Offensive Movement Quotes

I'm never going to be seen as an attacking midfielder who's going to dribble past anyone, create untold chances, and score lots of goals, but going forward is something I've always enjoyed doing.

When you're a kid you just think about where you are going to be to put yourself in a position for the next scoring chance. But as you develop, you start to do things that may not catch the eye of the normal football watcher, the dropping back, the closing down.

When you move into becoming more of a shooting guard, you get more catch-and-shoot three's, lot of pin-downs and things like that where you shoot the three a lot more.

The basic premise of my system is to fatigue your opponents with constant pressure defensively and constant movement offensively.

I feel like I am definitely an attacking player. I don't really know where specifically that is, whether it's centrally or out wide. I do feel like I just naturally have a mindset to go to goal or create goals or things like that.

When Messi has the ball centrally, with time, he has so many options to hurt you.

I pass and I move, I help you, I look for you, I stop, I raise my head, I look and, above all, I open up the pitch...The one who has the ball, is the master of the game...Thats the school of Joan Vilà, of Albert Benaiges, of Johan Cruijff, of Pep Guardiola

The bigs are there on the help-side if the guy goes by me, and I'm able to switch to other offensive players.

I like to get out in transition. That is one of my favorite aspects of the game.

If I'm playing higher up the pitch, it's important I don't get carried away and start dropping too deep and I stay in my position.

I am a player who likes to play in between the lines and try to break that midfield line, whether it's when I receive a pass or can go and show everyone what I am about.

Marco Silva is always talking to me in training; he is always giving me guidance on positioning in the area. His coaching is essential for me. He is training me with an eye to being in the right place at the right time when balls come into the box so I am able to score more goals.

I realised when I was a striker that when I ended up wide on the left or right, it can be so much easier to get space and face defenders up.

At fullback you have a little bit more defensive responsibility. You have to help out with your center backs a little bit more. As a wing back, you can be a little bit more aggressive with getting forward.

Offense is spacing and spacing is offense.

I don't want to get any messages saying, "I am holding my position." We are not holding a Goddamned thing. Let the Germans do that. We are advancing constantly and we are not interested in holding onto anything, except the enemy's balls. We are going to twist his balls and kick the living shit out of him all of the time.

That's the intelligence of football: to see when to be compact, when to counter-attack, or, if you see that you're in the opposite half, you try and win the ball.

I've always enjoyed getting forward, pushing up-field to help us in our attacks, but I think you can still do that from a central position, too. You don't have to sit deep all the time.

That is my position, really: staying out wide and, most of the time, going into one v. one situations, which I am good at.

When I draw defenders into the lane, it's easy for me to kick it out.

Firstly, I am somebody who plays in a defensive role, and we need to start with that, but then I need to bring the ball forward and help the attack.

Now and again, you may be picking a pass or two in behind, making something happen, but when we're attacking - especially at Liverpool - I'm focusing on protection, being disciplined, being careful, worrying about counter-attacks, things like that.

The key for me is movement. When the ball comes into the box, or when the wide players get it, that's where I have to be clever and make my runs. That's where I come alive.

You put a lot of pressure on your defenders to be able to hold the fort when you go forward.

In the English 4-4-2 you have to change your mentality from a winger to a left midfielder, having to help your full-back.