Total Football

Total Football is a tactical theory popularized in the 1970s by the national team of Netherlands and the club Ajax. This theory believes that any role of any player in the team can be played by an outfield player.

The theory believes in the fluidity of players’ roles and positions. It strongly supports that an organizational structure of a team can be maintained during a game even if one player moves out of their position and replaced by another one. This means that no outfield player comes with a predetermined role and that any player can actually play a defender, a midfielder and an attacker. The only player that has this predetermined role is the goalkeeper.

In addition, the tactical success of what the theory is saying largely depends on how the players of the team adapt, specifically on their ability to quickly change roles when the situation on the field requires them to do so. This theory requires players to be comfortable enough to take on multiple roles, which means it requires technically diverse and intelligent players.