What is "putting a bus"? The strongest shield in the football world is also the most helpless tactic

As a fan, have you ever roared at the screen while watching a game late at night: "Except for the goalkeeper, all ten people on the opposite side are in the penalty area! How can we play?"

Congratulations, you have witnessed with your own eyes the most extreme, pragmatic, and controversial tactic in the football world: "Putting the Bus."

What is "setting up a bus"?

As the name suggests, this tactic has nothing to do with public transportation. It describes a team adopting an extreme defensive strategy when losing the ball. Most of the players retreat to their own half, like an airtight wall, especially at the front of the penalty area, blocking the opponent's offensive line.

The core idea of ​​this tactic is simple and crude: I use the crowd tactic to defend. Even if you have Messi and Ronaldo, it will be difficult to find space for your feet. Goal? Don’t even think about it!

Because of this, "setting up a bus" often has a derogatory connotation. For fans who spent real money to buy tickets and are eager to see the offensive battle, watching a team only defend but not attack for 90 minutes is undoubtedly a kind of torture. However, for those coaches who put the results of the game first, a perfectly executed "bus" is the shortcut to victory - even if this victory does not come so gloriously.

"Founder of the terminology": Madman Mourinho

Although this defensive strategy has existed since ancient times, the vivid and expressive expression of "setting up the bus" has become popular all over the world, and it must be thanks to a top coach with both traffic and strength-Mourinho.

The story goes back to 2004, but it was a Premier League game in 2007 that really made this word deeply rooted in people's hearts. Mourinho, who was coaching Chelsea at the time, complained to the media angrily and humorously after the team was tied 0-0 by Tottenham:

"As we Portuguese say, Tottenham drove a bus over and stopped in front of the goal. If I were a guy who spent 50 pounds, The fans who bought the tickets will definitely be frustrated because they are here just to defend. Only one team wants to win and the other team just wants to not lose the ball."

As soon as this statement came out, it immediately detonated the media and fan circles. The expression "set up the bus" has quickly become a common slang in the football world with its extremely vivid image.

What is quite dramatic is that Mourinho himself is the master of "setting up the bus". In the 2004/05 season, his Chelsea set a legendary record of 25 clean sheets in a Premier League season, losing only one game and winning the championship. He proved with practical actions: winning does not always require playing well.

Besides Mourinho, who are the other "bus drivers"?

"Putting the bus" is by no means a patent of Mourinho. This pragmatic tactic has repeatedly staged the myth of "civilian teams counterattacking giants" on the stage of international competitions.

Rehagel: In the 2004 European Cup, the Greek team he led took the defensive counterattack to the extreme, "driving a bus" to knock over many giants along the way, and miraculously won the Delaunay Cup. It can be called the masterpiece of "bus tactics".

Fernando Santos: The same was true for the Portuguese team he coached in the 2016 European Cup. Even though they were not favored, they finally won the championship with their tenacious defense.

Italian defensive philosophy: Italian coaches seem to have an innate understanding of this. Legendary coach Trapattoni's famous saying hit the mark: "Football is prose, not poetry." Famous coaches such as Allegri, Conte, Capello, etc. all understand this well.

However, if there is anyone in today's football who can compete with Mourinho in the art of "setting up the bus", it must be Simeone, the godfather of Atletico Madrid.

The Atletico Madrid team built by Simeone has become the most troublesome team of steel in European football in the 21st century with its iron-blooded, tough, and even "dirty" defensive style. They are not only "arranging a bus", they are also installing barbs and armor on the bus to make all attackers daunted.

Conclusion

"Putting the bus", a term originated from Mourinho's complaint, has long transcended the tactics itself and become a football cultural phenomenon. It is not only a wise magic weapon for weak teams to fight against strong powers, but also the most extreme embodiment of utilitarian football.

You may hate it and think it kills the passion and beauty of football; but you also have to admit that in a competitive sport where winners and losers are victorious, it is indeed a shortcut to victory.

Then next time, when you see a team "setting up the bus," will you curse, or will you secretly admire this extreme pragmatism?