He's a TV character who doesn’t know anything about the sport he coaches. But real-life coaches look up to Ted Lasso. https://t.co/xSavAR2dAb— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) July 15, 2021
Funny thing is that Ted Lasso encapsulates what modern coaching is about. Take England, big question marks about player selection and formation. But what many miss is the quality of the culture that Gareth Southgate has built. There's a TON of whining about a team that made the semis in the WC and now the Euro finals (for the first time in 55 years). More talented teams went home early. Lucky draw, home games... Brazil got trounced 7-1 at home in the WC, all home games. France got bounced after being up 3-1 by Switzerland. (it's about the culture) English FA about 7 years ago, changed their four pillars. Merged technical and tactical and the other 3 are: psychological, social, and physical. They put a greater emphasis on what are deemed "soft skills". In the business world, it's termed "emotional intelligence" EQ vs IQ. How many super talented Dutch teams in the past flamed out because of infighting?
Only one, the 1996 Hiddink team in the EURO. But in reality it was a conflict between Ajax players, the rest had no issues. The Anglo-Saxon shit press since then keep on copy pasting that kind of shit and it seems Yanks only read Anglo-Saxon shit.
Fair point, if true. We only get the English perspective on that. Doesn't have to be Dutch. Could be French just as easily.
The English press has been jealous of the Dutch team since 1974. We outshone them decade after decade as a tiny country. They always tried to whip up/stirr things in the Orange squad by publishing that kind of shit, but for what? Dutch don't read those shit papers, let alone the players. It's probably trying to create schadenfreude in compensation for their ever overblown expectations of the English team. We were in 4 finals, while they after 55 years managed to get their second.
There was one team also flamed out, but not because of infighting, but because of the players vs the FA. It was the 1988 EURO winners in the 1990 WC. The players wanted Cruijff as their coach, but the KNVB decided against it because of the demands by Cruijff. The players publicly more or less arrogantly (winners of 1988!) declared they actually didnot need a coach and sabotaged coach Beenhakker. The tournement ended in a disaster for the best team of that WC, while the quality of the other teams in that WC was one of the lowest in decades. I still can't forgive those arrogant players for blowing up the best chance to become World champions with the best squad of that time in a WC with mediocre opponents.
why did the KNVB pick Beenhakker? Why did he think he would succeed without the support of the players?
Beenhakker simply is a very good coach with pedigree to show. When people dig themselves in pits too deep to get out themselves you need a mediator, but that has to be accepted by both parties. The time to the tournement was too short to solve the issue. I guess the realisation this Worldcup was theirs for the taking was what the KNVB counted on for Beenhakker to be accepted. Anyway these superstars proved players can't run a team without the guidance of a coach. A lesson learned at the cost of a worldcup.
Well, as if the gutter press wanted to provide an example for my look on their shittery about the Orange Squad: This story is completely false. It’s never been more important for journalists to tell the truth and not just make stuff up. Shame on you Mr. @MullockSMirror https://t.co/aYRDvqSk21— Virgil van Dijk (@VirgilvDijk) July 17, 2021
Watch out for cheaters. We just played. Won 7-6. In the 2nd half we were up 7-2. Then they score and it's 7-3. They score again, 7-4... 7-5.... 7-6... and the game ends. It was weird how all of a sudden they seemed to have this extra jolt. Now, at the time I was focused on my team, tracking who needs to go in/come out, trying to give pointers, etc. At the time, I wasn't counting their players. The indoor venue has a rule that if a team is losing by 5 or more goals they can add an extra field player. I watched the footage and then see that the team added a player when they went down by 5 goals (at 7-2). Cool, all fair. So they score, it's now 7-3 and guess what - do they take off their extra player? Nope. Ok maybe just an oversight. They score again, it's 7-4 and now they are only down by 3. Extra player still on. Now they're down by 2. Extra player on... extra player stays on until the clock runs out. Having an extra player on (normally there's only 5 field players, so they had 6)... is something a coach might overlook for a minute... but not over a 10 minute span. Impossible. I'm shocked that I didn't notice or that no one pointed it out to me. I just never thought to count their players, even though sometimes I do. Also shocked the ref didn't notice. Anywho - they f---ng cheated. I'm pissed. They knew what they were up to. Next time we play them it's going to be no mercy. This is the same mother effer that brought his U10 team to play our U8 team last season. Anyways, lesson learned.
