Read this first ... tell me what country it describes:
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So as a professional ------ coach and soccer/football fan I look at (another country's) performance and can't help but consider how they have been able to come together as individuals and create a very tough team to beat. When ----- who have a great team of individuals, clearly didn't come together, didn't find the right balance and didn't seem to have a playing identity or philosophy. In fact when you look at youth teams all over the country there isn't a clear playing philosophy or style. The head coach of the team plays whatever style he wants. More often than not the style is to kick it to the fast or tall forward, in order to give them the best chance of winning. That's not to say that there are no Coach's out there trying to play nice football whilst developing the individual players.
We are still having a problem in this country whereby lots of managers at grassroots level are trying to win leagues and tournaments at youth level and not focused enough on playing the same way as the "national" team or each other. We should be all playing in the same way through the youth system in order to make it easier to learn and to have a national footballing style and identity.
I was in Holland recently running a football tour with a school I teach at. It was clear that every team we played at grassroots level had the same philosophy. Short passing and constant movement off the ball. The Dutch from the grass roots through to elite academy level know exactly the national playing philosophy, formations, style of play and they all played that way.
One standout memory for me on that tour. The Dutch goalkeeper at under 13 level rolled the ball out to his centre back who was on the edge of his area quite near the corner flag. In ------ that would be considered a very dangerous position for a centre back to be and normally the goalkeeper wouldn't dare pass the ball out to the centre back in that situation. My first instinct was to think "they are in trouble now" as our team squeezed up very high without me telling them too. I was expecting the Dutch player to hit the long ball to get himself out of trouble, however quite the opposite happened. The team seem to come alive once pressure was being added, their movement was suddenly quicker, they managed to pass their way from their own corner flag, all the way to the opposite corner of the pitch, cross the ball and volley it into the back of the net. I couldn't stop myself cheering the goal and clapping the attitude of the Dutch players.
Please remember this was not an elite academy team of Dutch youth players, this was a grassroots local team. We played four teams that week and they all played exactly the same way.
During the tour I spoke to quite a few of the Dutch parents, coaches and complimented them on the way all the teams had played. The one comment that worried me was when one of the Dutch Coach's said to me that he would like to make sure in the future they took some of the passion and aggression that the "we" had and brought it into their game. They clearly were still trying to develop their national playing style, whereby we haven't even come to the conclusion of what our national playing style is.
I haven't even mentioned the quality facilities that every Dutch town had at their disposal. Two or three high quality astro pitches, five or six immaculate grass pitches, tennis courts, great changing and communal areas where the whole town community could meet up and enjoy many sports. When I asked how they could afford these facilities. The Dutch said "the government pays for it".
Doesn't this mean we are years behind the Dutch?
Do you think we need a national playing philosophy or style like the Dutch?
I certainly do.
...
So as a professional ------ coach and soccer/football fan I look at (another country's) performance and can't help but consider how they have been able to come together as individuals and create a very tough team to beat. When ----- who have a great team of individuals, clearly didn't come together, didn't find the right balance and didn't seem to have a playing identity or philosophy. In fact when you look at youth teams all over the country there isn't a clear playing philosophy or style. The head coach of the team plays whatever style he wants. More often than not the style is to kick it to the fast or tall forward, in order to give them the best chance of winning. That's not to say that there are no Coach's out there trying to play nice football whilst developing the individual players.
We are still having a problem in this country whereby lots of managers at grassroots level are trying to win leagues and tournaments at youth level and not focused enough on playing the same way as the "national" team or each other. We should be all playing in the same way through the youth system in order to make it easier to learn and to have a national footballing style and identity.
I was in Holland recently running a football tour with a school I teach at. It was clear that every team we played at grassroots level had the same philosophy. Short passing and constant movement off the ball. The Dutch from the grass roots through to elite academy level know exactly the national playing philosophy, formations, style of play and they all played that way.
One standout memory for me on that tour. The Dutch goalkeeper at under 13 level rolled the ball out to his centre back who was on the edge of his area quite near the corner flag. In ------ that would be considered a very dangerous position for a centre back to be and normally the goalkeeper wouldn't dare pass the ball out to the centre back in that situation. My first instinct was to think "they are in trouble now" as our team squeezed up very high without me telling them too. I was expecting the Dutch player to hit the long ball to get himself out of trouble, however quite the opposite happened. The team seem to come alive once pressure was being added, their movement was suddenly quicker, they managed to pass their way from their own corner flag, all the way to the opposite corner of the pitch, cross the ball and volley it into the back of the net. I couldn't stop myself cheering the goal and clapping the attitude of the Dutch players.
Please remember this was not an elite academy team of Dutch youth players, this was a grassroots local team. We played four teams that week and they all played exactly the same way.
During the tour I spoke to quite a few of the Dutch parents, coaches and complimented them on the way all the teams had played. The one comment that worried me was when one of the Dutch Coach's said to me that he would like to make sure in the future they took some of the passion and aggression that the "we" had and brought it into their game. They clearly were still trying to develop their national playing style, whereby we haven't even come to the conclusion of what our national playing style is.
I haven't even mentioned the quality facilities that every Dutch town had at their disposal. Two or three high quality astro pitches, five or six immaculate grass pitches, tennis courts, great changing and communal areas where the whole town community could meet up and enjoy many sports. When I asked how they could afford these facilities. The Dutch said "the government pays for it".
Doesn't this mean we are years behind the Dutch?
Do you think we need a national playing philosophy or style like the Dutch?
I certainly do.
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