These five words represent the simplest tactic in football: launch the ball into
 the penalty box, take advantage of the ensuing chaos, perhaps following a
 goalmouth scramble, and hope to pinch a scruffy goal.

'Get it in the mixer!’

Formation changes during the Premier League’s early years were primarily
 player-based evolutions, usually modifications to 4–4–2 in response to a foreign
 import’s unorthodox characteristics and positioning. The start of the 21st
 century, however, was dominated by the shift from two-striker systems to one￾striker systems, and it’s significant that Sir Alex Ferguson, this movement’s
 trendsetter, decided to change formation first, then identified players who would
 fit into the new system. His switch from a player-first to a system-first mentality
 highlighted the increased emphasis upon ...

Changes of formations in the english premier league

Wenger doesn’t know anything about English football. He’s at a big club – well, Arsenal used to be a big club – he’s a novice and should keep his opinions to Japanese football.’

Michael Cox is one of the most respected football journalists working today and he has made his name through writing highly entertaining in-depth tactical analysis. He is the editor of Zonal Marking, a football blog dedicated to tactics, and writes regularly for the Guardian and ESPN. The Mixer is his first book.

A look at the autor

‘Ninety-nine per cent of the innovations you see in the Premier League come
 from abroad.’

UEFA’s rules were different. In their eyes, England was a separate country to Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland because they competed separately at international level and had separate leagues that all provided teams for UEFA competitions.

The controversy of the UEFA's rules towards England

in the fourth round, against
 Liverpool, Chelsea found themselves 2–0 down at the break. But Gullit
 introduced striker Mark Hughes for left-back Scott Minto at half-time, switched
 formation to a radical 3–3–1–3, and Chelsea won 4–2

The comeback of chealsea in the FA cup against Liverpool F.C

‘I remembered watching Wimbledon on television during the 1980s, so I can’t say I was surprised by this style of football. I knew there would be a lot of long balls in England.’

In the decade immediately preceding the Premier League, English football
 specialised in direct football. While the most successful side of the 1980s,
Liverpool, developed a passing game admired across Europe, English football
 gradually eschewed this philosophy and concentrated on route one football.
 Goalkeepers and defenders would thump the ball downfield towards a big
 centre-forward who specialised in aerial battles, while his strike partner and the
 midfielders would hunt for scraps, attempting to win the ‘second ball’. Patient
 build-up play was considered a waste of time

Liverpool developed a new philosophy in football

Bolton improved not only by increasing their number of technical players but
 also by perfecting their direct-approach play. This was partly inspired by a
 switch to a 4–5–1 formation, previously used by Allardyce as an occasional
 alternative to his 4–4–2 but which became his first-choice system at the start of
 2003/04.

Bolton's reinvention of 4-5-1

‘You see Thierry, and it’s beautiful. You see me, and it’s not classic.’

Arsenal’s Invincibles, who achieved the historic feat of going the entire 2003/04
 league campaign undefeated, are the most celebrated side of the Premier League
 era. That season, however, was simply the final move in a three-card trick.

Invencibles

'I didn’t invent anything … I am simply a more complete footballer.’

The revolution of English football in the last 40 years

An absolutely essential book for every modern football fan, about the development of Premier League tactics, published to coincide with 25 years of the competition.

books

Books

An absolutely essential book for every modern football fan, about the development of Premier League tactics, published to coincide with 25 years of the competition. Back in 1992, English football was stuck in the dark ages, emerging from a five-year ban from European competition. The game was physical, bruising and attritional, based on strength over speed, aggression over finesse. It was the era of the midfield general, reducers, big men up front and getting it in the mixer; 4-4-2 was the order of the day. Few teams experimented tactically. And then, almost overnight, it all changed. The creation of the Premier League coincided with one of the most seismic rule changes in football history: the abolition of the back-pass. Suddenly defenders had no-get-out-of-jail-free card, goalkeepers had to be able to field and play the ball and the pace of the game quickened immeasurably. Tactics evolved dramatically, helped by an increased foreign influence. The Mixer is the first book to delve deep into the tactical story of the Premier League, and take a long view of how the game has developed over the last quarter century. From Ferguson’s directness to Keegan’s relentlessly attacking Newcastle outfit, to Mourinho’s cagey, reactive Chelsea, all the way to Ranieri’s counter-attacking champions, The Mixer is one of the most entertaining, rich and knowledgeable football books ever written.

The Mixer: The Story of Premier League Tactics, from Route One to False Nines

ButterSwim