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Cryuff: " They need to get to know it (the ball) and love it as a quality only achieved through prac |
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on 14 May 2008
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Cryuff: "I have noticed over the recent years that professional players technical and tactical skill levels have decreased. Players are faster and stronger but they are not as skilful and this worries me. The problem is with the coaching at the grass roots level. The coaches want the children to play like the professionals and this is a terrible mistake. Children should do nothing but play and play. Children should play with total freedom and enjoyment without any pressure or any shouting from the coach that can turn every game into a case of life and death. I repeat: Children should play soccer for enjoyment. If they play well and enjoy themselves then the victories will follow. Sometimes teams manage to win by taking no risks and playing badly but in the long term the better team will come out on top. Any way we should all strive to make sure this is the case.”
Cryuff: Another important point is that my generation learned to play soccer in the street. Our skill levels greatly improved because the lack of space and the fact that there were few of us meant that we were always involved in the game. The street was our soccer school. Players like Pele, Beckenbauer, Platini, Di Stefeno and myself all started by kicking a football, tin can rubber ball or even rags in the street against boys who would fight to get the ball off of you. You had to rely on your quick thinking and your skill when playing against these guys, because not only were they bigger than you, but there were lots of them and you were often surrounded. During those games my teammates were the walls and even the curbs of the pavement. My favorite move was to kick the ball against the wall and control the rebound whilst running at speed as this tenth of a second was often the crucial difference between scoring a goal or not. Youngsters need to develop a close relationship with the ball. They need to get to know it (the ball) and love it as a quality only achieved through practice."
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