aggressive first touch

[Molby]

Actually that's close to reading Torres OF Babel...food for thought

 

anyway, anyone noticed a special feature in both their play? wherever they can they try to use the first touch not just to control the ball but to wrongfoot the defender; Babel seems to do it non-stop and obviously it will need regulating a tad but it's horrible for defenders because if they get close they can get turned and if they stand off then he can run at them; beautiful thing to have that in your armoury AND pace aswell!

 

As for Torres, well look at the goal against Chelsea and the way he turned and forced the save from the goalie at Villa, which led to our opener

 

lots of talk about our need for tempo and speedy attacks and counter attacks over the years - I think these two will address the issue big time

[Stevie H]

i agree, but gerrard and alonso and to an extent agger and finnan do that every game man. good players.

[Cobs]

Babel's a remarkable player, he couldn't run properly when he first got to melwood, had to be coached how to put one foot in front of the other, he'd learned it all wrong as a kid apparently....

 

 

 

 

It's very early days but Torres is looking like he's gonna be worth the money, i think Babel may need a few more months to settle.

[M4TTA]

it's weird, i often don't see things like this in players as i more often than not, am looking for the next pass, the player they are targeting etc I'ts nice to read things like this as i then watch the players a bit more closely.

 

funny how different people see the game in different ways though

[abc]

If you were coaching on first touch, and wanted to pull up a video to use as an example, I'd suggest pulling together some clips of Alonso.

 

He likes use his left foot to trap the ball, and in doing so, in one motion he sets himself up ready to make the next play with his favoured right. In many circumstances, it gives him that extra half second as he does not need to re-shuffle his feet or adjust his balance.

[Ben 23]

Actually that's close to reading Torres OF Babel...food for thought

 

Like Vennegoor of Hesselink?

 

Babel's a remarkable player, he couldn't run properly when he first got to melwood, had to be coached how to put one foot in front of the other, he'd learned it all wrong as a kid apparently....

 

What?

[Kahnee]

What?

 

My thoughts exactly. What did he do - run on his hands?

[kop205]

I think it is a reference to the oh-so-interesting debate that was raging a couple of weeks back about how Ajax allegedly had to rebuild Babel's shooting technique from scratch because it was so bad.

 

Or something bizarre like that.

[Guest RedIsMyColour]

There is a clip on YouTube with Zidane explaining his style of play and he talks indepth about how important that first touch is. It sets you up to attack straight away and maybe catch the defence on the back foot. Its a great skill if you can do it and no one does it better than the great man himself.

[Guest Linton]

My thoughts exactly. What did he do - run on his hands?

 

 

[Guest hankthejeweller]

Babel's a remarkable player, he couldn't run properly when he first got to melwood, had to be coached how to put one foot in front of the other, he'd learned it all wrong as a kid apparently....

 

didnt gerrard have to be trained how to run when he was having the problems with his back early in his career

[rikf]

Agree re Alonso, His first touch is always into space, sign of a class player

[floyd the barber]

personally feel, cisse had a fantastic first touch and its a crying shame we had to let the lord go.

[Rich Gobey]

personally feel, cisse had a fantastic first touch and its a crying shame we had to let the lord go.

 

His first touch was a clearance.

[Guest JV]

His first touch was a clearance.

[Molby]

Agree re Alonso, His first touch is always into space, sign of a class player

agreed

I'm not so much talking about good first touch but a certain kind of first touch which seems to aim to attack/wrongfoot the defender

 

eg Morientes has a great first touch but usually the purpose of it is to shield the ball so he can bring others in to the game

 

agree that Zidane is another that springs to mind when thinking of players that try this

 

obviously the key with Babel is for him to learn when to do it and when not

 

 

enjoyed that moment of his showboating up the left in the first half today btw

[slapnuts]

Babel's a remarkable player, he couldn't run properly when he first got to melwood, had to be coached how to put one foot in front of the other, he'd learned it all wrong as a kid apparently....

 

eh?

 

didnt gerrard have to be trained how to run when he was having the problems with his back early in his career

 

I thought he had 2 muscles in his back cut to sort his back out.

 

 

obviously the key with Babel is for him to learn when to do it and when not

enjoyed that moment of his showboating up the left in the first half today btw

 

class

[hagi_complex]

An agressive first touch? Sounds like a drunken mate of mine with one of the bridesmaids at a wedding I was at last week.

 

They both look like good footballers, with a brain. The Crow too.

[RP]

Aye, Cisse had a great first touch.

 

And his second touch was usually a tackle.

[sean]

Yeah I heard that about Babel too. In fact he could run backwards quicker than he could going forward. It's the coaching see.

[IgPig]

Funny as it might seem in view of the Babel debate with regard to having his shooting "style" reworked, having just read Norman Whiteside's autobiography, these things do happen.

 

Apparently, Whiteside was s*** off a shovel as a youngster but an unfortunate run in with a dodgy physio, put paid to his pace. He had various experts in to try and sort it - including changing his running style - but all the other injuries he had meant none worked. He eventually had to change his running style anyway to compensate for his knee being made of spaghetti.

 

Reading it as a Northern Ireland supporter btw!

Edited August 27, 2007 by Post Kuytal Glow

[Guest Anders Honoré]

Aye, Cisse had a great first touch.

 

And his second touch was usually a tackle.

 

I rarely noticed him tracking back for the tackle.

[Rory Fitzgerald]

Aye, Cisse had a great first touch.

 

And his second touch was usually a tackle.

 

 

......... or a header

[RP]

I rarely noticed him tracking back for the tackle.

 

 

Usual standard there Anders.

[Knox_Harrington]

personally feel, cisse had a fantastic first touch and its a crying shame we had to let the lord go.

Are you f***ing messing?