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@nueverole
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Unravelling football. More depth than a Pirlo free-kick. @TtfFutbol
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Notice how the first thing Van Dijk speaks about is body positioning and then channelling the attacker away from goal by the same. Not tackling, not dueling. The key is always to play the attacker's mind.
Virgil van Dijk explaining the importance of body positioning and how to defend 1v1s:
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People talk about Camavinga in the future-tense and in hypotheticals like he's some could-be-prospect. Please. The kid's already a star. Modric's grace, Kante's engine, and enough swag to make Pogba cry.
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Antonio Conte has now got rid of every player Jose Mourinho was supposed to win the league with. Funny how the narratives change based on persona/public perception.
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Zidane's approaches during the 19-21 term was something else. He coached a high press, a mid block, a low block, a poss oriented style, counter-attacking etc, all depending on the opposition, in a number of different roles and formations used.
Zidane 2.0 was a tactical chameleon.
Zidane’s style of coaching if he went to Man Utd is impossible to predict. His 3peat team were a counter-attacking machine. But his second stint team were one of the best defensive sides Europe has seen recently. It was impossible to penetrate that midfield 3 & back 4 at times.
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This Madrid team has often made me question my way of thinking about football. It has made me place a lot of weight on the psychological aspect of sport, even more than before.
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If you want to get a rough picture of where a manager stands/level, imagine a situation where he gets sacked today, then realistically think of the calibre of teams that would hire him the next day — you'll get your answer.
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Camavinga for €40m will be remembered like the €25 million Real Madrid paid for Toni Kroos in the last decade. Will be seen as a massive steal in a few years time.
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Neymar's European career defined itself, not defined by a "what if". Trophies, goals, Joga Bonito that left you glued to the screen, begging for more. A true artiste of the game.
Everyone focuses on the "what if," I'll be busy celebrating the "what was."
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Half of football twitter lives in this bubble where they think that if a team isn't playing Guardiola-level possession based football, then it hasn't 'evolved tactically'.
There isn't one particular way of playing football.
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Kroos is Guardiola's on-field extension. They share the same idea of football - Keep moving the ball, to move the opposition, until the spaces eventually appear and that’s when you break lines. For Pep, watching Kroos is probably like watching his ideas come to life in a person.
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Do you even realise how ridiculous it is to keep dropping 8/10s consistently not for weeks or months, but for 15 f*cking years?
Just deep it for a second. 15+ years at the top of your game is ABSOLUTELY mental. A true mark of greatness.
19-year-old Toni Kroos for Bayer Leverkusen in the 2009/2010 season:
✅35 games
⚽️9 goals
🅰️12 assists
⭐️Bundesliga Team of the Season
The beginning of a football artist. An absolute gem since day one.
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Kroos's passing is pure geometry. Easily has the best passing range in football - Right foot, left foot, lofted, drilled, over the top, between the lines etc. Each pass looks like a calculated equation. Easily the greatest passer of our generation.
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Real Madrid have Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, one of the finest controlling duos in recent memory only rivalled by the great Xavi-Iniesta, and are trying to play in transition. Go figure out where the problem is.
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The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was deceiving half the world into thinking that Zidane is/was just an average coach who wins due to his squad.
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A perfect example on the importance of body positioning while receiving the ball and using first touch to create space for yourself. If Saka closes his body while receiving, Alonso picks the ball off him or forces him to go back. Tiny details, big results
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Allan Saint-Maximin definitely learnt football in the cages. Has so much expressive thinking, appreciation of rhythm and ability to understand attacking at different angles with close control. There's no way someone gets that learning everything from academies.
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José Mourinho has to write a book about his ways of man-management when he retires. It could be a game changer. The way some of his players speak about him truly fascinates me, and these aren't just your average regular names btw; these are the crème de la crème of the sport.
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When was the last time you saw Kroos play a pass that forced his teammate to make a mistake (poor pass selection, poor weight on the ball, too backward/forward etc)? Exactly. Pair that with stats like these and it seems totally ridiculous.
The grandmaster.
Toni Kroos 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. 100% accurate passes, crosses, long balls, and dribbles. Unbelievable 🎯
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Arsène Wenger prioritised intelligence and then technique. Stats/performances came later. The reasoning is that you can coach someone with intelligence & technique into a good player but teaching technique & intelligence is much more difficult. Madrid follow the same approach 1/n
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Camavinga-Tchouaméni-Valverde is already a starter level midfield. Just need them to learn under Kroos and Modric for the next 2-3 years.
