- Intro: Evolution of Football
- Evolution Football Tactics
- Changes in the rules of the game
- Introduction of new technologies
- Conclusion
Intro:
As the saying goes, the only constant thing in life is change and Football is no exception to this age-long cliché. The beautiful sport of football has witnessed lots of changes since the turn of the 21st century.Â
The sports governing body FIFA, is always on the lookout to make football fair and transparent to all parties involved, including players, supporters, and executives.
To achieve this aim of fairness and transparency, FIFA has introduced a handful of rules and technologies in recent times to improve the sports rating and gain the confidence of investors and partners.
Also, football has undergone some evolution in tactics since the turn of the century. Coaches have dished the old approach to games and adopted new formations in a bid to win matches.
All these changes contribute to why football is the most followed sport in the world with over two billion followers worldwide.
Evolution of Football Tactics
Before the turn of the new century, the 4-4-2 formation was prevalent in football. Almost all coaches preferred the formation because it was pragmatic and effective.
Teams preferred to play with four defenders, which include two central defenders who occupy the five (5) and six (6) positions on the field.
The number five position is regarded as the last man while the number six opposition played alongside but slightly ahead of the last man.
Coaches back then preferred defenders who were tall, physically imposing and not scared to go in for hard tackles.
On the sides of the central defenders were the left and right fullbacks who occupied the number three (3) and two (2) positions respectively.
Unlike what’s obtainable today, the full-backs were mostly required to carry out defensive duties and not necessarily contribute to the team’s attack.
In midfield, teams play with two central midfielders and two wingers. The central midfielders constitute a defensive midfielder who occupies the number (4) position and the central/attacking midfielder who plays the number ten (10).
The left and right wingers occupy the eleven (11) and (7) positions respectively and their roles were majorly to cross the ball into the opponent’s box for the strikers to score.
Teams preferred to play with two strikers upfront as opposed to what we have currently where most teams play with one striker. The strikers occupy the number eight (8) and (9) positions on the field.
Also see:Â Arsenal F.C. needs a World class Striker to Win the League
Most teams used the 4-4-2 formation during the 80s, 90s and early 2000s.
In recent times, most teams have played with different formations such as 4-3-3, 3-5-2, 4-2-3-1 and a few others.
These new formations, share some similarities with the old one but differ in a number of ways.
Firstly, the fullbacks now double as attackers and contribute immensely to a team’s attack.
Also, the wingers seven (7) and eleven (11) whose initial role was almost solely to create chances for their strikers now play as pseudo-strikers. Wingers are now expected to score goals as much as they as expected to create chances.
The wingers have become strikers while leaving the fullbacks to make crosses into the opposition box.
Lastly, the number eight (8) position has dropped deep to midfield. They are better regarded as attacking midfielders than strikers.
These are the evolution of football tactics and formations observed since the turn of the 21st century.
Changes in the rules of the game
The rules of the game have stayed pretty much the same but some additions to improve the game. The major change in the rules of the game was introduced only a few years ago.
In the past, only three substitutions are allowed per team during the course of a game. But recently, the number of substitutions allowed per game was increased to five.
This allows a coach to substitute up to half of his outfield players during a match. The new rule was applauded by players and fans alike because it comes with a number of benefits.
Firstly, the change in rules provides an opportunity for players to enjoy more playing time. Secondly, with more playing time comes a decreased tendency of players to suffer injury.
The rule of substitution also dictates that players must exit the pitch from the point of exit closest to them when they are required to go out.
Unlike before when players have to walk through to the centre of the pitch during substitutions. This change in rule was introduced to curb time-wasting during games.
Introduction of New Technologies
The introduction of new technologies has contributed greatly to the evolution of football in recent times. These new techs have improved the transparency and fairness of the game.
After much yearning and controversies about goal-line clearance, Goal Line Technology (GLT) was introduced by some football leagues to address the challenge.
Goal Line Technology is a tech system used in real-time during a football match to detect whether a ball crossed the goal line or not, thus determining if a play is a goal or not.
The system detects a play in fractions of seconds from a stationed camera and sends the result to the referee who receives the information on his wristwatch.
Since its introduction to football in 2014, the technology has addressed the controversies of goal-line clearance and contributed significantly to the evolution of football.
In addition to the GLT, FIFA introduced the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) during the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Unlike the GLT which functions in real-time, VAR is a review system that assists the match official when making controversial calls.
During VAR checks, the game is paused and the referee either gets information from a group of officials in the VAR room who review a controvertible play or the referee reviews the play himself from a stationed monitor just outside the pitch.
While the VAR has addressed many challenges since its introduction, some people argue that the system is robbing the sport of its delight and should be stopped.
Conclusion
Football has evolved significantly over the years in rules and tactics. This post highlights some of football’s evolution in the 21st century. We would like to learn about your contribution.
What are the changes in football you’ve observed in the last two decades not captioned on this post?
