Football Is Like A Piano You Need 8 Men To Carry It And 3 To Play The Damn Thing

Bill Shankly Quote

Football is like a piano you need 8 men to carry it and 3 who can play the damn thing; Bill Shankly redefining the balance complex.

Another classic from the legend that is Bill Shankly. A great trait of all Shankly teams was their willingness to attack and take the game to the opposition, there were very few dull moments with him around and negative defensive displays were unheard of.

To those who follow the beautiful game they are aware of football tactics and one stand out (but dull) method is to avoid defeat at all costs.

Although despised by most supporters, teams can be set up to stifle the opposition by limiting the opportunities to score through closing down and the whole team to set up in front of their goal and working hard as a unit.

This requires very fit footballers who are disciplined but it is a very negative tactic and it is very boring to watch.

As Jose Mourinho would say 'they came here to park the bus' (in front of their goal), in the terms of Shankly's balanced team this requires all eleven players to carry the piano.

A change in balance of the team would be to remove a few of the 'work horses' and replace them with skilled artisans of the game.

This is precisely the balance Bill Shankly was talking about when he coined this metaphor about three people who can actually play the game while it still needs eight more to do the hard work off the ball.

Article By: Michael Joseph Farrelly