Antonio Valencia wants to improve his weak foot
- Thread starter MyOnlySolskjaer
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I was posting as a response to @RedDevil@84Are you guys serious?
wait until you're 32 to improve your weak foot brehs
Every time I've seen him cross with his left it's always found the man ironically
I don't see why not? Your body doesn't just stop responding to training at 30+. Improving your weak foot is mostly strengthening and straightening out your awkward technique.
When I played in goal, I was completely one footed. Couldn't even play a 10 yard pass along the ground with my left, and I needed to work on it as I couldn't make clearances with it. I'd just spoon the ball out for a throw with my stronger foot. Only took a few months of repetitive use and doing a bit of work in the gym to bring it up to speed and be able to play accurate clearances and long passes with it. And that was from going from being completely one footed. I was younger when I did that, but I don't see why I couldn't do it again now if I needed to, at the same age as Valencia, and Valencia is obviously in much better physical condition than me, and he isn't completely one footed anyway. In the last 2-3 years, he's delivered pretty decent left foot crosses and he's always been able to control and play simple passes with it.
There's a great deal of one footed players who will awkwardly try to scoop the ball with the outside of their stronger foot, rather than playing the ball with their weaker foot. It's annoying to see at such a high level. I remember Chris Waddle ranting about it on 5 Live (I think?) a few years ago, saying that when football training is your 9 to 5 and the facilities available to professional players, there should be no such thing as a one footed player. He himself said he was one footed, and put in a few months work to improve it. He was a very two footed player in his prime, yet rather one footed when he was younger.
He's just discovered the caf, seen all the comments and has developed a complex.
I imagine a lot of them read it from time to time. It's publically viewable and it's Natural to wonder what people think of you.
Are you guys serious?
I thought he did post some pic of his shins and you made up the other part of the story.
Corrected Tony.
Isn't his lack of using his right foot a little exaggerated? Giggs was terrible with his right. Messi hardly uses his right. Mata seems pretty one footed. Few players are genuinely two footed, which is actually a little shocking. VDS, I recall, didn't even bother shifting to his right foot when he had all the time in the world. He was that good with his weaker foot. Now look at our outfield players... who are great with both feet? Carrick. Anyone else?
His left foot would be like a new signing.
That's funnyFollowing United's game against Leicester this weekend, Christian Fuchs posted this photo on his social media account following ninety minutes of shin-smashing crosses from Antonio Valencia.....
We need a sculpture of Tony in our conditioning room to be an example for anyone wishing to be tough as balls. Should go down as one of the United greats imho, his dedication and desire to continue to reinvent and improve himself is nothing short of amazing.
Valencia's lack of a left foot makes him incredibly predictable though, something which those other players aren't/weren't.
Also Messi's weak foot is better than the strong foot of most players, he just doesn't use it that much because he doesn't have to.
Sort out your right foot crossing mate
He probably wakes up every morning in horror to find something in bed with him, only to realise it's another foot.
Messi and Mata are left footers playing on the right. Valencia is a right footer playing on the right. Messi and Mata have more options to their play while with Valencia you know his only move is to cut to the outside and smash a cross in. Not being able to use the foot that is closer towards the centre when playing on the wing severely limited your passing game and dribbling options.
You see it with Martial that he is hesitant to go on the outside of defenders, even when he accelerates past them like a breeze simply because his left foot isn't good enough to consistently deliver quality crosses. Valencia is sort of the same, just the opposite in that he can go past on the outside, but is somewhat limited in crossing inside. Giggs was much more talented in every aspect of the game bar bench press and squats, but he too struggled to produce consistenly good crosses or shots with his right foot.
I agree that Valencia would be a better player if he knew how to use his left foot better; however, I just think that a lot of players are really, and surprisingly, poor with their weaker foot, so it's not like he is an anomaly. A Norwegian pundit explained how Valencia used his right foot to an effect that he didn't really need a left foot much - which is sort of true. Still, it is incredible how a professional footballer can be so limited with his weaker foot.
