The Role of Trust in Soccer – Part 1

I know you have seen teams that keep and move the ball very well. Barcelona comes to mind immediately, but there are others. The AC Milan of old, Real Madrid during the days of Zidane, Arsenal, Manchester United, or any Brazilian National team. They all were/are excellent in possession. There was a flow to the game that you had to admire. It seemed as though every player was involved.

The superficial interpretation of this is that they are technically good, tactically sound players. This is certainly true, but the major contributor to the collective success, is that the players trust each others ability and decision making capabilities under pressure. These players appreciate the value of allowing another player to be their eyes. They also recognize when they are the play maker and when they are the facilitator. This lends to a rhythm of play that is very difficult to break, because the players know when to be simple, when to play where they are facing and when to be creative. Everyone is on the same sheet of music.

This trust comes from years of playing together in a system where every role is clearly defined, but the players also understand each others roles. The natural rotation of players, therefore, does not put anyone in an unfamiliar situation. This allows for multiple attacking options, which makes the team much more unpredictable.

As a former player, I can certainly appreciate the value of trusting my team mates. There is, however, nothing more gratifying than knowing that your team trusts you.