The evolution of football | Why flair wingers are extinct

The evolution of football, why the flair winger became extinct. This video breaks down how the game of football (soccer) has evolved highlighting the specific difference between the game then vs now and wingers then vs wingers now. This video will help aspiring footballers to improve their current game knowledge, and helps casual viewers understand why they don’t see as much individual entertainment in today’s game.
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Music: Song: I-85
Artist: Kia
Music by: CreatorMix.com
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tags: how to improve first touch, soccer training,football training, dribbling, how to train alone, how to practice on your own, individual training session,full individual training session, unisport,the football folk, 7mlc, become elite, allattack,will john, how to be a professional footballer, how to improve your ball control,full training session,football training session, how to practice football for beginners,football drills, soccer drills, training drills,football, soccer

[@gabrielalohan728]

Old school wingers dribbled into space, Modern day wingers dribble to make space.

[@adrianramirez8329]

Your just said the same things lmao

[@itimi2870]

Well spotted 😌

[@tochukwuezeanyaeche6283]

@@adrianramirez8329bro I swear please read it again ok

[@hezzyskeets]

@@adrianramirez8329you’re illiterate

[@SUIRclove]

​@@tochukwuezeanyaeche6283 I don't this he understood what he meant

[@lemons1986]

Flair has fallen victim to optimisation in all sports, not just in football. -Basketball has lost the mid range jumper and back to basket post up play -Tennis has lost the serve & volley game and one-handed backhand -Even Motorsports have been affected by optimization. Hard to imagine a driver like Ayrton Senna in today’s F1 Your video does a great job explaining the underlying physical and tactical details of the broader evolution.

[@chasingmypotential]

That’s really interesting, I never thought about other sports and their evolution!

[@abdullahaanawaleh]

Good points. It's all about the most efficient option these days, not terrible but a bit different to the good old days.

[@aparichit9728]

In chess also it's same

[@kono5933]

Weird example but yugioh players talking about the good old days is the same story

[@thespeculum785]

What do you mean by “optimization” here?

[@Roonho7]

Realised this when Salah was said to be the greatest winger at one point but he doesn't strike me as a winger or how a winger should play. Like a less exciting version of older CR7. Thank God Vini, Rodrygo, Leao, Kvara, Mitoma, Sancho to some extent and others are a bit old school

[@heerakmalakar2438]

Lamine yamal as well

[@musayibghani3986]

Efficiency over flair all day.

[@nahomgirma5897]

salah when he first joined to like last season would take players one but now he like a striker

[@chasingmypotential]

Salah has mastered the simple dribble, he proves to us you don’t need flashy skills to destroy defenders

[@brishabhbantawa3151]

Rodryogo has zero flair

[@Johny97_]

Its crazy how Cr7 started his career in a different time, as a winger who can display a ton of flair. And is still playing to this day in a totally different era

[@chasingmypotential]

And in a totally different way, so interesting how he completely changed his playing style and adapted

[@Johny97_]

@@chasingmypotential I cant say ive seen any other player adapt so drastically overtime while maintaining himself at the top

[@narresnair1154]

Don't forget he was very talented skillful but bad at end products when he was young he made alot mistakes which sometimes made his teammates angry but after 2006 world cup he focus more on attacking/providing goals thn he totally adapted it within 1 season to become one of the best in history

[@Johny97_]

@@narresnair1154 I know. I remember those first 2 or 3 years at United he was clearly very skillfull but it seemed like he only cared about dribbling, and entertaining the viewers. He often opted for the flashy entertaining dribbles rather than the play that was most effective. He was focused on embarrassing defenders 1v1. Even though i was such a young kid at the time, even i could see that lol.

[@narresnair1154]

@@Johny97_ Exactly i was kid too he was already very famous back thn but the thing which blows my mind is his sudden growth i mean 2006/07 he start to providing alot assist and scoring goal we can see he becoming a big game player i mean important crucial player thn his next season he became beast (2007/08) 42 goals unbelievable free kicks, headers, assists, run and everything sudden explosiveness ☠️

[@exploremore2438]

That's why Messi was able to thrive in this era. He was an intelligent dribbler with superb, almost-magnetic, close control. And even on the number 10 extinction saga everyone cries about, those midfielders became creative 8s, meaning they had more responsibilities to carry out in the system. Managers implementing pressing systems affected the number 10 player. Once you were able to tight mark him, he'd go out of the game. E.g. Ozil, Riquelme, and co. especially when they were being tag-team marked on the ball.

[@chasingmypotential]

Exactly, because he had both too. Because he was an insane passer, they couldn’t sit off they needed to engage. And an engaged defender is the easiest to beat in a dribble

[@goyonman9655]

​@@chasingmypotential As a Nigerian 🇳🇬🇳🇬 Thanks for including Okocha

[@chasingmypotential]

@@goyonman9655 impossible not to!

[@AbsbsjdbZhahebsjs]

I would argue that Messi thrived in the first ever "Collective system" and I mean the idea that a team plays for a player. This wasn't a thing, it used to be that the player would work for the team no the other way around.......I actually see how Messi benefited more from being left alone than from creating spaces and I do believe people haven't been able to understand just how crucial the creation of "Player system" was.......

