Question for the soccer/football fans (2 parts)

Crockerinho

To eliminate the offside rule will create less goals as most times would just go really defensive, at least the offside trap can be broke

Blitzkrieg

Is there a way in football to push the tempo and make the other team play fast as you want to?

Crockerinho

You can try but it doesnt always work, if you can keep possesion and make them chase the ball at your tempo then you have set the tone for the game

K Jay

It can be done by defending in different ways and closing the ball in different areas of the pitch. For instance Chelsea play a higher tempo, closing all over the pitch that makes the opposition have to pass faster or pressures them into mistakes in midfield or sometimes their own half. Arsenal are happy to let a team retain posession and enter their half because they have fast forwards so will try to win back possesion in their own half to break with speed against less defenders. Basically controlling the tempo of the game normally depends on how you play without the ball rather than with it.

I had a sig, once.

Blitzkrieg

Oh I see.. because in basketball the Suns for example, get on an run on the long rebounds with the ball and often times other teams get caught up in runnig with them and that's how they win because they have better shooters on the outside then the rest of the teams..

Course this didn't work against the Mavericks becaue the Mavs could play either the fast running game or slow it down and put it in to the big men.. it was a no win situation for the Suns..

So basically, basketball is all about who is controlling the ball, football (our football) also..

K Jay

It takes a phenominally powerful side to control a game by their attacking style alone. Great Brazilian sides have done it and currently in world football Barcelona can do it. But most of football is controlled by tactical formation without the ball.

I had a sig, once.

Blitzkrieg

I usaully love the way Brazil plays but yesterday they seemed content with the 1-0 lead.. I couldn't figure it out, but hey.. they won.