Exploring the Evolution of Tactics and Player Value in the Beautiful soccer Game

 Exploring the Evolution of Tactics and Player Value in the Beautiful soccer Game

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The relationship between football and fashion is quite fascinating. Despite being stars in their own unique worlds, many footballers are also fashion icons. Moreover, fashion brands also utilize popular football players to expand their reach. However, the connection between football and fashion goes beyond just off-field interactions—it extends to the field as well. Let's hear about this relationship from football coach João Nuno Fonseca.

Réne Bénfica, former assistant coach and head of methodology at Manchester City, stated, "Football has a certain trend, much like fashion. When someone wears a specific type of shoe, it becomes popular." The formation and tactics on the football field also have similarities. When a specific approach succeeds, it quickly becomes popular.

Réne ,  Bénfica(Getty)

Let's consider Pep Guardiola's perspective. He is not only an ambassador of tactics but also a philosopher. However, Guardiola is not the only one on this list. The counter-attacking style unleashed by Herbert Chapman's Arsenal or Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff's "Total Football" of the 1930s, as well as Jurgen Klopp's "Gegenpressing Football" of recent times, all brought significant changes to the game.

However, towards the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, the biggest criticism against football revolved around its predictability. It means getting trapped in the entanglement of certain specific tactics. In the early days of the Premier League, the most common formation was the 4-4-2 with two strikers and crossing wingers. Later, the 4-4-2 transformed into the 4-3-3 formation with an attacking midfielder, false nine, and inverted wingers (when the left-footed winger plays on the right side and the right-footed winger plays on the left side, it is called an inverted winger).

However, despite the apparent entanglement of football, there is also a slightly different reality. Football has indeed evolved from within. So, through the aforementioned techniques, football has become even more dynamic. A study conducted in 2020 at the University of Southern Denmark revealed that between 1966 and 2010, the speed of the game increased by 15%, and the number of passes per minute increased by 35%.

Who knows, by 2030, it may increase by another 10-12%. Fast-paced football will further enhance its own pace in the future. Fans also believe the same, that "fast-paced football will advance in the future. It is one of the biggest changes in football. It has not only happened in England but has been witnessed throughout the world."

However, despite all these changes, if we look at the games of Manchester City, Chelsea, Brighton, Liverpool, and Arsenal in the past season, we will see that these teams play traditional football with a slight twist. Even in the past season, Chelsea broke away from Pep Guardiola's 'WM' formation. Even many big teams have been seen playing the same type of football. Of course, in that case, we can recall the words of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, who said, "There is nothing new in the world. Everything has already happened."

Furthermore, it is evident that the big teams are pushing for the same type of football. They are competing to secure players of the same kind or the same type of footballers for their teams. The reason why the value of players with certain characteristics has increased significantly. The most recent example is the left-back position. The use of both wing-back and full-back on the left side is possible, which resulted in Chelsea paying €60 million for Marcos Alonso and €35.5 million for Benoit Badiashile last season. Paul Barber, the CEO of Brighton, said about Alonso, "He is such a left-footed defender who can play as a full-back and a center-back. That's why his value is so high." And Michael Arteaga said, "The left-footed center-back gives more options and provides more solutions."

Similarly, inverted wingers have become more important since 2010. They mainly came from the same position, the inside number 9. In this regard, examples include Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Gareth Bale, Eden Hazard, Nicolas Pepe, Angel Di Maria, Raheem Sterling, and Riyad Mahrez. They are among the top 50 expensive players of all time. In addition to them, since 2020, Jack Grealish, Antoine, and Jadon Sancho have also made their way into the list. This role has been most successful in the 2021-22 season. When Mohamed Salah and S...

In recent times, the number nine position or the striker's position has once again become important. Emerging stars like Erling Haaland, Alexander Isak, Gianluca Scamacca, Richarlison, and Dusan Vlahovic have shown significant prominence. Along with the resurgence of the number nine position, there has also been an increase in the importance of ball-playing ability for center-backs.

The significance of young players in squad rotations has also become evident. Football statistical research institutions like CIES have found that in the 2021 season, 54% of the expenditure was on players under the age of 24. In the top 10 squads of the 2022-23 season, eight had players under the age of 23. The importance of youth in squad rotations has consistently increased. Young players often receive additional advantages from coaches. It is easier to replace a young player, while it is more challenging in the case of a developed player. This can be seen in the case of Jack Grealish, who was transformed by Pep Guardiola in the second season.

Due to the tactical role of the coach, the importance of goalkeepers, center-backs, full-backs, and midfielders has increased in squad rotations. However, forwards accounted for nearly 50% of the transfer fees until the 2013-23 season. Defensive midfielders and central midfielders have also become more attractive in recent times. Examples can be mentioned, such as Declan Rice in the context of Arsenal and Manchester City's matches. Among others, Enzo Fernández, Jude Bellingham, Chukwubuike Adamu, Frank De Jong, and Casemiro are also worth mentioning. They have all changed clubs after 2019 and are among the top 50. Casemiro, in particular, is over 25 during squad rotations.

Even the importance of goalkeepers has changed in squad rotations. It is not just about stopping shots or saving goals anymore. Building up play and ball-playing skills have also become equally important. How a goalkeeper organizes the defense during attacks is also part of the coach's plan now. If we consider the top 50, only two goalkeepers have secured their place. Chelsea's Kepa Arrizabalaga and Liverpool's Alisson Becker.

However, in the present time, the way coaches are increasing the role of goalkeepers in their tactics suggests that their value will increase in the future. Regarding the importance of goalkeepers, Fonseca says, "When you play with the best eleven, you play with 11 players, not 10. Teams can forget about their mistakes because they have one goalkeeper." Even in the recently concluded season, goalkeepers have played a significant role in attacks. The tactical development of football suggests that this role will further increase in the future.