A great game. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
Hiddink demonstrated his class as a knowledgeable motivator. Van Basten was not ready to manage a critical situation like this, was he?
We were told this was going to be a match between two variations of Dutch Football. Yet both sides played a very different game. And as an old fan of Russian hockey, I could immediately see the tactics the coach had mined for his strategies--the strategic counter-attack, the short goal-mouth passes, screening the goaltender, etc.etc. But my favorite was watching the third goal go 5-hole. The Russian kid grows up watching these tactics on ice--it should be no surprise an imaginative coach could put these skills to use on a football pitch.
The Russians could dominate the game for a long time playing this way. "Remember the I35W bridge--who needs terrorists when there are Republicans"
Often the case with coaches coaching abroad, but just in Hiddink's special case, not. He had great successes as coach of PSV Eindhoven - twice for three years, and he was coach of the Dutch national team in the 1998 World Cup.
Yet both sides played a very different game
However, that was because the Dutch team didn't play their game!
the strategic counter-attack, the short goal-mouth passes, screening the goaltender
Those are part of football, too, especially Dutch Total Football variation :-)
I would be curious what a Russian or someone Russia-based thinks about inspiration in hockey. The Soviet Union had a strong football team (they won the very first Euro in 1960, and lost the final in 1988 when current Netherlands coach van Basten shot a dream goal), one also attack-minded (childhood memory of USSR-Hungary 6-0 in Mexico 1986...). However, the Soviet team was more built on Ukrainians (Dinamo Kiew) than Russians (at least in the eighties).
go 5-hole
What does that mean? Do you mean nutmegging? *Traitor*, n. A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
Recently a Russian colleague was explaining that Russians can't play football well (especially defense), and generally, Russians are not physically gifted. Real Russians were dominated physically and politically since early ages, or so the surprising view goes.
That's all arguable; Soviet popular sports (including football, basketball, though probably not hockey) were indeed often powered by Ukrainians and others. Soviet football was the center of the universe for some time for me as well; I remember watching them in 1982 in Spain leading Brazil 1-0, and wondering, why it is allowed for one team to control the ball all the time... World Cups were typically dramatic for the Soviets; they did reach semifinals in 1966.
Here endeth my football observations. "Remember the I35W bridge--who needs terrorists when there are Republicans"
But here in Minnesota, if you are old enough, you saw the biggest fan of Russian hockey--Herb Brooks--try to teach it at the University of Minnesota. After six years and three NCAA championships, he was asked to coach the Olympic team and in 1980, he beat the Russian inventors at Lake Placid in what many consider, to this day, the biggest upset in sports. My claim to hockey fame is that I got to see every home game Herb Brooks coached at the U of M and for six seasons, got to watch kids learn those brilliant tactics.
So when I see the tactics and read in the Guardian that the Russians are calling it "Clap-Clap" football, I know what they are talking about.
And BTW, because of his "treason" for seeing excellence in Russian hockey during the cold war when we were supposed to be hating everything from USSR, Brooks never got the respect he deserved. After winning Gold at Lake Placid, the only place that would offer him a job was some minor league club in Davos Switzerland. And his brilliant performance would be reduced to a fluke of motivation they would call the "Miracle on Ice."
To this day, it is difficult to praise Russian-style (Tarasov) hockey in North America. Oh sure, there are plenty of NHL teams with Russian players, but only one--the Detroit Red Wings--uses Russian tactics. So while they are the current champions, no one is rushing out to imitate them. "Remember the I35W bridge--who needs terrorists when there are Republicans"
Here is the article by Jonathan Wilson that you referred.
Russian commentators, referring back to the great ice-hockey teams of the past, spoke of "clap-clap" football, mimicking the way the puck used to click from stick to stick. Others, noting the fact that both goals were laid on by full-backs on the charge, have given Hiddink credit for reawakening a form of total football in Russia, yet that style has always been implicit in the Lobanovskyi school.
This first article was written before the Netherlands-Russia game. today, in the day after, he wrote again on the subject, this time on the other relatively progressive UK quality paper.
...pressing was pioneered under the Muscovite Viktor [Alexandrovich] Maslov at Dynamo Kiev in the Sixties. That tradition was then developed by Valeriy Lobanovsky, and his way of doing things soon became the Soviet style.
if anyone can tell more i would appreciate. After a long research i could not get much more. Luckily Spain -Italy has not yet started.
PS: i heard that the elbow of Tassotti in Luis Enrique is the longest memory on these duels in Spain. I never forgot that name for a different reason:
The first Goal of Italy was the first goal resulting the application of today's version of the offside rule.
So now I am watching Italy / Spain. No clap-clap football in this game. "Remember the I35W bridge--who needs terrorists when there are Republicans"
Russia and the Netherlands (and Sweden) are nice teams to watch play. When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
But to give them their due, brilliant actors at the slightest touch in the box, the Italians. Utsukushikereba sore de ii
Italy is playing to win on penalties. When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
In 1975 his Dynamo Kyiv team became the first side from the Soviet Union to win a major European trophy when they beat Hungarian side Ferencváros in the final of the Cup Winners' Cup. He was notorious for both his highly scientific and harsh disciplinarian approaches to management....A year after retiring as a player Lobanovsky was named as the manager of FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. After four relatively unremarkable years with Dnipro, Lobanovsky moved to his former club, Dynamo Kyiv, before the start of the 1974 season, he would manage the side for 15 of the next 17 years (he spent 1983-1984 managing the USSR). During these two spells Kyiv were successful in breaking the Russian dominance of Soviet football. Lobanovsky led his side to the Soviet super league eight times, the cup six times, and the European Cup Winners' Cup of 1975 and 1986. Lobanovsky also spent three spells managing the Soviet Union during this period. He took the side to the bronze medal in the 1976 Summer Olympics during his first spell. However, it was his third, and last, spell with the side that he gained the most attention. He was asked to manage the side on the eve of the 1986 World Cup. The side, which consisted mainly of his own Dynamo Kyiv players, finished top of their group, but were knocked out in the second round by Belgium 4-3 after extra time. The team did, however, achieve far greater success at the 1988 European Championship. The team again finished top of their group, beating the Netherlands on the way. However, they played the Dutch again in the final and failed to repeat their previous victory.
