Fo Dne wrote:Effes wrote:I get what you're saying S@int.
Im never one for waffling about football, but I'll just clarify.
Babel is being played on the left when he ever gets playing time.
I dont think playing on the right is gonna take a great amount of adjustment i.e. I think he could be played
there in a Premiership game without too much difficulty.
For example, Saturdays game, he could use his pace on the counter attack.
Up front - I would never put him there ahead of Torres or Keane, but if we had to choose between him
and Ngog (like against W Ham) - then I'd play him there.
When Ray Kennedy was learning his trade in the reserves I was
still sucking dummies - so I stand corrected there.
But Babel plays for the Dutch National side - surely he has the competence to play at a fairly competent
level in these positions, but not as a specialist.
Moving from one side of the pitch to the other is one of the hardest things to do in football, as is changing a position. For examples, Overmars and Pires where both right footed players but performed much better from the left wing. So assuming just because Babel's a right footed left sided midfielder he can play on the right is incorrect.
I myself (although on a completely different level admittedly) am right footed but have always prefered the left side of the pitch.
There are alot of reasons for this.
One I used to find was positioning myself readily for the ball and planning what I want to do when I recieve it. I always feel from the left like I can position myself better and use more of the pitch, where as from the right I feel like my only option is down the line.
Also in terms of dribbling, coming inside someone from the right wing is the easier of the two sides to go past a player unless you are blessed with Aaron Lennon like pace, however, from the left, you're still going inside a player but because of the position on the pitch you are effectively going outside them.
In terms of getting your baring and awareness people always have a strong side and a weak side and its not always what foot you are. I often spot things to left much better than my right on a football pitch.
Obviously, I'm speaking in terms of a Sunday league player here but It does apply at all level's to a differing degree.
If you also have a player who's been playing in a position since he's been 12 or so, then the habbits are already there and are neigh on impossible to change.
Its also a common thing that is wrong with the game at all level's. Players get moved out of position to make up for teammates lack of ability or to disguise weaknesses or because some smart

coach thinks they can do better in a foreign position.
For example when I was at Whiston when I was 11, there was a lad called Neil Fitzhenry, he scored 157 goals in a season, was obviously signed up by Wigan, then some bright spark decided to play him at centre half... WHY? The lad scored more goals than Ian Rush and Michael Owen at that age so why change his

position? End result anyway, he's now nowhere to be seen. Shows what the coaches at Wigan know really doesn't it.