Evolution of the game: Tactics

One just needs to look at any top level football match today to realize how much things have changed in terms of how teams approach games and the system put out by managers, and also the fact that tactical organization is now considered more important than it has ever been in the history of the game. Back in the eighties we used to see teams play a 2-7-1 system: the logic was very simple yet worked fantastically well. The back two had to just defend, win the high balls and be centre backs; the lone striker did what strikers did for years, that is, score goals.

The midfield seven would just fill in the gaps. Some would operate on the wing, fill in as defensive cover, make runs and tackle in the centre of the park. Of course at times the results were disastrous and teams got clobbered. But if the team members really understood one another, it worked perfectly, with players moving like clockwork and the system very fluid. It is this same approach that many teams adopt and play surprisingly well when reduced to nine or ten players.

Then things changed and for a while, the standard formations like the 4-4-2 or the 4-5-1 were regarded as the best of the lot. However in the past decade many forward-thinking managers decided to be unconventional and shifted to a 4-3-3. This way there were more players to attack and use pace as an effective weapon. Jose Mourinho effectively set Chelsea up as a 4-3-3 team, and for years the Blues won everything they could with that system.

Of course the 4-3-3 has its own drawbacks. Primarily, it severely restricts the team to the centre of the field and spreading play out wide is difficult. The width is provided by the wing backs and this leaves the team vulnerable to counter attacks and in general, threadbare as a defensive unit. To overcome this problem, one of the midfielders would sit back and soak up the pressure, doing all the ‘donkey work’ in and around the halfway line. This was convenient and Spain won Euro 2008 using such a system.

One point that has risen up in the last few years is whether, in general, the quality of defenders is declining. Whether that is true or not, many teams started playing with two defensive midfielders instead of one, and sometimes even three. In the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Spain set up in a 4-2-3-1 system, and as a result they hardly conceded goals. With six players back, it is extremely difficult for any team to penetrate the defensive wall.

This means that the four attackers have to be absolutely superb, because they are just four. They must have pace, skill, finishing ability and such a system is founded on quick, incisive passing. At the moment that is the hottest trend and many teams prefer this way of thinking. Many claim that it is negative, and sometimes it does make sense. The fact that Barcelona and Spain play with so many defensive players only makes them look hypocritical, when in fact they scream about playing beautiful football. It’s better, in my opinion, to formally declare to park the bus and tackle without holding back any inhibitions, than to claim to pass the ball beautifully and then supplement the defence with as many players as possible.

Of course, one must never forget that thinking patterns are ever-changing, as shown by Italy’s 3-5-2 in the Euros this year. Sometimes thinking out of the box and playing a surprise formation works very well. It would be good to see more reliance on the wide players to defend and trust in goalkeepers, so that, teams need not play three ball winners in front of the back line. With the game evolving, anything could happen. Teams may become more conservative in the future or go back to the game of playing four defenders, and only four defenders, and trust in them to protect the goal. I hope that shall be the case.