The 21st edition of the football World Cup may be yet to kick off, but there have already been serious discussions on the various strategies and formations that each team will adopt. Beginning today, we will analyse some of the tactical formations and positions in modern football. Let's start with the False 9.
If you're a Harry Potter fan, you will be familiar with 9¾, a fictional train platform located at King's Cross Station in London. In modern football too there is an ‘invisible’ position known as the False 9. Players with multiple skills who have the ability to don the roles of an unconventional lone striker or centre-forward or midfielder normally occupy this position.
The term comes from the traditional number for centre-forwards (nine), but his role is also similar to that of a more advanced attacking midfielder/playmaker.
Football’s traditional formations never had the False 9, arguably the toughest of the roles on a football pitch. They are guerilla fighters deployed to create havoc among rival defences. In Russia too, we will get to see the exploits of some of the best False 9s in the business.
Who is the False 9?
To put it simply, the False 9 is an unconventional lone striker who drops deep into midfield or the centre-forward position. His primary role is to cause confusion among opposing centre-backs by drawing them towards himself and create space for the team’s strikers. The rival defenders would be caught in two minds on whether they need to follow the False 9 into midfield or stick with their partner and maintain their defensive line. Their dilemma will provide the other forwards with ample time and space to unleash an attack.
Where do they play?
The False 9 is normally positioned at the area between the rival box and the central line and floats around the corridor between the rival forwards and midfielders. As mentioned earlier, the False 9 should have multiple skills in order to perfect the role. He should be able to drop deep and feed his teammates with defence-splitting passes, and should have the knack to latch onto the ball in front of goal when chances come his way.
Origin of the term
In the early days, when there were no squad numbers, the traditional centre-forward used to wear the number 9 jersey. As coaches started to break free from the shackles of tactical rigidity and found success with more outlandish and daring formations, players wearing the number 9 shirt started to drop down into midfield, and as a result, they no longer were considered as ‘true number 9’. That’s how the term 'False 9' was coined.
False 9 stars
The Austrian national team of 1930s who were popularly known as the Wunderteam was the first international side to experiment with the False 9 position. Their charismatic centre-forward Matthias Sindelar was one of the first strikers to have played that role effectively. In modern football, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi has played it to perfection under Pep Guardiola. Some of the star players who have excelled in the False 9 position are Francesco Totti for Roma, Robin van Persie for Arsenal, and Cesc Fabregas for Spain. In the 2012 Euro Cup final, Vicente Del Bosque’s Spain took the field without a single striker, playing Fabregas as the False 9, and beat Italy 4-1.
False 9s in Russia
With the False 9 position becoming mainstream in recent times, it is going to be a key strategy for teams featuring in the latest edition of the World Cup. Since the False 9 should have exceptional dribbling skills, eye for killer passes, long- and short-range finishing and good awareness of the game, the team’s best player will be assigned to this task. Some of the star players who could be donning that role in Russia 2018 will be Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Paulo Dybala (Argentina), Roberto Firmino (Brazil), Mesut Ozil (Germany) and Isco (Spain).
How to negate the False 9?
A 4-2-3-1 formation will not give much space for the False 9 to break free. This strategy, also termed as ‘Parking the bus tactic’ will keep the backline congested and shunt the False 9 out of the game. Another way to counter the False 9 is to give a centre-back the freedom to follow him all over the pitch and isolate him from his teammates while the remaining defenders can focus on holding the line.