Can’t get enough of this guy…
So true. I tell parents of kids heading into divisional soccer that the game is about to be fundamentally different and all those kids in U8 to U10 who just ran with the ball from wherever they were in a straight line to the goal and were generally successful due to differences in speed and strength are about to become dinosaurs unless they learn to manage space by bringing some diversity to their game.
fascinating interview–thanks for posting
Every answer could be a pull quote!
Should be required reading for all our kids. We should put them in a room so they can read it together; study it. I can tell them til I’m blue in the face exactly what Xavi’s saying but to them it sounds like anything a parent, teacher, former coach says — they can’t distinguish it from “clean up your room”, “pressure, pressure, tackle, don’t be afraid of the ball”, “you really need to know your times tables”.
always very interesting. there was interviews with several players in the same mold as Xavi in a 442 a few months back.
Teaching the u11′s this year – this has been the single biggest challenge from a coaching perspective. Space, time, pass, space, time, pass, relax, relax, relax….when every single parent is shouting “RUN RUN RUN!” etc.
This could be required reading for some coaches as well. How many times have I seen this practised but not executed in a game? Is it totally the kids’ responsibility?
Nice quote. I completely agree. It’s about seeing the spaces that exist, and being able to read, anticipate and exploit the spaces that will open.