Two players can receive the same pass with the same technical ability and end up with completely different options. The difference is which way they were facing before the ball arrived.
Facing your own goal halves the pitch
A player who receives square-on to his own goal can only see the half of the pitch behind the ball. Every forward option requires him to turn first, which takes time he may not have.
Opponents read this instantly. A defender approaching a player facing backwards can press aggressively, because the receiver cannot punish him by playing into the space he leaves.
The result is that a technically excellent player becomes a recycling station, returning the ball to where it came from because nothing else is visible.
The half turn keeps both directions available
Opening the body at an angle before the pass arrives allows the player to see the passer and a large portion of the pitch ahead simultaneously.
From that position the first touch can go forwards, sideways or backwards without any additional movement, so the decision is made after seeing the picture rather than before.
The defender behind now has a problem, because pressing tightly risks being turned, while standing off concedes a forward pass. Neither option is comfortable.
Scanning is what makes the orientation useful
Body position without information is only a posture. Players who receive well look over their shoulder repeatedly in the seconds before the ball arrives.
Those checks build a picture of where opponents and teammates are, so the receiver knows his options before he has the ball rather than searching for them afterwards.
Frequency matters more than duration. Several brief glances give a more current picture than one long look, because the arrangement of players changes continuously.
The first touch is a positioning decision
Control is not about stopping the ball dead. The touch should move the ball into the space the player intends to use next, which is usually away from the nearest defender.
A touch taken across the body opens the pitch; a touch taken back towards the passer closes it. The technique is identical, and only the direction differs.
This is why coaches judge a first touch by where the ball ends up rather than by how cleanly it was cushioned.
Support angles make the half turn possible
A midfielder cannot open his body if the pass arrives directly at his feet from straight behind, because there is no angle to open towards.
Teams solve this by ensuring passes are played at an angle and by having the receiver move a step before the pass to create one.
Receiving well is therefore partly a team behaviour, which is why possession sides drill passing patterns rather than isolated control exercises.