IMO, it comes down to parity between nations - which is narrowing every year. Reasons: - Top players from all football playing nations are migrating to the top league clubs based in a handful of countries. - Coaching is much more geared to "playing the opposition" as opposed to "doing your own thing, full steam ahead and damn the torpedos" style of football. - It's cyclical of course, and every now and again you'll get an international coach who'll break the current mold, but it takes less time now than in the past for other countries to nullify or adapt innovation in tactics. - At the top level, defensive tactics outweigh offensive tendencies. As the number of participating teams in a tournament increases, this trend is likely to continue until the next "dramatic" tactical innovative shift appears. edit: I'm not holding my breath for an imminent breakthrough. Despite all this - it's still the game to watch.
In the summer of '66, I was working as an exchange student, in NC selling encyclopedias, door to door. I was getting WC results, several days late, via the NYT. I learned that England was in the Final just a couple of hours before kickoff, while I was in full sales mode in Rocky Mount. I was knocking on doors, desperately begging potential sales targets if I could just come in and watch their TV. Surprisingly, no one understood my plight, and in fact one retired Green Beret guy actually called the cops after his dog bit me in the arse and his wife had to apply some antiseptic ointment; I think she enjoyed it more than I did. The cops thought it was funny, told me I couldn't sell there without a license, and kindly gave me a ride to downtown, where a license wasn't needed. At the last minute, I persuaded the manager of a Macy's Department Store in downtown Rocky Mount to let me watch the game on the TV in his office. The game was shown, slightly time-delayed, by Telstar satellite (I think), with a fixed satellite-available time. Near the end, they cut short the broadcast just after the Krauts scored, and said they were cutting to later in the game. I immediately figured it was going to ET. The store manager actually got into it, and brought me a scotch. When the "They think it's all over" moment came, I was bouncing around his office like a little *****y. I didn't sell any encyclopedias that day, but it was a day I'll remember forever.
