Bill Simmons Quotes

I like to watch teams who play well, ball on the floor, ball to feet, playing well as a collective.

To be successful you have to find a good balance between offence and defence, to work without the ball, but our main tactic is to work with the ball, to be in possession.

I always play football in my team, and I know that if you play too much long ball, then it's difficult.

When I play, I like to use my pace and to link up with my team-mates.

I love good flowing football where the whole team is engaged.

I always try to manage the ball in a way that can help the way my teammates receive it.

For me, good football is not about how many skills you show or how many players you beat. It's about making the right decision every time you have the ball.

I compliment Kramer perfectly. We both put in a lot of legwork, win many balls, and we're comfortable with the ball at our feet. We also talk a lot both off and on the pitch.

The midfield is the heartbeat of a football team, it's the centre of the action, so you can't just do one thing.

Soccer is simple, but it is difficult to play simple.

If I don't get the service or if I don't the ball in the box, where I want it, I start drifting into midfield. I go and look for the ball. I try to be important for the team in other areas.

For me football is more about making the right pass at the right time.

There is so much interaction in a football match: between you and your team-mates and how you support each other, work for each other, make runs. But I also enjoy the other aspect: the pressing and how people work so hard to recover the ball.

At Chelsea, there's more focus on team shape, a lot of work on tactics.

The most difficult thing is football is to give the ball to a player that has the same colour shirt.

Tactics are so important because everybody has to know what they have to do on the pitch. The relationships and behaviours off the pitch between team-mates have to be as good as possible.

In England, you might have a possession game of six v. six, and it's like headless chickens: people running around everywhere just trying to keep the ball and be strong in tackles. But in Spain, you always stay in your position. You're still in your shape for every drill.

I have to play with discipline in midfield.

There are a lot of things you learn from playing wide. You also understand the way that you can coordinate with the front three or front two.

I have to open the game from my position. It's really important to play with the ball.

I like it when the team is in control of the match. I like very much the ball possession; I like to play in the other half.

Football is teamwork, unity, defence, assists, sacrifice.

As a player, you are more concerned with the moments when you have possession of the ball or are about to receive the ball. You are watching your team-mates and trying to decide what the possibilities are.

Everyone wants to score goals - that's the point of football - but you have to look at the whole situation in detail.

I like to get the ball on the ground, make good plays and move the ball around the pitch quickly at a good tempo.