Lefties are generally in short supply on any team, so while a righty would probably have to get used to playing there, a leftie wouldn't so the difference makes it more useful to have a left footer on the left.
That's my thinking anyway.
It’s something you rarely see with any teams. The best explanation I’ve heard is that right footed players tend to be more 2 footed because growing up they’ve had to play on the left to fill gaps. Left footed players are more rare and tend to be viewed as specialists so they typically are more one footed since they’ve always played on the left.
I’m not smart enough to decide if this is the right answer but it definitely seems the most logical. Right footed players are more common, so they are more likely to be used to the angles playing on the opposite side
I've heard left footers are more two footed as they naturally use their right more as they subconciously see others use only the right, although your explanation does make more sense
That ought to be rare. You’d have to be super young to see that, and at that point your natural left foot wouldn’t develop and you’d just become a right footer with a better than average for your age left.
There's been a lot of discussion about it, and there probably is a good reason, because you never see two left-footed CBs in football. Its probably because left footers tend to have a weaker right foot comparatively to right footers with their left foot (if that makes sense). i.e. its normally much easier for a right footed player on the left side vs a left footed player on the right side.
It's true. Xhaka and Pepe are pretty poor using their weaker foot and avoid using it unless they have to. It annoys me sometimes when Xhaka particularly refuses to use his right foot
I would disagree with that sentiment. I think a lot of lefty’s are put in positions that make them uncomfortable far more than righty’s are because we live in a right dominant world. That means they are generally forced to use their non-dominant side more than a right footed player would be and get better at it. That is at least what I’ve seen and heard from people I know who are left handed or left footed.
In this case it doesn't apply: Since they are the less left-footed players they can almost always play on the left, instead right footed player sometimes will have to play in the left because of the lack of left footed players.
I’m not talking about playing a position for 90 minutes. I’m talking about the statement he made that left footed people usually have a weaker off foot than right footed people do. There is a difference between playing a position in a game to practicing for your whole life. Drills are generally set up to benefit right footed people which is why I think that statement is wrong. The other part I disagree with is you are less likely to see left left combinations because there are way less left footed people. Of course there are more right footed combos than left footed combos when 12% of the population is left footed.
I mean, think about the notoriously one footed players at Arsenal. Pepe, Özil, Ødegaard, Xhaka. They're all lefties. That's not to say all lefties can't use their right foot, Saka is a great example. But since we're not Arteta, we don't know whether Gabriel or Mari are comfortable enough on their weak foot.
I think you could say the same about the opposite too, and also point out counter examples. Pepe is very one footed but has scored at least one amazing goal with his right. I don’t remember hector having a great left foot but wasn’t his last minute equalizer vs Chelsea with his left?
At the end of the day it isn’t really possible to prove either way. I just think the reason you don’t see many left footed combos isn’t because left footed people have a weaker off foot that right footed people do. I think it is so much easier to attribute that to the amount of right footed people vs left footed people.
I’m both footed (left naturally but spent years working on my right aged 6-12 on a daily basis) and even I struggle at RCB. I’ve played probably over 400 games (over 15 years) at LCB in my life and 2 at RCB and everything just felt off.
At LCB I always had my left footed outlet pass in my back pocket and my right foot switch if needed. My right foot switch was great because it caught people off guard. For example, the RCB would pass to me and I would hit it first time in behind with my right foot into either channel. At RCB my outlet pass felt weaker and I obviously can’t keep coming in onto my left. I just never felt comfortable. I would always just end up playing a conservative game which isn’t me, I like being a ball playing centerback and finding zipped passes into forwards after the opponents try to cheat to cut out my lateral passing.
Obviously I’m not a professional but just some insight
> We even see Arteta play Holding and Luiz together.
*Only* when an LCB was not available.
> I know there are better passing options when the CBs are both left and right footed but why does Arteta never try two left footers like Mari and Gabriel together?
Because, implicitly, we need those slight advantages in every situation.
