An introduction.
Perhaps the most fascinating and most talked about role in football, the false 9 has been the subject of many a debate, whether it be Lionel Messi’s breathtaking few years towards the end of Guardiola’s tenure or Roberto Firmino’s role in the Klopp era. The false 9 has taken many forms over the illustrious history of the position, it has had incredible highs and frustrating lows, so what exactly is a false 9? How does it work? Is it a stroke of genius? Or is it non-viable and outdated? Or maybe both? Those are some of the questions I will try to touch upon and answer in this piece.
What is a false 9 – For Dummies.
This is a basic introduction to what a false 9 is. If you have an idea about the position, then this paragraph is not for you, can skip past into where I delve a little deeper. To start we must first understand what a 9 is. A 9 is shorthand used for a striker. A striker is typically the furthest forward member of the team. He sits at the head of the formation with his teammates behind him. His primary function is to score goals. This is the reason that many nines are based mainly in the opposition third, where teammates will look for him to run in behind the defensive line and get on the end of passes from his teammates. A normal 9 is not usually involved in the buildup to a goal, but rather he is on the receiving end, usually finishing the move that his teammates put together. A regular 9 is usually already where he needs to be. A false 9 is exactly what it sounds like, a player playing pretending to play in the 9 positions, but not performing the functions of a regular nine. A false 9’s primary function is to create space by occupying positions that the opposition would not expect the 9 to be, a false 9 is often not the furthest player on the team. Instead, he is a little deeper, in the image below you can see how a false 9 would be positioned in comparison to a regular 9.
A brief history.
To fully understand the false 9, we must look at the genesis of the position. While the exact origins of the concept are unclear, we do have a name for the first-ever recognized false nine, Matthias Sindelar, an Austrian attacker during the 1930s, in what came to be known as the “Wunderteam”. Sindelar did not have the typical frame and stature associated with a number 9. The Physicality of the game was limiting his impact. So, under the instruction of manager Hugo Meisl, Sindelar would drop deep to find space in between the defensive line and the midfielders, this would allow the wingers and other inside forwards to come into the game and exploit the space by one of the defenders being dragged out. Nandor Hidegutki also performed a similar function for the Hungarian team of the 1950s. Both players terrorized defenses who were used to playing against stocky, immobile number 9s.
Messi under Guardiola.
As with all concepts in football, there are those who invent them and those who master them, the false 9 is no different. Meisl and Sindelar invented the concept, and few can argue that Pep Guardiola and Lionel Messi mastered the false 9. Maybe the greatest spell of any player ever, Messi’s 3 years from 2009 to 2012 were nothing like we had seen before at the highest level and possibly something we will never see again. Though historically seen as a right-winger, Messi was at his destructive peak playing through the middle under Guardiola. He was used there due to his ability to receive the ball between the defensive and midfield lines, turn and penetrate the defensive line through his incredible dribbling or incisive passing, to the wingers or inverted forwards who could run in behind into the space created
when the central defenders were dragged by Messi’s movement.
An example of Messi dropping deep and dragging a defender to create space in behind for the wide player.
Subsequently, A ball is played over the top and is successful due to the space left by the defender.
This is an example of how the role (and this execution of it) tend to try to create chaos in the defensive line, leaving defenders in two minds. This particular example is highlighting the “off the ball” impact and movement of the false 9.
This is an example of the “on the ball movement” of the position, Messi drops deep and receives the ball on the half-turn, scans the area, and spots a run.
Then, using his passing ability he lobs a pass over the top into the space left by his dragging of the defender.
The runner can run on to the end of the ball for a chance, which he scores.
These are 2 basic roles of someone who is playing in the false 9, to create space for others to run into, or to receive the ball and play a pass or dribble.
Guardiola’s City iteration.
Now, throughout history all famous false 9s have one thing in common, they all have an exceptional understating of space and positioning because that is an essential requirement to fulfill the heavy duties of the position. If the player operating in that role does not have the positioning sense that is up to scratch, they will become anonymous and lost in between the lines, it would be akin to playing with 10 men. That brings me on to one of the extreme natures of the role, when the false 9 works and the player is able to cope with the demands of the position, it will be some of the most free-flowing, beautiful football you can watch, providing a focal point who will be involved in every attack, with or without the ball. But when the player playing in that role does not have the sufficient special understanding required to thrive, the play can become slow and cluttered, leaving the attackers isolated with no options. A truly frustrating and painful sight that fans of the team will endure.
A sight that Manchester City fans have had to endure sporadically since the unfortunate injury of Sergio Aguero in the 19/20 season, an injury that would see the club’s record goalscorer never regain his form, this would make manager, Pep Guardiola resort to the false 9 a position he had not truly used since Lionel Messi. Guardiola’s teams always used elements of the false 9 i.e., dropping back to receive the ball for passing moves, something we saw during his stint in Munich in Robert Lewandowski and Sergio Aguero during his Manchester City tenure. two of the best pure 9s of the decade, who got their game elevated by incorporating elements of the false 9 under Guardiola’s tutelage. The same tutelage that Ilkay Gundogan, Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, and Raheem Sterling have been under since the back half of the 19/20. This is something that has been seen both as a positive and a negative by the fan base as the use of the false 9 system has sometimes led to something of a goal drought. But it has also led to some incredible victories that have to be credited to the use of the position.
An example of the system working was against Borussia Monchengladbach, it was 4-0 on aggregate and it was one of the best displays of the false 9 position ever. Something that was unique about this use of the system was, that it was a rotating system for many different players to operate in, Gundogan, Foden, De Bruyne, and Bernardo Silva all rotated in that role, and created confusion and chaos in the Monchengladbach defense. These 4 players would often surge into the opposition's box into space and on the end of a chance. It was a rare case of a shifting focal point, the star was not any particular player, but it was the position itself. The tactical wherewithal and special awareness of those 4 players was a sight to behold, slotting in and out of positions with a ridiculous ease, it was a truly special display of intelligence of the players and manager.
A critic of Guardiola’s recent use of the false 9 is the wasteful nature of the team, with no pure 9, and no finisher, there has been an absence of clinicality that has plagued the team and has been a contributor to some frustrating losses. In a game against Tottenham in the first game of the 21/22 PL season, the lack of an out and out 9 was evident, as the team created many chances that were not finished. The chances were created in an area where a pure striker would be. This prompted a reaction from the fanbase, who saw the purchase of a striker to be essential. As the team became repetitive, slow, and could not score goals in the free-flowing style they used to be. Fans accredited that with the false 9 or the lack of a real 9.
The death of the real 9.
While the false 9 is revered by Guardiola and is widely thought of as a great innovation in the sport. It is understood that the club will purchase a striker that fits the real 9 build, while they may fit that build, a pure 9 does not really exist anymore. The sport has become so much about the team that if every player does not give their all tactically, then they are of no use. So whoever Manchester City will get to fill the position, Harry Kane, Dusan Vlahovic, or Erling Haaland, they will not operate as a penalty box striker, because that is obsolete in today’s day and age. So to answer the question, is it ingenious or is it unsustainable ? It is both. It is an innovation that has changed the sport forever and influenced the game to grassroots level and it is ever changing, who knows where the position of the 9 will be in ten years. But for now, the lines have been blurred and the true number 9 role is dead.
so good
Amazing!