Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Hmm, i don't feel the energy to continue yesterday's post so here's a new thing to do! Analysis of the qualities of the different positions in football But this is quite relevant to yesterday's post anyway, because a large part of the beauty in football is the diverse attributes needed in it.
First, the General attributes that apply to any position except for the goalkeeper. Keepers are quite a different class.
Stamina: To be a good player, you need to have good stamina. 90 minutes of continuous jogging and short bursts of sprinting in between is hardwork. If a team has good stamina, its players can close down the opposition quickly, putting them under more pressure which leads to their passing going awry. If you're a midfielder, you need to constantly move from one end of the pitch to the other, otherwise you will leave your defence or attack outnumbered. If you're a forward, you'll be extremely effective at the last 20 minutes of the game if you can constantly make runs and force the defender to follow you. When the defenders get tired, their concentration falls, their speed drops, and your chances of scoring increases. Likewise for the defenders, to cope with a stamina-pumped striker, your stamina has to be good as well. Players who don't need as much stamina are probably the centre defenders, the goalkeeper, and perhaps the forwards But if your team plays the longball, then the forward will have to have lotsa stamina to remain effective...
Passing: Some players need better passing than the rest, but every players needs to be able to pass a simple, accurate ball. Football is all about passing, unless you're a legod or cristiano ronaldo, dribbling allll the wayyy, but even then you'd need to be able to pass to take full advantage of the chances you can create. Forwards need to pass accurate balls to their fellow forwards, or hold the ball and pass it back to the midfield, or even lay off balls for the midfielders to SMACK IT IN-OHHHHH STEVEN GERRARD, AND THE MAN NUMBER ONE!
Determination: The determination to win, to comeback from a three goal, four goal, five goal deficit is crucial. When going for 50-50 balls, its the determined player who wins it. A defender who gives up easily will tend to play with much less effort after going a goal down, leading to the opposition scoring even more goals. A midfielder that loses his determination won't bother running back to cover, to pass the ball forward, and the entire team simply cannot function. The striker who isn't determined won't be able to score the many scrappy goals that are abundant in the game, won't chase down long, hopeful balls, and simply stop making forwards runs. Only time it might not apply is to the keeper...
Composure: Can play a significant role in the game, when both sides are evenly matched. The ability to stay calm and focus on making the correct decisions under pressure is very useful. Strikers that don't have composure are likely to simply belt the ball as hard as possible, which is of course, less effective than choosing a spot to shoot. Midfielders that are quickly closed down must maintain their composure instead of simply smacking the ball forward and losing possession. Nearly the same for defenders, but with more serious consequences if the lack of composure causes the defender to become flustered and lose the ball to the forward. When you're composed, you'd be able to pick out the better pass and decision, the better shot. Otherwise, all your technical abilities simply go to waste when you fluster and worry.
Teamwork: The last, most important attribute that applies to the entire team. A team that works together, that tells his teamates when someone is closing him down so he can pass the ball off, that urges the striker to take a shot, that moves into space to provide options for the teamate will function much more smoothly. When everyone is working as one, defenders can rely on other defenders to help track down the opposition striker, the midfielder forms a barrier to defend the defence, the defenders support the attack providing greater attacking ability and the general play of the entire team is lifted.
silverletal [Simple and Clean] 7:18 AM
