If you have watched Manchester City play under Pep Guardiola you will be familiar with the process. City attack in numbers: the centre-backs on the halfway line, both full-backs pushed up, the midfield dominating possession, the front three in constant motion whether coming short for the ball or darting in behind. If City have the ball, they have a good chance of scoring. But if they lose it, well, you know what is coming next.



Of course, City are desperate to win the ball back quickly and go straight into the press. “You defend the way you attack, not the other way round,” as the top coaches say.



But if that press fails, the opposition have a huge open space to break into, with just two or three stranded defenders in their way. In that instant, the odds have swung in their favour and City know they are at risk. And that is when the tactical foul is deployed. A City player ends the attack, giving their team-mates those crucial few seconds to run back and...