Bernd Schuster said in an interview once that he wants (let's hope I remember it correctly), "Brazilian forwards but the German midfielders". Of course, Essien is a converted forward, a star of the U-17's and the U-20's once upon a time at that position. It's somewhat odd that Ghana has such a splendid midfield roster (Essien, Appiah, Muntari, Kingston) but a pretty iffy strike force.
Again, with the same argument, name all the great creative black CAMs in the game. The argument against structured football is also incorrect, as almost all of the great players have played since a young age at clubs. And not all brazilian players show this creativity and fluidity of movement, and it's not true that flair is limited to brazilians. It has to do with the style of playing allowed by the youth coaches. In Brazil flair and creativity is encouraged at a young level, other places it may not be. For example, Messi was regularly benched by the Barca youth coaches because he dribbled too much. (Of course his distribution is not as good as it should be, but that will be fixed). I believe Ryan Giggs has black ancestry, but he learned to play in England and I don't think he's ever been short on flair.
Well these guys all play different positions. Kaka and Riquelme play CAM whereas Rivaldo plays in the hole, Ronaldinho is an inside forward and I belive Denilson was a wingback. It is rare for a CAM to be a player with a lot of flair, I'd rather he didn't and focused more on distributing the ball well and creating chances in front of goal. When you play on the wing like Denilson, or behind the striker like Rivaldo or Ronaldinho you have more freedom with body movement. Oh...and Rivaldo moves nothing like Ronaldinho. Rivaldo was fairly awkward looking.
They have been running a 3-part series in either "World Soccer" or "Four Four Two" magazine about Brazilian players development. Their youth teams are gigantic. Kids usually join them between ages 10-12 and are often recommended as being the best in their respective neighborhoods. The coaches start them off playing a lot of unstructured futsal against each other so they get a lot of touches and become used to having the ball at their feet. Each team in the Brazilian top flight has numerous youth teams with thousands of players hoping to one day break through although most never will. Most of these players are from poor Brazilian backgrounds and have little other options to make it out of their poverty (ever seen City of God?). These young players are often bussed in mass to the clubs numerous training sites where they endure stiff competition. I would say the one misconception I had was that Brazilian players were trained free spirits. They are essentially the survivors of a grueling and widespread selection process. It is well organized and there is a lot of pressure on many of the players from their families who see them as a way out. The top flight of the Brazilian league is actually quite a violent league. If you were to nutmeg somebody it is often considered unnecessary showboating and players that do so will often receive retribution through violent fouls. It is strange because you wouldn't normally attribute such attitudes with Brazilian players. I would suggest anybody read these revealing articles about Brazilian players development.
That's the reality, what's amusing is that those unfamiliar with Brazilian football regards Brazilian players as divers and not used to hard tackling. Both the Brazilian and Argentine leagues are brutal.
People here have no idea. Friend of mine's son played in Argentina as part of a Regional ODP tour. The Argentinian kids are ferocious. They will cut your testicles off to get ahead. The entire family has its economic hopes pinned on a 15 year old boy. The most vivid impression to the American boy was not his opponents' technique, or tactics, but rather their willingness to do absolutely anything to win the match.
