An enthusiastic commitment to the Wiener Schule
Matthias Sindelar | 28/03/1937

In recent years, debating about the various football systems has been very fashionable. We practicers from the green lawn are anxious, fine, very big friends of theoreticians, because we usually do not allow the most beautiful theories to be confused, but I admit that it is necessary to fundamentally agree to a system in football.

When I could either try out the many systems and small systems that I tried out myself in the course of the drive or observe them with other teams. In my opinion, there are only two systems that have to be taken seriously: The Wiener Schule and the so-called W-formation.

Object lesson for 50.000.

On the last Sunday, at the eternally worthy international match between Austria and Italy, the audience was able to study both systems in their purest form, so to speak. As I may well have guessed, Austria played successfully according to the Wiener Schule system, while our opponents played the W-System that was rigidly so. The success was one hundred percent around the system, 50.000 saw that, they were able to guess the value of both of them and despite all other adversities, March 21 was a triumph for the Wiener Schule.

“W-System” does not suit us.

The W-System is difficult in that the centre-forward and the two wingers are distant from the insiders, while the insiders stay behind and create a natural connection with the halves. In this way a "W" arises in the silk when seen from above, which is why this system was also designated as follows. In order to use this system successfully, you need incredibly fast players, but the wingers have to be extremely nimble. In my opinion, only very strong and tough players can operate successfully with the W-System in the long term. Above all, the English professionals find this game to be excellent.



On the basis of my many years of experience I can only say that it would be a disaster if we in Vienna wanted to use this system. It doesn't suit our players at all. Our players are not as fast as the Italians and English, and they probably never will. Our average football player also lacks the necessary physical constitution for this game.

But we don't need that much at all. Praised speed and this toughness, because with our system of the Wiener Schule, at a more leisurely pace and less physical effort, we achieve far greater success. to make up for the Heine handicap, which we have to make up for due to our lower speed and hardness, by combining lightning-fast, precise combinations with the most surprising and numerous variants.

My club, Austria, to which I have been a member for 13 years, has always been interested in the good and bad sides of the Wiener Schule, which is nothing more than a refined and spiritualized Scottish game, and the successes of my team have probably been sufficient for them right.

And the "malá ulice"?

The system of the "malá ulice", the kleinen Gasse, which has been going on for a long time in Czechoslovakia, is, in my opinion, unproductive and extremely difficult to play, which are also very tough. I consider this game to be unproductive and not to be recommended.

Other systems, such as the lion style propagated for a long time in Hungary, do not find any discussion at all for me.

Scots have given up their system.

It is interesting that the Scots, who were our teachers and from whom we overtook our Viennese system, have today given up their own system and, just like the English teams, pay homage to the W system. We noticed this on our tours to Scotland. On May 9th, at the game between Austria and Scotland, the Viennese will again be able to witness a pounding of two systems, of course — of that I am convinced — without having to go through the embarrassing side effects that the game of Italy brought.