Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll take the bait as well on this topic ... I'd prefer possession and playing out of the back as well and believe it helps development...for the parents that said watching balls fly over the center mids heads and it being boring ... a counterpoint from a forward's dad ... watching the midfield get destroyed and not being able to get the ball to the final 1/3 is painful at times as well - as forwards are either forced to comeback so far all runs are 60+yards or they are standing waiting for the ball all game

Lack of ball movement through middle 1/3 buildup phase is easily taught by quality coaches
But it also requires players with the skills to execute
Even Haaland and Lukaku has to come back to receive sometimes, and they are playing with the best mids in the world

That could just be a tactic from their coach. Have there 9 drop in to receive the ball or stay high. Or their are trigger moments for the 9 on when to drop or stay high. At the pro level it is much more tactical than some people realize

Anonymous wrote:I'll take the bait as well on this topic ... I'd prefer possession and playing out of the back as well and believe it helps development...for the parents that said watching balls fly over the center mids heads and it being boring ... a counterpoint from a forward's dad ... watching the midfield get destroyed and not being able to get the ball to the final 1/3 is painful at times as well - as forwards are either forced to comeback so far all runs are 60+yards or they are standing waiting for the ball all game

Lack of ball movement through middle 1/3 buildup phase is easily taught by quality coaches
But it also requires players with the skills to execute
Even Haaland and Lukaku has to come back to receive sometimes, and they are playing with the best mids in the world

Anonymous wrote:I'll take the bait as well on this topic ... I'd prefer possession and playing out of the back as well and believe it helps development...for the parents that said watching balls fly over the center mids heads and it being boring ... a counterpoint from a forward's dad ... watching the midfield get destroyed and not being able to get the ball to the final 1/3 is painful at times as well - as forwards are either forced to comeback so far all runs are 60+yards or they are standing waiting for the ball all game

Also painful to see forwards that cannot receive/win the ball and then it becomes a game of full field soccer tennis.

I'll take the bait as well on this topic ... I'd prefer possession and playing out of the back as well and believe it helps development...for the parents that said watching balls fly over the center mids heads and it being boring ... a counterpoint from a forward's dad ... watching the midfield get destroyed and not being able to get the ball to the final 1/3 is painful at times as well - as forwards are either forced to comeback so far all runs are 60+yards or they are standing waiting for the ball all game

Anonymous wrote:Direct Ball is where the midfielders spend the game watching the ball fly over their heads back and forth

Lol, yeah. As the parent of center mids, so boring!

I'd rather play on a team that tries to possess and control the game than on a team where they're just hoping and praying.

Anonymous wrote:Direct Ball is where the midfielders spend the game watching the ball fly over their heads back and forth

Yes

Direct Ball is where the midfielders spend the game watching the ball fly over their heads back and forth

Anonymous wrote:It’s overrated now. Teams should play much more directly with balls over the top.

Clearly a post written to spark a debate, probably for the contrary point. But I will take the bait...

It is proven that there is a direct correlation between touch rate and player development rate in youth football. The more a player touches the ball, the better chance they have at improving as a player. If you play a direct style of football at young ages, like a lot of teams in our area do, you are by default, hurting the kids chances of becoming better players and reaching higher levels of the game because the touch rate for the players decreases dramatically. Players who have played mostly direct soccer in their youth clubs have a ceiling in terms of the levels they can achieve because their skills just won't be able to keep up because they haven't been on the ball enough to make decisions with it or manipulate it under pressure. Sure, will direct football win games? Yes of course. It is the fastest way to the goal. But if you're focused on youth development, and developing pro players , direct football is the killer of that.

Yes, kids need a tactical understanding of the game as they get older for sure. But with playing direct football you're also killing that understanding because they don't know how to move without the ball either (just run fast and hard). When players are pros or older, they play whatever the system requires. If you have only played direct football your entire life, you won't know any other way of playing and you're immediately less valuable of a player. Direct football is the easiest to teach and the quickest way to get results with players that don't know what they are doing or lack skill. If you're saavy about football don't let any youth coach tell you direct football is good for your son or daughter. It isn't.

Also. There’s so much film on teams now or you play teams multiple teams throughout the year, a coach can see the teams passing tendencies, how they play out the back etc. A coach can plan how to set them up defensively.

And is it really playing out the back when you may make a few passes in your defensive third but then to just kick it up

At ULittle ages yes, playing possession helps build technical skills, etc. However, once they get to 11v11, the players need to learn tactical awareness to figure out where the weakness is in the other team and exploit it. If the the short possession game is being taken away, then by all means go long and vice-versa. I see too many teams that are wed to a single style of play and completely fall apart when it doesn't work.

Football teams running plays are overrated now. They should just throw a Hail Mary every snap

Teams practice to much keep away. The best teams practice actual plays - first you pass here, then they pass there. More like football than soccer.

Sure in pro game this may be true, but youth should always try to play a style that possess the ball. Playing direct is easily taught and adjustable.

It’s overrated now. Teams should play much more directly with balls over the top.