[@AbsbsjdbZhahebsjs]

I belive the dynamic that alvez and alba played for Barcelona, including Henrry, was to......drag players and give Messi space to score, if you actually watch the sport you will see that Messis top goals come from a pass by the winger or left back, right after they dragged 2 defenders and so Messi took advantage of that and the system of "Play for him" began. This is also the reason why Messi struggled after 2014......there was "play for Messi" style, and if they tried to copy guardiola, it wasn't the same

[@royerthedestroyer7]

This makes a lot of sense now. I used to dribble so much when I first started playing and now I say to others that I can't dribble like I used to but it might actually be because the game now demands you to be more complete so now I switched to a more defensive approach while still being able to have those moments of flair and also practicing close control dribbling.

[@chasingmypotential]

You’re not the only one who feels this, its hard to take at times because the game is less enjoyable to play at times too

[@umbela5646]

The players we have left that erradiate this creative and nostalgic feeling are usually bashed by the media, much more than ever, because football has become more statistic and addicted to so called efficiency. Neymar is a notorious example. He of course suffers backlash for his antics off the pitch, but primarly for what he does on a match. We have seen him getting yellow cards for DRIBBLING on some ligue one matches. This is a natural evolution for football, since the science of it is also refining itself, and the only way to keep the old magical feeling alive is if the coaches encourage the players to show their uniqueness, like ancelotti does for example. Vini Jr wouldnt be so incredible if he didnt have a amazing coach to back him up against the media, that always forces some narrative against him

[@emperorhideyoshi3223]

That yellow card he got for rainbow flicking let me know that football is dying 😂

[@musayibghani3986]

Bro thats a whole lot of rubbish. Generational wingers were rare in all eras. But the reason why they died out more so is because the demand for success. I would rather have my team win than watch 20 step overs that lead to absolutely nothing. Antony is case in point, all show no substance. So he can be a human fidget spinner but is the team any better. It's also why someone like mo salah is better than Luis Diaz, while his 1v1 ability isn't as good as Diaz's he puts the ball in the net or assists and that means the team winning which is the most important thing. Preferably you can do both, but that's an exceptionally rare talent even back then. If you only care about skills go watch alain St maximin or someone like that or a futsal game I dont know what to tell you.

[@chasingmypotential]

@@musayibghani3986it is extremely to watch flair that isn’t effective, but those players who are effective with it, you can’t beat it

[@emperorhideyoshi3223]

@@musayibghani3986 Antony is a bad example because he fails across the board, I think someone like Kvara or Riquelme is a better example

[@musayibghani3986]

@@emperorhideyoshi3223 No they ain't, Antony is the example. Fans won't stand for players who try flair for useless purposes. Efficiency is king. I'd rather have salah of kvaratskhelia aswell, goals and assists win games. And I want my team to win, entertainment is 2nd. Fancy tricks on their own won't win anything, fancy tricks with end product is where it's at. But those players are always rare in any era, fans love nostalgia goggles.

[@emperorhideyoshi3223]

Fans complain about the lack of wingers with flair but don’t realise they were the ones that contributed to it with monetary investment being the number one agenda of football now and the increased focus on winning at all costs and people focusing on stats as a measure of a player’s ability, as opposed to bak mastery which is what we did in late 00s-early 10s. Was born in 2007 and it’s crazy how many older people have bought into the new PR and historical revisionism. Even with the increased standards, teams are playing boring football and the football isn’t even effective since most of them aren’t winning things or even getting close to a title. another thing that’s creating this winger issue is the fact that there’s no real penalty for losing anymore. They told you top 4 is good enough to get into a competition that you don’t need to win since you get paid in each match. A lot of this is also due to tiredness from overusing players (again due to favouritism of certain players due to PR, certain players are becoming marketing for the clubs and so need to play EVERY game e.g. Saka, Mbappe, and soon Mainoo), and the insane number of matches most of which are pointless. The league cup is pointless and should be scrapped unless they can come up with a better format. When Southampton get paid more for getting relegated than PL teams do for winning the league or FA cup then you know football is broken. CL is the continental trophy and so will always attract more viewers and that means more sponsors. Meaning domestic titles mean nothing unless you’re a diehard fan that’s been supporting since the 70s-80s when they were the biggest thing in the country. Players and clubs in general know that they don’t need to try in order to get a big pay day. So why waste time doing flair and skills lmao?

