The phases of play in football
A match has four moments: attacking, defending and the two transitions between them. Set pieces come on top. This is how Tactica defines them, and how it sorts the clips of every match.
The zones of the pitch
We split the pitch into thirds, counted from the goal of the team doing the phase. That's why a build-up is usually in zone 1 and a box attack in zone 3.
Zone 1
The defensive third: the one nearest your own goal.
Zone 2
The middle third of the pitch.
Zone 3
The attacking third: the one nearest the opponent's goal.
In possession
The team has the ball and play is live.
- Build-up
- The team starts play from the back, with the goalkeeper and defenders, to get past the opponent's first line of pressure. It can be short, through combinations, or direct, played long.
- Goal kick
- A build-up that starts from a goal kick, played short or long.
- Organised attack
- The team builds an attack against an opponent that is already set, with many players behind the ball, in the middle or attacking third.
- Box attack
- The move reaches the opponent's box: a run or pass into it, or a cross in open play.
Out of possession
The opponent has the ball and the team defends.
- Defending the build-up
- How the team defends the opponent's build-up, close to the opponent's goal.
- Pressing
- One or more players go at the ball carrier to take away time and space. It counts even if only one player goes: it's worth seeing who doesn't follow.
- Organised defence
- The team defends its goal with at least two compact lines, seven or eight players behind the ball, in its own or the middle third. Depending on its height, it's a high, mid or low block.
- Box defence
- The opponent reaches your box, with the ball or with a cross, and it has to be defended.
Transitions
The seconds right after the ball changes team in live play. It isn't a transition if the ball goes out of play or the goalkeeper catches it to restart.
- Attacking transition
- The team wins the ball back and can attack before the opponent reorganises. The higher up it's won, the closer the goal.
- Defensive transition
- The team loses the ball and has to react: press at once to win it back (counter-pressing) or drop back to close the spaces.
Set pieces
Dead-ball situations, attacking (for) and defending (against).
- Corner
- Played short or straight into the box.
- Throw-in
- Looked at by zone: in the opponent's half it can lead to a chance.
- Central free kick
- A free kick near the box and central: a shot at goal or a rehearsed routine.
- Wide free kick
- A free kick from the side, almost always crossed into the box.
- Long-range free kick
- A free kick far from the box, played short or with a long ball.
Your own phases
Every coaching staff has its own words: a «right-side rotation», a «high regain». In Tactica you describe them like that and the assistant turns them into a phase of your own, found in every match. See how it works.
Frequently asked questions
What are the phases of play in football?
Four: in possession, out of possession, attacking transition (right after winning the ball) and defensive transition (right after losing it). Set pieces are usually analysed separately.
What's the difference between pressing and counter-pressing?
Pressing is going after the ball when the opponent has it. Counter-pressing is pressing right after losing it, in the first seconds of the defensive transition, to win it back before the opponent gets organised.
What is a transition in football?
The moment right after the ball changes team in live play. The team that wins it has an attacking transition; the team that loses it, a defensive transition.
What counts as a set piece?
Any restart from a dead ball: corners, free kicks, throw-ins and penalties. They're analysed for (attacking) and against (defending).
How do you analyse a match by phases?
By splitting the video into clips of each phase and reviewing them in blocks: every build-up in a row, every press in a row. Tactica does that cutting automatically; here's how.
Walk into the next match knowing more.
Send us your last match and we'll give it back to you read phase by phase. Free, no card.