Basic control and first touch

S

shanetko

XG
Considering we are allegedly one of the best teams in the second tier of allegedly one of the best footballing nations in world football it is remarkable to me just how few of our players have much control over the football or a decent first touch.
It’s not a new thing to moan about I know but these are fairly basic requirements of a professional footballer you would think, especially in a team riddled with Internationals of sorts.
Every game there’s big moments where we’ve failed to capitalise because someone overhits their first touch.
Has high level football always been like this or are standards of footballing ability slipping?
I know fitness levels in game are vastly superior now due to advancements in sports science and better diets etc so equivalent teams of old eras would likely lose to present day teams, but skill levels feel like they are lower.
Dewsbury Hall a good example. Marvelous engine, lots of effort and endeavour but he can’t control a ball to save his life most of the time.
There’s a lot more coaching and analysis now so teams are better equipped at dealing with the strengths and weaknesses of oppositions now.
Maybe it’s just a thing where you get blinkered and rose tinted about the past but I did find myself agreeing with a lot of what Souness caant said recently about the ease of some key midfield roles these days.
Take Winks. He runs around a bit, he passes sideways and backwards a hell of a lot. He gets spunked over because he has 91% passing accuracy but chunks of them are 2 yard passes to Faes/Vestergaard and back again.
I’m probably talking shit here.
 
shanetko said:
Considering we are allegedly one of the best teams in the second tier of allegedly one of the best footballing nations in world football it is remarkable to me just how few of our players have much control over the football or a decent first touch.
It’s not a new thing to moan about I know but these are fairly basic requirements of a professional footballer you would think, especially in a team riddled with Internationals of sorts.
Every game there’s big moments where we’ve failed to capitalise because someone overhits their first touch.
Has high level football always been like this or are standards of footballing ability slipping?
I know fitness levels in game are vastly superior now due to advancements in sports science and better diets etc so equivalent teams of old eras would likely lose to present day teams, but skill levels feel like they are lower.
Dewsbury Hall a good example. Marvelous engine, lots of effort and endeavour but he can’t control a ball to save his life most of the time.
There’s a lot more coaching and analysis now so teams are better equipped at dealing with the strengths and weaknesses of oppositions now.
Maybe it’s just a thing where you get blinkered and rose tinted about the past but I did find myself agreeing with a lot of what Souness caant said recently about the ease of some key midfield roles these days.
Take Winks. He runs around a bit, he passes sideways and backwards a hell of a lot. He gets spunked over because he has 91% passing accuracy but chunks of them are 2 yard passes to Faes/Vestergaard and back again.
I’m probably talking shit here.
Click to expand...
Sounds on the money.
 
shanetko said:
Considering we are allegedly one of the best teams in the second tier of allegedly one of the best footballing nations in world football it is remarkable to me just how few of our players have much control over the football or a decent first touch.
It’s not a new thing to moan about I know but these are fairly basic requirements of a professional footballer you would think, especially in a team riddled with Internationals of sorts.
Every game there’s big moments where we’ve failed to capitalise because someone overhits their first touch.
Has high level football always been like this or are standards of footballing ability slipping?
I know fitness levels in game are vastly superior now due to advancements in sports science and better diets etc so equivalent teams of old eras would likely lose to present day teams, but skill levels feel like they are lower.
Dewsbury Hall a good example. Marvelous engine, lots of effort and endeavour but he can’t control a ball to save his life most of the time.
There’s a lot more coaching and analysis now so teams are better equipped at dealing with the strengths and weaknesses of oppositions now.
Maybe it’s just a thing where you get blinkered and rose tinted about the past but I did find myself agreeing with a lot of what Souness caant said recently about the ease of some key midfield roles these days.
Take Winks. He runs around a bit, he passes sideways and backwards a hell of a lot. He gets spunked over because he has 91% passing accuracy but chunks of them are 2 yard passes to Faes/Vestergaard and back again.
I’m probably talking shit here.
Click to expand...
I don’t think you are at all and as a supporter you’ve got every right to expect those who earn above the average annual salary per week to perform the basics, consistently.

The whole stats thing you mention are used by clubs and social media types (BBC give airtime to a bloke called StatemanDave) to enhance players reputations. ‘So and so had 10 ball carries #progressive’.

Sounds decent, but let’s use one of ours as an example. Mavididi had 20 odd ball carries the other night and the majority resulted in being tackled or the ball going out of play. 20 odd ball carries sounds #progressive to those that don’t watch, when actually the hashtag should be #lostpossession
 
I've always thought its amazing how very few of our recent players could strike a football with the technique of say a Paul Gallagher. For all his attributes to think how long Ndidi has existed in the top echelons of the game without being able to drive a shot from outside the area is staggering. We havent currently got a squad member capable of a deft curler over the wall from just outside the area and lets not even talk about set piece delivery into the box.
 
Yorkfox said:
I've always thought it’s amazing how very few of our recent players could strike a football with the technique of say a Paul Gallagher. For all his attributes to think how long Ndidi has existed in the top echelons of the game without being able to drive a shot from outside the area is staggering. We havent currently got a squad member capable of a deft curler over the wall from just outside the area and let’s not even talk about set piece delivery into the box.
Click to expand...
Ain’t that true.
 
