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Angel Di Maria executes a Rabona.If you have recently started following football and wondered what some of the terms used by commentators and writers are, don’t worry! We bring you a list of terms used in tactics, player positions and moves that every football fan must be aware of.Some of the ardent football aficionados may also not be aware of all the football jargon in this article.
#1 False Nine
The False Nine is a player who is not an out-and-out forward (that is, not a proper Number 9 – the traditional reference to a centre-forward), and drops deep back into the midfield instead of staying around the opponent’s penalty box.
Deploying the False Nine system means that the team plays without a dedicated striker or a target player, and the midfielders are required to advance and score goals. The practice of using this system has become fairly common recently with many managers implementing this very successfully.
The earliest known use of the False Nine can be traced back to the 1930s when Matthias Sindelar operated in a withdrawn centre-forward role for the Austrian national side. Nandor Hidegkuti played a similar role for Hungary in the 1950s.
However, it was Luciano Spaletti’s highly successful deployment Francesco Totti in the position for AS Roma in 2007, which can be considered as the move which inspired the modern day managers to look at this tactic. Sir Alex Ferguson used Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez in a striker-less formation at Manchester United and Robin van Persie was used by Arsene Wenger in a similar role at Arsenal.
The most successful and probably perfect utilisation of the False Nine was done by Pep Guardiola at Barcelona where he deployed Lionel Messi in the position. Guardiola figured out that playing Messi in an advanced role meant that he would be heavily marked, and playing Messi on the flanks would be a waste of his skills.
Messi with his ability to drop deep for Barcelona and split the defence with precise passes was extremely successful for the side, with the highlight being the 5-0 demolition of Real Madrid in 2010.
Another high profile implementation of the False Nine was when midfielder Cesc Fabregas was played in the role for Spain by Vicente del Bosque in the Euro 2012 Final against Italy.
#2 Inverted Wingers
The concept of an inverted winger is simple: playing a winger on the flank of his weaker foot, which is basically the inversion of a typical winger. For example, instead of putting a right-footed winger on the right wing, play him on the left wing.
A traditional winger is generally expected to stick to the flanks close to the touchline, use his pace and dribbling skills to get past the full-backs and deliver crosses into the penalty box for the strikers.
The inverted winger, while on the opposite flank, has the opportunity to cut inside on his preferred foot, which makes it easier for him to take a shot at the goal, and also in the process attempt to unsettle the opposition defence.
While the player cuts in and makes a run towards the goal, he often also makes the opposition full-back follow him, thus opening up a gap for his teammates to take advantage. And in case the full-back doesn’t track the winger, it will be the centre-back who tries to deal with him, thus leaving the strikers unmarked.
Probably the first exponent of this tactic was Thierry Henry when he arrived at Arsenal and was used as a striker. He would often drift out to the left flank and look to cut inside on his favoured right foot creating problems for the opposition as he attempted to either take a shot from long range or looked to dribble past the defenders and enter the penalty box.
Bayern Munich have been using the system of inverted wingers very successfully for a long time, with right-footed Franck Ribery and left-footed Arjen Robben deployed on the left and right flanks respectively and creating havoc for the opposition defences. Robben has been successful in this position for the Dutch national team as well.
Another high-profile use of the system is at Real Madrid, where Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale are often used on the left and right flanks, always looking to cut inside on their stronger foot and trying to create or score goals.
#3 Midfield Shuttler
The role of a shuttler is basically to “shuttle” up and down the football pitch, usually within the midfield channels in order to provide the link between the attack and defence. A shuttler is required to have a great sense of awareness about when to attack and when to track back to defend.
The role requires swift movement and generally pacy players are preferred. The player is also required to be able to link up well with his teammates across attack and defence.
The position is one of the lesser-glorified ones in a football team, and the players playing the role are often the unsung heroes of their teams as their performances usually define the fortunes of the team in the matches.
In a three-man midfield, there is only one player who plays the role of a shuttler, while in a diamond formation of a four-man midfield the two midfielders positioned in between the attacking midfielder and the holding midfielder work in tandem together with both functioning as shuttlers.
The Brazilian national side used Ramires and Felipe Melo as shuttlers (also called carrileros – shuttlers on either side of the diamond) in the 2009 Confederations Cup to link up with Kaka in the attacking mid role and Gilberto in the defensive midfield position.
Marcelo Bielsa utilized two shuttlers alongside a holding midfielder in a three-player midfielder at Chile. Claudio Marchisio excelled in the role for Italy in the Euro 2012 and continues to play in the position with distinction for his national side as well as Juventus.
Joao Moutinho of Portugal and AS Monaco is also considered to be among the best shuttlers in present-day football, while Paul Pogba has been played in the role too.
#4 Central Winger - False Ten
The term “central winger” sounds contradictory, but the idea behind this particular role has merit to it. And the tactic of using a player in this position has been commonly used recently after defences found a way to neutralise the traditional no.10 position players.
