How to describe what “between the lines” means… ever get that helpless feeling your team is being overrun by the opposition?
We’ve all been there. But what are the lines and how do teams get between them?
Here's your tactical explainer. Here at FourFourTwo, we've got the breakdown on every single football term that you might need explained to you…
I'm Jack, I've watched football through a tactical lens for over a decade, analysing trends not only at the top of the game, but also how strategies and approaches can be used at amateur level.
I’m also an FA-level 2 qualified coach and have written extensively on tactical analysis for various publications. A lot of my spare time is spent training, playing the game, or settling down to perfect a tactical approach on Football Manager.
What is getting between the lines?
For the purpose of this, the lines refer to a connecting space among a team's defenders, or midfielders, or attackers. In a basic 4-4-2 system, the defensive line would be joined up by the back four.
Of particular importance is getting between the defensive and midfield line. This is the golden area of space, the majority of possession-based teams are seeking.
In the clip above, the yellow team play out from the back to find space between the lines of the purple team.
If a team isn’t particularly direct with their attacking play, exploiting this area is key to reaching the final third. But it isn’t straightforward. Intricate passing and excellent close control is fundamental for ball players trying to break the lines. At any level of football, being able to do this fluently can be difficult.
From the other point of view, the team without the ball is obviously trying to stop players finding pockets of space in their defensive shape. How do they do this? Be as compact as possible.
By closing the spaces between the lines, the defending team is making it far more difficult for the opposition to play through them directly. Teams in a mid or low block fundamentally can not allow too much space between their defensive line and those in front. A side with top-quality playmakers or a dominant no.10 will utilise any unoccupied grass to create chances.
Which teams are experts at getting in between the lines?
Teams who tend to look to play quickly between the lines often place their players in the half-spaces, as these are the most dangerous areas to hurt the opposition. A defending side, in turn, will want to stay compact and create numerical superiority to outnumber the team in possession.
Every great possession-based team that has ever played the game needs to be excellent at finding this space. But there are some particularly distinguished examples from recent years.
Before he arrived at Manchester United, finding this space was a key feature of Erik ten Hag’s Ajax team who reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2019. In a narrow 4-2-3-1 system, Ajax’s three attacking midfielders used to rotate at every possible opportunity to try and exploit room in front of their opponents' defences.
Their midfield double-pivot of Frenkie De Jong and Lasse Schone were brilliant at playing difficult, round-the-corner passes to the attackers who were focused, almost solely, on getting as much space as possible in between the lines.
Brighton under Roberto De Zerbi became particularly effective when the Italian took charge in the autumn of 2022. Under his tactical stewardship, the Segulls’ pattern of play involved a build-up from deep that focuses heavily on breaking lines, as De Zerbi would aim to lure as many opposition players into their half, before then (ideally) playing their way out of the press. This involves slow accurate build-up, before quick one-touch passing to play out.
They just want the lines closer to their defence, further up the pitch. That gives them more space to play and run into, between the opposition midfield and defence. Brighton remained quite a rigid side when it came to their attacking build-up – but when they did find that golden space between the lines, their clever movement, directness and pace could hurt any team in the Premier League.
Any of the greatest players of the 21st Century – Xavi, Andrea Pirlo, Steven Gerrard – could all play those tricky passes into those receiving between the lines. Any footballer capable of mastering this craft can build a career around it. Because, ultimately, every team is chasing the space between the lines.
