Ranking the Craftiest Off-Ball Moves From Champions League Matchday 4

Vinícius, Dybala, Kimmich, and more make the cut.

Nov 05, 2021

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8) Vinícius Jr.’s Lightning Exploitation

We start off with something simple but deadly from my biological son and the new darling of the Bernabéu, Vinícius Jr., who has stunned the world with his dramatic turnaround from nervous wreck to cold-blooded finisher. Naturally, all of the focus has been on his goals and his dazzling footwork — the latter of which was on show vs. Shakhtar Donetsk in the earlier fixture — as a result.

But Vini also adds a ton of value with his movement in behind and it’s a skill that he’s had since day one. You can see how instinctive this run is for him, which is what allows a simple straight-line dash to make this list. In the space of a millisecond, he realizes that the space in behind is far more dangerous than whatever he can do receiving back to goal and blitzes away, creating half a chance for himself.

Benzema’s instant reactions to play the pass before Vinícius is offside are almost as impressive.

7) Alberto Moreno’s Wheeling Run

Like Vini, Alberto Moreno is initially stationed in a position to receive to feet. Unlike Vini, he does, touching the ball to Capoue and getting momentarily disconnected from the play. What follows isn’t savant-like, although there are plenty of players who would probably just stand there (*cough* Martial *cough*) or look to attack the box.

On the contrary, Moreno observes a gap materializing in the channel as the fullback gets dragged wide and hits it almost instantly, wheeling around into open sea for a free cross.

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6) İlkay Gündoğan Flowing From One Mindset to Another

Here’s something similar except taken to another level in terms of speed. Gündogan offers City a route back inside before controlling a rather poor pass from Rodri. Ironically, that springs everything that is to come, as the loose touch prompted by the delivery serves as a trigger for Club Brugge to press. Gündogan does the right thing and plays it back, roaming forward to connect with Foden.

It’s approximately at this moment where Gündogan spots the center-back stepping up to close down space between the lines, prompting him to organically flow into a run in behind.

Guardiola making this guy a legit goal scorer was one of the great coaching feats of last season, but there was clearly some inherent talent to be exploited.

5) Joshua Kimmich’s Instant Recognition

Kimmich’s action vs. Benfica is in the same stylistic zip code as the prior one but is far more subtle. Perhaps that’s why I rank it higher. Whereas the optimal zone for Gündogan to attack was obvious immediately when he looked up (the rapidity rather than the complexity is what made it impressive), it’s not super clear where Kimmich should be going until the last second.

He just sort of tip-toes into a crowd before exploding in behind as he realizes that too many Benfica players are hedging to the ball. It was so unexpected that he was able to release the cutback under zero pressure despite the presence of decent cover nearby.

Now we’re starting to get into the savant territory I denied Moreno earlier, where minute errors can be punished in a flash.

4) Paulo Dybala’s Magic Between the Lines

Let’s change things up a bit. All of the previous examples have been runs off-the-shoulder — so how about a different kind of movement?

Look no further than Paulo Dybala’s performance vs. Zenit. He was on song all night, dribbling at opponents, creating shots for himself and others, and, notably for our purposes, receiving between the lines.

As soon as Cuadrado trips over himself and falls face-first out of the passing lane (was my man trying to sell a foul?), Dybala drops, fully aware of what was coming. However, it’s the following bit that catches my eye. After neatly laying it off, you can see Dybala re-accelerate, almost wobbling for a second, indicating that his next move was a purely dynamic reaction.

Morata has no support to either side of him when he looks to link play with a defender bearing down on him, so Dybala violently pivots into a vertical run that perfectly aligns with about the only location his teammate can safely deposit possession.

The proceeding decision is too easy by comparison, as Dybala uses the time he has arriving to the return pass to spot the run and play his man through.

3) Hakim Ziyech’s Brutal Fake Out

Hakim, he has a family!

There’s not a ton of description needed for this clip — it’s just a sharp run preceded by a gorgeous fake, which completely sold his marker on the idea that Ziyech wanted to receive to feet.

2) Paulinho Cutting Against the Grain

Almost the same — albeit un-planned (as far as I can tell).

40:43 on the match clock is when Paulinho sees #14 stepping up and it’s over.

The timing is absolutely perfect.

As soon as the defender steps up to prevent the vertical ball, Paulinho propels the other way, cutting against the grain to create miles of separation that eventually results in a goal.

There’s no way to stop this 1v1.

1) Charles De Ketelaere Changing Course Midstream

Club Brugge might’ve lost vs. Manchester City, but at least their boy Charles De Ketelaere has nabbed top spot in the prestigious Tactical Rant ‘Craftiest Off-Ball Moves’ list.

Do I need to explain why this one is so good? Fine.