USWNT vs Canada/Olympics as a whole Not embarrassing, only because it's been coming. But I would've dropped: Lloyd, Rapinoe, O'Hara, Morgan, and Heath (maybe) for the Olympics and brought some youth. US had no pace outside of Lavelle and Dunn. SWE, NED, played better soccer than them. Even Canada had passages where they dominated the ball and we really didn't have any dangerous chances apart from a header. NED bossed us until they got tired. Overall, US didn't look like they knew how they wanted to play. Probably Vlatko's fault.
I only caught bits here and there throughout the Olympics and the buildup, but it felt like they were dead set on giving the older players one last chance at a trophy before hitting the reset button. Maybe it was more of not having a chance to work in a new wave of players due to Covid? There weren't many opportunities once we got past the victory tour after the world cup in 2019. Maybe they the old guard was the best chance to win a medal given the circumstances?
Yeah, they're still probably the third-best team in this tourney. Puts Vlatko in a hard position though if the Federation told him he MUST take certain players.
Those types of fouls need looked at by fifa. I hate those fouls where the striker comes up from behind and after the defender has already started their backswing the striker puts their leg in the path of the defenders kicking leg. Something just seems really cheap about that kind of penalty.
It's what I would do in that situation—insert my body between the defender and the ball to establish position. Not to draw a foul but to establish position. I don't think Canadian player went down easy, she got the leg sweep from Davidson. Laws of the game are pretty clear: trips/attempts to trip, kicks/attempts to kick an opponent is a foul.
Yeah I get putting your body in position, but putting your LEG in front of the defender's leg AFTER they have already started the action to kick the ball, that particular case I feel fifa should look at and make a rule that it's not worthy of a penalty, because once the defender is in motion to kick then it's impossible to stop, and the striker is BEHIND the defender when they start this motion so they aren't even aware. It doesn't happen that often but I saw it a few times in the PL and MLS last season, and it just seems like a cheap foul. Just as every time a ball touches the hand its not a hand ball, same nuance should be applied to this. In more extreme case of this - a striker could be completely behind the defender, as the defender is in peak backswing (ie foot near their butt) the striker can simply put their foot right under the defender's foot and say "hey he kicked me" - again this is while the striker is completely BEHIND the defender. Seen it happen. It's BS in my opinion.
The rule should be, if the defender is in playable position to the ball and has started the motion to kick the ball, but before touching the ball the opponent has insterted leg into the defender's kicking path (whilst not touching the ball themselves)... that should be treated like a 50/50 challenge and play on. Fifa will make this adjustment at some point in the next 10 years most likely. Just low priority and kind of rare.
My fall teams are are set. HS girls-- roughly half juniors and half seniors 3rd grade girls Kindergarten girls. The kinder team should be interesting because the club is trying a new model. They will have groups of kinder teams practicing at the same location with professional coaches providing assistance/guidance. It will be interesting to see how it works
You've must have the patience of a golden retriever. Don't think I could handle such a wide variety of ages.
I love having the different age groups. The developmental goals are total different as the thinking about results. Since I generally stay with the same group for years, it is amazing to watch how they grow as people.
Our team is mostly 7 yr olds. We are 6-0 now. Our defense has grown to be very effective because the goalie has been aggressive attacking the ball and we have an athletic kid who likes to defend. But they just boot the ball when it gets to them. I want to start having them "build from the back" at least a little bit now. I think we'll work on this next practice. If they have no pressure, trap the ball, bring it under control and look around to see your options. Make a deliberate pass, don't just blast it to the other side of the field. Blasting it works at this age group, but I think now is a good time to have them improve their technique and IQ. The constant blasting is getting a big much to look at haha.
I received my roster for my 6Us this week, and training starts next. We'll have a few weeks to get to know each other before our games start in mid-September. I'm pretty excited to work with a handful of young'ns this season after having a full squad of teenagers in the spring.