It was in a sunny Barcelona, on the eve of a forgiving World Cup qualifier against Andorra, that Thomas Tuchel felt relaxed enough to publicly relay a view he has repeatedly expressed in private. He has found elite football tactics become increasingly homogenous, with so many managers methodically developing play from the full-backs.
“A lot of the top teams in the Premier League play in a certain style, and teams build in a 3-2 formation from a 4-1,” Tuchel explained. “There are exceptions with Liverpool and Newcastle [United].”