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It's incredible how Ancelotti has created an environment where the players basically find solutions on the pitch themselves. They interpret solutions individually but most of them interpret it in the same way as the others. It even puzzles me at times.
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He was everything that I'd wanted a winger to be — A left footed-right winger who could create a separation both ways in front of goal and shoot with both feet, very explosive, very physical, could shift weight in an instant despite his frame and speed, very intelligent att 1/3
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Just keep watching Kroos and Modrić in this whole sequence. Watch how just two players stretch LFC's pressing shape; watch how they move into different zones to create space for themselves. Seems so simple to watch, yet so effective.
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Isn't it beautiful how you don't have a single care in the world when you have a ball at your feet.. That feeling of absolute ESCAPE when you're playing; nothing beats that for me. Wouldn't trade it for anything else.
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I watch close to probably 50 Madrid games per season and still get amazed with Toni Kroos everytime.
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Most dribblers have a dominant side or angle that they usually attack while trying to manipulate body positioning or to create a seperation. Musiala can just shift weight in any direction he wants at will without losing speed to do this. Incredible.
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Real Madrid needs a BIG summer now. Tchouameni, a right-back, a backup CF and more importantly a 1v1 specialist for the right wing. Kick open the war chest.
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Re: Ancelotti's Madrid, the rotations or ball circulations are much faster now than before, lot of variety and dynamism in terms of movement, better intensity in the play too. Perfect blend of technical security, control and directness now.
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Madrid want all the best young players in their academy, but actually have no clear path/framework for them to succeed. They only get in if the (first team) squad is depleted due to injuries, not directly due to quality. Miguel, Blanco, Arribas all a victim of this.
🚨 Miguel Gutiérrez will be sold this summer with Real Madrid keeping 50% of his rights. The player is not in Ancelotti's plans.
@Forjanes_AS
🇪🇸
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A coach once gave me a piece of advice that completely changed my perspective about 1v1 defending back then. Had gone to play today and remember it all of a sudden so I'd thought I'd share that here. He was a field hockey coach but the same can be applied to football. 1/3
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Second phase midfielders/controllers — the likes of Kroos, Kimmich, Verratti, Thiago, Parejo, would be rated much higher 10 years ago. Current generation obsessed with goals from midfield.
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Think of a young Casemiro — great promise of reading play and disrupting attacks. Now imagine him with mobility, with a B2B engine, with good ball playing ability and carries with bursts from midfield. That's Aurélien Tchouaméni. Madrid should be all over him this summer.
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Look at the number of times Toni Kroos is conductive to keep the passing sequence going. This what I mean when I say that he is the system. The engine. The orchestrator. Il controllore.
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Valverde's measure goes far beyond what the stat sheet shows. Has one of the most unique profiles in the world — battler-type midfielder with a decent technical base and has the ability to influence all phases of play. You don't find those a lot. Dream balancer for any coach.
Real Madrid should sell Valverde as soon as possible. A nearly redundant profile with Jude and Camavinga. Can fetch money over his value and they can complete the midfield with a Pedri/Wirtz type.
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Sustained pressure on the ball wins you leagues now. There's no other way to it.
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Are we going to talk about how good Tchouaméni has been? First world cup but he's playing like someone who has 100 international caps under his belt.
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The technical level or standards at some of the elite clubs (Madrid, City, Bayern etc) is simply on a different scale. Zinchenko at Arsenal is a very good example to this: His technical quality is in the spotlight here but he looked just fairly average in that City team.
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Fede Valverde is absolutely crucial to the way Carlo Ancelotti wants his team to press/defend because he can take up multiple duties/roles off-the-ball and also allows the team to morph into different shapes/structures due to his positional sense, commitment and work ethic.
1/5
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Absolutely love this video. This is what I mean when I say everytime that Fede's value and importance to this team is immeasurable; it's stupid to value him by statistics bc of what he provides.
No metric or chart can ever quantify desire, commitment and heart.
Fede sensed it way before and went to make a goal saving interception. He's literally the soul of our team man
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I know it feels good to say Age is just a number, but Father Time is undefeated. Enjoy Toni Kroos while he lasts, the rest are just pretenders to the throne.
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Reading stuff on Ancelotti's man-management and it might have opened my mind to a whole new perspective/thought in football which is the psychological aspect; I've always talked about players in their natural postions which increases productivity/profiling, motivation but don't
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Aurélin Tchouaméni is a destroyer and a B2B midfielder rolled into one. Kid has phenomenal game awareness; not afraid to go into duels, covers ground, knows how to use his body, very good technical ability, ball carrying, versatile etc. That is an insaaane profile.
