Looking at Roberto de Zerbi's Brighton and Marseille sides, you soon notice how often they repeat certain patterns of play.
When building up, the idea is to draw opponents towards defenders on the ball before using quick passing routines to find free players facing forward. They are better positioned to play the ball up the pitch quickly into the attackers.
When it works, De Zerbi's sides turn possession in their own half into shots near the opposition's goal within a few seconds. It's an electrifying watch – but the level of potential attacking reward comes with great risk.
De Zerbi's approach requires defensive players to take responsibility with the ball – delaying actions until they have forced opponents to press them.
In a recent training clip, he was seen coaching his new players through concepts to make his tactics easier to implement. For central defenders under no pressure, the advice was to take many touches. De Zerbi's centre-backs often provoke opponents by placing their studs on top of the ball – a sort of psychological trick that causes a striker to leave their shape and engage.
Two central midfielders are usually in close proximity to the central defenders. The midfielders receiving passes are often tightly marked, and De Zerbi's advice for them this week was to take one or two touches.
The ball doesn't stay with these players long to minimise the risk of losing the ball in dangerous areas. They instead act as a wall to bounce the ball off to nearby team-mates, who have lost their marker and can play forward under less pressure.
Read more on how De Zerbi can save Spurs
