Football has always been a sport of innovation, where managers constantly seek new ways to outsmart their opponents. While some tactics seem bizarre at first glance, a few have defied expectations and led teams to glory. In this article, we explore three of the most unusual football tactics that surprisingly worked. Stay tuned until the end, where we’ll share how you can watch football live on Xoilac TV for an uninterrupted experience of the beautiful game.
The false nine – A striker that doesn’t strike
Traditionally, strikers are expected to stay upfront, poaching goals and finishing attacks. However, the introduction of the false nine turned this idea upside down. Instead of staying in the box, the false nine drops deeper into midfield, confusing defenders and creating space for teammates to exploit. This tactical shift redefined attacking football and left opponents scrambling to adapt.
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Origins and evolution of the false nine
The false nine has roots in early football history, but its most famous early usage was by Hungary’s “Magical Magyars” in the 1950s. The legendary Ferenc Puskás and Nándor Hidegkuti regularly dropped deep, leaving opposition defenders clueless about whether to follow them or stay in position. This movement disrupted defensive lines and allowed Hungary to dominate world football for years.
Later, the concept evolved with teams like AS Roma under Luciano Spalletti, who used Francesco Totti in the role, and Barcelona, where Pep Guardiola placed Lionel Messi as a false nine. Messi’s ability to roam freely, link play, and still score at an incredible rate made this tactic one of the most effective in football history.
How the false nine confused defenses
The genius of the false nine lies in its unpredictability. Defenders, used to marking a fixed striker, struggle to decide whether to follow the player into midfield or maintain their defensive structure. This confusion allows wingers or attacking midfielders to exploit the vacant spaces, leading to more fluid and dynamic attacking play.
Barcelona’s 2011 Champions League-winning side showcased this perfectly. With Messi as a false nine, defenders were constantly dragged out of position, allowing players like David Villa and Pedro to run into dangerous areas. The result? One of the most dominant club teams ever seen.
Successful implementations in major competitions
Several teams have successfully used the false nine to great effect in major tournaments. Spain, for instance, employed Cesc Fàbregas as a false nine in Euro 2012, a move that initially raised eyebrows but ultimately led them to victory. Without a traditional striker, Spain relied on intricate passing and movement, dismantling teams with their tiki-taka style.
More recently, Manchester City under Pep Guardiola has adapted this concept, with players like Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne operating in deeper attacking positions. The false nine remains a powerful weapon in modern football, proving that strikers don’t always need to “strike” to be effective.
Catenaccio – The art of defensive mastery
While attacking football often gets the spotlight, defensive tactics can be just as effective in shaping success. One of the most infamous yet successful defensive systems in history is Catenaccio. This ultra-defensive approach, which means “door bolt” in Italian, focused on shutting down the opposition while capitalizing on counter-attacks.
The birth of Catenaccio in Italian football
Catenaccio traces its origins back to the Swiss coach Karl Rappan, who introduced a system with a spare defender known as the sweeper or libero. However, it was Helenio Herrera, the legendary Inter Milan coach in the 1960s, who perfected it. Under Herrera, Inter built a defensive fortress, using a deep-lying libero and disciplined man-marking to nullify attacks.
Inter’s success with Catenaccio was remarkable, winning multiple Serie A titles and back-to-back European Cups (1964, 1965). Though criticized for being overly negative, the results were undeniable, proving that a well-drilled defense could be just as effective as a high-flying attack.
How this ultra-defensive strategy dominated the game
The key to Catenaccio was organization and discipline. While most teams played with a flat back four, Herrera’s Inter Milan added an extra defender who acted as a sweeper, cleaning up any loose balls and covering for teammates. This allowed defenders to focus entirely on marking, reducing the attacking threats of opponents.
Inter also relied on fast counter-attacks, with players like Sandro Mazzola and Jair exploiting spaces left by attacking teams. This efficiency made Inter almost unbeatable at their peak, proving that defense, when executed properly, can be as lethal as attack.
Legendary teams that used Catenaccio to win titles
Apart from Inter Milan, other Italian teams, including AC Milan and Juventus, also adopted elements of Catenaccio to achieve domestic and international success. Even in modern football, defensive-minded teams like Diego Simeone’s Atlético Madrid use a modified version of Catenaccio, prioritizing defensive solidity over possession-based play.
Despite criticisms that Catenaccio “killed” football with its negative style, its effectiveness cannot be denied. It remains one of the most controversial yet successful tactical systems ever used.
The WM formation – The tactical revolution of the early 20th century
Before modern formations like 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1, football was dominated by the WM formation, a revolutionary tactical setup that changed the way teams approached the game. Developed in the 1920s and 1930s, this formation laid the foundation for many tactical ideas still in use today.
How the WM formation changed the shape of football
The WM formation was designed by Herbert Chapman, Arsenal’s legendary manager, as a response to changes in the offside rule. It arranged players in a 3-2-2-3 shape, forming a “W” in attack and an “M” in defense. This setup provided balance, allowing teams to defend better while maintaining a strong attacking presence.
The innovation of WM was its structured positioning, which replaced the chaotic formations of early football. By having dedicated defensive midfielders and deeper-lying forwards, teams could control the game more effectively and dominate weaker opponents.
The teams that mastered the WM to perfection
Chapman’s Arsenal side of the 1930s was the first great team to use the WM formation successfully, dominating English football with its tactical superiority. The system later spread across Europe, influencing teams like Real Madrid in the 1950s and Brazil’s World Cup-winning team of 1958, which adapted WM into a more fluid attacking style.
Even as tactics evolved, elements of the WM formation—such as deep-lying midfielders and structured pressing—remain visible in modern football. Managers like Pep Guardiola and Marcelo Bielsa have incorporated aspects of WM into their tactical blueprints.
Why the WM formation eventually faded away
The WM formation’s decline came as football evolved to become faster and more physically demanding. By the 1960s, teams started shifting to 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 systems, which offered better defensive coverage and more flexibility. The introduction of total football by Johan Cruyff and Rinus Michels further pushed WM into history.
However, the WM formation’s impact on football remains undeniable. It was a stepping stone in the tactical evolution of the game and paved the way for many of the formations we see today.
Conclusion
Football tactics have constantly evolved, but some of the most unconventional ideas have left a lasting impact on the sport. From the deceptive brilliance of the false nine to the defensive wall of Catenaccio and the revolutionary WM formation, these unusual strategies proved that football is a game of constant reinvention.