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Masters of Modern Soccer
How the World's Best Play the Twenty-First-Century Game
by Grant Wahl
ebook
1 of 1 copy available
“A worthy addition to any soccer fan’s shelf.”—The Wall Street Journal
In Masters of Modern Soccer, America’s premier soccer journalist, Grant Wahl, 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.
Wahl follows world-class players from across the globe, examining how they do their jobs and gaining deep insight from the players on how goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and forwards function individually and as a unit to excel and win. He 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.
These central figures share the little details that matter, position by position:
• Attacking midfielder Christian Pulisic explains why he wears his soccer cleats a size too small to make his first touch even better.
• Forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernández reveals the Mexican national team’s secret synchronized patterns that create space for him in front of the goal.
• Defender Vincent Kompany tells you why his teammates’ pressure on the ball means he can defend his man more tightly in the penalty box.
• Defensive midfielder Xabi Alonso describes his disdain for slide tackles and the tendency among even the best professional midfielders to play too closely to one another.
• Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer tells the origin story of his sweeper-keeper role, which has allowed him to redefine the position for the modern game.
• Head coach Roberto Martínez explains the differences between coaching clubs and national teams and why one of the first things he looks for in any game situation is numerical advantage.
• Director of football Michael Zorc discusses what he looks for when it comes to identifying players he can buy low and sell high, Moneyball-style, while still competing to win trophies.
The definitive analysis of the craft of soccer, Masters of Modern Soccer will change the way any fan, player, coach, or sideline enthusiast experiences the game.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
May 1, 2018 -
Formats
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780804137065
- File size: 10481 KB
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780804137065
- File size: 10481 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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May 1, 2018
The growing number of books offering deeper and more sophisticated understanding of soccer is a sure sign that the world's most popular sport continues to tighten its hold on American fans. Here, veteran soccer journalist Wahl (The Beckham Experiment, 2009) asks internationally known exemplars to expound on how they do their jobs in the rapidly changing modern game. It's hard to argue with his choices, whether on the field (midfielders Christian Pulisic and Xabi Alonso, forward Javier Chicharito Hern�ndez, defender Vincent Kompany, and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer) or off (manager Roberto Mart�nez and director of football Michael Zorc). It's also hard to argue with his approach, as Wahl deftly straddles the line between popular appeal (What's it like to be teen phenom Pulisic?) and wonky analysis (field diagrams are blessedly few). Most fans will be amazed by the sophisticated thought and preparation behind every game. Those who routinely change channels during postgame interviews will find that, given space, time, and the right interviewer, some athletescan offer fascinating insight into what happens when the ball's in play.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.) -
Starred review from May 15, 2018
In 1990, political columnist and journalist George Will published Men at Work, a classic on the craft of baseball. Equally accomplished Sports Illustrated journalist Wahl follows Will's model with a remarkable book on soccer, including in-depth profiles of players from various positions as well as a coach and a director who provide new insights into the game. With major networks such as ESPN now carrying soccer broadcasts, Wahl delivers a must-read to better understand the sport from an insider's view--fitting together the pieces of a puzzle that many people who enjoy soccer might not fully grasp in order to explain the precision, plans, and plays of the game. Well-written and easy to read, Wahl's "nuggets" and analysis of the craft of the sport make this work stand out. VERDICT One of the best books on the sport, alongside Raphael Honigstein's Das Reboot and Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski's Soccernomics, this gem of a work will appeal to longtime soccer fans and budding enthusiasts.--Boyd Childress, formerly with Auburn Univ. Libs., AL
Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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