在足球比赛中,倘若遭遇困境,信心便会受挫——而这与联赛排名无关。
It may seem odd to have a confidence crisis when right at the top, but it's rare even for champions to not have at least one dodgy spell in a season when results don't go their way, and the football is less than inspiring.
的确很诡异,球队在联赛名列第一的时候却被质疑信心不足。然而即便是作为一只冠军球队倘若某”热⒒硬患驯慊岜慌烂挥胁扇「用跋盏慕ィūJ氐拇蚍ǎ┍惚慌凰冀
The positive from Liverpool's point of view is that games weren't lost, and another victory has subsequently been banked. I wouldn't go as far as to suggest that the Blackburn result, and the performance of the final 30 minutes, represents a corner turned, but it was encouraging to see the Reds hold on to top spot for another week in the face of pressure and criticism.
对于利物浦来说乐观的是球队并没有输掉过多的比赛,胜场也越来越多。暂且不说与布莱克本一役的最终比分、球队最后三十分钟的表现、教科书式的角球战术等等,能看到红军在近期饱受压力与非议的情况下赢得三分并且依旧位居联赛第一就是件值得欣喜的事情。
Confidence really is the most important thing in football, and yet it's the least controllable. It can be affected in positive ways by a manager, but it cannot be conjured when absent or pinned down when present.
在比赛中信心是最重要的,却又是最不可控制的。教练能激励队员们使他们信心
更足,但却不能像魔术般将信心变给他们。
If one aspect of the performance goes wrong, confidence in that part of a team's game can quickly crumble. And conversely, as we saw with the recent problem with scoring goals, once you get the first, the rest can soon follow with an ease that just wasn't possible minutes earlier.
一方面来讲,球队表现不好出了问题,稍有不慎信心便会使整支球队快速崩溃。另一方面我们也可以看得出球队近期的进攻问题:一旦我们取得了第一个进球,第二个、第三个早晚都会来临。
Confidence can change on a moment of genius, or, as we saw at Blackburn, a mis-hit Dirk Kuyt shot that fell to Alonso to trickle a shot over the line. The Reds had experienced another fairly difficult first half at Ewood Park, and while the second 45 wasn't vintage, it was more than good enough. The confidence had returned, and Yossi Benayoun's brilliant match-winning goal came out of a revival in the
Reds' belief.
信心会因为一个天才瞬间的闪光而改变,或者换句话讲在与布莱克本的比赛中,库伊特误打误撞的射门成就了阿隆索进球的助攻。在埃伍德公园红军经历了艰难的四十五分钟,而后45分钟则踢得非常出色,怎么夸都不过分。贝纳永锁定胜局的一球让红军再一次充满信心。
The expression_r 'form is temporary, class is permanent' could almost relate purely to confidence; it is, after all, at the heart of a player's form.
有句古谚云“外在的表现只是暂时的,内在的气质才是永存的。”说的就是信心,毕竟这才是队员们的动力之源。
Take the example of Alonso. It looked like he might be sold in the summer, after a couple of seasons when, mostly due to injuries, he seemed to have lost his way a little.
拿阿隆索来说,来到利物浦之后他的表现有目共睹,但(上赛季)由于伤病他的主力位置开始动摇,而这个夏天他差点离开安菲尔德。
Then, over the summer, Alonso played an important role for Spain in
their remarkable success. As '12th man', he came on in most games
to help the eventual winners show their class. Still his future at
Liverpool looked uncertain, but at his best he was always one of
Rafa's key men, and I found it hard to believe he would
leave.
随后,阿隆索在西班牙队的维也纳之旅中成为了最佳12人,在这只冠军之师中阿隆索几乎每场都会出场,展现了不凡的脚下技术。也许他在安菲尔德的未来依旧不那么明朗,但表现最好的阿隆索永远是拉法的关键先生,而且我也不相信他会离开。
Now you could argue that it led to Alonso reaffirming his love of
the club, and is playing the best football of his Liverpool
career.
你们当然可以说阿隆索的表现证明了他对俱乐部的忠心,因为现在是其红军生涯最美妙的时候。
He is imposing himself on matches once again with his exquisite
vision, be it long range passes or the sort of short, simple and
sensible kind that keep possession ticking over. He is also getting
about the pitch, looking fit and aggressive, and has already scored
two vital goals in league victories over Chelsea and
Blackburn.
