Capello should tap this man for ideas
Capello on how other sports can influence football and how he is going to use them to prepare the England team for the World Cup.
“It’s important to understand the psychology of all these sports and they’ve helped me to improve my own style,” said Capello. “The mind-set is different in all sports but you can take aspects of them [into football coaching]. Rugby and ice hockey are about fighting. Volleyball is about balance and movement around the court. Baseball is about concentration.”
The most obvious choice would have been basketball, a sport that has far greater resonance to football than any of the above mentioned. Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker all cite playing football in their childhood as improving their game. The use of the sidelines, dribbling, the no look pass, the pick and roll, and alley oop are all aspects of the game used by football players in some form or shape. See the similarities between a basketball player double teamed and a football player hemmed in at the sideline trying to break free or find a team mate to pass? Basketball is the most visuo-spatial of the contact sports and next to it is football.
Nash plays pick up soccer in NY’s Chinatown on Saturday mornings and works out with the Red Bulls when he is in town. This is what he said:
“You see it a lot in international players the influence soccer has had.”
” It allowed them to gain an advantage somewhere along the line. Whether it be agility or footwork, or passing angles and finding creative ways to get the ball either to the basket or to pass it to someone. I think there is something to be transferred from each sport.”
I would advise Capello to ditch the other sports. One word. Basketball. Maybe Nash can advise Capello on how to combine common aspects of the two games. He should have no qualms about supporting England. As someone who grew up on Spurs, he should be a big fan of Aaron Lennon, whose speed, moves, and passing ability remind one of Nash himself.