John Barnes

So are we concentrating too much on technique?

I think we're concentrating too much on tricks because I don't know how real it is.

It could be AI, but on my phone all the time, I'm seeing people I've never heard of and the skills that they're actually doing looks incredible.

But what you see now are players putting themselves in positions to do certain tricks, like drag backs and stuff like that.

For me, technical ability for me is getting in the right area on the right, on the half turn with an awareness around you to be able to get the ball and play one touch or two touch.

Whereas we feel technical ability now is about having five and six and seven and eight and nine touches on the ball.

You know, so I think it's more to do with me looking at

Ronnie Whelan is an example, or other players and what they did in those positions, and we try to recreate what they did.

And as I said, what Graham Taylor made us do at Watford is we had to be able to play in every position.

So there is a functional requirement of a position.

And if you understand that, playing on the left wing, playing as a centre-back, playing as a right-back, playing in these positions, if you understand that and you are technically competent, you should be able to play.

You see people playing in many different positions rather than thinking, I am a centre-forward, I'm a left-winger.

It wasn't... When people talk about tricks, I don't think I would beat a player.

But I wasn't a player like... Or he does lots of tricks.

I think I was more direct than that.

You're just doing it to beat them.

I mean, for midfield, that's why you look at the Barcelona midfield players, you're like, well, they're little.

I mean, they're not particularly quick.

Xavi's not quick.

And he's not like Ronaldo, step over.