Video clips for youth players

Right click and choose Save Target As to download or click directly on the links and play immediately after download. Estimated time 5 mins on 28.8k connection. More to come as new clips are added. Younger players can learn much from analysing video. Press space bar as the video plays to stop-and-go the action. Use ALT-Enter for full screen viewing. More to be added later. Thanks to  www.fussballstarson.ru for clips.

Final goal of the 1974 World Cup- German player Rainier Bonhof beats his Dutch opponent and centers low to the powerful Gerd Muller. Muller is caught off balance, but recovers, pivots and hammers the ball home. Worthy of study by younger players. Note Bonhof's acceleration towards the Dutchman and the foot shuffle- he is positioned to go either  inside or outside. Dribblers can always gain space by varying speed and cutting parallel at the right moment, and defenders can seldom stop them. Observe Bonhof's use of the low cross which can often be as effective as pumping a high ball into the center. Also note Muller's hunger for goal. He shot quickly. If you have a clear chance, hammer away! Don't delay! 1.7mb

First strike of 1970 final- Pele and Jairzinho celebrate Goal #1. Pele outleaped Burgnich the Italian defender to smash the score home. Note that Clodoaldo the midfielder makes the throw from the sidelines into space which Revelino, the smooth Brazilian forward, quickly picks up. Revelino, does not dawdle but centers first-time from the throw-in, and Pele demonstrates good heading technique by striking the ball at the height of his jump. (1.8mb)

Maradona- "Hand of G-d" - 1986: The infamous, cheeky, "street" goal that has passed into football legend. Unable to reach the ball in time, Maradona punches it past the English keeper, and gets away with it. His action was wrong and to be avoided, but younger players should note his burning desire to score,  and his capacity to improvise.     Another thing younger players should avoid is dribbling into a tightly packed defense as Maradona does here. This is a classic dead end unless the defense is very inept. Only the great players can pull it off. Going nowhere fast on the wrong foot, Maradona improvises by initiating a "one-two" (wall pass) with Valdano. As is known, the wall pass can penetrate the teeth of the densest, most negative opposition. Peru brought this classic move to a high art  in 1970, and Maradona again proves its value.  But even here, Valdano has little room to maneuver, and it is the English defender that intercepts and taps the ball back (rather dangerously) to his goalkeeper which Maradona intercepts with his (human) hand.     Still to his credit, it could be said that the Argentinian improvised well, creating something out of virtually nothing. This move had potential but there was simply not enough space to make it work.  Also note that after his pass to Valdano, Maradona didn't pause to admire his handiwork, he kept moving towards the goal. Good players move off the ball  into space. (1.3mb)

Greatest save in World Cup history- 1970- Banks vs Pele: The tale of this legendary confrontation has been told many a time. The powerful running of Brazil's right winger Jairzinho set the stage. Sprinting down the flank, the muscular speed merchant pounced on an excellent through pass from Gerson, accelerated past Cooper the English back, and lofted a high arcing cross to Pele in the center. Pele headed down powerfully and was already raising his arms in triumph when Banks leaped to his right "like a salmon over a fall" Pele said later, and somehow flailed the bouncing ball over the crossbar, saving a sure goal. The Brazilian forward said it was the greatest save he had ever seen, and many would agree. Dang! I wish I had this one- peace :)

Greatest combo move ever- Brazil vs. Italy, 1970

The soccer fan would be hard pressed to find a better example of combined play, picking apart one of the tightest defenses in history, the infamous Italian catennacio "padlock" defence. The Italians used FOUR defenders, PLUS a sweeper, PierLuigi Cera, BEHIND the "back four". They only used 3 midfielders, (playing defensively) and 2 strikers. Despite the dense pack however, the superb skills of Brazil picked it apart, showing especially that any defence can be beaten using the principle of both width and depth. Also note the free movement of Brazil's right winger Jairzinho, who crossed the entire field to appear on the left flank, playing FROM the wing, not on it, as well as the sacrificial run of Tostao up the middle to make more space.  Although not shown in the clip, Brazilian midfielder Clodoaldo began the move with a weaving dribble out to the left flank, that beat 3 men and essentially pulled the Italian defence in that direction. A fatal gap was thus opened up for the thundering run of fullback Carlos Alberto on the right, as we shall see. Clodoaldo disposed of 3 opponents and found the mustachioed Revelino moving up on the left. Revelino quickly played the ball forward to Jairzinho, who crossed the field to appear on the left flank. Quick, accurate passing was a hallmark of Revelino, something younger players, who too often hang on to the ball or kick it aimlessly, should learn. Almost without pause the powerful Jairzinho began a weaving run. In the Final he was contained somewhat by the Italian captain, the giant Fachetti, but even Fachetti could not stop Jair from scoring the third goal, and here containment was his only hope as "the Hurricane" made his move. Still as can be seen, Fachetti played Jair well, backing off the ball, and squeezing Jair inside where it was more crowded. So far, all seemed safe for Italy. Fachetti covered well, as did the other Italian defenders. There were 2 extra men as insurance in the back as Jair began his run. As Jair accelerated, the ever dangerous centre forward Tostao began a sprint up the middle, drawing his defender with him, diverting the Italian defence and making more room for Jair. Younger players should note the movement OFF the ball by Brazil. They were not sitting around waiting for a pass. Lesson: move OFF the ball into space. Increasingly squeezed inside, Jair's run nevertheless drew the defence to him and he eased the ball to Pele in the center. Always dangerous, Pele paused and shaped to make a dribble.  The Italian defence was in a dilemma. A sharp challenge to Pele, would open up a gap for Jair and Tostao. A lesser challenge would enable the great forward to work his magic. The Italians opted for "rope a dope" style containment, and in a sense they were right. Pele seemed well covered, and there was still the sweeper at the back as insurance behind the defence. Nevertheless, Pele's feint, combined with the previous moves, drew the Italians left, and he casually slipped the ball right- to Carlos Alberto who was thundering up from the rear, totally unmarked.  Note how Pele plays the ball AHEAD of Alberto, using space intelligently, so that the fast fullback ran on and shot without pausing, in full stride, smashing the ball into the Italian net. The principle of width stretched and drew the Italian defence. The principle of depth -fresh men moving up from the rear- allowed Brazil to exploit the gaps created by width. At the last, the Italians appeared bemused by the rapid sequence of Brazilian moves. It was a fitting end to the tournament. Obviously the analogy can be overplayed, but it seemed to many long-time students of the game, that the smooth improvisation and skill of the artist, had triumphed against the linear negativity of the workaday clock-puncher. As respected sports writer Brian Glanville put it, the Final took on the dimensions of an allegory. Click here to download the video