Over the last decade, football has quietly transformed from a field of individual brilliance to a tightly contested chess game. Coaches like Pep Guardiola have redefined the beautiful game with possession-based systems, emphasising patterns and repetition over instinctive play. The result of this is a game that feels more like a strategy board than the beautiful game we all know and love. Where once players like Pelé and Maradona could ignite matches with a single dribble, today’s teams lean on sideways passes and cautious build-up from the defence.

According to Opta data, the shift tells us the excitement may be draining, with Premier League shots per game falling from 11.2 in 2014-15 to 9.8 in 2024-25.

This tactical phenomenon has drawn criticism from some of football’s sharpest minds, such as former Manchester United defender Gary Neville, who reflected on a dull Manchester derby last week and called the “robotic nature” of modern play a “disease”, pointing to overcoaching that curbs specifically natural risk-taking. Roy Keane has echoed these sentiments, missing the boldness that once fuelled English football.

Similarly, Barcelona midfielder Frankie de Jong has described the game as “too programmed”, with players confined to repetitive triangles—pass left, pass right, stay safe. He even subtly implied these rigid systems contribute to more injuries, tying physical restraints to a lack of freedom.

Another problem facing the lack of excitement is the scarcity of world-class talents. A decade ago, greats of the game like Messi, Ronaldo, Suárez, and Bale felt untouchable, capable of deciding results alone. Few players carry that aura beyond Kylian Mbappé or Vinicius Jr. The game’s recent focus on systems means the best players in the world now are merely a cog in the machine instead of its driving force. According to a recent poll carried out on X, 72% of 10,000 respondents believed that the game had become too tactical.

VAR has not helped this issue by disrupting rhythm and enabling delays. Recent figures show us that playing time in the Premier League now hovers at 54 minutes per match, down from 58 a decade ago. This fractures the flow and high-tempo endurance of football, making end-to-end games rarer. However, tactical evolution, despite its criticisms of sometimes being bland, has brought trophies to teams like Manchester City and sharpened the game’s intellectual edge.

Yet, football thrives on emotion, not just its execution. To rediscover its identity, coaches could loosen their grip, trusting players to use common sense and take risks in big moments. Streamlining VAR to cut interruptions would help sustain the momentum of a high-tempo game and allow creativity to flourish. Stars not just now but over this next generation, such as Lamine Yamal and Cole Palmer, hint that flair endures—given the chance under the right coaching methods. Football has always adapted styles itself through Total Football and other revolutions. It is hoped that, given the right tactics, football will be able to regain its spark of the past.