Lincoln Moses wrote:
Football tactical debate essentially comes down to one thing – whether to play positively, and to take the game to the opposition, or whether to play cautiously and build a team around a defence. By keeping a clean sheet a team can guarantee they won’t lose. However, a failure to score goals will ensure a game cannot be won either. What are your views on this?
Darren Wright
Lincoln I think there are a number of ways to view this debate firstly it depends on how your team play secondly it depends on how your team adapt to situations in games when other teams ask questions of you defensively. So my answer to your question would be this I would like my team to be able to do both to first of all identify a teams weaknesses and exploit them to the maximum and also be aware of a teams attacking threats so as to combat those situations defensively the coach should be able to ensure his team adapts so that defensively they are combative and compact to every attacking situation and also be dynamic and powerful in attack to exploit a teams defensive weaknesses if this approach is maintained you would see at least no goals conceeded and hopefully at least one goal scored.There are managers and coaches at the highest level who can’t get there team to play this way so I think if you look at the premiership as an example at the start of every season the coaching and management staff of every club must assess how and when they can gain points to either be pushing for the title or avoiding relegation I think some managers can with the right players set there team up to try to avoid defeat in certain games and with the same players in other games try to win which is your debate but personally I would try to approach every game to win.I would prefer my team to win 2-0 than win 5-4 having said that I’d still take the win so I think the answer is make your team defensively hard to beat and attackingly hard to contain which essentially is what me and Deltz have been trying to do at conti we initially identified the attacking flair and prowess within the club but found the team struggled when we didn’t have the ball and struggled to understand how and when to get it but we are slowly getting there as a unit we are defending much better nowadays .Regards Darren.
Don Dadda
Although not being one of those names listed: Mi ago put mi nose ina people business..
In my humble opinion: The best form of defence is attack. Having a strong defence, will not guarantee a clean sheet. But by building a team designed to Score goals, this will again offer a measure of success. Arsenal and Chelsea both have had success with Teams that kept clean sheets, scoring one or two goals. On the other hand Newcastle under Keegan played some rememberable high scoring games without success.
So Question is:
What are your long term Goals?
What is your Style of play can your Objective be met, within that style?
Me, I would set my team out to be defensively strong minded from front to back.
Attackingly strong from back to front. Working together as a unit to achieve the goal of gaining the WIN be it 1-0 or 10-9 ( play station score I know but I take it you get point)
Football is evolving into much more than fitness, technical ability it is now becoming about mindset and Attitude.
If you develop a desire to win within the team/Squad then it transcends into what will hopefully be a performance that all are happy with come the final whistle?!
So Win Lose or Draw if the team plays to the Script not compromising your style. The result will be secondary. The game should be played and enjoyed as there’s far too many things to give us all cause for concern in life. It isn’t called the Beautiful game for nothing you know.
Excuse me for sticking my nose in. But I couldn’t help it!!
Snowy Blues
Just play to your strengths
Jason C Sylvester
We should strive to build a ethos and style of play at the club that is consistent throughout all ages.
That way, all players, once old enough, can work their way to try and make the first team and reserves. Their style of play, and experience will be consistent with the clubs ethos.
Deciding on the style of play is key to the development of all players and the success football has to offer any player or club.
I personally like the balanced total football approach consisting of both attacking and defending, possession, probing play, then catching the opposition on a quick counter. Spain, Barcalona and Arsenal all adopt this ethos very well, combining the ideology of Brasil (all out attack) with the Dutch (all players comfortable in any position) style of play.
Over a period of time players improve technically. They are also confident to receive the ball in tight areas and keep possession.
To change a style of play or ethos in any club takes time. A short, medium and long term approach should be taken to measure effective change.
During the learning stage (short term) teams may experience loosing many games whilst in transition. However, once the club reaches its medium and long term objectives, and players are used to the style and ethos of play, it is at this stage the club shall begin to win more games and experience the benefits of the style of play.
What is more important to me would be the development, technical ability and mental strength of players and how they play the game.
