The phases of play in soccer
A game 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 game.
The zones of the field
We split the field 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 field.
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 plays out of 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.
- Organized 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 play 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.
- Organized defense
- 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 defense
- 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 bounds or the goalkeeper catches it to restart.
- Attacking transition
- The team wins the ball back and can attack before the opponent reorganizes. 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 kick
- 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 on goal or a rehearsed play.
- 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 game. See how it works.
Frequently asked questions
What are the phases of play in soccer?
Four: in possession, out of possession, attacking transition (right after winning the ball) and defensive transition (right after losing it). Set pieces are usually analyzed 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 organized.
What is a transition in soccer?
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: corner kicks, free kicks, throw-ins and penalty kicks. They're analyzed for (attacking) and against (defending).
How do you analyze a game by phases?
By splitting the film 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 your next game knowing more.
Send us your last game and we'll send it back broken down phase by phase. Free, no credit card.