Hello and warm welcome to the latest edition of our newsletter! In this issue, the following topics take center stage:

Who decides whether the game is played at high tempo or with patience – your team, or the opposition?

Most coaches would answer without hesitation: we do, of course. We have a game plan, we drill specific patterns in training – and we go out and execute them on matchday. That's true, as far as it goes. But it's only half the picture.

Because in the reality of a football match, it is very often the opposition that sets the tempo – whether we like it or not. How they defend, where they apply pressure, how deep their defensive line sits: all of this forces decisions on us that we cannot make alone. A team that doesn't recognise this is playing blind to what the game is actually telling them.

When the opposition sets up with a high press – a pushed-up defensive line, forwards pressing aggressively, midfield compact and narrow – your team simply has less time on the ball. Not because they aren't good enough, but because the opposition is actively engineering that pressure. Any team that tries to stay patient and play short combinations in this situation is walking straight into exactly what the opposition wants: turnovers in their own half, in dangerous areas.

The right response:
Play faster and more directly – and target the space in behind the opposition's defensive line. The direct ball isn't a panic option; it's a legitimate and often highly effective tactical weapon. Bypass the last line and you bypass the entire press in a single action. The key caveat, though: the direct ball needs a clear idea attached to it. Teams that just go long without purpose give possession straight back – and a high-pressing side is always ready to transition the moment they win the ball high up the pitch.

Now the opposite scenario: the opposition drops into a deep defensive block, compact and organised, taking away space and time. Both teams are effectively crammed into the opposition's half. There's little room to work in, with bodies everywhere between the ball and the goal.

Playing at the same tempo you'd use against a high-pressing side is a classic mistake in this context. A well-organised defensive block doesn't open up through pace alone – it opens up through ball circulation, intelligent positioning, and picking the right moment. Only once a gap appears is it time to shift through the gears: a sharp one-two, a drive inside off the dribble, a well-timed through ball into the space that's just opened up.

The counter-attack danger – more common than coaches think:
Teams that defend deep are almost always lying in wait for the transition. Play too recklessly against a low block and give the ball away cheaply, and you'll pay for it – not through a pressing trigger, but through a quick counter with acres of space to run into. The balance to strike is a demanding one: patient enough not to be reckless – brave enough not to miss the right moment.

This is what the newsletter is really about. Not the high press or the low block in isolation – but: how quickly does a team recognise what the game is asking of them, and how quickly do they adjust? That is game intelligence. And game intelligence isn't simply talent. It's a skill that can be coached, drilled, and deepened over time.

It starts with reading the situation: where is the opposition's defensive line? How much time do I have on the ball? A player with good game understanding has already answered these questions before the ball arrives at their feet – not after. Then comes interpreting what you see: does this moment call for patience or for tempo? And finally, acting on it: making the right decision quickly enough to actually exploit the advantage. Game intelligence without the willingness to act on it is worthless.

How do you coach it?
Small-sided games with tempo conditions: One team sets a specific defensive structure – either a compact low block or an aggressive high press – and the other team must read the tempo and adapt accordingly. Debrief afterwards: what did you see? Why did you play short there? Why did you go direct?

Pressing scenarios with defined triggers: Give one team clear pressing triggers, and the team in possession is forced to recognise them – and decide instantly: go direct now? stay patient? This trains exactly the kind of reading and decision-making that matters in a match.

Video analysis: Show a short clip, pause it, ask: "What do you see here? How would you play it?" This makes tactical patterns concrete and discussable – without having to explain everything in the abstract.

The tempo of a match is not a free choice that a team makes on its own. It is the product of what the opposition presents – and how well your team reads it. Against a high press, you need to play fast and direct, using the ball in behind as a deliberate tool. Against a deep defensive block, patience and circulation are required until the right moment arrives to shift the tempo.

As coaches, our job isn't just to tell players what to do, but to help them understand when and why – through game situations, repetition, and honest reflection afterwards.

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It allows you to prepare your games step by step, from your line-up to substitutions and set pieces.

The key point:
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