What Is The Most Important Technical Attribute?

[Guest]

What do you think is the most important part of technique you need to have as a footballer?

I was thinking about this a bit, but I reckon there is no attribute more important than first touch. A good team needs to have at least 6-8 players with a good first touch, especially up front. It is hard to deal with good pressing systems without it, and it also is needed for first time shots. I find that without a good first touch, you will struggle against better teams.

I'd have heading technique as a close second, but I'd say it's more of a debate, as opposed to my opinion on first touch which is just far and away the most important.

[Cicero]

Ball control. Nothing more technical than that. 

[The Artful Dodger]

The ability to play well with both feet SHOULD be an absolute necessity but you even sometimes see Premier League players quite clearly a lot weaker on one foot than the other.

Composure is possibly the greatest attribute a footballer can have, which is probably more mental than physical. We can all be good with no pressure on, but the ability to stay calm and play through anything is invaluable.

[Panna King]

The most important thing is intelligence, without that you can have all the technical ability in the world but will never succeed. 

[Cicero]

Makelele was an intelligent player but the furthest thing from a technical one. 

[Panna King]

1 minute ago, Cicero said:

Makelele was an intelligent player but the furthest thing from a technical one. 

Look at the players of today, Pogba, Neymar etc, all have great technical ability but thick as fuck which will cost them furthering themselves to be considered as great. 

[Cicero]

2 minutes ago, Panna King said:

Look at the players of today, Pogba, Neymar etc, all have great technical ability but thick as fuck which will cost them furthering themselves to be considered as great. 

But the topic of discussion is the most important technical attribute. 

[Panna King]

1 minute ago, Cicero said:

But the topic of discussion is the most important technical attribute. 

Yea but was just making a point, I think I have been reading too many of sirbalons posts 

[Stan]

First touch, surely. 

Without that you end up like Lukaku trying to recover the ball after the touch of a donkey.

Once you get the ball under control it makes your game much easier (or it should, in theory). 

[Azeem]

What Stan and TAD said, the ability to get the ball under control with your first or early touches with either of your feet and the body in general.

[Mel81x+]

I agree on first touch. It can make or break a situation no matter where you are on the pitch. I do agree also that intelligence has to be coupled with it because although it can be ascertained by a certain level of muscle memory and consistent practice but the ability to apply it in a situation to either turn the player pressing you or to open space for yourself. That's what differentiates good players from ones that have the skill but can't necessarily apply it correctly.

[Inverted]

Touch of course. Passing is also important, but there's no point playing a great pass if the recipient is a donkey and his touch goes out of play.

[JoshBRFC+]

Creativity, flair, composure, passing, movement, dribbling.

Basically this man/god/legend.

[Dr. Gonzo]

I'd say passing or first touch. It's hard to say which is more important - if you've got a team of players with great first touch but they're shite at passing... they're not going to be up to much. If you've got a team of great passers, but they have a first touch like Lukaku (tbh, I think Lukaku is actually a great passer of the ball... and he's got the touch of a rapist)… so you've got a team of Lukakus, then they'll be able to pass the ball but they'll give it away constantly.

I'm inclined to think the side that can pass the ball better would win that. It's hard to imagine a side where they're only really strong at one technical attribute though, so it's a bit of a silly hypothetical.

The most important physical attribute is stamina. The players that get tired very quickly, I always end up rating less, because you can't rely on them for 90 minutes.

[SirBalon]

25 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I'd say passing or first touch. It's hard to say which is more important - if you've got a team of players with great first touch but they're shite at passing... they're not going to be up to much. If you've got a team of great passers, but they have a first touch like Lukaku (tbh, I think Lukaku is actually a great passer of the ball... and he's got the touch of a rapist)… so you've got a team of Lukakus, then they'll be able to pass the ball but they'll give it away constantly.

I'm inclined to think the side that can pass the ball better would win that. It's hard to imagine a side where they're only really strong at one technical attribute though, so it's a bit of a silly hypothetical.

The most important physical attribute is stamina. The players that get tired very quickly, I always end up rating less, because you can't rely on them for 90 minutes.

I agree with this... First touch isn't just about controlling and receiving the ball the great technique. A footballer that can have total control of the football with a first touch tends to also be able to manipulate the ball with great technique in other needs of playing the game. Passing is obviously also up there with the most important attributes one needs. But football intelligence over all the greatest attribute any footballer can have but then again can that be trained at all! Not likely. 

[El Profesor]

I´d say it´s first touch, ball conduction, ball protection and passing. These are the basic attributes.

Another important attribute is a good sense of positioning. You spend most of the game without the ball, so I´d say .being in the right place, at the right time, antecipating where the ball will be is also very important. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

1 hour ago, El Profesor said:

I´d say it´s first touch, ball conduction, ball protection and passing. These are the basic attributes.

Another important attribute is a good sense of positioning. You spend most of the game without the ball, so I´d say .being in the right place, at the right time, antecipating where the ball will be is also very important. 

Positioning is so underrated but I think it’s what separates the good players from the great players a lot of the time

[SirBalon]

8 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Positioning is so underrated but I think it’s what separates the good players from the great players a lot of the time

Positioning, understanding opponents, predicting and expecting is what I catergorise under 'football intelligence' which you either have or you don't.

[MUFC]

Loads of variables in this, but you have players who have everything but don't make the grade, which attribute is missing? Mental strength. this is seen as one of the most important factors in the game, they say football is in the head. What I mean by variables is that one attribute can be important but never cuts it e.g. some players have great first touches but can't pass for shit and give it away a lot.