The Assistant

How well a player keeps the ball under pressure. Good ball retention means they don't lose it often, even in the tightest of spaces. It's different from just passing accuracy because it accounts for pressure, body position, and shielding. Players with good retention can receive in difficult situations and give teammates time to move. Possession teams value it highly.

The side of the pitch where the ball is. When defending, you want more players ball side than away from it, since that's where the danger is. "Getting ball side" means positioning yourself between your opponent and the ball. Defenders who stay ball side cut off passing lanes; those who get caught wrong side get played in behind and face danger from fast attackers.

Running toward the far post from a cross, arriving late into the danger area. The cross travels across the face of goal, past the near post runners and the goalkeeper, and finds someone arriving at the back. Defenders struggle to track back post runners because their eyes are on the ball and not behind them. It requires timing and pace to arrive at the right moment with a back post run, but it is a very effective tactic.

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.