Passing

The final pass before a goal. It's become a major stat for measuring creativity alongside goals. Different competitions count it slightly differently - some include rebounds off your shot, others don't. There's also pre-assists (the pass before the assist) and expected assists (xA) for the analytics crowd. De Bruyne and Messi rack up assists at the same rate some players score.

The pass before the assist. Player A passes to Player B, who passes to Player C, who scores - Player A gets the pre-assist. It's a way to give credit to players who set up the setup, especially playmakers who create the opening without getting the final ball themselves. Not an official stat but tracked by analytics sites and used to identify creative players.

A long diagonal ball from one side of the pitch to the other, usually to find space where the defense hasn't shifted yet. When play is congested on one flank, the other side is often open. A good switch of play exploits that. The pass needs weight and accuracy - too short and it gets cut out, too long and it goes out. Full-backs and playmakers who can hit these passes are valuable for stretching the game.

A first-time pass to a teammate, usually played backward or sideways to a player in a better position. Strikers receive the ball with their back to goal and lay it off to a midfielder; midfielders lay off to players with more time. The lay-off creates quick combinations and keeps the ball moving. Good lay-off play requires awareness of who's around you and soft enough touch to give your teammate a clean ball.

A visual showing a team's passing patterns - where players receive the ball and who they pass to. You can see the structure of play: who's the hub, which partnerships connect most, where the team builds. Average position maps show where players spent their time, while pass networks show the connections. Analysts use them to understand how teams function.