Coaches identify key values

Ten values
Europe's national-team coaches heard at a technical gathering in Stockholm yesterday that the ten values in question - including pace, effective wing play and the presence of team specialists - can all help to make the difference in the never-ending search for success.

Food for thought
The values were considered as essential tactical and technical factors at UEFA EURO 2004™ this summer. "They give food for thought in how we should go about training and developing young players," UEFA technical director Andy Roxburgh told the sixth UEFA Conference for European National Team Coaches in the Swedish capital.

Opening goal significant
The coaches and technical directors of UEFA's 52 national member associations learned that in 49 per cent of cases, teams that scored the first goal in the games in Portugal went on to win the match. "Statistics show the significance of getting that opening goal," said Roxburgh.

Set-pieces
Organising set-plays was also now of great value, Roxburgh added - not only as a means of scoring goals and creating danger, but also as a way of restoring order and confidence within a team that was struggling in a match. The winning of a corner, for example, could help boost a side's morale in a difficult situation.

Dribbling
Given the current tendency towards well-manned defensive blocks, the ability to counterattack swiftly is a vital value in the top-level game, as well as the presence of players able to dribble. "The tempo of play is so high today, but we still need people who can run at opponents with the ball," explained Roxburgh, who said that certain major clubs employed specialist coaches to train the art of one-on-one situations.

Wing play
Defensive screens designed to stifle attacking threats - often involving the use of two players positioned in front of the rearguard - could be broken down through the use of effective wing play, the UEFA technical director emphasised. Getting behind defences on the flanks and good delivery of crosses is now a crucial part of a team's armoury.

Team specialists
The value of pace cannot be underestimated nowadays - especially in the art of finishing, with players needing the ability to get an effort on target with the minimum amount of touches and control. Team specialists - players able to take a direct free-kick, deliver a dangerous corner, or create and take a chance out of nothing - are also considered important ingredients. Roxburgh identified the Netherlands' predatory striker Ruud van Nistelrooij as a prime example of such a specialist in the latter area.

Variety
Attacking variety is a "must" to break down opposition defences, either through smart and swift combination play, in particular through the middle, or by the more direct 'route one' method featuring, for example, the early long pass to stretch the opposition before it is able to put a defensive screen in place.

Shooting from distance
The last of the values brought to the forefront at EURO 2004™ was long-range shooting. Research into the creation of the goals in Portugal showed the invaluable need for players who are capable of trying their luck and hitting the target from long range. "We should learn from events like EURO 2004™," said Roxburgh in summing up football's current technical values. "Because the aim of all coaches is ultimately to win matches."