da 888： Ever since football first began to be played, a far cry from the hyper-organised top-level game we are so used to now, tactical evolutions have taken place as the game has become more sophisticated and developed, and teams seek the tweaks that will move them forward in a world where marginal gains are vital.
da dobrowin： Early trends such as the top-heavy 2-3-5 formation, known as the ‘pyramid’, are long gone now, as new ideals and methodologies have taken over. The ‘pyramid’ was used by Uruguay to win the 1930 World Cup under Alberto Suppici, but the game has changed; new ways of playing were needed.
Since then, the classic, flat 4-4-2, perhaps the most basic formation on a football field, has largely been and gone in popularity, although some teams still employ a version of it successfully.
Jose Mourinho made the 4-2-3-1 a mainstay in England with his first stint at Chelsea, with Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool and others using it after that, but even that is now becoming more of a rarity – 4-3-3 has come back into fashion in its place.
Inverted wingers, like Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery at Bayern Munich, saw the trend stretch across all of Europe in the 2000’s, in top teams as well as at amateur level, in a trend that has continued to this day, not just with the Dutchman and the Frenchman, but with many other wingers being asked to switch sides too.
Pep Guardiola made the false-nine position a desired trait for many top teams, by moving Lionel Messi into the central berth to such great effect in his great Barcelona team. Germany later won the World Cup with Mario Gotze occupying a similar role, whilst Roberto Firmino is an unorthodox striker for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.
When one coach discovers a way that works, many others attempt to replicate it and so it becomes a trend. An apt example is as recent as last season: Chelsea, under Antonio Conte, won the title playing three at the back, having made the change following a 3-0 loss at Arsenal, in a tactical change that saw them eventually win the Premier League.
Arsenal and others attempted to replicate its success late on in the season as coaches cottoned on to the fact that the extra man at the back was helping defensive stability and offering width in the form of wing-backs; Arsenal, in fact, will begin next season with the formation as they were so happy with the way it played out.
Modern football, then, is full of trends. Perhaps the most common is the desire to play possession football, mostly down to Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona team, with most sides wanting to play a ‘tiki taka’ style.
‘Gegenpressing’ has also been made popular by Jurgen Klopp and his Borussia Dortmund team, whilst having a player like Sergio Busquets, Andrea Pirlo or an older Steven Gerrard who can drop into the backline to dictate the pace of the game or generate chances from deep has become essential.
Tactical flexibility, meaning the ability of a team to play in numerous ways, with different players able to fill several positions, and being able to switch effortlessly mid-match, is the latest in a long line of trends. It is not about a specific formation or setup, but the capacity to use multiple configurations on the field with ease, depending on the situation and current pattern of play.
Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, just as he has at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, has expressed a clear desire to play his ‘stereotypical’ brand of football. He has previously admitted his ideal team would just be made up of eleven midfielders, shown by his love of the likes of Andres Iniesta, Thiago Alcantara and now David Silva.
At Barcelona, he turned holding midfielder Javier Mascherano into a centre back, and Javi Martinez and Joshua Kimmich, who were both previously midfielders, played the same role under him at Bayern Munich.
More and more coaches are aiming to create teams with the ‘eleven midfielders’ idea in mind: Guardiola’s use of Claudio Bravo is the perfect example. The most important thing when picking a goalkeeper – at least for the Catalan coach – is not whether he is the best at shot-stopping, but the best with his feet.
Not just formations and certain players have changed either, but, more generically, individual positions are no longer the same as what they were before. The previously mentioned false-nine role is one example, but the full-back role is exactly the same.
The contemporary full-back now exists primarily to create chances and provide width rather than defend, with Danny Rose and Kyle Walker having attacked at will for Tottenham in recent seasons, and Jordi Alba, Marcelo and Dani Alves having done so for a number of years. AS Monaco’s Benjamin Mendy and Djibril Sidibe were the same all through last season, including in the latter stages of the Champions League.
Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool last season converted James Milner, a midfielder for more than a decade at the top level, into his left-back. Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is now a right-back despite initially being a midfielder, found himself being a back-up to Nathaniel Clyne in the first-team setup.
Perhaps the next development – the next trend – will be for more midfielders to make the switch.
With the likes of Mario Gotze and Roberto Firmino – typically attacking midfielders – playing through the middle in the forward line, and midfielders turning into centre-backs or full-backs, Guardiola’s dream of playing eleven midfielders on the pitch might not be too far away.
No matter what position, being technically proficient is no longer considered an advantage, but an absolute necessity.
The landscape of football is changing once again. Gone are the days of six foot five centre-halves and burly centre forwards, as coaches worldwide strive for the utopia and perfection of a technically and tactically flexible eleven.
At least until the next trend arrives, having as many players capable of creating chances and being comfortable on the ball on the pitch at the same time is present-day football’s latest must-have accessory.