There is no right or wrong way to play football

who painted the picture and what is it made of?

@Kurt, I have played the game before and I know coach a division 1 reserve grade side in Brisbane. Div 1 is the division down from premier league. The team I coach is currently equal top in the league. I have previously played in state squads with players such as Matt McKay and Michael Thwaite, who were in my age group. My position was midfield. You might be implying that I believe that midfielders and strikers are more skillful than defenders. Yes, I believe that to be true for the most part. Pep Guardiola once said that he packs his team with midfielders because they are smarter and understand space better. The most skillful players are midfielders or strikers who can play midfield e.g. Messi. They are required to create where defenders have to destroy. What's harder to do, paint a picture or tear it up? As for the comparison, yes players in different position require different skill sets. However, what does not change is basic technical abilities; touch and control, passing, vision, crossing, shooting, heading, dribbling, tackling etc. The players I have mentioned have more of these technical skills than Patrick Z. Patrick may have a better reading of the game, but he cannot perform some of the more difficult skills (dribbling, through passes, crossing, shooting) as well as the players I previously mentioned. And, when you mentioned skills I assumed you meant technical skills and not mental skills because yes, Patrick is mentally better than 99% of players in the league. Patrick is good at some of the more simple skills of tackling and heading (although he is good general passer and has good vision too). Tackling is an art you say. Yes, but dribbling is a more difficult art. I agree the Patrick Z is one of the best players the A-League has had because he's such a smart player. However, to say he is one of the most skillful is ridiculous.

Not what I think at all. When a defensive game plan is called for, and you have the players to pull it off, that's when you use it. I was more referring to JM and his winning ways

Tip of the hat. Perfectly explained

Yo is right about tactical trends coming and going. Italy conquered the world in 2006 but since then Spain have taken attacking football to another level, what will happen in Brazil 2014? Anyway, TheMagnificent11 I agree with your comment about football in Europe. Here in Australia I think we're heading towards the same destination, hopefully. See WSW for evidence.

How do you continually compare an apple to an orange, and call yourself a purist (one things for certain you've never played the game, and if you did you have to be a striker). Every thing about Zwaanys game oozed talent, Because he has the perfect makings of a defender, as for him being no good in the crosses you obviously never watched his game, his crossfields on the attack were stunning to watch. The argument that the defender is just a weak mid or forward, is idiotic at best, find me a midfielder or forward who is good enough for Australia's back line. It's no good wanting the beatiful game, if you can't control the ball, control comes from the back, As the saying goes you build from the back.

Thanks Fuss, much appreciated.

there is a difference between the way Chelsea played against Liverpool and real Madrid against Bayern. Madrid played to their strengths and attacked with purpose when opportunities presented themselves. Chelsea played for luck and unfortunately they got lucky. there was one passage of play on sunday where chelses had the ball deep in attack wide. some Chelsea players had drifted int a forward position. what did they do, push further forward. no. they retreated even though Chelsea was still in possession. could not believe it. what would the game have looked like f Liverpool stacked the defence given a draw would still leave the title in their hands. a joke I'd say. and that is mourinho is a joke. I'm an inter fan. I never thought I would see the day that I wanted them to lose. but I sometimes wished when they played barca in the c.l. the tactics adopted by mourinho made me feel I was supporting a club which was scared. this is despite the fact mourinho sent the club almost broke with the players he required and bought. such rich players defended and hope for luck. which they got in the return match. mourinho is a disgrace.

Mourinho was using these tactics back in 2006 as well. No one seems any closer to breaking them down. No need to go back to the drawing board. What your plan is rarely matters. It's how you execute it that matters. This morning Bayern failed miserably in executing their plan as did Barca against Atletico and Real.

They're spending big bucks and winning = profit. They've proven through Di Matteo and now Mourinho that these tactics get results. Teams will figure them out as they have done with Barca etc etc and they'll go back to the drawing board.

Wsw plays ugly football. I don't want to watch it.

