CHRIS WADDLE’S FINAL VERDICT
There’s never been a better time to be a dribbler. Look at old clips and see some of the pitches we played on, cut up with divots and frozen hard. With the ball bouncing everywhere and tackles flying in.
Full backs had two tackles before the referee even thought about booking them. Now, one foul and it’s a yellow card. The next tackle and you’re off. The pitches are perfect and defenders can’t touch you.
Dribblers have never had it so good, but you just don’t see it.
Dribbling is a dying art and I can only see it getting worse. everyone bought a coaching manual and killed it.
You can go back to Alf ramsey in ’66 with central midfielders out wide or, when I played, ray Parlour on the right side of Arsenal’s midfield.
They were successful and coaches started thinking of wingers as luxuries. They wanted grafters who got back behind the ball. They wanted results. Players have become petrified of giving the ball away.
I loved watching eddie Gray and John robertson. When they picked up the ball you thought: ‘Wow, what’s going to happen?’ scotland produced great wingers like Jimmy Johnstone and Willie henderson.
I couldn’t name a scottish winger playing today. And there aren’t many english ones. I wouldn’t even say raheem sterling is that type of player.
A winger, for me, hugs the touchline, stretches the play when it’s developing, creates space, gets on the ball and tries to go past people.
There are a limited few and they’re worth a fortune. Look at what Neymar cost. I’m surprised more clubs don’t try to produce more of these players but mostly they come in from south America and Africa.
Manchester City try to entertain and Liverpool are exciting going forward because they’ve got three players, Philippe Coutinho, Mo salah and sadio Mane, who are prepared to pick up the ball and say: ‘right, I’m coming for you.’
When he was playing for Chelsea, salah was too quick for his own good. he seems to have refined that in Italy and he’s playing with confidence. Maybe Jurgen Klopp gives him that freedom.
I never worked with a coach who told me to play with two touches. Arthur Cox, no. Jack Charlton would say do what you want, in certain areas. Trevor Francis said go and play. At Marseille they said: ‘Don’t run back,’ the best three words anyone’s ever said to me.
There’s no better feeling than picking the ball up and starting to run and hearing the seats slamming because people are standing up.
If you checked back or passed inside, they’d groan, they were saying: ‘Go on, dribble. We don’t care if you lose it.’ Fans want to be entertained and teams need craft in the final third. Barcelona have been very successful with dribblers like ronaldo, ronaldinho, rivaldo, Neymar and Messi.
so why is there no room for a luxury player? We don’t tolerate them here. Adnan Januzaj looked as if it was coached out of him. eden hazard seemed to down tools when he was asked to play like a full back. Anthony Martial doesn’t get to play unless he works his socks off.
I don’t blame the players. It’s down to the coaching they get at a young age. everybody became a coach. They stand in the pub telling people they’ve played 10 and won 10, and you can’t take risks like that — it says so on Page 56.
Oh, get lost with your coaching manuals. They’re nine years old, let them play. Let them enjoy it and work a few things out for themselves?
What happened to free-spirited football with your mates?
We’ve got great academies with 4G pitches and it’s as if we can’t play unless there’s bibs and cones, but when you watch junior games at any level it’s hard to find people talking on the pitch.
It’s all from the side. Do this. Do that. Go forward. Get back. Win. Above all else, win.
There’s no better feeling than when you start to run and you hear the seats slamming as people are standing up