⚽Why the “best” system is often the wrong one

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We hope you had a great start to the new year and were able to enjoy the holiday season. After a short break, we are now back for you. In this edition, we focus on the following topics:

1. ⚽Why the “best” system is often the wrong one

2. 👉2 new drills for you!

⚽Why the “best” system is often the wrong one

Is there a perfect system?
This question has been asked to coaches in interviews countless times. Is there a favorite formation? A system that is superior to all others? A playing idea that always works?

The answer of most top coaches is: no.
Because a system has no value in itself. It is only good if it fits all other aspects of a team.

The purpose of a good system is surprisingly simple: it should help the players.

During a match, players are constantly faced with multiple options. That is exactly what makes football so complex. Players must perceive situations, assess them correctly, make a decision, and then execute it technically. Perception, decision-making, and execution are continuously interconnected – often under time pressure, stress, and opponent pressure.

A good system supports exactly this process. It provides orientation. It gives players recurring reference points and clear options for action. This helps them recognize situations more quickly and make better decisions. In short: it reduces complexity.

However, this only works if the tactical approach fits the players. If you repeatedly put players into situations they cannot handle, you are working against them. It makes no sense to build your game around long balls if your striker cannot hold them up. And even the best pressing system is ineffective if the players lack the physical capacity to sustain it over longer periods.

This is a central principle of good coaching:
A system must not be an idealized vision – it has to reflect reality. It should not be based on how football “should” look in theory, but on what your own team is actually capable of.

A system must therefore be measured against one key question:
Does it get the best out of your players?

Consequently, there is no universal wonder system. Successful coaches change formations, role profiles, and principles – not because they are inconsistent, but because they consistently work in a player-centered way. Tactics are not a rigid framework. At their best, they allow strengths to come to the surface and weaknesses to be covered.

José Mourinho sums it up perfectly: a coach must know the strengths of his team – and just as importantly, their weaknesses. Only then can he find ways to hide those weaknesses from the opponent.

And then there is the opponent.

Even if your players are having a perfect day and make almost every decision correctly, a match can still turn if the opponent successfully counters your idea. Football is always the interaction of two teams. No tactical approach exists in a vacuum.

At the highest level, matches therefore often resemble chess games. Coaches observe, react, and adjust. Even the smallest tactical changes by the opponent are followed by adaptations: players are called to the touchline, positions are changed, notes are handed onto the pitch. Every measure is intended to influence the course of the game.

Often, the system is reduced precisely to these moments – to small adjustments during the match. But that is too narrow a view. These interventions are visible, but they are only the tip of the iceberg. The real tactical work happens long before kickoff: in training, in match preparation, and in the clear communication of principles.

Many factors can no longer be influenced from the sidelines. If success depended only on shouting the right words onto the pitch at the right moment, then training, match plans, and individual quality would be secondary. That is exactly why good tactics do not begin on matchday – but long before.

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