Nerds and nostalgic people – 02/17/2024 – Tostão

We need to know the past to understand the present and plan and dream about the future. We cannot be modern and think that life and football began with the internet and millions of statistics, nor can we be nostalgic, arguing that everything in the past was better and more authentic. Then, as now, there were very good and very bad teams and players.

Collectively, there is no doubt that football today is more intense, there is more pressure to recover the ball, there are more tactical variations, rehearsed plays and that players perform more technical actions, such as goalkeepers who know how to play outside the goal, defenders who There are better passes, athletes who cross stronger and more dangerous balls and other details.

On the other hand, there was more charm in the past. What we cannot do is think that football was always as good as that of the world champion teams and the great Brazilian teams that shone for decades, such as Pelé’s Santos and Garrincha’s Botafogo.

Modern football mixes the past with the present. In the previous column, I wrote that Real Madrid beat Girona without having a fixed striker, as Bellingham in the center and Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo on the wings positioned themselves in Real’s field when the team was attacked.

In a fraction of seconds the three reached the opposing area. It reminded me of Bangu in the 50s when the center forward Parada would retreat and throw it to the fast wingers who would enter diagonally to receive the ball behind the defenders’ backs. Thus, Bangu became Rio de Janeiro champions.

Manchester City travels back in time and attacks like the beginning of football, in 1863 when teams played with two defenders, three midfielders and five forwards (2-3-5).

City’s two full-backs form a trio of playmakers along with midfielder Rodry. The two midfielders advance and join the trio of attackers (two wingers and a center forward, forming a line of five in attack).

City can play like this with great success because when they lose the ball in the opponent’s half they recover it quickly, because the team rarely misses a pass and because the goalkeeper and the quick defenders position themselves correctly to receive the counterattack.

City’s philosophy and game began with the beginning of football in 1863. To avoid physical confrontation, the first English coach asked the players to get closer to facilitate the exchange of passes. This is how City, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Fluminense and many other teams around the world play, although several coaches prefer long passes and the rush to reach the goal.

Fernando Diniz often moves the great midfielder André back to the defense to facilitate the pass from behind. I don’t attach importance to this behavior because André is missing in midfield and the team already has a defender with good passing (Felipe Melo). This is not new. In the 70’s World Cup, Zagalo replaced midfielder Piazza to be a defender and improve the defense’s passing, as substitute Fontana only kicked.

Current Brazilian football has incorporated scientific knowledge, which is essential, but it is experiencing an identity crisis. He is confused, not knowing what he wants, torn between the past and

The present, between the individual and the collective, between tactical discipline and improvisation, between passing and dribbling, between active and reactive play, between the real and the ideal and between the beauty of the spectacle and the increase in audience , of billing, it doesn’t have to be one thing or another.

The biggest teams in the world use different philosophies in the same match depending on the moment. The future has already arrived.

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