Football Q&A

[crocopie]

This thread can be your, PinoyExchange: Guide To Football.

Anyone can ask or answer football-related questions here. There are new fans of football who definitely want to learn more about the sport. Just post your questions in this thread, and most of the PExers who know football will surely help you.

First, the positions. Where do midfielders and defenders go if the ball in their possession is passed closer to the opposing net? And what are the striker's and the forwards' role (Arjen Robben's role) in guarding their own goal?

Second, how do I read score sheets? So a draw is one point, a loss is negative three points, and a win is three points. What are the +/-, and the other columns?

Quick trivia -- New Zealand's All Whites is the only team who never lost in this year's World Cup. But they had an early elimination.

[Bhodi Li]

^^ I'm trying to put together a beginner's guide before the new football season starts. Hopefully I can post it by next week.

To answer the easier questions: A loss isn't negative 3 points, just 0 points. The score sheets are called league tables and they generally list the games played, wins, draws, losses, goals for and against,the goal difference(goals for minus goals against) and points.

Robben's what they're calling an inverted winger nowadays. He plays on the flanks but cuts inside a lot to shoot with his stronger foot instead of going wide and crossing(passing from the side across to the front of the goal). Their role on defense depends on the manager and the player's skillset. Some teams like to use their forwards to harass/pressure the defenders/GK, some let them to conserve their energy for quick counterattacks.

I'll see if I can get better resources but for now try reading zonalmarking.net - the best tactics site around and check out his links too.

[crocopie]

^^Di ko pa rin maintindihan

[bitemebiiitch]

Robben is a wide forward, with his commitment to attack instead of defense he is more regarded as a forward instead of a midfielder. If you want to read about tactics you can find it here: www.zonalmarking.net

You'll get everything you dont know yet eventually, if you follow this season to the end Ibet you'll get the grasp of it.

[Weilered]

Robben is a midfielder no matter how you put it. He can posess many positions, but he is still a midfielder. He is mainly a winger, but can from time to time roam all over the field like mentioned earlier. He attacks alot, but most wingers help out in defense. The best wingers are those who can attack and also help out in defense. Just like wingbacks, they are defenders, but they are also excellent attackers and can double up together with the wingers on the midfield. Perfect examples are Maicon, Dani Alves, Philip Lahm, Glen Johnson and Ashley Cole.

My tip is to watch many games. The more you watch, the more you will figure it out.

[nuss]

Call me ancient but I just got used to seeing formations with only three numbers (3-4-3, 4-3-3, 3-5-2, etal). What's with the four-numbered formations in the last World Cup or it's just that for space considerations in the graphics?

[Weilered]

You mean like this, 4-2-3-1?

Four defenders

Two defensive midfielders

Three offensive/attacking midfielders

One striker

There are many variations. Like 4-4-1-1.

Thats with one striker and a midfielder/attacking midfielder linking the space between the midfield and striker. Kind of a free role, but not completely. What is more regular is 4-1-3-2.

Most teams now a days have a defensive midfielder, taking place on the midfield and that player dont attack as much as the rest, but is more like a safety factor. A player who are good at hunting down the opponent and winning back the ball but who can also attack. Players like Essien from Chelsea, Mascherano on Liverpool, Cambiasso from Inter, Diarra from Real Madrid.

Basically those 4-numbered formations are more of an advanced versions of the "regular" formations. At least, thats how i see it.

[Bhodi Li]

Call me ancient but I just got used to seeing formations with only three numbers (3-4-3, 4-3-3, 3-5-2, etal). What's with the four-numbered formations in the last World Cup or it's just that for space considerations in the graphics?

According to Zonalmarking.net, the change to "4 bands" in formations was a reaction to forwards dropping back in the space between midfield and the forwards. Since this dragged defenses out of shape managers reacted by adding defensive midfielders to go up against the deep lying forwards.

Read the whole article

[quick_ben]

@TS

The only way to understand a sport's (any sport) tactics is by watching games.

Even that sometimes doesn't help.

So watch games and read/listen commentaries and analysis and/or books and articles.

As for myself, I've been watching American Football for years and I still can't spot the team tactics while they are playing.

Soccer is a little bit easier, but the lack of an in-game Analyst (unlike American sports programs where they have both a Commentator and an Analyst) makes it a little bit difficult to spot tactics as they happen.

Nadadaan sa sanayan yan.

[Bhodi Li]

@TS

The only way to understand a sport's (any sport) tactics is by watching games.

Even that sometimes doesn't help.

So watch games and read/listen commentaries and analysis and/or books and articles.

As for myself, I've been watching American Football for years and I still can't spot the team tactics while they are playing.

Soccer is a little bit easier, but the lack of an in-game Analyst (unlike American sports programs where they have both a Commentator and an Analyst) makes it a little bit difficult to spot tactics as they happen.

