Arsène Wenger on which Arsenal players are strongest in the air: Best header of the ball he has seen... I would say Mark Hateley was the best. For defenders it’s more natural, I had a player who is my assistant now – Steve Bould – who was very good at it. Tony Adams was also a very good header, and Sol Campbell too. But for a striker like Hateley it’s more difficult, you have to be more accurate, make your movement and get in there. The secret of Hateley’s technique... I believe it’s a question of timing your jump, protection, and then timing of the header. What Mark Hateley could do really well was that he headed the ball while his body was completely vertical. He always jumped up with his two elbows out beside him, protecting him. The advantage of this is that when the guy jumps next to you, as long as you jump first, he lifts you up. The other advantage is that when you head the ball early, the force is straight. Most of the time the ball comes slightly off the top of your head, because you don’t header it early enough, but when you hit it with your forehead, you can direct it better. Most players head the ball too early, and it comes off the top of their head. Hateley’s timing though was absolutely perfect. He was very good at jumping up and hitting the ball with just the right part of his head. Best headers in his current squad... I think Olivier Giroud is very good with his head. He’s close to Mark Hateley. He wins the ball a lot with his back to goal, makes passes, deflections, holds the ball up well. So you feel he will finish better with his head in front of goal, because his technique is there. Another who is surprisingly good in the air is Alexis Sanchez, he has the strength and a good leap.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 17:30:50 +0000
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