Originally posted by Ray de Galles
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Even then when a player like Paul scholes turned out the be the last player still playing from when people were young, and started to get the praise he managed to avoid for much of his earlier career, people are thinking about youtube videos of sumptuously hit long passes, and powerful long range shots. like
This.
But that only covers about 5-10% of what he did on the pitch. Most of the time it was like This That is from his first appearance after his comeback from retirement. It doesn't include all of his 67 passes in the second half, but you get the general idea. (It certainly doesn't include the two times he gave the ball away, one of which nearly lead to a city goal) It's mostly about moving around, being in space, knowing where you're going to hit the ball before you get it, moving it on quickly and cleanly to a teammate who is free, and then moving to a position to get the ball back, while broadly holding your position relative to your teammates. There are plenty of passes backwards here, because sometimes that's where the free player is. That's what is dictating his passing options.
I must say I found this very interesting. it's basically how to receive the ball in a crowded midfield and have all the time in the world. I wonder if Jordan Henderson has ever seen this video.
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