Positions & Tactics•1 November 2026
All the ball, no chances: how do you break down a low block?
The ball moves, but the defence does not. How width, runs behind and cutbacks can turn possession into chances.
3 min readRead
DreamerBuild Blog
Tactics, lineups and the beautiful game.
How formations really work, what every position does, small-sided lineups and the matches we play out in our simulator. Read it, then try it in the lineup builder.
Squads & Teams•1 November 2026
80 minutes, 1–0 up: how do you play the last ten?
Is replacing a striker with a centre-back enough? Think about substitutions, defensive distances and the first pass after winning the ball.
3 min readRead
1 – 11
Positions & Tactics•30 October 2026
Football positions and shirt numbers explained: who does what, from 1 to 11
Why does the striker wear 9 and the playmaker 10? Where shirt numbers came from, what every position actually does on the pitch, and modern roles like the false 9, regista and mezzala.
6 min readRead
Positions & Tactics•30 October 2026
Football tactics glossary: 30 terms you keep hearing on match day
Low block, gegenpressing, half-space, third man, inverted full-back, false 9... The 30 most used tactical terms in modern football, explained briefly with examples.
6 min readRead
Positions & Tactics•30 October 2026
What is pressing in football? High press, counter-pressing and pressing traps
Pressing isn’t just running. What a high press, mid block, gegenpressing and pressing triggers mean, how different teams press, and what it costs you.
6 min readRead
3-4-2-1
Formations•30 October 2026
Why did the back three come back?
Almost forgotten in the 2000s, the back three is now back at the top of European football. From Conte to Gasperini, Xabi Alonso and the back fours that turn into threes on the ball: why it returned.
5 min readRead
4-3-3
Formations•30 October 2026
Football formations explained: what 7 systems actually do on the pitch
4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, 4-4-2, 3-5-2, 3-4-3, 5-3-2 and 4-1-4-1. The logic behind the numbers, the squads each one suits, and where each one leaves you exposed.
7 min readRead
Tips•30 October 2026
7 mistakes people make building a dream lineup (and why the best XI isn’t the best team)
Putting eleven stars on a pitch is easy. Turning them into a team is the hard part. The seven traps everyone falls into when building a lineup, and how to avoid them.
4 min readRead
8-a-side · 3-3-1
Small-sided•30 October 2026
The best 7-a-side and 8-a-side formations (with diagrams)
Eleven-a-side formations don’t work on a small pitch. The 7-a-side and 8-a-side shapes that actually hold up, when to use each one, and how to stop conceding on the break.
4 min readRead