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One of the great things about having such amazing players come in is that they all have their own special little techniques, sometimes difficult to spot in a game, but i'm sure around training these things are being observed by the other players in detail.. with a view to using or emulating the idea.

so my challenge is what special techniques do you admire in a certain player and which other player do you think should take note and learn it for their own game.

Eg: All the players have learnt to feint how they are going to receive the ball and then let it run on and turn onto its path. DeJong does this a lot now yet i never saw him do it much when he first arrived.

For me I think Silva needs to look at Aguero's cucumber coolness in slotting home rather than trying to get power behind it. The micro split second of extra backlift needed to power it may be the difference from him being close to actually just putting it where he wants it to go.

Slight tangent - but I'd like to see Mario learn a thing or two from Vieira about keeping his head during a game. I think Paddy will continue to teach a lot to all of our players if im honest, despite his new role.

Adam Johnson needs to half the amount of touches he has.

Hazy2 wrote:Adam Johnson needs to half the amount of touches he has.

He can learn that from Joe Hart ;)

The players who could learn most are the English players, but it may be a case of small, gradual improvements, as it may be too late to suddenly re-learn their basic habits. Young players over here could learn from the way Silva & Co are happy to ask for & receive the ball whilst surrounded by oppo players. They've already looked & know at least 3 options for the ball before they receive it, so are happy that, if neccessary, they can just play one touch out of truoble without losing the ball, but if a chance arises, they can turn & go through the space. They are also happy to turn either way because they are comfortable on both feet. Most English players aren't. Milner is definitely learning this & also not to play the ball square but at an angle.

Ali Benarbia was a great example of that; they'd call it 'eyes in the back of his head but it's because he's got a mental picture of what everyone is doing before the ball arrives. AJ has to take more touches because he hasn't figured his options before the ball comes. SWP only sees his own boot laces.

Ted Hughes wrote:The players who could learn most are the English players, but it may be a case of small, gradual improvements, as it may be too late to suddenly re-learn their basic habits. Young players over here could learn from the way Silva & Co are happy to ask for & receive the ball whilst surrounded by oppo players. They've already looked & know at least 3 options for the ball before they receive it, so are happy that, if neccessary, they can just play one touch out of truoble without losing the ball, but if a chance arises, they can turn & go through the space. They are also happy to turn either way because they are comfortable on both feet. Most English players aren't. Milner is definitely learning this & also not to play the ball square but at an angle.

Ali Benarbia was a great example of that; they'd call it 'eyes in the back of his head but it's because he's got a mental picture of what everyone is doing before the ball arrives. AJ has to take more touches because he hasn't figured his options before the ball comes. SWP only sees his own boot laces.

Brilliant post Ted.

Barcelona, as an example, are past masters at being confident to receive the ball under tight marking and then to use it productively. Some of their free kicks, when they play the ball just a few yards to a colleague with a couple of opponents on his back, would make old fashioned English coaches (such as cheerful Cockney barra boy 'Arry) tear their hair out.

However, by doing this, their philosophy is that they retain possession and then try to work another opening, rather than surrender possession by just banging the ball into the box for a smallish set of forwards to 'fight' for.

I wish the players could learn of Yaya how to look fucked after a sprint and the run like a cheetah in the 93rd minute having fooled some he is fucked and got no stamina.

Mikhail Chigorin wrote:

Ted Hughes wrote:The players who could learn most are the English players, but it may be a case of small, gradual improvements, as it may be too late to suddenly re-learn their basic habits. Young players over here could learn from the way Silva & Co are happy to ask for & receive the ball whilst surrounded by oppo players. They've already looked & know at least 3 options for the ball before they receive it, so are happy that, if neccessary, they can just play one touch out of truoble without losing the ball, but if a chance arises, they can turn & go through the space. They are also happy to turn either way because they are comfortable on both feet. Most English players aren't. Milner is definitely learning this & also not to play the ball square but at an angle.

Ali Benarbia was a great example of that; they'd call it 'eyes in the back of his head but it's because he's got a mental picture of what everyone is doing before the ball arrives. AJ has to take more touches because he hasn't figured his options before the ball comes. SWP only sees his own boot laces.

