Best Football Tactics Books to Read [Updated for 2022]

YOU ARE READING: Best Football Tactics Books to Read [Updated for 2022] AT PhebinhvanhocEN

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Football tactics are at the heart of the beautiful game. Some of the most riveting 90-minute games involve clashes of tactical styles implemented by soccer coaches.

You are reading: Books on soccer tactics

what has always fascinated me about this wonderful sport is how certain managers like pep guardiola, the great sir alex ferguson and serial winner jose mourinho are able to win trophies more often than they get accolades as managers.

What became clear is that his success stems not only from the superiority of his tactical approaches to the game, but also from other factors, such as his staff management capabilities and his approach to player recruitment.

Soccer tactics are not a single key to success on the pitch, but they certainly play a critical role in the outcome.

That is why in today’s article I am going to make a summary of the best soccer tactics books to read.

here’s a quick overview of the best options:

all of these books offer a much higher level of depth and insight than I personally do on this subject.

For those of you looking to make a quick purchase, I recommend an Audible membership, because with Amazon’s generous 30-day free trial, you can get any of the aforementioned titles without spending a dime!

That means instant access to the world’s largest selection of audiobooks and podcasts on any compatible Android or iOS device.

so it’s worth checking out an audible uk membership or an audius us alternative.

Now, let’s start with the individual reviews, shall we?

1. inverting the pyramid: the history of football tactics

One of my favorite hobbies is reading comments on soccer forums, particularly reddit. whenever a discussion centered on football books is in full swing, inverting the pyramid is almost always the first recommendation.

and rightly so!

The Inversion of the Pyramid documents the history of soccer tactics as author Jonathan Wilson takes readers back to the beginning.

He also recounts how tactics have evolved from the traditional high-weight formations prevalent in the past to the development of sophisticated styles of gegenpressing that have been pioneered primarily by German coaches such as Ralf Ragnick and Jurgen Klopp.

The book also takes a look at the changing role of today’s goalkeeper, who has gone from the sole job of keeping the ball out of the net and kicking it upfield, to being able to calmly distribute from behind and act as a “man 12” in the field.

2. zonal marking: the creation of modern European football

This zonal marking book takes a more limited approach than inverting the pyramid. specifically summarizes how European football in particular has developed over the last three decades.

In my opinion, the emphasis on the prevailing tactical styles in continental football is second to none. The book takes readers on a journey that begins with the attacking style of Real Madrid in the 1950s, before moving on to the defensive dominance of the Italians in the 1960s.

also takes a look at the ’70s “total football”-inspired Dutch side, as well as the early ’90s ajax team.

Overall, this book packs a punch and gives a great overview of modern European football.

3. The Mixer: The History of Major League Tactics, From Route One to the False Nines

now the premier league is without a doubt the most watched football league in the world.

and for good reason!

Entertainment value is very high, with games played at a breakneck pace, crisp tackles flying very frequently, and unlikely winners always a possibility (you only have to look back at the city of leicester a few years ago to see perhaps the best example of this).

if you are a fan of first division football, you must read the mixer. The book covers the development of major league tactics over the last 25 years, which is a period of time that coincides with the competition’s initial start.

When it all started in 1992, the league was famous for its sheer physicality and the vast majority of coaches favored the 4-4-2 formation, which was used to implement a direct “path one” style of play. the book documents a seismic shift in tactical preference from hitting to finicky, with the catalyst being the abolition of the back pass rule.

You’ll also read about how Sir Alex Ferguson was able to achieve dominance for years, as well as detailed excerpts on Jose Mourinho’s pragmatic Chelsea, Kevin Keegan’s entertaining Newcastle United, and Claudio Ranieri’s counter-attack in Leicester City.

4. mastering the premier league: the tactical concepts behind pep guardiola’s manchester city

It is safe to say that Pep Guardiola is considered one of the all-time greats in football management.

As a two-time champion of the UEFA Champions League, Premier League and multiple league and Bundesliga winner, Guardiola has undoubtedly left his tactical mark on the way this beautiful game is played today.

this fantastic piece of literature called mastering the premier league unravels the story of how pep perfected the tactical principles he established at barcelona and bayern munich to achieve unprecedented levels of success for manchester city, with the centurion season (the 100 city points in 2018/2019) as the absolute pinnacle.

5. soccer systems and strategies

This title focuses on building a style of play that matches the strengths of the players at a coach’s disposal.

Special attention is paid to the four main systems of play, with two coaches from the Danish national team looking at different strategies that can be used to counter any type of system used by an opposing team.

Football Systems and Strategies also includes a segment on how coaches can teach their players their chosen system through practice drills and physical instruction.

Since those reviews are out of the way, I will now acquaint beginners with some of the general tactical approaches that have been used by soccer coaches for generations.

what tactics are used in soccer?

in soccer, the team that scores the most goals in a match is declared the winner.

Coaches and coaches around the world use a variety of tactical approaches to achieve the desired end result of winning the match. these approaches can be categorized into a broad spectrum from “all-out attack” to “park the bus” defense.

here are some…

possession of the patient

In this tactical style, the goal is to keep the ball and advance down the field. the game often starts from the back, with the goalkeeper needing calm and passing ability to distribute the ball to defenders in front of him while under pressure from opposition forwards.

As a fan, you often hear the phrase “offense is the best form of defence” used in football discussions and it applies quite well here.

This is because, by keeping the ball longer than the opposition, the latter are less likely to cause an attacking threat through their own chances, as their own chances on the ball are limited.

Possession football is very effective in this sense, and you can see how coaches like Pep Guardiola have predominantly used this tactical style, which has led him to win various trophies and recognition as a coach.

counterattack

jose mourinho’s real madrid was very efficient in implementing a counterattacking tactical style. the goal was to break regularly by letting the opponent have the ball and numbing him into sending more men forward while he had possession.

As soon as an opposition move failed, they would make a very quick transition from their own half to the other end of the pitch, with Mesut Ozil often launching precise passes to Cristiano Ronaldo down the left flank and Karim Benzema upstairs.

It is a style of football that requires a lot of discipline because the team will generally have less time on the ball.

defensive

defensive tactical styles vary considerably in terms of approach.

for example, the catenaccio system is based on having a well organized defensive five; with four players assigned to guard the opposing attacker, and a defensive “sweeper” whose role would be to intercept penetrating opposition through balls and cover players running behind.

what is the best soccer formation?

this is another question that is asked quite frequently among fans of the beautiful game. and ironically, there is no universal answer.

A formation will be ideal or suitable if it amplifies the strengths of the team while reducing its weaknesses. furthermore, a good formation is one that is well suited to the players a coach has at his disposal.

for example, it is well documented that the catalyst for chelsea’s premier league triumph in 2017 was antonio conte’s switch from a back 4 formation to a 3-4-3 formation.

Following their loss against Arsenal, they recorded several successive victories, with Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso playing full-back roles, and David Luiz offering further protection as a central defender in a three-man defence.

The player roles and the change in formation meshed very well and ultimately made the team a success that season.

here is an informative video explaining this:

final summary

And that brings me to the end of this product roundup on the best soccer tactics books. I hope you found this post revealing.

There is so much to learn about soccer tactics and each of the titles I have listed does a fantastic job of covering the more sophisticated and technical aspects of the game we love and enjoy.

Now that I’ve given you more than a sneak peek into the endless galaxy of soccer tactics, go ahead and grab something to read!

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