QUOTE(solstice818 @ Nov 12 2011, 05:45 PM)
I love Alonso interviews, his understanding and knowledge of the game is impeccable for a footballer. Some interesting points he made:
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Tackling and the fact that it has always been seen as sufficiently important in English football for it to become a specialised job - the ball-winner - has always bemused Alonso. 'Tackling is not really a quality, it's more something you are forced to resort to when you don't have the ball,' he says.
To underline his point he recalls experiences at Liverpool reading programme profiles. 'You would come across an interview with a lad from the youth team and they've asked him his age, his heroes as a kid, and his strong points. And he would say things like shooting and tackling. I can't get into my head that footballing development would educate tackling as a quality.
'What players should aspire to is that understanding of the game. We have players like Sergio Busquets, Xavi, Santi Cazorla, Silva and Mata. They can play in tight spaces and they know how to interpret the pattern of a game. They know when to dribble and when to play a short pass. And for me that intelligence is fundamental and needs to be developed from the kids' level.'
I still remember the interview he had with Jan Molby, which I enjoyed very much:
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Alonso: And sometimes you need to know not to try the most spectacular, but the easiest thing, because that`s what most benefits the team.
Mølby: People always assume that players like us, like Hoddle, make ten to fifteen 60-yard passes in a game. We don`t. Most passes are just to keep things moving. I talk to people now and they think all I did was make 60-yard passes! When I started playing, midfielders were all‑rounders.
http://www.guillembalague.com/interview_de...n%20Molby&id=59Can we bring him back?