Contemporary tactical discussions in football.

Jonathan Wilson’s inverting the pyramid has been an incredible read for football fans across the world. In his book, the football journalist from the guardian has chronicled the historical evolution of football tactics. Inspired by rugby, football tactics began with the assumption that more the forwards, more the goals and more the wins. Initially the teams lined up with upto 8 strikers. Slowly this formation changed. In the last few decades the most prominent tactical formation has been 442 or 433 which is an inversion of pyramid as the number of defenders are more than the strikers.

A few football writers have now gone on to suggest that there have been only cosmetic changes in the football tactics in the last decade. They suggest that most of the tactics employed in football today are mix and match of earlier tactical evolution. The only difference everyone seems to agree to is that – no team employs one tactic throughout a game but most top teams are conversant with multiple football tactics.

While it is true that most teams employ multiple tactics even during the course of the game but they are often identified with a particular tactic that they tend to rely on.

Extreme Counterpressing

1. Klopp’s Liverpool – Gegenpressing
2. Leipzig
3. Dortmund

Possession and Circulation

1. Sarri ball – Napoli
2. Pep Guardiola

Defensive

1. Simione – Althletico
2. Mourinho’s Team

Truly Multiple Tactics

1. Tuchel – Dortmund, PSG, Chelsea

Historical Overview:

1. 1872 – First international match ever. England played Scotland. Each had upwards of 8 strikers. The result – 0-0.
2. Few years later – the Pyramid emerged – the 2-3-5. It was popular for a few decades.
3. Herbert Chapman Arsenal Manager in 1930s WM system – 3223
4. The pyramid and the WM systems were the most common systems in the first world cups as well.
5. Hungary 1950s – False Nine. Striker dropped back in to the midfield.
6. Catenaccio or the Chain – Swiss/ItalyHerrara at Inter
7. Total Football – Ajax/Holland 1970s – Michels/Cryuff – 433 was born. Possession – Space Utlisation – Pressurise
8. Arrigo Sacchi – Milan – Flat back 4 and reduced space between lines, with an aggressive offside trap.

To suggest that the modern football under Pep or Klopp is piecing together of various tactics already explored would be a stretch. Any innovation in tactic has to pass the tests as elaborated below in order for it to be know as a new tactics rather than a cosmetic work around:

1. It has to have a new idea not explored earlier
2. It has to be widely used by the team or teams successfully

The era of data analytics has equipped managers like Pep and Klopp to see such nuances in football that earlier managers were not privy to. By employing Gegenpressing, Inverted Full backs – these managers are indeed bringing new ideas to the table. Their recent success mean that they pass the second test of qualifying their tactic as a fundamentally different tactic or an evolution in the history of tactics. In the upcoming posts we discuss these tactics in greater detail.