Inverting the Pyramid: The History of Soccer Tactics

Fully revised and updated, this beloved classic explores the history of soccer tactics, with fresh insights for fans, captains, and coaches worldwide.

In this modern classic, soccer journalist Jonathan Wilson pulls apart the finer details of the world’s game, tracing the global history of tactics from modern pioneers right back to the beginning, when chaos reigned. Along the way, he examines the lives of great players and thinkers who shaped the sport and probes why the English, in particular, have proved themselves unwilling to grapple with the abstract. 

Masterfully crafted and delightfully readable,Inverting The Pyramid cleverly analyzes the evolution of modern international football, charts how Spanish, German, and Portuguese tacticians have influenced the game, and ponders the effects of football’s increased globalization and commercialization.

Jonathan Wilson is a columnist for The Guardian and the cohost of the football history podcast It Was What It Was. He has written thirteen books, including The Power and the Glory, and is the founder and editor of The Blizzard. He lives in London.