Say you are playing a Pirlo role, as a deep lying playmaker, and you receive the ball at half. Are you still supposed to make inferences of where to play the ball based on the positions of few players closest to you, or should you take the time to look up and see your mates? At the higher level, is that okay, or will you get closed down? So far, my playing experience tells me it's okay to look up in that situation for 1-2 seconds, but is that a bad habit to develop?
Oh ok. Most important is foresight. This is the REAL "speed of play." When a guy like Pirlo receives a ball he is totally aware of the entire field beforehand. He watches the field develop when he is out of play. Then when Pirlo goes for a ball, he goes there for a reason, in order to accomplish a specific purpose. He executes, then gets out in order to look for his next opportunity to play in. So the point is - you do your "looking up" before you even go for a pass. At that level, unless you put yourself in a gap in the other team's shape or out wide, you won't have time to look again once you have the ball. As a playmaker, many times you may have to hold possession a moment or two as the play you enivisioned comes together. That is why the best playmakers hold the ball at times. If you watch the best playmakers - guys like Zidane, Ronaldinho, Nedved, Pirlo, etc. one of two things occurs after they hold it - either a chance is created, or they end up laying back or square to reload.
Thanks NL for the explanation. Been away. Also, remember my initial point. Some players just have it, and get it quicker than others, but this can be taught. John R brought up the example of his sons team playing the CRican team. It was obvious that they had been coached and taught to switch the ball when recieving it in certain areas and certain times. The other players should have been taught to respond to he situation. John R's team was physically and techinically superior so I am not surprised the CR team tried to find space for their players with the switch. It's a good move against a superior opponent who hopefully becomes to aggressive and the switch is like an end a round in football. Try to catch them cheating in pursuit. FWIW - Pay attention the next few matches you watch. With all of the zone defense played today it's harder to pull off, but when there is some space and things aren't settled you will see this fairly often (blind/assumed swithc). Many teams the midfielder or fullback will not read the "space" and not make the run. This will invariably lead to the player who made the passes throwing his hands up in disgust or pointing at all the room in disbelief and frustration. Many may blame the passer wondering how he can complian like that. His pass was poor and wasn't near anyone. It was a throw away. Not true. Often it is the other player who lacked the speed of thought or anticiaption to make the read. This is drilled to young players in Europe. I have personally seen it. Germany and Holland to be specific. The Dutch kids did it to us quite a few times in half two. Especially after we went down a man. They assumed the space and assumed the runs. I have 5 or 6 opposing players on my side of the field, with a keeper and a couple of forwards up top the switch should be an immediate thought. Like NL said, that thought should be understood before the ball is recieved by taking that quick snapshot. Easy? Of course not, but when players can do it, it can be deadly. Kind of thing not taught in Brandenton from what I see. Too many 30 or 40 yard passes across the field to a players feet making them wait. Losing the space and time. Not leading them properly and pressing the opp. What we do ad nauseum is the target forward long ball which IMO we shouldn't rely on as much anymore. Teams that have a lot of skill don't need to rely on that. Our U17's had it. Could have been used better.
