BBZ8800
Senior Member
Speed and stamina is where it's at in terms of fitness. Not as much muscles and height.
Speed and stamina is a basic, something like technique.
For example: a player with technique but without physique will be better than a guy with physique without technique.
But they'll both be destroyed by a guy who is both physical and technical.
In terms of physique, stamina and fitness is closer to Pep's Barca and City who relied on pressing, movement and pace upront and from wingers.
And that works for Pep.
But outside Pep, a stamina-fitness guy like Pedri-Gavi will eventually lose in CL finals to Chelsea-Liverpool-Bayern types who posses both stamina, fitness and technique plus more height and strength.
Rm who won 4 Cls had a nice amount of technique, mentality, stamina, fitness but also strength and height from Cr7, Benzema, Bale, Casemiro, Ramos, Varane.
Way more strength and height in midfield and attack than Pep's teams who are are sacrifying everything for movement-technique-link up combo.
This is why Pep has 0 shots in a Cl final and 10 years of mysery in a CL.
It works good against weaker league opponents where technique and possession is by far the best way to go.
Majority of recent Wc and Euro winners also had a mix of technique, stamina but also height and strength especially France, Germany, Portugal.
It will be interesting to see whether Spain with shortish players will win ever again in a new era.
It works good until a certain point, though.
Someone will reply: but but but it worked in 2008-2012 for Spain.
Well, it works if you have the best team ever so you can compensate for physique.
It hadn't worked before the golden generation and it is not working since.