15 Tactical Trends to Watch for in World Football Next Season

Football is both innovative and cyclic.

Every season is different and this is largely due to the methods managers employ. We see something new that blows us away, then slowly something that combats it.

Here are 15 tactical trends to look out for in world football next season, ranging from the tactically astute to the irritatingly sly.

Enjoy the slideshow!

Tiki-Taka

Barcelona have more or less revolutionised modern football over the past three years.

Pep Guardiola's style of football has left a mark which has many coaches scratching their heads—"how can I emulate this?"

More and more teams have started to place an emphasis on retaining the ball and pressuring to retrieve.

It was Jose Mourinho who enlightened us to the philosophy on global scale—via his exploits at FC Porto—but Guardiola has brought it truly to the fore.

Death of the 4-4-2

The 4-4-2 formation is on its last legs.

We'll likely see Roy Hodgson use it during the UEFA Euro 2012 Championships this summer, but managers who utilise two strikers are fast becoming a minority.

We've come a long way from kick-and-run football and the 4-4-2 is not balanced enough for teams to retain possession as they would like.

With many switching to a more possession-based shape, the four in midfield are simply overrun.

2 at the Back

The days of a flat back four are gone.

The role of the full-back is changing, bringing with it an importance of attacking skills. Without a rigid 4-4-2 formation, the lines are flexible and variable—full-backs are the ones who enjoy the greatest freedom because of this.

They push up to widen the pitch and create an option on the flank and bomb forward to create a two vs. one against opposing full-backs.

Rafael and Kyle Walker are great examples of this—beyond Dani Alves and Maicon of course.

Hot Formation: 4-2-3-1

The formation utilised heavily in Spain right now is likely to invade the Premier League some time soon.

We are already calling for England to switch to a 4-2-3-1 for international competitions and many of the top English clubs only utilise one striker too.

The setup is used to control games and that is what the best clubs like to do. Expect a shift over to this formation as the smaller clubs wise up and bite back.

Long Throw

Rory Delap of Stoke City showed us that you don't have to take a corner or a free kick to whip the ball into the box.

The long throw or "cannon" that Delap possesses has turned out to be very, very effective and many teams have sought to find their own version of Delap.

More and more players have revealed their own "cannon"—Gareth Bale and Eric Lichaj for example—as it becomes an established weapon to use.

It's not a new trend, it's a continued one.

Technically Sound Front Men

Forwards are no longer just battering rams. Duncan Ferguson and John Carew don't fit with the new prototypical striker.

Someone like Fernando Llorente is a prime example of a striker who, if your going to play one up front and keep the ball on the deck, is perfect for that role.

The big men are no longer used simply to get on the end of a cross.

Pitch Conditions

We've seen an increase in teams changing their home-pitch conditions to disadvantage their opponents.

AC Milan had one of the driest pitches the world has ever seen when Barcelona came to town making it difficult for the Blaugrana to move the ball around the way they'd like.

Similarly, Marcelo Bielsa of Athletic Bilbao soaked certain strips of the pitch when preparing to face Pep Guardiola's boys, so the ball would skid off the pitch in some areas.

The False 9

It's been mightily successful for Barcelona and we'll see more teams give it a go in the future.

The "False Nine" position—starting out as a centre-forward but dropping very deep to join in the play—has been showcased by Lionel Messi over the last few years.

There are plenty of teams with a player capable of fulfilling that role to devastating effect and a few who already do it such as Napoli (Ezequiel Lavezzi) and Real Madrid (Karim Benzema).

Surging Centre-Backs

In a similar fashion to how strikers aren't just target men anymore, defenders don't just win it and hoof it either.

The likes of Gerard Pique and Javi Martinez have shown us that surging runs from central defenders can create real opportunities for their teams.

Thomas Vermaelen does it and Daniel Agger seems partial to the odd roam. Expect to see even more centre-backs next season happy to run forward.

Central defenders now have to be great footballers.

Instilling Player Versatility

Players play in all sorts of positions now. Gone are the days when you played in one area of the pitch all season long.

Marcelo Bielsa and Pep Guardiola have both utilised a midfielder in defence—with varying instructions and effects—to help their team retain possession and launch attacks from the back.

You have to be flexible and versatile to survive in the modern footballing game. Michael Carrick proved his worth to Manchester United by filling in as an emergency centre-back and that's what managers want.

Wide Forwards to Continue Appearing

Hulk, Pedro, David Villa and Carlos Tevez have all utilised the wide forward role in recent years.

It can be used in conjunction with a typical lone front man or a false-nine system and looks devastating in its results.

Hulk, in particular, scores a lot of his goals cutting in off the right-hand side of the pitch and burying a long-range shot into the far corner.

In contrast, Pedro is more productive for his teammates and doesn't play as an inverted winger, but the shape and idea is still the same.

They're in fashion and they're not going out.

Rooney-Style 4-4-1-1

Manchester United have badly missed central creative talent from their midfield this season.

So much so that Sir Alex Ferguson has been occasionally utilising a 4-4-1-1 with Wayne Rooney playing behind the striker to help the team tick.

This formation is an excellent alternative to the fashionable 4-2-3-1, as long as your deep forward is comfortable on the ball and has the ability to bring others into the game.

Player Pressure

With the argument of goal-line technology currently ruining our viewing of match highlights each and every weekend, players are going to take advantage.

The technology will not be in place for next season and expect players to make a massive song and dance about a ball that was anywhere close to crossing the line.

Players will exert pressure on officials to give a goal if it was within a yard or two of the line. Some will bow, some won't.

Exposing Play-Acting

Anyone who dives will now receive a torrent of abuse on Twitter, their reputation is forever marred and referees keep a close eye on them.

Luis Suarez and Ashley Young will rarely ever get a free-kick decision their way because their reputation is tarnished.

Players know how to expose divers and cheaters and they will look to do so even more next season.

Something as simple as retracting your foot at the last second and watching the player fall over is evidence enough for thousands to call for retrospective punishment

Hands Behind Your Back!

At the 2010 World Cup, we saw Uruguay's Diego Lugano hold his hands behind his back in the penalty area to show there was absolutely no chance he could commit a hand ball.

With the vast increase of penalties awarded due to nonsensical hand balls, more and more players are starting to adopt this approach.

If you stick your hands behind your back, how can anyone possibly say you put your arm in the way?

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