Not from me. I'm American, but I moved to Brasil at 8 and I was able to develop my touch, ball handling skills, dribbling, and quickness like any *Brasilian*. I was never fast, so that was not part of my game. However, I did develop quickness and my instincts in traffic. For 10 meters with a ball, I could beat anyone. On the 11th yard, however, the defender caught up with me and I had to dribble back through them again. I learned later the right time to pass. I developed killer passes and had a very good shot with both feet to round out my game. How did this happen? When I got to Brasil I was immersed in a culture that obsesses with futebol. You heard about it at school, on the news, on the streets ... just about everywhere. You learned about the game and learned that passion for the game is natural -- that's step 1. With that passion, you adopt a team (for life -- Corinthians) and you watch every one of their games -- on tv or in person. You follow the quotes by your stars and you mimic your favorite player's moves with hours of practice at home, and then try them on the playground. You find out what works and what doesn't, fine-tune them, and try them again -- step 2. The adults overseeing the games -- P.E. teachers and coaches -- don't over coach. They give you freedom and let you try different things on the field. Your teammates will let you know if you've overdone it -- some will yell at you, most will laugh WITH you when you fail. They'll laugh with you when it works. Everyone enjoys the joy of the game -- step 3. The adults facilitate the games and scores are kept for the duration of the game -- however, there are no standings until the kids get to be about 12 years old. The importance of the play is *now* (during the game.) No pressure to play defensively to try to win points or a title. You concentrate on your development, your performance, and the present game -- nothing else. You play attacking ball. You work hard the whole game. You focus the whole game. You learn to not only react to play, but you learn how to set up your opponent to beat them. Step 4. At this point (for me, about 4 years later), if you've worked hard enough, you've learned the fundamentals of the game. You have good ball control, good dribbling ablility, and understand on and off the ball movement from *living* in the game. You do things instinctively because you've learned what works and what doesn't. Now you can concentrate on the tactics. I was lucky that my favorite player growing up was Rivelino (from Corinthians, of course.) He's left footed, and when I was 12 I worked all summer to emulate him -- which meant that I had to develop my left at a high level. Without realizing it, that was the best thing that I did during my entire development phase because now I could move as easily to my left as I could to my right -- that made me a double threat. If a defender pushed me one way, no problem, because I didn't have a *weaker* side. So, it is not DNA, but dedication, freedom, and passion that makes a *Brasilian-style* futbol player. Just my personal experience ... and these are the things that I try to instill in the players I coach.
Great post. But my question is can a similar experience be created within the current American soccer culture? Or do you find yourself when trying to instill this in American players taking certain shortcuts or using certain substitutes for the Brazilian experience that inevitably leave you with a less instinctive more robotic player? On a somewhat different note, how does what you describe so eloquently in your post differ from what a young player in say Argentina would experience? Is there something uniquely Brazilian in all this?
No disrespect to Captain10 but I'd rather have Rivelino. I know I am one of the old timers here but Roberto was one hell of a player. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMXn5hpxaxE&mode=related&search= The inventor of "Elastico" and, looking at the guy's T-shirt... you know, it doesn't look as if he'd be adverse to moving north ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30eo6zEqZTA&mode=related&search=
In my opinion, if you were to re-read my above post and figure out what I indirectly said, is that there is no way for an American to play like a Brazilian. I think we need to settle for finding the best way to develop players given the reality of our situation, not look at how Brazil does it. We cannot be Brazil, certainly not right now. Our current situations are way too different regarding Soccer. We have already been blessed by FSC. This alone will reep results in the next several years. It's given so many of our kids the access to watch the best players in the world play. FSC, GolTV, Setanta and the increased exposure on ESPN will alone advance our kids beyond what my generation was probably capable of, given our exposure to the pro game, which was next to nothing. Certainly it still needs to build from here but I think it is on it's way.
