tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25555967.post472861665051048147..comments2024-02-09T08:07:26.090-08:00Comments on Dodgy At Best: Adaptation, Finesse, and Jabulani. Also: Did Maradona Just Save World Cup 2010? Controversy Explained.Kanuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02959256951835399304noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25555967.post-23908955149463347482010-06-17T13:23:55.960-07:002010-06-17T13:23:55.960-07:00This French-Mexico match is a demonstration of how...This French-Mexico match is a demonstration of how not to play on the wing. French had 5 left side favoring players: Evra, Malouda, Govour, Ribery, and Anelka. They spent the entire second half passing and dribbling the ball down that left hand channel into a packed Mexican defense. Quite as to why Ribery refuses to go to the right and stretch the defense or give an option on that side is beyond me. Consider that Malouda and Evra are usually the left most options for their club teams and yet, Ribery INSISTED on being even further out left so he could cut inside onto his favored right foot. The only problem is that he would immediately drift into the Mexican defenders that were there to mark Malouda and Evra. On top of it all, neither of the midfielders (Toulalan and Diaby) tried to switch the flanks or force the issue.<br /><br />This is why I can't really blame Domenech for who he brought on: Govou and Anelka had to be brought off for more neutral/right sided players. Maybe Cisse would've worked better than Gignac, but Henry would've only exacerbated the problem.<br /><br />Disgusting. I've never been this frustrated watching players just not adapt. Even Spain was better.moinllieonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07298004154870092764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25555967.post-588702914089772252010-06-17T10:54:01.009-07:002010-06-17T10:54:01.009-07:00Moin-
Here a complete rundown of who had access t...Moin-<br /><br />Here a complete rundown of who had access to Jabulani & when. Others had it, but German players seemingly got to user it the most (every day with club and with national team matches as well)<br /><br />http://tinyurl.com/3xcuazbKanuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02959256951835399304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25555967.post-10559853053020430712010-06-17T10:50:35.942-07:002010-06-17T10:50:35.942-07:00Great stuff from the both of you.
What I'm n...Great stuff from the both of you. <br /><br />What I'm not sure about is how much impact the Jabulani actually has on the lack of quality shots, crosses, etc. What I am sure about is that the PLAYERS are convinced it's having an impact and trying to adjust to it. Unfortunately, the level of play is too high, the intensity too, uh, intense for those kinds of little mental adjustments to be made on the fly and still be successful. You can't be thinking about how to strike the ball and strike it correctly, if that makes sense. That the Germans are the only team who've been playing with the ball since the day it was released (and before) and were the only team to really shine on the attack seems to be too big of a coincidence. <br /><br />I'm hoping desperately you're right about the three second-round games being a turning point. We'll see.Jerry Hinnenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15097537044668238939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25555967.post-35293344954029301112010-06-17T10:46:13.094-07:002010-06-17T10:46:13.094-07:00Or when NBA went to that weird synthetic ball for ...Or when NBA went to that weird synthetic ball for half a season. I can see your point. Hope everyone will get used to it like you said and it'll turn into a non-issue. Hard to believe that nobody besides the Germans bothered to ask for them to practice with.moinllieonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07298004154870092764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25555967.post-62121443530411986842010-06-17T10:40:05.063-07:002010-06-17T10:40:05.063-07:00I think it's less like a golf ball actually. I...I think it's less like a golf ball actually. I went to the store and touched/felt the official $125 game ball. All of the plastic & composite & different textures & that yellow rubber/plastic strip around the circular sections make it radically different than any preceding balls.