One of the most compelling arguments that people have made against the state of today’s football is that it’s too tactical, too robotic, and too physically driven. Skill is something that appears less flashy, less creative, and more clinical than ever.
It’s the idea that passion is at an all-time low, especially with how stratospherically business-oriented the sport has become. It’s the argument that a modern game doesn’t automatically mean a better game.
However, this article will go in the other direction and celebrate the contribution of today’s tactics to the overall evolution of the sport. In all fairness, it certainly seems like physical fitness and discipline are at an all-time high, proving invaluable to how teams play the game.
Since managers/coaches are the architects of this progression and the baton is clearly going to the new generation, it certainly seems like these names will continue to be influential and probably successful!
Pep Guardiola – The Progenitor of the Present Day
While most of this list will include multiple managers who are on the rise and still need to prove their consistency going forward, modern tactics owe much of their existence, implementation, and philosophical prowess to the one and only Pep Guardiola.
At this point, it would be almost redundant to look into his resume and quote his achievements because they are what they are: dominance. It’s a testament to a certain type of talent that has always required excellence in order to prove dominant. It’s also quite clearly proof that this is a way that actually works.
In fact, one could argue (and there have been plenty who have done so) that modern football’s mega-tactical profile is because of him. Those who see this possession-heavy style that emphasizes rigor and positional know-how, detract from his dominance and see it as a way of eliminating true creativity from the game.
Yes, the likes of Gündoğan, De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, and Foden have been magical, but they have always done so within a matrix of play that is almost native to the Guardiola philosophy.
His influence over the modern game also happens to be the blueprint that has inspired names like Mikel Arteta (who is, in many ways, an extension of Guardiola’s style despite being his own manager), but also Enzo Maresca, who has had an arguably overachieving debut campaign relative to the expectations (but not to squad value).
Guardiola continues to be an institution of football that will be the blueprint for how many teams are playing the game years beyond his eventual retirement. Betting against Guardiola is rarely a good proposition, as City had a disastrous 2024/25 campaign until he stabilized the team and brought it back to the Champions League spots.
Julian Nagelsmann – The Latest Proponent of Gegenpressing
Much has been made of the genepressing philosophy ever since Klopp’s style made it famous at Dortmund and Liverpool. We’ve also hyped it to surprising degrees when we started to attribute it to various managers who have emphasized pressing without focusing on the required timing, which is incredibly direct.
By all accounts, Nagelsmann is a detail-oriented manager whose style is all about an analytical breakdown of an opponent and their ability to stay in a game. His teams have always been dynamic and have made it very important to play with high energy and a tempo that feels overwhelming and outright serious.
Given that Nagelsmann has had a relatively weird career for being so young, it’s certainly interesting to see how he continues to go ahead once he inevitably returns to club football. In the past, odds have associated him with the United and Spurs jobs, not to mention Chelsea.
Given that the Bayern door has already closed, it certainly feels like the Premier League is the next step, which is to say that openings can always pop up if the right project starts taking shape.
Xabi Alonso – The Ultimate Pragmatic
The 2023/24 Bayer Leverkusen campaign has proven that Xabi Alonso is as imposing and imperial a manager as he has always been on the field. His ability to succeed outside the comfort zone of his native Spain is something that has always felt like an incredible achievement, especially by doing so both in England and Germany.
When writing this article, it’s all but confirmed that he is the next in line to take the reins of the monstrously talented squad of Real Madrid – a club he has graced during his playing days.
His incredible achievements with Leverkusen have proven that he is already a proven quantity, but there are other advantages to him that make him such a hot commodity.
From a tactical standpoint, his pragmatism has felt like he is an uncanny combination of both Guardiola and Mourinho, whose philosophies have been at odds ever since they were both managing in Spain.
His teams are the ultimate siege engines of extreme will and toughness that can overwhelm the opponent when off the ball, while controlling possession when on the ball. Such a combination has always felt like it takes the best principles of the 21st century.
Testimonials have also proven his ability to instill mental resilience into his players, something that Mourinho’s teams have always had. The percentage of comebacks by Leverkusen is astonishing and the source of the famous ‘Neverlusen’ moniker that has felt so mercurial in 2024.
Finally, his background as an incredibly disciplined and talented tactician on the field, combined with his youth as a high-level manager, make him both respectable and relatable for his players, which is yet another psychological element that is integral to his strategic view on football.
He is currently the distant favorite to take the job at Real and climb the mountaintop of managerial prestige, with odds as high as 6/4.
Andoni Iraola – Fast-Paced Football
If we were to summarize the Andoni Iraola tactics, we could say that they’re slick. He is a new-age manager who seems to be departing from the Guardiola tree of absolute possession, instead opting for a more straightforward approach that focuses on dynamic wing play and a strong midfield that is very focused on the transitions required for today’s fast-paced football.
In fact, we can look into his style; we observe that it’s very opportunistic and transitional. His teams adopt high pressing that always looks to create turnovers and destabilize the opposing team.
It’s an alert style that requires an even higher level of concentration on the moves of the opponent. Not having possession of the ball means being acutely focused and reactive to the movements of the ball and its holders.
As such, the alert nature of Iraola’s tactical style makes the team particularly dangerous due to its strong desire and success to regain the ball very high, with 6.3 total turnovers in the attacking third, according to Thom Harris’ Iraola tactical analysis in The Athletic.
Iraola’s ability to uplift his players, including his help in rejuvenating Solanke during the 2023/2024 season, has been one of his main traits, showing that strategy involves individual development as well.
Conclusion
To end this article, we can see that football tactics are actually starting to diverge from the possession tree that has mostly turned into a standard approach.
With how important it is for the players to focus and be ready to keep a consistent intensity throughout incredibly long seasons, tactics have become a form of relief that allows them to know their roles and succeed. When that level of concentration break or injuries appear, it’s then when results start to dip.
Overall, we can clearly see that the coaching world of football still has luminaries who are pushing the game forward. As some of them continue to progress in their careers, it’s very interesting to see how these styles materialize.
