Tactical Board | What are we talking about when talking about football tactics?

Tactics are one of the most charming elements in the football world. The discussion on tactics has never stopped since the birth of professional football. Nowadays, both football practitioners and ordinary fans who love this sport are exposed to or directly participating in the big discussion on tactics in various ways.

But, what exactly is tactics? We seem to be able to easily perceive the role it plays in the game, but it is difficult to give a clear definition of tactics, and it is even harder to dismantle and present it logically. The lack of in-depth research on football tactics and the habitual taste of related topics have hindered our in-depth understanding of the nature of the sport.

What are we talking about when talking about football tactics? Is there a certain analytical framework that allows us to grasp the overall picture of football tactics to a certain extent? This question has troubled me for a long time. After reading and thinking a lot, I have a preliminary answer in my mind.

This article is written based on my current understanding of football tactics. It is not authoritative and difficult to be called detailed. It only introduces my stage understanding and presents the current relatively comprehensive tactical analysis framework to everyone. Due to space limitations, it is difficult to fully develop each link. If you have the opportunity in the future, you will introduce it in detail one by one and supplemented by cases for explanation. Everyone is welcome to communicate and discuss, criticize and give advice.

01 Two major misunderstandings about tactics

1: Formation is tactics

Whether it is the impression of the strong wing formation of "two wings fly together" of configurations such as 4-4-2 and 4-3-3, or the praise of the tactical trend of "suddenly spring breeze, the popular three defenders of Serie A", we are always accustomed to equating "format" with "tactics".

But in fact, the formation is only part of the tactics. For example, Manchester City and Liverpool both adopt a 4-3-3 formation, but the two teams showed completely different ideas in the offensive stage: two full-backs in Manchester City retracted into the middle, and the two midfielders actively stepped forward in the ribs to look for opportunities; Liverpool was the full-back holding the wingers tightly on the wing, waiting for an opportunity to cooperate with the winger, and the team's midfield was behind the full-back for protection.

Manchester City's ideas in the offensive stage: full-backs are retracted, midfielders are intervened. The Coaches' Voice

Liverpool's ideas in the offensive stage: full-backs provide width, wingers are retracted, and midfielders are falling back. The Coaches' Voice2

2: There are universal tactics applicable throughout the stage

Even the strongest and best-in-class team cannot cope with all the games of the whole season with just one set of tactics. Even at different stages of a game, as the progress of the process and the changes in the situation, the coach must also take targeted measures to flexibly deploy and adjust tactics. What complements this concept is the "match plan". The game plan covers the game goals that you hope to achieve. Of course, professional football judges heroes by results. Winning the game is naturally the coach’s expectation for the team, but the cost of winning the game requires the coach to weigh it. For example, when facing an opponent whose strength is significantly inferior to your own side, while ensuring that all three-pointers are taken, the core players have a chance to rest and allow them to devote themselves to the next difficult game. This kind of control over rotation is extremely challenging for the coach's level; for example, in the same-city derby facing a mortal enemy, a loss may bring the anger and unfriendly greetings of fans, and there is also the risk of losing the support of loyal fans. With the support of various factors, the derby has become a battle that must be won. At this time, players may need to be warned to make 100% of their efforts and allow them to compete for opportunities with relatively large-scale defensive actions. The game plan also covers different strategies adopted as the game progresses. For example, when facing a team that is good at defense, if you lose the ball at the beginning, you may need to increase your investment on the offensive end in order to equalize the score as soon as possible. At this time, increasing the offensive end and even replacing more frontcourt players has become a feasible solution; in addition, if you lead the opponent with a large score early, the players can be asked to slow down the pace of the game, control the ball under your feet as much as possible, reduce unnecessary mistakes, and steadily score three-pointers with less consumption. The above situations will occur many times in a season and require different tactical deployments to achieve the expected goals.

02 Tactical Analysis Idea 1: Divided according to the game stage

In the game process (excluding the set ball state), according to the ownership of the ball and the holding state, the game can be divided into four major stages: offensive stage, defensive stage, from offense to defense, and from defense to offense. This division method is currently relatively widely accepted. The analysis of tactics can also be carried out according to the above four stages.

1 Offensive stage

Offensive stage refers to the process of one's own control of the ball and advancing towards the opponent's goal, and aiming to score a goal. In this process, the tactical deployment involved includes the width of the attack (stretch the width/strictly guard the middle), the passing method (passing the ball under the feet/passing the teammates to run), the passing distance (short pass/long pass), the game rhythm (speeding up the rhythm/slowing the rhythm), the propulsion method (propelling through the dribble/infiltrating longitudinally through the pass), the way to create shooting opportunities (multiple crosses/reduce crosses and walk more in the middle), the cross method (high ball crosses, horizontal ball crosses), the shooting distance (try multiple long shots/put the ball into the penalty area and then shoot).

2 The defensive stage

is opposite to the offensive stage. The defensive stage refers to the process of the opponent taking the ball and pushing towards our goal to win points..

After clarifying this premise, we enter the stage of discussion on the player's responsibilities. The responsibilities of players are formulated around the team's tactics. Even the same player in the same position may assume different responsibilities in different games and at different stages of the same game, and play different roles based on personal abilities and characteristics.

The roles in the backcourt are as an example: goalkeepers can be divided into defensive goalkeepers and offensive goalkeepers. The former relies on excellent goal line technology to become the team's last reliable defense line, and the latter can create local number advantages in the backcourt propulsion and anti-high pressing stages and provide more options for taking the ball, and can rely on huge on-court coverage to resolve the opponent's straight pass.

defenders are divided into central defenders and full-backs depending on their positions. The former includes typical defensive central defenders to resolve high-ball crosses and blockades, and there are also more modern and more comprehensive goal-to-out guards who control the rhythm and sort out the ball, and there are also free agents who are given more camera decision-making authority; the latter includes offensive full-backs like Robert Carlos and Marcelo who have excellent dribbling and ball sense, prefer to significantly overwhelm the attacking, and there are also relatively traditional defensive full-backs who focus on defense and mainly stay in the backcourt area.

05 Conclusion

stage, space, and level. Although the above three types of tactical analysis ideas are different in division standards and have different focuses, the three dimensions are not separated, but are closely linked and interdependent. The combination of the three ideas forms a set of tactical analysis framework. In the process of tactical analysis, we must distinguish between "pattern" and "occasion" as much as possible, and find the coach's tactical deployment ideas in the "pattern" that happens frequently and intentionally, while enjoying the flash of inspiration and "occasion" in football with an appreciation perspective. At the same time, we also need to ask a few more questions, learn to think independently, and gradually approach the truth and essence in the confrontation of thinking. Of course, there is the most important point: JUST ENJOOOOY IT!