One thing that never ceases to amaze me in this country is the need to look for an excuse to explain why something failed so badly. Whether it be politics, or in this case football, there is always an excuse and reasoning as to why it is all going wrong.
While Barcelona served up a real festival of football in Wembley’s showpiece, one of the reasons given for their greatness they are fortunate as they have more time to coach their youngsters in their formative years, whereas in England they are restricted to a set amount of minutes on a weekly basis. Sir Alex maybe right in suggesting that might make a difference in improving players touch, control and passing ability; however is that really the underlying factor? There was something I noticed on the training pitch that, in my view, could actually be making all the difference.
Last Friday I was invited by the good people of Heineken, one of the official sponsors of the Champions League, to watch both sides train some 24hrs before the showpiece event. It was an absolute eye opener to see the difference between the two sides and their training preparations ahead of the game. One onlooker said that it was a Mediterranean attitude to football as I stood mesmerised at Barcelona’s training session; whatever it was, you couldn’t help but think it spoke volumes about the two side’s footballing philosophy.
As United came on the field being put through their paces; running around the pitch, stopping for stretches and exercises, for a good half hour at least, Barcelona came on with every other player with a ball at their feet. There was no running around in groups, stopping for a stretch, but just pass and move from the very off in groups of three’s and four’s. It was fantastic to watch and a stark comparison to the United. The pass and move wasn’t a drilled routine but players giving the ball into each other in likely game play situations and testing each other’s touch in some cases to the very maximum. The speed in which this was carried out was also noticeable and the work rate was extremely high throughout. Following the initial run-out some football drills then followed and it continued and continued with a ball at their feet the whole time, with no respite at all. It got me thinking is it any wonder why they are the pass masters and arguably the best pass and move team in world football, given the way they train. Surely we are missing a trick here and the secret is simply in their training.
Maybe it is an English thing but we are so caught up with fitness in this country and hard work. While I wouldn’t suggest that it is a bad thing, the absence of a football is certainly noticeable. Barcelona arguably put as much running in their opening session than United did, but were passing the football at all times throughout therefore getting twice as much out of it while honing their passing and touch skills throughout. Let’s be honest United aren’t alone here and any side in England, at all levels, seemingly do very little ball work in comparison with the theory that you must warm up first and then play a game after. I guess the prospect of doing both is simply alien to the coaches in this country, but I wonder if it could actually prove a step forward; especially given the technical inadequacies of clubs in England.
Fergie may feel that English clubs are disadvantaged in not being able to train their youngsters for more than the allotted time in comparison to their foreign counterparts, but is the difference actually what the players do in the training time they have. We always bemoan our lack of technical ability in this country, while praising our foreign counterparts; therefore maybe the answer lies in the training philosophies of both cultures. Barcelona and United were absolute chalk and cheese, not only on the pitch on Saturday, but in the training session 24hrs before it.
