It does not appear to matter what sport is played, from rugby to soccer to golf; selection of teams is often deeply contentious, even though there will be good reasons for the selections.
People question selections made by coaches in all sports, suggesting that the choices are wrong, unfair, disrespectful, stupid and much more besides.
The bottom line though is this: selection is not necessarily about picking the best players all the time, especially in team sport.
We might think that the best players in the world of soccer, say, were the most expensive ones – after all, if they are not the best players, why are teams paying so much for them? However, the most expensive players in the world are often the strikers and it would be folly to play a team that is completely filled by strikers.
Many questioned the South African rugby team against Romania in the recent World Cup match as it contained four scrum-halves. However, they argued (if we were prepared to listen) that the decision was “a strategic one, aimed at providing backline options to manage the challenges of tournament rugby. The team has been rotating players and testing them in different positions to ensure a group of closely matched players in terms of quality and skills”.
There is a lot of sense there. While the end result of 76-0 should have vindicated any such decision, was it a ridiculous selection?
Unnatural?
Many questions were asked of the Arsenal manager recently when he did not play a current England goalkeeper (who played every league match last year and has started well this year) but chose a goalkeeper he has brought in on loan from Brentford.
- School of Sport: Unnatural selection
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Arteta, the manager, stated that "I cannot have two players like this in one position and not play them”. He wondered why people criticise him for doing that but do not question why he swaps his outfield players. Indeed, he argued that he must “get everybody engaged in the team”, so that they are ready when crunch moments do arise.
Similarly, there have been huge questions asked as to why Harry Maguire is picked for his country England but not for his club, Manchester United. The respective coaches clearly see different qualities in the player or seek different skills from him, regarding how they want their team to play.
In golf, when selecting his team to play the USA in the Ryder Cup, the European captain Luke Donald had to pick the top six players on the Order of Merits but then could choose six others.
His selection surprised many, as he chose one player who only turned professional three months ago (though he has won one tournament already) and other older players who have struggled in stroke play this year, yet he left out of the team a man (Adrian Meronk) who has won three tournaments over the last fourteen months, including one that was played on the course where the actual Ryder Cup is being played.
Meronk understandably said he was "shocked, sad and angry" at his omission.
The captain here (who selects the team) clearly was looking at many different factors, not simply the skill level of the players, trying to find the right balance and blend for the team. Stroke play, which the players play for the most part throughout the year, is very different from match play and certain players are stronger in one than another.
He also will have looked for a balance between new and experienced players, as well as finding a blend of different personalities who can also bring something important to the team.
In a similar way, in cricket a coach may not select the best batters, determined by averages or strike rates. He will look at combinations of right and left-handed batsmen; he will look at which players are better in whichever conditions the team will be playing.
He will look for many factors, not simply the statistics.
Indeed, Eddie Jones, the current and controversial Australia rugby coach, often quotes the 1991 World Cup winning coach of Australia, Bob Dwyer, who argued that the selector “should always select players with the attributes you can’t coach”, citing such examples as competitive spirit. That might mean an unnatural selection.
Jones also noted in one interview, while considering successful coaches, that “To do what they did you have to have the right ingredients. Sometimes it’s just changing the way they play, sometimes it’s changing the way they think, sometimes changing the way they train.”
Sometimes – not always.
Selection is not always going to be made for the same reason. Parents need to understand that.
