Ricardo Moniz at Tottenham

The lush playing surface at Tottenham's training ground offers near perfect conditions for White Hart Lane's finest to refine their silky skills, but Martin Jol is already exasperated.

"I don't know what is the matter with you," he bellows. " One minute you're like Marco van Basten, the next.......Denise van Outen."

Perceptive though he is, it has already slipped the Tottenham manager's mind that I am taking part in in a session with his new skills coach wearing boots that were once the the property of a player- Fredi Kanoute- who is frustration personified.

Ricardo Moniz, who arrived from PSV last week to work with every side from the U9's to the first team, promises to be the Premiership's latest, must have, designer fashion accessory.





He is the first of his kind in this country and in time, the Spurs skills coach intends to import the 94 tricks he has learnt from the famed Dutch coach Wiel Coerver and arm the Tottenham coach with most, if not all, of them.

"Name me 5 players in this country who could get you off your seat" demands Jol

"Robben, Ronaldo....."
"Come on, who else?"
"Er...Jobi McAnuff?"

It is not, by any stretch of the imagination, an impressive list. Jol wants his players to play with panache and, if that is to be the case, then Moniz has picked the right club.

" I haven't seen anyone feint in this country since Paul Gascoigne," adds Jol. " Are they too scared? The pace of the Premiership is fast, it is physically demanding, but I want something more."

Jol is playing a percentage game. He knows that adding one percent to his team could make the difference between fourth in the Premiership and the Champions League and another season among the also rans.

Although Jol demonstrates one of the drills by juggling the ball with both feet before it cimes to a rest, perfectly balanced midway down his thigh, Monis is not a circus act.

" You would never do that in a match," stresses Jol. " But it demonstrates to players that they can be the boss of the ball."

At 49, the Spurs manager is a borderline member of the generation who claim they used jumpers for goal posts and played 20 a side matches in the streets until after dark. He excels with both feet and is genuinely staggered by the number of Permiership players who cannot even control or pass with their weaker foot.

"Name me a two-footed Premiership player," he asks.

It is a fair point. They simply do not exist.

"Show me your favourite skill- anything." ventures Moniz.

No pressure, but the Cruyff turn has never let me down.
"Nice. Now let me see it with your left foot."

"Do what?"

Depending upon a players attention span and commitment, Moniz believes he could improve technique with an hour. Evidently this is going to take a bit longer.

"If you can perfect one skill, you can be a great player," argues Jol. " Two, and you're world class."

Last week, Moniz began working with, among others, Mido. in time he will correct the striker's perpetual habit of of wrong-footing defenders and then running into them to earn a free-kick

Instead, Jol wants his striker to increase his options by wrong footing the defender, pushing the ball past him, following it's path and then making a decision.

Moniz refers to all the skills by the name of the player who first championed the particular art.

Critics of the Coerver system claim that it is flawed, saying that there are too many variables in a player's make-up for it to be truly universal.

He tested the theory by conducting a social experiment on a group of 30 under-privileged kids in a remote part of North Africa. In time they became proficient in every skill and with both feet. Told to do the "Waddle" they will run with the ball in a straight line and contour like a seagull whilst it circles the sea.

Or the "Romario", a complex move involving a rapid double flick, a dip of the shoulder and a burst of acceleration that has been copied (sometimes successfully) by Cristiano Ronaldo.

Then there is the "Zidane" ( shield the ball, do everything to keep it under control and make sure it stays with you in every situation) or the "Routledge" (running down a blind alley). Sorry boss, couldn't resist.

And then there is the Van Basten.

"You want to try the Van Basten- are you crazy?" asks Moniz.

Possibly. The overhead kick that became the former Holland international's signature strike is not easy to execute, but Moniz is happy to run through the procedure. " Just one more thing," adds Jol. " Soften the impact of the fall by putting your hand out otherwise you will end up in hospital - and no one wants to see that."

The first effort (destination row Z) is eventually retrieved by a puzzled groundsman but we hit the jackpot after an ever so minor slight technical adjustment with the second (destination: top corner).

" Unbelievable! " screeches Jol. " Right, that just leaves us with the crossbar challenge."

"Left or right foot boss?"

" I would advise you to use your strongest."

Instead i opt for my left and clip the top of the bar.

" Unbelievable! "

That Ricardo, he certainly has something.

Article is from The Daily Mail

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