Playing out from the back

[Dave Blue]

When done right it is a great tactic. I was watching the Leipzig v Bayern game yesterday and some of the suicide passes to players inside their own box were breathtaking, but they somehow managed to pull it off. It's quite exciting to see defenders ping the ball around when the opposition players are so near. They must spend a lot of time doing drills for this sort of thing, but the German teams do get hold of their 1st team players when they are very young, so good technique and discipline is instilled into them.

Exciting? Not for me. Wales do it badly enough for my liking. I don’t want to see it from our lads at CCS. The opposition? Carry on and await the gift.

[Wales-Bales]

Exciting? Not for me. Wales do it badly enough for my liking. I don’t want to see it from our lads at CCS. The opposition? Carry on and await the gift.

The players themselves have to be capable of playing this way. I don't think you can teach an established pro to suddenly become ball playing centre-half, and that is why many of them look uncomfortable. It's probably a better idea if you can coach the players while they are still learning the game. Leipzig have got a cracking young French lad who is only 20, and it's only a matter of time before he joins one of the big European clubs.

Incidentally, I think this may be one of the reasons why Ampadu hasn't played for them yet. He is clearly a very gifted ball playing defensive minded player, but he hasn't got the required passing speed or the intensity to slot into the team. This is not his fault as its down to coaching he received at Chelsea, but Nagelsmann has identified a few issues and said he will give the player some time to adapt. It should turn out to be a great loan move him, which will benefit Wales and Chelsea in the future.