Watch the spaces between players
The ball naturally attracts your eyes, but much of football happens away from it. Notice how a team stretches the pitch in possession, how quickly its midfield closes space after losing the ball, and which defender steps forward first.
Look for repeated patterns
One attack can be random. The same movement three or four times is usually a plan. Full-backs may repeatedly overlap, a winger may move inside to free the touchline, or a striker may drop deeper to pull a centre-back away.
Once you start spotting those patterns, a quiet five-minute spell can become just as interesting as a goal.
