The Soccer Thread (Version 10)

Leeds! Always hot starters. They need to be in the Premier League. They just can't quite seem to manage it.

I know I stare into my navel a lot on here, but indulge me... I'm 45, nearing the end of my playing days. I coach my 11-year-old son's rep team. Coaching (well, and writing, I hope) is going to be my way to stay in the game. I'm going to coach my son for as long as I can—we have a great group who I think might do some things as teenagers if we can keep them interested and motivated—and then I'd like to keep coaching even beyond my boy. I'm getting my C license this fall and then I'm going to work my way up to B.

And this turn toward coaching more and playing less has caused me to think a lot more about tactics than I have. I'm watching the game differently and I'm trying to decide what my "philosophy" is, as wanky as that sounds.

Possession is an interesting thing to think about. I mean, intuitively it makes sense: If you have the ball, the other team doesn't. So they can't score. If you have the ball 70 percent of the time, you should win most of the time. But I think I agree with you that possession is, perhaps, an overrated statistic. Because you can hold 70 percent of the ball, but lose it once or twice in bad situations, and lose the game.

I know that I like a lot of forward pressure. At my son's age, if you put two or three kids on a defender who has the ball after a goal kick, say, a lot of the time that kid is going to lose the ball.

(There is a great series of YouTube videos about tactics and football history... Here's one on gegenpressing. If you haven't seen these videos, I've just cost you hours of your life.

Sorry.)

Jurgen Klopp likes to press. But he also likes a more pure possession game. He likes short, safe passes and buildups from the back with a sweeper keeper starting things off. I think unless you have a keeper who's OUTSTANDING with his feet, that style just puts you under pressure. It nearly cost Liverpool today. I think I like long balls—big, deep passes down the wings especially, but sometimes straight up the gut—and then pressure from your forwards and wings on the opposing defence. I know that opens your space between the lines, but if you keep a strong, steady core of holding centre midfielders and two big centre backs, you mitigate that somewhat.

Obviously there's no perfect system. But that's where I'm leaning. Maybe this is too nerdy, but if anyone here wants to discuss tactics and styles, I'm all aboard, is what I'm trying to say.

 

The thing about Alisson is he's great at big, deep passes down the wings, too.

Which is why not having him sucks so hard.

 

Steres draws a red in the 6th minute for LA vs. Seattle. That has to be an MLS record.

 

Nope. Record is 34 seconds.
Former police officer earns fastest red card in MLS history

 

Anyone who has watched Japan for any length of time nods sagely in agreement.

 

Good for Sheffield United.

 

Anyone who has watched Japan for a minute has watched them for a thousand years.

 

That's one of the more electric early-season games I've had the pleasure of attending. Man, that was fun.

 

Leicester have been a pleasure to watch it in the second half. Maddison is something special.

 

How Leicester didn't win...
Man that was entertaining

 

The Birmingham Legion of the USL is riding a six game winning and shutout streak. It beat the Memphis 901 FC Saturday night.

I usually don't care much. Mostly I'm here because of the chants the B'ham fans put up: "You killed Elvis!" and "Memphis BBQ is dry!". Saw it on Twitter and it made me laugh aloud.

I don't know that I've ever heard BBQ smack at any game ever.

 

They talk smack about dry rub and I will fight them.