他精致的脚法,富有远见的大局观让他成为球队的大脑,长传以及有质量的射门盘活了整支球队。他的表现也使得他占稳了主力位置,并且在比赛中踢得富有侵略性,他也在联赛与切尔西和布莱克本的比赛中进了至关重要的两球。
As a manager, there's a fine line between the
decisions that affect confidence and motivation. If you drop a
player, does he lose confidence, compounding the issue? Or does he
try harder to get back in the team? Often a manager wants a
positive esponse of one kind or another, and that's another reason
why Benitez tries to buy strong
characters.
作为一个教练,决定谁首发谁替补往往能够影响队员们的信心和动力。如果你不得不舍弃一个人,究竟是挑面临复杂的问题时失去信心的?还是挑努力训练期待重返大名单的人呢?主教练都希望看到积极因素,这也是为何贝尼特斯相中的球员都有颗坚强的心。
It can take time to build confidence at a new club, too. If Robbie
Keane is feeling down he need only look at Nicolas Anelka. The
Frenchman, after successful stints at four previous Premiership
clubs, had a miserable first six months at Chelsea, and missed the
penalty that would have won them the Champions League. Hardly the
platform to become the following season's star striker. But look at
the stats.
加入一家新的俱乐部并重建信心这需要一定的时间。如果罗比基恩现在感到失落的话我想他只需对比下阿内尔卡就可以了。高卢人在英超的四家俱乐部都有不错的经历,然而他加盟切尔西的最初六个月却是不堪回首。他罚丢了也许能给球队带来欧冠奖杯的点球,几乎没人认为他是赛季最佳射手的争夺者,但看看现在吧!
Not for the first time, I have a couple of issues
with the country's highest profile pundits in their assessments of
Liverpool, although to their credit, both Alan Hansen and Andy Gray
do see the Reds as genuine title challengers. The problems I have
are with the smaller
details.
我已经不止一次的想和那些“高水平”的专家探讨一下关于利物浦的问题了,包括阿兰汉森以及安迪格雷,他们都对认为红军是联赛冠军的有力争夺者。我的问题或许更加的侧重于细节吧。
First, Andy Gray was yet again criticising zonal marking. Four
Liverpool players failed to notice a short corner at Ewood Park, so
the set-piece defending failed. However, excluding the Carling Cup,
Santa Cruz is the first opponent to score against the Reds this
season from a corner or free-kick delivered into the box (Jamie
Carragher scored the other). That’s 16 league
games and seven in Europe.
首先,安迪格雷依旧在批评球队的定位球防守问题。做客埃伍德公园的比赛中四名利物浦球员没能领会布莱克本的短角球战术,于是红军的定位球防守便被认为是失败的。然而,即便把联赛杯的比赛算进去,圣克鲁斯的进球是红军本赛季首次定位球丢球(卡拉格的乌龙是另一回事)。那可是16场联赛,7场欧冠阿。
Every system has its flaws, so by all means point
them out. But put them in context. Apart from last season, and the
first few months of 2004/05, zonal marking has been a brilliant
defensive system for Liverpool, as the hugely meaningful stats
point out. Every week I see far more goals conceded through poor
man-marking.
每一支球队都是有瑕疵的。但这么说吧,上个赛季以及0405赛季初的一段时间红军的定位球防守确实是个大问题,几乎每周我都可以看到定位球防守漏人导致丢球。
Then there was the issue of the manager's cautiousness. In
analysing Benitez's preferred system, Gray kept talking about two
holding midfielders. My argument is that this is a case of
needlessly negative semantics.
然后就是关于教练是否保守的问题了。格雷在每一次分析贝尼特斯的技战术时,总会说到两个中场的配搭问题。我想类似的“建议”毫无意义。
For Liverpool, Javier Mascherano is always a holding midfielder.
But Xabi Alonso isn't. He is a playmaker with licence to roam. One
of the league's best passers, he also gets forward a lot more when
paired with the little Argentine.
对利物浦而言,马斯切拉诺永远是位置固定的后腰。但阿隆索不是,他有着“漫步中场的许可证”。作为联赛最佳的传输者之一,比起年轻的阿根廷小弟他有更多前插的机会。
When it's Alonso and Gerrard, then of course the Spaniard will
naturally sit deeper. But as we saw at the weekend, Alonso has the
freedom to get forward and have attempts at goal when Mascherano is
in the side.
