OK...allegiances out of the way up front...I think most people around here know I’m English...but one listen to the podcast will tell you I’m no Chelsea fan but a proud Brummie born and bred however I’m going to go into bat for Hiddink and Chelsea here in the face of widespread outrage from certain “purists” about how Chelsea approached the game yesterday and the ridiculous claims here that Barcelona should somehow just be awarded the Champions League on account of the fact that they’re not English and they play some really quite pretty football, did well against Bayern Munich in the last round and score shit loads of goals in their own league.
Well Philip that may make them deserving of their own domestic honours (although that’s not looking as certain as it has been all season) but the last time I looked becoming European Champions involved being able to overcome the other best teams in Europe and be able to adapt to counter other team's styles of play in the knockout stages to win over two legs.
From a coaches perspective it’s not like Guardiola didn’t know how Chelsea were going to play, he’s had over a month to prepare since the draw was made fixing their route to the final and a clear fortnight after both teams won through to the semi. Anyone with half an eye on football could have told you the following:
1. Chelsea would pack the midfield with Essien, Ballack and Lampard attepmting to starve Iniesta and Xavi the time on the ball to do real damage
2. Drogba would plough a lone furrow up front trying every tactic in the book to win free kicks, battle for field position and sniff out the rare chance for an away goal
3. Chelsea wouldn’t give an inch in the physical stakes anywhere on the pitch
4. Bosingwa would play at left back to try to nullify the threat of Messi
5. Our resident football purists would bleat about all of the above even though if it was former poster boy Guus’ team playing this way
From my perspective, as a recently qualified AFC C Certificate coach I might add (!!), which at least means I have some form of recognised coaching qualification I would have done exactly the same thing Hiddink did. Recognise where the opposition could hurt you and attempt to stop them playing to secure a platform to win the two legged tie at home in the second leg. If successful in stopping those immediate threats you force the opposing coach and his team to show their flexibility and adapt accordingly to present you a different challenge and if they can’t then you get the result you need. For Guardiola to say his team can only play one way is in essence exposing his own flaws as a coach as top level football demands your team be able to adapt to different opponents and situations in a game. Can you ever imagine Hiddink saying his team is only capable of playing one way? He wouldn't have said that about the Socceroos and he certianly wouldn't say that about a squad of players such as those assembled at Chelsea, or Barca for that matter.
Just what is the expectation of Chelsea when faced with a forward line that has scored 90 goals between them, a European Championship winning midfield combination and a 90,000 plus home crowd? Go there playing the classic Dutch 4-3-3, surrender midfield and hope to win by the odd goal in 7? How would you want Chelsea to play if they were your team? How would you want the Socceroos to play if they were in a World Cup semi final come next June? Would you like them to try to win the game or satisfy the purists.
In fact....I’m never going to refer to them as purists again....they’re “unrealists” and by and large people that have never coached at any level, let alone the level they are commenting on. Not every team can play like they have Messi on the right, or Kaka in midfield because only one team can play like that and that’s the teams those individuals play for. The challenge for the rest lies in stopping those players and then creating enough to win the game yourself. If the best team should always be allowed to play exactly as they want to and stroll through unopposed simply because they are individually more talented then we might as well not bother sending a team to South Africa next year. Calling those people “purists” is an insult to talented coaches who don’t work with their respective competition’s best players each week and defenders charged with the responsibility of stopping talented forwards the world over each week. As a coach and a goalkeeper myself there can be as much to savour in a clean sheet as there can be in a hat trick and maybe if more people here began to appreciate that we might just have taken a major step nearer to producing local coaches capable of taking our national teams forward in the future.
Some people have such short memories. Not so long ago we mocked a certain Uruguayan for claiming his country had a divine right to be at the World Cup in place of Australia and we all (Philip included I'm sure) revelled in ramming that sentiment down his throat that great night in Sydney. We, of all people, should appreciate that you earn the right to play in tournaments just like you earn the right to win the Champions League and, whatever level you play at, sometimes you have to match the physical and tactical challenges presented to you on the field before you earn the right to play the football you are capable of playing.
Well Philip that may make them deserving of their own domestic honours (although that’s not looking as certain as it has been all season) but the last time I looked becoming European Champions involved being able to overcome the other best teams in Europe and be able to adapt to counter other team's styles of play in the knockout stages to win over two legs.
From a coaches perspective it’s not like Guardiola didn’t know how Chelsea were going to play, he’s had over a month to prepare since the draw was made fixing their route to the final and a clear fortnight after both teams won through to the semi. Anyone with half an eye on football could have told you the following:
1. Chelsea would pack the midfield with Essien, Ballack and Lampard attepmting to starve Iniesta and Xavi the time on the ball to do real damage
2. Drogba would plough a lone furrow up front trying every tactic in the book to win free kicks, battle for field position and sniff out the rare chance for an away goal
3. Chelsea wouldn’t give an inch in the physical stakes anywhere on the pitch
4. Bosingwa would play at left back to try to nullify the threat of Messi
5. Our resident football purists would bleat about all of the above even though if it was former poster boy Guus’ team playing this way
From my perspective, as a recently qualified AFC C Certificate coach I might add (!!), which at least means I have some form of recognised coaching qualification I would have done exactly the same thing Hiddink did. Recognise where the opposition could hurt you and attempt to stop them playing to secure a platform to win the two legged tie at home in the second leg. If successful in stopping those immediate threats you force the opposing coach and his team to show their flexibility and adapt accordingly to present you a different challenge and if they can’t then you get the result you need. For Guardiola to say his team can only play one way is in essence exposing his own flaws as a coach as top level football demands your team be able to adapt to different opponents and situations in a game. Can you ever imagine Hiddink saying his team is only capable of playing one way? He wouldn't have said that about the Socceroos and he certianly wouldn't say that about a squad of players such as those assembled at Chelsea, or Barca for that matter.
Just what is the expectation of Chelsea when faced with a forward line that has scored 90 goals between them, a European Championship winning midfield combination and a 90,000 plus home crowd? Go there playing the classic Dutch 4-3-3, surrender midfield and hope to win by the odd goal in 7? How would you want Chelsea to play if they were your team? How would you want the Socceroos to play if they were in a World Cup semi final come next June? Would you like them to try to win the game or satisfy the purists.
In fact....I’m never going to refer to them as purists again....they’re “unrealists” and by and large people that have never coached at any level, let alone the level they are commenting on. Not every team can play like they have Messi on the right, or Kaka in midfield because only one team can play like that and that’s the teams those individuals play for. The challenge for the rest lies in stopping those players and then creating enough to win the game yourself. If the best team should always be allowed to play exactly as they want to and stroll through unopposed simply because they are individually more talented then we might as well not bother sending a team to South Africa next year. Calling those people “purists” is an insult to talented coaches who don’t work with their respective competition’s best players each week and defenders charged with the responsibility of stopping talented forwards the world over each week. As a coach and a goalkeeper myself there can be as much to savour in a clean sheet as there can be in a hat trick and maybe if more people here began to appreciate that we might just have taken a major step nearer to producing local coaches capable of taking our national teams forward in the future.
Some people have such short memories. Not so long ago we mocked a certain Uruguayan for claiming his country had a divine right to be at the World Cup in place of Australia and we all (Philip included I'm sure) revelled in ramming that sentiment down his throat that great night in Sydney. We, of all people, should appreciate that you earn the right to play in tournaments just like you earn the right to win the Champions League and, whatever level you play at, sometimes you have to match the physical and tactical challenges presented to you on the field before you earn the right to play the football you are capable of playing.
