It was great when Barcelona did it in their hey day, but that was because you had Xavi, Iniesta and Messi who would then do something beautiful and creative up front. This tiresome overplaying is fast becoming obsolete, even if some coaches and indeed their army of advisors who are over-coaching creatives, haven't figured it out yet.

Follow live coverage as Southampton face Brentford today in the Premier League. Another top-flight season will be covered in full right here with The Independent, as reigning champions Manchester City look to make it an unprecedented five titles in a row come the end of 2024/25.