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Italian term for a midfielder who drifts into the half-space between central and wide areas. Not quite a central midfielder, not quite a winger. They make runs into channels, receive between the lines, and provide width when wingers cut inside. Gündoğan under Guardiola played this way - nominally central but constantly drifting wide and arriving late in the box.

A quick pass and return - you pass to a teammate, run past your marker, and receive the ball back. Also called a wall pass or give-and-go. Simple but effective for breaking through tight defenses. Requires two players on the same wavelength and a pass with enough pace that the defender can't recover. Basic attacking play that never goes out of fashion.

Actively closing down opponents to force mistakes or win the ball. You can press high (in their third), in a mid-block (middle of the pitch), or low (in your own third). It only works if everyone does it together - one player pressing alone just leaves space behind them. Klopp's Liverpool and Guardiola's City have made it central to how they play, using pressing as the first step of attack.

A stat that values how much a player increases their team's chance of scoring through their actions. Unlike xG, which only looks at shots, xT gives every zone on the pitch a threat value. Move the ball from a low-value zone to a high-value zone - through passes, carries, or dribbles - and you generate xT. Useful for rating midfielders and ball-playing defenders who progress play without necessarily shooting or assisting.

Running outside and past a teammate who has the ball, usually a full-back going around a winger. Creates a 2v1 against the defender, who has to choose between following the runner or staying with the ball. Even if the pass doesn't come, the threat of it stretches the defence and opens space to cut inside. One of the most basic attacking moves, taught from youth level, and still works at the top.