Tactical Football & It’s Roots

“Football is simple. But nothing is more difficult than playing simple football.” – Johan Cruyff.

It has always been known that football is a game played as much on the field as in the mind. As more and more people thought about it, many philosophies developed, be it possession football, counter attacking football, tiki-taka or the Catenaccio. However, it is not so simple, though, as to say that the “correct” way of playing is the one that wins most often, as success is not measured merely in points and trophies; there must also be room for romance. That tension, between beauty and cynicism, between what Brazilians call  futebol d’arte and futebol de resultados is a constant, perhaps because it is so fundamental not merely to sports but also to life: to win or to play the game well? It is hard to think of any significant actions that are not in some way a negotiation between the two extremes of pragmatism and idealism.

All these years, football managers around the world came up with their own vision and tactics. But is tactics the only thing that determines how a side plays? Absolutely not! It is rather one aspect among many - alongside ability, fitness, motivation, power and luck, in an immensely complex tapestry. A physically fit team must play in a different way from a tired team; a team that includes dilettantish players must set up in a way to cover those deficiencies.

One such vision, propounded by Jack Reynolds when manager of Ajax, and developed by Renus Michaels, who played under him, brought about a revolution in the playing style of football, popularly known as “Total Football”.

In theory it means that any player can take over the role of any other player in the team. A player can be an attacker, a midfielder and defender, there are no fixed positions, except for the goalkeeper. Though looked with suspicion in the beginning, Total Football proved its point with the highly successful Ajax and Dutch teams of 70’s.

But then every system of football has its own requirements. Total Football requires highly fit players, both physically and mentally. But it is widely accepted fact that once a person becomes an expert at Total Football, he becomes a Total Footballer.

Renus Michaels, who was the manager of Barcelona (1971-1975) introduced Total Football to the club as well as brought Johan Cruyff  to Barcelona who had a pivotal role in the shaping of Catalan philosophy. Guardiola, who played under Cruyff mixed the philosophy of Total Football with a high pressing possession game which was fondly known as “tiki-taka”. 
Though almost a carbon copy of Total Football, tiki-taka ‘s major notable difference is the focus more being on ball movement rather than quickly changing positions. It involves clever, intricate one touch passes, working the ball through various channels, creating small triangles leaving the opposition defenders baffled and always chasing the ball.

The games, as they saw it, was about space and how you controlled it: make the field big when you have the ball and it is easy to retain it; make it small when you do not and it becomes difficult for the opposition to keep it. A high pressing approach off the ball has been used by possession-hungry sides like Barcelona, Spain, Roma and recently Bayern Munich under Guardiola. This system relies on ball retention and all teammates being able to keep the ball and pass it around. However, the best part is how they work off the ball. As soon as they lose the ball, they start pressing at an incredible intensity to win the ball back.

But, of course, no tactic is perfect. The biggest problem in this system is tiredness. It takes a lot of running and energy to sustain this pressing for 90 minutes which is a problem for old and lazy legs. Players in such a system would need, above all, the watchfulness to look for openings to upset possession, the serenity to wait for those split second moments without becoming sidetracked or over-aggressive, and the audacity to take instantaneous advantage of any momentary failure. Exceptional enough qualities, but they can be taught, to players who lack profound knowledge of their teammates.

Total Football revolutionised the way of playing tactical football. But, one never can be sure, that someday, someone might come up with something even better, which surprises the world in ways they never imagined to be possible, and make Total Football a distant memory.

                                                                                           

Chalti Ka Naam Zindagi

Nanhe kadmo k sahare
Chal padhna hain ek safar par;
Naa pata kisi manzil ka, naa dekha koi kinaara,
Bas ruukna nahi hain zindagi bhar.

The hour long classes of Moral Science in schools made sure we know that life is a journey, and that we are to complete this journey someday, leaving behind everything we acquired or came across throughout the path we travelled in our journey. But, it missed a point, a crucial point I'd say. It never told us where to stop, nor did it tell us to reach a specific destination. But, isn't that's what a journey all about? Starting from a point and reaching another point in a course of time. Perhaps, the writers forgot to mention that. Or maybe, we are never supposed to know our destinations. We're never supposed to know what lies ahead of us or where life is going to lead us in the future. Because, then we would know which path to choose and what mistakes to avoid and plan every step of life accordingly, leading us to the predestined destination without much hassle, lacking complacency.

Life is not about the right decisions you make, or the things that went right for you, or how fast you sailed when the tides were in your favour. It is about making bad decisions once in a while and learning from them, it is about trying new things which you thought you won't be able to do yourself, it is about exploring every little path you come across, and most importantly, it is about not stopping. Of course, it is not always going to be a bed of roses, but wouldn't a rose feel dull if there was no thorn attached to it? Just as life would seem dull if there were no challenges or ups and downs to make us go gaga over the good things or feel hopeless at the time of despair. It is the little things that make our lives interesting, without which, monotony will take the charm out of this life.

Sometimes though, we would feel that taking unexpected turns in our life is not something we would appreciate or are ready for. We stay happy and content with whatever the little we've got and try not to aim higher in the fear of losing what we already have. But, with a little optimism, we would know that it is just another opportunity for us to delve deeper or explore newer heights. And only by choosing to not stop there and continue this journey, we would be able to know where our destination really lies.

So, never stop exploring, never stop taking risks, never stop trying something new,
kyuki zindagi ki ek aakhri udaan abhi baaki hain tujhme, aur agar zindagi me uddna chahte ho, toh zinda ho tum.

                      

When a legacy ends

It is true that we don't always value the gem when we have it. We only realise it's value when we lose it. AFA and the rest of the world never realized what they had. And now that Messi has announced his departure, the world will know what they have been missing out all these years.

The news certainly took a toll on me. Realising that Messi is growing old. He's no longer the long haired youngster who joined the blaugrana colours and showed the world what magic is. He has grown up now. He has grown old. And most importantly, he has grown tired. Tired of all the criticism he had to face even when not at fault or even when his teammates let him down. But he didn't complain and still gave it all every time he stepped on the field, with the sole motive of making his countrymen happy despite of all the hatred and criticism they had towards him. But, destiny certainly had different plans for him, mocking him to take him too close to what he deserved and then pulling him backwards again.

But it will all be gone now. Argentina won't have him anymore. He will not defend the albiceleste shirt anymore, and this will leave a void in the world of football, which can never be filled up again.
The world of football already cried when maestros like Scholes, Xavi left the field and Pirlo too will be leaving it soon. And now we realise, that there will no more be Messi in international games. And when he'll hang up his boots for good, football will cry so loud and so hard, that the joy this game holds will no longer be the same.

So enjoy him while you can lads, because you'll never get to see another like him. I don't know if he's the best now or ever. But, what I know, is that there will be no one else to fill his boots ever again, and player like him, is born only once.

And now his watch has ended.