Masters of Modern Soccer
How the World's Best Play the Twenty-First-Century Game
(Sprache: Englisch)
In Masters of Modern Soccer, Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl asks: How do some of the game's smartest figures master the craft of soccer? By profiling players in every key position (American phenomenon Christian Pulisic, Mexican superstar Javier...
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In Masters of Modern Soccer, Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl asks: How do some of the game's smartest figures master the craft of soccer? By profiling players in every key position (American phenomenon Christian Pulisic, Mexican superstar Javier "Chicharito" Hernández, Belgium's Vincent Kompany, Spain's Xabi Alonso, Germany's Manuel Neuer) and management (Belgium coach Roberto Martínez and Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc), Wahl reveals how elite players and coaches strategize on and off the field and execute in high pressure game situations.Masters of Modern Soccer is the definitive thinking fan's guide to modern soccer. For a supporter of any team, from the U.S. national teams to Manchester United, or any competition, from Mexico's Liga MX to the World Cup, this book reveals what players and managers are thinking before, during, and after games and delivers a true behind-the-scenes perspective on the inner workings of the sport's brightest minds.
America's premier soccer journalist, Grant Wahl, follows world-class players from across the globe examining how they do their jobs. This access imbues Masters of Modern Soccer with deep insight from the players on how goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and forwards function individually and as a unit to excel and win. Wahl also shadows a manager and director of soccer as they juggle the challenges of coaching, preparation, and the short- and long-term strategies of how to identify and acquire talent and deploy it on the field.
A book that will stand the test of time, Masters of Modern Soccer is the most in-depth analysis of the craft of soccer ever written for the American fan. For any fan, player, coach, or sideline enthusiast, this book will change the way they watch the game.
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This excerpt is from an advance uncorrected copy proof Copyright © 2018 Grant WahlWhen did I know for sure that I was going to love writing this book? The moment came early, on the first question of my first interview with Manchester City centerback Vincent Kompany. I had never met Kompany before, but I had admired him for years, and during my initial research for this book his name had come up repeatedly when I asked my journalist friends around Europe to nominate players who combined world-class talent and accomplishment with a high degree of intelligence and insight in interviews about the sport. My question was sim- ple enough: What does the term the modern game mean to you?
Kompany considered the topic briefly and answered. "I think the term modern football just means that every single aspect of the game has improved," he said. "Players are quicker now. They try to play quicker and see the pass quicker. Players try to be more technical. Players are more physical. Maybe they're not tougher, because that sometimes has to do with their background, but the physical attitudes have definitely increased. So the modern game is all about an improved version of what it used to be."
What followed in that first interview was an hour-long discussion about the sport that left me exhilarated-and looking forward to more opportunities to speak to Kompany and the other figures in this book. The results of those interviews are in the following chapters. Everything they shared with me I will pass on to you.
It's easy to be cynical about modern soccer. For some observers, "the modern game" speaks mostly to the influence of money and commercialization on the sport, which is undeniable. To the critics, the apotheosis of modern soccer was probably the moment in July 2017 when the players of Manchester United and Real Madrid, on a promotional preseason tour in the United States, all high-fived a guy in a red-wigged Ronald McDonald costume before kickoff in an NFL stadium
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as though he were an actual player in the game. But over the two years of reporting for this book, my conversations with the seven practitioners in Masters of Modern Soccer overpowered any cynicism I might have had and gave me a heightened appreciation for the modern game-for the craft of the sport, position by position, and all the nuances that come with it. Kompany is right. Soccer is being played at a higher level than ever before, and by more players in more places than at any point in the history of the sport.
