This dude sounds like that 19th-century professor who said, upon seeing an electric lamp for the first time, that there was nothing else left for mankind to invent.

There’s one that still hasn’t been used. 9 players link arms and form a tight circle around the ball carrier. They play up the field, uncontested, and then cause chaos in the box before the shot. All 10 instantly rush back and act as keepers until the ball is won again.

"Our brains have reached their limits"... Speak for yourself

Stick to football. The first part was senseless.

"Everything That Can Be Invented Has Been Invented" - 1889, Charles H. Duell

Laughs at people for thinking telegrams were the greatest communication system that would ever exist...while emphatically stating that human and architectural development is over. The definition of hubris.

I don't know about you, but I personally like the 2-1-7 formation. It gives a lot of attacking support and you know what they say, " A good offense is the best defense," or something like that.

Chess has more positions than can ever be tried...

Apparently you haven’t heard of Sheffield United’s overlapping centerbacks lol.

Cut that first 13 second 😂 It's embarrassing

If your argument is that a) there are no new pieces left to introduce into tactics, and b) tactical development in the future will only consist of picking and choosing out of what's already been there in some form, I have a few reasons for disagreeing: You mentioned Guardiola's inverted wing-backs. This would be a new element, wouldn't it? And if it isn't, because, after all, they are just regular wing-backs but closer to the middle - then why does a false nine count as a new element, but inverted wing-backs don't? I will concede that a new role is not the same thing as a new formation in terms of scope, but that bears another question: What are formations? When does something that is nominally listed as 433 still qualify as that? As you've said, it looks almost like a 235 when City are in possession. So changing roles is something that actively changes formation, whether they appear as such on the team sheet or not. The idea that today's tactics just consist of reassembling old elements relies on a clear distinction between the tactical whole and the individual innovation, and more importantly a clear distinction between old and new. Arguably, Firmino's game is still very different from Hidegkuti's. Is it different enough to coin a new role? What about Thomas Müller's invention of the term Raumdeuter? Does the idea have to catch on to qualify as such? How different does it have to be from what has come before? (You actually brought up a very interesting point when you alluded to future tactical development being shaped by the players' abilities. But of course the way a player develops is shaped by a million factors, including the managers' tactical intent. But that is another discussion, anyway.) And if we're really talking base components: Was the only real innovation ever made in football tactics the emancipation of the passing game as opposed to a (supposedly vaguely rugby-like) dribbling game? To put it somewhat polemically: "Football teams back in 1900 used to field eleven players, some of which were defenders, some of which were attackers! And today it's just the same! Tactical development only consists of changing the number of defenders, midfielders and attackers nowadays! And telling them to do different things, sometimes!" If that's not the way to go, because obviously it isn't, then we're just arguing over where to draw the line between what we consider a new invention and just reusing the pieces.To which I say that there is no point in drawing a line at all, unless we're looking for a certain narrative. As has been pointed out by other commenters, the perception that there cannot possibly be a novelty position, or role, or formation, or hypereffective way of puzzling those things together - that perception just means you, personally, cannot think of that new thing right now.

"Our brains have reached their limits" ??? Where is he sourcing these claims from

"If I haven't made a mistake, I have already made a mistake"- Shkodran Mustafi

the answer is no...even with the same formations, the coach still has different systems and tactics within that formation...plus, with the rules being modified from time to time, football tactics will never stop improving...

"If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses." - Henry Ford. Before cars were invented, most people wouldn't have guessed that they would exist.

A coach = a song writer. There are always abundant new songs every year

9:41 "In this summer, clubs are pimping their back lines." Arsenal: What"s a back line?

Like any innovation we won’t see it coming but something will change

At the end of the 19th century, there was a consensus among physicist that physics is completely solved and there are only a few black spots left. Then came Planck and Einstein...

I subscribed for those outrageous first 13 seconds. Wonder what's coming next from this insightful guy...

