Most of the chances and goals scored in a football match are the result of quality off-the-ball movement and good positioning.
High-quality off-the-ball movement from matches played in the summer of 2025
・Club World Cup Final: Chelsea’s vertical attack
・UEFA Super Cup: Paris Saint-Germain equaliser in added time
I would like to highlight the two scenarios mentioned above.
In both cases, the goals were the result of quality off-the-ball movement.
※This article was originally posted in Japanese on September 23, 2025.
※The Japanese version of this article is here
Off-the-ball movements leading to goals
【title No.1】
FIFA Club World Cup Final (July 14, 2025)
Chelsea FC vs Paris Saint-Germain
［43rd minute: Chelsea goal］
Joao Pedro’s movement during Chelsea’s vertical attack
【title No.2】
UEFA Super Cup (August 14, 2025)
Paris Saint-Germain vs Tottenham Hotspur
［90+4th minute: Paris Saint-Germain goal］
Dembele’s run behind the defense in added time of the second half
Chelsea’s vertical attack and Joao Pedro’s movement within it
FIFA Club World Cup Final (July 14, 2025)
Chelsea FC 3-0 Paris Saint-Germain
Starting Lineup and System
［System diagram No.1］
Left:Chelsea(navy blue) Right:Paris Saint-Germain(white)
43 minutes Chelsea’s goal from a vertical attack
Palmer’s control of Chelsea’s vertical attack
and João Pedro’s off-the-ball demeanor
The Club World Cup (CWC) final saw Conference League champions Chelsea take on European champions Paris Saint-Germain.
From the start, the “challenger” Chelsea showed an aggressive attacking attitude against the strongest champions, Paris Saint-Germain, and took the lead, scoring back-to-back goals in the 22nd and 30th minutes.
Chelsea took control of the game and launched a vertical attack in the 43rd minute. The following memo will take a look at Chelsea’s brilliant attack and the movements that led to Joao Pedro’s goal.
【A vertical pass from the back line to Palmer triggers Chelsea’s vertical attack】
㉓Chalobah on the back line received a back pass and made a sharp vertical pass to ⑩Palmer, who came to retrieve the pass between the opposing lines, and Palmer made a quick turn to face forward.Palmer’s forward movement between the opposing lines served as a catalyst for Chelsea’s vertical attack, and ⑳Joao Pedro at the front, also ran towards Paris Saint-Germain’s goal.
Paris SG’s final line was forced to retreat.At this time, there is a large gap between center backs(CB) ⑤Marquinhos and ④Beraldo.⑰Vitinha moves back to close the distance between the CBs, but there is a high possibility that a gap will appear between the CBs when a defensive block is formed in the final third.
Joao Pedro, running at the forefront, is taking a course that will allow him to accurately exploit any gaps in the defensive line that will likely appear in the future.
［System diagram No.2］
【Joao Pedro makes a run behind the defensive line in response to the Palmer movement】
⑩Palmer dribbles forward, aiming for the space between ④Beraldo and ㉕Nuno Mendes.Paris Saint-Germain drops back to just in front of the penalty area to form a defensive block.As expected, a gap appeared between Paris Saint-Germain’s centre-backs, and ⑳Joao Pedro penetrated into it.
As Paris Saint-Germain set up a defensive block, Palmer slowed his advance and turned his body to face Beraldo directly.Naturally, at the exact moment that Beraldo turned his body towards Palmer, Joao Pedro made a diagonal run behind Belaldo, getting behind the Paris Saint-Germain defensive line and allowing Palmer to play a through ball.
［System diagram No.3］
After this diagram, Joao Pedro was one-on-one with the goalkeeper and calmly scored a looping shot over the goalkeeper.
Despite only just joining Chelsea, Joao Pedro shows excellent teamwork with the players around him.
One of the reasons Joao Pedro quickly adapted to the team is likely due to the quality of his off-the-ball movements.
Dembele’s movement during an attack in the final moments of the match for Paris Saint-Germain
UEFA Super Cup (August 14, 2025)
Paris Saint-Germain 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Penalty shootout 4-3
【Paris Saint-Germain victory】
Starting Lineup and System
［System diagram No.4］
Left: Paris Saint-Germain (navy blue and red) Right: Tottenham (white)
In added time of the second half, Paris Saint-Germain scored an equaliser
Dembele’s move behind the defender to get behind the defensive line
In the 2024-25 season, Ousmane Dembele played a heroic role in supporting Paris Saint-Germain’s rapid progress.
He also showed some impressive moves in the UEFA Super Cup, held just before the start of the 2025-26 season, setting up his team’s equaliser.
Check out his off-the-ball moves at the last minute in the memo below.
【Getting behind the opponent】
Paris Saint-Germain attacks into the attacking third.⑤Marquinhos received a pass from the left side and passed it to ②Hakimi on the right side.When Hakimi receives the ball, ㉔Spence moves towards him defensively.
Here ⑩Dembele makes a brilliant move.Dembele follows behind Spence and, the moment Spence takes up a defensive position against Hakimi, he breaks into the space behind him.Dembele was completely behind Tottenham’s defensive line and received a through pass from Hakimi in a free position.
［System diagram No.5］
After this scene, Dembele got free behind the defensive line and sent a Liner cross between the defensive line and the goalkeeper, which Goncalo Ramos headed into the goal.
Since his awakening last season, Dembele’s off-the-ball movements have been of the highest quality.
Among them, his movement in front of the goal in added time against Tottenham was very unique.
His idea of linking playfulness with a goal was truly brilliant and left a lasting impression on me.
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