Zonal Marking - by Michael W Cox (Paperback)

About the Book

"In the early 1990s, the Dutch footballing philosophy was worshipped across the continent. Then the baton passed to the Italians, who clearly boasted Europe's strongest league. But when France started winning everything at the international level its national academy became the template for others, until suddenly, almost out of nowhere, Europe's most revered player and manager both hailed from Portugal. Next, Barcelona and Spain won everything during a very obvious four-year period of dominance, before tiki-taka's decline meant Bayern and Germany took control. Finally, Europe's most successful coaches found themselves competing in England, introducing a brilliant cacophony of styles to the Premier League"--

Book Synopsis

An "excellent" (New Yorker) history of European soccer, showing how shifting styles and influence have shaped the game

In the early 1990s, the Dutch footballing philosophy was worshipped across the continent. Then the baton passed to the Italians, who clearly boasted Europe's strongest league. But when France started winning everything at the international level its national academy became the template for others, until suddenly, almost out of nowhere, Europe's most revered player and manager both hailed from Portugal. Next, Barcelona and Spain won everything during a very obvious four-year period of dominance, before tiki-taka's decline meant Bayern and Germany took control. Finally, Europe's most successful coaches found themselves competing in England, introducing a brilliant cacophony of styles to the Premier League.

Zonal Marking is a glorious travelogue through soccer's triumphant styles and characters.

Review Quotes

"A fascinating assessment of football."--Observer

"A wonderful overview of tactical development in European football."--Matthew Syed, The Times

"An entertaining and brilliantly researched look at football tactics."--FourFourTwo

"An excellent recent history of European football."--New Yorker

"Cox, a tactics obsessive, largely ignores the soap opera of football to explain what actually happens on the field. In this book, speckled with well-told anecdotes, he traces the tactical development of the game over the last 30 years."--Simon Kuper, Financial Times

"Revelatory stories, lucid tactics and wry anecdotes combine... The secret weapon of Cox's readability is the use of telling quotes from those who actually play the game."--When Saturday Comes

About the Author

Michael Cox is one of the most respected soccer journalists working today and he has made his name through writing highly entertaining in-depth tactical analysis. He is the editor of Zonal Marking, a football blog dedicated to tactics, and writes regularly for the Guardian and ESPN.