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Madrid have a demon in Rodrygo. Trust me when I tell you what you see right now is only 50% of what he's capable of. One day there'll be a coach who'll profile him properly.....
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Ancelotti fits players into his system and style of play. Zidane creates systems and styles of play based on the profiles in the squad.
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Madrid had no right to win last night. PSG had Mbappe-Neymar-Messi, created the better chances and outclassed them tactically for 135 out of the 180 minutes available, but nights like these are what make Real Madrid what it is. No amount of money can buy you character.
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Initial thoughts on Arda Güler📜
Technical ability stands out immediately. Has a very good situational understanding in the sense that he knows how to take different kinds of touches in different type of situations - when to touch and go, when to take a big first touch,
1/8
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Said Rodrygo was a left-winger after just a minute of seeing him on that left channel, a lot of people are slowly seeing that now. Look at the way he moves man.. His ability to shift weight in an instant to change angles is simply incredible.
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A Champions League catalogue like this, let alone knockout stages, is absolutely insane for a 23-year-old. Love him or loathe him, but you can't deny he's turned into an absolute superstar.
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People undervalue consistency on this platform for some reason, when in fact that is actually what sets players apart.
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Does Kroos have the best final ball in the game right now? Don't consider just volume when comparing him with others, but rather quality — Kroos only hits the final ball when it's 100% on.
Incredible risk vs reward assessment.
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Too easy for City to switch the ball out wide against United's 5-3-2 because the WBs do not press high since there is always a player on the touchline in that zone (Foden/Bernardo) while United’s block + midfield 3 can’t shift across quickly enough against the switch of play.
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Ancelotti has both the fullbacks a little inverted in the half-spaces now while Vinicius and Valverde provide width to the side. This experiment has vastly improved on-ball dynamics and the team's counter-pressing shape as players remain in close proximity to each other now.
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Largely goes under the radar due to his goalkeeping heroics, but Courtois's ability on the ball has improved ten folds since he's joined Madrid. Ofcourse, he's no Ederson or a Neuer, but he's not a liability like he was before.
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Interesting to note Ronaldo's role in the press: cut off-passing lanes and engage with the player on the ball while it is moved out wide. Pretty similar to how he was used under Zidane 16-19 and pretty much how he should be used.
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🗒️Real Madrid's 4132/4312 high-pressing structure/shape:
An in-depth thread where I try to break down the intent, roles, tactical advantages and disadvantages of Carlo Ancelotti's new look high-pressing structure.
[THREAD]
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Remember Guardiola once talking about how certain great teams have had 'a coach inside the pitch'. Toni Kroos is that for Madrid.
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How long are we going to pretend that what Kroos does is normal? Maybe he should do step-overs or look the other way everytime he passes the ball, or dance everytime he scores, or maybe have his name shaved in his hair. Maybe they will atleast appreciate him then.
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Pep Guardiola once talked about "a coach inside the pitch". Toni Kroos is what he probably visualizes.
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Passing range and a variety — right foot, left foot, lofted pass, drilled pass, clipped through balls, flat through to break lines etc, you name it; Weight of the pass and technique perfect almost all the time.
And he's learnt how to play with the game rhythm. Magnifique.
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"IF I'M HALF AS GOOD AS I WAS, I'M STILL TWICE AS GOOD AS YOU'LL EVER BE"
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Space-time knowledge at its finest. Understanding when, where and how to move into spaces (and also play into space) based on cues from the ball receiver. You can't stop moves built from interpretation and understanding. 🔝🔝
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I feel that there is a very big disconnection or knowledge gap between how fans rate/value/analyse a player and how coaches/scouts do.
Aesthetics, likeability and public perception plays a big part in the former's assessment. The latter just focuses on qualities that they desire.
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This is an insane goal catalogue for a team's 2nd best winger. Also showcases all his best qualities - tight space finishing, tight space dribbling, body/angle manipulation, close control carrying etc etc.
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Listening to Ancelotti's presser and he speaks more about character and personality more than footballing abilities i.e. technique, physicality etc. Reminds me of Jose talking about how not everyone can thrive at the elite because you need a certain kind of mentality for it.
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Raphael Varane was considered one of the finest defenders of the past decade and now he wouldn't even make the top 10 list of most people. I wonder how the general public will view his career in a couple years time..
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Rodrygo is a 'pure footballer' the same way you'd classify Benzema as one. Has very good understanding with the ball — Incredible close control and every touch is so smooth. Understands the weight of the ball in air, in flow and while he's in stride.
