‘The team’s formation will be in nearly constant rotation leading the opposition a merry dance’. No, not a preview of an upcoming game of a Pep Guardiola team, but rather a prediction on the future of football, delivered in 1955 by Willy Meisl in his book Soccer Revolution. Referenced in a number of recent publications, most notably Jonathan Wilson’s work, the book was written following Hungary’s famous 6-3 win at Wembley.
Whilst not an easy book to track down, there are a number of copies available on EBay or Abe Books in the $20-$40 range. I took the plunge and decided to enter the footballing time machine and see what all the fuss was about.
Meisl was an Austrian-Jew, who played as a goalkeeper for the club now known as Austria Vienna. He became a journalist and relocated to Britain following the Nazi’s rise to power in Germany in the 30s. Meisl’s brother Hugo was the famous coach of the Austrian Wunderteam of the inter-war years, a team known for their short-passing style of football, and indeed, a major influence on the Hungarian team of the 50s. A towering figure in the history of European football, Hugo Meisl was also a referee and creator of the Mitropa Cup, a forerunner to the European Cup. In short, Willy Meisl had a ringside seat in the development of the very football that did for England in ‘53.
The point of the book is not to pour scorn on the English Game (the Scots decline is also lamented), but to issue a rallying cry for change. Meisl is at pains to display his passion for his adopted country, and though, at times it feels he ‘doth protest too much’ it's pretty clear his desire for improvement and a move from ‘safety-first’ football comes from a genuine place.
For the modern reader, the book serves three main functions;
Firstly, as a historical reference. The book provides a brief history of the growth of the game throughout the World. It’s a familiar tale in most places but Meisl is able to add dates and insight. For example he attributes tours by Queens Park and Glasgow Rangers as key in the development of Danish football. Meisl reels of a number of names and games, and at times it can be hard to keep up but from a reference perspective it provides great value.
Secondly, as a window into a specific time in football. The Home Nations have just been humiliated on the World Stage in 1950 and 1954, before we even talk about the Hungary defeats The European Cup, though on its way very soon, has not started yet but Wolves have just beaten Honved. Additionally, the history of the game has been fragmented, due to the Second World War which has really taken a decade away from the game's evolution. The Home Nations have just been humiliated on the World Stage in 1950 and 1954, before we even talk about the Hungary defeats. Meisl’s proximity both in time and in presence provides clearer context for events without the cloud of myth that develops over decades. . For example, I went into the book with the idea that they were robbed in the ‘54 final, yet Meisl’s interpretation was that the Germans were deserved winners and the best team in the tournament.
Finally, Soccer Revolution provides a reminder that our current reminder to our generation that not everyone who has come before us is a ‘dinosaur’ and that diagnosing ailments in the British game, is nothing new and that Meisl too was pleading for more technical, possession based coaching methods, 70 years before today’s Twitter saviours. There is also a section on best-practices for throw-ins which Liverpool’s specialist coach on the topic, Thomas Gronnemark, would approve of. There are also other suggestions which show how the author was ahead of his time including: recommendation of substitutions (implemented in 1965/66 season), the need to train goalkeepers to play with the ball and an institution of lighter balls.
It is not without its flaws. Although there is an overarching theme, there’s a lack of continuity, and the book jumps around in different sections and topics. One part sees Meisl take on his fellow members of the press and British Sports Writers being ‘not so much concerned with player or athlete...match or event as with finding a story in it’. He rails against the hyperbolic headlines engendered following Wolves win over Honved in ‘54 but then identifies an inaccuracy in an obscure Water Polo match at the 1932 Olympics to prove his point.
Meisl also doesn’t offer much in the way of tactical solutions. His thoughts on the ‘the Whirl’ being the style of the future does seem to preempt Duch Total Football from which we can also draw a line to the Barcelona of Pep but there is no suggestion as to how to go about doing so from a formation’s basis. Given the depth he discusses the ‘third-back’ system, it would be interesting to hear more of his views on the best setup to implement this system.
Soccer Revolution sits in the canon of important historical football books and I would recommend it to all football coaches and history of the game enthusiasts. Meisl’s writing style certainly means he would struggle with today’s 140 character limits but his old-fashioned prose enhances the reader’s journey and transports us straight into the mid-50s.