Is Pace Required To Succeed in Modern Football?

[conormcfc]

Also, the Spain team that won the last Euros. One quick player (Alba) in that entire team.

 

[supercrystal7]

.........................Busquets

.................Xavi.................Iniesta

....Messi..........................................Villa

.......................Ibrahimovic

The best club side I have ever seen and the only one with huge amounts of pace was Messi (Villa's legs were going at that point). Even Messi isn't that quick without the ball, it's just his close control that allows him to run with the ball at almost full speed.

If you're talking speed of passing in the final 3rd then that's another story. But we're capable of that anyway.

That's the team that lost to Inter and didn't have a particularly great CL campaign. I think they won one away match in that entire campaign and were well beaten by Inter. In the end Zlatan was dropped and Messi moved centrally. Also Villa was Zlatan's replacement. I don't think they ever played together.

I personally don't think the 2011 was as good as other teams, but by then Pedro had come in and Villa still had his pace.

 

[Dude Where's Micah?]

No. Speed of thought is what matters most to slow players. That, and having someone alongside them who can run like fuck.

 

[super_city_si]

No. Speed of thought is what matters most to slow players. That, and having someone alongside them who can run like fuck.

I agree with this. Look at Liverpool v Madrid. Sterling and continho are shit off a shovel but without players who can think fast it mattera not.
Modric and Kroos completely controlled that game with quick incisive passing. They knew what pass they were going to make way before they received the ball and lots of them were 10 yards to feet but they were forward penetrating passes not sideways.

 

[kp789]

I would take Xavi or Gerrard over Danny Welbeck any day of the week

 

[conormcfc]

.........................Busquets

.................Xavi.................Iniesta

....Messi..........................................Villa

.......................Ibrahimovic

The best club side I have ever seen and the only one with huge amounts of pace was Messi (Villa's legs were going at that point). Even Messi isn't that quick without the ball, it's just his close control that allows him to run with the ball at almost full speed.

If you're talking speed of passing in the final 3rd then that's another story. But we're capable of that anyway.

That's the team that lost to Inter and didn't have a particularly great CL campaign. I think they won one away match in that entire campaign and were well beaten by Inter. In the end Zlatan was dropped and Messi moved centrally. Also Villa was Zlatan's replacement. I don't think they ever played together.

I personally don't think the 2011 was as good as other teams, but by then Pedro had come in and Villa still had his pace.

The 2010 team was the best one of that period (09-12) imo. The first half they played at the Emirates might be the best I've ever seen.

Well beaten by Inter? I seem to remember Mourinho parking a jumbo jet at the Nou Camp and Barca having a goal wrongly disallowed late on.

But you're right, Villa was Ibra's replacement.

Care to argue Spain 2012 having zero pace throughout the team aside from Jordi Alba?

 

[Rascal]

If "pace" was that important why has no team signed Usain Bolt?

If speed of "thought" was that important why has no team signed Richard Dawkins?


I have always thougth the we need more "pace" arguements to be rather silly. No we need better more rounded footballers would be my answer.


When i played in my youth i was slow, i was a biggish lad, but slow anyway. However my first touch with both feet and the skill and vision i possesed allowed me time to pick a pass move 5 yards and be available again. I was i think a clever footballer. I rarely got tackled and i rarely gave the ball away. If you have the ball it matters not a fuck how quick the opposition players are.


I had to learn what learnt because i lacked pace. I could not outsprint somebody to the ball or fly past him on the outside. So i developed my skill set accordingly. A fast player never really needs to develop those skills growing up as he wins because he is quickest. To me that means he probs lacks the techniques and touch i had to develop to give me time to play.


So i think the point is mute. I would expect as happened to me at school i finished 20 yards behnd the quickest lad in school on sports day and if every Prem player did the same sports day test i would not expect any to be less than 10 yards behind the winner.

So in conclusion i believe you can teach somebody to be quicker over the ground, but you can not teach them the instinct of a natural football brain.

 

[prestonibbo_mcfc]

If "pace" was that important why has no team signed Usain Bolt?

If speed of "thought" was that important why has no team signed Richard Dawkins?


I have always thougth the we need more "pace" arguements to be rather silly. No we need better more rounded footballers would be my answer.


When i played in my youth i was slow, i was a biggish lad, but slow anyway. However my first touch with both feet and the skill and vision i possesed allowed me time to pick a pass move 5 yards and be available again. I was i think a clever footballer. I rarely got tackled and i rarely gave the ball away. If you have the ball it matters not a fuck how quick the opposition players are.


I had to learn what learnt because i lacked pace. I could not outsprint somebody to the ball or fly past him on the outside. So i developed my skill set accordingly. A fast player never really needs to develop those skills growing up as he wins because he is quickest. To me that means he probs lacks the techniques and touch i had to develop to give me time to play.


So i think the point is mute. I would expect as happened to me at school i finished 20 yards behnd the quickest lad in school on sports day and if every Prem player did the same sports day test i would not expect any to be less than 10 yards behind the winner.

So in conclusion i believe you can teach somebody to be quicker over the ground, but you can not teach them the instinct of a natural football brain.

Agree with this. Think that's the problem with England,too many athletes not enough footballers.

 

[ChicagoBlue]

Strength and nous come before pace for me. Throw in a pacey player alongside those other attributes and you start to build a balanced team. For me, the Chelsea midfield quintet have greater strength and nous than any other midfield in the league, throw in some pace and they become irresistible.

Tbf, I think most people were hoping Fernando would add some strength to our midfield, which he has, but he appears to lack some nous and has little pace, which makes him far easier to play around.....as we have also seen with Yaya. People know they can't go through him, but they go around him with some ease.

 

[supercrystal7]

.........................Busquets

.................Xavi.................Iniesta

....Messi..........................................Villa

.......................Ibrahimovic

The best club side I have ever seen and the only one with huge amounts of pace was Messi (Villa's legs were going at that point). Even Messi isn't that quick without the ball, it's just his close control that allows him to run with the ball at almost full speed.

If you're talking speed of passing in the final 3rd then that's another story. But we're capable of that anyway.

That's the team that lost to Inter and didn't have a particularly great CL campaign. I think they won one away match in that entire campaign and were well beaten by Inter. In the end Zlatan was dropped and Messi moved centrally. Also Villa was Zlatan's replacement. I don't think they ever played together.

I personally don't think the 2011 was as good as other teams, but by then Pedro had come in and Villa still had his pace.

The 2010 team was the best one of that period (09-12) imo. The first half they played at the Emirates might be the best I've ever seen.

Well beaten by Inter? I seem to remember Mourinho parking a jumbo jet at the Nou Camp and Barca having a goal wrongly disallowed late on.

But you're right, Villa was Ibra's replacement.

Care to argue Spain 2012 having zero pace throughout the team aside from Jordi Alba?

They still ended up drawing the game at the Emirates. I know Zlatan missed a few chances, but still.

Yes they were well beaten by Inter. They got a very lucky red card very early on when Motta was sent off and that is why they had to sit back.

We will have to disagree, because I definitely think the 2010 was weaker than all the other teams.

Yeh Spain in 2012 did not have much pace, but Alba more times than not was their outlet. They also brough on Pedro and Navas in most matches to give them that extra pace.

It's much better to have pace than not and as a rule most top clubs do, because it gives you more options.