No mention of the role of goal keepers in build up play

The most close minded intro I’ve ever heard LMAOOOOO

10:05 IPhone 5 look like 6,7,8 AND 9 9?Yes 9 everyone know there’s a 9

"The development of human beings is over. Our brains have reached their limit." You don't know how wrong you are.

”Political history is over“ Made my day.

Bruh how can you get so many things wrong in a 13 minutes video

Great video, very thought provoking. All the base formations have been seen now, 442/433/343/235/W-M/strikerless, etc... but the mechanics to which they morph from one to another within matches, influenced either by individual players qualities or effective coaching, will never stop evolving. Borrowing the chess analogy, all the opening sequences have been discovered, all with strengths & weaknesses (if you know them) exercising control of the board, but the variety of combinations in order to get the checkmate are limitless. Sheff Utd's overlapping CB's & Atalanta's 352 are great examples of innovation within the framework of established tactical law, in both cases bringing old ideas into a modern football landscape. The overlapping CB's is a twist on the 'libero' capitalizing on Pep's influence of the modern FB playing almost like a DM hybrid, meaning they're more comfortable cutting in to fill vacant central space than they were 15-20 years ago - was only a matter of time before someone thought of it. And Atalanta's tactics are an insane blend of positional play with a direct passing focus predicated on maintaining width, but with the fluidity of 'total football' with a CAM playing like the F9 - so many different ideas coming together at once creating a unique ensemble piece. This is like the idea there's only six or seven story archetypes in the world. Ground down into it's most basic nuts & bolts that's probably true, but that doesn't change writers coming up with creative twists on those foundations all the time, football's no different when it comes to tactics.

Teams might play the same formation but the mystery behind each of the teams keep the sport alive. Football tactics will never die.

Before einstein people taught that physics were over and nothing is left to learn

This is absurd... It's so condescending and niallistic to believe that this generation has already reached the "ultimate" level of tactics, when this has been said and disproven time and time again... Back in Pele's time, the tactics used were based on constant formation shifting, putting as many men as possible in scoring or defensive positions, depending on the moment of the game. During this time, football relied heavily on transitions and "flair" from the intervienients. Moreover, people at the time also believed that the ultimate level of tactics had also been reached, being the best manager the one that could make its team play the largest amount of tactics successfully. After this, however, tactics have developed a whole lot more! We had the cattenaccio, which was also thought unbeatable at the time; later, it was then fully beaten by ajax's total football, which then mutated into tiki-taka football, which brought the trend of possession football, and blah blah blah... but all of these tactics have come and gone, being forced to either adapt or disappear! I mean, for a period of time, the three-at-the-back formations had gone out of use aside from Italy, but ever since Conte's Chelsea, they seem to be making a come back! This is not to say that all the previous tactics have all completely gone out of use, but their defining characteristics usually have had to shift in order to adapt to a new way of playing the game. Every time a team reaches the top of the game with an innovative tactic, someone somewhere will devise a tactic capable of beating it, forcing the game to adapt and improve. Naturally, we could eventually run into a stand still where every team plays the same tactic, but as soon as this happens, then everyone will know what their opponent will do, and if you know what your opponent will do, you can improve your strategy in order to win, introducing idiosyncracy into the mix and fostering further developments in the game. All in all, I think it's unfair and arrogant even to believe that tactics will never evolve past this, or that there will never be another rivalry like ronaldo and messi, or that amazon will forever be the biggest company in the world, because if there is one thing that humankind has taught us throughout history is that, where it is possible to apply strategy, a long-run equilibrium point will unlikely ever be reached, because as conditions shift and technology and thinking process develop, so do our actions, and eventually, so does the world. sorry for the long post... :)

> how much german accent do you want in your video? > yes

new tactic: 11 goalkeepers, essentially never leaving the 18 yard box

I disagree with you. Development of football tactics had been possible because of some major changes in the rules of football (backpass rule,offside rule etc).if there is major change in the rules of the football then new tactics will develop.