[@chasingmypotential]

You made a really good point, it’s just a business now. How can a team that get relegated make more than a team who wins a trophy? This is bizarre when you really think about it

[@MULWAXVLONE]

🗣️🗣️🗣️

[@hypetrained]

I think you’re really understating the economic reality of modern world of sports - and overstating player motivations here. Southhampton’s parachute payments sound nice it’s only to offset the economic reality of relegation. No team would ever want to be relegated - especially with how competitive the championship is now. I don’t think they’ll be back up. After that, it’s hell in the second tier. If you’re a premier league club that gets relegated, you still have to pay your players - especially if you want a chance to get back into the prem. That comment - “it isn’t particularly effective football” is a little bit naive. It’s survivorship bias. Teams that aren’t competing for titles are competing to survive. That includes teams like Brentford and Crystal Palace, like Werder and Wolfsburg - consistent midtable quality teams. They are consistently closer to relegation than you might think. It was adapt or die for them and they continue to adapt. Continuous and active competition is another part of a living and breathing game. Defenders and defensive structures are a lot more cohesive than they used to be - part of the reason flashy wingers don’t exist in the same capacity any more is not because of a lack of ability - both on average and in the aggregate are more technically proficient and athletic (especially defenders, who are now often a big part of the offense). Centerbacks are by and large more proficient players than they used to be - they must be! Have you seen what happens to teams with slow and inagile centerbacks? Have you seen what happens to offenses with flashy players who don’t provide a lot of end product? They just don’t survive.

[@pritapp788]

Exactly man. And the few teams that do try to deploy those traditional profiles like the number 10 and wingers who dribble - mostly Serie A teams - get bashed for not having control, for losing possession, for not being able to press aggressively or for being slow. Football is not going to recover from this era of positional play and counter-press.

[@thespeculum785]

What do you mean by “bak mastery” ?

[@worldview2888]

unpopular opinion - i am just VERY grateful to Ashley Young (Manchester United). he wasn't the "best" but at that point in time he was the BEST Full-back / Winger that we had. I cannot even possibly explain that period of time no one even thinks an English man (trained since young inside of UK) could be THAT good. He gave performance beyond what United expected and bargained for, overall i am very grateful to Ashley Young (as a Winger at that point in time) for performing beyond possible expectations.

[@delCorteh]

Youngys crossing was ridiculous, probably our best actual winger since 09/10 TonyV

[@waavyjones9868]

Yes indeed. I agree with that. Wanted Ashley Young at United ever since the madness he had been doing at Villa. Was so happy when United got him but the situation of the team at the time did not allow him to be the best winger that he could be as other positions needed to be filled, and he was capable to adapt into different roles, hurting his chances as a top top career winger.

[@londonbowcat1]

​. 14:02 who's that

[@Theo-fp2oe]

Before this, coaches targeted reducing the effectiveness of the classic no.10, by packing the middle of the park and overwhelming them. Seeking space, creative players were then forced out wide, so coaches started targeting these players. For example Riquelme at Villarreal. I miss when teams played a 4-4-2 wide diamond where there was one destroyer, wingers rarely tracked back and the prime creative outlet was the no.10. Hector Cuper's Valencia for example were a joy to watch; Pablo Aimar what a player!

[@chasingmypotential]

Great way of explaining it 🙌🏼💪🏼

[@maverich767]

Hector cupers Valencia was one of an exciting team that made me to watch them in La liga. That time no Ronaldinho is la liga so I follow Valencia. Rafa Benitez was actually reaping the good work done by Cuper.

[@yo_seb5195]

Gabriel Mec is a young Brazilian winger who has that flair that we haven’t seen in a while. If he lands at the right club then he could possibly be one of the most dangerous wingers in the world. Y’all should check him out.

[@chasingmypotential]

I’ll check him out!

[@sirseravelele8868]

I've seen him and wow he's insane and his vision for his age is crazy but if he goes to England especially he'd lose that flair and vision so I hope he'll make good choices

[@marketlider2811]

No. He's a terrible player. Don't even bother. Go look internacional's player Lucca. He is a much better player.

[@marketlider2811]

Also, Gabriel Mec is already at the right club for him. Go Buy Lucca instead and leave grêmio Alone.

[@ayushsingh5642]

Musiala is soo good in tight spaces, need a video on that

[@chasingmypotential]

For sure ! Ill make this soon 🙌🏼

[@99alp99fila]

Not a winger cam

[@ayushsingh5642]

@@99alp99fila ik

[@TheBshwckr]

There’s a masterclass with Bielsa about how to beat pressure and it’s a lot of passing combinations done today. What’s interesting is that he says the future of football is swinging back to dribbling out of pressure but there’s a limited amount of players who can do it.

[@milktea2422]

I think we will only see this type of old school wingers in national teams now. -if you are so good, you will always play for the national team. But top teams no longer want flair like players. And it’s sad, there’s some players trying to have flair, but idk if it’s because they aren’t as talented or something, but they aren’t giving me 2017 Neymar when Messi is injured vibes. They aren’t flicking the ball over defenders and scoring a volley. Idk it’s just sad tho.

[@depinto1881]

Pls analyse Neymar’s dribbling he really brought me into the game

[@chasingmypotential]

Coming soon 👍🏼🙌🏼

[@abstraqtphilosophy7357]

How old are you? 12?

[@shadower2829]

@@abstraqtphilosophy7357why are you people like this?

[@gamalong3966]

@@abstraqtphilosophy7357you have a problem with him being a kid or what

[@99alp99fila]

Cuz if someone says that they're new to football ​@@shadower2829

[@spinyslasher6586]

People need to come in terms with the fact that attackers aren't the only ones in football who are evolving and constantly striving to improve. Defenders feel the same need. Modern defenders have optimised their game to counter dribbling and block spaces to restrict player movement.

