Canuck Oranje Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 At the time when all players were play domestically, the answer was obvious. Now, it really isn't that clear. I would argue that for players like Radzinski, Stalteri and de Guzman, the National team may actually be a step down. Does Beckham play with better players at the National team level? Van Nistelrooy? Ibrahimovic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted February 5, 2005 Share Posted February 5, 2005 It depends on the player. Obviously, Honduras and Guatemala are no Bayern or Arsenal, but then again, Portugal isn't the Virginia Beach Mariners... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soju Posted February 5, 2005 Share Posted February 5, 2005 Are you talking about quality of opponents or quality of teammates? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Oranje Posted February 5, 2005 Author Share Posted February 5, 2005 quote:Originally posted by Soju Are you talking about quality of opponents or quality of teammates? When I posed the question, I was thinking more about quality of teammates but both are good questions. The reason for the question is because we often hear the phrase, "stepping up to the National team level". I am not sure if that applies in many cases now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted February 5, 2005 Share Posted February 5, 2005 But the National Team has a lot to do with the psychological aspect of the game. High pressure games with no tomorrow and no chances until 4 years later. Radzinski is an EPL player, but playing in Honduras for a win is a much different beast than playing in Portsmouth or Bolton in a 38 game season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted February 5, 2005 Share Posted February 5, 2005 But the National Team has a lot to do with the psychological aspect of the game. High pressure games with no tomorrow and no chances until 4 years later. Radzinski is an EPL player, but playing in Honduras for a win is a much different beast than playing in Portsmouth or Bolton in a 38 game season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Oranje Posted February 5, 2005 Author Share Posted February 5, 2005 The question was about the quality of players and the quality of play. While I agree there are some differences, I am not convinced that the psychological aspect at the highest club level is that much less challenging. Take Jim Brennan's situation at Norwich as an example. If he makes a serious blunder, he could find himself burried in the reserves again. Or it could make the difference between staying in the Premiership or getting relegated. It could also mean the difference between getting another contract or being let go. Then having to face a press and fans that really care. Or JDV's in Ipswitch. If he makes a mistake, it could be the difference in getting promoted and the loss of millions to the club. That hangs over his head each week. At the National team level, there are teams that need to be functioning at the highest level possible to advance (like Canada). Yet there are others such as Brazil and Argentina that can advance playing some of their games at less than 100%. Again, it depends on circumstances, but I don't think the answer is clear. quote:Originally posted by Daniel But the National Team has a lot to do with the psychological aspect of the game. High pressure games with no tomorrow and no chances until 4 years later. Radzinski is an EPL player, but playing in Honduras for a win is a much different beast than playing in Portsmouth or Bolton in a 38 game season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Oranje Posted February 5, 2005 Author Share Posted February 5, 2005 The question was about the quality of players and the quality of play. While I agree there are some differences, I am not convinced that the psychological aspect at the highest club level is that much less challenging. Take Jim Brennan's situation at Norwich as an example. If he makes a serious blunder, he could find himself burried in the reserves again. Or it could make the difference between staying in the Premiership or getting relegated. It could also mean the difference between getting another contract or being let go. Then having to face a press and fans that really care. Or JDV's in Ipswitch. If he makes a mistake, it could be the difference in getting promoted and the loss of millions to the club. That hangs over his head each week. At the National team level, there are teams that need to be functioning at the highest level possible to advance (like Canada). Yet there are others such as Brazil and Argentina that can advance playing some of their games at less than 100%. Again, it depends on circumstances, but I don't think the answer is clear. quote:Originally posted by Daniel But the National Team has a lot to do with the psychological aspect of the game. High pressure games with no tomorrow and no chances until 4 years later. Radzinski is an EPL player, but playing in Honduras for a win is a much different beast than playing in Portsmouth or Bolton in a 38 game season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrennanFan Posted February 8, 2005 Share Posted February 8, 2005 There is nothing like playing for your country, the pressure and pride at stake are much higher than club football. maybe, compared to the big clubs, individual player skill level goes down a bit, but international competition is still special, and much more difficult to make an impact in. playing for money vs playing for passion- theres no doubt which is the higher level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amacpher Posted February 8, 2005 Share Posted February 8, 2005 quote:Originally posted by BrennanFan playing for money vs playing for passion- theres no doubt which is the higher level. Common man, that's absurd! Change your last line to "playing for lots of money AND some passion VERSUS playing for less money and slightly more passion-" *snip* ... and it would be more accurate. But even that is a generalization, I admit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soju Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 I think the pressure of playing for anything you really love and would hate to dissapoint is a lot to handle. At the same time I wonder how many Canadian players are really passionate about playing for a country that for the most part doesn't care about them, compared to how many players are just going out there and playing for themselves. Of course I want to believe that everyone of them out there are passionate about playing for their flag, but in some cases these guys don't live in Canada for many years and may lose a strong feeling of connection with their country, while creating a real close bond with their club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ref Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 quote:Originally posted by Soju I think the pressure of playing for anything you really love and would hate to dissapoint is a lot to handle. At the same time I wonder how many Canadian players are really passionate about playing for a country that for the most part doesn't care about them, compared to how many players are just going out there and playing for themselves. Of course I want to believe that everyone of them out there are passionate about playing for their flag, but in some cases these guys don't live in Canada for many years and may lose a strong feeling of connection with their country, while creating a real close bond with their club. All very true I think. I remember Radzinski some years ago, I think shortly after Osieck took over, that he refused to play for Canada, because he was more interested in the perks and the Volvo that his Club was giving him. Just last year in the women side we had Thorlakson who refuse to play for Canada because she wanted all the glory from her school team. Unless you have a deep patriotic sense, Canada's national soccer offers little to brag about. We have moved away from the original question in the thread, I would like to add that besides the consideration of the quality of teammates and opponents, we should also include the quality of coaches compared to that of Clubs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Oranje Posted February 10, 2005 Author Share Posted February 10, 2005 About the coaches is a good point... I will also add that challenge of coaching a national team is no doubt more difficult than coaching a club. That is because of the hassle of getting together players and organizing them over a few days before a game. That is not saying anything about the actual quality found at each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.