football

Football, Association, Rules of, 11-a-side field game played with a spherical ball. Association football is distinguished from American football, Canadian football, Rugby Union, and Rugby League in that it is primarily played with the feet; only the goalkeeper, within the penalty area, may handle the ball. It also differs from American football in that, because it is continuous, players must improvise their tactics as play proceeds, constantly shifting their positions to receive or intercept passes.
All that is needed to play the game is a ball, goals (which may be represented by chalk marks drawn on the playing area), and, for those who can afford or desire them, sports kits consisting of shirts, shorts, socks, and football boots. It can even be played barefoot. This simplicity and informality is one reason for the worldwide popularity of the game. Because tackling is not as violent as in other forms of football, and a round ball is more easily controlled than an oval one, the game can be enjoyed by younger players.
Strategy and tactics are highly variable and there have been many combinations since the early years of the 20th century. Now, a team is broadly classified as comprising attackers, midfield players, and defenders. In the earlier stages experiments were made with 1-1-1-8, 1-1-2-7, and 1-1-3-6 combinations in which the goalkeeper was the first player in the sequence. In 1925 the offside law was changed so that the number of opponents required to be between the attacker and the goal line was reduced from three to two. As a result there evolved what came to be called “WM” formation of 1-3-2-2-3, and so named because if you looked from the back it formed a “W” and from the front formed an “M”. In Switzerland there developed the verrou (“bolt”) system with the line-up of 1-1-3-2-4. The Swiss also devised the principles of the catenaccio (“door chain”) formation. Basically defensive, it positions a sweeper behind four backs, three midfielders and two strikers. The Italians perfected the catenaccio formation and experimented with three other alignments: 1-1-3-3-3, 1-1-3-4-2, and 1-1-4-3-2. In the 1950s the Hungarians evolved a 1-4-2-4 system and the Brazilians made modifications to this. British systems had variations such as 1-4-4-2. The Dutch experimented with what they described as “total football” in which every player is required to be capable of attacking or defending as demanded by the situation. This made enormous demands on the players. A variation of the catenaccio system was developed in Germany where the sweeper became a libero (“free player”) who could attack from the back. Experiments with other formations were made in the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) who played with one front man and five in midfield: 1-4-5-1. Another USSR line-up was with two sweepers to give a 1-2-3-3-2 formation. Many teams in Britain adopted what is known as the front screen where one sweeper plays in front of a line of four, thus making 1-4-1-3-2. There is also the diamond formation whereby four midfield players are positioned to make a diamond pattern with the line-up of 1-4-1-2-1-2. Very often the defensive alignment comprises either a man-for-man arrangement (a catenaccio in which each defender is allocated an attacker whom the defender follows everywhere) or a zonal system in which a player is allotted an area of the field and marks anyone who enters that area.