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A player is as good as his self-confidence, irrespective of his ability.
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What a revelation 5 time Champions League winner Casemiro is apparently very good at football.
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I've never been so sure of a midfielder in a long time like I'm on Aurélien Tchouaméni. Rolls Royce of a midfielder. Soo good.
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The 'all phase 8" hype for Bellingham makes a bit of sense when you consider that a player of his mental, physical and technical profile could seamlessly fit there, but he's been profiled absolutely perfectly by Ancelotti in the
#10
role. 1/7
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Everyone's considers Pep's game model as the reason why City play so good; that is merely a blueprint to fit players into his philosophy. His best asset is his ability to transfer knowledge to his players or his way of making them understand the game the same way he does.
City are a ridiculously smart team even if Pep doesn't make changes, there players (if you don't setup right) will realise where the space is and exploit it
Amrabat follows Alvarez, Mctominay doesn't pick up Stones, Eriksen attracted to Bernardo. Stones wide to Bernardo
🧵⤵️
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Interesting that both Kroos and Modrić interpret space in different ways (while receiving). Kroos reads the movement around him to move into spaces in behind to receive. Modrić receives in tight areas and attacks space in front of him by accelerating/dribbling into it.
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Madrid's issues with chance creation or breaking down a team that defends in a compact block (when they sustain pressure on the ball) eventually stems down to a lack of vertical depth due to the way the system is interpreted.
1/n
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Just watch Bellingham's body language on the pitch. He plays like a seasoned veteran already. He's got confidence, the arrogance, the skills and the swagger to take over the world. He knows and believes he's a star.
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There is no like-to-like replacement for Toni Kroos. No high level primary controllers are being produced anymore.
Madrid will change to a different dynamic.
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Frenkie as a controller is just an idea. He doesn't think like one; A passer always assesses his options to make the pitch bigger, not quicker.
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Zidane used 12 diff formations (acc to understat) during the 20/21 season. His team/players could take on a number of different roles and still play with the same style of play (poss oriented). And this was w/o his regular starting XI for the whole season & with 60+ injuries.
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Watch Kroos when Madrid have the ball. Always shows for the ball in any kind of pressure. Most CMs want their teammates closer to link play and get out, but Kroos wants them further away from him.
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Madrid fans who have been tweeting this weekend about asking Toni Kroos to be sold have literally zero understanding of their own team's strengths and weaknesses.
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Forget potential, analyse the present. You people don't understand what you are seeing because you chase statistics. There is a tremendous tremendous player in Rodrygo Goes.
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Being a Madrid fan, I simply can't understand how people can't get behind the project Zidane has at Real; Especially considering everything he's done so far for the club. 11 trophies to the club, including a CL 3-peat and 2 league titles all in less than 5 years.
Baffles me.
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There's a tremendous player hidden in Rodrygo and that Osasuna game was just a glimpse of what he's capable of. He needs to go somewhere (preferably a loan) where he can find his feet, somewhere where he has responsibility/where he's an important piece in a system. (1/n)
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Aurélien Tchouaméni. Rolls Royce of a midfielder. He's slowly starting to move like his Monaco days. Groovy on the ball, a lot more fluid. A lot more confident. Will look like a 100mil bargain in a couple of months from now. Very soon.
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He said that the idea isn't to tackle/win every ball, you lose half of your duels if you think that way, the idea is to make the opponent think that you might steal/win every ball
....and how you achieve that is down to you. Body positioning, delaying, angle manipulation etc etc
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Fede Valverde could be criticized for a few things, but I've never seen him put in a half-hearted shift wearing this white shirt. The tenacity, aggression and intensity he brings to the side cannot be statistically quantifiable.
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@covercianograd
There's a quote that fits perfectly to this.
"The idea is not to stop the opponent everytime. The idea is to make him believe that you might stop him everytime".
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When you watch Pep's Barca, people notice a team with incredible ball retention and press resistancy, but what goes undervalued is what makes it all happen — the movement from the players to occupy different zones of the pitch based on the ball. Space manipulation at its finest.
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Sure, Kane can hit diagonals and lines for fun but this is a glimpse of what playmaking is truly about — vision, control, intuition and about making the whole team sing, even in tightest of spaces, not just hitting lines.
Benz conducts the orchestra, Kane just plays the bugle.
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If winning the Champions League isn't a feat and special itself, it further acts as a passport for a chance at two more trophies, the Super Cup and the Club World Cup. The CL final is basically a shot at 3 possible trophies.
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