当杰拉德和阿隆索搭档的时候,西班牙人必然会后撤的稍微深一点。不过正如我们在周末看到的那样,阿隆索依旧有向前奔袭的自由,并试图取得进球,小马则在一旁协应。
So it's another 'negative' label on this Liverpool side that
doesn't fit. Granted, Alonso won't get ahead of the ball like Frank
Lampard, because that's not his game, but equally, he is far from a
holding midfielder in this system. He has scored as many goals this
season as
Claude Makelele managed in almost 400 games for Real Madrid and
Chelsea, and both were from open play.
于是这又被贴上了“消极保守”的标签。但阿隆索不像兰帕德那样每每尝试射门因为这不是他的特点,但同时他又不是小马那种固定式的后腰。他在本赛季的进球数与马克莱莱在切尔西和皇马加起来400”热幸谎
I also think it was a touch unfair of Alan Hansen to suggest, even
in the guise of observation rather than criticism, that the manager
is the most cautious in Liverpool's history.
我也认为阿兰汉森把贝尼特斯定位利物浦史上最为保守的教练是相当不妥当乃至不公平的。
I've been impressed with Hansen's analysis of
Liverpool this season, but the focus on caution, to my mind, is
wrong. You don&'t get to the top of the table with
overly cautious football.
汉森关于球队本赛季的战术分析的确相当独到,但说到保守,我想,他是错的。保守的打法不会让球队位居榜首。
As a whole, I honestly don't see Rafa as a cautious coach; I still
see him as all about the balance. In a game like Blackburn away,
it's easy to think that the Reds can just go there and blitz the
opposition, but the home side were always going to come out
fighting.
总体来说我完全不认为拉法是个保守的教练;我想他是那种追求攻守平衡的教练。在客战布莱克本的比赛中,主队总想打出来,我们完全可以等待时机打快速反击。
I see it as fairly sensible to tactic to start out solid, and
gamble more as the game progresses, using the team's extra quality
as space opens up.
但比赛的进程并不如此,双发打起了对攻,随着比赛的推进,节奏的加快,球队的打法只能说越来越冒险了。
It can go wrong, but so too can overcommitting men
early on and paying the price before you've even got a foothold in
the game; there's no guarantee either approach will work. So
caution could easily be another word for being sensible, only with
damaging negative
connotations.
这也许会导致失误,但倘若在取得一个进球后将过多的人力投入到防守当中或许付出的代价会更惨痛。没有一种百战百胜的打法,谨慎保守或许是明智的另一种说法,甚至可能比后者受隐性打击更小。
It's easier to be constantly positive if you are by far the best
team in the land; a position Liverpool had got themselves into by
the mid-70s, after a decade of improvement under Bill Shankly, and
it was a supremacy that lasted another 15 years. You have that
in-built confidence as winners. Yes, you become more of a scalp,
but your belief as a team should be immense. You've got the medals
to prove you can win league titles.
如果能像这样一直保持联赛第一,那么对俱乐部前景表示乐观就不是什么困难的事情。正如经比尔香客利调教后取得长足进步的红军自从20世纪70年代起统治了英伦15年之久。作为常胜之师我们有着必胜的信念。虽然现在的我们看起来没有当时那么风光,但是必胜的信念依旧会令人发怵。我们得用金牌来证明我们有实力赢得冠军。
What Liverpool now face is far
harder. The team still has that expectation that they should be
winning things, borne of decades of league titles, but without the
platform of years of recent success. Paisley, Fagan, Dalglish and
Souness inherited teams full of league
winners; Benitez didn't.
目前利物浦所面临的竞争是艰巨的。但大家都期待着登顶英超,作为赢得联赛冠军最多的利物浦,却已经很久没有触摸到顶级联赛的奖杯了。佩斯利、法甘、达格利什、索内斯都带队获得过联赛冠军,但贝尼特斯目前还没有。
I think that consistently beautiful football becomes easier when
you have that success in the bank, but for now, Liverpool just need
to win the league by any means possible.