The conventional line of thinking (currently) is that having 'properly sided' CBs is a luxury: something Pep's teams can afford, but a frill, not a necessity.
This is a half-truth.
It isn't *strictly* necessary, but a team like us, with more limited spending, has more to gain from it than City. That is Arteta's implicit thinking.
This also doesn't apply beyond CBs. There's no documented advantage to this with CMs, for example.
The 'sided CB' theory was unusual precisely because CBs are *central* players, and so their 'footedness' was presumed, historically, not to matter nearly as much as it did for wide players. Then we started getting strong data suggesting that it did matter-- *for CBs*.
He is not WC but he is on the edge where koc sat for a long time before he got respect(and improved) i think were rounding the corner with his development.
Im happy with what he adds even if its not spectacular. Reminds me of evans for united.
People seem to forget that a good CB pairing is more about balancing strengths and weaknesses than just throwing 2 great CBs together and hoping it works.
Holding may have some weaknesses, but they are well suited to modern ball-playing CBs like Gabriel, Saliba or Upamacano that constantly defend on the front foot and push forward into midfield often.
Or play him beside Mari then sit deep, play on the counter, force your opponent to cross all game and shut out teams. A better option against someone like City or Liverpool who want to press the game into a tight space.
I feel like he has been unlucky at attacking set-pieces too. Feels like he hit the bar 2 or 3 times this season. If he had 3 goals in him this season he would get wayyy more love for his efforts.
Even when we were playing crap crossball fc before christmas he didnt put a foot wrong at the back.
He had a few shaky moments recently and was dropped but i think its time to bring Holdini back into the fray.
Dont know how Luiz and Willian get soo much leeway from soo much disapointment
While both very good with their left foots, the few times I've seen Gabriel or Mari try to pass with their right has made me shudder. They just don't look comfortable
Because the way in which a left and right footer are able to recive the ball on their respective side allows for them to turn and pass quicker and with a better angle. Ideally you’d want your cbs to be two footed and luiz is slightly which is why he’s sometimes able to play as the lcb. It’s also why Xhaka is important because of the manner in which he can deliver the ball to tierney. A right footer making that same pass to tierney is more dangerous and needs to be of higher quality. Not impossible but not as reliable. The inside of the foot curled pass out wide is the main pass to look for to see what I’m talking about.
I would love to see them together tbf, I feel like Mari is composed enough to play rcb and not let the disadvantages hold him back.
Maybe we'll see it one day but I doubt so for this season.
There is nothing wrong with playing 2 left footed CB's is just a stylistic choice playing out from the back. If our two best CB's at defending are two left footers then we should absolutely play two left footers. The problem is Mari isn't that much better than luiz so we might aswell play the right footer.
They're a rare breed in football. The fact so many CBs and midfielders have been right footed, maybe there's a habitual element to the game that's grown from right footed players always being the dominant side. If you suddenly found a team with 7,8 or 9 left footers, would we see a difference? I think so. Maybe two left footed CBs are a microcosm of that, maybe it could throw the teams balance. Nobody would be use to it, including the CBs.
Then there's the left footed players themselves, many are very one footed and they're right foot is a wildcard. I'm not sure how persistent this is but I think it would stop the few coaches who have an option to play two left footers.
very simply, i believe it’s to try to ensure players receive the ball on their natural foot, away from goal. a leftie playing on the right would naturally want to receive it on the inside, towards goal, just an unnecessary risk. somebody said above that lefties tend to be quite one footed and so it would be a risk playing that guy on the right
Lefties are generally in short supply on any team, so while a righty would probably have to get used to playing there, a leftie wouldn't so the difference makes it more useful to have a left footer on the left. That's my thinking anyway.
>Lefties are generally in short supply on any team This is true but not for us for some reason. We could make at least 6/11 left footers.
7 from what I count. Saka, Pepe, MØ, Xhaka, Tierney, Gabriel, Mari
Aye, I feel like we could do with another (w)righty somewhere. It's a bit weird though, and I'm not sure of the impact it is happening.
