This post explains 
the football term ‘to sit deep’ which is often used when describing a defensive team. You can find out more about this phrase by reading the transcript below, while you can also find many more examples of soccer vocabulary by going to our football cliches page here and our huge football glossary here.
Football Language: To sit deep
Teams can be organised according to positions, for example 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 but a decision about where the team sets up on the pitch is also important. Do they press forward and ‘squeeze’ the opposition or do they sit deep and wait for the opposition’s attacks? Some teams like to put all their players behind the ball and sit deep in their own half – sometimes even in or around their own penalty box – and maybe by sitting deep they can counter-attack their opponents.
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Example: The Irish team sat deep against their Danish opponents in the hope of catching them on the counter attack in the first leg of their World Cup play-off.
Example: ‘The Sky Sports pundit expects Jose Mourinho’s side to sit deep at Anfield, when they face Liverpool live on Sky Sports Premier League on Saturday.’ Skysports.com (14thOctober 2017).
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What does “sit” mean here?
60: Argentina 1-0 Brazil
Argentina look like they are just starting to sit in a bit, while Brazil are pushing forward in the final third. That half-time sub by manager Tite, bringing Roberto Firmino on for Fred, has injected some impetus into their play that they didn’t have in the opening 45.
If a team sits back or sits in it means they are being a little more cautious or defensive in their approach. If a team is winning sometimes they might retreat and be a little more defensive as they try to protect a lead or a point.