The main difference between Ashley Cole, and my performer, is the fact that Ashley Cole is strong enough to be able to challenge with the other performers, and so he increases his chance of being able to win the ball for his team. My performer isn’t very strong, and like Ashley Cole isn’t very tall, and so by not building up his strength he will never be able to compete due to the opposition being able to knock him off the ball easily. Another difference is that Ashley Cole will use his right foot first to tackle, without any hesitation, almost like a motor programme giving him another advantage. When compared to the year 7 player though, my performer is much better physically, but this is mainly due to the fact that this performer hasn’t been able to develop physically yet, and is able to perform at his level well. The technique of my performer is generally quite good, and you can see that the young performer is starting to learn these, but isn’t as far “along the line” to be able to execute it well all the time.
My performers passing, can be good, yet at times appears to have a lapse in concentration for a period of time, and his passes will go astray. This I think is a weakness, as when compared to other performers in his team, they don’t do this as often as he does. When compared to Ashley Cole, my performer is a long way behind, as through my analysis, in one match, Ashley Cole had 98% of his passes successfully reaching someone on the same team, whereas my performer could only manage 55%. This issue is one that needs to be addressed, and I think its due to the fact that my performer doesn’t like to use his right foot. This is a trait similar to that of the year 7, and by having this in common, it shows that my performer hasn’t progressed properly since that age. He must be able to use his right foot comfortably, in order for his game to progress. This can be seen when compared to Ashley Cole, as he comfortably used his right foot when required, even though he didn’t use it a lot of the time.
Being able to clear the ball with your head is vital as a defender, and this is a part of my performer’s game, which is weak, due to primarily his lack in height, but secondly a lack of power in his legs, which means he can’t get a good height on his jump in order to be able tom compete. This, when compared to the year 7 isn’t much of a problem as they are all similar heights, and there aren’t too many long balls or high crosses played. When you compare my performer to Ashley Cole, who isn’t tall himself, you can still see a clear difference in their heading. The reason for this is that Ashley Cole is able to make up for the height difference, by being able to jump highly, and therefore being able to compete. This is due to the power that Ashley Cole has in his legs, which enables him to be able to jump higher than others to enable him to compete.
Shooting, is something which my performer rarely does, and Ashley Cole too doesn’t get many shots in, however he does get in one or two. This is due to him having the anaerobic energy to be able to both attack and defend, continuously. By attacking, Ashley Cole is given chances to have a shot, and on the whole, when he does have a shot, they are quite good and fairly accurate, and don’t miss by a large margin. My performer rarely gets forward, and so any shots he has are often from distance, and are rarely on target. The year 7 performer though, hasn’t got much positional sense, and so does attack frequently, but his shots are of a poor standard and are weak in power.
Dribbling is something that my performer rarely does, and is also something that Ashley Cole doesn’t do often, but still does, more than my performer. When my performer does attempt to dribble, more often than not, there is not an end result, whereas Ashley Cole uses it mainly in the final quarter of the pitch to get a cross in or even a shot. The year 7 performer dribbles a lot, yet hasn’t developed the proper technique yet, and can lose control of the ball, when running with it, and then trying to change direction.
The crosses supplied by my role model, Ashley Cole are on the whole very good, and he can supply them when the chance is available for him to do so. My performer doesn’t get forward enough to cross, but when the ball is crossed, it is largely successful in being delivered to a dangerous area. My year 7 performer does occasionally put crosses in but they are not of a great standard, and aren’t often dangerous enough to create a chance for his team.
The positional sense of my performer I feel is a strong part of his game, and I think when compared to other performers in his team, he is high on the list, as he seems to be “at the right place at the right time”. Ashley Cole, I feel is better positionally still, but only due to his wider amount of experience and the high level he has played at. The positioning of the year 7, in contrast though is poor, and more often than not is somewhere he shouldn’t be.
My performers arousal when performing, I feel really lets him down, as I feel that if he was more alert he would already be a better player. I think that he goes through patches of good and bad play due to his low alertness levels, and if they were altered, his performance would improve accordingly. When compared to Ashley Cole, his alertness levels are very low, as when Ashley Cole plays, he always is on his toes and waiting for the ball to be passed to him, or to challenge for the ball. By being alert, he is able to get to the ball quicker than if he wasn’t as alert. The year 7 performer I feel, is too alert, due to him running around the pitch, trying to get to the ball, not remembering to stay in position.