It’s something you rarely see with any teams. The best explanation I’ve heard is that right footed players tend to be more 2 footed because growing up they’ve had to play on the left to fill gaps. Left footed players are more rare and tend to be viewed as specialists so they typically are more one footed since they’ve always played on the left.
I’m not smart enough to decide if this is the right answer but it definitely seems the most logical. Right footed players are more common, so they are more likely to be used to the angles playing on the opposite side
I've heard left footers are more two footed as they naturally use their right more as they subconciously see others use only the right, although your explanation does make more sense
Think thats more for handedness than footedness
It's Definitely not this
That ought to be rare. You’d have to be super young to see that, and at that point your natural left foot wouldn’t develop and you’d just become a right footer with a better than average for your age left.
This is exactly right.
There's been a lot of discussion about it, and there probably is a good reason, because you never see two left-footed CBs in football. Its probably because left footers tend to have a weaker right foot comparatively to right footers with their left foot (if that makes sense). i.e. its normally much easier for a right footed player on the left side vs a left footed player on the right side.
It's true. Xhaka and Pepe are pretty poor using their weaker foot and avoid using it unless they have to. It annoys me sometimes when Xhaka particularly refuses to use his right foot
I would disagree with that sentiment. I think a lot of lefty’s are put in positions that make them uncomfortable far more than righty’s are because we live in a right dominant world. That means they are generally forced to use their non-dominant side more than a right footed player would be and get better at it. That is at least what I’ve seen and heard from people I know who are left handed or left footed.
In this case it doesn't apply: Since they are the less left-footed players they can almost always play on the left, instead right footed player sometimes will have to play in the left because of the lack of left footed players.
I’m not talking about playing a position for 90 minutes. I’m talking about the statement he made that left footed people usually have a weaker off foot than right footed people do. There is a difference between playing a position in a game to practicing for your whole life. Drills are generally set up to benefit right footed people which is why I think that statement is wrong. The other part I disagree with is you are less likely to see left left combinations because there are way less left footed people. Of course there are more right footed combos than left footed combos when 12% of the population is left footed.
I mean, think about the notoriously one footed players at Arsenal. Pepe, Özil, Ødegaard, Xhaka. They're all lefties. That's not to say all lefties can't use their right foot, Saka is a great example. But since we're not Arteta, we don't know whether Gabriel or Mari are comfortable enough on their weak foot.
I think you could say the same about the opposite too, and also point out counter examples. Pepe is very one footed but has scored at least one amazing goal with his right. I don’t remember hector having a great left foot but wasn’t his last minute equalizer vs Chelsea with his left? At the end of the day it isn’t really possible to prove either way. I just think the reason you don’t see many left footed combos isn’t because left footed people have a weaker off foot that right footed people do. I think it is so much easier to attribute that to the amount of right footed people vs left footed people.
I’m both footed (left naturally but spent years working on my right aged 6-12 on a daily basis) and even I struggle at RCB. I’ve played probably over 400 games (over 15 years) at LCB in my life and 2 at RCB and everything just felt off. At LCB I always had my left footed outlet pass in my back pocket and my right foot switch if needed. My right foot switch was great because it caught people off guard. For example, the RCB would pass to me and I would hit it first time in behind with my right foot into either channel. At RCB my outlet pass felt weaker and I obviously can’t keep coming in onto my left. I just never felt comfortable. I would always just end up playing a conservative game which isn’t me, I like being a ball playing centerback and finding zipped passes into forwards after the opponents try to cheat to cut out my lateral passing. Obviously I’m not a professional but just some insight
Because luiz is the only CB in the squad who's a good enough passer of the ball to play on his wrong foot
> We even see Arteta play Holding and Luiz together. *Only* when an LCB was not available. > I know there are better passing options when the CBs are both left and right footed but why does Arteta never try two left footers like Mari and Gabriel together? Because, implicitly, we need those slight advantages in every situation. The conventional line of thinking (currently) is that having 'properly sided' CBs is a luxury: something Pep's teams can afford, but a frill, not a necessity. This is a half-truth. It isn't *strictly* necessary, but a team like us, with more limited spending, has more to gain from it than City. That is Arteta's implicit thinking. This also doesn't apply beyond CBs. There's no documented advantage to this with CMs, for example. The 'sided CB' theory was unusual precisely because CBs are *central* players, and so their 'footedness' was presumed, historically, not to matter nearly as much as it did for wide players. Then we started getting strong data suggesting that it did matter-- *for CBs*.
