The Third-Man Principle is all about creating passing options within the playing zone by adding a facilitating passer and exploiting space in ways that break down defensive structures. Third Man Run is about shifting the playing area. Move the ball into a place where the dynamics are more favorable for your team as there is a running player.

What is the Third-Man Principle?

The Third Man Principle is a tactical concept that revolves around creating an advantage by using one player to indirectly support another in possession. To put it simply, it’s about finding ways to create a passing triangles. One player makes a run to support a teammate, and the third player in the triangle (the “third man”) provides an unexpected passing option.

Basic Example

Let’s walk through an example. Imagine a scenario where Player A has the ball and is looking to pass to Player B who is in a good position to reach the team objective. Normally, the pass to Player B would be blocked by a defender. But Player C—who’s positioned just a little off to the side or behind—makes a run to receive the ball from Player A.

Player A doesn’t pass directly to Player B; instead, they pass to Player C, who then plays the ball to Player B. The key here is that Player C is not under pressure. The defender is left scrambling, trying to cover multiple options. This quick, unpredictable movement can create space and break down defensive lines.

Playing from the back example

Let’s give few situations of how the third man run can be utilized. Firstly, we’ll start with playing from the back. A simple pass from your goalkeeper to the central defender. Then you want the next one to be from your defender to your fullback, as it is a bit higher up the field and also safer and less crowded on the side. However, the opposition winger knows that and is blocking that pass and starting to put pressure on the defender. Instead, the central midfielder comes into the empty space and just needs to do a one touch pass to the fullback. That’s it. This is the bread and butter of playing from the back.

Final third example

Let’s look at another example, where the passing lane is not blocked, but the pass is impossible because the defender is pressing high. We want our winger to receive the ball from our fullback, but they cannot in this setting. Instead, we utilize the creative midfielder that does something similar as before, but in another area of the field. In this case, the moment the ball is passed to them, the defender is often stunned and trying to see where the ball is going or even starts to move towards the central area. The winger then starts to make a run and the defender is at least one step behind, often way off. The ball goes into space and the problem is solved way more elegantly than beating the defender 1v1.

What is the Third-Man Run?

The third man run is when two teammates look to be playing a one-two, but another teammate is making a run to receive the ball in a more dangerous area. In a very generic example, say we have a 2v2 situation in the central area. Then a player that makes a run in the wide area means that they have already won against their opponent and is just missing the ball. So we move the ball to them. Why would is it easier for them to beat their opponent? Because the human psychology makes their defender focus on the playing area. They either come and help the teammates to make a 2v3 situation, or they simply relax for a moment thinking that the danger is not there. Either way, it is a favorable situation for our third man. To get the timing it might be a one-touch pass or a delayed pass with La Pausa to invite the pressure and create space. We will run through three examples to illustrate this at different areas of the field.

Examples

If we start from the fullback and pass to the centerback. Then the winger keeps the pressing and cuts the passing lane back to the fullback. That press by the winger changes the playing area and takes our fullback out of it. Then the centerback passes to the midfielde. Now the midfielder passes into the fullback that made a run forward in the meantime. This pass made the playing area move there, with the fullback already on the run forward.

Here is another example of the third man run, way more devastating for the opponents. The focus is all in the middle with the striker looking for help from the midfielder to do 1-2 passing. The midfielder can even yell “1-2”, but then once it receives the ball, they find the runner on the wing. All eyes were in the central area. Unless the fullback was so diligent to track the runner on time, this can be an easy goal. The coordination between the winger and the creative midfielder falls apart.

Here is one more special case, where the striker wants to use the midfielder for a combination. However, after the pass and the run, the striker doesn’t get the ball and is in offside situation. Then the whole world kind of freezes. The defenders are thinking that they have solved the threat by holding the offside line. However, the pass to the third man in the wider area unfreezes the attack and the striker is back in action as the second pass can go to them.

What do you need to make good Third-Man?

