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Behind the Curtain: Travels in Eastern European Football

Behind the Curtain details Jonathan Wilson's travels through Eastern Europe, describing the history, styles and idiosyncrasies of football in each country, as the breakdown of the Soviet Union and the resulting political turmoil is reflected in the football and the culture that surrounds it.

Inverting the Pyramid: A History of Football Tactics

Shortlisted for the 2008 William Hill Sports Book of the Year award, Wilson documents the evolution of football tactics and formations from the sport's foundations to the modern 4-5-1 formation and its variants. Along the way Wilson explains the evolution and rationale behind the Italian Catenaccio style, Dutch Total football, the individual skills of South American football players, and the tactical innovations within the Soviet Union.

Wilson repeatedly suggests that the failure to innovate tactically has played a role in the under-achievement of recent English international teams, who have struggled in recent competitions despite the presence of numerous exceptionally talented players .

Jonathan Wilson has written for The Independent, FourFourTwo magazine and the Daily Telegraph. He is the football correspondent for the Financial Times and the Eastern European football correspondent for The Guardian. Wilson has most recently appeared as the Eastern European football expert on the "The World Football Phone-In" on BBC Radio 5 Live.

"The Question"

Wilson is the main contributor to a feature for The Guardian website called "The Question" in which he analyzes modern trends and evolutions in football. The Question has included articles on the decline of the 'box to box midfielder', the importance of the modern full-back and the evolution of the 'defensive striker'.