The Evolution Through The Years

With so much at stake in one of the world’s top domestic leagues, managers and their assistants work tirelessly to devise tactics and plans to give them an advantage. One of the reasons it’s called “the beautiful game” is because there are dozens of ways to win.

Some involve pure skill and tenacity, some teams win with sheer will, determination and organisation, and others focus their attack on one key player who can turn the game on its head with a single moment of brilliance.

Looking at the top Premier League managers is only the starting point when discussing the evolution of tactics. Some managers like Arsène Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson changed their tactics over time to create different sets of successful squads. Conversely, some managers such as José Mourinho and Pep Guardiola imported their successful styles from overseas and had an immediate impact in England.

The formative years

English football in the 1980s was a tempestuous affair – for many older fans and purists, this was the best version of the game. No players were diving, few were on mega money and the hard-tackling yet skilful teams of the 1980s varied in quality, but all had their moments.

Although teams like Everton and Liverpool dominated mostly throughout this period, the Premier League ushered in the beginning of a new era when more money came into the sport, and deeper levels of analysis and punditry came into focus.

Expert opinion and analysis became a focal point for many, and this accelerated the evolution of the game. Managers such as Sir Alex pioneered a new era of psychology to ensure his team had a winner’s mentality. While there was still a lot of the ruggedness of the 1980s, more players from overseas on more considerable money and with greater flair came into the league, and this caused a shift in tactics as the 1990s progressed.

Manchester United

We could write an entire article on the evolution of Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson’s tactics throughout this period. Since they have won more Premier Leagues than any other club, exploring the legendary Scotsman’s tactics seems like the most appropriate place to begin. One of the critical things that Ferguson always maintained was that he needed to have a mentally strong set of leaders in the dressing room.

It started with England talisman and United legend Bryan Robson in the early 1990s, before focusing on the unbreakable, serial winner Roy Keane as the decade progressed. Throughout this period,…