Brilliant post Ted.

Barcelona, as an example, are past masters at being confident to receive the ball under tight marking and then to use it productively. Some of their free kicks, when they play the ball just a few yards to a colleague with a couple of opponents on his back, would make old fashioned English coaches (such as cheerful Cockney barra boy 'Arry) tear their hair out.

However, by doing this, their philosophy is that they retain possession and then try to work another opening, rather than surrender possession by just banging the ball into the box for a smallish set of forwards to 'fight' for.

So many times they'll play a ball forward ten yards & the player receiving it will not have an angle, so he'll just play it right back ten yards where it came from. It could seem pointless but has just moved two defenders however & given them another space elsewhere. I had to laugh when seeing Barry & Milner do that in a recent game!
Tbf, Kevin Keegan was doing that in 1974 though. Somewhere along the line, we went pear shaped over here.

Ted Hughes wrote:The players who could learn most are the English players, but it may be a case of small, gradual improvements, as it may be too late to suddenly re-learn their basic habits. Young players over here could learn from the way Silva & Co are happy to ask for & receive the ball whilst surrounded by oppo players. They've already looked & know at least 3 options for the ball before they receive it, so are happy that, if neccessary, they can just play one touch out of truoble without losing the ball, but if a chance arises, they can turn & go through the space. They are also happy to turn either way because they are comfortable on both feet. Most English players aren't. Milner is definitely learning this & also not to play the ball square but at an angle.

Ali Benarbia was a great example of that; they'd call it 'eyes in the back of his head but it's because he's got a mental picture of what everyone is doing before the ball arrives. AJ has to take more touches because he hasn't figured his options before the ball comes. SWP only sees his own boot laces.

Valdes starts a lot of attacks with distribution of the highest quality, Watch Barca tonight the players the player hold onto possesion in a suck em in way quick 1-2. If you switch off like in Rugby they will create an opening. AJ slows it down to see the picture.

Hazy2 wrote:

Ted Hughes wrote:The players who could learn most are the English players, but it may be a case of small, gradual improvements, as it may be too late to suddenly re-learn their basic habits. Young players over here could learn from the way Silva & Co are happy to ask for & receive the ball whilst surrounded by oppo players. They've already looked & know at least 3 options for the ball before they receive it, so are happy that, if neccessary, they can just play one touch out of truoble without losing the ball, but if a chance arises, they can turn & go through the space. They are also happy to turn either way because they are comfortable on both feet. Most English players aren't. Milner is definitely learning this & also not to play the ball square but at an angle.

Ali Benarbia was a great example of that; they'd call it 'eyes in the back of his head but it's because he's got a mental picture of what everyone is doing before the ball arrives. AJ has to take more touches because he hasn't figured his options before the ball comes. SWP only sees his own boot laces.

Valdes starts a lot of attacks with distribution of the highest quality, Watch Barca tonight the players the player hold onto possesion in a suck em in way quick 1-2. If you switch off like in Rugby they will create an opening. AJ slows it down to see the picture.

Thing is, silva rarely has players around him. Like a lot of the top players in his position, no one ever seems to mark him. They pick up positions where they seem to become invisble to defenders. A lot of Silva's passes are ones that I think I could do - couple of yards to another player. Looks dead easy and can never understand why all professionals can't do it, but finding that space is an art.

Johnson is brilliant with the ball at his feet, but I just don't think he has a football brain. As Ted says, he seems to get the ball, then wonder what to do with it. He should be losing the first man with his first touch. The one occasion when I thought he'd got it was last season when he cut across the back 4 to collect a pass from Yaya/Paddy and round the keeper. But then it was back to normal.

Let's hope some of the kids learn from the likes of Silva and Aguero

love this thread. Ted as always you talk sense. its shows the game in its purest form is not about pace, its about finding space, first touch and then the simple pass.Barca have perfected this.Will AJ and SWP ever pick this up? unlikely. Too busy lookin at their laces.

I'd like to see Joleon be calmer on the ball and to be fair I think he has improved. But he got a way to go yet.