THE absence of English sides from the Champions League quarter-finals has seen a disturbing increase in tactics and short passing.
English fans have expressed disgust at the way the continental teams made no attempt to sprint wildly after every lost cause, while some players even passed the ball backwards.
Martin Bishop, from Stevenage said: “I can understand parking the bus, hitting the flanks, and at a push, the corridor of uncertainty.
“But if your gameplan can’t be summed up in three words, it makes me frustrated, angry and a bit frightened.”
The link between tactics and on-field success has led some experts to predict the decline of traditional English skills, like shouting and pointing.
Football historian Julian Cook said: “English clubs must maintain their focus on developing slow-witted players who can kick the ball incredibly long distances to no-one in particular.”