Nadadaan sa sanayan yan.

I wouldn't say that's the only way. Playing the game either in real life or even just in PC/console games can also give you an idea of how tactics work.

They do have analysts in football sometimes but with the game constantly moving and no set offenses it's harder to show viewers examples of tactics. I wish I could speak Portuguese, apparently Jose Mourinho sat in as an analyst in a Spain-Portugal match once and made the regular TV guys look stupid.

[quick_ben]

I wouldn't say that's the only way. Playing the game either in real life or even just in PC/console games can also give you an idea of how tactics work.

Ah.... I forgot about that one.

True true.

Maybe I should try Madden to help me spot American Football tactics as it happens on the field.

Good idea.

[quick_ben]

I wish I could speak Portuguese, apparently Jose Mourinho sat in as an analyst in a Spain-Portugal match once and made the regular TV guys look stupid.

OT:
Speaking of Mourinho...

why is it that I hear so many sportscasters pronounce his name as (DJO-see) hindi ba dapat (ho-SE) yan kasi nga Portuguese siya?

And do they know that when it comes to Brazilian Portuguese names, if it starts with an "R", it is pronounced "H"? So it's <H>onaldo, <H>onaldinho etc. etc.

[bitemebiiitch]

^ English blokes do it that way.

[Bhodi Li]

OT:
Speaking of Mourinho...

why is it that I hear so many sportscasters pronounce his name as (DJO-see) hindi ba dapat (ho-SE) yan kasi nga Portuguese siya?

This bothered me too so I looked it up. The sportscasters are correct though, the Portuguese don't pronounce it the same way as the Spanish.

Jose Link

[quick_ben]

^
dang...

Thanks bhod li... I always mistakenly think portuguese was closer to spanish, when I learned a few years ago that it was also very much influenced by french.

stupid of me.

[Weilered]

@TS

The only way to understand a sport's (any sport) tactics is by watching games.

Even that sometimes doesn't help.

So watch games and read/listen commentaries and analysis and/or books and articles.

As for myself, I've been watching American Football for years and I still can't spot the team tactics while they are playing.

Soccer is a little bit easier, but the lack of an in-game Analyst (unlike American sports programs where they have both a Commentator and an Analyst) makes it a little bit difficult to spot tactics as they happen.

Nadadaan sa sanayan yan.

Youre right. Soccer is a lot easier. Its easy to spot what kind of tactics different teams have. Like ballpossession or kick and run.

[nuss]

now that somebody brought up video games, i would like to bring up sim manager games.

downloaded this old, old sim manager game. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Championship_Manager

i learned the game on the fly and as much as i want to do a real madrid and overspend, i can actually build a formidable team by buying cheap, just like what sir alex is doing right now.

anyway, tactics-wise, since i'm not familiar with most of the style of play there (some of those listed are short passes and continental), i decided to pick something that is pretty much self-explanatory, long ball.

although i don't recall 3-4-3 as a default formation, i just hardcoded it and altering it some more, made my two corner mids as attacking midfielders, thus if this was interpreted via 4-bands it might come out 3-2-2-3.

yes, im offensive-minded that way. makes for high-scoring matches both ways

[bitemebiiitch]

FM 2010 is good. kung reasonable speed net mo, mabilis lang madownload sa torrent 1 gb size. I go 442 most games but on big games where possesion and battle in midfield is key, i go 451/433.

[Bhodi Li]

now that somebody brought up video games, i would like to bring up sim manager games.

downloaded this old, old sim manager game. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Championship_Manager

i learned the game on the fly and as much as i want to do a real madrid and overspend, i can actually build a formidable team by buying cheap, just like what sir alex is doing right now.

anyway, tactics-wise, since i'm not familiar with most of the style of play there (some of those listed are short passes and continental), i decided to pick something that is pretty much self-explanatory, long ball.

although i don't recall 3-4-3 as a default formation, i just hardcoded it and altering it some more, made my two corner mids as attacking midfielders, thus if this was interpreted via 4-bands it might come out 3-2-2-3.

yes, im offensive-minded that way. makes for high-scoring matches both ways

I started manager sims with Footy Fanatic which was a DOS based text games. I saw a copy of Championship Manager 3 in a Mall and thought "Why not?"
I've been Sports Interactive's b!tch since

I have a save game with Porto right now where I'm using the Disruptive 4-5-1 I saw in this site.

I second bitemeb!tch's recommendation, grab a copy of Football Manager 2010. I think the new tactic system is better than the arrows/backward arrows used in the old CM games.
Here's a tactical discussion of the 4-5-1/4-3-3 on the site I linked above

[nuss]

interesting. all of these. will bookmark your recommendations.