...
A year after retiring as a player Lobanovsky was named as the manager of FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. After four relatively unremarkable years with Dnipro, Lobanovsky moved to his former club, Dynamo Kyiv, before the start of the 1974 season, he would manage the side for 15 of the next 17 years (he spent 1983-1984 managing the USSR). During these two spells Kyiv were successful in breaking the Russian dominance of Soviet football. Lobanovsky led his side to the Soviet super league eight times, the cup six times, and the European Cup Winners' Cup of 1975 and 1986.
Lobanovsky also spent three spells managing the Soviet Union during this period. He took the side to the bronze medal in the 1976 Summer Olympics during his first spell. However, it was his third, and last, spell with the side that he gained the most attention. He was asked to manage the side on the eve of the 1986 World Cup. The side, which consisted mainly of his own Dynamo Kyiv players, finished top of their group, but were knocked out in the second round by Belgium 4-3 after extra time. The team did, however, achieve far greater success at the 1988 European Championship. The team again finished top of their group, beating the Netherlands on the way. However, they played the Dutch again in the final and failed to repeat their previous victory.
I didn't realise he had his hand in all the big USSR successes (and both historical big losses of Hungarian sides to the USSR).
The German version says more:
Walerij Lobanowskyj - Wikipedia
Grund für diese Erfolge war vor allem die heute als modern angesehene Spielweise mit doppelter Viererkette und ohne Libero, die Lobanowskyj als erster europäischer Trainer überhaupt in den 70er Jahren einführte. Dies beeinflusste vor allem niederländische und italienische Trainer, die so nach und nach die Spielweisen ihre Mannschaften umstellten
It says: he was the first European coach ever to introduce double four-man lines [e.g. 4-4-2] without libero [director of defense], which influenced above all Dutch and Italian coaches [the latter means club football]. *Traitor*, n. A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
The incredible Igor Larionov taught his teammates on the Detroit Red Wings how to "warm up" with a football so the great Russians WERE influenced by football. My guess is that this Lobanovsky was rethinking football at about the same time as Tarasov was re-inventing hockey and I imagine there was a bunch of cross-fertilization (they certainly sound a lot alike).
The great coaches are always looking for ideas from other sports. Herb Brooks coached hockey at a Big Ten university. He had coaches from the (American) football program teach his players how to deliver a hit. He had basketball coaches describe the ideas behind the successful fast break. He brought in doctors from the medical school to teach better training methods. "Remember the I35W bridge--who needs terrorists when there are Republicans"
Turkey is lucky to have gotten past Croatia, striking when they had let up thinking the game was in the bag. I think the Germany-Turkey game will be fantastic and hopefully the start of a well-deserved rivalry between the two. Germany looked much better against Portugal than they had earlier and I expect they will get to the final game. It would be great fun to watch that game in Germany with a room full of Turks.
So, I think it's heroic death time for Turkey... but if not, an even bigger miralce than the previous, and what will come then - maybe we can measure Arda to Arshavin, Tuncay to Zhirkov, Volkan to Akinfeev?... *Traitor*, n. A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
However, a couple of well-placed free kicks volleys for an header, while one or two attacking players move in the direction of the ball, displacing defenders with them, and a team with less beautifal football may win.
(that was not the case in Portugal-Germany, though. Germany played much better. Then again, Scolari never bothered to understand portuguese players, much less help to define the style - which Carlos Queiroz started to re-assmble, and José Mourinho may yet consolidate.)
Until the 1-1, the Dutch team seemed to act as if paralyzed. Was it the resting of the A team? The weight of being considered the favourites? Meeting a real challenge for the first time?
Or maybe it was a big mistake from van Basten: that he let Boulahrouz play. On one hand, the poor man has now been exposed to a double blow -- and maybe his place would have been beside his wife to console her. On the other hand, while Boulahrouz played motivated but with too many faults, maybe concern for the teammate lowered the spirits and took away the focus of the other players.
Van Basten commited another cleare mistake. It was already silly of him to say before the match that "Spain already beat Russia, all we have to is play like them" - for one man didn't play against Spain: Arshavin. I wondered already during the first half why van Basten didn't send anyone to mark him, but by the second half, he should have seen the necessity. (Normally grumpy old man Cruijff must be truly in love with van Basten that he won't criticise these decisions.)
After the exit of three group winners so far, I hope Spain will break the pattern... but I read so many examples of negativity about la bestia negra Italy and bad omens and bad past records and quarterfinals exits that I fear the team will already feel as losers when entering the pitch... *Traitor*, n. A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
That is silly regardless of whether the Russian starting team is the same. When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
