This study aimed to compare the frequencies of core tactical principles, the percentages of successful tactical principles, and the general network properties of football small-sided and conditioned games (SSCG) with and without the limitation of the number of ball touches. Thirty-six under-15 national level football players participated in this study and performed atotal of 15,067 tactical actions. They performed four SSCG bouts with 4 minutes of passive recovery between each bout, in two experimental conditions: free-play SSCG and two-touch SSCG. Tactical behaviour and performance were analysed using the System of Tactical Assessment in Soccer and the Social Network Analysis, was used to measure players` interactions. Results showed that two-touch SSCG increased the frequency of actions of width and length without the ball (p = 0.001), depth mobility (p = 0.029), concentration (p = 0.001), and defensive unity (p = 0.001). The two-touch format also increased defensive performance (p = 0.005), density (p = 0.001), and clustering coefficient (p = 0.007). Therefore, coaches should adopt the two-touch rule for increasing ball circulation or to reduce the tactical complexity of the task for the defending team.
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