Hey guys, i was just wondering opinions on what you think the sport has become, has it become about pure athletics and technical ability? ( One touch passing, shooting ) or Creativity and athleticism? Thanks and was wondering about your opinions
Not sure what you mean when you say pure athletics and how it differs from athleticism, but regardless. I'd like to think it's a bit of everything. Not every player is the same and they all bring their own set of skills to the table. Not every player will be a lung busting run type of player nor will they all be pass masters. But the game needs both, because without one or the other there's nobody to make the pass or be on the end of it. The game needs every type of player, and without them the game would be a dull dull thing. Imagine if every single player was all about technical skill and all they did was safe/logical pass, then we'd lack the beautiful goals and the flashes of brilliance players like Messi and Ronaldo give us. That's just the way I look at it and why I love the beautiful game, because there's a place in it for all of us.
In the US it has become 1 touch shooting in the final third. I rather see it 2 touch in the final third. It has went from an ethic sport here in the US to a born here sport that is a very good thing. The players have technical ability and athletisism but because of the coaching they are afraid to take risks..That makes the game a little boring. I have always loved the game and I still do love the game. The creating space part of the game here in the US is very elementary. I thought that would improve with Klinsman, but so far it has not.
Football has become a lot more athletic of late. It suits fast players such as me, more than slower players in my eyes. I look far better than I actually am because I can run past people. That's what people look for now, individuals who are athletic and can run with the ball. Exciting players I suppose. There are so many technically fantastic players that just aren't fast enough now. It's such a shame cos I was the same when I was younger. Players are fantastic at passing, shooting, tackling.. But just don't get noticed because of the emphasis on athleticism.
I think in the future America and China have the potential to be world-class at football. At the moment though it's just TOO poor a standard to compare with other countries like Spain and England. It's full of people that think they're better than they actually are, then they visit England and see how physical and tough it is. There's such a gulf between all the different leagues. That's what makes football so fantastic. Spain = technical England = physical, fast Brazil = traditionally flair Italy = tactical and coy I fully expect America and China to be up there in say the next 30 years or so however.
Their are all different kinds of speeds. The best speeds to have in our game is speed off the first step and quickness. Those are the best speeds to have even more then flat out speed.
It's such a broad question and it varies on what level we are talking about and in which country. There all types of players and the style of play varies so much from team to team and country to country. Oh and I'm on a crusade to demystify this whole idea of creativity in soccer. Frankly, I don't think it exists.
That's fine when you're young and you've developed faster than everyone else. But what happens when you play at youth level or senior level where everybody is developed and fast. Then my friend, you get found out and your technical ability will be inferior compared to other players.
Trust me - not everybody is 'developed and fast'. I'm blessed because as a kid, I wasn't hugely mobile. So I had to practice my skills with the ball to better opponents. Now that I'm older and I've got faster, I can combine the two and play well. Granted - at the top level, EVERYBODY is fast. But that really is the elite. It's the decision making that wins games, how quickly individuals think. But we're not elite players, we're amateur players. Unless you're professional of course? I have no idea.
Interesting - could you elaborate? Is it because what we see as 'creative' play is often the result of combinations and interplay honed into instinct by training?
Pretty much. What do you define as creative play? Players doing tricky 1v1 moves? Dribbling through multiple defenders? Making an unexpected pass? Making a smart run? A quick restart when the defense isn't expecting it? Nice interplay? When I look deeper into these kinds of actions, they all stem from a lot of practice (repetitions) either physical or mental and either individual or as a group and it contains a deep understanding of the game. It doesn't make what happens dull, but it also isn't magical either. People, fans particularly, don't understand it so they want to be something special. How can Zidane make that move? How can Messi dribble through 5 defenders and score? How can Barca just pass around their opponents like that? I've been watching Sneijder through the tournament and he's been one of the most "creative" passers so far in this tournament. But really it's nothing more than, at the most basic, passing the ball into space. Same with Barca, to unlock the defense they pass to feet, feet, feet, then boom a pass into space! Having the guts to even try it, having the smarts to know when and where to do it, and having high techincal ability—that's usually what "creativity" boils down to.
I completely agree. For me 'creativity' is the ability to consider different options, especially options that might not be immediately obvious. It's a skill that can be developed like any other. (So a player who always defaults to his 1v1 skills (Robben) or his through passes (Song) is not 'creative' in this sense.) Obviously we / our players are not going to be Zidanes or Bergkamps, which will limit the things we can do, but that doesn't change the fact that we can work on creative play by working on movement, awareness, and so on.
Football is always going to be a game based on skills, the other parts like the athletic variables will always help, but if you dont have skill, you dont have jack.
Football today is getting every year more and more homogeneous because of coaches like Mourinho et al. Bring the game back to being about skill and talent and not over grown running machines. Get rid of the crap plastic footballs and go back to real leather footballs that has a skill to playing with. Playmakers should be the number one focal point of most teams but many are being forced out for muscle men. Just some of my thoughts anyway. This is not right. The beautiful game is in many ways losing its beauty
Being a rec-level player who was late to the game but is obsessed with playing and learning more, I'm consistently amazed at the ability of professionals to stay tuned to a team strategy within the machinations of a very volatile game. Confronted with vastly different match ups, tactical situations with and without the ball, players are consistently able to adjust their individual decision-making to adopt a team strategy. For example, at my level, you can tell the team over and over and over to play safe possession and get the ball to the right winger. But what actually happens is that each player gets the ball and plays according to the situation in front of him, and the strategy doesn't get adopted because each player is only able to see that particular moment. If they think a through ball is on, they play it. Every single time. With professionals, though, they can usually be relied upon to play to the plan. So even if they see tempting long ball options in front of them, they know the plan is to work the ball safely to the right winger, so they make a safe pass and move on. The balance between individual decision making and team strategy is fascinating to me in this sport.