Tapping up
The term ‘tapping up’ in football is used to describe the act of approaching a player who is under contract with another club without express permission of that club in order to initiate a transfer. Strictly speaking, tapping up a player is not permitted, but in reality it happens a lot and is difficult to avoid.
Testimonial
A testimonial is an exhibition football match that is held to honour a player who has contributed a considerable portion of their career to a club. While there is no official length of time, it tends to be reserved for players who have played for a club for 10 years or thereabouts.
Through ball
A ‘through ball’ is a pass which is threaded through the opposition’s lines of defence to a team-mate who has made a well timed run.
Example: “Kevin De Bruyne split the defence wide open with a sensational through ball to Gabriel Jesus.”
Tifo
A tifo is a colourful, coordinated display by supporters, usually inside a stadium, but also outside. Tifo is the Italian word for the typhus fever.
Tiki taka
Tiki taka is a tactical style of football which involves dominating possession and passing the ball quickly in order to overwhelm the opponent and unpick their defence. It is associated with Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona team of 2008-2012 and the all-conquering Spain team that won Euro 08, World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012.
Interestingly, while the style was admired across the world, Guardiola took issue with the term because he felt it implied simply keeping the ball for the sake of it. “I loathe all that passing for the sake of it, all that tiki-taka. It’s so much rubbish and has no purpose,” the Catalan said to journalist Marti Perarnau in 2014. “You have to pass the ball with a clear intention, with the aim of making it into the opposition’s goal. It’s not about passing for the sake of it.”
Total football
Total Football (totaal voetbal in Dutch) is the name of a tactical style of play that was pioneered by Ajax and the Netherlands national team in the 1970s. The concept of Total Football is that any player on the team can fulfil any role as necessary, allowing a fluid, dynamic approach.
While it was popularised by the Dutch in the 1970s, it later became the foundation of the modern-day Barcelona team when Johan Cruyff took over as manager of the club in the late 1980s.
The Treble
When a team wins three trophies it is described as ‘doing the Treble‘. Generally speaking, a treble requires a team to win their domestic league along with two important cup competitions. Lesser competitions are often disregarded.
