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.
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.
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.
Many modern fans would immediately think of names such as Johan Cruyff (as a player and manager), Pep Guardiola (as a manager), and Lionel Messi (as a player) as synonymous with the false nine roles.
While of course all of the above were extremely successful with the tactic, it would be a mistake to consider them to be the innovators.
The history of the false nine goes much deeper – with its roots beginning as early as the 1890s.
Catenaccio is one of the most famous and influential tactical ideologies that has ever been created, its influence can be seen in the defensive principles of many of the most effective teams of recent history.
It is a system of out-and-out defence. The word literally translates to ‘bolt’ in Italian.
