Running the channels means running into the space between a centre-back and full-back. That gap is the "channel." Attackers who time runs into the channel are hard to track because neither defender wants to leave their position. A good channel run, combined with a good through ball, is one of football's most effective attacking combinations. Strikers who make these runs constantly stretch defences.
Jamie Vardy's runs into the channel were legendary during Leicester's journey to the title in 2016. He'd drift wide, spot the gap between centre-back and full-back, and sprint into it. The defenders were never sure who was supposed to follow him.
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