Robbie

A full-back who moves inside into midfield instead of staying wide, letting the winger provide width. Guardiola made it famous with Cancelo and Walker at City. The idea is to overload the middle of the pitch, keep the ball better, and create triangles that are hard to press. It changes the shape completely - a 4-3-3 becomes something like a 3-2-2-3 when you have the ball.

Positioning to help a teammate who's engaging the ball, ready to step in if they get beaten. The covering player provides insurance - if the first defender fails, the covering defender should be there. Good teams have layers of cover; poor teams have gaps. Centre-back partnerships are built on trust that your partner will cover you when you step out to press.

A player who's always getting hurt. Whether it's bad luck, poor training habits, or physical fragility, the pattern repeats. Clubs hesitate to invest heavily in injury-prone players because you can't rely on them. The label can be unfair when injuries are random, but some players genuinely seem to break down every few months.

A young player with exceptional talent who's expected to become world class. The label creates pressure and expectations. Some wonderkids fulfill the hype (Messi, Mbappé), others don't (Freddy Adu, remember him?). Football Manager made the term mainstream - everyone's hunting the next wonderkid before their price explodes. The hype machine starts younger every year.

How often a team plays forward rather than sideways or backward. High verticality means lots of progressive passes; low verticality means lots of circulation and recycling. Neither is inherently better - it depends on what you're trying to do. Guardiola teams often have lower verticality in possession but devastating vertical moments when gaps appear. Direct teams have high verticality throughout.