Humans have a need to classify and clearly define ideas and concepts. We find it simpler and easier to differentiate between abstract concepts when we are able to give them a name and separate them. It’s partly due to the fact that if we are going to discuss anything at all, we need to be able to have the language to do so. For that to happen we are required to make clear distinctions between ideas.

This is always the case with football as well. Some of the most abstract and philosophical thinkers in our sport have tried to argue against dividing the game into parts but unfortunately it hasn’t been successful. The common football fan knows there are two pivotal parts of the game, attacking and defending. The philosophical Spanish manager, Juan Manuel Lillo, has always stated it is impossible to separate attack from defense because they are dependent and consequential of each other. The moment a team loses the ball, the way in which they are set up automatically becomes their defensive formation. Therefore, there is less than an instant when a team can change their formation from attacking to defending. A team must attack with a defensive shape and defend with an attacking shape.

It may seem like a paradox but this is the reality of our sport. A team cannot attack without bearing what will happen the moment they lose the ball. In the same way, when a team defends they do so with the goal of attacking. This concept of maneuvering between offensive and defensive mindsets is called transitioning.

Many coaches may argue that transitions are a series of movements or tactics in place to change shapes in order to shift from attack to defense and vice versa, however, I argue that it is something much more than that and it happens in the blink of an eye. It is not how fast a team can get the ball to their striker or winger to commence their counter attack, nor how quickly a team can close down the space after losing possession. It is the speed at which a player is able to cognitively, and hopefully instinctively, realize they now have a new objective, either recovering possession or progressing. It’s a shift in mindsets which must happen in milliseconds. Not only must each player do so individually, but the team as a whole must do so in unison. This kind of symbiotic movement requires continual practice which can only be achieved through unceasing mental reminders in training sessions and matches.

Before embarking on a journey through improvement, we must familiarize ourselves with where and what we are striving to achieve. Currently, there are many teams which transition between phases of the game cycle (attack, defend, etc) effortlessly. For example, Conte’s Chelsea fluidly shifts from defense to attack using long, 40-50 yard, passes to find their striker with positional superiority, as well as utilizing the width to quickly progress up the pitch. Their goal against Manchester City in the following video is a perfect example of that.