Generally speaking, German football is a reliable mirror of the most efficient and effective style of the day, which has meant a lot of different things through the years. In the 1970s, it meant building from the back and playing an approximation of Netherlands' Total Football, only with a bit more physicality and counter-attacking. This approach, and the otherworldly skill of players like Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Muller, led to a European Championship in 1972, a World Cup title in 1974 and a European finals appearance in 1976 for Germany (plus three straight European Cup titles for Bayern Munich).
Why the German Bundesliga is one of the world's funnest leagues to watch
