In this episode of the Progressão podcast, we continue our exploration of football as a complex phenomenon, focusing on sub-groups and local coordination.

Beyond the game and team levels, football performance also emerges within smaller units: defensive lines, midfield triangles, or players operating on one side of the pitch. At this scale, what matters is how players coordinate their movements in relation to space, opponents, and one another.

We explore how local coordination develops through coordinated action, allowing sub-groups to function less like separate individuals and more like integrated systems. Using examples such as defensive line behaviour and compact collective movement, we examine how synchronised action shapes the wider dynamics of the game.

The episode also reflects on the difference between principles and automatisms in team play, and begins to bridge toward the player level, showing how even individual actions are deeply relational and embedded within the larger system.

This episode continues to build the central idea of the series: football is a living, dynamic phenomenon, where behaviour emerges through coordination across interconnected levels.

🌍 More at progressao.fi
🐦 Follow us on X and Instagram: @progressaofi