On the 1st September 2001, Germany were humiliated on home turf, a 5-1 thrashing by England providing one of the darkest nights in the DFB’s recent football history. Fast forward to July 2014, and Germany are the World Champions, becoming the first European team to win the trophy in South America.
What does this have to do with Aston Villa though? The answer – the importance of reinvention and being able to tear things down when they aren’t working.
It is precisely these kinds of skills and abilities, fused with strong football knowledge, that has lead Germany to the top of the pile. It isn’t about specific formations or styles – there is no universal “one way beats all logic” in football – it is about understanding your opposition and knowing how best to nullify their threats whilst allowing your team to flourish.
The solution to nullifying the best teams in the World Cup in 2014 is, understandably, completely different to how to best the greatest teams of the early era of the World Cup in the 1930s. To expect anything different is, to be frank, absurd and idiotic – times move on and things change. Maybe, in many decades time, the pendulum will swing back and the likes of 2-3-5 will be seen again, though one would imagine such a change is some way off yet – perhaps longer than my own lifetime will allow me to see.
The overarching point is this – tactics, on their own, are no guaranteed way of winning a game in the absence of not knowing who your opponent is or how they will play. Playing 4-5-1, for example, is not inherently worse than playing 4-4-2 because it has less attackers. In much the same manner, passing and attractive football is not inherent to winning – there is more to contemplate than just playing this way or that.
Before German football became the latest big focus of football – prompting headlines near and far about how “the German way” is how to do things – there was Barcelona and tika-taka. Predictably, there was a sudden favouritism for Spanish football and how things are done – “If we’re to be successful, we have to be Barcelona.” stated many plaid shirt wearing hipster types, whilst presumably drinking some specialist micro brewed beer whilst chiding any other way of thinking. “It’s La Liga style or nothing.”
But, as Spain crashed out of the World Cup, it turns out such an analysis is, as expect, far too facile to be any kind of argument. To suggest that doing it like whoever is successful at the present moment makes you, at best, a copycat, a poor echo of rehashed and overdone rhethoric offering little to no insight about the game itself. The irony there, is that the hipster – supposedly diferent way of thinking – is just another sheep logic, following predictable and tired logic or, in even worse circumstances, holding on to systems that don’t work anymore, or changing the subject to – surprise, surprise – themselves and their clearly expert knowledge about how they’d turn Villa round.
The short answer – you wouldn’t. You wouldn’t because this isn’t a career you’ve chosen to lead. You can’t – in any career – casually amble along and make out like you’re the latest Jose Mourinho by having no more European knowledge than paying for Sky Sports 5, or just by quoting names of random players who are neither unattainable nor relevant to anyone outside of your own head.
Think about such an egocentric mentality – one that, despite vocalisations of being different, is actually just on the same bandwagon as many others.
Is that any way to really progress? Did the world’s greatest artists – the true revolutionaries – think to themselves that the best thing to do was, y’know, paint a better Mona Lisa? Or did they think with open minds about the potential of what could be achieved with some real understanding, some actual view of what is possible when you don’t limit yourself to the same old thinking.
Football is an inherently complex game as a profession. In essence, the game itself is simple – 22 players and a ball – but, as any professional will tell you, there’s far more to it than just that.
Much depends on circumstances, and on the available options – look at Roberto Martinez and the difference between his Wigan team that got relegated and his Everton team that were in the hunt for fourth. He could have played the exact same way at both sides, but it wouldn’t generate the same outcome – precisely the same way that just seeing something work in another team doesn’t make it right or effective for us.
To assume otherwise, whilst engaging in egocentric and overly simplistic arguments, is foolish. Yes, Barcelona were a good team, and will continue to be. Yes, the Bundesliga has been successful, but neither team became who they are by copying others – they got there with a view to do things differently, to find out how to beat their opponents in a different way. That doesn’t make tika taka any better than anything else – a system is a system and it only has as much use as its shelf life will allow. Beyond that, any clinging to this system or that system is just, well, clinging on to the past when the present is an ever-changing time.
So, as Villa face a new horizon, change may bring success but, as with anything else, it is far from any kind of certainty, no matter what mantra or logic is applied by whoever stays in charges at the club long term.
The Author
Matt Turvey
Matt is the owner of, and chief writer for, Aston Villa Life. He is also a columnist for the Wolverhampton Express & Star, appearing in the Kick Off pullout on Saturdays and the Final Whistle pullout the Monday after Aston Villa play, as well as every Thursday as a blogger on their website. He has previously been featured as a writer on Football365 and Life's A Pitch, and was a regular pundit for Sports Tonight TV on Sky.Comments 18
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Welcome back Matt.
Interesting point, “any clinging to this system or that system is just, well, clinging on to the past ” I think my biggest problem with Lambert was just that – we were a one trick pony. It strangely worked against some of the bigger teams but failed miserably against teams around us. Will Roy bring in a different way of thinking,, certainly hope so.
Judging by the second half of last night Lambert has no plans on changing anything. Counter attack 433 again which all know is useless at home but Lambert still hasn’t realised that. Was hoping Keane would change something but looks to be the same
ZOGGY LOOKED sharper and dangerous, can’t be having that in our team, Lambert to sell. Glad Bent got an assist. We didn’t create much what so ever though, which also is no surprise
Hopefully we can get Young in for An out and out winger
Neil Young–right–for the music at half time
if PL is copying another team l feel truly sorry for their fans , and who are they ?
off topic , lm dropping daughter to norfolk saturday , wish l wasnt , our Ged (off AVL) is having a pig roast at the cider mill (think its Evesham) and he’s looking to top his fund-raising to £90’000 . and in anyones books thats a bloody massive achievment ( Cancer research ) you can donate on line , but l just sent him cash in a envelope and it all adds up , whats a stamp and the price of a couple of pints .
steamer lm trying to get out of it so dont book anything for saturday , we could pop in mate ,
S75,
Have you got a link to Ged’s fund raising?
