Footy Eye
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Delay and recovery

Delaying is slowing an attack down so teammates have time to recover, instead of diving into a tackle that could be beaten.

When a defender is outnumbered or caught alone, the worst thing he can do is commit. Jockeying, staying on his feet and showing the attacker wide or onto his weaker side, buys the seconds his team needs to get numbers back.

Recovering players have their own read: running back goal-side, on the line between the ball and the goal, rather than chasing the ball.

What to look for

  • Whether help is coming, and how far away it is
  • Which way to show the attacker: wide or onto his weak foot
  • The line between the ball and the goal when recovering
  • The moment the attacker takes a heavy touch

The common mistakeDiving into a tackle with no cover behind you, so one touch takes you out of the game.

Worked plays

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

  1. Play 1

    The situation
    Their winger drives at you in your third, a runner arriving inside him. You’re the full-back, alone.
    Best read
    Stay up, show him the line, delay
    Why
    In the middle third you can force a man infield; twenty yards from your box, infield is your goal. Stay big, stay on your feet, angle him to the touchline and buy the two seconds your midfielder needs to get back. Diving in is exactly what a runner at speed wants.
    The other options
    • Dive in before the support arrives He rides the tackle and slips the runner in on your box.
    • Show him inside toward your centre-backs He cuts inside toward goal and finds the runner arriving.
    • Screen the pass inside, let him run He runs free to the byline and cuts it back to the runner.

  2. Play 2

    The situation
    You spring the press; their centre-back drops a shoulder and takes it past you, in his own half.
    Best read
    Recover inside and shut off their pivot
    Why
    The ball is gone but the pass isn’t: beaten pressers win it back by running the short line, not the long one. Recover inside him, get goal-side of the pivot and he’s left carrying into two midfielders set and facing him. Chasing just makes you a spectator behind the play.
    The other options
    • Chase him and get goal-side again You trail behind him, and he slips it to the free pivot.
    • Take the foul before the shape breaks You’re booked, and they restart calmly from the free kick.
    • Stop dead, keep the shape intact He carries on and finds the pivot you left free.

  3. Play 3

    The situation
    He turns you in midfield and drives at your set back line. Your six is goal-side; you’re half a yard behind.
    Best read
    Shadow him and steer him into your six
    Why
    The tactical foul is a reflex, not a read: it belongs when nothing is behind you, and here everything is. The yellow costs a card and hands them a set piece. Stay in his hip pocket and the cover does the work — give up, and your six defends a 1v1 alone.
    The other options
    • Grab him and take the yellow now The referee books you, and they line up a free kick.
    • Dive in from behind and hook it away You catch his heels, and the referee gives the free kick.
    • Give up the chase, rejoin the midfield line Your six faces him alone, with the runner free outside.

  4. Play 4

    The situation
    They break 3v2 at your back line: carrier central, a runner either side. You’re ball-side, your partner goal-side of you.
    Best read
    Retreat as a pair, make him commit late
    Why
    Two beat three by staying two — the moment you split, one pass makes it 1v1 with a spare man. Retreating as a pair keeps both runners covered and leaves him the hardest decision, forty yards out. Stepping out or chasing a runner makes his pass easy; the foul is not on: nobody is through.
    The other options
    • Step out and press the carrier He slips it past you, and it’s 2v1 on your partner.
    • Pick up the nearest runner, leave the ball He carries into the gap you left and runs at your partner.
    • Take the tactical foul before it gets worse The referee books you, and they set up a free kick.

  5. Play 5

    The situation
    They break three-on-one through the middle. You’re the only one back, level with the ball.
    Best read
    Take the tactical foul now
    Why
    Three runners at your last defender is a goal waiting to happen — end it before it starts. A cynical foul trades a yellow and a free kick sixty metres out for the counter that would have punished you. Delaying a three-on-one only chooses which runner scores.
    The other options
    • Delay him — buy time for runners You back off, and he picks which free runner to play in.
    • Show him wide, away from goal He goes wide and squares it for the runner you left.
    • Fly into a full-blooded tackle He knocks it past your lunge, and three of them are through.

  6. Play 6

    The situation
    71st minute, 1–0 up, you’re on a yellow. Their winger knocks it past you by the touchline, forty yards out.
    Best read
    Stay up, show him down the line
    Why
    The tactical foul is a tool, not a reflex — for a booked man forty yards out with cover arriving, it costs more than it buys. He’s heading for the touchline, so run him there and hand him to your centre-back. Clipping him or diving in is a second yellow and twenty minutes with ten.
    The other options
    • Clip him — take one for the team You clip him: a second yellow, and you’re down to ten.
    • Dive in and win it back cleanly You slide, he toes it on, and you take him: second yellow.
    • Back off into your own box He has time to cross, and their runner attacks your box.

Train it

Short untimed sessions with the reasoning after every answer.

Train Delay and recovery

Test it

Ten plays, twenty seconds each, one Football IQ from 60 to 140.

Take the Football IQ Test

Shows up in

All tactics