Re: Lee Carsley plans to keep things simple
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Charlie Woodford
You're right, and Shotton seemed to manage OK
however, Harry bombed Roberts out of the team admitting he'd affected him by asking him to play on the right, whilst at least twice on Saturday Morrison made passes with his right foot, whilst on the left side of the pitch, which went straight out of play
Anybody who's a professional footballer (defender or not) should be able to pass (or clear) the ball with their stronger foot on either side of the pitch. There's no logical reason for the ball to go out of play even if the player is on the opposite side of the pitch to their starting position. It's just a poor pass or a miskick but it shouldn't have anything to do with which side they normally start or play on.
If a winger is out of position on the 'wrong side' of the pitch, he might struggle to whip an outswinging cross in along the byline and be forced instead to cut inside and use his inside foot to cross. But you wouldn't blame his current position for the ball going out of play.
There might be an increased chance of a miskick or losing possession or something, but my point still stands - not all footballers are ambidextrous and not all of them are capable of playing the Ajax system (playing adequately in every position on the pitch, interchangeably) - but still - they should be able to cope with being on the opposite side as a centre half for a period in a game, for a whole game or even for a whole season if need be - they just need to train for it.
It shouldn't make that much difference, except as in Roberts case they might look a little uncomfortable for a few games at competitive level until they have adjusted by training there for a few weeks coupled with some game time - but that uncomfortableness shouldn't be an excuse for failing in their key defensive duties or continually kicking the ball out of play. I think Harry was making excuses because one of his key signings wasn't settling in and was looking very uncomfortable for some reason.
Sorry, but there's a lot more to it than that.
In brief, 'cos busy ... and words on here are ephemeral
Easier for a midfielder or striker to play on the "opposite" side of the pitch than a defender because of the difference between planned and reactive roles and whether they are on the front foot or back foot.
"Kicking the ball" to use your phrasing is only a small part of it .. it's about balance and the instinct of the person affecting how their mind influences how they distribute their body weight.
Putting it VERY simply ... an attacking player is usually making a conscious decision (even if it is a subconscious decision) on what he needs to do, giving the mind/body time to plan.
A defender is often reacting to a situation where the decision is not made by himself but by his opponent and therefore faces greater difficulty because his mind/body is going against its instinct in terms of body set-up and balance.
For some players it is easy, (Bobby Moore, Paul Madeley) were great examples ... for some defenders it can be trained - over time ... however, for some defenders the instinctive reaction can never be fully overcome.
That is why some players .... despite training and practising for hours each day ... remain very one-footed and some are limited on which side of the pitch they can play.
Summary : it's about instinct and balance rather than just the physical action of "kicking the ball"
Hope that helps ... Dr Rags
Now, can i go back to being a gobby eejit ? A persona that i find easier !