My last week in London was a little different than mainland Europe. I was able to relax a little bit more and enjoy the city. London is a huge city with a lot of history and culture. I took it all in by going to the museums, touring the historic buildings, mingling with the people, and of course attending the futbol matches.  I was able to attend three matches: FA Cup- Millwall vs Bradford CIty, Premier league game- Chealsea vs Newcastle, and an Uefa Cup Game- Tottenham vs Dinamo Bucharest.    

It is amazing to see the different styles of play from country to country. The English game is full of passion, hard challenges, and in my opinion is still a little bit more direct in their style of play (long direct play). The long ball style is especially seen at the lower levels of soccer in England. However, the premiership teams are starting to change their style a little as their are many foreign players and coaches in the league. It is more of a mixtures of style. But in the end the fans play a big part in how a team will play, because they pay the bills and they are the ones the players hear in the stands. The different types of fans that support the club, play a huge influence in the style of play: rich or poor, kind of job, culture of city, history of a city/club, religious background, and nationality all play a big role. For example- If a club is supported by a poorer working class fans- they may want their players to work hard/go into challenges hard and play with a lot of passion.    

After seeing these different styles of play, one can asks "which is the best to win games?" The truth is their is no best, they are just different styles. The different influences in a club/country often dictate this. In the end, soccer is more than a game and the players/clubs have to represent what their people want/believe in.

However, I want to distinguish this from the youth game. The adult game and youth game are completely different (this is true if you have a philosophy of player development). The end result of soccer is to win (it's a game), but to get to that point it is important for young players to take risks, explore their game, and to make mistakes. The young players can win every time, even if they lose a game.          

Everytime I travel to another country to study soccer, I learn a great deal about the game and myself. This trip made my vision/philosophy even clearer. It is important to note that we can't just copy another club/countries way of teaching/playing because we deal with many different senarios and situations. The trip is about observing, ideas, and analizing our own situation. When you see different ways of doing things it makes you think about how you do it yourself and whether you can incorporate the method into your teaching.         

I returned 2 days ago and Pepijn and Jefta (2 coaches from PSV) are staying with me for a couple of weeks. Our players and coaches are going to get a chance to learn from 2 coaches whom have a very strong philosophy in player development. I can't wait to get back on the field and to work with the players- see everyone in a few days!       

Lastly, I want to thank my Parents, Family, Andrew Ziemer, Pepijn Linders, Frans Hoek, the coaches I met and traveled with, and all the people whom supported me to learn about the wonderful game of life.