[@seanyk94]

great vid! Would love to see a vid on Kvara and his dribbling technique especially since he isn't a particularly pacey winger in todays game but his fake shots and chops seem to convince his defender EVERY time, even though they may know its coming

[@chasingmypotential]

This would be a top video ! I’ll add it to the list

[@Binu955]

I want you to do an analysis on Rafeal Leao.He seems like the hair of Ronaldinho.He plays with a smile in his face and dagger in his foot.My favourite player in the world❤

[@josephcuervo5127]

very well put together video mate, spot on!👌🏼

[@amandabenger]

Very well explained, thank you. I also appreciated the freeze-framing to allow for better processing and understanding of the tactic being shown. Great job.

[@kono5933]

Your understanding of the game is brilliant, your channel needs more attention

[@AryanDas29]

Man utd Cr7....was just firee...fearless young skilled winger and midfielder

[@musayibghani3986]

But useless. Scholes and ferdinand even said they kick the skills out of him and made sure he put a cross in early. Ruud van nisterooy would get frustrated because he'd have to delay his runs due to Ronaldo doing useless step overs.

[@chasingmypotential]

@@musayibghani3986good point, he done a lot of unnecessary skills, for sure some worked and it was entertaining, but he learned to become more efficient over time

[@puljz8551]

​@@musayibghani3986 People who think like you are the reason for "flair extinction"

[@musayibghani3986]

@@puljz8551 I don't understand, wouldn't you want your team to win over useless flair. Flair is only good if it's useful in a game situation or Is helping the team to create or score chances. No point doing step overs in the middle of the pitch then losing it.

[@nkosanamakhubela2586]

​@@musayibghani3986 We love that football play style😂 if you don't then focus on Messi doing robotic "skills" all day and looking goofy

[@jdotman09]

A lot of the examples used in this video of the low block are from Man City and psg games who are the dominant teams in their league hence why the teams set up the way they do against them. But I could also find numerous clips of Doku or mbappe taking on their defenders with teams in a similar shape as shown. Also doesn’t explain why in a regular match (one that doesn’t involve a team at the top of the table) there is still a lack of flair wingers even though there is more space in these kind of matches. I honestly believe it simply comes down to the role of the winger being changed from before where there was less pressure for them to be the main goalscorer of the team, a wingers main job used to be to take on their defender and get a cross in, which required more flair and creativity. Nowadays, your wingers are usually your main goalscorers, so managers will usually go for wingers that can cut in and score (which doesn’t really require taking a defender on, just making enough space for a good angle to shoot). If this option isn’t on, managers prefer for the winger to recycle the ball and then try to pass until another space opens up. As a result of this, you get a lot of mundane and robotic wingers with not much imagination, but are much more consistent goal scorers than wingers of old.I don’t believe it is because teams have become better defensively, as you still have players like rafael leao, mbappe etc who are able to take on defenders and are successful with it. Id even argue a lot of defenders today are far worse than ones of the old era, especially in one on one situations, as fullbacks are usually rated on going forward rather than their defensive capabilities. So it comes down to dribbling being more risky compared to passing the ball around to create chances, which is more suited to the boring wingers we see today. The art of taking on a defender has suffered from this, but it is still possible and imo a very underrated way of going about creating chances, especially with the standard of defenders in the modern game.

[@chasingmypotential]

Something I forgot to mention was the top flair players on the world usually end up getting bought by the big teams, and then everyone they play against sits back in a low block. Now the flair player gets way less opportunity to do what they did before they signed

[@jdotman09]

@@chasingmypotential Yeah that is true. I still believe that taking defenders on 1 on 1 is an under utilised tool in the modern game, and it comes from the coaches preference. But players with enough confidence (the top players) show that it is still possible to play this way today

[@chaupiamarighambi5859]

the levels of physicality in football changed, plus tactics have placed emphasise on the team as a whole, players are also afraid of losing the ball = less dribbling

[@in4mus85]

This is a brilliant analysis and breakdown 👌🏾

[@babatunde5385]

love this channel 🤝🏻 great watching these videos as a footballer and learning new info

[@chasingmypotential]

Appreciate it and I’m happy you’re learning new things 🙌🏼

[@samymoelslutzky1522]

Absolutely brilliant video!

[@chasingmypotential]

Thank you 🙌🏼

[@harris2642]

good video bro, cant wait to see more

[@Frankenstein305]

I think most teams are playing like Inter 2010 or Chelsea 04 mixed with Barca 09 because they defend with 8-10 players to close all spaces and attack similar numbers and pass the ball until something happens. For me, sometimes it’s boring to watch or focus without touching the phone because the players are not free to express themselves on the pitch. The managers are scared or cautious of trying new ideas and tactics so they can continue their job. I sometimes miss the 2000s era because of the different battles between clubs, managers, and players to dominate the game and show the world that their ideas are better. Thanks for the video

[@Nein-gz8xd]

Thank you for your videos ❤❤❤

[@chasingmypotential]

You’re welcome 🤝🏼

[@user-rg8eh3dp2v]

