it's called fear. It's what all the best players impose on the weaker opposition who do not have the confidence to presume his next move, no matter how obvious it may be.
They move towards him, he slips it past them and is clear on goal, or he slips in a team mate - so they hold position, hoping that the onus stays with him and they reduce his options. Problem is, the guy can ping it in for fun from outside the box, so it's a tactic that doesn't really work.