This was posted on August 15th :
Diamond Dog wrote:andymacandy wrote:I actually disagree with Pete about basic control- I think they have it, I just think they have forgotten how to play football for themselves.
Andy, I can see why you'd say this but - evidentially- it is untrue. The reason they have 'forgotten how to play for themselves' is because they - technically- aren't good enough to do so. The great players are differentiated by a simple basic tenet - that , when they receive the ball, their head is up and they are seeing the game around them. Because of that, they have already made their minds up as to their next move, even before they have the ball. That's why they appear unhurried - because they don't have to think about receiving and controlling the ball. It's a given. The 'thinking for themselves' bit is done before they get the ball - this is why Wilshire stands out like a beacon in the English team - he has that ability. In fact, he is the only English player I know who does possess it.
That simple ability gives you that all important word - time. The best players are the guys who have 'time' - it's an old cliche, but it really is true. Having time means you make decisions earlier - and making decisions earlier means you are unhurried in your execution of them. The great players have it - with the possible exception of Wilshire, not one of the present crop of the international team does. Contrast that with Spain - every single player has it. Yep even the centre backs do. They think earlier, so their control is uncluttered by thoughts about what to do with the ball. And vice versa.
It sounds incredibly simple but is truly is the defining skill at the top level. And, sadly, England are almost entirely bereft of it. Everything else flows from that. If you cannot control the ball, you cannot play football at the very top level. It's why so very few English players are exported - they cannot play the game at that level because they get embarrassed when put under pressure, because they are still thinking about what to do with the ball, because they haven't yet controlled it.
It's still as true then as it is now. It's as simple as that.
The one player who has shown recently - in only the handful of games he's played so far- that he also has 'it', it's Ross Barkley. Already you can see he is potentially head and shoulders above the other English midfield players (besides Wilshere). Just look at him before he receives the ball - it's entirely different to how Gerrard/Lampard/Milner etc do.