Unlike the conventional number 10 playmaker who stays in the centre of the pitch behind the striker, the central winger plays with the aim to drift outside to the flanks whenever they get possession of the ball and try to link up with the team’s wingers and full-backs. This tactic makes it difficult for the opponents to tackle the attacks from the wings as it often ends up being a 3-vs-2 situation.
Generally, traditional wingers are made to play in this role in the centre of the pitch and their natural game of playing on the wings helps them drift outside to the flanks easily.
Mesut Ozil built his reputation at Werder Bremen in this position while Wesley Sneijder, who used to be played on the wings at Real Madrid, was given a more central role at Inter Milan by Jose Mourinho and the player thrived in the false ten position and achieved a lot of success. Angel Di Maria also played very effectively in this position for Real Madrid for a while.
Some of the other contemporary top players who excel in this role include David Silva and Samir Nasri at Manchester City, Oscar at Chelsea and Santi Cazorla at Arsenal.
#5 Regista
Regista or the deep-lying playmaker (or quarterback, as the position is often referred to) is a player who stays deep and controls the game from there. Regista means “Director” in Italian and the player literally directs and dictates the play of the team.
A regista isn’t expected to be supremely quick and have to run around the pitch trying to win the ball. Instead, he is required to have the intelligence to be able to read the game and identify where his teammates and opponents are and will be and be able to deliver the required pass to set up an offensive play.
In present day football, there are many teams who successfully utilise a regista in their gameplay but no player performs this job as exquisitely and perfectly as Italy’s Andrea Pirlo. He initially used to play as a more orthodox advanced midfielder at AC Milan under Carlo Ancelotti but was gradually shifted to the deeper role by the manager.
Pirlo played a key role in Italy winning the 2006 World Cup and controlled the game for his side from the deep midfield position. He continued to thrive in the role for Juventus and Italy and the opposition teams were forced to plan ways to neutralise Pirlo’s impact in the game.
Xavi played a similar role very effectively for Spain during their Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010 victories. Xabi Alonso is another modern-day example of a successful regista as he controlled the midfield superbly initially at Liverpool and later at Real Madrid.
#6 Forward Destroyer
With the advent of the registas, teams began to ponder over how to neutralise the impact of playmakers. With the regista staying deep in his half, the only player who can look to nullify his influence is an advanced midfielder in the number 10 position. With this in mind, managers have started playing defensive midfielders in an advanced role called the forward destroyer.
To draw a parallel from the traditional system, a classical number 10 is nullified by a holding midfielder. So in modern day football, a deep-lying playmaker is now countered by playing a defensive player up front in a number 10 role.
Marouane Fellaini is probably the best example of a forward destroyer as he built his reputation at Everton where David Moyes played him in that role. A more recent use of the forward destroyer was during the 2014 World Cup when Roy Hodgson played Danny Welbeck in the position in an attempt to reduce Pirlo’s impact on the game.
#7 Sweeper Keeper
The modern day goalkeeper should not only be solid inside the penalty box, but also be able to play outside the box whenever required to do so. The keeper should be willing to venture out to intercept long balls between or over the defenders and try to either clear the ball or control it to retain possession.
Sweeper keepers can be associated with dramatic defensive moves like heading the ball outside the penalty box to clear it, dribbling the ball past the attacker, and also helping ball distribution by being proactively involved in keeping possession.
The concept of sweeper keeper has its critics as it often risks the goalkeeper getting booked or sent off, and there are high chances of conceding goals. But a proactive involvement of the keeper aids in the offensive build-up for the team.
German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer could be considered as the best example of this role in present-day football. His performance in the 2014 World Cup game against Algeria, where the German defence held a very high line, saw Neuer step outside the box to make clearances multiple times – typical of a sweeper keeper.
#8 Catenaccio
Meaning “door-bolt” in Italian, Catenaccio is a tactical system used in football which gives a very strong emphasis on defending. The system uses a highly organised defensive unit which focuses on neutralising the attacks by opponents and denying them opportunities to score goals.
A Catenaccio defence looks to block any passage to goal for the opposing team and involves the use of an additional defensive player called the sweeper. The sweeper has the freedom to roam in front of the team’s goal and aims to clear any loose balls in addition to helping the defenders in marking attackers.
The earliest use of Catenaccio can be traced back to the 1930s when Austrian Karl Rappan introduced the tactics when he was the manager of the Swiss national team. The system was popularised in the 1960s at Inter Milan (managed by Argentine Helenio Herrera) as they went on to win several trophies, mostly winning games by narrow margins (generally 1-0 or 2-1).
Inter Milan’s success prompted other Italian clubs to implement catenaccio and soon after Herrera was appointed Italy manager, he introduced the tactics to the national side as well.
