I've heard many times that, in the past (I don't know exactly when, but It may be around 1930 and 1950 decades) football teams used to align using 2-3-5 formation.
I know that tactics used to be less defensive at those times, and it used to be more goals, but I guess if this were completely true, an we interpreter 2-3-5 as 2 defenders, 3 midfields and 5 forwards in the same sense we refer to those positions today, it should have been dozens of goals per match.
I also rembember reading a quote from some old player saying that I was an exaggeration, and that just the idea of 5 forwards against 2 defenders is ridiculous.
Can anybody explain how football tactics worked at those times?