The crucial elements of both the third man principle and the third man run are the off-the-ball movement, the vision and the exploiting of the space.

Off-the-ball movement

…is crucial. In the third man principle, the third man coming in as a facilitator needs to find the perfect timing when they will be available to receive and pass the ball. If they are too early, the opponent will adjust and potentially intercept the ball or the pass will not longer be available. If they are too late, then the teammate with the ball will be under too much pressure. Similarly, for the third man run, a well timed run is essential, so that we can create a dynamic advantage. Too early and the third man gets covered or ends up in offside. Too late and the ball is lost or moved somewhere else on the field.

Vision

… is the other key characteristic of these patterns. Vision is not about players that can see other players, but it is to see several steps ahead, like in chess. In the third man principle, the player needs to see the objective of the two initial players and their obstacle. Then they need to see how getting into the empty space can change the perspective. Finally, how the steps will evolve from then on. Similarly, the third man run is exactly that – a run. The vision of the passer and the runner is seconds ahead, where they need to see what will happen if they coordinate their movements together. The vision is built over time and experience, by playing soccer for years and years and seeing what is possible and how to make it happen. Naturally some players are more talented in seeing this, but it is also a trained skill.

Exploiting space

…is the secret to both the third man principle and third man run. We talked about changing the playing area by moving the ball. But in order for that to happen, the players off the ball need to create a favorable situation before the ball gets there. Exploiting the space is exactly that. For example, leaving the space empty is important, so that the space can be exploited at the right time. This can be the space for passing or for the run behind. Either way, understanding the space is vital.

Can you see the Third-Man in Pro Games?

One of the most iconic uses of the Third Man Principle is in the way Barcelona used it during their tiki-taka era, especially under Pep Guardiola. The movement of players like Xavi and Iniesta was a textbook example of the Third Man Principle. They were constantly working off each other’s passes and positioning, pulling defenders out of position, and creating extra options for the ball carrier. It would often look like they were passing to each other with no purpose. However, at one point you will see the wingers, such as Villa, Pedro or Henry, or even the wingbacks, like Alves and Alba, making a run on the wing and before you know it the third man run creates a perfect opportunity to score.

That is a textbook example of using both the third man principle and the third man run. However, I challenge you to watch a game. Whenever you see players playing from the back, you will see the third man principle. Also, you will see runs that hard-working players make even when they don’t get the ball. The expectation for them is that they will get the ball once every 5 to 10 runs. However, all they need is one perfect play in the final third and the goal scoring opportunity is there.

How to coach?

There is a reason we are still talking about the Xavi and Iniesta style of play, even though we haven’t seen them play in Barcelona for the last decade. It is not normal to find players that are technically dominant, have world class positional awareness and possess exceptional vision.

However, you do need to coach these concepts, as both Xavi and Iniesta have been coached at the famous Barcelona academy called La Masia. At the very young age, you should coach playing from the back and that might be the first time they will see the usage of the third man facilitator player. These will become recognizable patterns for the players, but it will take years of repetition and variations to become second nature.

You will need to have overloading drills, where the attackers will outnumber the defenders. This is because the natural moves for players might be to dribble or to pass back. Instead they can make overlapping runs or even underlapping runs that will naturally create the third man situation. If you are trying to change that, then the pressure has to be decreased a bit. Not completely, but sufficiently enough to give some time and direction to the players to find these opportunities. To counter this numerical overload, you can restrict the attackers not to be able to pass back to the same player.

Summary

To sum it up, the Third Man Principle and the Third Man Run are game-changing tactics that relies on intelligent off-the-ball movement, quick decision-making, and exploiting space. Whether you’re a player or coach, understanding and implementing this principle can improve the fluidity of your team’s attacking play and help break down defensive lines.

Next time you watch a game, pay close attention to how teams use the Third Man Principle and the Third Man Run to create space and opportunities. It’s a subtle, yet incredibly powerful aspect of modern soccer tactics.