A very enjoyable thread guys. Great information being passed along here. I don't normally post, I just kind of browse through, but I thought I might add my 2 cents. As has been said, athleticism has never been a problem for us and is usually our biggest asset. Until recently, we've not had enough individually skilled players to play any differently. Obviously, this is changing. We are producing numerous individually talented players. In fact, whenever I help out a youth training session I'm amazed at some of their skills, which took me much longer to develop. The problem now lies in how to take all those individual skills and group them into effective team play. We as a nation lack this entirely. To be honest, it is not entirely unexpected for me. Yes, the quality of American coaches is improving; however, this new crop of coaching, although smarter and more skilled, then its predecessors is still largely ingrained in our old tactics. As I look back over my career as a player it has always been my foreign coaches from which I have learned the most tactically. To me our problem is not simply being able to combine with each other. I believe we do see that at times. For me it is choosing the correct combination. I'll use myself as an example. I'm finishing my 4th year playing at a Div 1 college, where I have started all 4 years. However, my first 2 years playing I would more often then not infuriate my teammates from Trinidad (2 specifically are the most talented players I've seen, and I firmly believe will make a noise in the MLS). For the longest time I could not figure out why, and it led to several arguments (they're as stubborn as I am). I was combining with teammates, I was playing quickly, I wasn't losing the ball, so I couldn't figure out what they're problem was. Often times they would play the ball too far in front of me and the ball would skip out of bounds. Eventually, I found out. I look up to both of these players and ask for advice. What they told me was simply that it wasn't that I made the wrong choice, its that I consistently miss the better choice. They have this ability to see things on the bigger scale, whereas I, and most US players see things only in our little box. Yes, it was a great play in my small area of the field, but how did it contribute to the team's success in penetrating? While it may have lead to a decent chance for us, when I watched video I would often see better options. While I always credited myself for seeing the field, they were seeing things 2 and 3 passes ahead of me. Yes, I could make an intelligent first pass, but it is the 2nd and 3rd passes that are going to lead to goals. They saw those whereas we did not, which is why balls I thought were too heavily played were my fault for not being in the proper position. While I was watching for where I should be to receive the ball next, they were expecting me to be where the 3rd pass would go. I've learned a ton from them, and now consider myself a much stronger player with a much better mind for the game. They contribute some of this to the fact that most players on our team do not consistently watch soccer on TV. I've always craved games, I killed to find one on TV, and I've always learned. Theses guys from Trinidad did as well, and they credit that for me being a little ahead of my other American players, while obviously at the time still far behind them. It really is amazing to me, how little dedicated American soccer players actively watch games. Even if they do it's simply to watch, rather then to actually study what is going on. In fact 1 player, which to this day bothers me, had the gull to actually state that he doesn't learn anything from watching soccer on TV, which infuriated me and the guys from Trinidad. Perhaps this is only in my remote part of the world, but I have honestly always found this to be the case, and I've played at some of the highest levels. Well that's my random 2 cents. Hopefully, that made some bit of sense.
Excellent post in general and this point in particular is important. Studying soccer on TV (and in person) is critical. Recently I had a bit of a row with my son because he likes to skip the second half when teams are winning by 2 or more. I asked him "how many times have you been up 2 or more, only to lose the match? Did it ever occur to you that you might need to learn how to kill off a game?" Needless to say, he watches all 90 minutes now. BTW, any player who tells he doesn't learn anything from watching on TV has just told me he doesn't know anything about the game.
Manutd6 - The stories that teach the most are usually the one's like yours, from the perspective of shared learning rather than (the usual bigsoccer.com) perspective of "here's why I'm so frigging smart." Repped. Great stuff.
I forgot to mention this as well. Because of where I go to school, were forced indoors for the winter to play. Someone mentioned futsal as a tool to develop combinational play, and I will agree although somewhat hesitantly. I have found my game to have gotten tremendously better by playing indoors. We don't always have a ton of space to play with and so we're often playing in very tight quarters, and when 20 guys show up to play (these practices are optional for the moment) the numbers are usually high. While this can often lead to a very crappy game, it helps significantly. Your touch must be superb, and your speed of play must increase, and to be effective you better know what's going on around you. It forces you to take a look behind you as you're checking for a ball so that you can actually make a pass to a teammate. I generally like to team up with the guys from Trinidad. With their quickness, touch, and ability to take players on at the dribble they are already heads and toes above everyone else; however, when we all play together its even more dominating (we generally split up into a few teams, 2 goals wins, winner keeps the court, more often then not, we don't leave the pitch). In fact, our team usually consists, of 4 trini's, 1 Romanian, a Croatian, and me (the honorary international and funny how its the international kids except for me obviously) and every one of us pass the ball around oponents like cones. Its amazing sometimes to watch. Its nearly always 1 touch, and the movement and interplay has the other team standing there useless. Obviously, it took me sometime to develop, and consistently playing indoors in tight quarters with a number of players on the field has contributed greatly. Now for my hesitation. We have 2 graduates that come out to play with us regularly who used to play for the University. For the most part, they did not have an effect for the school during their 4 years. They were relied on primarily as reserves and never played a large part. 1 is Mexican, the other Brazilian. Take them indoors; however, and you'd swear they're the next Pele. They're amazing indoors; however, could never take that play and make it work outdoors. To this day it still baffles me, how 2 players who techincally are as sound as anyone can play so brilliantly indoor, and then when it turns to outdoor they're useless. I contribute this to my box theory I mentioned earlier. In their own little box they can see nice tidy combinations, but how does that relate to the team penetrating on a large field? They could never see beyond their box. Playing indoor consistently can make the "box syndrome" worse for some players.
