Category: Historical Pieces/Iconic Teams

The evolution of the Champions League finalists

Posted On By Theo Gardnercomment

In 1897 a group of British academics, who were studying at the Institución Libre de Enseñanza introduced football to the Spanish capital of Madrid through a new club – Sky.

By 1900, the group had fallen out and the club split in two, one of the clubs that was born from this disagreement was the Nueva Sociedad de Football. Just one year later this it would be renamed Madrid Football Club – the club that would one day morph into Real Madrid.

1140 miles to the north-east, just 9 years later, a Christian youth club got into trouble due to using a local pub to meet and drink at.

Unwilling to give up the pub as their meeting room, they would split off from their local parish and form their own club. Thirteen months later the group was playing organised football as Borussia Dortmund.

Since then, both of these clubs have become something that was unimaginable at their conception, with rich histories and loyal fanbases.

Tonight, they face off for the biggest prize of them all, in the Champions League final.

So how did the transformation occur for these two sides? What was it that took them from local amateur clubs to European and global phenoms?

Category: Iconic Teams

Guardiola’s Barcelona: Complete Dominance and Cruyffian Influence

Posted On By Theo Gardnercomment

Guardiola was undoubtedly heavily influenced in his tactical philosophy by Johan Cruyff – whom he served under during his playing days.

As a player, Guardiola’s talent lay in the mental side of the game – he did not have an imposing frame or tremendous speed. What he did possess however, was a deep understanding for the tactical side of the game, impressive spacial awareness, and, outstanding passing vision.

Guardiola lined up as a midfield pivot in Cruyff’s side. He perfectly suited Cruyff’s tactical visions for the game.

Indeed, many of the main tactical ideas seen within Cruyff’s ideology also emerge within Guardiola’s: an obsession with maintaining possession, counter-pressing, ‘sweeper’ keepers, and attacking fluidity.

Category: Tactical Developments

The Goalkeeper becoming the 11th Outfielder

Posted On By Theo Gardnercomment

1992 saw a rule change that would hold great effect upon football’s tactical trajectory – goalkeepers truly became the 11th outfielder.

The rule change was not a complex one – where previously, a back pass to goalkeepers could be picked up and start a new phase of play, that luxury was now removed.

This forced goalkeepers to become more adept with their feet, necessitating them to be able to play out from the back, with distributional skills, while the opposition provided significant pressure.

Category: Tactical Developments

The Creation of the Space Interpreter

Posted On By Theo Gardnercomment

When asked which facet of the game Thomas Müller particularly excels in, the answer is not clear.

Of course, Müller boasts impressive ability across the pitch but nothing particularly stands out in the same way you may consider Haaland’s shooting, Trent’s crossing or even Ward-Prowse’s free kick ability.

The answer is an obscure one, but in fact Müller’s strongest ability lies within the mental side of the game – his spacial intelligence.

Category: Tactical Developments

The Development of Tactical Philosophies: Gegenpressing

Posted On By Theo Gardnercomment

Arguably, the term gegenpressing has become overly mythicised in recent years. Klopp’s success with both Mainz and Dortmund utilising the pressing idea, before bringing it to the Premier League has created a certain overcomplicated aura around the term.

Klopp himself remarked on his surprise at the fascination that English fans had with the system, when he took the helm at Liverpool.

At its roots, the term translates to ‘counter-pressing’, which, put simply, is immediately pressing the ball the moment it is lost in attack, aiming to stifle the opposition and force a double-turnover.

The system involves walking a fine line between aggressive counter-pressing and knowing when to drop back into your defensive structure. If a side fully commits to counter-pressing and is unsuccessful, their opposition have an extremely open counter-attacking opportunity.

Despite the term gegenpressing being synonymous with Jurgen Klopp in the modern game, the roots of the idea go much further back.

Category: Historical Pieces

Central Europe’s Historic Competition: The Mitropa Cup

Posted On By Theo Gardnercomment

I recently wrote a piece on what I called the predecessor to the European Cup – The Latin Cup.

In this competition, the league champions from France, Italy, Spain and Portugal faced off against one another from 1949-1957.

The Latin Cup went a long way in showcasing the necessity for competition between Europe’s elite footballing sides. However, it was not the only international club-competition that came before its time.

There were other competitions that also predated the European Cup and pitted the best sides from various countries against one another – for instance, The Mitropa Cup.

Category: Iconic Teams

Brazil in the 1958 World Cup: Jogo Bonito and the International Debut of the 4-2-4

Posted On By Theo Gardnercomment

To many, Brazil is the best footballing nation of all time. Their five World Cup wins provides them a strong argument to lay claim to that title.

All this while playing an exciting and highly skilful brand of football – which has come to be known as ‘jogo bonito’.

Jogo bonito literally translates into ‘the beautiful game’.

It is a free, expressive brand of football which has often drawn a likeness to the samba dance – which is also synonymous with the South American nation.

In fact, jogo bonito is often seen to be a perfect fusion of dance and football, drawing likenesses to the Brazilian martial art – Capoeira.

Capoeira – like jogo bonito – finds its roots in the Brazil’s vibrant culture of dance.

In both cases, incredible sporting ability is mixed with the flare, confidence and excitement found in Brazilian samba.

This exciting blend of free-flowing expression with footballing brilliance is why many fans fall in love with the beautiful game. It is why if you ask so many fans from around the world their favourite player, names like Ronaldinho, Neymar and Kaka will so often crop up.

However, jogo bonito alone could not win championships. Football is about more than skill and expression, it also takes defensive ability, balance and tactical acumen.

Brazil had all of these in abundance at the 1958 World Cup, where in the final, they triumphed over hosts Sweden 5-2.

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