Whether we like it or not football has changed and in order to catch up with the world leaders, we need to adapt.
What was called fantastic football a decade or two ago, would not help in today’s climate.
Obviously the individuals of then will always be superstars, but only if that tactical adaptation took place.
Arsenal, like Argentina, are used to go forward, to pass the ball, to get possession and no matter how many touches are required to score, patience has always been the key.
Great to watch, and normally brought results.
I mean, if we have the ball, at least the other team can’t score.
Both teams, Argentina and AFC are still of this concept, the only problem is that both have been driven by stubbornness and reluctance to change one small detail in their formation that will make them stronger.
If we look at Mascherano and Song and see how much space they cover when it comes to recover the ball, those guys are unbelievable. They run, and run and run.
But in today’s football they need help.
As the game has progressed and the players went from being just players to world class athletes, the concept of one defensive midfield doing all the running became obsolete. No matter how good that guy is, he is going to end up losing the battle.
The answer that the great teams of today have found to succeed is what I like calling shortening the team.
A compact team preserves energy, does not allow much distance in between its lines which means does not give any space to the opposition to have room to think and decide.
Spain, Barcelona, Germany, AC Milan, Bayern, Manchester United are all compact teams.
To explain it a bit clearer, when we have the ball all lines move slightly forward together, when we lose it they all move back together.
Look at the teams I have mentioned above and you will see.
Barcelona Xavi and Iniesta get the ball straight from Busquet’s feet they then accompany each other forward, closer to Messi and Villa. Where does Messi get the ball? With the right space to start his runs.
When they lose the ball, pressing starts straight away, Messi, Villa, Xavi a bit more forward, Iniesta right behind them and Busquets slightly behind him.
The function of the midfield while defending is to get the ball back as soon as possible, failing that, at least to make the guys going pass to get to the defenders as uncomfortable as possible.
No defender likes to be attacked by a player that carries the ball in space, time and comfortable.
So the teams I mentioned before have made it doubly difficult for their opponents to pass their midfield area.
In the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s one defensive midfielder was the norm, now most successful teams play with two. They sit, when defending, right ahead of the defenders, and moving forward towards the middle of the park when the team attacks.
That means that if we are attacking and we lose the ball, our first defensive barrier is nearly where the ball is.
Take a look at the AC Milan vs Arsenal game. The back four of the London team were miles away from the midfielders. Why? Well that midfield was Ramsey (attacking through the right), Song (defensive running after every Milan player), Arteta (attacking through the centre/left) and Rosicky (attacking through the middle)
This in time created a situation in which Ramsey and Walcott were playing more or less in the same place and Van Persie was left on its own miles away from the rest of the team.
When Milan had the ball they went past that midfield area as if there was nobody there. Only because 3 of the Arsenal players were deployed to attack.
Once they got past that area you have a problem. You have a Milan player carrying the ball comfortably (Boateng, Nocerino, Seedorf) and the defenders not knowing if they need to keep and eye on Ibra and Robinho or try to get the ball back.
So this makes the defenders make decisions, they don’t want to make and in reality if protected properly they don’t need to make.
To make it easier to imagine, suppose for a second that Arsenal midfielders were still Viera and Pettit. No one passed them easily, they at least make you lose balance or get the ball forward, etc. So then as an attacking player you had to think about how to get to the ball recompose yourself, etc. That gave time to Tony Adams to make decisions. The player and the ball coming towards him were more divided.
Arsenal defenders do not have that luxury today.
Very easy to watch a game straight forward and say “look at that Vermaelen. He is so insecure; he does not know what he is doing. He is having a bad game”. Because to the literal eye, that is exactly what it appears to be. But re read all of the above and you will look at the defenders with a different eye.
If the opposition plays like Blackburn, then possession is possible and to an extent comfortable.
Same applies for Argentina, if the opposition is Greece, the quality of our players can overcome the naivety of our tactics. But if the other team is Germany or in Arsenal’s case AC Milan, both pay heavy prices for thinking that their traditional way of playing will save the day.