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Antonio Vacca can remember that moment vividly. The story goes that when current Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Roberto De Zerbi was leading Serie C club Foggia, an incident in a practice match changed his perspective on the concept of ball deployment. , and then even contributed to creating one of the modern tactical trends of the football world.
Originally a futsal player, “god of war” on field 5 in his hometown of Naples, Vacca has a habit of using the bottom of his shoe to receive the ball. “I find it easier to stop and control the ball that way,” he told The Athletic.
De Zerbi recognizes Vacca’s talent and intelligence, so he believes he can break through to a higher level, but there are times when he feels the midfielder uses the bottom of his boot to control the ball. frustrating. Sometimes, De Zerbi would stop the training session and tell Vacca: “If you need to use it under your shoes, why do you abuse it all the time?”
The practice match in our story seemed to pass like the other times De Zerbi urged Vacca to handle the ball faster, but this time, the Italian coach received a response that made him pause to think. ponder seriously.
“No opponents were coming up to press me, so Mister (coach) kept telling me: ‘Pass the ball, move the ball,’” Vacca explained. “So I replied: ‘Mister, let’s say our opponents go into the game with a defensive mindset and I move the ball and no one wants to press, then it won’t make any sense. chief’.
“I reasoned that if I put the bottom of my boot on the ball and lured my opponent into pressing, then I was forcing him out of position. When he does that, we will be able to break down the defense facing a pass.”
Many coaches will react negatively when a player contradicts them on the training field and makes tactical suggestions, but De Zerbi is not like that. At Foggia, Vacca and others frequently discussed tactics with the military leader in his office.
“He was humble and willing to listen to all the players’ opinions,” Vacca said.
“I still remember the next day he said, ‘Vacca is right. When the opponent plays a concrete defense, we need to put the bottom of our shoe on the ball and provoke them to rush, because when a player sees you put your foot on the ball like that, that image will motivate them to rush. ball competition.”
Years later, in a two-hour webinar, De Zerbi credited Vacca with helping him realize the tactical value of using the underside of his boot as a means of inviting opponents to press. , thereby providing one of the core principles of his ball deployment philosophy.
The images below, taken from Brighton’s FA Cup match against Liverpool last season, illustrate this concept. Adam Webster placed the bottom of his shoe on the ball, thereby attracting Cody Gakpo (circled) to press. Alexis Mac Allister drops to create a passing option…
Vacca’s influence on De Zerbi has led to a larger-scale discussion surrounding the emergence of the trend of using the underside of the boot in the ball development process at other clubs, as well as the “cat playing” game. mouse” often accompanies it.
The recent match between Arsenal and Manchester City in the Premier League is a typical example.
During this match, Raya used the bottom of his shoe to hold the ball many times instead of quickly passing it, hoping that a Man City player would rush to press him, thus allowing a teammate to be free.
That was his plan, but it made some fans’ hearts skip a beat.
“It’s all my fault,” The Gunners head coach Mikel Arteta declared, referring to the fans’ reaction to Raya’s play. “They can boo me all they want. But he (Raya) played well. His bravery is admirable, because when having to play under such terrifying pressure – from both opponents and the crowd – other players will choose the safest way to handle it, which is to kick a goal. The ball goes strong and far. But I told him, ‘Don’t do that’.”
“It’s great when new breezes with a progressive spirit like De Zerbi appear. But in English football there are still many people stuck in the old ways of playing football,” said Saul Isaksson-Hurst, a personal coach who has worked with many great players. “The key point is to encourage players to be willing to keep the ball. Usually, they will be told: ‘Receive the ball, go for the ball, pass it forward quickly’. That’s always been our way of playing. So players often spontaneously develop these skills associated with the bottom of their shoes. But the reality is we should encourage all of our players to master this style of play, not just a few isolated individuals.”
Now, Vacca is truly enjoying watching De Zerbi and Brighton benefit from his moment of wisdom on the training ground many years ago.
“I’m proud to see Mister put his little theory into practice,” the 33-year-old shared. “I watch every Brighton match. When they lose, I’m just as upset as I was when I lost.”
“I used to go to Brighton to see Mister. I was there with him for five days, having meals at his house, at his office, and at the training center of this club.
“I have a tattoo of his initials, RDZ. He left a deep mark on me, on my skin, and in my mind – because now I can only swallow his football.”
