This is quite simple really , you believe what you believe for whatever reasons you believe it and so be it. I believe what I believe for whatever reasons I believe it. What I do know is I am having success doing what I am doing , same as you having success doing what your doing and lets leave it at that. You really dont want to know about any idea that challenges your accepted wisdom and thats fine with me , I really dont care that much about your feelings on the matter to be honest.
Strength v speed to win control of the ball............of course its not that simple but I didnt think you would need to be spoonfed every detail. Lets assume the A player has good/great skills in such items as dribbling and speed and creativity but is weak in strength and aggression, lets also assume the D player has good tackling, positioning, strength and aggression but is weak in speed. In open field space the A player will use superior speed to defeat the D player however in close situations the D player will be able to nullify the speed advantage and use superior strength and aggression to effectively push ( poor choice of word I know) the A player off the ball and take control of the situation on more occasions.
This is a player I am building up , as you can see I am advancing his white skills but I am also enhancing certain gray skills such as speed and passing. I am having good success with defenders who can not only stop an opponent but then start the attack from deep.
You may say I am wasting my time and that is your opinion to which you are entitled but I know that the semi mutant attackers I come up against these days dont really worry me anymore because of defenders with speed and passing skill to shift the ball upfield in a good manner. Each to their own theory I guess and until I see overwhelming evidence that what I am doing is not working I will continue on my merry way. Should that evidence become apparent then I will reassess the situation and it may be you are right and I am wrong , time will tell that story.
In the meantime , good luck to you and I hope you achieve your goals.