In Scotland we created golf, the telephone and the famous 4-6-0 formation 😂😂

Very interesting video for somebody who is absolutely obsessed with the tactics of futebol like me. I have many ideas on how to revolutionise set piece defending and a few novel ideas on formations and tactics, but I'll likely only ever get to utilise them coaching in lower leagues here in Canada. But I am glad to say they've worked very well. Wonderful video!

You are brilliant mate. Love your work

"The development of football tactics is over" Manuel Neuer: "Hold my gloves!"

Missed out Brazil 1958 to 1970, 4-2-4. England 1966 wingless system.

Excellent video. Adapting tactics for each opponent was pioneered by Don Revie and his great Leeds United team of the 1970s. It hinged on Johny Giles, the "Midfield General".

10:09 I love how similar the iphone 8 and NINE are

The only issue with this piece is that it's entirely Eurocentric. South Americans have been exploiting the long ball for a good while now, and it's still used to an extent today.

8-1-1. Everyone just chases the ball. BOOM! Innovation

I love that my favorite TV channel made a channel for my favorite sport

There has been a quiet revolution for goalies, since more and more goalies are for the most part required to play with feet more, and to distribute the ball for deep build ups. That and a sweeper keeper role that Manuel Neuer is known for. The whole part with the Center backs is old news. Italian clubs for years emphasized having elite backs. Milan with Nesta, Maldini, and later Thiago Silva. Juventus with Cannavaro, Chiellini, Barzaghli, and Bonucci. Inter was almost always anchored with Matterazzi. I’d in fact argue that this rush of transfers for elite defenders is the result of teams realizing the importance of building from the back

The video is a fun romp through history, which is pretty informative at times. But when it comes to concrete discussion of modern systems it is too superficial. For example: Liverpool's 4-3-3 with a False 9 and high press is not new at that level, but such is a useless description of Klopp's system. The magic is in how to cover which passing lanes, and when to trigger double tackles to force turnovers. And even then, the magic does always work, so Klopp has to shift tactics. For example: Mourinho's system is not about avoiding risks or playing defensively. His governing principle is finding the game that makes the other team uncomfortable. Dogged defending is but one tactical path that Jose may choose, but there are other ways he knows how to play. And he decides based on the players he has on hand, and the weaknesses of the opposition.

The thing with revolutionary tech/tactics, is no one sees it coming until it arrives.

Great video. I really enjoyed the way you went across football history. Chapeau.

my god i cant believe this is a DW Kick off video u guys usually produce great content

You should see Sheffield United play with our overlapping center backs

What about the evolution of ball playing goalkeepers in the modern game?

One of the best video on DW so far...

1. No mention of passing goalkeeper (Manuel neuer role) 2. No mention of regista / ball playing defender (Leo bonucci, Sergio ramos, andrea pirlo) 3. Inverted winger ( Cr7, Robben , Lionel Messi, franc ribery) i can do this all day . And NO - Football still evolving and we r just seeing the best style when everyone hv seen the best system and try to tweak it to work for their team

German documentary production is a breath of fresh air. There's absolutely no fluff with so much substance.

Players talents, motivation, hardwork and teamwork is more important than tactics.

Everyone talking about the first 13 sec but I forgot what they were about 😂

Something I can imagine is the you only press when the opposition has the bal on their left side, while falling back when their right defender has the ball. The bedt Ajax in recent years had their attackers constantly switching position. And how you utilize the 10 could change? Jari Litmanen played on this position as a second striker choosing first post or second post. Maybe the classic cross can be reinvented? Haven’t seen many wingers with a golden cross in recent years

Evolution has always been about minor adjustments to things. But with football, it is always about a balance between attack and defence. The two extremes are 1- parking the bus and 2- all out attack(where even the 'keeper goes forward). Everything else falls in between these two

Very well researched and edited. Great content man keep it up.