Thanks! And sidefootsitter, I'd rather have Rivelino too!!! From my answer, the first assumption that I wanted to refute was that an American cannot play like a Brasilian. Given my personal experience, that is not true -- given the right environment. So, BeeKeeper, if we can emulate that environment, we can create those types of players. Your question is how do you create that same environment here in the US ... While I think our culture will never be soccer-centric, it is also not football or baseball-centric. There is more public emphasis and interest, but it is not as prevalent as soccer is in other countries, like Brasil. So we do the next best thing, immerse the kids with futbol in the community, if possible, and watching their favorite team on TV. With all the soccer channels and the internet coverage, kids can now become saturated with information and news. The only thing missing is that electric vibe that you can only get in the stadiums. Up until now, no futbol-centric lifestyle and no personal connection with the team -- but no problem. A virtual connection will do for now. Now the hard part ... coaching a kid for development rather than results and getting them excited about the game. Personally, I coach at the YMCA right now because I can give back to the game and help those that cannot afford the expensive club fees. Because I am a 100% volunteer coach, to a large extent, I don't have to worry about getting results and being *fired* -- so I can concentrate on player development. The biggest key that I stress with my players is touch on the ball. I give them a nerf ball to dribble around the house (with their parent's permission) on the main floor -- going from room to room at different speeds. I get them to reverse direction and dribble their family members. This fosters a good touch on the ball, good balance, quick turns, proactive thinking, and lifting their heads to "see the field" (in this case doorways and furniture so they don't run into them!) When they have their touch down, then they can concentrate on the more advanced components of the game like movement, etc. I also believe that players should not be confined to a certain area and I encourage the players to try something new -- a dribble, a move, a run, or a creative pass. I walk around the field and ask players to do something special -- a defender making a run up the field with the ball, dish it off, and continue to support the attack. I know the players can do these things but, more importantly, they learn themselves that they can have success being creative on the field. Encourage this type of creativity and vision in both practice and game situations. Don't chastise a player for pushing the envelope every now and then even if it fails. Encourage the players to think outside the box because when they are doing things that are a little more *special*, they get a little more excited. When its not just about making a safe pass to Johnny, but being a little more bold and surprising the opponent with a combination to his teammate, it's more fun for everyone -- and it generates passion. I also don't pigeon hole players. Every couple of weeks, we have a scrimmage where I don't allow players to play in their *natural* positions. This helps them gain a different perspective, which in turn can help them become more effective players all over the field. If you notice that a player has been practicing shots that drop right under the crossbar, even though he is not one of your *designated* free kick takers, give him a shot during the game -- the results and the boost in confidence might just surprise you! I believe that by developing players, you are building a better base and raising the level of the entire team. Teaching players to think the game -- and let the game be the teacher, is what will take them a lot further than just worrying about results. Ironically, in teaching like I've mentioned above, the results may not come as quickly to begin with, but eventually they come better and more consistently. Instead of teaching for tests (games), we are teaching for understanding and enlightenment. The kids get much more out of it and the results are generally the same. I am taking the same approach even with my U17 Boys Select team -- concentrating on results through development. While standings have always been a part of youth soccer in the US, I have not emphasized it at all with my teams. While all these things don't quite add up exactly to a Brasilian environment, they come close to it when on the field. As long as you have a coach that can tell them what to do and why they should do it that way, encourage development and creativity, explain opportunities for improvement and challenges, and praise the kids when they do something right, that will get us pretty close to it on the field -- and something to build on.
BeeKeeper? I don't get it. Was that a lame attempt at a slam for some reason? While you may think you have revolutionized American Soccer with some of the things you do for your teams, I can tell you, you just sound pretty dime a dozen to me. Most of it common sense that I'm sure most people on here already have done for their kids or teams. Don't get too over excited that somebody on here paid you a compliment. Even doing all that you do for your players, you can still not create a "Brazilian" player. Most of your previous post actually supports what I said in my posts completely, I guess you just didn't get it. It's the full emersion of a Brazilian Soccer culture that will produce a Brazilian player. For the time being, Brazil, as well as all other Soccer loving nations, have a huge advantage at developing players over the U.S.. What you will be able to produce here will be something different, an American player. Our players will inevitably have a little different style based on the complete environment he grew up in. The fact that our players will grow up with an American Football influence in his life, will probably have an effect. If that doesn't make what I said clear, I give up, but please spare me any lame slams if BeeKeeper was actually an attempt at one.
