After the reform of non-game 1920 (2 players for offside, not 3), data change problem, and Herbert Chapman is developing a revolutionary tactic, known as “WM”, which allows of collecting trophies at Arsenal and Portsmouth. AS Cannes was one of the first French club to adopt this tactic in 1931. The WM reigned supreme until 1953 and the famous defeat the English at home against the Hungarians. In fact many coaches have tried to find a parade at WM, and the solution will come from Hungary and Budapest Honved with Gusztáv Sebes. The latter applied a tactic based on the permutations for the game – which was not done at the time. In fact, the center forward recoiled in offering support and racing gave way to the rise of the two attacking midfielders which resulted in surplus over the opponent. The Hungarians were the first to estimate a player could exceed its role. These innovative principles for the time favored the switch to 4-2-4. The Brazilians adopted this formula 4-2-4 and did evolve gradually 4-3-3 during the 1960s, this position will retain a majority until the 1970s.

In parallel to this history of offensive tactics, there is also a school defensive. The “Swiss lock” in place since the 1930s is the model for all the concretes (French) and other Catenaccio (Italian) who take over after the Second World War. In France, training almost religiously applying these strategies are Lyon, Strasbourg and Bordeaux in particular, the “impregnable fortress”.

The rise of creative midfielders in the way of Cruyff, Platini and Maradona other demanded a new defensive adaptation, but in this area at all, or almost, had already been tried. Indeed, the tacticians never found truly parade to control such players. Since the 1980s, however, the trend is clearly on the defensive, and the old debate between proponents of long open play (Nantes and Monaco, for example) than defensive realism (Bordeaux or Lyon, in particular) is obsolete. The game in Nantes is only a chimera, while the Girondins de Bordeaux and other OL no longer practice the game closed their ancestors. With the rapid transfer of players, tactics cultures are less the fact that club coaches, the best known and most durable high develop preferences for a particular schema. We note in fact a tactical race, mainly due to the development of a new weapon terribly effective tactic: the video images.

In England, the tactical culture has never really been put, and it was not until the 1960s to see the British finally abandoned the old WM. Today, many professional English clubs have still not tactical sessions in the program of preparation pre-game … But the arrival of foreign coaches is changing all that.

The evolution towards ever more defensive players today seems to have reached its limits. The five defenses have never been popular, and fall under three or four offensive-oriented players (attackers and circles), as in many current teams, appeared cons-productive. The emphasis is on versatility and tight lines, often summarized in the expression “block team, which leads to a contraction of time and space available to the adversary. The animation is standardized around defensive fundamentals invariable (participation of the ten outfield players, replacement, cleaning because of the attacks, zone defense and online). The animation is offensive to most field experiments, creative (one, two or three strikers? Playmakers eccentric or central leader?), Giving strategists football life difficult for years to come.

As a concrete example: The traditional 4-4-2.  4 defenders, 4 midfielders and 2 strikers. The two lines of defenders and midfielders are flat with an interval between two lines relatively small (15-20 meter). Depending on the position of the ball, players slide across the width of the field. So if the ball is right, middle left axis narrowing in the middle axis shifts further left hand ball, the middle right axis covers the middle right which is fitted to play the ball carrier. If the opposing player will realize that the side is closed, it can show the ball to “rotate” (= change) for later. During the movement of the ball, players must slide back the other way in return for a first time their original position, then perform the same operation: the middle left to play up the middle on the left axis and covers both other slide. The line of supporters following the same principle with a slight additional concept: the management depth. Thus, we abandon completely the opposite side of the ball to put the density and pressing on the ball carrier. The basic principle of this tactic is also the defensive withdrawal. Indeed, a parade of the laundry is to play along over defenders. To do this, position the team needs to block located around 30 meters from his own goal. In this way defenders can handle the depth of field.

But football is not just a tactic to control. A good footballer should be able to move from one scheme to another game without him this poses a problem. Thus the coach can change the device to put the opponent in trouble or re-fit some aspects that would endanger the collective goal. This also avoids the coach having to make changes to players too early in the course of the match so as not to waste the three changes maximum allowed.