Originally Posted by
slack_pie
It does seem like it's going that way. A decade or two ago, tackling was a huge part of the game. Every match you'd see someone like Ricco running at full pelt and doing one of those classic slide tackles, clattering into the opposition player at the same time. Now, defenders seem to just run alongside attackers and try to usher them this way or that, before attempting to block or intercept the cross/pass/shot.
It's now pretty normal to set up without a ball-winning midfielder, even in the lower leagues, whereas a few years ago that would have been considered tactically naive to say the least. With the quality and technical ability always improving, you see less midfield battles in general. There's more focus on shape and positioning in and out of possession and less on brute force.
I suppose lower-league football is easier on the eye these days, but I do miss players like Ricco. A well-timed sliding tackle is a thing of beauty and just as likely to get me out of my seat than a fancy piece of skill.