Quote Originally Posted by hopelesslyoptimistic View Post
No such thing as too bright too be a footballer. In Germany many more mid class background kids make it as pros. Maybe explains some of their national team results over the years.
Mmm, many points to consider in my scenario which I offered in brief, H. 😂

Over reliance on analytical intelligence can cause players to ignore their gut instincts or innate bodily responses that are crucial for 'quick-instinctive' plays on the field, for sure.

I will also highlight the unique cognitive profile of elite footballers with additionall qualities like mental toughness & group cohesion which are found to significantly enhance players overall performance too.

Intelligence can become a hindrance if it leads to overthinking, hesitation or an inability to balance cognitive processes with the physical demands & emotional intensity of the game too, traits I saw in Bamfords game play.

Often intelligent players might struggle to manage their emotions during 'high-pressure' situations, which can hamper their decision making overall performance, too, again traits of PB we have all seen, H.

Not knocking backgrounds, far from it, just offering an opinion thats been researched & studied with regard to players of high intellectual & erudite state of mind playing in football.

In my mind, then 'football-intelligence' is about the quality of 'decision making' & the thousands of decisions a player has to make during a match. The better their understanding of the game, the better their footballing awareness decision-making in a nutshell is my point - hence my Bielsa approach merit.

The below article pretty much is how I kinda see things unfold when watching a game to spot genuine 'footballing-intelligence' operate, more so when I used sit in the stands jotting downs team players impact on games via individual performance stat sheets.

Anyway heres something to read on your Sunday morning late breakfast after you have circumnavigated 'Cloudflare' after yer weekly jog, H, before DF identifies a possible Bamf replacement for your perusal. 🤣

https://www.theguardian.com/football...ers-develop-it