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A counterattack is a quick offensive move against the opponent when a team has possession of the ball and moves quickly from defence to attack. The attacking team makes quick swift forward runs and the decision-making has to be fast since they caught the opponents by surprise. The five key principles of a counterattack are:

• High paced speed.
• Correct passing.
• Looking for open spaces on the field of play.
• Taking advantage of numerical superiority against the opponent.
• Catching the opponent by surprise.

The main aim of a counterattack in football is to create a goal-scoring opportunity before the opponent recovers their defensive formation, the passes in a counterattack are usually minimal. An average counterattack lasts for eight seconds, most of the counterattacks occur during a corner kick or a nearby set piece where most of the players are crowded inside the goal post box in search of a goal and are caught off guard with the defending team regaining possession of the ball. 73% of the goals scored in a counterattack usually come through the central areas rather than the wide areas (wings), players are considered to use the pitch during a game.

The tactical sequence of a counterattack should involve strategy, timing, and individual brilliance. Some coaches, like Diego Simeone, train their players to sit deep in their half to draw the opposition in and later try to exploit space behind the defensive line. Counterattacks are not suitable for every team, especially if the team doesn’t have a player with high speed and good dribbling.

Teams with the best counterattacks in the European Leagues include Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Ac Milan, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, and RB Leipzig. Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has had the most Premier League counterattacks over the past five seasons. He has had 54 counterattack shots, scoring 15 of them and eight assists.

The best and recommended formation for a counterattack is the 4-1-4-1 wide formation. The objective of the formation is to absorb pressure and allow opponents to have most of the possession until they are in the defensive half.