Matthew Sheldon is a 32-year-old American right-back you have probably never heard of before, and likely never will, as he did not even reach the top division in his own country. However, he poses an important question on his YouTube channel: why does football at the highest level often appear so boring, slow, and effortless?

Setting aside goal contributions—which are rarer than many assume—have you ever watched the most valuable defenders in football and thought, "I could do that"? The world's most valuable defenders currently include Arsenal's starting center-backs, Manchester City's Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol, Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold, Barcelona's Cubarsi and Jules Koundé, Tottenham's Cristian Romero, and Serie A stars Bremer (Juventus) and Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan). These players are among the top 10 most valuable defenders.

At times, while watching them play, you might struggle to see a clear distinction between them and second-tier league defenders, particularly during build-up play. Their passing and movement often seem simple and unchallenged.

Building Up

At the highest tactical level, top clubs such as Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea have invested heavily in defenders who, on the surface, appear to do very little. Consider how often you have seen this scenario: the left-back passes to a center-back, who takes a few seconds before passing to the other center-back, who also pauses before passing to the right-back. The right-back then returns the ball to the center-back, and the cycle repeats.

Top teams frequently spend 30 seconds to a full minute passing the ball around their own half, often closer to their own goal than the opponent's. They are under no real pressure and have all the time in the world. Any competent defender can complete a pass when given 20, 30, or even 60 seconds to make a decision.

And yes, it is boring. If reading this description felt tedious, imagine watching it in real time.

The Paradox

Given that Matthew Sheldon plays at a near-amateur level, his bafflement at this phenomenon is understandable. After all, one would assume that as footballers move from the fourth tier to the elite level, they would become faster, stronger, and more skilled, and that their coaches would be tactically superior. Yet, lower-tier football often appears more exciting than top-level matches. Is elite build-up play a tactical necessity, or is it simply dull?

The financial investment in these defenders is staggering. Manchester City's current defensive line (excluding Kyle Walker, who left this season) cost approximately €310 million to assemble. Arsenal's backline cost around €300 million—helped by the relatively low-cost acquisitions of Gabriel and William Saliba. Chelsea's defensive lineup is valued at €327 million, while Liverpool's costs a more modest €157 million, largely due to their excellent scouting and academy system.

So why spend so much on defenders who rarely seem pressured and who mostly complete simple, unremarkable passes?

The answer lies within the question itself. These players are expensive precisely because they create an environment where they appear unchallenged. Whenever opponents attempt to press them aggressively, the outcome is often disastrous for the pressing team.

The reason we rarely see these defenders struggle under pressure is that, when they are pressed, they often exploit the situation to their advantage, transforming defensive pressure into goal-scoring opportunities. A classic example is Barcelona's first goal in El Clásico in 2017 (Starts at minute 5:45)

This ability to withstand and manipulate pressure is what made Sergio Busquets invaluable even as his physical attributes declined. His intelligence and composure turned defensive situations into attacking ones.

This is the paradox: the players recruited to make build-up play faster, smarter, and more skillful ultimately make the process slower, more calculated, and seemingly effortless.

Data confirms this trend: build-up play has indeed slowed down, but primarily in top-tier clubs. While the Premier League still sees pressing as an effective strategy overall, teams like Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool are largely immune to its effects. These clubs have invested heavily in players who thrive in slow, deliberate build-up phases, making their matches appear uneventful compared to the high-intensity chaos of lower leagues.

The Day it Changed

For years, Liverpool thrived on relentless pressing, suffocating teams as they attempted to play out from the back. However, this strategy was neutralized in October 2022, when Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton dismantled Liverpool’s press. A few months later, in January 2023, Brighton confirmed their formula for breaking Liverpool’s greatest weapon. Highlights of both games can be seen below.

Pep Guardiola quickly adapted De Zerbi’s approach, effectively using it as a "cheat code" to nullify pressing teams.

Jurgen Klopp later admitted in his UEFA Pro License lectures that the 3-3 draw against Brighton was one of the most tactically frustrating moments of his career. He spent days not only trying to understand what had happened but also searching for a way to counteract it.

Bit by bit, coaches across Europe adapted, learning how to bypass high-intensity pressing. As a result, Liverpool, once the most fearsome pressing team in the world, eventually abandoned their signature style.

This shift has fundamentally changed top-level football. The game is now slower and more methodical because even the most aggressive pressing teams have been forced to adjust. Modern matches are often decided in the phase where build-up play meets defensive pressure. Mistakes in this phase are costly, and teams have become more cautious, treating each match like a high-stakes chess game rather than the free-flowing spectacle many fans grew up watching.

Exceptions exist, but this is now the rule. As Marti Perarnau’s book Pep Confidential quotes Guardiola saying before taking over Bayern Munich, "Football and chess are remarkably similar." This evolution is what we will explore further in the second part of this series.

In Conclusion

The slowing down of football at the highest level is a natural consequence of tactical evolution. The best teams invest heavily in players who excel at breaking pressure, paradoxically making matches appear less intense. The ongoing battle between pressing and build-up play has become the defining factor of modern football, shifting the way the game is played at the top.

Sources

The Speed of Play Paradox
How Pro Players Make Better Decisions
What Football Can Learn from Chess
Football and chess: the art of play from Crete to Berlin
Cognitive benefits of chess
“Football is like chess, but with dice”
Why Guardiola, Maresca and Salah love chess: Space, patterns and ‘controlling the centre’
Enzo Maresca, Chelsea and the chess thesis that explains his football vision