- Jun 14, 2008
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Ya ya toure was also a laboured runner but very efficient at what he did.It's an illuminating collection of clips, especially as it's one match and against a Premier League side, but even there at 21, his running appears laboured. It's a strange contrast that I alluded to above: with the ball at his feet, especially in tight spaces, he's quicksilver, but when he has to make ground, he sort of lumbers up to moderate speed. As someone else wrote, he doesn't run like a 21/22 year old.
I have a prejudice in favour of players who prefer to make the ball do the work. I mentioned Riquelme above, but also Carrick and Pirlo are different examples and, of course, Iniesta. But many of that kind of player need to have a team built around their skill-set - they need someone to provide cover and to take pressure off them, so they can do magic things. I'm not sure that's practical in the PL in 2020 and I don't think it's Mourinho's way of doing things. His midfielders can be exemplary, but they aren't usually magicians.