<br /><br />I didn't get to kick it, but it seems to me to the the opposite of a golf ball. Golf balls have those dimples precisely to provide spin that can be controlled. This seems to do the opposite, and maybe the result is the opposite thus the knuckleballing lack of spin. <br /><br />It might have something to do with seams; seams in most prior balls v. these seams which are a bit different. Think of baseball if the seams of the ball were replaced with new seams that were not raised but more flush, and the resulting lack of control by pitchers and throwers (like the difference between the wiffle ball with holes all over it that you can control in the back yard, and the plastic wiffle ball with no holes that it really hard to control when thrown)<br /><br />It's an ever developing story as far as analysis, but that's why I wanted to write this and get this out there for analysis/discussion/agreement/disagreement. Also trying to move past what has been established and figure out what will happen next, how it might adapt & morph as things go on.Kanuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02959256951835399304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25555967.post-68748577396471973152010-06-17T10:39:54.871-07:002010-06-17T10:39:54.871-07:00As that was completely what I was aiming for, you&...As that was completely what I was aiming for, you've now made my day. *Raises glass in response*moinllieonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07298004154870092764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25555967.post-87724720681454269562010-06-17T10:32:48.306-07:002010-06-17T10:32:48.306-07:00Great stuff as usual Moin. Even with the 2 year la...Great stuff as usual Moin. Even with the 2 year layoff here, you manage to be on point as hell. Same as it ever was. Surely you have the best written and most insightful blog-within-a-comments-section-of-another-blog ever. I'm raising a glass in your general direction.Kanuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02959256951835399304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25555967.post-59092527879047916542010-06-17T10:03:12.491-07:002010-06-17T10:03:12.491-07:00Quite simply, the ball isn't lighter than regu...Quite simply, the ball isn't lighter than regular balls, it doesn't bounce higher, it isn't smaller:<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adidas_Jabulani#Technical_specification<br /><br />If anything, the Jabulani is on the heavier side of footballs. The only difference is in the flight. And I think there are 2 significant contributing factors.<br /><br />First of all, counter-intuitively, heavier balls flies further through the air (at the same launching speed: more mass = more momentum = more resistance to drag). So it is very possible that players, feeling that the ball is on the heavier side, feels they need more oomph to achieve the same speed/distance and it only compounds the problem.<br /><br />Secondly, the dimples on the ball function much like the dimples on a golf-ball, helping the ball stay true-er and further still.<br /><br />All ball talk aside (heh, he said balls), a huge part of the story of this world cup, for me, is the re-emergence of the importance of wing play. The recent focus on wingers who are wrong footed that cut into the middle (Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Robben, Arshavin, to name a few) along with the emergence of the Barca style have greatly influenced defensive tactics. Teams now seems to pack the middle of the field just in front of the defense to choke supply and options. They are perfectly willing to let the ball trickle up to the shoulder areas of the pitch (think top of the circle in hockey) because they know that all attacking options are taken care of:<br />1) if the winger is on the ball, he would prefer to make a move and cut inside, right into the teeth of the defense<br />2) if the full back/wing back is on the ball, he'll be most reluctant to bomb even further forward, exposing his team's flank for the dreaded counter, so he'll most probably pass it back sideways to the center line.<br /><br />This is how Inter beat Barca, but you can see it in the Brazil-NK or the Spain-Swiss match. Robinho, Iniesta, David Silva, (and Messi for Barca) all had time on the ball, but couldn't create much of anything because everything they created was straight into the teeth of the defense. Smaller midfield creators like Xavi and maybe even Kaka can be crowded off the ball.<br /><br />This really puts the onus on the fullbacks to bomb forward and opening themselves to the counter. Ramos was reluctant to do that against Switzerland, Maicon was too. But the one time Maicon went forward resulted in the opening goal. You can also see the better fluidity when wingers are brought on throughout the 1st round of matches: David Villa, Cameronesi, and Elia coming on made a huge difference in the space seen by their teams as they attacked. <br /><br />The second round seems to feature the attacking response to this defensive philosophy: true wingers who don't cut inside to stretch the defense horizontally, midfield creators dropping VERY deep to get the ball to spray to these wingers. Uruguay came with Cavani and Suarez with Forlan dropping very deep to get the ball (I know I know, not a creator, but he still distributes), Argentina had Maxi Rodriguez+Di Maria on either side of Messi.<br /><br />Anyways, that's just the pattern I'm seeing right now. Could be completely BS by this time tomorrow.moinllieonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07298004154870092764noreply@blogger.com