50 years ago they said the same :) boy were they wrong, and so will you

"Political history is over" you’ve got some pretty misjudged prediction there

Marcelo Bielsa is also one of a kind with the 3-3-3-1 formation.

Great video. I love stuff like this.

Something that important is, the goalkeeper position is never changed

Epitome of selective reporting "defenders are becoming more expensive" well yeah, so are goalkeepers, midfielders, and strikers, no mention of Kepa, Joao Felix, Neymar, Mbappe, etc Dunce

To all of those that don't understand the intro; the intro is a reference to Francis Fukuyama's book "The End of History and the Last Man". In this book Fukuyama states that history is no more because of the end of the cold war. It is a very clever intro that fits this subject very well, it is a shame people don't understand this...

As a football fan i'm very excited of that kind of football documentarys. They're interstended and very qualitative👍

Nice vid. I think any tactics has its antidote. Its more important to employ whatever tactic maximize your teams strengths.

I loved the Trentemoler as the background music.

Creative ball playing goalkeepers will be the next revolution in football. Ederson at Man City will become the norm.

Tactics are more alive than ever. There were ages in which some teams applied refreshing tactics while some just played by the standards. And this has been circulating all the time.

I'm disappointed there was no mention of the sweeper position, or the "diamond defence" in general that was so hot in the 1990s. My coach insisted on using that system for years, and it mostly sucked.

There's more to be seen that CAN ever be seen with tactics. Greater efficiency and effectiveness with defending, attacking...the way the game is interpreted will always change and progress 👍

You know nothing about chess. Alpha zero was finding new games in 7 moves

I think we're going to start seeing goalkeepers coming out further and further to make an extra man for retaining possession and building attacks. We're already kind of seeing it now, I think they're going to start coming out further for longer phases.

272 is when the goalie is in the mid 7 and that one team (the 272 team) keeps the ball for that drive down the pitch, it's usually used when a team is up by alot of points

I think Egil Olsen and his statistically based 5-4-1, long passing/target man/deep run tactic should be mentioned here. When only Norway was doing this in the early 90s they won a lot, until other teams started doing the same thing with much better players. At one point talent-devoid Norway was #2 on the FIFA ranking because of this system, though. The fondness these days of a large central striker stems from this development. Before it large people like Ronaldo, Vieri, Gullit etc would typically have been put in defense at a young age. But the Norwegians showed a different way to use large individuals, the prototype being the human horse, Jostein Flo. Ball control like a toppling fridge, but good in the air. And that was enough. It was of course Olsen's assistant coach Lagerbeck who got Iceland into the last Euro where they surprised many. And he was still using the same tactics Olsen had developed. So this is the go-to approach for talent-poor teams now, and what causes most upsets in football. To pretty, but whatever works.

Its always subjective and easy to say it's all been done before. BUT KEEP IN MIND: Rules of football will inevitably change, and sometimes unexpectedly, and therefore will need to adapt.

Sami Hyypia played 2-3-2-3 at Leverkusen during the 13/14 season before Pep

A big point is that players skills and abilities are getting better with the time, so probably with better players in the future, those players will be able to more functions in the game, putting more space for changes in tatitcs

You can't talk about football ignoring the country that won the most world cups. In 1958, Brazil introduced the 4-3-3, but most importantly, the modern full back with Nilton Santos and Djalma Santos. That's not a Guardiola invention, perhaps only a rediscovery. In 1970, full backs played a huge role again, as Carlos Alberto would be a huge force in the right flank and often move to the midfield to articulate plays with Gerson and Clodoaldo, feeding Pele, Tostao, Rivellino and Jairzinho in the front. You can see that in the part of the video about la pausa, when Pele passes to Carlos Alberto cutting towards the middle. In 1982, Brazil had a very similar system with a strong creative and possession role for fullbacks. Leandro and Junior were a huge part of that team, building plays with Cerezo, Sócrates, Falcão and Zico. You can see that again in 1994 with Jorginho and Leonardo and 2002 with Cafu and Roberto Carlos. In 2018, something similar could have been at display, but Dani Alves injury left Marcelo isolated and a team that was unbalanced on its left flank with Marcelo+Coutinho+Neymar.