Thanks for the video. Do you have a video on when to decide when to take people on and when to pass it or play more quickly

[@chasingmypotential]

Good question, decision making with dribbling. This is something that has never been mapped out or taught really. You need to remember the aim of beating the defender a lot of the time is to get into a more dangerous position and create a numerical advantage. If you see your team mate in a 2v1 on the other side and you are in a 2v3, probably better to switch the ball. But when you recieve in a 2v1, because the defender is isolated you can trick him more. The more support a defender has the harder they are to beat, as they won’t dive in. I’ll think of a video for this for sure

[@nathantuji8432]

You've earned a fan. Great video

[@chasingmypotential]

Appreciate it 🤝🏼

[@fitzyfitzpatrick1010]

Class video man

[@kabilanbaskaran6813]

Eye opening video!!!

[@chasingmypotential]

Happy to hear ! 🤟🏼

[@mattgoodley]

Another great vid! Would love one on number 9’s movement Haaland, Kane, Lewandowski etc

[@jib6984ify]

Great video bud 👍🏽

[@chasingmypotential]

Thanks 🙏🏼

[@winstong7438]

Fantastic

[@dragonslayer0]

Because it's all metrics and performance, game is all numbers now, No inspiration, no flair

[@TheBharath200]

Think it boils down to a couple of factors, promarily being teams being much more compact in their defemsive thirds, and managers designing pre determined ways to get into the box ( overlaps and underlaps). There are plenty of players who can/will dribble with more flair and bravery, but they now face far, far better defenses. Its an evolutioanry adaptation. The 'flair' element is now more concentrated with players who operate under high press scenarios (CMs and CAMs between the lines).

[@sphyx6508]

I think a way to revive flair is to create dynamic flow, if you'll notice in most of these clips or even in games of today players are reasonably conserving movement, but maybe if there's a system that entices dynamic and strategic rotation in terms of subs to preserve stamina, flair can be revived not just for 1 player but for a group of players within the team

[@popps33]

Thanks for this video!! I’m realizing the differences but haven’t quite had the words. What this reminds me of which will happen in the football sooner than later.. spreading the pitch and deliberate play designs on offense which is common in basketball. Flair can be used in the build to create mismatch. To piggyback on dribbling skills becomes more important to create space. Attacking Footballers can learn from basketball giants like Kobe, Allen Iverson and Kyrie. When you get doubled, that means someone else has an advantage but be careful of the crowded box.. that’s why Warriors and Spurs brought in the Spreaded Court. I can see in football Passing, Speed and first touch will be pivotal going into the next era. On the other side, IQ and Instincts will be even more impactful. The best players have all of these attributes.. Prime Messi is the archetype.

[@chasingmypotential]

You’re welcome 🤝🏼 and yes they will be the pivitol parts that define the game more so 🙌🏼

[@PeakedInterest]

"mourinho was one of the first managers to prioritise defensive structure..." 80s Italian catennaccio : hold my beer. Capello popularised this style after following saachi at Milan but it was used by many Italian teams through the 70s and 80s. Italian football created a lot of the thing we give to other people, think klopp and guardiola invented counter pressing? Nope that was saachi in the late 80s.

[@fallentaco9265]

does this mean close control dribbling is going to be insane now?

[@chasingmypotential]

It just means you need to be able to spot what type of dribble you’re in, and what skills work in that specific scenario. Being a more intelligent dribbler 🙌🏼

[@abdotaher9109]

when u look at the best dribblers in today’s football players vini musiala mbape doku they really the most on driving the ball rapidly even though they could do other stuff

[@nabDoesYoutube]

I think MBappe being a forward who likes to play from the left, or Vini Jr are our current era of flair wingers to be honest, still encapsulate that individual skill but adapted for the modern game

[@Chrismcdonaldphd]

Great video

[@chasingmypotential]

Thank you 🙌🏼

[@watahwilly5133]

The new football also killed the role of sole defender like literal wall like puyol, maldini etc. where they made a line saving save or complete control of the field

[@peoplelikeus123]

Wow. Brilliant

[@mohammadmousavi3891]

just started to watch the video but I'm sure it's going to be great

[@chasingmypotential]

👊🏼

[@Kinglevi226]

​@@chasingmypotentialpls bro can you analysis messi dribbling runs

[@Reecefootball11]

brilliant video! Where do you get your match footage from to use in your videos? Cheers

[@josephstalin5003]

I need to know this aswell so hard find film.

[@chasingmypotential]

Some of the stuff I have someone help me out, most of them I get from full games. But no one has cracked the code. For example when I upload I sometimes need to delete and re edit the video as it got a strike, until it doesn’t, long process

[@chrism5230]

In the 90s when i played, it was all about battles against your opposite number. The best teams did actually have attacking wide players that also tracked back. Becks and giggs for e.g. Peps tactics have made this low block, deep laying defense a priority when playing against teams that dominate possession at all costs. Football used to be about momentum, a lot more first time crosses to catch out defenders, now for many teams its about control, wingers turning out/in to remain in possession. Less risk is taken in possession now and wingers were the most risky in possession, so how the game has changed shows in their position. I think we are already starting to see another great change begin in tactical approaches but it will be some time before its ubiquitous

[@adam24302]

I think you could make a great video about La Pausa in football,never saw a video about it in youtube

[@achi3405]

Could you do a video on dembele and why his body feints and heavy knock ons work so well in 1v1 and even 2v1 scenarios.

