Subbuteo recreates the famous table football game, which makes for something very different from Sensible/Kick Off/FIFA style games. It's effectively a turn-based strategy game of sorts, as each player has 30 seconds to make their move (within a 30 minute match length), which involves first selecting a player, then aiming the direction in which he will be flicked, then the power and swerve of the flick are determined by the length of time the button is held down for.

With any luck, your player will hit the ball, and hit it such that it doesn't leave the playing area, and doesn't hit an opponent. If any of those rules are violated, possession passes to the opposition. Before each flick, the team not in possession can make a 'defensive flick' involving moving one of their players into a potential blocking position (without hitting the ball or an opponent, as this is a foul).