The only way to go now is to dispose of the traditional round ball and introduce a new, space-aged square one!

you cant reach the end of history wtf lol

2-3-5 is my favorite on Fifa. 2 defenders who only stay in front of the goal 1 defensive midfielder who provides cover for the defense 2 central midfielders who provide support for attackers or acting as left/right backs 5 forwards consisting of 2 strikers in the front, with a #10 behind them threading the ball to them and 2 wingers It makes for a very fun and open game and very easy to score goals since you have 5-7 forwards against 2-3 defenders. And you're way more likely to get rebounds. As for defensively, yes the other time is likely to tear through your midfield but your 2 defenders tend to be more than enough to deal with the 1 striker that most teams play with 1 striker

There is always room for improvement

Position football requires changes for every specific match like Manchester City. Inventing new football tactics occur every time a new player enters the pitch in a system based on position/field football.

Wtf... did you really mentionate the Herrera coffee? That's an urban legend man

My God, those might just be the greatest 13 seconds on KZfaq.

There can and will be new tactics but hey, this would be good as a tactical history video

1793 Sheffield cricket club invented football 2019 Sheffield United introduce Over-lapping centre halves to premier league. Football will never stop developing.

The best would be to learn to play with only 10 players against 11 so that one player is extra in that system, and if you get a player sent off you wouldn’t be so worried

Yah! Literally I play as a CB (or a second goalkeeper) as everybody depends on my goal line clearances.

Sorry for off-topic question, but: What's the song at 3:10? Not the original, but this particular version. Sounds good. (Great video btw! Really interesting.)

I really learnt a lot

What? Lol. Just because a tactic has certain aspects of another tactic that was done before, does not mean it was not a new invention. ticki tacka was certainly not total football, just like klopps total gegenpressing is not just hungary tactics from the 60s ^^. its like saying oh my gosh they have 11 players, just like us. man same tactic here. -.- just look on things like goalkeeping. teams use goalkeepers as a 11th field player sometimes. and by that i do not mean just neuer. but for example hamburg was using Pollersbeck as a goalie coming as far upfront as the central defenders, so they were going more wide, giving hamburg 3 deep backpass options 1 in central and 2 in halfcenter positions almost connection to the wings but still close enough to close in the center for the goalie to fall back. this meant pollersbeck had the job of a deep play maker like a nr.6 dropping behind the lines. what did that do? create an overload in central midfield for hamburg since they were attacking pollersbeck, but therefore leaving the central midfielders of hamburg unmarked and with a lot of space. we had all kinds of new things. teams without any strikers. teams with no wingers going for halfcenter positioning. overlapping centerbacks. well who knows what comes next? maybe triple wings? one defender, one midfielder and one striker overloading on the side? i dunno its possible and it was never seen as regular team tactic. maybe someone gets the idea to innovate the libero position again but this time deciding to have ONLY him as fullback and the rest of the team is either striker or midfield and because of that they are playing with 3 defensive 6s as midfielders instead of defenders. like that maybe they can create immense power in their midfield. the hell all of that may or may not happen. the possibilities are endless

Football change only twice: 1) whit the introduction of the offside, 2) when the goalkeeper could not touch the ball with his hands.

antonio conte's possesion tactic with inter a few years back, milan skriniar and ale bastoni transformed into a fullback when in possesion leaving stefan de vrij the only man in the back line

You're German accent makes me miss my holidays in Berlin. I love Berlin.

I guess I might be first one to pick this mistake as there is no iPhone 9😊😊😊

I remember 15-20 years ago, almost every team played 4-4-2. Even the shirt numbers are so synchronized to the formation. A lot has tactically changed since then. Anyway, its an informative video with a thought provoking title.

You killed this video mate, in the first 13 seconds.