While the 'Danube School' helped popularise the role in central Europe, the false 9 was also used by teams such as River Plate in Argentina and the Uruguay National Team. He played for the fantastic Austrian National Team of the 30’s which earnt itself the nickname the wunderteam since it played such brilliant soccer. Instead, he would bring the rest of his attacking teammates into play with the space he created through his movement and passing ability. The most famous early example of this type of striker is Matthias Sindelar, a slender and technical player who dropped deep to avoid bruising battles with huge centre-backs. While a traditional number 9 is expected to lead the line, battle against centre-backs, and put the ball in the net more often that not…Īs early as the 1920’s teams were already using strikers who dropped deep to create havoc and impact the play further away from the goal. Now that we know what a false 9 is, when did it first come about and what are some more recent examples of teams playing with one? Using their vision, creativity, and fantastic passing ability to open up goal-scoring opportunities.Īlthough they do operate in roughly the same parts of the pitch, the difference is that the false 9 drops into this space to impact the game while the number 10 is free to float around, keep the ball, and instigate play from deep if necessary. The latter, for example, always has a striker in front of them and they usually sit in the 'hole' between the opposition's midfield and defence. While the false 9 role may sound somewhat similar to that of an attacking midfielder or support striker in the number 10 role, there are a number of differences. If they follow the false 9 they risk getting dragged out of position which in turn opens up space in behind them for their opponents to exploit.īut if they don't pick them up, the false 9 has more time on the ball and space in which to operate and they can either attempt to dribble past the defence in front of them or pick out a dangerous pass. The attacking player in this role drops deeper than most strikers to set up attacks, and this is very troublesome for the opposition's centre-backs who must then decide whether to track the false 9 and stray from their position or drop off and give them space in which to operate. In contrast to the traditional number 9 who is the furthest player up the pitch and acts as a focal point for the team, the false 9 operates much deeper and there is not as much focus on them to hold up the ball or be on the end of every ball into the box. While the false 9 lines up at the start of the match in the position normally taken up by the centre-forward, their approach and what is expected of them is quite different… Let's take a look at what is expected of players playing in the false 9 role, some of the pros and cons of using it, and how Guardiola's team swept up all trophies before them using a false 9.Ī false 9 is a deep-lying striker who operates between where a traditional number 9 centre forward and a playmaker number 10 would usually play. Operating neither as an out and out number 9 or as a playmaker number 10, the false 9 is an interesting and unique role in soccer.īut what does it actually involve and how did it come about? Out of fashion for many decades, it has resurfaced of late and players such as Messi, Firmino, and Totti have all played the role to devastating effect.ĭropping into space, drawing defenders out of position, and hitting the opponent with a dazzling dribble or dangerous through ball. While the 'False 9' has been used to great effect in recent years by Guardiola's mesmerising Barcelona and Del Bosque's Spain who won Euro 2012, the role surprisingly dates all the way back to the 1920’s and 30’s when the Uruguay National Team used it during a World Cup. Throughout the history of soccer, tactical innovations have continually pushed the game forward as each generation of coaches has looked to gain an advantage over their opponents.
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