The False 9

False 9 has become the most common tactical term after 2008. Pep Guardiola used Messi in this role, and after their huge success, other teams also adopted it, like Fermino, who was one of the pillars of Liverpool’s success. Luka Toni, The Italian international traditional number 9, joking with Guardiola, said, “You ruined football with the False 9; I couldn’t find a team for 4 years”.It shows the impact of the false 9. But it was not new in football. The famous Austrian footballer Matthias Sindelar who was the star of “Wunderteam” was probably the first reverent false 9 in football. But the question why were they using the system?

In England, the Traditional number nine was called “The Bull,”  who could pull his defender with him, like a strong big guy, but when the football reached Budapest and Vienna, they were physically not the same as England. They were not powerful but technically excellent with their timing so They were thinking about how we could use those players. They adapted tactical flexibility where Their forward dropped deep and inside forwards went forward, and that created a huge problem for the backs of the opponent’s team of their man-marking system depending on the jersey number. The first time it was limelight was when England faced Hungary in 1953, This time Nándori Hidegkuti played that role. England did not find any solution and lost the match 5-3 in Wembley.

Formation

Modern-era tactical role of False 9

Now in this era, the marking system has a huge change. The mix of zonal and man marking has become universal in football.” The Zone 14 “is known as the “golden zone,” vital space for attacking the opponent’s defense. If you unlock the zone, it is really difficult for the opponent to balance their first line of defense. A team play with a no 10 who should be the exploiter of Zone 14 zonally, it is easy to mark him as a defensive midfielder or pivot of the opponent’s team players. In the case of false 9 drops from the very high, it is tough for the opponent’s pivot to understand what is happening behind, and if the center-back marked him, it opens the space for other players (winger and central midfielder) to exploit the space and also creating numerical superiority in the midfield. For example, in this season 2024-25, when Brighton played with Everton often, Dany Welback, the Brighton forward, dropped and accessed zone 14 in this match, creating a problem for Everton.

How do you identify the false 9 with data? 

With an open eye watching the matches, you can understand that, but what about data? Now, we can produce lots of algorithms that can identify the same kind of play. The main features of the player are a good progressive pass receiver in tight positions, a well one-touch pass under pressure with excellent vision, a great ball carrier, low touch in the penalty area, and defensive ability, much like a midfielder winning ball and pressure on the opponents. Roberto Fermino was an excellent profile to watch score and assist,t much less but key for opening the opponent’s defence.