Athletes and Football

[SSD]

Drunken discussion at the pub brought up a diversive conversation about the standard of professional football nowadays. What I mean is we hear a lot about athleticism being so key and covering so many miles a match in the modern footballer. The majority of the footballers take care of themselves with their cardio, strict diets and physiotherapy. And the result of that seems there's a lack of technical football at the highest level. This isn't a dig at Paul Warne by the way, the majority of managers are pulling towards this style.

Being brought up in the 90s, those Brazil teams and footballers like Zidane and Figo used to wow me with their footballing brain, how they could see a passes and making the game effortless with their pure class. De Bruyne has this ability but I feel this type of player is slowly dying off in favour of workhorse midfielders and pacey strikers. I'd say the great Spain team 10-15 years ago with Iniesta and Xavi were the last excellent international team. Maybe this is why we all loved Will Hughes because he just had so much technical ability on the ball and he'd make the hairs stand on the neck with flashes of brilliance. Might not have lit the stats chart alight but he'll always stick in my memory as a quality DCFC player.

This could be the result of nostalgia flooding my brain and I don't want to change my tastes to the modern way of football. I know the Premier League is as entertaining as it has always been and people love it. With football fans moaning "they want a better football style at my club", is this an excuse because they aren't winning games or are they genuinely bored of lots of running around without the brilliant play to back it up.

Interested to know how people feel about it.

[Srg]

You're right, but I disagree with your methodology. 

The "maverick" types are leaving the game not because of the increase in athleticism, but increase in tactical rigidity through analysis. Nothing is left to chance, everything is scrutinised, the data is run and tactics are far more important than ever. No longer do you chuck out a team and hope through motivation, determination, commitment and talent look to win games. 

I blame Guardiola, personally. Strangled the life out of the game in pursuit of his ideals. If you don't do as his system demands, you're out. Talent be damned. The rest of the game has followed along those lines. It's definitely more boring, in my eyes.

[Bris Vegas]

9 hours ago, Srg said:

You're right, but I disagree with your methodology. 

The "maverick" types are leaving the game not because of the increase in athleticism, but increase in tactical rigidity through analysis. Nothing is left to chance, everything is scrutinised, the data is run and tactics are far more important than ever. No longer do you chuck out a team and hope through motivation, determination, commitment and talent look to win games. 

I blame Guardiola, personally. Strangled the life out of the game in pursuit of his ideals. If you don't do as his system demands, you're out. Talent be damned. The rest of the game has followed along those lines. It's definitely more boring, in my eyes.

You blame Guardiola but not Mourinho?

Guardiola’s teams have always had technical ability. Mourinho instead bombed out any technical player in favor of athleticism and strength.

The list of players who Mourinho disregarded who then went on to become world class elsewhere is endless. 

[Bris Vegas]

I do agree that the mavericks are dying out. And that is a result of tactical awareness, structure and systems.

Players just don’t have the time and space they used to.

And that started before Guardiola. Mourinho pretty much brought the low block, squeeze the space system ideals to England. Holding midfielders in a 3 rarely existed before Makelele and Essien arrived at Chelsea. 

Mavericks just no longer had the time and space to roam about and do what they want.

You only have to look back at highlights of Di Canio and see how much time and space he had on the ball. 

[EtoileSportiveDeDerby]

Several points well made.
Athleticism, that’s the sport science, nutrition, rest, medical, mental preparation are now part and parcel of the game and all of these aspects of the game have made footballers high performing athletes. No more fry ups, booze up and magic sponge, the man to blame for that is probably Wenger

The death of the number 10 and lack of technical football. You are right the 10s are in short supply but after ZZ and Zico came Rhonaldinho and Messi. They could/can see a pass and did it further up the pitch, they were more of a 9 and half. The lack of technical football, I see it the other way round the level especially in England is so much higher and that’s a result of several factors, influx of foreign players/coaches and the work done in the academies. As a result, England youth teams now regularly win big international tournaments. 
 

Guardiola, the man is a genius in my eyes. Yes he has a system or I should say systems. when he came here a few years ago there were doubters that playing out of the back in the prem would work. Nowadays all levels of pro football do it. His system may have suppressed the mavericks but it has also lifted the technical requirements and level of all players beyond recognition.  Just look at the goalies, it is not just stopping goals, they have to be part of the game.  Pep turned things the other way round, you don’t have to rely on the mavericks/number 10s to find the patterns because of their genius but define the patterns/style of football and have the whole team involved in implementing it, goalies, defenders and further up the pitch. But he also recognises genius when he sees it, Messi in his Barca days walked a lot without the ball and when the ball was at his feet the magic happened.