Table of Contents
- What is the Metodo system in soccer?
- The key elements of the Metodo system in soccer
- What was pioneering about the Metodo system?
- Do any teams play Metodo today?
- Recap: Pozzo’s Metodo
The Metodo system is a tactical approach to soccer that first appeared in the 1930s. But what exactly is it, who created it, and was it effective? Also, is Metodo still deployed by coaches today? Let’s take a look.
What is the Metodo system in soccer?
The Metodo system in soccer was created by Vittorio Pozzo in the 1930s. Pozzo was the head coach of the Italian national team when he pioneered a 2-3-2-3 system, which was his adaptation of the inverted pyramid formation (2-3-5) that had been popular in the preceding decades.
Although you rarely (if ever!) see the Metodo system in soccer deployed by coaches in the modern day, we can learn a lot from the system as it set some important trends in terms of how soccer teams set up to beat their opponents, as we explore below.
The key elements of the Metodo system in soccer
Pozzo’s Metodo system was made up of the following key positions:
- Goalkeeper: The base of the team was the goalkeeper. This role is still crucial in today’s game and hasn’t changed much since the 1930s!
- Two full backs: the full backs employed in Pozzo’s Metodo were actually central defenders, not wide defenders as modern-day full backs are.
- Three half backs: Sitting in front of the full backs were three half backs – one on the right, one on the left, and one in the center.
- Two inside forwards: Next, Pozzo used two inside forwards who linked the defensive midfield to the forward line. This is where the bulk of the team’s creativity originated.
- Three forwards: Finally, the three attacking players included one centre forward (typically a target man or poacher) and a left and right winger.
What was pioneering about the Metodo system?
Prior to the 1930s, soccer formations were outright attacking. For example, the brilliant Hungarian and Czechoslovakian teams of the 1920s and 1930s utilised the Danubian system, which was a formation with five forwards, three midfielders, and just two defenders!
Proponents of this approach played through the lines extremely quickly, relying on the creative quality of their forward players. The philosophy behind the Danubian school was along the lines of “we’ll score one more than you!”
Czechoslovakia of the 1920s were dynamic and free-scoring, recording some brilliant results with their 2-3-5 formation, such as their 1920 Olympic opener against Yugoslavia, dismantling their opponents 7-0. They also beat Norway 4-0 and France 4-1 in the same competition.
Now, when Pozzo introduced his Metodo system, he wanted to take a more methodical approach to soccer. Like many Italian coaches that followed Pozzo’s lead, he instilled the fundamentals of pragmatism and organization first and foremost.
Pozzo reasoned that by conceding fewer goals, his team could score fewer goals. He relied on counter attacks (rather than possession in the attacking thirds) and surprised a lot of people in world soccer at the time with his approach.
Utilizing a Metodo approach, Italy won the 1934 FIFA World Cup. They also won gold at the 1936 Olympic Games. The Italians hosted the 1934 World Cup and chalked up some superb results along the way, beating the USA 7-1, before defeating both Spain and Austria 1-0 in the following phases.
They beat a strong Czechoslovakian team 2-1 in the final in Rome, affirming their status as world champions and ensuring the place of the Metodo system in the history books!
Do any teams play Metodo today?
The short answer is no. You won’t find any teams that deploy the Metodo system that Pozzo pioneered almost 100 years ago.
That being said, there are still some fundamentals of the approach that coaches use today. In fact, the Metodo is widely seen as a blueprint for any team that lays a strong defensive foundation and looks to hit teams on the counter-attack.
Many Italian coaches over the years have perfected their own brands of defensively solid, counter-attacking soccer, with the likes of Maurizio Sarri and Marcelo Lippi just two examples.
Practically every successful Italian team of the last 100 years has been built on strong defensive principals, pragmatism, organisation, and a pacy, counterattacking threat. So, while the Metodo is not used in its original formation, its principals are still important to Italian soccer today.
Recap: Pozzo’s Metodo
The Metodo system is one of those soccer formations that is no longer used in the modern game, but when it was pioneered by Italian coach Vittorio Pozzo in the 1930s, it was a revelation, leading the Italians to the 1934 World Cup.
You can certainly incorporate elements of the Metodo into your soccer game today if you wish, as a strong defensive base and counterattacking threat can prove an effective way to set up for a soccer game, particularly against a stronger team.