Tactics / Team builder
Team builder
Pick a shape, set how you play with the ball and without it, and watch the team move. Tap any player to see what the tactic asks of them.
The pitch
Drag a player to move them. Tap a player to see their job.
Start from
With the ball
Build-upHow we move the ball out from the back.
PassingHow direct our passes are once we are out.
TempoHow quickly we move the ball.
WidthHow far apart we spread across the pitch with the ball.
Final thirdHow we try to score.
Full-back runsHow the full-backs help the winger in front of them.
Keeper distributionWhat the keeper does once they have the ball in their hands or at their feet.
Without the ball
Where we pressHow high up the pitch we start to press, called the line of engagement.
Back lineHow high the defenders stand, compared with the press.
How often we pressWhether we press every chance, or wait for the right moment.
Show themWhich way we push the player on the ball.
CompactnessHow narrow we stay across the pitch without the ball.
MarkingWhether players guard a space or a person.
Pressing triggersThe moments that tell everyone to press together.
Transitions
When we win itThe first few seconds after we get the ball back.
When we lose itThe first few seconds after we lose the ball.
Set pieces
Our cornersWhere we aim our corners.
At our corners, who stays backHow many we keep back to stop the counter-attack.
Their cornersHow we defend the box at their corners.
Our free kicks near their boxWhat we do with a free kick in shooting range.
Their wide free kicksWhere our line stands when they can cross from a free kick.
Our throw-insHow we restart from the touchline. Under 11 and younger it is a pass-in or dribble-in.
Their throw-insHow we defend their touchline restarts.
Tap a player on the pitch, or pick one from the team sheet.
Keep it
Saved lineups stay in this browser only. A copied link holds the lineup in the address itself, so only share it if you are happy for others to see the names.
How to read it
The drawing is a picture of a typical moment, not a rule for every second of a game.
- With the ball
- Where players stand in a settled attack, once we are into their half. Roles move players: an inverted full-back steps into midfield, a false 9 drops.
- Without the ball
- Our shape when they have it in the middle of the pitch. The orange line is our back line; the dashed line is where we start to press. The space between them is the block.
- Rest defence
- The players who stay behind the ball while we attack, ready for a counter. Most coaches want at least three in 11v11, and two in smaller games.
- Against
- Pick their formation to see their players in light blue and the pitch split into nine zones. Orange zones are where we have more players than them, blue zones where they have more. An overload is where to take the ball; a blue zone is where to send help.
- Set pieces
- Corners, free kicks and throw-ins, for and against. Tap any player to see their job at each one. Under 11 and younger, throw-ins are pass-ins or dribble-ins.
- Learn it
- Every instruction links to the tactic page that explains it and the match moment where you can practise the decision.
- Distances
- Measured on the recommended pitch for each format: 37 × 27 m for 5v5, 55 × 37 m for 7v7, 73 × 46 m for 9v9 (The FA), and 105 × 68 m for 11v11.
The instruction groups follow the way Football Manager and EA FC organise tactics, in plain words. Every tactic idea here is explained with a diagram on the tactics pages, and each position's job is on the positions pages.