When Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman proudly declared that his revolutionary new WM formation was how all football should be played, he had no idea of the events he’d set into motion. Football, this game sprung from a medieval tradition of just pelting a bladder around, before evolving into a mob activity for an unlimited number of lunatics to loudly ‘wheeeey’ across their cobbled, scatspeckled streets… was now on its way to being an art form.
He’d turned carnage into chemistry. Brutality into ballet. Frenzy into the Football Manager series. But it wouldn’t really be until the 1990s that the science behind formations would reach the mainstream. The great innovators of the game had reinvented countless times over by then, but you go and ask your grandad how many pub arguments he saw over Mario Zagallo’s adaptation of the Brazilian 4-2-4. It’s none.
It wasn’t until the popularisation of the sensible and surprisingly lethal 4-4-2 system that Normal People really became aware of team shape. Such was its prominence in first the European and then the British game, that its existence quite literally became a byword for the sport itself.
So much so, in fact, that when a group of aspiring publicists wanted to launch the best football magazine on the planet, it felt like the right choice for the name.
01 FOREWORD
Denne historien er fra November 2024-utgaven av FourFourTwo UK.
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Denne historien er fra November 2024-utgaven av FourFourTwo UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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MY PERFECT XI ANITA ASANTE
The former Lionesses defender selects a cosmopolitan side brimming with talent and guided by an all-time great
Complete TOSH
John Toshack's remarkable career took him from Wales, Liverpool and Real Madrid to Azerbaijan, Morocco and Iran. After a brush with death in 2022, he tells his story to FFT
30 WONDERKIDS WHO FADED
FFT remembers the young stars who slipped by the wayside, via backflips, seal dribbles and a suffering goose
Diego on for The son of God
Growing up as the initially unrecognised offspring of Diego Maradona wasn't easy, but after winning his dad's heart and enjoying success in beach soccer, the Neapolitan explains why he's now found peace
VIVA LA REVOLUTION
Horrified at the Glazer family's impending takeover two decades ago, a group of Manchester United fans went to church. FC United was their divine inspiration, a phoenix club born at the heart of the community
THE SLOT MACHINE
Via the shock exit of Jurgen Klopp, key figures tell the inside story of how a group of rising stars and future kings were brought to Liverpool - and how their new Dutch boss led them to the top of the Premier League
SCOTLAND'S OTHER DERBY
It may lack the Old Firm's toxicity, but Edinburgh's head-to-head is no less hostile. FFT went to witness it first hand
LIFE BEGINS AT 40
Now in his fifth decade, Cristiano Ronaldo has no intention of retiring - not with a World Cup in his sights and while still scoring for club and country. But should that decision be taken out of his hands, and could less be more?
SUCCESSION
Bob Paisley delivered glory when he followed Bill Shankly as Liverpool boss. At other clubs, though, following a legendary gaffer has had mixed results...
SING WHEN YOU'RE WINNING
FEATURE FOOTBALL SONGS SING WHEN YOU'RE WINNING From El Tel to John Barnes, footballers once delivered a string of memorable tunes and even the odd No.1 FFT salutes a lost tradition
