Review by Booklist Review
Gullit, a Dutch soccer player who won multiple championships and Player of the Year honors in Europe before becoming a manager and then a pundit, adds author to his résumé with this intelligent treatise on the game. Although the title implies something on the level of Soccer for Dummies, this is targeted toward fans who already love the game and know the rules but seek a richer spectator experience. After a quick career recap that reinforces his credentials, Gullit explains what to look for and how to comprehend it, a key idea being that simply following the ball will cause you to miss much of the action. Understanding systems and patterns of play, and the responsibilities of each player's position, before anticipating what happens next or why something went wrong is just as important for an informed fan as it is for a professional analyst. Despite a fair number of diagrams, this requires real reader engagement. But fans who are neither rank beginners nor seasoned experts that is, most of them are bound to raise their soccer IQs.--Graff, Keir Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this meticulous compendium of soccer tactics, formations, patterns of play, and player psychology, Gullit, who was the captain of the Netherlands team that won the 1998 European Football Championship and the 1990 World Cup, provides the perspective of a former player and coach. His guide provides an insider's take on regional styles of play and football cultures, comparing continental football to the game as it is played in England and elsewhere. Gullit's exhaustive examples can at times feel somewhat dense; the most illuminating moments arrive when he shows how formations, patterns of play, and regional differences in referee calls contribute to wins and losses. Gullit offers reasonable advice for players, coaches, and fans willing to sift through his many examples. For instance, "poor defenders tend to concentrate on the ball," and individuals who want to watch a game properly are wise to shift their attention away from the ball and toward systems and patterns of play. Coaches should "start with the basics, the defense," because what matters to a team "happens when you don't have the ball." Gullit's informative guide may be too dense for those new to the sport, but players and coaches will benefit from this expert's approach to the game. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Following on the publication of fellow Dutchman Johan Cruyff's soccer autobiography, My Turn: A Life of Total Football, Gullit offers an intimate guide to the sport. With success as a player and manager (notably for the Chelsea football club) as well as a trainer and media analyst, Gullit's remarkable insight blends personal experience at all levels to create a unique way to look at soccer and see the how and why of matches-almost to the point of ignoring the who. He notes that if a player doesn't fit the dynamics of a team, all of the money used to obtain that player may well be misspent. To Gullit, individual class is the crux of soccer success, a point he clarifies with examples of players fitting the system. Sections on different national teams and new developments within the sport enhance a well-written volume that is long on perspective and short on technical aspects. VERDICT With the continuing popularity of soccer, this is an ideal book for both novices or fully devoted fans to enrich viewing or simply following the sport internationally.-Boyd Childress, -formerly with Auburn Univ. Libs., AL © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
