I always saw the start of modern Football (soccer) when the 4-2-4 formation stopped being used as the default. Brazil (with the exception of the "Maracanazo" of 1950) dominated the game with this formation. Then, by the mid 60's, it was rendered obsolete. By 1970, the default 4-4-2 formation had become pretty established. So I think the turning point was sometime in the sixities. However, someone brought up a good point about the internationalization of club football. Every top league now has a good number of foreign talent. In fact, it's unthinkable to have a strong club team made up of only homegrown players nowadays--just like it's unthinkable to play with four attackers. This trend hit a turning point sometime in the 90's. I couldn't say when. Maybe when Lothar Matthaeus went to Inter, Batistuta to Fiorentina, Steve MacManaman to Real Madrid?
That one is easy. The phenomenon started exactly the December 15th, 1995 when the European Court of Justice established the Bosman ruling. Before then, the number of foreign players was limited in each club.
The 4-4-2 (used by the English in 66) was simply a more defensive variation of the 4-3-3 implemented by Brazil from 1958 on with Zagallo spontaneously 'retreating' to midfield to join Didi & Zito. That's where everything starts.
Just because they did something vaguely resembling modern tactics doesn't mean it was the same. Modern football is 1980's and on because of the overall pace (of course there were teams and individuals before this who played fast as well). The game is much faster in the middle third now. But football from now on will not get much faster because of human limitations just as the 100m record will not get much faster.
IMO football will probably slow down, but I don't think it's due to this reason... Maybe it's due to a 'ciclic' behaviour of the systems of play, influenced by many factors (economic is one). On the other hand, it's natural when one team succeed it draws the attention to its playing style, providing a tendency to be followed (it doesn't mean everyone follows). And I think Barça's achievement can do that, and I'm saying that 'cause, at least in last match, they didn't need that much speed, IMO, but they knew how to explore the spaces. Human limitations are always arguable and I used to think 100m record, every time it was broken, would never be surpassed so easily again... but a man, a human being, called Usain Bolt (remember him in the last Olympics???) denied me...
WM was developed in the 40's & went up to 1950/52; the Magyar WW substituted it & went up to 1956, being the root of the Brz 4-2-4; 4-2-4 went from 1956 to 1964; but in the mean time it progressively changed into the 4-3-3, introduced in 1958 & reinforced in 1962 with the Zito-Didi-Zagallo trio in the Brz midfield. The 4-3-3 would last till our days (suffering circumstantial variations like the 4-4-2 in 1966, and, from then on, the 4-2-2-2, the 4-2-3-1, you name it). In short: there is no structural difference from the 4-3-3 used in 1958 to the one used in our days. The players are faster but the consequent loss of ability made their ball become slower. Essien disastrous & frantic (should say ‘disastrous because frantic’) 'pass' to Messi in Barça's goal against Chelsea in this year CL semifinal just proves that. If he were told to play more football & not run like a 'crazy cow' in all sectors of the field he wouldn't be commiting that stupid blunder in his defensive right sector. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98FJCDv6uRA&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bigsoccer.com%2Fforum%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D1024261%26page%3D33&feature=player_embedded Players nowadays run more than the ball. Speed of players has always been close to the 100m record. Of their times of course. ________________________________________________________________________ PS: Let's not also forget that the dimensions of the traditional Brittish football fields are significantly smaller than in other countries. English fields are traditionally smaller because the stadiums are mostly in cities and built on one city block. http://stadiums.football.co.uk/Premiership/Anfield.htm http://stadiums.football.co.uk/Premiership/City-of-Manchester-Stadium.htm http://stadiums.football.co.uk/Premiership/Stamford-Bridge.htm Which obviously contributes to that exhilarating sensation of 'speed' and 'pace' ...
i don't quite get this. is this about the tactics/actual style of play, or the tv, money, all seaters, replica kit craze?
Off the pitch what rules is money. Inside the pitch what rules is tactics & technique (& that involves the moment's reading). That's the main difference between the rich ball dress & the ball itself (who 'dances' is not the 'dress' but the 'feet'). And it explains why not rarely poor teams pound millionaire ones.
I dont think football has changed since its birth. The game has always been simple to play and when you read early match reports from the 1870s they are not much different from today.
You're right...it's not allowed YET to play with hands (except for some players who are 'friends' of God...)
I would reckon the most important develop in Football over the past 100 years which has changed the game the most is the widing access of television and televised games... so I will go with the 1950-1970 period.
BTW Pelé should be redcarded everybody he touched the ball with his feet: it looked like it was with his hands ...
As a matter of fact players instead of jerseys should use before the game some kind of electronic (& of course thermal) body painting ... But that's for when football starts getting 'modern' LOL ...
Friction coefficient improvements... Related for me with a "man" like Maxi López arguably going to flame his own teammates. Although not a 'modern' issue, it seems to be more typical nowadays...
[I agree w/you 100% on this topic, comme. Just fyi: the change in the offside law took effect in '25.]
[True, I suppose that should've been made clearer at the beginning of the thread. From the choices in the poll, I thought that it was the laws that set the framework for the modern game on the pitch, such as the '25 change to the offside law.]
i dont quite get this topic. i think it's just a bad title. some of the posts are about business, some about tactics, and others about laws. everyone is mixed up. no idea what the first post has to do with anything and the poll is pointless. [also i can't understand why royoftherovers types in brackets].