There are some people who you might describe as ‘old school’ when it comes to football, refusing to accept the modern terminology that has become such a regular part of the game.
For those people, the idea of referring to something as a ‘low block’ would doubtless be considered ‘woke’, or some other nonsense phrase that doesn’t really mean anything.
Whether the dinosaurs like it or not, new words and phrases have become an important part of the sport, used by commentators, pundits, players and coaches. The best thing we can do is have a go at explaining what they mean.
It’s Defending Deep
If you want a more old-school phrase for it, or at least one that is slightly easier to understand, then ‘defending deep’ would probably be it. Opta defines a ‘low block’ as being the starting position of a team in comparison to its own goal. The truth of the matter is that it is a style of play that is more commonly used by the so-called ‘lesser’ teams. It is a sign that a team doesn’t have the skill or ability to be able to hold onto the ball for longer, nor the desire to try to pass the ball around as they make their way up the pitch. Instead, they will keep as many players as possible in the defensive third.
Of course, having such a low block doesn’t automatically mean that the team performing it is a bad one. Sometimes, even the best managers realise that the correct tactic for a particular match will include giving up very little space in front of their own goal before trying to hit the opposition on the counter-attack. The footballing dinosaurs like Roy Hodgson, Sam Allardyce and Chris Sutton might get annoyed about the use of the phrase instead of ‘defending deep’, but it does tell a story in its own right. You are looking to block the opposition whilst doing so in a low-risk manner, nothing more than that.
I‘d take Maresca over Arteta any day of the week. Arteta is hiding behind a low block, Maresca is playing actual football. When all is said and done, Enzo will have a better CV (he already does right now LOL)
— – (@MusialaEra) November 25, 2025
Although the teams that often opt to go into a low block are generally considered to be the poorer ones, the reality is that it works. If you’re coming up against a team that is possession-based and is good with the ball, such as Liverpool or Manchester City, the last thing that you want to do as a team is to give them acres of space in which to operate. Consequently, the best tactic that you can employ is to use the low block, allowing them to have all of the pitch where they can’t score a goal but giving them no room to manoeuvre when it comes to the attacking third of the pitch.