Because the Makele role came about to block to 10. Also the 10 was used quite a lot with the 4231 formation, which is counter balanced quite well by 433.
Why is the classic number 10 fading into irrelevancy ?
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I prefer the...
why are there no old fashioned Number 9s...7s, 11s and 6 threads more.
why are there no old fashioned Number 9s...7s, 11s and 6 threads more.
The space just isn't there anymore, especially with the two defensive mids.
Also, a classic 10 would have much more time on the ball, nowadays the game is pretty fast.
The 10 was also hindered by big progress on tactical awareness. These days some games are fecking chess.
Also, a classic 10 would have much more time on the ball, nowadays the game is pretty fast.
The 10 was also hindered by big progress on tactical awareness. These days some games are fecking chess.
Because they usually come with baggage in a tactical sense.
A No.10 can still work in today's game but you either have to be an exceptional player i.e. Zidane level or be a great all rounder on and off the ball like Sneijder.
No.10s of today will be moved to the No.8 position or to wide midfield. It's a shame because it was a beautiful role aesthetically but tactically its hard to argue that most teams aren't far better off without them.
A No.10 can still work in today's game but you either have to be an exceptional player i.e. Zidane level or be a great all rounder on and off the ball like Sneijder.
No.10s of today will be moved to the No.8 position or to wide midfield. It's a shame because it was a beautiful role aesthetically but tactically its hard to argue that most teams aren't far better off without them.
I miss 4-4-2 too, sometimes all the congestion in midfield is a bit too much, I miss a more direct game in central areas, I miss the space.
Feels like a really long time ago though, to me.
I hated the holding midfielder, the Makelele role. Just sitting back behind half way, not even pretending to look forward.
Boring.
As is 1 up front. Utter guff, meaning crosses are even more useless than they often were.
Wingers who aren't wingers. Hate that too.
Wingers on the wrong flanks, even more sh!t.
Bring back the mid 90s.
I see why the work shy 10s couldn't work today but a 10 with good work rate certainly could. Now you are right that managers are copycats but it would be interesting to see a manager play a classic 4231 (A bit like how Deportivo played with Valeron) with hardworking left and right wingers with a hardworking goalscoring 10 against the current style of play.
Even then, under Pep he has changed his game and played deeper, so even he's not been a no.10 for a while.
Even at the WC, Southgate tried something similar with Lingard and Dele playing CM roles.
An interesting question would be where would the classic 10s play today? For example would Maradona been shifted to a right forward position for example?
I don't think the game has evolved that much.
Between 2008-2011 we win once and made 2 CL finals with 'outdated tactics and just 1 superstar'. Today's game ain't that much different from then.
For example, if you had played Sacchi's Milan playing 442 against most teams currently, they'd win. They beat the famed Cruyff Barca which was revolutionary in tactics. Mou's Inter beat Barca in their prime with tactics that'd have fit well in Catenaccio era.
It always comes down to the players and in game tactis rather than any overarching revolution in footballing philosophy.
We don't have #10s simply because teams prefer to play 433. 4231 is still a popular current formation.
Between 2008-2011 we win once and made 2 CL finals with 'outdated tactics and just 1 superstar'. Today's game ain't that much different from then.
For example, if you had played Sacchi's Milan playing 442 against most teams currently, they'd win. They beat the famed Cruyff Barca which was revolutionary in tactics. Mou's Inter beat Barca in their prime with tactics that'd have fit well in Catenaccio era.
It always comes down to the players and in game tactis rather than any overarching revolution in footballing philosophy.
We don't have #10s simply because teams prefer to play 433. 4231 is still a popular current formation.
In 20/30 years I’m convicned teams will just play 10 number 8s and they will exsist as one hive mind effectively playing every position and yet none at the same time.
That's narrow minded IMO. Sacchi's Milan was one of the most revolutionary teams ever, if anything they are evidence to the contrary of what you are suggesting. And besides that, one match proves nothing. Barcelona e.g. demolished countless teams that tried parking the bus against them, most notably Mourinho's Madrid. The Inter match was an oddity. People pretend it was some tactical master piece by Mourinho whenin reality they were extremely lucky that Barca missed their chances and they did not. Nothing to do with style of play.
The state of the EPL is the perfect proof. Liverpool and City show how important a clear philosophy is. That's by far the biggest success factor in the modern game and only then comes player quality.
Football works in trends, the number 10 will be back in fashion when a superstar emerges as the best player in that world who favours that position and players try to emulate what works for him and coaches change their tactics to get the best out of that player.
It will be viewed as a a key element to a new brand of football and will basically be old tactics with a fresh lick of paint.
We will have a new defensive era when a generation of world class defenders emerges and coaches like José will reign again.
It will be viewed as a a key element to a new brand of football and will basically be old tactics with a fresh lick of paint.
We will have a new defensive era when a generation of world class defenders emerges and coaches like José will reign again.
Bergkamp would a false 9 like Totti transformed into later in his career.
Riquelme would be difficult to accommodate I feel.
Some of these examples are quite instructive in how they might be deployed today. For example Bergkamp spent much of his domestic and international career as the centre-point of a 4-3-3. We’d probably call that a false 9 now but in a possession-based system it carries out the same function as a typical 10. Similarly, I can see Cantona fulfilling the same role in such a system today. Both Deco and Guti adapted as 8s in the course of their career in order to hold down a place at the top level.
Maradona: Right wing or false nine
Pele: Striker or left wing
Zico: Left wing or false nine
Zidane: 8
Laudrup: 8 or left wing
Cruyff: False nine or 8
Riquelme: 8
Platini: False nine or 8
Puskas: Second striker
It has a deeper effect.
Michael Owen is a good example. He needed someone to 'play off' even when that guy was Heskey. Wouldn't want him playing on his own up front with his back to goal.
In today's formations, an 18 year old Michael Owen would struggle to get a game. He'd probably be a winger.
Scary when you think about it.
Edit....Try being Marcus Rashford. Not as 'easy' as it used to be.
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There's just no super star 10s at the moment that's all.
Pep changed the game to some degree. He took classic #10's out of a 4-2-3-1 and played them as an 8 1/2 in a 4-3-3. Prime examples are D Silva and DeBruyne. If they were on our team our past managers (Mourinho in particular) would have either played them as a classic #10 in a 4-2-3-1 with 2 DM's behind, or most likely, they would have been wingers. In fact, when Mourinho had DeBruyne he played him as a winger and never would have trusted him in the midfield...
May have already been alluded to, but the emergence of dominant forwards (front three... Rooney, Ronaldo, Messi.. Suarez) changed things a bit. Ronaldhino, Ballack and ZZ were the last few genuine No 10's I can think of, controlled the tempo of the game, defined their team, drifted all over their half of the pitch when it suited them, and, importantly, regularly won-matches, which is what a No 10 also has to be able to do
... Modric is close, but plays a slightly more withdrawn role. Also Ozil wihen he first came on the scene. He was majestic.
... Modric is close, but plays a slightly more withdrawn role. Also Ozil wihen he first came on the scene. He was majestic.