It's because most South American and African players were raised in abject poverty, and could play free flowing football in the streets with no rules, no structure and no coaches and thus were allowed to express themselves freely. It's comparable to AND1 basketball players. Since they didn't play structured games, there was more of an impetus to dazzle and play beautifully rather than win. These sort of players develop naturally, whereas our players are manufactured. You can go to Brazilian favellas and see players with moves to match Ronaldinho's, or go to a Nigerian slum and see kids with Okocha-esque skills. I'm sure if you look hard enough you will find players like this in America. Like I said you can compare it to Collegiate Basketball and that of AND 1. You will see the difference. But what makes the Brazilians so lethal is the combination of good technical ability and also great organization and tactical nous, which is what a lot of African teams lack.
Which is not to say that only players of poor backgrounds are technically gifted, but playing 5 aside and unstructured football will help develop these skills.
Cool your jets, BigKeeper ... it was midnight and I was helping a friend with a team issue at the same time. There was no attempt to slam ... I simply misread your name ... my apologies. And lighten up ... I never stated that I had all new ideas ... just things that work for the way I teach the kids based on my experiences with the game. The things I mentioned seem to help the players gain a better understanding of how to think the game. Your mileage may vary. The most important thing to take away is that, to me, to produce a *Brasilian* type player -- absent the futbol culture, some of the main ingredients are dedication, freedom, and passion for the game. Since I haven't lived in Argentina, I don't have any special insight on the subtle differences between their game and Brasil's at a developmental level. Overall, coaching plays a large part, but in the US we are starting to see coaches that have played the game all their life involved at the grassroots level (instead of a parent filling in just so the kid has a team) and that will help a lot. The higher the level of play by the coach, IMO, the better they can teach the subtleties of the game. Ultimately what we might be developing in the US might be Brasil-lite players due the difference in culture, environment, and attitude ... but maybe the combination of those qualities plus our own attitudes might just create the new standard for quality ...
Actually, if you were to listen to the complaints of some Brazilian coaches, Brazil doesn't produce that many "Brazilian-type" players anymore.
And Dunga, an ex-Stuttgart man, doesn't coach like a Brazilian either. Having said that, both the Brazilians and the Argentines have swung back and forth between an offensive (Zagallo, Santana, Menotti, Basile) and defensive/tactical (Pereira, Lazaroni, Bilardo, Bielsa) football. Pereira's 1994 Brazil WC-winning squad was Romario, Bebeto + a lot of hard work. So was Dunga's 2007 Copa America's X-mas Tree with 3 defensive midfielders. Of Euros, Germany's swung similarly between offense (Schön, Klinsmann) and defense (Derwall, Beckenbauer, Vogts, Völler). Ditto for the Italians with Bearzot, Zoff and Lippi on one side and Sacchi, Maldini, Sr. and Trapattoni on the other. That is not to say those coaches were incompetent on their face (well, Vogts, Maldini and Völler were). They just had different styles.
http://www.eloratings.net/Germany.htm Off Elo, under Völler, Germany was in the 16th spot and sliding. Under Klinsmann/Löw, they're in 4th and ascending, +38 points off last year and whopping +166 from the end of the 2004 Euros. Hey, but at least, Rudi was better than Erich Ribbeck.
Just an example of how Argentinean kids grow up. Don't scorn me because it's Leo Messi. Nobody can dribble like him, but what he does here--well, there's guys in every neighborhood who can do that. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHOzgVyOAJU Certainly we can't create a soccer culture out of nothing. We'll be successful by bringing American qualities to bear. But we do need to focus on developing point-guard-like ball skills in the kids. The rest is a lesser problem.
Shooting skills would be nice, too. In truth, we seem to have more flash dribblers (Adu, Nimo, Mapp, Dempsey) than we have shooters. Shielding skills ... what young player do we have who can hold the ball inside the box, save for Altidore? What center mids who can use the body effectively to get off the pass? Crossing skills ... how many young wings have you seen in the U.S. who can send in a cross like, say, David Bentley? Give me skills, skills, skills, please. Of all flavors.
We just finished a U-17 WC cycle where our boys cannot even move to an open spot to give their teammate an option, and we have a whole thread about whether we could look fancier if our kids learned samba dancing. You have to walk before you can run.