Attacking midfielders who have to wait for the right pass need to find new ways to get open. You know that if they receive the pass, they will perform, but the fact that they have to rely on the passer limits their effectiveness and wastes time.

Picture a team on the attack. The attacking midfielder waits; they scan, they wait, they move towards the ball, they wait, and then they check to the ball with their hand outstretched, asking for the ball to be played to them in a pocket with their back to goal.

It is in this second that the passer has a choice: trust that player knows their limitations and they can get out of that pocket of space, or ignore them and pass elsewhere.

That attacking midfielder needs that pass because that is their bread and butter. They receive, turn, and then play forward.

But they rely on the passer to know when to play the pass. The passer needs to know that the attacking midfielder can turn out of that space. If there is any hesitation, the defense has time to spot the pass and close the pocket, limiting the effectiveness of the attacking midfielder when they turn. The attacking midfielder should not have to outstretch their hand; the ball should immediately be played.

This connection takes time to build, and in that time when the rhythm is being built, the attacking midfielder needs to find other ways of imposing themselves on a game because if the pass never comes, and it won’t if the two players don’t have the right connection, they will waste time checking to the ball. Time that could be expended elsewhere to help open space for others who can create for themselves.

At least center-forwards have the excuse that they have to stay forward, but even they need to find new ways to contribute if the pass doesn’t come.