Attacking Depth: The Value Of Vertical Runs Like Real Madrid & Aston Villa – Tactical Theory

The act of receiving the ball to feet has become almost second nature.

From grassroots football to the professional elite, this pass-to-feet dynamic has evolved into the base unit of build-up play.

In this tactical analysis, we will examine how this stylistic evolution is reshaping attacking behaviour across modern systems.

Forwards drop in, midfielders move closer, wingers tuck inside—everything seems geared towards immediate possession control, even if it means sacrificing attacking depth.

Teams like Real Madrid, with players such as Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, and Vinícius Júnior, embody this trend at the highest level.

Too often, sides focus on neat construction, favouring short combinations and keeping the ball on the ground, even when a single vertical run could dismantle a defensive line.

But if receiving to feet ensures order, control, and positional superiority, why do so many teams still struggle to generate clear scoring chances?

The answer may lie in what’s missing: the run in behind, the blind movement, the space attacked before the touch.

In other words, that unstructured but lethal verticality that is often absent in today’s over-orchestrated systems.

How Positional Play Has Reshaped Attacking Behaviour

By 2025, receiving to feet is no longer just an option — it’s a collective reflex, deeply ingrained in the principles of positional play.

Possession revolves around short connections, close support, and continuous rotations, which, while offering stability, often limit attacking variation.

Positional superiority, once a weapon, becomes a constraint.

Even when space is available to exploit, teams remain fixated on the ball.

The outcome is a sterile manoeuvre that struggles to break lines or unsettle defensive blocks.

And it’s precisely this absence of disorder that renders even the most elegant build-up sterile.

El Blancos in 2025 offer a clear example.

Although technically gifted and full of individual flair, Real Madrids attack can sometimes become hollow due to an excess of connections.

Mbappé, Bellingham, and Vinícius frequently come short, crowding the playmaker’s zone, leaving the box empty and the final pass lacking weight.

The ball circulates but never cuts through.

The players seek feet, not space.

Mbappé comes short to receive the ball, while every teammate around him remains static, offering options only to feet.

Vinícius stays wide, preparing for a potential one-v-one, but no runner threatens the space in behind.

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