Playo
 
Playo Playo

Your Sports Community App

PLAYO
  • Home
  • Badminton
  • Football
  • Cricket
  • Tennis
  • Quiz
  • Football

Have You Heard Of The Term “False No. 9”?

  • October 7, 2017
  • Diganth Shetty
false no. 9 mario goetze

The False 9 is essentially a decoy center-forward in a side deliberately set up without a dedicated striker. Instead of playing as the furthest man forward in his team’s set-up, the False 9 drops deeper into midfield at every opportunity for tactical reasons and doesn’t hang around the penalty box.

Who made it popular?

Nobody will ever forget Pep Guardiola’s iconic reign at Barcelona where they won everything club football has to offer and played some divine football. Their devastating patch was largely helped by the legendary Lionel Messi destroying defenses and scoring for fun. Messi is Messi, but this small tactical tweak of playing him as a ‘False 9’ was instrumental in helping him rip apart teams so effectively.

false no . 9 formation

However, much before that, credit goes to the Austrian national team in the 1930s for popularizing it when Matthias Sindelar played as a withdrawn centre-forward and caused mayhem among rival defenders. Francesco Totti for Roma, under Luciano Spaletti’s innovative 4-6-0 formation, is a popular modern example. After Totti’s success, many teams experimented with it across Europe. However, Messi with his superb ability and vision took it to a different level and reaped success after success with Barcelona. At the international level, Vicente Del Bosque played Cesc Fabregas, a proper midfielder, in a false 9 position during their successful Euro 2012 campaign.

What skills does a False 9 need?

The skills required to be an effective false 9 are similar to those of a deep-lying striker. They need to be top dribblers of the ball and must possess the razor-sharp vision to play killer passes to players advancing from deep. They must be tactically intelligent players who can function as effective links to their midfield. Popular players, besides Messi, who has experimented in this role, include Robin van Persie and Mario Goetze.

Why does it work and when does it fail?

Generally with a regular center-forward, one of the central defenders tracks him and the other covers for his partner, but with a false 9, both the center-backs during a developing opposition attack are left free. This causes confusion in their ranks as to whether one of them should follow the false 9 into midfield or maintain their defensive lines with their partners, hence giving attackers the space to exploit.

football tackles

Opposition managers eventually figured out inherent weaknesses in the false 9 strategies. One major approach to stop false 9s has been to create a crowded midfield by bringing several players back into a more defensive role. This is done to deny them the space needed to create and build up plays. Generally, a 4-2-3-1 formation played with a deep line won’t allow much space for the false 9 to dictate play. Jose Mourinho’s “parking the bus” tactic has been lampooned often but was instrumental in dismantling the false no 9 system. Another tactic is to allow a mobile central defender to track the false 9’s movements everywhere on the pitch while hoping the remaining defenders stay organized and maintain a disciplined line.

…and finally, why the term False no. 9?

Back in the old days, center-forwards used to wear the number 9. There was no concept of assigning any squad number to players as we see today. So, when the ‘number 9’ didn’t play his traditional role, he was no longer a true ‘number 9’ and that’s when the term ‘False no. 9’ came into being.

Read: 6 Types Of Football Forwards You Can See In The Sport
Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Share 0
Share 0
Related Topics
  • Football
Diganth Shetty

A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in football and fitness. An avid conversationalist on everything football-related

Previous Article
football forwards
  • Football

6 Types Of Football Forwards You Can See In The Sport

  • October 6, 2017
  • Diganth Shetty
View Post
Next Article
pick the right sport for your children
  • Fitness and Well-being

Picking The Right Sport: Here’s All You Need To Know

  • October 8, 2017
  • Kameswari Kovvali
View Post
You May Also Like
Football penalty kicks
View Post
  • Football
  • Tips
  • Tips & Techniques

5 Awesome Tips to Become a Boss at Football Penalty Kick

  • Playo
  • December 8, 2021
football boots under 500
View Post
  • Boots
  • Football

Best Football Shoes Under 500 You Must Consider (2022)

  • Govind Pillai
  • December 6, 2021
Football warm ups kids
View Post
  • Football
  • Football for Fitness

How to Warm up Kids Before a Football Match?

  • Playo
  • November 22, 2021
View Post
  • Football

5 Must Use Football Innovations

  • Playo
  • September 15, 2021
Football tips that will revalutionize the game
View Post
  • Football
  • Techniques

Modern Day Football Tactics Revolutionizing the Game

  • Playo
  • September 13, 2021
Tips for football lovers
View Post
  • Football

5 Important Tips for Football Lovers in the Upcoming Season

  • Playo
  • September 13, 2021
5 a-side football formations
View Post
  • Football
  • Techniques

6 Killer Formations In 5 a-side Football | Playo

  • Daanish Suhail
  • June 7, 2021
FootballTactics CAM
View Post
  • Football
  • Tips

Tips for Central Attacking Midfielder

  • Prashanth Clement Paul
  • June 1, 2021
4 comments
  1. Pingback: What Type Of Football Midfielder Are You? - Playo
  2. Pingback: How The Historic Panenka Chip Came Into Being? - Playo
  3. Pingback: Wondering How To Play Long Ball, We Will Help You | Playo
  4. Pingback: Why Are Traditional Centre-Backs Diminishing In World Football | Playo - Playo

Comments are closed.

Recent Posts
  • Play It Forward – Sharing the Gift of Playing January 31, 2023
  • The Birth of American Football January 30, 2023
  • Gymkhana – Sport or Sports Club? January 10, 2023
  • Suresh Raina Turns 36: 6 Facts About India’s Best Southpaw November 27, 2022
  • The Rise and Fall of Hockey in India November 21, 2022
Instagram Feed
Abdul Poonawala says team sports are a great way to build rapport, trust and faith with your team members.
You know what they say, health is wealth 😉
*glub glub glub glub glub* 🤤
I wish you all the very best beating me 😬
Follow
Playo Playo
The world’s largest sports community, connecting millions of people to the sports they love

© 2022 TechMash Solutions Private Limited

Input your search keywords and press Enter.