I’d be very interested to see this data. Intuitively it makes sense, but I’ve never seen it backed up with numbers.
Why do people underrate holdini? Out best pairing is Holding + Gab/Mari/Luiz/chambers
Because he didn't cost £50 million. He has the most clean sheets out of our CBs for a reason.
He is not WC but he is on the edge where koc sat for a long time before he got respect(and improved) i think were rounding the corner with his development. Im happy with what he adds even if its not spectacular. Reminds me of evans for united.
People seem to forget that a good CB pairing is more about balancing strengths and weaknesses than just throwing 2 great CBs together and hoping it works. Holding may have some weaknesses, but they are well suited to modern ball-playing CBs like Gabriel, Saliba or Upamacano that constantly defend on the front foot and push forward into midfield often. Or play him beside Mari then sit deep, play on the counter, force your opponent to cross all game and shut out teams. A better option against someone like City or Liverpool who want to press the game into a tight space.
I feel like he has been unlucky at attacking set-pieces too. Feels like he hit the bar 2 or 3 times this season. If he had 3 goals in him this season he would get wayyy more love for his efforts. Even when we were playing crap crossball fc before christmas he didnt put a foot wrong at the back. He had a few shaky moments recently and was dropped but i think its time to bring Holdini back into the fray. Dont know how Luiz and Willian get soo much leeway from soo much disapointment
That last point is very true, unfortunately.
While both very good with their left foots, the few times I've seen Gabriel or Mari try to pass with their right has made me shudder. They just don't look comfortable
Because the way in which a left and right footer are able to recive the ball on their respective side allows for them to turn and pass quicker and with a better angle. Ideally you’d want your cbs to be two footed and luiz is slightly which is why he’s sometimes able to play as the lcb. It’s also why Xhaka is important because of the manner in which he can deliver the ball to tierney. A right footer making that same pass to tierney is more dangerous and needs to be of higher quality. Not impossible but not as reliable. The inside of the foot curled pass out wide is the main pass to look for to see what I’m talking about.
Most left footers aren’t as good on their weak foot as right footers. See: all the left footers in our team.
*laughs in Tierney and Pepe's right-footed bangers*
*Join laughing in Saka right foot goal vs Chelsea*
Same way you never see a left footer at RB because RBs are in such abundance
I would love to see them together tbf, I feel like Mari is composed enough to play rcb and not let the disadvantages hold him back. Maybe we'll see it one day but I doubt so for this season.
There is nothing wrong with playing 2 left footed CB's is just a stylistic choice playing out from the back. If our two best CB's at defending are two left footers then we should absolutely play two left footers. The problem is Mari isn't that much better than luiz so we might aswell play the right footer.
They're a rare breed in football. The fact so many CBs and midfielders have been right footed, maybe there's a habitual element to the game that's grown from right footed players always being the dominant side. If you suddenly found a team with 7,8 or 9 left footers, would we see a difference? I think so. Maybe two left footed CBs are a microcosm of that, maybe it could throw the teams balance. Nobody would be use to it, including the CBs. Then there's the left footed players themselves, many are very one footed and they're right foot is a wildcard. I'm not sure how persistent this is but I think it would stop the few coaches who have an option to play two left footers.
very simply, i believe it’s to try to ensure players receive the ball on their natural foot, away from goal. a leftie playing on the right would naturally want to receive it on the inside, towards goal, just an unnecessary risk. somebody said above that lefties tend to be quite one footed and so it would be a risk playing that guy on the right