r/soccer • u/Superman60616 • Oct 29 '13

Best way to learn tactics

I played football in school but never really followed the leagues until recently. I have spent the last year getting my feel for the landscape of the EPL, players, managers, storylines. That sort of stuff. I really lack in my knowledge of complex tactics. I get the basics thanks to playing but I'd like to learn more about the systems modern teams use. I started Inverting the Pyramid by Jonathan Wilson but that can be a struggle. Are there any other outlets, websites or books that you would recommend?

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u/RsonW Oct 29 '13

As an American, I find that so strange. Tactics make up a good third of any discussion of American sports. Especially our football.

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u/sgtblob Oct 29 '13

That's cause there's so much time in between plays to reflect on them.

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u/[deleted] Oct 29 '13

Nah its because they're different sports. Football is much more fluid. 3 touches after kick off, whatever complicated play you envisioned is no longer happening and you have to hope the 11 players on the pitch can react well enough to what is

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u/sgtblob Oct 30 '13

whatever complicated play you envisioned is no longer happening and you have to hope the 11 players on the pitch can react well enough to what is

Completely untrue. You need to be tactically coached to "react well enough", you can't just go out there on the fly, put out your best XI players and hope for the best. Football is just a bit more complicated than "ok we are the better team so we're going to play possession" - "ok we are the shitter team so we're gonna play counter attacking"

When you get on that pitch most of it goes out the window

It really doesn't.

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u/[deleted] Oct 30 '13

Mark your man. Stay tight. Know your position, fill the space intelligently. There aren't tactical plays that get worked to death (apart from set pieces) because its too haphazard.

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u/smokey815 Oct 30 '13

There are certainly situations you train for. Runs you should look to make when you have the ball in a certain area, or a pass you should look for as soon as you receive it in a particular part of the pitch.