Tactics / Chance creation

The underlap

The winger stays wide with the ball, and a teammate runs past on the inside, into the gap between the full-back and the centre-back.

In possessionFrom 9v9Match moment: Make a chance from the wing

CHANNEL789102GK
  • Us
  • Them
  • Pass
  • Run
  • Dribble

Why it works

The full-back is busy with the winger, and the centre-back does not want to leave the middle. The channel between them is often the weakest spot in a back four.

What players do

  • The winger holds the ball wide and faces the full-back, to keep them busy.
  • The runner, often a midfielder or the full-back, goes inside the winger, into the channel.
  • The pass is slipped into the channel in front of the runner.
  • The runner looks for a low cut-back or a shot across the keeper.

Common mistakes

  • Running into the same space as the winger.
  • Running too early, before the full-back is committed to the winger.
  • Blasting a shot from a tight angle when a cut-back was on.

With young players

From 9v9. Teach the phrase "inside or outside" so the runner tells the winger which way they are going.

Drawn on a 105 × 68 m pitch, showing the part where it happens. Orange attacks left to right and the other team is in blue; numbers are the usual shirt numbers for each position.

Put it into your own team's plan in the team builder, and see what it asks of each player.

Next: The cut-back

What it asks of each player

The same idea, from every line of the team. Set it up for your own team in the team builder.

  • GK
    Goalkeeper
    • Stay alert: a lost ball here means a counter down that side.
    • Stand higher, ready for a long ball down that side.

    Position guide: Goalkeeper

  • DEF
    Defenders
    • Full-back: if you underlap, a midfielder covers your space.
    • Centre-back: slide across if the full-back has gone.

    Position guide: Centre-back · Full-back

  • MID
    Midfielders
    • Runner: go inside the winger, through the channel.
    • Call "inside" so the winger knows.

    Position guide: Holding midfielder · Central midfielder · Attacking midfielder

  • ATT
    Forwards
    • Winger: hold it wide, face up the full-back, then slip the pass.
    • Pass into the space, not the runner's feet.

    Position guide: Winger · Striker

Practices that train it

Start with the first, and build up to the game.