By Decentric - 18 Jun 2014 10:27 PM
Sterling (England)
The excellent English player on the pitch against Itlay was the English number 9, Sterling, from Liverpool.
Whenever he had the ball at his feet he was phenomenal at ball carrying and dribbling with his head up.
He also was able to shoulder feint on both sides of the body, change the rhythm from slow to fast, and back again, with amazing balance and close ball control. Whenever he was on the ball he worried Italy.
To me he is the best English player at international level I've seen for some time.
Many other lauded English superstars rely on foreign, club teammates, to do the graft work to make them look better players at the English big five, who are all incredible teams - Man U, Man C, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea.
Sterling doesn't need other players around him to make him look good. I think the Poms have unearthed a genuine world class superstar in the making.
I just cannot get over how well he runs with the ball and dribbles and keeps his head up simultaneously, with minimal looking at the ball, all the time feinting and changing speed. He often draws more than one defender, thus creating an opportunity for team-mates to find space.
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By Decentric - 24 Jun 2014 7:33 PM
Robben (Holland)
This guy has been an impressive performer at the last two World Cups.
Two of his great strengths, are Running With The Ball and 1v1 Attacking skills.
When he runs with the ball, or ball carries, he does it at great speed, having tight, close ball control, when needed, and takes
the bigger touches when he has space in front of him. Robben also keeps his head up well, so he can scan the field of play. His balance is also good, in that opponents struggle to push him off the ball.
In Robben's 1v1 Attacking skills, he uses the body swerve, or shoulder feint, as this move is also known, having a particular good one on his left side. He also utilises the Matthews cut, also known as the inside and outside of the foot diagonal dribble, with a preferred foot.
In addition he uses the standard cut, the inside of the foot move which has an exaggerated body fake to the same side. Robben doesn't often use the flashy stepovers, that Cristiano R uses, such as the Brazilian stepover, the reverse stepover and inside foot rolls or drags. With Robben's preferred evasion moves little can go wrong.
Robben is also a good passer and mover in confined space ash an attacking combination player.
A few days ago he was recored as the fastest player at the World Cup, at 37kph. Travis Dodd has been recorded at 34kph. Usain Bolt, world sprint record holder, has been recored at 45kph.
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