Premier League prospered from outside influence
FOOTBALL HAS experienced incredible change in recent times and no league has felt the brunt of this like the English Premier League since its establishment in 1992. While the Premier League has for so long dominated world football in terms of entertainment and excitement, the same cannot be said for the tactical development of its teams. In fact, the opposite is true and England has followed in the shadow of its European counterparts for much of recent history.
Indeed, English football required the tactical know-how of Europeans, both players and managers, to elevate the level of the game in the country. It is easy to forget that just 25 years ago in the first week of the inaugural Premier League campaign, only eleven foreigners started across the league.
Like many seasoned football fans will tell you, ‘football didn’t start in 1992’. However, with the establishment of the new English Premier League, rebranded to provide greater entertainment and excitement and benefiting from a staggering surge in revenue, modern football as we know it was born.
Yet, as Michael Cox highlights in his opening chapter, it was a lesser-known rule change which allowed the game to evolve into what it has become today. This rule change, coinciding with the Premier League’s formation, forbid goalkeepers to handle a pass from a team-mate.
Although this seems insignificant, it changed the game entirely. Immediately, it served its initial purpose - to stop teams running the clock down with dour and unimaginative play.
More importantly, it forced defenders to become more comfortable on the ball.
This gradually encouraged teams to move away from traditional route one tactics and encouraged playing out from the back. From there, possession-based football took hold and long periods of possession eventually invited teams to utilise pressing tactics.
These advances did not happen overnight and required a long line of game-changing players and tacticians. From Cantona, Henry and Makelele to Wenger, Benitez and Pochettino - each played a key role in advancing the tactical knowledge in England’s top division.
While ‘The Mixer’ offers some pieces of useful learning for budding football coaches and managers, it curiously omits the use of diagrams, a given for most books discussing tactical shape and positioning. It does, however, give you exactly what is says on the tin, or in this case on the front cover, ‘the story of Premier League tactics’.
In an easy read, football fans should not be put off by the book’s bulky spine. Cox offers insightful context and explanation around some of football’s most memorable moments.
Few would have known that Steven Gerrard’s famous slip against Chelsea in the 2014 title race was partly due to the result of months of individual training undertaken by Gerrard to actually improve his game.
Gerrard had committed to furthering his ability to raise his head and be aware of his surroundings and when slipping for Demba Ba’s devastating goal, he was scanning the field for the third time before losing sight of the ball and tumbling over.
‘The Mixer’ is littered with revealing insights like these, largely unknown to the regular football fan.
JASON GOODISON
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