The Football Dictionary

A player who's completely focused and performing at their peak. When someone's locked in, they're not making mistakes, they're dominant, and they're unplayable. The opposite of a player who's distracted or going through the motions.

The player whose job is to score. There are different types of Striker: poachers who live in the six-yard box (e.g. Inzaghi), complete forwards who do everything (e.g. Henry), target men who hold the ball up (e.g. Drogba), pressing forwards who hunt defenders (e.g. Firmino). The role has evolved a bit, and modern strikers are now often expected to press, link play, and create for others, not just finish.

Fabrizio Romano's catchphrase for confirming a transfer is done. When he posts on social media "Here we go!" it's a sure fire way of knowing a deal is agreed. It's become the unofficial official announcement in football - fans refresh his account constantly during transfer windows waiting for those three words.

Scoring two goals in one game. The word originates from hunting, where a brace meant a pair of birds. Less celebrated than a hat-trick but still a strong individual performance.

How good the shooting opportunities a team creates are, usually measured by average xG per shot. A team taking loads of shots from bad positions has low chance quality. A team taking fewer shots but from good positions has high chance quality. Guardiola teams typically have excellent chance quality because they work the ball into good areas rather than shooting from distance.

Letting the ball run through your legs or past you to a teammate behind, fooling the defender. Instead of controlling or shooting, you show you're going to play the ball, then leave it. The defender buys the fake and is now out of position. Dummies require awareness that someone's behind you and trust that they know what you're doing. When they come off, they look effortless.

A player who excels at free kicks, corners, and penalties. They're the designated taker because they consistently deliver quality. Dead ball specialists matter because set pieces account for roughly 30% of goals. Beckham, Juninho, and Trent Alexander-Arnold are known for this skill. Teams scout specifically for players who can provide quality from dead balls.

A new breed of attacking midfielder than that acts as a hybrid between an 8 (midfield engine/arriving late in the box) and a 10 (playmaker just behind the strikers). There are usually two players occupying the free 8 role, sitting just in front of a lone CDM and just behind the forwards. They often operate in the half spaces and their job is typically to create chances for the forwards. Pep Guardiola is often credited as being the person behind the free 8 role, having used it at Barcelona with Xavi and Iniesta in the role, then later at Manchester City, with Kevin De Bruyne (KDB) and David Silva in the role.

Formation consisting of 4 defenders, 4 midfielders and 2 strikers. One of football's most straightforward and durable formations. Everyone knows their job: two central midfielders (usually one sits, one runs), wide midfielders stretch the pitch, and a strike partnership works off each other. It was the default in English football for years and still gets used because it's easy to set up and hard to get badly wrong.

Video Assistant Referee - Technology system used to review referee decisions with video footage. Introduced to reduce errors in crucial match decisions.