Tactics fade, style is eternal

If Real Madrid really want to catch up with Barcelona, they need to find their style and implement it in all age groups

by

Pep and Mou. CC

The famous fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent determined that “Fashions fade, style is eternal.”

I don’t know how much Saint Laurent was into football, but the same could be said on the beautiful game: “Tactics fade, style is eternal”.

Tactics change because of many variables: offside rule changes, scientific advances, politics etc. Style, though, is eternal. When learned properly.

One of the most important things Johan Cruyff did for Barcelona was to import from Holland the unique footballing philosophy which dictated Barca’s style of nonstop movement and passing.

Cruyff gave the club style that was to be played in all the age groups. For Barca, tactics are just a mere tool that assists their players’ eternal style to be realised. That means that even in the toughest of times, Barcelona’s players can always go back to their style, which was drilled into them since they were kids and they are comfortable with. Real Madrid’s players can’t.

Yesterday, Pep Guardiola played with, basically, 3 center backs (Puyol, Pique and Abidal). Sergio Busquets was the defensive midfielder that added extra cover to the defenders and freed Dani Alves to open up the game from the right. The rest of Barca’s players were in a free role, guided by their intelligence and style, they know how to use like a deadly weapon. It killed Real Madrid, that relied on the tactical genius of Jose Mourinho.

If Real Madrid really want to catch up with Barcelona, they need to find their style and implement it in all age groups.

WHAT TO DO NOW?

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3 Comments

  1. Aviad added these pithy words on December 11, 2011 | Permalink

    I highly disagree. First of all, this solution also requires Real Madrid to start relying heavily on home grown players rather than buying players. What good would Madrid’s “own style” do when on the pitch you have just one player that has grown in the club’s youth structure and that’s the keeper?
    Second of all, that solution suggests that there is only one way to build a great team. That is clearly not the case. A far better solution will be to build a team and stick to it, let the players grow together as a team, regardless of where they came from, so that in times of need, the players will know to rely on each other and will know how to adapt to a change in circumstance, no matter how big a change, simply by knowing how their teammates think and act.

  2. shivam singh added these pithy words on December 11, 2011 | Permalink

    d way
    we played dat match was nt gd at
    all we were strugling throughout
    d first half nd kno what if it
    woudnt had been ronaldos
    fullishness who knows we ma8
    have been morning for d la liga
    title ra8 nw. Besides mourinho
    could have easily gone for a draw
    dat suited em d best bt inspiet he
    wanted to win it as it would have
    finished d catalans hope for d
    title . Still we won dats gr8 bt
    barca is strugling for dere games
    ra8 nw nd dats an undeniable fact

  3. shivam singh added these pithy words on December 11, 2011 | Permalink

    nd besides mourinhos tactics nearly paid off dey were all ovr d field, dey had so many chances as well nd dat also must score chances bt ronaldo was d vielen of d day. The madrid players had nearly outplayed d catalans in d first half den in d first 10 mins of d second half. Mourinho knew d pros nd cones of d match he took d risk . He knew dat even after loosing dis game it would nt affect em dat much as it would have to the barcans . Nd deres no doubt dat d current madrid side is playing to dere peack nd the catalans are strugling great. M a die hard barca fan bt yesterday medrid was a better side nd d catalans werent gd at dere style as u r saying here. Hope nw dat sooner then later dey get back to dere best nd become invincable again. Visca barca

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