[@a2bs333]

Thank you for your incredible insight. What team do you play for? I would like to watch your games.

[@chasingmypotential]

Thank you, I had to retire at 26 due to health & injury reasons. My mission is to now help everyone else reach their potential, if I knew all of this I do now when I was younger who knows how high I would have reached. Maybe I will do a video on my personal career journey one day

[@tjmcnasty3928]

You hit the nail on the head all sports are more analytical. NBA teams focus on transition defense so no fast break and defense rotations are so good. NFL defenses run the bend don’t break defense and don’t let deep passes and will give up 5 yard passes. Everything is so tight and fast and fast now.

[@pritapp788]

Positional football and aggressive pressing may result in more efficient units, but they have a lot to answer for in the destruction of profiles that made football interesting.

[@ganiniii]

This only makes me believe CR7 is best ever. He made all his formation years being a winger, was sent to Man. Utd. and started as a winger to totally transform his style and become better than Pélé.

[@HereGoesKevin]

Goalkeeper here that hates wingers with a passion whenever I'm playing against them, I have been playing for over a decade now, I always tell my center backs and fullbacks to not engage when a winger is doing his shenanigans, just do not give him an angle to shoot or pass, over the years I've seen defensive tactics evolved as well, us defenders and goalkeepers also evolved, most people only think about offensive tactics, finding creative ways to stop goals and opportunities is a beauty is that not a lot of people can appreciate

[@MalachiSoccer]

Hello, I was wondering since my brother is a center-back and I’m a fullback if your dribbling course is worth it to buy because ur other course for goal scoring is not really useful for me given my position. How helpful do you think it would be if I bought your dribbling course?

[@arkhamjedi4472]

u dont need a dribbling course mate 😹 dont waste ur money

[@chasingmypotential]

As a centre back I’d say it wouldn’t help, as a fullback for sure but depending how high up you find yourself. If you sit back more then no, but if you’re high up or want to be then yes for sure. Fullbacks who can dribble are gold dust today

[@ChiefHle]

Luis Diaz enters the chat

[@crs._]

Nope, he is dribbling to create space like Messi, not dribbling in space like CR7 at UTD

[@RanabirDan-lr5qs]

​@@crs._Exactly Cristiano Ronaldo was useless in tight spaces which needs actual dribbling ability and close control I don't get how people say Cristiano Ronaldo is as skilled as Messi or Neymar he isn't he doesn't have that close control to get out of tight spaces like nothing

[@dominicadidas6795]

Can you make a video on when to dribble and when to release the ball if your a flair dribbler and be a dribbler like Vinicius, Neymar, Mitoma, sancho in todays game

[@chasingmypotential]

Good point, i will in the future, the best time to dribble is when you have some leverage. Some space to use as bait.

[@chuka6625]

Yamal: hold my sprite..

[@ZeRasseru]

For me it was Deco, Eto'o and then Iniesta that made me love the game (so Barça 07-09). I didn't find the winger position appealing until a certain Arjen Robben (the cut-in GOD) that I realized that the wing could also be a thing of beauty. Maybe it's because of the kind of games I watched/stumbled upon 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@NYs9thwonder]

This has happened at every position. Keepers can no longer just be shot stoppers. Defenders can no longer just defend. Midfielders out of your CDM and holding midfielder, have to track back and defend. Forwards are now expected to press the play when out of possession.

[@TagusMan]

I'm sure everything said in this video is correct, however, flair players are rare. Even in the flair era, they were by far the minority. To be a flair player, you have to posses certain skills that most players do not. How many teams in the flair era actually had flair players? Not every team played like Figo's Portugal 🇵🇹 in Euro 2000 and 2004. The system might be anti-flair now, but it's also true that flair players are 1 in a million.

[@chasingmypotential]

I agree, it’s rare either way! Just they had more of an impact back in the day

[@adejr8319]

Please make a video on basic run of winger off ball

[@TheReddances]

I represent your grandfathers' generation, and I endorse this message. Pele and Best when I was a small boy. Now Rashford is described as "best coming off the left!": I totally get that reluctance to use the W-word - been waiting for someone to slip up and use it. Mind you there is another young lad, harem scare -eming on the other side... Overall, I would say that the more intelligent game with fitter, more organised players today is not a step back: I agree with Pirlo's super quote! And there is more I hope that will change in time, accordingly

[@chasingmypotential]

It’s never a step back you’re right, it’s just a natural evolution that was always going to happen

[@footballyoutubeshorts9776]

brother can you please analysis on yamine lamal i think he is the new generation player who play with pure skills and in flare .. i think he is going to be new neymar jr

[@chasingmypotential]

For sure ! He will be up soon

[@CodyLee-er3zz]

In modern games in terms of playing good football with some dribbling u just need to master body feint, that’s enough.

