Interview With Van Marwijk

College Football Facts

Despite his not having managed any sleep since arriving on Brazilian soil, it was an alert, chatty, straight-talking and philosophical Bert van Marwijk who welcomed FIFA.com into his Rio de Janeiro hotel for an exclusive interview the night before the Preliminary Draw for the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014™ in July.

At the time, the Netherlands coach had not yet learned which teams would stand in the way of the Oranje gaining another shot at the world title in Brazil, after their quest in 2010 ended in a final-hurdle defeat at the hands of Spain. However, the Dutch national side’s impressive run since that landmark loss, as well as the secrets behind their success, provided some ideal alternative topics of discussion.

FIFA.com: Eleven months ago you stated that picking your team up after their loss in the FIFA World Cup Final in Johannesburg was your most pressing challenge. The results achieved since then prove that you have successfully negotiated that hurdle. Did you underestimate your squad’s ability to bounce back?

Bert van Marwijk: That’s a very good question. I don’t know if you remember, but just two weeks after our defeat by Spain, we had a friendly match scheduled in the Ukraine. I didn’t want to play the game, and we asked the Ukrainian FA to postpone it, but they weren’t willing to do that. I travelled there with a second-string side, and I wasn’t too excited about it. My own motivation was lacking, and I didn’t hide that fact. I think you should always be honest with your players, rather than pretending or disguising your feelings. You know, when you’ve just been knocked out of the last 16 or the group stage of a World Cup, you’re keen to get playing again to focus on something else. When you lose in the Final and you’re four minutes away from a penalty shoot-out, that’s not the case at all.

Interesting Football Facts

The players that were part of the squad in South Africa had no motivation either, but since 2008 this team has learned how to win no matter the circumstances, whether they feel motivated or not. So yes, I’m happy to admit that perhaps I did underestimate this new faculty of theirs. After the match against Ukraine, the lads went back to their clubs and the new season kicked off, so they were in a much better physical condition when the qualifying matches for EURO 2012 came around.

Since then, your team has won all of their UEFA EURO qualifying games. What would you say is their new source of motivation?

I told them the same thing again and again during the World Cup: we have a mission. When I saw how calm my players were after beating Brazil, and that they remained just as focused as before, I realised they knew they had not yet completed their mission. I remember we’d arranged a little party to celebrate their win, and they said to me: “Not yet, coach”.

As far as this latest qualifying campaign is concerned, it’s different – I wouldn’t describe it as a mission this time around. The players put their finger on it. What’s motivating us now is a desire to draw lessons from the final that we lost, and to make the most of that experience. Everything was new for my players that night, and I can assure you they’ve learned from it.

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Football Positions

High School Football Positions

Let's throw some light on the different on-field football positions:

1) Goalkeeper: As we all know, the position of Goalkeeper is a specialist role. Purely defensive, the Goalkeeper's main job is to protect the team's goal. Goalkeepers are the only players who are allowed to touch the ball with their hands but they can do so only within the penalty area.

2) Defenders: Defenders or Backs form the next layer of players. Their sole objective is to defend the goal and prevent the opposition from scoring goals. They are largely confined to their own playing half of the field but do attack the opposition penalty area while taking a free kick or a corner. Defenders can be classified into the following positions:

a) Center-Back: As the name clearly suggests, a Center-Back plays in a central position. This is a very vital position and that's why Center-Backs need to be good at jumping, heading and tackling. The tactic of employing two Center-Backs in front of the goalkeeper is very popular among teams.

b) Full-Back: Full-Backs take up wide defensive positions, one on each side of the field. So, you have a Right-Back on the right-hand side and a Left-Back on the left-hand side. Their prime responsibility is to prevent the opposition from crossing or cutting the ball back into the penalty area. Apart from their defensive role, Full-Backs are also used as an attacking option and are vital while launching a concerted attack. Full-Backs provide crosses that help strikers score goals. One of the most famous Full-Backs is Roberto Carlos of Brazil who occupied the Left-Back position and was known for his lightning speed and his ferocious free kicks.

Soccer Positions

3) Midfielders: The next set of players on the field are the Midfielders. As the name suggests, they are positioned in the middle of the field and act as a link between the defenders and the strikers. This is perhaps the most crucial position on the field because the success of any team depends on its Midfielders. They maintain possession of the ball, taking the ball from the defenders and passing it to the strikers. Midfielders perform the dual role of attacking and defending. Like the defenders, Midfielders can be classified into the following positions:

a) Defensive Midfielder: A defensive Midfielder is stationed in front of the defender and is primarily there to thwart scoring attempts from opposition strikers by tackling and expert marking. Ball control, passing skills, tackling ability, good anticipation, stamina are the traits that a defensive midfielder should possess in order to be effective.

b) Central Midfielder: These are versatile players and have the greatest impact on a match. A link between the defenders and the strikers, a Central Midfielder occupies the central position and strategically the most important position on the field. Known for their stamina and passing ability, Central Midfielders create scoring opportunities for the strikers.

c) Winger: Wingers are midfielders with the focus on attack. Playing on both the right and the left flanks, Wingers stay close to the touchline delivering important crosses to strikers.

d) Attacking Midfielder: Attacking Midfielders are positioned right behind the strikers. They are playmakers creating opportunities for strikers by their deft touches and superior passing ability.

