The Details of the Beautiful Game
"Football is a simple game for smart people" -Dimitar Berbatov
By: Yi Sheng Tay
2023-10-24
What I look at when I'm evaluating footballers based on the eye test:
Optimal body shape when receiving the ball/taking a first touch
- receiving with the front foot/back foot, depending on where their opponent is
- opening up their body to the rest of the field (e.g. taking a touch to prevent their passing options being confined to one side of the field),
- receiving on the half-turn
- taking their touch away from a defender and into space
Unpredictability
- disguised passing/shots with body shape
- minimising backlift to reduce time for opponents to react (e.g. the toe poke in futsal)
Positioning and awareness
- making runs; overlapping/underlapping runs
- dropping into space to receive the ball
- moving into the half-spaces from the wings or staying wide to maintain width
- dribbling without looking at the ball (with their head up)
- knowing when to dribble/drive forward (when there's space) and when to pass
Using their body to shield the ball from opponents
- the best dribblers know how to place their body in between the ball and the defender, which is incredibly effective at compensating for disadvantages in size/height
Biomechanics
- do they move efficiently? Aesthetically-pleasing dribblers glide across the field (e.g. Messi plays very lightly on the ball of his feet)