While generally I'll agree (there is sometimes I want to scream at my computer after reading some comments) this thread in particular has been brilliant. It has really made me think about team tactics and to truly analyze. Some of the statements, by you, Next Level, and Jaggermeister, need to be put in a book.
People knock indoor soccer with the walls but it has been my observation that the truly good players benefit for the reasons that you describe. The best youth players in the Chicago area aren't hitting the ball off the frigging walls; they're playing rapidly and with anticipation and with composure under pressure. On the other hand, the second-tier players are playing this stupid ping-pong thing ... but rightly or wrongly, I don't much care about the second-tier players. Yes. Work rate and athleticism also kill off some of the indoor soccer studs when they move outdoor. Real soccer is a man's game -- physical, high energy, high demand for speed. In the indoor version with frequent substitution, smaller fields, softer tackling, and less of an air game, an indifferent or lazy athlete who has good skills & tactics can thrive. Not so outdoors. My kid's first soccer coach used to say "Good indoor player" as a code phrase for an attractive looking player who was not athletic and/or tough enough to be a key player for his team outdoors. He did not use the term as a compliment.
Great post. Better choices and more options are the words that stick out. Key. Better choices and more options = more time and more space for everybody. Thats' my fear. We are good enough to really compete, but that next step is the big one. As you posted, I don't see it coming any time soon. We very well may, and I'm afraid will, get quagmired in the "look how good we are doing." We will dominate our region, play our biggest rival toe to toe and advance to group stages more often. We will continue to fall short of the big goals and use the other stuff as a feel good pillow. We will get there. Bad breaks, etc. Excuse central IOW. It takes real vision, guts and understanding to change something that looks very successfull, in order to make it really successfull. Too many people patting themselves on the back. Alas, I am sad we won't see it for a 20 more years.
Would it be effective for a coach to tell his/her team to freeze and close their eyes durring a scrimage and then make each player on the team with possesion tell him/her where they would pass if they had just received the ball and where the receiver of their pass should pass and where they should move after passing? I believe every player on the field should at least know what they should do and where they should move after receiving and playing the ball.
Reminds me of Robinho versus Falcao in Futsal in "Ginga". Falcao tricks and moves were better than Robinho's indoors but Falcao couldn't cut it as a professional outdoors.
I wish we would get rid of the walls. It's so useless. At my school we simply play on a basketball court, no walls, and it makes your vision, touch, speed of reaction that much quicker. Nothing to just bang the ball off of. Now as you stated the best aren't doing this, but those that are need to learn not to.
No, a younger version. He won the FIFA World Futsal player of the year. If you have not seen the movie "Ginga" it is a must see. It is on GOL TV. It's a documentary into the soccer lives of a few Brazilian players. From Robinho when he was at Santos, to a kid who has tried out for Sao Paulo 22 times and finally makes the cut, to another player who got hit by a car and lost his leg two weeks before he had a trial with Vasco and now his goal is to play in the Para-Olympics.
Watch it all here: http://nikefootball.nike.com/nikefootball/siteshell/index.jsp#,us;ginga Then you will understand how the Brazilian produced so many world class players, and that the US are so far away from producing players similar to the Brazilians.
A very good doc. You can watch it on Fox Soccer Channel, too. If you can't wait, follow the link posted above and you can see it immediately on nike.com. The first time I saw it was from a link at Skysports. Needless to say, I was instantly taken by their creative touches and fantastic technique. Ginga! However, don't watch it more than 10x or you will start to see the same thing I did...none of them are better than Freddy.