Park the bus (football term)
To Park the bus in association football refers to a defensive style of play whereby a team attempt to restrict the opposition by playing many players behind the ball with limited or no attacking play. Such a style of play making it very difficult for an opposition to team to score. The term can be considered pejorative and has negative connotations of being a boring and unattractive style of play, however effective it may be.
Many sources cite then Chelsea manager José Mourinho as the first to coin the phrase in English, in reference to a Tottenham side that played very defensively at Stamford Bridge in a 2004–05 FA Premier League match against Chelsea.[1] The saying was already in use in Iberia prior to this.[1] Ironically, since then the term has been used to describe the tactics employed by Mourinho's clubs Internazionale and Real Madrid, especially when playing against the superior attacking skills of F.C. Barcelona.[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Mourinho slams Spurs". BBC News. 2004-09-19. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
- ^ "Champions League bigger than World Cup - Jose Mourinho". BBC News. 2010-05-19. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
External links
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