Renowned English football manager Roy Hodgson frequently used thought-provoking quotes to impart his knowledge of the sport. One of these demonstrates the difficulty strikers encounter when the opposing team takes a very defensive stance on the field.

Picture yourself as a painter, equipped with all of your paints and brushes, standing in front of a blank canvas, ready to create something stunning. But picture yourself and the canvas separated by a thick glass wall that no one else can see, yet you can feel its presence strongly. Being a striker when the other team chooses to play extremely defensively is kind of like this.

Hodgson's quote highlights the challenges faced by an attacking player, particularly a forward or striker, when the opposing team withdraws into their own half of the field and crams as many players as they can into their defense. By reducing the areas and opportunities where the attacker can work efficiently, the goal is to make scoring very difficult.

Born in 1954, Roy Hodgson has a lengthy managerial career that includes managing the England national team from 2012 to 2016. His vast experience in a variety of leagues and nations has given him a deep understanding of football tactics, which makes his observations about the game especially perceptive.

The main idea behind Hodgson's quote is that, as a striker, you need to be able to create openings and have room to move around your opponents. Your ability to score goals and play at your best is severely hampered when those spaces are scarce or nonexistent due to an extremely defensive setup by the opposing team.

This figurative perspective reflects not only football strategy but also more general ideas in competitive sports and even business settings: coming up with creative solutions to problems that limit your typical tactics and strategies becomes essential when confronted with overwhelming opposition.