I have seen very little evidence that Messi's right foot is very good - it's one of his weaker sides. Robben is awful with his right foot, is pretty predictable, but is still one of the best wingers out there. Giggs cut inside quite a lot, but he still didn't shoot that much with his right. That being said, he did score some screamers with his right foot - Valencia has one goal with his left? I'm not defending Valencia here. I'm merely stating that other players, better than him, have made pretty good careers whilst still being one footed and not being criticized as much for it. Nani was probably our last properly two footed attacking player.
How about he works on crossing with his strong foot first?
He should focus on crossing better with his stronger foot.
Because, as you've just said, those players were still able to be incredibly effective despite not having a very good weak foot. Valencia stopped being of any use going forward a long long time ago, and wouldn't still be at the club if he wasn't strong defensively and converted to right back. Nobody minds Robben cutting in every single time because he scores tons of goals doing it, if Valencia actually had any success going down the line every time then people wouldn't mind so much that he has no left foot.
Agree about Nani, he really could do anything with either. Always exciting to watch a player like that
A Pereira is as good as they come, Pogba and Lukaku are comfortable with both, I have a feeling that Herrera, Bailly and Lingard are good with both as well.
It didn't take Valencia all these years at RB to realize that he needs a better left foot, it took us to have a midfield of some sort and an attacking game with some incision that we're now able to find our fullbacks in decent positions for them to be able to cross.
Exactly.
P.S. Are you guys related?
Maybe Antonio realized that he won't be needed soon (new player) so he is trying to show Jose that he wants to stay and will fight for his place under the sun.
I just can't understand why it took him so long to realize it. Maybe he thought his fighting spirit and speed was enough. Maybe he just realized his right foot is crap too, for most of the time and with getting older speed is not on his side any more, because defenders are catching him. When they do, they know exactly what he will do. Heck, I know it from my sofa.
Totally agree. Albeit at my very amateur level, when I used to play football at school, I went from being one footed to equally 2 footed in 6 months, through twice weekly repetition.
If you put your mind to it, and get the right guidance, its relatively easy. Modern day footballers have no excuse whatsoever for being weak on one foot.
Shame he didn't do it years ago.
He should improve his right foot first
Could not agree more.
Crossing with his left foot hasnt been his main problem, its control and passing with the left foot. He always tries to get the ball on to his right foot. He does this when receiving and does it when wanting to pass. The problem it creates is if he receives the ball with his right foot in a situation where his left foot would have been the appropriate one it means he loses a split second of time, thats time for defenders to pressure him, time lost for him to look up for his next pass or movement etc. So often when we attack down his side the ball gets to valencia and slows down because of this. Players are making runs and moving and he needs that extra split second to assess and we see very few balls crossed but mostly he cuts inside and then plays a simple ball to a support player inside or behind. Its been a few seasons where he regularly beat his man and got to the byline anyway and this habit he has just adds to his lack of effectiveness going forward.
Unfortunately that particular problem is too late to fix at 32, its just not possible no matter how much extra work he puts in this season, lifelong habits are very hard to break and when players are under intense pressure then they always revert to habit.
Unfortunately that particular problem is too late to fix at 32, its just not possible no matter how much extra work he puts in this season, lifelong habits are very hard to break and when players are under intense pressure then they always revert to habit.
Whenever my son practices juggling in the backyard, if I notice him using mostly his right foot, I'll yell, " Great job, Valencia!"
He laughs and knows exactly what I mean.
He laughs and knows exactly what I mean.
Yes, he certainly needs to use his left foot more...He is being caught out,in trying to use his right foot all the time and just using the left to stand on....
Absolutely terrible, to look at a professional footballer, who cannot, and does not, even try to use his left foot....
Does he shout back "thanks Moyes"?
Thats why i saw him ping two crosses in with his left foot against leicester and they were good as well. Took you a while to realise you minx, if only it was done 6 years ago, better late then never. Upgrade your right as well it has downgraded over the years.
Sorry but the fact that people are calling those two left footed crosses "good" shows how far standards have fallen for him. They were far from "good". If you want to see a good cross, watch Salah's set up for Sturridge.
Yes I was thinking that. In fact it bafles me that all players should be coached at an early age to us both feet and become 2 footed. we see so many players use only one foot, which as it is their profession is really ridiculous they cant use the other.