#9 Total Football
To summarise the essence of total football in a sentence, we can quote Johan Cruyff, the foremost proponent of the playing style. “Attackers could play as defenders and defenders as attackers. Everyone could play everywhere.”
In other words, any outfield player can take over the role of any other player in the team, as per the requirement of the situation.
The tactics find their origin in Netherlands and were first used at the Dutch club Ajax in 1915. Later in the century, Rinus Michels popularised the tactics when he took over as manager of Ajax and brought it to prominence with the Dutch national team in the 1974 World Cup.
Total football involves players constantly switching positions in an attempt to confuse the opponents and the strategy requires players to be very versatile. There is focus on ball retention and, while possession is maintained, some players try to move around and get into goalscoring positions.
#10 Tiki-Taka
Tiki-Taka football, which could be loosely translated to touch-touch football, is a playing style which involves short passing and movement, maintaining possession and working the ball through the channels. The style of play has been associated with Barcelona for a very long time after being introduced by Johan Cruyff during his tenure as the manager of the club, and also has been used by the Spanish national team under Luis Aragones and Vicente del Bosque.
The key idea behind tiki-taka is to ensure that the opponent does not get the ball – and while in possession, to deliver a killer pass from which a goal can be scored. The team looks to keep possession with quick passes and movement, suddenly surprising the opposition with a pass in behind their defence which results in a goal.
Football coach Jed C. Davies, author of Coaching the tiki-taka style of play, believes that these tactics are “among other things, a conceptual revolution based on the idea that the size of any football field is flexible and can be altered by the team playing on it.
“In possession, the formation should intend on creating space and therefore making the pitch as big as possible.”
#11 Zonal Marking
Zonal marking is a strategy of defending in which defenders are assigned areas of the pitch to cover instead of marking specific opponents. If an opposition player enters the area which the defender is marking, then it is his responsibility to mark the player. If the player moves outside the zone, then it is up to the other defender whose area the player has now entered.
The big advantage of zonal marking is the fact that when the defending team manages to retain possession, the players continue to be in their assigned positions (zones), and this can lead to a quick counter-attack.
Zonal marking was the original way of defending in football but lacked the planning and organisation that we see today. Back then, the aim was just to regain the ball and get it away to safety. However, with time, the tactics evolved and became more structured.
Arrigo Sacchi used the concept of four reference points – the ball, the space, the opponent and teammates – to train his defenders on how to implement zonal marking. Other training methods used include use of coloured cones and ropes to help defenders understand the zones they are supposed to mark.
#12 Rabona
Rabona is a move which involves kicking the ball where the kicking leg is wrapped from behind the standing leg. In other words, the player is kicking the ball with his legs being crossed.
A rabona is used by a player when he feels that ball is on his weaker foot. Another scenario when a player performs a rabona is when he is trying to confuse the defender. Or else, as it is a difficult trick to execute, a player may just do the rabona to show off his ability!
The earliest reported rabona was done in 1948 by Ricardo Infante for Argentine club Estudiantes de la Plata against Rosario Central. Some of the leading current players who have executed the rabona successfully include Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez and Angel di Maria.
Even goalkeepers have tried their luck – at least in training – as Wojciech Szczesny proves it isn’t as hard as it looks.
#13 Roulette (The Marseille Turn)
The Roulette or the Marseille Turn is a type of dribbling skill which basically involves a spin move around the ball.
It can be done when the player is stationary or moving with the ball. It involves dragging the ball back to his main foot, doing a body spin (360 degrees) and getting the ball back to the weaker foot. This move is very effective when the opponent is looking to approach the player head-on or from the side of the player’s stronger foot.
Michael Laudrup is often credited for being the first player to use this technique, and since then many notable footballers like Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, Lionel Messi and Kaka have successfully executed the Marseille Turn.
#14 The Cruyff Turn
Dutch legend Johan Cruyff finds a third mention in this list, this time for a move that is named after him.
The Cruyff Turn is an evasive move taken when the player who is being marked by a defender, while looking to pass or cross the ball, instead of kicking it would drag the ball with a foot to the back of the other foot, rotate 180 degrees and run away from the defender.
The move was famously executed by Cruyff in the 1974 World Cup when he outwitted Sweden’s Jan Olsson. The move is now commonly used by many players worldwide.
#15 Elastico
The Elastico or the flip-flap is a dribbling move which a player uses to deceive the defender into thinking that he will go in a particular direction while actually going to the other direction.
The player does the trick by using the outside of one foot to push the ball to a side, and then quickly move that foot around the ball and use the inside of the foot to push the ball to the other side.
The trick requires nifty footwork and ability of the player to accelerate quickly from a stationary position.
Japanese Brazilian player Sergio Echigo invented this move, and Brazilian playmaker Rivelino learnt it from Echigo and executed the trick in the 1970 World Cup. Many star players like Ronaldinho, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have mastered the move and used it successfully many times.
