Total Football is the label for an influential theory of tactical association football in which any player can take over the role of any other player in the team. In Total Football, a player who moves out of his position is replaced by another from his team, thus retaining the team's intended organizational structure. In this fluid system, no player is fixed in his nominal role; anyone can be successively an attacker, a midfielder and a defender. Total Football's tactical success depends largely on the adaptability of each footballer within the team, in particular his ability to quickly change positions depending on the situation. The theory requires players to be comfortable in multiple positions; hence, it puts high technical and physical demands on them. The foundations for Total Football were laid by Jack Reynolds, who was the manager of Ajax from 19151925, 19281940, and 19451947. Rinus Michels, who played under Reynolds, later went on to become manager of Ajax himself and refined ...more

"Total Football" is the label for an influential theory of tactical association football in which any player can take over the role of any other player in the team. It was pioneered by Dutch football club Ajax. It was invented by Rinus Michels, "The General", a famous Dutch football trainer/coach.