The basics

Football is different. Different in every single way. No uniform guide, no cemented laws. Just one truth: space is power. 

But that's too bland sounding to feel dogmatic. A more fitting law: 

Football is about manipulating the opponent, manipulating space.

New age football

Pictured, two teams. The poka-dot circles are players positioned by my design. The hollow rectangles represent the opposition. Immediately worth noting: my fullbacks, the labelled LB and RB, will always be asked to keep wide nearer the touchline and to be aggressive in their attacking positioning. 

1.) The ball, drawn in as the hollow white circle, is at the feet of the RCM. He is central, just below the halfway line. Accompanying him are the LCM and RW. Together, the three form a tight triangle, ideal for close control, rapid movement, and ball circulation. This triangle is instructed to dictate play in the entire middle third and beyond. It is the axis of my team.

The sole two other laws to football read: 

• For each attacking action there will be a defensive reaction.
• The opposition will always gravitate toward the ball.

As this triangle stays close, the opposition will surround it. The striker will press from one side, the midfielders will push up to apply pressure, and the wingers will narrow in from the flanks. That is the desired effect. 

2.) While the ball-controlling triangle dictates play ahead, the backline is responsible for setting the volume of the play. The lower the line drops, the more vertical space there'll be for the opposition to exploit and for the team to cover in bid to attack. If the line pushes forward, there'll be less available space in which to play football. The focus will shift to quick, close control passing. The team that is trained to excel in such football will, undoubtedly, excel. 

The DM of the team will always position himself in between the CBs. As the central triangle circulates the ball, the back line of three pushes forward to essentially open up three avenues:

• a central diamond with the DM at bottom point and the RW at the tip.
• each CB occupying the lower halfspace, still within his own half, but capable of redirecting the entire team play out onto the flanks. 

This particular set up poses a few questions to the opposition. Is it worthwhile to press the DM and alleviate pressure off the central triangle? or allow him all the time in the world to play his preferred passes? Do the wingers step out to pressure the CBs? or do they keep with the central triangle? 

3.) At the other end of the field, the attack. If you control the opponent's defensive shape, you win the game. Thus, two players must always remain forward. The ST and LW must always occupy the opposition CBs, each picking up his own respective man. For what purpose? In brief:

• It is suicidal to defend without numerical superiority. If there are two attackers, there must be a minimum of three defenders. 
• If there is one attacker on each CB, the opposition DM must stay back and hear his CBs to provide cover and aid. This opens up large vertical distances between the opposition's backline and midfield. Distances that my team can exploit with the right passes and movement. 
• The opposition fullbacks are also caught in two minds. To stay narrower and help out the CBs? or to move out wider and ensure that my fullbacks will not be given the time to accelerate into  their incisive runs?

The opposition is currently forced into a defensive shape designed by my team's meticulous positioning. 

4.) At any point, factoring in that the backline has pushed up further upfield, anyone from the central triangle, or any of the two attackers, can drift out wide nearer to the fullbacks. Out on the flanks, it is strictly diamond football.