[@Christian_Bagger]

Things have it’s way with returning again in another way. You ain’t seeing the sweeper no more, but you’re seeing the sweeper keeper and defenders taking on sweeping duty when necessary.

[@diazkohen2149]

The only 1vs1 advantage for modern winger is when switch play passing happen

[@chasingmypotential]

Yeah, a fast switch of play can leave the defender isolated, but when they play against the top teams, they always make sure to have their CDM covering if possible and winger back like a FB

[@user-xm6ro1ep5d]

1 thing you're missing mate is also how formations were set back then giving these players that space and time There's an Argentinian coach name La Volpe who also explained it very well, like this video, using the example of Riquelme Old School flair was killed by 2 things: Space and Time Today players run a lot more than they used to back then, which a lot of these old flair players don't do at all Personally I rather see a player break through the defense towards the goal as oppose to doing 3 nutmegs and 5 rainbow flicks just to pass it back or give the ball away

[@aparichit9728]

I still love the game for its evolving tactics it's becoming more like a chess game yesterday it seems to be simple yet flashy sport

[@7081A]

Figo, Quaresma and Joaquin were the proper old school wingers, not a single clip of them were shown in this video. Dinho was more of a LF and 10 though.

[@rhesaparis5543]

Meaning Messi is just so special 😍

[@goyonman9655]

Messi is exactly the modern type of player He's not a flair player like Neymar

[@mitonaarea5856]

​@@goyonman9655players who have similar playstyles to Messi have always existed.

[@goyonman9655]

@@mitonaarea5856 True. But; 1.) He plays that style to a higher level of quality and accuracy than anyone 2.) Modern footballis more suited to that style than past eras eg. Hazard is superior to Ronaldinho in modern football

[@jeby1425]

​@@goyonman9655watch young messi

[@goyonman9655]

@@jeby1425 I watched him Still the same close control, genius vision, high IQ combination But with more pace and ran towards defenders more Never did fancy or saucy tricks like Robinho or Neymar. He didn't need all that

[@medelalmi]

kudus (with longer hair), yamal, eze and olize

[@oozie7958]

I hope Doku can spark new ideas at City like Mahrez did

[@narresnair1154]

True i really started to love football because of their individual performances like scoring unbelievable volley, long shots, Dribbling, Skills, Unbelievable passing accuracy but now its all about tactics..Athleticism at max Tactically most advance but Technically ? Not sure

[@bighead2047]

The flair players are gone because of Pep Guadiola, Barcelona and Spain. When Spain and Barcelona started dominating football with most of the players coming out of the La Masia system every other team built up their youth system to follow. So instead of getting street players that had natural talent they started getting athletes and trained them to play a certain way. These players today don't have the vision to either see the space or make the space they need to dribble past opponents. This is why they just run into traffic and try to bull their way through the defenses. They are taught to dribble by running directly at defenders, while maintaining a tight control. This makes the defender either backpedal or completely stop. Then you can go to either side around them. The problem with that is if that's all you do you are going to get figured out and crowded out. Which is what is happening nowadays.

[@chasingmypotential]

Good point, dribbling coaching is way too vague

[@Andre-eo4xe]

I absolutely agree with you and I’ve been saying it he absolutely ruined the sport and robbed any sort of entertainment that it was able to bring his football is not even entertaining at all the last entertaining football he played was at Barcelona he makes his teams into Robots he ruins flair players

[@jeby1425]

Goals matter more than dribbling to ronaldo fan bois. Dribbling seems useless to them cz goals win you matches not dribbling,playmaking. Now why all of a sudden you guys making fuse about pep's style of play when he's getting the results and winning almost every game? Choose one side @@Andre-eo4xe

[@in4mus85]

I disagree that they don't have the vision, look at Grealish playing for City compared to Grealish playing at Villa. If they don't follow instructions the player will get reprimanded and likely benched

[@bighead2047]

@@in4mus85 So literally one person in your mind throws out my whole thesis? 😂😂 What about everybody else not playing for city? Every dribbler now looks like either they have no clue where they are going or it looks like they are trying too hard. They're running waving their hands all over the place like they're always off balance.

[@ernestjimmy4537]

Kvara and leao are two winger not afraid take on players Throwback

[@mrfab4383]

Apparently its due to low blocks, reality is attackers are less technical & the coaches play system football, guys like Pep ruined football

[@Plato3745]

​@@mrfab4383Pep didn't ruined anything if anything that ruined football are the coaches that copy him

[@in4mus85]

​@@Plato3745look at players like Grealish or Henry at Barca, Pep is directly responsible for that.

[@Godplayzdice]

Players are fitter, stronger and faster. Flair slows down the game sometimes and coaches hate that. They want fast transitions and hence 1-2s and long balls are more common.

[@kunalshah1135]

Messi , Neymar , Hazard There will never be any players like these in terms of wings . ❤❤❤

[@sepokalomo7446]

So players like Hazard are more effective wingers in our generation?

[@heyfriend22]

Obviously Hazard doesn't play anymore but if he did and played how he did in his prime he would be one of our greatest wingers rn

[@chasingmypotential]

For sure. Being as effective as him when the ball turns over play

[@user-en7fr8lf7i]

I have a question. What is your opinion about smoking in footballers?

