Take the ball high

[Kontol]

Could you explain what "high" means in football?

West Ham 2-1 Fulham (89 mins)
Michail Antonio takes the ball high into the Fulham half and stands over the ball in the corner flag, ticking down the seconds to try and get his side over the line.

 

[Rover_KE]

... he takes the ball as far as possible into the Fulham half and into the corner flag quadrant.

 

[SoothingDave]

Interesting, because that would be considered "deep" into the opponent's territory in American football. Or ice hockey.

 

[5jj]

As it would for most people in British football.

 

[jutfrank]

It's normal to use a schema of verticality to talk about flat playing surfaces in certain sports. The metaphor is attacking=going up.

So from an attacking perspective, when you travel towards the goal you want to score in, you're going up the pitch. Equally, a defence is deep when they are playing in their own half, near to their own goalkeeper. So when you say "deep into the opponents' territory", you're looking at things from the opponents' perspective.

In the original example, high is used because it comes from the perspective of Antonio, the attacker.

 

[Kontol]

It's normal to use a schema of verticality to talk about flat playing surfaces in certain sports. The metaphor is attacking=going up.

So from an attacking perspective, when you travel towards the goal you want to score in, you're going up the pitch.

I think "go up the pitch" doesn't make sense. To "go up" means to attack and "the pitch" means the field --- to attack the field.

It should be "go up the opponent's team".

 

[5jj]

When I go up the road to the tram stop, I am certainly not attacking the road.

 

[jutfrank]

I think "go up the pitch" doesn't make sense.

Yes, it does.

To "go up" means to attack and "the pitch" means the field --- to attack the field.

It's the verb go and then the preposition phrase up the pitch, which means 'from bottom to top', schematically.

It should be "go up the opponent's team".

No, it shouldn't.