Post-retirement, he served German club Bayern Munich, first as a team manager and later as the club president (1994-2009). Franz has been named in the ‘World Team of the 20th Century’ in 1998, the ‘FIFA World Cup Dream Team’ in 2002, and was named in the ‘FIFA 100’, a list of the world’s greatest living soccer players, in 2004. He was renowned for his elegant style and dynamic leadership and is often credited as being the inventor of the playing role of the modern sweeper. They aren’t more mobile, they aren’t more useful defensively, and they aren’t more tactically aware.Įven with the emergence of 3-at-the-back systems under managers like Antonio Conte in recent years, it seems that the actual position of the libero isn’t going to appear for another while thanks to the modern development of deep-lying playmakers.Franz Beckenbauer is a German former professional soccer player, soccer manager, and sports administrator who is widely regarded as one of the greatest players to have graced the sport. With the development of the classic number 10, you can argue that they’ve become more mobile, more tactically aware, and more useful in the defensive phase. Not that these aren’t good players, but the role that they play seems like a regression. Perhaps it is part of the development of football in general. However, to liken them to ball-playing defenders is to forget the true artistry of the libero. There is an argument, quite rightly, that liberos still exist, but that we now call them ‘ball-playing defenders’. As a result, the best examples of the libero did not play their football this century. Liberos are not used in the modern game as they were used long back, as their deep positioning isn’t suited to the offside rule or the widespread use of three forwards. Much like the playmaker, the libero would simply need to become faster mentally in order to adapt to the rigours of the modern game. Instead of picking up the ball and looking for a pass, playmakers are now required to look for the pass before they receive the ball, meaning that they can avoid wasting precious time upon receiving the ball. The playmaker hasn’t become extinct it has simply required players to become smarter and faster when in possession of the ball. However, this question is nonsensical, as it would imply that any role that requires time on the ball would become extinct as a result of pressing. Others have argued that the rapid increase in the aggression of pressing would mean that the libero simply didn’t have the time to pick out passes in the way Franz Beckenbauer or Franco Baresi did. So, why can’t a libero be used in modern football? ![]() □ Most Ballon d'Or Nominations of All Time Ī friendly reminder that in 196 matches together, Paolo Maldini and Franco Baresi conceded just 29 goals /nIsD2T4fiV During the 1996 European Championships, another German, in this case Matthias Sammer, played slightly deeper than the other defenders in order to intercept passes closer to goal, and to break forward into midfield when necessary.įranz Beckenbauer influenced the next generation of brilliant Libero’s, most notably legendary AC Milan stalwart Franco Baresi, who under the guidance of outstanding tactician Arrigo Sacchi, helped form one of football’s most extraordinary backlines. ![]() The 1974 FIFA World Cup winner demanded the freedom of a creative playmaker. The role became synonymous with legendary former FC Bayern Munich captain, Franz Beckenbauer. From there he acts as a modern-day deep-lying playmaker, initiating the play and spreading it out to the flanks, or playing it forward into midfield or attack. ![]() ![]() You’ll see an elegant defender sitting behind the defensive line, picking up stray through balls from an attacker.Īs he effortlessly brings it under his control, he marches forward with it, stepping past the other defenders and moving into the midfield zone. Most of them will feature a type of player that seems to have been lost from the modern game. Go back 30 or 40 years and watch teams defend.
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