Spain, Barcelona, Arsenal all play the possession, passing, and counter attack football. It took them years to build that ethos. Just look at their results and style of play… Spain have gone from a poor national team to European and World Champians. Arsenal have gone from playing boring defensive football to becoming one of the most exciting teams to watch in the premiership. Barca have transformed themselves to be the best team in the world, playing the best, and most exciting football in the world.
All their success started with changing the style of play and ethos in their academy, believing in the system, and giving it time to work. After many years of development they are now experiencing great results.
The time it will take Stars to achieve this would depend on the quality of players in all ages and a united approach by all coaches to teach and promote the same style of football.
Short term results may not be what we would like, but the long term results for the club on a whole would be productive. Players will go onto professional academies. It will also build and promote successful teams at Stars who will go on to win many games and many trophies.
Ras Matthew
What came first, the chicken or the egg? While we cannot win if we do not score goals we also leave ourselves open to losses if we are unable to stop them; with this being said what is the philosophy that we must adopt as a club?
Myself and Bones have had similar debates in the past. The conclusion that we have come to is that forming a well-structured defence that understands the importance of their job further encourages the attacking players to understand the importance of theirs also. Creating a strong defensive unit throughout the team will not and should not stop the team from playing positive and ambitious football. Creating the necessary balance between offensive and defensive forms of play IS POSSIBLE as long as the coaching staff and the players are all singing from the same hymn sheet. Our U13’s are now learning the importance of defending and how our offensive play is further given life by our ability to defend when we do not have the ball. We are quickly learning that the balance required takes forward planning and organisation on our behalf and our players.
To play ambitious and positive football we must first get our minds focused on the task at hand. Buddha quotes as saying “The mind is everything. What you think you become”. As long as we maintain an ambitious philosophy our football will reflect this.
Michael Anthony
for me There is no right or wrong way to play the game of football.teams should able to adopt both styles when nessecary,especially if you are in the results buisness…at junior level i feel its slighty diffrent as you want to emphasis more on developing your players tecnique and movement.though im not a fan of long ball or kick and run football but some teams are forced to do so as they dont have the players to play the tikka takka game
Camella Moses
Life like football is about balance. Protection is better than cure so then you ave d strength to attack.
Jason C Sylvester
At the start of the season our u14s were playing mainly attack minded football. We were very vulnerable at the back, conceding too many goals. Leon Moses, Sunu Roger Sunny And I decided to go back to basics, and work on our players attitude, mental strength and technical ability. We have worked hard to firstly strengthen the back line and to also get understand the benefits from passing out from the back, and defending as a unit. We then worked on the midfield and the forwards. Our prime focus has been to drill retention of the ball, detail to pass, holding our shape, what to do when we have the ball, and a big one for me; communication.
It was frustrating at first. But we are now starting to see our vision and hard work coming together.
Players are allowed to express themselves, but we enthersize the importance of an end product and team play.
I use Messi as my example; he is one of the most skill full players in football, and has the ability to take on many players and score goals. But Messi is also a tremendous team player. He knows when to dribble and when to use his team mates. He also works hard to win back the ball. (Discipline & attitude).
I never put pressure on our team to WIN the game. My focus is always geared to getting the best performance out of our team individually and collectively. Once we get that right, the wins will come.
We have now planted a seed in the mindset of our players that will stay with them for life. On and off the field.
When they get older we shall implement the desire and focus on winning
Sunu Roger Sunny
Well said Jason and we can only get better
Deno Moses
My Team selection is based on a solid defence, ball players, ball winners; creative players & goal scorers, with that in mind are intention is attacking play & remember your responsibility. Any youth coming through the system knows the structure playing side, but do you allow players to express themselves. YES!
Sunu Roger Sunny
Yes let players express themselves with tricks and turns dropping your shoulder when dribbling and not stopping the ball but moving it into space not to chest a ball down but to move it of into space,it would be great for john cartwright my coaching legend to do a football seminar for us one day check it out on www.premierskills.com
Delton Francis
It’s great to see all views on our club playing philosophy are very similar. But the fact that each coach is also allowed to express himself as an individual is fantastic. The players are now getting a fantastic product all the way through the club
