical advantage.
It is a method of intentionally creating a 2-on-1 situation by luring the opposing player who is marking you into an area where another opposing player is marking you.

If you have a numerical advantage in a certain area of ​​the field, you will naturally end up being numerically inferior in other areas.
So, if you intentionally allow the opposing team to gain a numerical advantage in a certain space, you can leave other spaces empty or leave your teammates unmarked.
That is, the goal is to create space by luring the opposing player defending the man-mark towards the opposing player defending the zone mark.
If the opposing team adopts a defensive strategy that mixes man-to-man marking and zone marking, you can use this method of destruction.

--- From "Chapter 5 Dead Ball Situations"