Hi matt i know he sent something to me on F/B . l will message you later mate , l think lm dropping down sat , nearly out of going to norfolk ,
Matt
its ” Relay for life Evesham” . donate to ged
Whats the old saying….Adapt or Die?
Thats what we are lacking adaptability, we play the same old formation with the same old outcome. Surely Lamberk can see this, if he cant then i only hope that Keane tells him how it is. Gone are the days when a manager could say “why should i change my game plan to deal with them, let them change theirs to deal with us.
You are right Matt, the game has become more complicated and also its become more tactical, move and counter move, we however are stagnating into oblivion. We cannot change the course of a game by changing players like for like, as you say we need to think a little differently.
Is PL the type of manager that can achieve what we need, i doubt it, and yes resources are somewhat to blame. However a forward thinking manager would utilise every available option to achieve the same result. Ours however chooses to repeat the same mistakes over and over, maybe he’s just to stubborn to think he needs to change anything.
Whatever the reasoning behind his decision making if he doesn’t adapt this season he will surely do irreparable damage to his reputation and our club!
Sorry forgot to say…Great to see you back Matt!
Rod. nah he’s just a knob.
Strange that we win with mostly pre Lambert players. what the fook was Herd doing ?
Is PL the type of manager that can achieve what we need?
Sam- No
Steamer- I have horrible feeling Lambert might be planning for Herd to be our midfield savour
Joe Cole injured already. He won’t be playing much.
Could maybe do with a number 10 who you know, can actually manage to play a lot of games. Lambert played Grealish, but out of position.
ST75- do you havE a rough idea of when the jobs on the flats will be if you get it?
steamer
were going to Geds charity hog roast saturday at the cider mill , 3pm till 6 . i will drive , as it could get messy if l stay on cider all day , you can get pissed for once ,
frem it would be in 2 weeks time mate , for about 2/3 weeks , next week l got to fit a steamroom for jessie at my house , only had it 12 months and the nagging is finally getting to me …lol
theres a cider Mango/strawberry from morrissons , quite nice, its swedish ,
Hi Matt,
What stayed with me from the MON era was his belief that the system doesn’t make the players rather the players make the system.
What we need at Villa and in the England setup are players who are technically sound and have high football IQ. These players also should have a chance to play and develop together as a squad over a number of years and should have the skill and understanding to shift between various systems or to make natural adjustments during games with or without being told to do so by the manager/coach.
Get top players in and all of a sudden you’re made to look like a genius but to do that you need to have an excellent academy (Villa’s renowned academy to this point has a poor track record at the highest level where it matters and England’s player development compared with the Germans also leaves a lot to be desired as we know) or spend a lot of money; we claim to have the former without producing the goods in the first team squad, let’s hope Grealish and Gardner step up this year, and definitely won’t be doing the latter til Randy sells the Club and that doesn’t appear eminent either.
UTV
Matt: …Football is an inherently complex game as a profession. In essence, the game itself is simple – 22 players and a ball – but, as any professional will tell you, there’s far more to it than just that. …
A fine article but, you know, I sometimes think that the fact that the game has got more complicated is to make up for the lack of real football ability … or skill.
And in making it complicated some of the basics often seem to go with it … such as having genuine enthusiasm and love of the game itself: “the beautiful game” it was once called.
Commitment and on-going willingness to learn usually seems to disappear by the time a young star gets to 20, and seems to be the reason behind why so many of Villa’s starlets got too far.
Congrats on passing youe exams Frem – get in son – propa tings
Ged’s pig roast saturday , at the cider mill 135 pershore rd ,Evesham WR11 2PQ , between 3pm and 6pm , me and steamer are going , if anyone fancies it , hoping to top the £90.000.
frem can let you know more about that job from monday , sorting quote .(((
Runtins
if he helps me on this job , he’ll have wished he became a plumber , lol
Hope your enjoying the sun Jenny xxx
Hi, all…
Glad Villa managed to get a result. We know it doesn’t count for much, but winning is never bad.
Enjoyed the article, Matt. As I watched as many World Cup games as I could, I was struck by the influence of so many players from “lesser” footballing nations who have now spent time at European clubs. There were some bus-parkings and muggings, but overall, good football.
I was also struck by the inevitable countermeasure to tiki-taka. Yes, Spain are aging, but the blueprint to beating them is out there, and so the fashion will shift. I couldn’t help thinking that the Mourinho style, for shorthand, is stepping to the fore. Strong and organized at the back, capable of possession and soaking up pressure, being disruptive and physical, winning the ball back and moving quickly into available space with strong, assured moves and good finishers.
Nothing “revolutionary” there, but that’s really the essence of the current winning formula. Passing it into the net has just gotten too difficult at the moment.
I also wanted to give a shout out to Ron Vlaar. I’ve always rated him, and he had a very good cup, obviously. Even though they’re usually my favorite side, I hadn’t seen much of the Dutch prior, and didn’t realize he’d be anchoring the back three. He did it with aplomb. Very calm, nothing flashy. He reads the game well, distributes well, and when playing with decent players who know what they’re doing, can really shine. He didn’t look outclassed at all.
Was gutted for him on the penalty. I loved the confidence, but I don’t know why on earth Ron Vlaar would be in the first five, never mind taking the first kick instead of Robben or Sneijder or Kuyt, etc.
Anyway, the point is well taken, Matt. Enjoyed the read, good to see you back on. Getting down to the final stretch on the house, will move in and re-emerge just in time for what promises to be another white-knuckler of a season.