At least poppa isn't a pretentious git like the self appointed special one....

umm correct me if I'm wrong, but I think he was trying to make is you get points for winning AND looking good by always trying to dominate and take the game to the opponent. Not by waiting for the opposition to make mistakes. And he's right.

Yeah but Chelsea spends billion$ and play like a team being relegated. No point spending big bucks

I had to reply to the "British influence". Did you mean like Liverpool and Rodgers or Chelsea and Mourhino ? Which one is British and which one European. I wonder how much "British influence " Mulvey has in his coaching? Or for that matter how much Poppa brought back with him. It is too easy to pigeon hole coaches and styles of play. By the way where did Kenny Lowe come from?

@Melange Looks like Tony Popopvic is Australia's Special One. ALeague matches: 57 Defeats when winning at HT: 0

I said winning football "tends" to attract fair-weather fans not "only attracts". Also, I meant "win at all costs football". There is a good reason why Manchester City went and hired the senior football hits from Barca; they knew that winning was not enough to attract new fans and keep them. Otherwise, they just switch to another team when you're not dominating. Sure, a manager employed by a club with no meaningful vision will play whatever system gets him the results to keep his job. This doesn't happen at clubs with football visions. Examples are the hiring of Brendan Rodgers by Liverpool, every Barca managerial appointment since about 2004, Capello getting the sack after winning the league playing boring football at Real Madrid. Even Brisbane Roar wanted somebody with a similar philosophy to Ange. These football visions are nit the job of the coach, it's the club's. They should hire staff that share the same vision. They should develop and buy players that fit this vision.

you obviously haven't watched much of Chelsea this season, have you? Sure, against Liverpool they defended in numbers, but every time they won the ball the wingers and at least one of the central midfielders would dash forward to support Ba. By the same token, the would not have scored that first goal if Ba had not been pressing Gerrard, who at that point was the last man! Regarding balance, it more refers to the ability of a side to play several different ways (for me, this is a severe limitation of Barcelona and now Bayern under Guardiola, when things aren't going their way they haven't got a clue what to do, but keep bashing their head against the wall, see this morning for exhibit A) To continue the Chelsea example, compare the way they played against Liverpool to matches against Man City and especially Arsenal, much more proactive in attack and controlling the game. At times they can be a joy to watch with quick, direct (not necessarily long) passing and forward movement. the players they have like space to work forward into, so the manager matches the tactics to the cattle. Chelsea's struggles this season have been against sides they were expected to beat, because they are not proficient themselves at breaking the massed defence. trhe answer to your question is simple, change the plan, but that doesn't mean panic and take unnecessary risks in a desperate bid to equalise quickly. The best teams adapt to the games circumstances and their opponents strengths and weaknesses. These tiki taka philosophers bore me senseless with their repetitive, negative style. Regardless of the undoubted skill involved, at its heart, the "tiki taka" style is based on ball retention, coming from the logical claim that the opposition can't score if they don't have the ball, and as such is first and foremost a defensive game plan.

Patrick Z does not have more skill than 99% of the A-League. There's about 250 players in the league, 99% is like 247. Broich,Berisha, Petratos, Henrique, Brattan, Miller, McKay, ADP, Abbas, Milligan, Troisi, Carusca, Isias, Finkler, Ono, Mooy, Hersi, Kewell, Engellar, Duganzic, and Traore are more skillful than him in my opinion. For the most part, defenders are not as skillful as attackers. Destroying is easier than creating. Patrick Z has a magnificent first touch and good passing range off both feet. He's great in the air. However, he not going to play balls in behind defenses for his attackers. His movement doesn't warrant a spot in the Roar, Victory or Adelaide midfields. I've seen no evidence of his crossing ability. If he's as skillful as you say then some coach would have made him a striker or defensive midfielder (to take advantage of his size and supposed skill).

Doesn't that just show that Brisbane have been a far superior team to WSW over the course of the season? On the day, pitted against each other, either style may prevail. Compare Bayern's stats to Real's stats this season. Then watch this morning's game.