Toli Sous le Manguier

ca c est pour @hum

et tous ceux qui demandait c est quoi deux 6 sur le terrain

eh ben si vous vous interresse aux histoires de l ecole maternelle
les autres avancent... ca ce sont des articles de journalistes... eux le foot les interresse... nous on veut savoir pourquoi etoo ne recois pas les ballons
apres on demande des numero 10 alors que le foot moderne est loin...
nous on est reste des enfants
on fait des erreurs defensive du lycee et on trouve ca normal
et apres on se plain d avoir honte au mondial




Why are two holding midfielders so crucial in the modern game?


Volker Finke, a former coach of German side SC Freiburg, says that the use of two holding midfielders – or the double six as it is more commonly known in his native country – must not be on the same line, a point Pep Guardiola was adamant to stress in the tweaking of his formation last season. “This new look was implemented so that Messi could connect into the game more often because it’s good for us when does,” explained Guardiola when using the same system earlier last season in a 2-1 win over Malaga. Journalists speculated it was a 4-2-3-1, many saw it as an asymmetric version of the 4-2-4 but because of the individual defensive assignments, it more closely resembled an attacking version of their 4-3-3. “We found him more often than in other games. It also puts him closer to Ibra. It’s as if Messi were an ‘interior.’” And upon being questioned on the roles of Xavi Hernandez and Sergio Busquets in front of the defence, he added: “They (Xavi and Busquets) were never on the same line. We have never played with a double pivot. However, we did make a small adjustment with the wingers and their defensive roles.”

Blood and thunder comebacks may be the stuff of romance, but consistency and technical execution are perfection in the over-analysis age. It’s preferable a player relies on pre-planned, conceptually sound training above in-the-moment, high variance, emotion-dictated judgment. As Finke himself said (as FC Köln Sporting Director) of Lucas Podolski in an interview with Bild:

“He is 26 years old and approaching his 100th international game, which says everything about his quality. He can be a great football player. But he [does not play like] a seasoned veteran who can always give a strong performance.

He depends on emotion, environment, mentality. His time at Bayern confirmed that.”

Words again from Finke, which put through the Klopp modernizer, give us this:

“My boys are mentality monsters!”

From generation to generation, the strength drawn by players from a conceptually defined System has both reflected and improved their ability to employ that System. Many noticed the weary legs of Barcelona’s players in the Spanish team of Euro 2012, nearly as many derided them as ‘boring’, and yet they drew strength from their footballing principles, stuck to their ‘superior’ form of football, and ultimately it was a crutch to their victory. It’s a notion not uncommon in politics, religion, and many other walks of life, but fighting for the ‘greater good’ is not something given much credence in football. Yet as teams willing to buy into brave footballing ideologies have consistently shown for decades, the benefits of playing for a ‘higher purpose’, something more than the pragmatic, are very real.

Whisper it quietly, but in 1993 Finke also approached fifty industry leaders in a Moneyball-style consultation on how limited funds could actually be turned into a market advantage. Good luck with that one Brendan!

And so the term ‘Concept Football’ was born, and has since been revived by comparisons with Jürgen Klopp’s Dortmund. Klopp’s mutant footballing bumblebee is getting a lot of plaudits for it too. An extremely well-drilled squad, sacrosanct footballing principles, and exciting young players are all playing their part in making Europe’s most fashionable new team. Like Finke’s team though, what really sets Dortmund apart is their mentality. Inspired by a near psychopathic coach, they are showing not just what a system can do for the feet, but also for the heart.