I came across a really interesting paper on passing that categorizes passes into four types:
Circulatory — maintaining possession and reorganizing the attack
Space-expanding — creating or accessing more space
Line-breaking — bypassing a defensive line
Destabilizing — disrupting the opponent’s defensive structure
The model isn’t perfect, but what I really appreciate is that it gives us language for passes with different intentions and effects.
A lot of the language we use to evaluate passing is outcome-driven: line breaks, progressive passes, assists, chances created, etc.
Those things are obviously important, but if they become the only things we have language for, they can also become the only things we notice.
Suddenly the pass that goes forward is “good,” while the pass that circulates possession, moves a defender or expands the space for the next action can disappear from our perception.
And that can subtly create a vision of football in which progression and verticality are always preferable.
Wittgenstein wrote:
“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.”
I think there’s something important in that for coaches.
When you have different words for different passing intentions and you begin to see passes differently.
A pass isn’t simply progressive or not progressive.
Did it circulate?
Did it expand the available space?
Did it break a line?
Did it actually force the the opposition to reorganize?
That language could become useful for describing different playing styles, developing team and individual intentions within a game model, and helping players perceive what the game might require from one moment to the next.
And the question I’m especially interested in as a youth coach is:
How can we manipulate training environments so these different passing intentions emerge implicitly, rather than simply telling players which pass to make?
Really interesting paper and worth digging into:
https://t.co/yVEfDVBYMc
Juzgados de La Laguna 2004-2025.
2004: Arquitectura tradicional canaria, balcones de madera, tejas, arcos. 10/10.
2025: Bloque gris con ventanas de colores.
Todo decadencia.
Es una absoluta pena que este estadio solo vayan a disfrutarlo de nuevo este año en Canarias y lo perdamos en Segunda RFEF.
Volved pronto, @CDMensajero
📍Silvestre Carrillo
@fedepalma_lp Mientras miles de canarios no encuentran casa, @fedepalma_lp invita a nómadas digitales a encarecer más la vivienda en La Palma. ¿Conectividad y tranquilidad? Solo si puedes pagar alquileres inflados. Basta de campañas que expulsan a los nuestros.
He preferido esperar a hoy para enseñarles esta vista desde mi azotea.
¿Vivimos en un paraíso? Lamento decirles que esto también es Canarias 🇮🇨 una tierra castigada por la pobreza estructural, donde muchos quedan atrás de generación en generación
#diadeCanarias