[@Intuition11111]

What a channel

[@diogopires4997]

In the 2010’s he had wingers like c Ronaldo messi , Neymar , Coutinho, bale , Hazard, alexis sanchez, Réus, Robben, ribery, sadio mane , salah , Di Maria, now he only have mbapee and Vinicius jr maybe Luis Diaz … but it’s not only the wingers look at the strikers back then we had Luis Suarez , kun aguero , cavani , Ibra, Diego Costa, falcão, Lewandowski, higuAin , benzema , van persie , Rooney , griezman … now it’s haaland, lautaro Martinez and Kane

[@JeanCLopez-bx8wm]

Leao and Kvaratskhelia are the most fun to watch right now

[@mdanasmusic]

I started watching football cause of Ronaldinho too, then watched messi

[@chasingmypotential]

🤝🏼👊🏼

[@thuo1000]

This is because of the rise and popularity of strict positional play. I will take Pep Guardiola's teams for instance. Lests start at Barca. When Pep was at Barca, he decided to move Messi from the wing to the centre because of 2 things. First, Pep needed wingers who could track back when Barca lost the ball. Second, Pep needed disciplined wingers who would stay very wide to stretch the opposition defence thus creating half-spaces for Barca's number 10 (Messi) and attacking midfielders to operate. When Messi used to play on the wings for Barca, he used to always drift inside to have a shot at goal and that changed the dynamics of the team. Pep wanted disciplined wingers who would stay in position during build up and act as decoys to create space. Now, Pep changed a bit when he went to Bayern Munich and now at City. He now creates systems where wingers can have 1v1s with the opposition fullback. For example, lets take Luis Enrique's Barcelona. Under Luis Enrique, we had the trio of MSN. Messi and Neymar often played on the wings. Both Messi and Neymar would cut inside to have shots at goal. Neymar in particular would slow down Barca's play to do some cute dribbles. Compare that with Pep's Barca of Messi, Villa and Pedro. Pedro and David Villa played as wingers for Pep's Barca. They rarely cut inside during build up play and often stayed very wide. This created space for Messi, Iniesta and Xavi or Thiago's combination play. In Luis Enrique's Barca, the forwards were the stars while the midfield was the work-horse. In Pep's Barca, the centre (midfield + false 9) was the core. With wingers acting at decoys and work-horses out-of possession.

[@muawazahmad6309]

Bro nice content.Could u make a detailed video on when to dribble and when to pass

[@dazzaMusic]

the only requirements to be a winger these days is to be fast and to cross the ball or to be fast and run into the box it’s rare you see anyone dribbling or using any kind of skill.

[@mbofftheradar]

The way I see it, sacrifices have to be made in order to change football, meaning football needs to get rid of the cash injections, sports science, gym work, tactical waffle and don't fight fire with fire, that only makes things worse...

[@bklopps]

To make a clear distinction, I don’t think it’s the game just got more defensive. The attacking play of teams got so good (a lot through pep) that if you don’t defend with 11 you’re going to get ducked

[@yaboimatteo7706]

I'm the last of a dying breed😭😭😭

[@chasingmypotential]

I feel your pain 😅

[@MA-go7ee]

You're forcing it a bit though. Ronaldinho wasn't a winger at all. He was a wide forward, *sometimes*. Most times he was just a ten, who are usually the quintessential flair players rather than wingers. Baggio, Zidane, Dell Piero, Bergkamp, Ozil, Laudrup, Gascoigne, Cruyff, Maradona etc etc were all 10s, not wingers. You want a magician, it's the 10 in the middle with freedom to drift anywhere that provided it most times.

[@guilhermejurgensen5068]

this kind of player is getting rarer and rarer cause clubs found out it is much more reliable playing safer/defensively and training athletic youth players rather than true ballers

[@TheStrongmansteve]

Every team is trying to play the same way. Every new manager is obsessed with pressing and possession. So individual talent is overlooked in favour of system suitability

[@rgonzalo511]

Nah defenses just got better so now flair is useless

[@in4mus85]

​@@rgonzalo511that's kinda what he is suggesting. The focus is systems that balance defence and attack

[@rgonzalo511]

@@in4mus85 Well I was moreso talking why attackers now choose to dribble simple rather than do skill moves

[@TanbirRashid.]

The last great winger i saw is Neymar jr. "The Prince who never became a King"

[@user-mw3iz4jg6l]

can you do one on Messi"s playing style

[@ComboSmooth]

i watch very little football but im pretty sure wingers are often still all about dribbling and duals...

[@Sajangrg69]

Back in the day number 10s was the maverick, someone with magic, gets you edge of the seat and who everyone looked up to. Nowadays people love g/a and ballers tend to be judged by stats whilst before, we knew who the ballers were looking at their technical abilty- ball manipulation, variety and weight of pass, exquisite first touch. I would never rate players with high g/a like Salah, De bruyne, Bruno, Son since they lack flair and technical elegance that zizou, ronalinho or del piero had.

[@RanabirDan-lr5qs]

I rate Pogba