Build-Up

Build-up is how a team moves the ball from its keeper and back line into midfield against opponents trying to stop it.

Good build-up starts with shape: the keeper and centre-backs spread wide, a midfielder drops to offer, and full-backs give width. The aim is a free player, someone the press can't reach, and a pass that gets the ball to him facing forward.

The reads are about the press in front of you. Who is free? Is the pressing team leaving a lane open? When the first line is beaten, attack quickly; when every option is covered, a longer pass can be the right answer.

What to look for

Which player the press has left unmarked
A teammate who can bounce the ball to a third player
The far side, if the press has shifted across
When the risk of the short pass outweighs the reward

The common mistakeForcing a pass into a crowded centre because playing out is the plan, when the press has already closed it.

Worked plays

30 plays from Footy Eye's training pool, with the best read and why.

Play 1
The situation
You’re the pivot against a compact mid-block. Your striker drops short; a midfielder breaks beyond.
Best read
Striker’s feet, runner takes the layoff
Why
The third man opens a mid-block: the striker’s drop drags a marker, and his layoff releases the runner through the gap it left. The sideways ball keeps possession but never breaks a line. A pass into feet isn’t the end of the move; it’s the trigger.
The other options
- Take them on through the middle Three midfielders close you down and win it in the middle.
- Clip it long over the top The clip runs too long for your runner, and their defence collects it.
- Recycle sideways and keep circulating You keep the ball, but the block stays intact in front of you.
Play 2
The situation
You’re the full-back. Their winger presses your centre-back and shades off the touchline. Where do you go?
Best read
Invert into midfield behind his shoulder
Why
Inverting turns your back four into a 3-2: you leave the touchline he’s shading and step in behind his shoulder, already past the first line. Your centre-back gets a clean pass into midfield and you receive facing forward. Hugging the touchline waits for a pass down the line he already has covered.
The other options
- Push high and hug the touchline The pass down the line never comes; the winger has it covered.
- Overlap outside and stretch the pitch You stretch the pitch, but the winger still cuts the pass out.
- Drop flat with the centre-backs You’re flat beside the centre-back, and the winger presses you both.
Play 3
The situation
Goal kick. They’ve gone man-for-man all over the pitch and every short option is marked.
Best read
Long to the target man, second ball
Why
Man-for-man everywhere makes every short pass a coin-flip in the one area you can’t afford to lose it. Going long isn’t giving up possession: it’s a 50/50 forty yards from goal instead of a turnover in your own box, with runners set for the second ball. Play short only when a man is genuinely free.
The other options
- Roll it short to a marked centre-back His marker steps in and wins it on the edge of your box.
- Beckon a centre-back shorter into the box His marker follows him in and pounces on the short pass.
- Take it quick before they set They’re already in place, and the quick pass is picked off.
Play 4
The situation
You’re the centre-back on the ball. Their forwards have dropped off and nobody steps to you. Grass ahead.
Best read
Carry into midfield and make them commit
Why
When the forwards won’t press, the ball at your feet is an invitation: carry it in and you draw a midfielder out, freeing the man he leaves. Passing square hands the invitation back and lets them re-set. A ball-carrying centre-back is a spare midfielder; refuse the grass and you’re playing 10 v 11.
The other options
- Play it safe, square to your partner Your partner has it, and their block settles back into shape.
- Hit it long to the striker The long ball is a 50/50 up front; the grass ahead goes unused.
- Back to the keeper and reset The keeper has it, and their forwards push up to press.
Play 5
The situation
They’re man-marking everywhere. Your winger checks hard inside and drags his marker with him. What’s the read?
Best read
Full-back into the space the winger emptied
Why
Against pure man-marking you can’t pass through the press; the markers follow the ball into every lane. So move a man instead: the winger’s run inside takes his marker, and the full-back attacks the flank he emptied before anyone recovers. Playing the winger’s feet is a pass into the man he just dragged with him.
The other options
- Play the winger’s feet where he showed His marker arrives with the ball and nicks it off the winger.
- Hold it and wait for a lane Their presser closes you down with every lane still marked.
- Skip the press and go long It’s a 50/50 up front, and possession is up for grabs.
Play 6
The situation
On the ball in midfield. The square pass is on, but your 10 has found a pocket between their lines.
Best read
Disguise it and thread the 10
Why
Pockets between the lines open for a heartbeat, and the disguise lets you use one: a dropped shoulder freezes the screening midfielder so the ball goes where his body can’t follow. Circulating square is the safe pass that kills the best chance; by the time it comes back, the pocket is gone.
The other options
- Circulate square and keep possession Your teammate has it, and the pocket has closed.
- Drive at the line, take him on Their screening midfielder meets you, and the pocket closes.
- Switch it all the way across The long switch travels, and their block shifts across in time.