Alonso: Tackling is not a quality for a footballer

TBh I agree with his views. You only need tackling as a side quality. If a defenders' main quality is great tackling then in most of the cases it tells his positioning and reading of the game is subpar. A great example of that is Phil Jones. The lad is as brainless as it gets but still is considered a decentish defender cos he has a good tackle in him. And Daley Blind is an apt example that support Alonso's claims. Easily one of the top 5 defenders in the prem and he rarely tackles.

if footballers stop tackling, Mourinhos and Simeones would have to start flipping burgers imo.

tackling is very important.... slide tackling is a last resort, if a defensive player slide tackles too much then his positioning sucks.

I think a clean slide tackle is one of the best things about football

aesthetically yes they are nice, but 9/10 times when you tackle someone without sliding you can make a fast counter / retain the ball.

people are making the assumption that you only tackle when you're face to face with the attacker, hence the "constant tackling means poor positioning" stance....which isn't necessarily true. tackling shouldn't be the first resort, but, good defensive players can put in tackles to help out another defender who may have been outmatched or dribbled. the attacker's overlapping down the right because the right back has messed up, a good defender can sacrifice his role and get in there to mop up the tackle if he isn't too far away

a lot of times i see so called great CBs and DMs not do anything in such situations and just throw their hands up because they're scared of the foul. you're a good defensive minded player, then you should be able to execute a clean all-ball tackle without fouling, and not just throw your hands up to signify to the ref that you're not touching the attacker

for me, tackling (not blockhead type tackles or fouls) remains a good quality i'd want in my defensive midfielder, wing backs and CBs.

but it seems people get infatuated in defensive midfielders doing a backheel, passing the ball sideways; wing backs, being able to do step-overs; goalkeepers who are two-footed and can pass the ball to their nearest defender or a goalie who can do a david beckham type pass, rather than the jobs their position actually requires. i'd rather have a defender who can tackle cleanly, than one who's known for his backheels....a goalie who can stop shots n make saves than a two-footed goalie. defending is also an important part of the game

Yea I was blatantly assuming tackling footballers = tackling center defenders and tackling = slide tackling. Henceforth my above views.
If you do not have to move considerably from your starting position it automatically means you are tackling without sliding. In such cases tackling is not a determinant of the players' positioning and is in fact a good attribute to have I agree.

Lucifer wrote:if footballers stop tackling, Mourinhos and Simeones would have to start flipping burgers imo.

mourinho gets a bad wrap...at times its warranted, a lot of times its warranted. but his chelsea with duff drogba robben lampard wasn't all 'rumble-tumble, tackle and hack'. i recall a game they lost 1 nil to utd, and utd were the ones who were all rumble-tumble; even ruud was putting in defensive shifts. ironically his porto side that won the ucl had the most fouled player in the tournament in deco. or one of the most fouled; it was between deco and figo.

simeone's a bit different...but its not like he's been out there coaching sides that have vast offensive talent to make him look good to the point fans start acting like his shit don't stink

Might as well share my 2Cents in this thread as well while I'm still logged on.

In my opinion winning is about exploiting mistakes by your opponent. In general this translates, for defenders, into not making an error with your positioning individually and as a unit (and while you make a standing tackle to regain possession). Theoretically, with sound overall tactics, you'd be able to handle any attack without having to make any sliding tackles and standing tackles should suffice. Seeing as even the best players aren't robots, mistakes will be made. Sliding tackles are a tool to correct your own or others their mistake. Prime Maldini hardly used any sliding tackles because he was GOAT and so was the rest of that defensive unit.

So yeah, in a perfect world sliding tackles are for the weak. But in reality, it is a really useful tool to correct an error that at some point is bound to happen.

Xabi Alonso wants to announce his retirement this week

RealGunner wrote:Xabi Alonso wants to announce his retirement this week

How will he tackle retirement life?

He's a natural to be a coach!

Thimmy wrote:

RealGunner wrote:Xabi Alonso wants to announce his retirement this week

How will he tackle retirement life?

From behind.

futbol_bill wrote:He's a natural to be a coach!

Klopp replacement in 5 years?

Lucifer wrote:

Thimmy wrote:

RealGunner wrote:Xabi Alonso wants to announce his retirement this week

How will he tackle retirement life?

From behind.

And late

no, he going to coach in la liga!!

He been an on the field coach (at three different teams) for years and claimed when he went to Bayern it was an opportunity to play under a very good coach. If you look back, other than Benitez he has learned a lot from a number of top coaches.

I expect him to put all that to practice. Wouldn't be surprised if he begins at home with La Real Sociedad.

We didn't sign him in his prime just because of 2m difference lmao