All the participants in this book give us an insider's view of soccer at the highest level, revealing how they experience and process the modern game. Manuel Neuer of Bayern Munich and the German national team explains how he redefined the goal- keeper position, making sweeper keeper part of the global soccer lexicon. Kompany, the Man City and Belgium veteran, shows why he is among today's shrinking group of world-class centerbacks, detailing the tricks of the trade for defenders in a time of high back lines and full-field pressure-as well as his decision making on when to push forward with the ball at his feet. Xabi Alonso, who won Champions League titles with Liverpool and Real Madrid and the World Cup with Spain, may be fond of the phrase old school, but his approach to the defensive midfield is decidedly modern. That includes his technical and positional mastery, his control of tempo, and his ability to change formations within the same game and tailor his own game to the needs of different teammates at different clubs. Christian Pulisic, the budding superstar attacking midfielder for the United States and Borussia Dortmund, speaks at length of his relentless pursuit of progress, his refusal to go sideways or backward, and his elemental desire to "break ankles" and beat defenders one-on-one. For his part, Mexican forward Javier "Chicharito" Hernández extols the virtues of constant movement in the penalty box and his desire to be a complete forwar
All the participants in this book give us an insider's view of soccer at the highest level, revealing how they experience and process the modern game. Manuel Neuer of Bayern Munich and the German national team explains how he redefined the goal- keeper position, making sweeper keeper part of the global soccer lexicon. Kompany, the Man City and Belgium veteran, shows why he is among today's shrinking group of world-class centerbacks, detailing the tricks of the trade for defenders in a time of high back lines and full-field pressure-as well as his decision making on when to push forward with the ball at his feet. Xabi Alonso, who won Champions League titles with Liverpool and Real Madrid and the World Cup with Spain, may be fond of the phrase old school, but his approach to the defensive midfield is decidedly modern. That includes his technical and positional mastery, his control of tempo, and his ability to change formations within the same game and tailor his own game to the needs of different teammates at different clubs. Christian Pulisic, the budding superstar attacking midfielder for the United States and Borussia Dortmund, speaks at length of his relentless pursuit of progress, his refusal to go sideways or backward, and his elemental desire to "break ankles" and beat defenders one-on-one. For his part, Mexican forward Javier "Chicharito" Hernández extols the virtues of constant movement in the penalty box and his desire to be a complete forwar
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Autoren-Porträt von Grant Wahl
GRANT WAHL is one of the world's leading soccer journalists. He joined Sports Illustrated in November 1996 as a reporter and was promoted to his current position of senior writer in October 2000. He is also a contributor to Fox Sports television, where he does insider segments, essays, and longform video stories. Wahl's last book, The Beckham Experiment, was the first soccer book to make the New York Times Best-Seller List.
Bibliographische Angaben
- Autor: Grant Wahl
- 2018, 272 Seiten, mit Abbildungen, Maße: 15,4 x 23,3 cm, Kartoniert (TB), Englisch
- Verlag: Crown Archetype
- ISBN-10: 0525574964
- ISBN-13: 9780525574965
- Erscheinungsdatum: 19.04.2018
Sprache:
Englisch
Pressezitat
"Marrying first-rate reportage with stylish writing, Grant Wahl demonstrates why he's considered the dean of U.S. soccer writing-a master of modern soccer, so to speak. This book has the weight and depth to appeal to hardcores, and the smart analysis to captivate the casual fan. Soccer's answer to Men at Work."-JON WERTHEIM, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED EXECUTIVE EDITOR
"Grant Wahl is a master of modern soccer writing and this book is a Rosetta stone for anyone who wants to fully understand the contemporary game. It's a user's manual to how the game is (or ought to be) played, coached, managed, and watched. Everyone interested in soccer-fans, youth coaches, even top professionals-will gain fascinating insights from some of the game's finest craftsmen, one of whom is Wahl himself."
-STEVE RUSHIN, AUTHOR OF STING-RAY AFTERNOONS AND COLUMNIST FOR SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
"I started it taking off at LAX and finished it landing at JFK. It's an incredible peek behind the curtain into the way players, coaches, and technical directors see themselves and their jobs. These entertaining and candid profiles help explain some of the complexities and mysteries of the beautiful game and the people who inhabit it."
-ALEXI LALAS
"Reading Grant Wahl on soccer is always a pleasure. Hardly anyone else gets so much access to players, thinks so hard about what he hears, and tells it so well. No hype here-just insights into top-class professionals, by a top-class professional."
-SIMON KUPER, COAUTHOR OF SOCCERNOMICS
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