4) Strikers/Forwards: Strikers or Forwards are the closest to the opposition penalty area and have the all-important responsibility of scoring goals. Strikers are known for their supreme ability to finish and score goals. Teams all over the world opt for two Strikers just to lend the right kind of balance to the team. So, we saw how a team of 11 players is grouped on the football field. Teams use different combinations and methods to make the best use of the available resources. In fact, team combinations and strategies are as fascinating as this beautiful game. There are many other aspects to this global phenomenon called Football and we will try and understand each of these aspects.

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How To Be a Football Player

Football, also known as soccer in America, is arguably the most popular sport in the world. Among hundreds of professional football leagues, English Premier League, Spanish La Liga and Italian Lega Calcio Serie A are the most well-known. The English Premier League (EPL) is considered to be the best because hundreds of world-class football players play in this league. Now, however, La Liga starts to rival the EPL because many Spanish teams have started to 'buy' talented players. The presence of superstar players in a football league indeed creates a difference to the overall competition atmosphere. Take the American Major League Soccer, for example. In the past, the MLS was not getting a lot of attention from the Americans. But after the arrival of David Beckham, who is a living football legend from England, MLS has become increasingly popular.

Today, football is no longer about the matches that we watch every weekend. It has become a big industry where billions of dollars circulates within it annually. Professional players have become celebrities because they have thousands of fans and also due to their glamorous lifestyle. One of the most talked about topics among football enthusiasts every year is player transfers. The latest and most phenomenal move was the transfer of Fernando Torres earlier this year. Chelsea Football Club paid £50 million for him to quit his former team Liverpool Football Club, which makes it the most expensive transfer in EPL history.

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Football Manager

Football Manager 2011 - the game expected by huge community in the world. What should we expect from it in the next season? Revolutional or evolutional changes? These and row of other interesting questions stay in minds of many people. It's time to try answering on them!

Being only manager

Some guys are pretty sad that they still have no opportunity to become a chairman in Football Manager 2010. They say it would be good to have such kind of feature in the game. But it's easy to reject these somewhat weird suggestions. The game is named Football Manager - it's intended to provide a coach simulation with transfers and contracts control in real football life. It's very important point actually. If you'd become a chairman in the game it should be named Football Chairman 2011!

Better 3D

Good looking 3D mode is certain breakthrough in the game series. Currently it is implemented very well. But as always there are some parts that can be improved. For instance, the following stupid-looking errors have to be fixed: wrong flag direction by line referee, "magnetic goalkeeper hands". Additionally everyone would be glad to see more beautiful 3D rendering of pitch, players, coaches. Another often asked option is better 3D performance for low-end video cards. So Sports Interactive Games (Football Manager development team) should pay enough attention to this point.

More football statistics

It's quite obviously that statistics in FM 2010 is made excellently. Though its details could get to a higher level in Football Manager 2011. It would be great if developers add an opportunity to view all player's goals, shots, passes, headers for any season (not only current one). Another great statistical feature to have is viewing training progress of player for his whole history in the game instead of 1 year.

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Football Hall of Fame

The Pro Football Hall of Fame began in 1963 with seventeen inductees. Players, team owners, league officials, and coaches can all be inducted into the hall of fame. The main criterion is that they must have made an outstanding contribution to the sport. As of the end of 2009 more than two hundred and fifty individuals had been inducted. Up until 2010 every player that had been inducted, bar one, had played in the NFL. The only exception is Billy Shaw, who played for the Buffalo Bills, prior to the AFL/NFL merger that took place in 1970. The team that holds the accolade for the most players included in this prestigious grouping is the Chicago Bears with an amazing twenty six individuals.

The actual building that hosts the Hall of Fame is located in Canton, Ohio. There are numerous reasons as to why Canton was chosen. First of all it was here that the original American Professional Football Association was started. At the outset of the professional game the Canton Bulldogs achieved many victories and were known to be amongst the best teams. Another factor that played a major role in the decision was that the local community lobbied extensively for the accolade.There is a rigorous selection process that is followed before a football player can be enshrined permanently in the hall.

A forty four member committee decides upon whether an individual is worthy to be given this prestigious honor. The committee consists mostly of professional sports writers. All the selectors are appointed on an open needed basis and can only be replaced upon resignation, retirement, or death. Alongside the main selection committee, there is a special seniors committee consisting of nine representatives. The main focus of this group is to submit nominees who contributed to the game before 1985.

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Juventus Soccer Club Roster

In most countries, the name of the game sound alike. Words like football, fussball, futbol, futebol... don't just sound the same, they are the same game. In the U.S., however, they call it soccer. Major League Soccer (MLS) as an American professional soccer league has been around for some time now. Unlike other American major league sports, MLS does not dominate the sport's public attention on global scale, nor its champion is crowned as the 'World Champion'. MLS has been going through constant development. Did it gain significant public and media attention in the world football? No! Soccer as the 2nd, 7th or 10th most popular sport in the U.S. doesn't make a great difference, the American public will still follow the NFL, MLB, NHL or NBA. The world public would follow those leagues with same attention as they are world's most prominent sports leagues.

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