[jiraaya]

The author seems to confuse attacking football with an open style of play. Often, attacking football involves as much co-ordinated movement as a more defensive style of play, which can be as exhilarating to watch if not more so. It is also worthwhile to observe movements made by the "attacking" team during defensive transitions. Football is like a buffet; everyone can help themselves to what they like. It is this quality which makes the game beautiful.

[0xcafecafe]

Exactly. The author needs to look at how managers like Guardiola or Klopp set their teams to attack like a co-ordinated symphony. In contrast, defensive managers like big sam set up their team in two banks of 4 with full backs never moving up the pitch. As a spectator, I enjoy watching beautiful attacking football more.

[eyko]

He sort of ends the article touching on that point, noting that "total football" like Cruyff (and Rijkaard or Guardiola) practiced at Barcelona is "defensive" in its attack:

> “But in any case, it’ll be fine, don’t worry,” he said. “Just remember that when a team attacks with a lot of players, at the end of the day, it’s only to keep its opponent away from the goal.”

Total football (Cruyff) and its spiritual offspring Tiki Taka (Rijkaard, Guardiola), is wrongly confused to be simply "attacking football". The emphasis should be in "total". The philosophy is still highly defensive, but rather than zone marking and sporadic (and effective!) counter attacks, it focuses on defending by starving your opponent out of possession. They'll happily pass it around without creating much danger, but carefully getting close enough to you so that you have to move to defend. This (allegedly) wears you out mentally and physically, at which point -if the is effective enough- they take advantages of either a loss of concentration, or an opening that you have created.

When a team like Rijkaard's or Guardiola's Barcelona lost the ball, they had created calculated openings through which they want to direct your counter attack. They're also usually prepared to apply high pressure in the first few seconds / touches of the ball, so as to regain possession quickly. It's beautiful to watch when it works, it's facepalm worthy when it fails (see Spain vs Russia in this recent World Cup).

Interestingly, critics of Total Football and Catenaccio styles share the same criticism: that it's boring.

Once you pay more attention to off-the-ball movements and tactics in teams playing Catenaccio or Total Football styles, you begin to appreciate the art form for what it is: highly tactical and strategic. It also doesn't hurt if you've got kick ass attacking players that can execute a counter attack to perfection.

In my (humble) opinion, total football and tiki taka is not as effective nowadays because today's top teams are on an entire different level in terms of physical fitness, endurance, and mentality. Just compare today's average footballer's physique to those 20 years ago...