History of Football Tactics from W-M to Gegenpressing

Introduction

Football tactics constitute the broader theoretical and practical structure of the broader competitive football tradition, with continuous documented development extending from the 1880s 2-3-5 pyramid through the broader modern gegenpressing tradition. The continuous documented football tactical tradition has produced extraordinary tactical innovations through approximately 145 years.

The modern football tactical landscape is anchored by the principal tactical philosophies including positional play (juego de posición, developed by Pep Guardiola and others), gegenpressing (developed by Jürgen Klopp and others), relationism (developed by various Latin American football coaches and others), and various other broader tactical philosophies. The continued development of football tactics through subsequent decades has continued through subsequent years.

This article surveys the full history of football tactics from the 1870s and 1880s early football tactical experimentation, through the broader 1880s 2-3-5 pyramid (the broader original football tactical formation that dominated through the early twentieth century), the 1925 offside rule change that substantially transformed the broader football tactical tradition, Herbert Chapman's W-M formation at Arsenal in the late 1920s, the Hungarian Magical Magyars 4-2-4 of 1953, the Brazilian 4-2-4 at the 1958 World Cup, the Italian catenaccio of the 1960s under Nereo Rocco at Padova and Helenio Herrera at Inter Milan, Rinus Michels's Total Football at Ajax and the Netherlands national team in the 1970s, the Arrigo Sacchi pressing system at AC Milan in the late 1980s, the 1990s broader tactical periodization developments, the Pep Guardiola tiki-taka era at Barcelona from 2008, Jürgen Klopp's gegenpressing at Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool from 2008, and the modern tactical revolution.

Early Football and the 2-3-5 Pyramid

The early football tactical tradition was substantially shaped by the broader 1863 Football Association rule codification at London. The continued broader various football tactical developments through subsequent decades have continued through subsequent decades. The broader 1860s and 1870s early football tactical tradition included various broader experimental formations including the broader 1-1-8 (the broader original Scottish formation), the broader 1-2-7 (the broader original English formation), and various others.

The broader 1880s 2-3-5 pyramid (the broader original football tactical formation that dominated through the early twentieth century) was substantially developed by various broader teams including the broader Wrexham, broader Cambridge University, and broader various others. The 2-3-5 pyramid included broader two full backs (defenders), broader three half backs (midfielders), and broader five forwards. The continued 2-3-5 pyramid tradition through subsequent decades dominated football tactics for approximately 50 years until subsequently superseded by Herbert Chapman's W-M formation.