我相信当一只球队夺冠如探囊取物般容易的时候都会坚持漂亮足球,但对于目前的利物浦来说,重要的是赢得联赛冠军,而不是去争执以何种方式赢得冠军。
I'd like no.19 to be attained with 100 points and
150 goals, but at this stage in the club's reawakening, but we
cannot be too precious about it. The same applies to simply
challenging for the title. We can worry about the aesthetics
another time, but beggars can't be choosers, and for almost two
decades we've been begging just for a shot at the title.
我也很希望球队可以在无缘英超19年后的今天,获得100个积分,进150个球。但在球队重新觉醒的今天,我们不应该太注重这些。简单、实在同样是赢得冠军的重要途径。我们可以在其他时候讨论“战术美学”、讨论“漂亮足球”,我们“迫切”想赢得冠军,而不是去“选择”赢得冠军,在将近20年无缘联赛冠军后,我们只是期待着今年可以一击中的。
Let's also not forget that Liverpool's attacking play has ranged
from very good to superb against a number of teams this season,
including Chelsea, Manchester United, Everton, Wigan, Manchester
City, West Brom, Bolton and, perversely, in the defeat at Spurs.
Many of those
matches were without the club's best attacking player, Fernando
Torres.
我们也不能忘记本赛季红军在与英超众多对手交锋的时候都取得了进球,包括切尔西、曼联、埃弗顿、维冈竞技、曼城、西布朗、博尔顿以及顽强的热刺。而其中的大部分比赛,我们都缺少了锋线最利的一把尖刀——费尔南多.托雷斯。
But it's encouraging that in the number of games
when the team hasn't played well, results of one kind or another
have been achieved; no bad performance has resulted in a complete
lack of points. And that is why the Reds are justifiably top.
同时在球队发挥不佳没有取得进球的比赛中我们的结果却并不糟糕,甚至都取得了积分,这也是鼓舞人心的事实。而这也证明了红军当上领头羊是无可争议的。
I honestly don't see the point of Hansen implying
that Benitez isn't as positive as Graeme Souness and Roy Evans;
surely positivity lies in the outcome, not the means? w
what's 'positive' about the sloppy
defending that let down the mid-90s side, or, in Souness' case,
losing far too many games? Evans won 48 per cent of his league
matches
(excluding his time with Houllier), and Souness won just 41 per
cent.
阿兰汉森暗示贝尼特斯不如索内斯或埃文斯那般积极进取,说实话我不这么看。难道积极进取不是从结果上看?而是从过程上看么?难道90年代中期索内斯所执教的那支球队输掉那么多球就是“积极进取”么?埃文斯的执教生涯中(包括其与霍利尔同时执教的比赛)胜率是百分之四十八,而索内斯只有百分之四十一。
By contrast, Benitez has won 56 per cent of his
league matches, while his all-competitions record stands at 57 per
cent – the same as Bob Paisley's, and better than
Bill Shankly's. Does that suggest caution?
相比之下,贝尼特斯的联赛胜率则有百分之五十六,仅比佩斯利的百分之五十七稍低一点,比香客利也要高。难道这也是保守么?
Liverpool played some beautiful football under
Evans, and as a season ticket holder throughout his time in charge,
it gave me a lot of pleasure. But what Liverpool lacked was the
right balance between defence and attack.
在埃文斯麾下利物浦踢了许多漂亮足球,季票的订购者也是迄今为止最多的,这的确令人欣慰。但利物浦所欠缺的是攻防之间的平衡。
worked.
保守谨慎在现代足球中似乎被看作为不思进取、耍小聪明,甚至被认为无法展现足球的真实魅力。完全都是胡说八道。利物浦的欧冠奖杯就是建立在所谓的“保守谨慎”之上的,而且事实证明这是成功的。
So I'm not arguing that Liverpool are currently an extremely
positive attacking side to rival the Brazil of 1970, as that's not
the case. What we are seeing is neither caution nor a gung-ho,
devil-may-care attitude; it's a successful balance. For me, the
manager is
'tactical', not 'cautious'
所以我并不认为目前的利物浦是一支极其强调进攻的球队,1970年的那只巴西队便是如此,然而时过境迁。现在的我们该追求的不是一味的消极防反或者以魔鬼都害怕的方式拼命进攻,而是去追求攻守之间的平衡。在我看来,教练是“有战术修养的”,而不是“保守谨慎的”。


加载中…