Beyond Passes & Carries: What Really Goes Into Ball Progression In Football? - Tactical Theory
Ball progression is about more than progressive passes and carries. This tactical theory examines how Alessandro Bastoni, Achraf Hakimi and Nico Paz use movement, space and pressure manipulation to help their teams advance the ball.
When discussing ball progression, we often look for the line-breaking pass, the player who carried the ball over a long distance, or the winger who dribbled past their defender.
However, this approach to interpreting ball progression can be limited, as it focuses more on the final action than on the system that created it.
In modern football, the player advancing with the ball may simply be the final link in a chain of events that began before the ball even reached them.
One player draws an opponent out of position, another occupies the vacated space, a third makes a run behind the defensive line, and a fourth delivers the pass at the precise moment.
In this context, it is difficult to attribute the advance to a single player, as the entire sequence is the result of interconnected movements involving multiple players.
This is where one of the key concepts of 'Total Football' emerges: a player is evaluated not merely by their position, but by their ability to understand space, interchange positions, and create solutions for their teammates.
In this tactical analysis and tactical theory piece, we examine the intricacies of ball progression and their influence on the game.
Alessandro Bastoni: When The Centre-Back Starts Driving The Play Forward
In a style of football where all players are expected to help build attacks, the centre-back role is no longer limited to playing the ball out from the back to a midfielder; they can now serve as a key instrument for breaking the opposition's press.
Alessandro Bastoni at Inter Milan is a prime example of a player who can turn his position in the backline into a launchpad for advancing the play.
When Bastoni receives the ball, he does not always look for the quickest possible pass.
In certain situations, he begins to carry the ball forward, forcing an opponent to make a decision: step out to confront him or hold their position?
Once the defender moves, the space in front of Bastoni, or alongside a teammate, shifts.
Here, the carry becomes more than just advancing with the ball; it transforms into a means of drawing pressure and altering the defensive shape.
With 47 progressive carries, averaging 1.89 per 90, in the 2025/2026 season, Bastoni demonstrated a clear ability to advance the ball from the back and break lines by carrying it, whereas he has recorded only two progressive carries (0.55 per 90 minutes) so far in the 2026/2027 season.