All of this is true. I'm staggered that we've somehow managed to score 79 goals this season.
 
Apparent lack of basic skill (compared to 40 or 50 years ago) is one of the great mysteries of modern football. I think most of it is linked to the quest for fitness and pace today. Players in all positions are obviously fitter and quicker. That means there is less space, ‘pressing’ players arrive quicker, everything is speeded up. Players have less time for a first touch and the odd mistouch is more often punished. But I think there is more than that. Players with pace and physique are the ones that do well through academies. My guess is that ‘ball players’ in the ‘old’ mode would not even make it as pros today. Think of Gazza, or even our own Franky Wortho. The other point is that there is less benefit in actually beating a player than there was … covering defenders are so well organised and quick to arrive that beating one man 40 yards out has little value, whereas 40 years ago it often created a chance .. meaning that there is less value in ‘skill’. I have a feeling that in the not so distant past Fatuwa would have been seen as a genius, now he is an inconsistent luxury.
The only ways to counter this would be to increase the size of the pitch or reduce the number of players on the pitch, but neither of these is going to happen .. so it will just have to remain yet another subject for old men to moan about
 
Last edited:
I think there is an element of rose-tinted specs for the good old days here. For every Paul Gascoigne there was a Vinnie Jones or Gareth Batty. They loved a hard tackling midfielder who could win the ball and lay it off to the creative players.

How bad was Akinbiyi's touch? I'm sure there are plenty of others. I'm not saying it's OK, these players are paid an absolute ton of money and we expect better, but they will always find a place somewhere as they must be doing something right to ha e come through the academies etc and still be making (stealing) a living

As for the skilful players, even the God of managers himself recognises there's a place for it as he signed Jeremy Doku.
 
kpbw said:
All of this is true. I'm staggered that we've somehow managed to score 79 goals this season.
Click to expand...
the other teams are worse than us.
did you see stoke last night, absolutely useless from front to back. For one swansea goal a bloke ran 30 yards into the box without a single player seeing him and doing something about it.
 
shanetko said:
Considering we are allegedly one of the best teams in the second tier of allegedly one of the best footballing nations in world football it is remarkable to me just how few of our players have much control over the football or a decent first touch.
It’s not a new thing to moan about I know but these are fairly basic requirements of a professional footballer you would think, especially in a team riddled with Internationals of sorts.
Every game there’s big moments where we’ve failed to capitalise because someone overhits their first touch.
Has high level football always been like this or are standards of footballing ability slipping?
I know fitness levels in game are vastly superior now due to advancements in sports science and better diets etc so equivalent teams of old eras would likely lose to present day teams, but skill levels feel like they are lower.
Dewsbury Hall a good example. Marvelous engine, lots of effort and endeavour but he can’t control a ball to save his life most of the time.
There’s a lot more coaching and analysis now so teams are better equipped at dealing with the strengths and weaknesses of oppositions now.
Maybe it’s just a thing where you get blinkered and rose tinted about the past but I did find myself agreeing with a lot of what Souness caant said recently about the ease of some key midfield roles these days.
Take Winks. He runs around a bit, he passes sideways and backwards a hell of a lot. He gets spunked over because he has 91% passing accuracy but chunks of them are 2 yard passes to Faes/Vestergaard and back again.
I’m probably talking shit here.
Click to expand...
There's one fairly simple explanation for part of it.
In training, players are not really put under a lot of pressure, it's easy to trap, look and pass. in a game it's different and players who are comfortable trapping and passing when not under pressure can't do it when under pressure, kdh is a prime example.
any time winks is flustered he fouls somebody.
The thing that separates the great players from the also rans is the ability to look like they've got time on the ball when they haven't.
 
shanetko said:
Considering we are allegedly one of the best teams in the second tier of allegedly one of the best footballing nations in world football it is remarkable to me just how few of our players have much control over the football or a decent first touch.
It’s not a new thing to moan about I know but these are fairly basic requirements of a professional footballer you would think, especially in a team riddled with Internationals of sorts.
Every game there’s big moments where we’ve failed to capitalise because someone overhits their first touch.
Has high level football always been like this or are standards of footballing ability slipping?
I know fitness levels in game are vastly superior now due to advancements in sports science and better diets etc so equivalent teams of old eras would likely lose to present day teams, but skill levels feel like they are lower.
Dewsbury Hall a good example. Marvelous engine, lots of effort and endeavour but he can’t control a ball to save his life most of the time.
There’s a lot more coaching and analysis now so teams are better equipped at dealing with the strengths and weaknesses of oppositions now.
Maybe it’s just a thing where you get blinkered and rose tinted about the past but I did find myself agreeing with a lot of what Souness caant said recently about the ease of some key midfield roles these days.
Take Winks. He runs around a bit, he passes sideways and backwards a hell of a lot. He gets spunked over because he has 91% passing accuracy but chunks of them are 2 yard passes to Faes/Vestergaard and back again.
I’m probably talking shit here.
Click to expand...
Just how long have l been moaning about the very same thing
 
Whats worse is as we start to attack we will often go backwards, it is one of the most immesnely frustrating elements of our play.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top