The Soccer Book: The Teams, the Rules, the Leagues, the Tactics

Description

CONTENTS Introduction 1 THE WORLD’S GAME Ancient ball games From folk to association The global game Into the 20th century Futsal (Futebol de salão) Beach soccer Indoor/Street soccer Freestyle soccer Paralympic soccer Grassroots soccer Watching the game Fan culture 2 HOW THE GAME IS PLAYED The field Defenders Midfielders Forwards Goalkeepers The officials Soccer technologies The rules Using set pieces The offside rule Fouls and infringements Shirts, shorts, and socks Boots and protective gear Soccer shirts The ball The goal Sing when you’re winning 3 TEAMWORK Teamwork: key concepts Formations Defensive strategies A quick fix on the pitch Set pieces Attacking strategies Managers and coaches The anatomy of a club 4 INDIVIDUAL SKILLS Anatomy of a player Mind of a player Warming up Training Controlling the ball Passing Running with the ball Step overs Spins and turns Fakes Shooting Volleying Heading Throw-ins and corners Free kicks Penalties Goalkeeping Tackling Freestyle skills Injuries 5 PLANET SOCCER FIFA Confederations EUROPE: UEFA England Famous venues: Wembley Stadium England: the northern clubs England: the southern clubs Scotland Wales Northern Ireland Republic of Ireland Belgium Money madness France French clubs Netherlands Dutch clubs: the big three Denmark Sweden Norway Finland Germany German clubs Austria Switzerland Spain Spain’s big two Famous venues: Braga Stadium Spain: the chasing pack Portugal Portuguese clubs Italy Italy: Juventus and Inter Famous games: AC Milan vs Liverpool Italy: AC Milan and Roma Greece Turkey Bulgaria Romania Croatia Czech Republic Serbia Hungary Famous games: England vs Hungary Poland Ukraine Russia Israel UEFA minnows SOUTH AMERICA: CONMEBOL Argentina Argentinian clubs Brazil Brazilian clubs Global migration Paraguay/Uruguay Chile/Bolivia Peru/Ecuador Venezuela/Colombia NORTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN: CONCACAF US Canada Mexico CONCACAF: top clubs AFRICA: CAF Algeria/Egypt Morocco/Tunisia Nigeria Cameroon Ivory Coast Ghana DR Congo South Africa Africa: top clubs ASIA AND OCEANIA: AFC AND OFC Iran/Iraq Saudi Arabia/UAE Famous venues: King Fahd Stadium India China Japan South Korea Malaysia/Vietnam North Korea/Thailand Asia: top clubs Australia Oceania 6 THE COMPETITIONS THE WORLD CUP Uruguay 1930 Italy 1934 France 1938 Brazil 1950 Switzerland 1954 Sweden 1958 Chile 1962 England 1966 Mexico 1970 Famous games: Brazil vs Italy West Germany 1974 Argentina 1978 Spain 1982 Mexico 1986 Famous games: Argentina vs England Italy 1990 USA 1994 France 1998 South Korea & Japan 2002 Famous venues: Sapporo Dome Germany 2006 South Africa 2010 Brazil 2014 Russia 2018 Women’s World Cup CONTINENTAL COMPETITIONS European Championship Trophy Cabinet UEFA Champions League Famous games: Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Real Madrid UEFA Europa League Copa América Copa Libertadores The Gold Cup African Cup of Nations CAF Champions League AFC Asian Cup AFC Champions League Club World Cup Olympic Games 7 THE RECORDS The Records Index Further reading Acknowledgments