TTT Free Friday: 9th December 2022
Bellingham Analysis, Ping Ping Passing & Past Masters
Free Friday will cover our work across The Tomkins Times’ Substack network, with it running via an opt-in or opt-out newsletter on The Main Hub (where almost all of the community commenting takes place), but covering TTT’s four sub-Substacks, or spokes.
First up, like last week’s FF, is a bona-fide Tomkins Times legend in Tony McKenna, commenting on an article that will be linked below by long time author on this website Bob Pearce.
Wonderfully well written and a delight to read, Bob. It brought to mind Mane, in particular, when he despatched a quick pass to Salah who then scored against United. (April, I think). But, in general, Liverpool have exemplified this one touch brilliance with aplomb. Bobby is a skilful master at it.
"These combinations of so-called uncomplicated contributions feel like a chemical reaction, creating a burst of energy".
As soon as I read that sentence, it clicked that this was the most effective way of disrupting opponents who have parked a bus. The sense of stale, almost static, order is rendered asunder; as if a switch flicks a panicked catalyse of change. The defending team have not had time to read what has been suddenly executed. Pandemonium ensues, as the bus is concertinaed out of shape. The crowd swells and roars. You're running at the goal. I love those moments.
Players who can pull this off have a higher ability with "unconscious decision making." That's the best phrase I can think of, to epitomise the talent. It seems they need to be players who are comfortable on the ball, in the first place. As opposed to your Harry Maguires who only employ conscious decision making to make passes. In fact, it can be too often negligible to rely solely upon conscious thought. Simply because there are so many occasions, in a game, when you do not have the time to be so deliberate.
One thing I will add, is that players would do well to train their weaker foot. I remain amazed at the amount of one footed players in the PL. With both feet useful, I believe that this enhances the ability to execute one touch delivery and passes. Should the ball be on your weaker foot, you are no longer necessarily needing to shuffle the ball to you stronger peg. In that circumstance, closed space and the attendant pressures of time are less obstructive.
Absolutely brilliant to read, Bob. Thank you.
TTT Main Hub
As mentioned above, the first article of the week was from Bob, and it’s an absolute classic - as ever from him. This passage below is great example of the whole piece (that can be accessed by subscribing to The Main Hub):
Playing football at its seemingly simplest is not so simple as it seems. Uno-touch football demands everyone brings their immediacy and urgency which can shrink the slither of a second between evaluation and execution, and remove the moment between get and give. It's questionable whether the brain even gets involved in the decision-making at all. If this instinctive reflex action took any less time, they would play the ball before it arrived. This is no longer just football. It is no-time-at-all-ball.
One-touch play also requires that everyone brings their awareness, alertness and eagerness, which can maintain their one-step-ahead-ness. Eine-berühren Fußball also insists everyone brings their availability to receive, which can ensure everyone is active, not just when the ball arrives, and not just before it arrives, and not before the ball leaves, and not just before their team-mate decides, but before that team-mate even receives it.
Football cliché-mongers will tell you that the first yard is in your head. With sole-touch play, the first yard is two team-mates ago. One-touch football also necessitates that everyone brings their vision, which can seek out openings, options and opportunities in the blink of an idea, allowing them to play the game with one foot in the future.
Solo-touch play stipulates that everyone brings their pure precision of performance, which can guarantee that when the ball departs for its destination it will arrive ready to depart again punctually. The quality of each and every single individual touch means the ball is delivered pre-controlled, ready-tamed, and arrives obedient and compliant. Nothing is lost in transition, and everything is gained in transaction. This is no longer just football. This is in-full-flight-ball.
For a momentary, magical, magnificent passage of play, all doubt and uncertainty have been banished by a calm, commanding, confidence. It can be compared to creating a painting with a handful of masterful brushstrokes, with each mark made in turn by a different hand. And when a single-touch chain includes a touch of audacious, outrageous flair, with maybe a back-heel, or a reverse-pass, or a nutmeg, or a chest pass, or an over-the-shoulder back heel, or even a no-touch-at-all dummy, well.......! This is no longer just football. This is bliss-ball.
Perhaps the biggest topic of the week though was the performances of Liverpool target Jude Bellingham for England, and in particular against Senegal in the last 16. In the next article Paul weighs up the case for him signing for us.
More interestingly, Jordan Henderson – a Klopp devotee – is a very close friend and arguably a mentor to Bellingham, and Trent Alexander-Arnold is another pal. It sounds like Bellingham already hangs out with the Liverpool contingent with England. The three seem particularly close.
This is no small thing.
I'd advise anyone moving clubs – certainly earlier in their career – to focus on the football they'll be asked to play, the skills of the manager, and the quality of life (great teammates are vital to this, as they'll see them every day), before the money; albeit the money will need to talk, too.
I also think I'd prefer to play for Klopp over Pep Guardiola, and Klopp has four more years left on his contract. The uncertainty over any possible sale won't change that. Before he signed the new deal, it would have been harder to see him manage Liverpool longer term.
You do wonder if this unusual time during the World Cup has allowed clubs and managers to do more negotiating than normal, and if players, away from their clubs, are more susceptible to the standard tapping-up, with their international teammates doing the job (as usual), and the chance of agents working away from club eyes.
Finally is piece rounding up of some of the stories from the media, social media and Liverpool FC fan sites this week by Daniel Zambartas.
The ZenDen
Paul takes a look at how many minutes played by players at the World Cup - and breaks it down by club to see who has ‘benefitted’ the most from their lads not getting much game time.
After the group stages, I had Man City with a staggering 2,751 World Cup minutes, ahead of Man United with 1,994 (it was 2,226 but Cristiano Ronaldo has officially left). Spurs had 1,832, and Chelsea 1,738, with each of those totals spread across 11-16 players.
Arsenal had just 968 minutes, and Liverpool 942 – a third of City's output, and roughly half of Spurs and Chelsea's. And the gap is only likely to grow if England, Portugal, Brazil and Spain progress a long way.
Obviously Arsenal benefit by having just the Europa League to worry about (and they may be beyond catching, even if they collapse), but have a possible three-month layoff for Gabriel Jesus.
Newcastle, with four regulars getting a lot of World Cup minutes, have just those four players getting serious run-outs, and are also free from European competition. They're good enough to scrape the top four, and maybe the least likely to collapse from exhaustion out of the seven most likely contenders. (They're also able to invest heavily in the January market.)
Transfer Hub and Deep Dives
Next up is another on-form midfielder in Qatar and that’s Argentina’s Enzo Fernández, in this week’s article on the Transfer Hub Mizgan takes a look at what he could offer Liverpool:
Fernández is a central midfielder who can operate as a solo number six or as a holding midfielder in a two-man midfield pivot. At Benfica, the 21-year-old has mostly played in the latter, and on a few occasions as a left-sided midfielder in a three.
Some of his attributes include accurate passing with and without pressure, creating chances from deeper positions, reading the game well to make ball recoveries and a good aggressive approach to tackling and interceptions.
Dynasty
Chris’ article this week was a new series, this time looking at some of the Liverpool legends of the past, and some who many of the younger Reds may not have heard of but who were vital players back in the day.
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