What does "high" actually mean in football?
Spurs 2-1 Leicester (38 mins)
Leicester pinch the ball high, nipping in to intercept from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg as the Spurs number five dithered in possession.
90+3' Last minute
One minute left for City, who have dominated the majority of this game but at the moment have only a point to show for it. Villa press high as they look to restrict the out-ball, but City get it away to De Bruyne.
Southend had the first opportunity in the game after winning the ball high up the pitch. Dan Mooney broke away from the defence but put his effort wide.
West Ham 1-2 Arsenal (90 mins)
West Ham have a free-kick in their own half which Lukasz Fabianski launches high up the pitch. The ball runs behind for a goal kick.
The first three of these examples all refer to pressing by one of the teams. In the first example, Leicester pinch (steal) the ball from Spurs (a turnover) close to Spurs' goal and this is why it is referred to as 'high'. High up the pitch means close to the opposition goal.
In the second example, Villa press high which means their players have moved up closer to the opposition goal. And in the third example, Southend have done the same - they have all pushed up closer to the opposition goal.
In the final example, the West Ham keeper has kicked the ball close to the opposition goal though I think the word 'high' in this example could also refer to the fact that he hit the ball into the sky and not on the ground.
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