A sports aficionado, especially in the world of soccer, knows the beautiful game tracks back at least 150 years. English fans argue that the game started in their home country, and at least the establishment of the modern game did arise there, but how was soccer invented and does the sport we call soccer (or football, chill out) really belong to England?
From Nutmegs to Sitters, The18 brings you a fool-proof guide the the idioms of the British soccer announcer.
When looking at some of the world’s best teams, football’s future looks very bright. Manchester City for example is a testament to modern progressive football: back-to-front play in quick succession and starting attacks from the goalkeeper. Many European sides have adopted the tactic, as it encourages more open play.
It begs the question: Where is football heading in the next decade?
Dan Blank, the author of the SoccerIQ Series, remarks in all of his books that if you want to coach and play soccer, you have to believe details matter.
He’s absolutely right.
I have to go back to these subjects; I can’t help it. Soccer is a conservative sport in comparison to many others, based on beliefs and myths that might sound accurate but (most) have never been proven to be the most effective. Soccer is an old-school guy that hates change and does a lot of stuff simply because “it's always been done like that.”
“Come on Pablo! You can’t touch that speech! It’s glorious; have some respect!”
Please don't hate me; I know we all love Al Pacino's speech from "Any Given Sunday." I do too. In fact, it still gives me the goosebumps every time I see it.
There is a story about the now mythical Manchester City that won the Premier League in 2011-12.
Juan Roman Riquelme, the legendary Argentinian midfielder, replied once on TV when asked about Leo Messi: “I’m not completely sure Messi is human. I have never seen a person that runs faster with the ball at his feet than without it. Messi does. How can you do that? Think about it, it doesn’t make sense.”
How many times have we heard things like this?