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2023 Best Football Tactics
Football Tactics – Football has evolved decade after decade, and the new trends have made it even more competitive, making tactical approaches a must-have in every team.
Having the best of the world players in a team no longer guarantees a straight win for any team in modern-day football. However, applying the Best Football Tactics can be a game-changer for any team with average or profound players.
In 2023, football tactics have become even more complex and sophisticated than anyone can imagine. Clubs no longer go by the traditions, as they can now adjust their strategies depending on their game states and situations.
Coaches are now more aware of the importance of tactical flexibility and can better identify opportunities to apply different strategies during a match. As a result, teams are using a variety of tactics such as pressing, counter-pressing, zonal marking, man-marking, high pressing, and low pressing to maximize their chances of success.
What Is Football Tactics?
According to Britannica: “Tactics reflect the importance of planning for matches. Tactics create a playing system that links a team’s formation to a particular style of play (such as attacking or counterattacking, slow or quick tempo, short or long passing, teamwork or individualistic play).”
A Million Ways To Play Football
While some teams have relied on specific styles of play, it is more interesting to know that there are a million different ways to play the game of soccer.
Here is where club managers are mostly needed. They are responsible for moulding the way a team plays, and these demand a more profound and careful look at the elite end of the sport to see differences in how teams set up and play football.
Thanks to modern-day technologies, club managers can now get help with the guides and the most helpful football tactics they can explore simultaneously for their team’s success.
Best Football Tactics In 2023
Due to the competition as with every club and the burning desire to win trophies across leagues, many football managers now explore quick transitions and counter-attacks to exploit any weaknesses in their opponents.
This involves quickly transitioning from defence to attack to create chances from unexpected situations. Another popular tactic is false nine or inverted wingers, which consists of deploying an attacker more profoundly to create confusion in the opposition’s defence.
In addition to these tactics, teams are also finding success in playing with a high defensive line. This involves defending higher up the pitch in order to deny opponents space in which to attack. Furthermore, teams have become more effective at pressing their opponents to win back possession. This involves putting pressure on the ball holder to force them into making mistakes.
Below we will consider ten football tactics that have evolved over the years and find out which is the best in 2023.
Top 10 Best Football Tactics
Verrou Tactic: The Verrou tactic, also known as Catenaccio, is considered a tactic based entirely on scoring the opponent.
According to EkipGrass, Verrou (To lock in French) means to lock one’s opponent’s goal and score.
This tactic allows at least six or seven strikers to surround the opponent’s goalpost.
From the remaining players, one player was the last Libero player, and the other three players continued as the defenders.
This soccer tactic was based on symmetry, and the seven players in the forward would constantly move in symmetry with each other.
Eventually, this tactic became obsolete as Italians acknowledged that the game of football is not only goal-based but also considers the players’ position in the defence area necessary.
WM Tactic: This tactic provides a 3-2-2-3 formation. The tactic was a norm in the 1950s. It, however, developed over time and took WW and MM names.
In the WM tactic, strikers form the letter W (3-2), while defenders form the letter M (2-3).
The main purpose of the tactic is that two defenders make it harder for attackers to penetrate.
Among the defensive players who stopped the attacks, the third player behind who took the ball was the Libero player who started the attack by controlling the ball. It forms the letter M of this tactic. In the letter W of the tactic, the strikers took the ball from the Libero and made successful air throws.
Total Football: Rinus Michels founded this tactic and explained it to be -expanding and narrowing the field.
Michels sketched the tactic to ensure the field expanded when a team controlled a ball and narrow the area when the ball got to the opponent’s team.
In his calculation, the opponent team could not dominate the field against you. So, in total football tactics, the team always applies this tactic. The aim is to intimidate the opponent with pressure and score goals.
In this tactic, the 4-3-3 sequence is applied.
TIKI TAKA Tactic: History shows Cruyff, a student of Rinus Michel, invented this tactic.
It’s similar but different from his principal’s style. The Tiki-Taka tactic focussed on constant passing between players. The aim was to intimidate and demoralize the opponent by passing constantly. Based on the 4-3-3 system, this tactic is based on scoring goals easier by distracting the opponent.
Spanish giants Barcelona is understood to have successfully applied this tactic for many years.
In the Tiki-Taka tactic, if there is a loss of the ball, the ball is recovered from the opponent team with a sudden press. Though it was invented many years ago, many clubs still use the same tactic in today’s football.
In particular, Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola still uses this tactic.
Kick and Rush Tactic: According to its inventors, this system does not rely on any field lineup.
The leading English football teams practised this tactic, which means Hit and Runs. The inventors of the Kick and Rush tactic are also British.
The kick and rush tactic, still used by clubs in modern-day football, aims to score the opponent with long and cross passes.
Diagonal passes confuse the opponent, making it easier to score goals against the opponent.
Catenaccio tactic: Being defensive is the aim of this tactic. It is the improved version of the Verrou and WM systems.
This tactic, played with a 5-3-2 field formation, is aimed not to play the opponent team. Italian and Argentine clubs use this tactic frequently.
Clubs that use this tactic aim to intimidate their opponents, preventing attacks by ultimately defending.
Body Crash Football Tactic: Only a few clubs or teams make this tactic their favourite because it focuses on fitness.
While numbers and talent are unimportant in this tactic, muscle and body condition have gained importance.
Only teams with high physical strength found this helpful and may apply the tactic.
Scandinavian countries such as Denmark, Sweden, and Norway are said to be the most important representatives of this tactic.
The Joga Bonito Tactic: Based on the Brazilian and Portuguese game system, Joga Bonito means a Nice game in Portuguese. Talent is critical in this tactic. The most important representatives of this tactic are the players who use their ankles well and provide good ball control. In particular, football players such as Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, and Rivaldo are essential representatives of this tactic.
It is a tactic that players who develop their ankles well in tactical beach soccer perform better.
Parking Bus Tactic: The Parking Bus tactic is a style of play in which all players are positioned on the defence. The goal of this tactic is not to score goals. This tactic could be more interesting for football fans. The most important representative of this tactic is Joose Mourinho. While the successful coach led the Chelsea team, he brought many successes to his team with the Parking Bus tactic.
GegenPressing Tactic: Gegenpressing is the most admired football tactic of recent years. The aim of this tactic, which is quite challenging to apply, is to defend by attacking. The slogan of the tactic is that the best defence is the offence.
The aim is to win the ball and score goals by pressing with at least 5-6 players when the soccer ball crosses the opponent’s field. Gegenpressing kick application is a complicated tactic requiring both skill and skill.
There is no unnecessary rust in this tactic. The striker is considered to be the most crucial player who also supports the midfield. The most important teams of practitioners of tactics are Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool.
In conclusion, as seen with many clubs, the best football tactics applied in 2023 vary by the attacking strategies to create more chances.
The most popular of these strategies is using wingers to stretch the defence and create more space for the forwards. Similarly, teams are playing with two strikers and using one of them to drop deeper to create overloads in the final third. All of these tactics, used together, build a very dynamic and unpredictable style of play that has been proven successful in the modern game.