The space between the lines

Watch the distance between defence and midfield when a team has the ball. If that gap grows beyond fifteen metres, the central midfielder has to drop deep to collect. That pulls him out of the pressing structure and leaves the opposition pivot alone.

I saw this twice in the early tournament matches. One side kept their full-backs narrow and their midfield compact. The other stretched themselves chasing possession. The compact side won second balls and turned them into transitions. The stretched side looked busy but created nothing dangerous.

A sensible unit size for that read is 1 unit. The price needs to reflect the structural edge, not the name on the shirt. If the favourite is too short, pass.

A good structural read at a bad price is still a bad bet.

Question: Where do you look first when you watch a team without the ball?