Football has always been a beautiful game. It is one of those sports that keeps you engaged for two hours, and the supporters themselves might get tired after watching an enthralling game! But is the money now making football a dull game? Can "beautiful football" be bought?
I'm not so sure.
Let me take you back to the final of the World Cup 1970, where Carlos Alberto, Brazil's right back, scored one of the best goals of all time. The pace of the game may not have been the same as it is today, but the quality of that goal makes it special. The ball moved from back to front, from left to right, and Carlos Alberto just put his foot through the ball to make it 4-1 to Brazil. Who were the opponents, you ask? Italy, one of the most miserly defenses of all time.
I'm sure that everyone knows about the system of "total football," which the Dutch employed in the 1974 World Cup. You would see a right back score plenty of goals and the 10 outfield players rotate positions as if it was nobody's business. It was a treat to watch but, unfortunately, it didn't yield the World Cup. Nevertheless, the Dutch finished second and their brand of adventurous football would be remembered forever.
In the late 1950s and a considerable portion of the 1960s, the Italians, always known for their defensive strength, developed their own brand of football. However, this was an infamous brand of football which almost put everyone to sleep. The "catenaccio" was such a defensive brand of football that the team using this tactic would settle for a 1-0 at the end of 90 minutes.
So, you can see with these comparisons, that the Italians were far more pragmatic and the Brazilians and the Dutch, well, romantics! I'm not sure as to how many people would be able to remember the Italian teams of the 60s. I'm sure though, that many would've heard of Pele, Jairzinho, Carlos Alberto and Johann Cruyff.
From the 1990s, football started to attract so much money from television and other avenues that it became difficult to compromise losing for playing it the "right way." Arsenal played such a defensive game in the 1990s under George Graham that they were called, "Boring Boring Arsenal," and they won 1-0 so often that there were chants of "1-0 to the Arsenal!" in the crowd more often than not. I wasn't really into football at the time, but had I been introduced to that brand of football, I'm not convinced that I'd be watching it.
The dynamics of the game have changed further in the new millennium. Chelsea under Jose Mourinho always played cautiously and yet effectively, winning two titles, the F.A. Cup and two League Cups. Again, aside from the Chelsea fans, who really enjoyed watching Chelsea under Mourinho?
Arsenal have been criticised for not playing the game to win. Sir Alex Ferguson famously compared Arsenal's game to a game of chess with the intricacy and the passing. Yet, for all of Arsenal's beautiful football, they haven't been able to win a thing in three years. Many experts claim that this Arsenal team will not be remembered if they don't win a thing.
But, we remember the Dutch team of 1974, don't we?
In the pragmatic, hustle-bustle world of "modern" football, I suppose there is very little margin for error, and hence very little leeway to play the game with flair. The Blackburns and Boltons have played the game in a certain way and have been successful without a doubt. However, they put me to sleep when I try watching them play, especially when they play each other!
I'm not saying "don't defend." I feel that football is a combination of the two and not just the domination of one over the other, which is something I see too much of these days.
The bottom line is that, today, results are the be-all and end-all. It's all that matters. Roman Abramovich may have sacked Mourinho for not playing "sexy football," but will Avram Grant be dealt with in the same way if he wins the final of the Champions League?
Ronaldo once said, “Football is about dreams, creativity and enjoyment.”
Are we compromising enjoyment and creativity for results? Is the beautiful game losing its sheen due to pragmatic, ultra-defensive managers?
To a certain extent, the answer to those questions would be yes. But, there are teams like Manchester United, Arsenal, Inter Milan and Real Madrid who play the game with flair and a great sense of adventure.
And as long as those teams and other teams like them play with style and finesse, the beautiful game will exist for years to come.
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4 months ago
Not every player in the world can play the football you describe. The teams you mention can sign the best players in the world from countries like Brazil that play flair football.
Managers play a system depending on his resources.
Manchester United don't play to entertain, they play to win in as good looking a way as possible. As we saw against Barca it isn't always possible.
4 months ago
Ive never seen Inter play 'sexy' football. They are about as functional a team as Liverpool.
4 months ago
the thing is that,a side cannot win every game playing sexy football,they will be defeated once in a while.
tactics have to be changed in every match and every situation.The brazil team of the 1970 WC was feared and hence the opposition was always on the backfoot.The Dutch teams of the 1974 and 1978 played total football,a tactic that was completely new,getting out of position was not tried so often by players.
But then again,they did play sexy football and were successful,in today's game of competitive and calculative football it is nearly impossible to play sexy football in every game,the opposition,if remains disciplined can launch a counter attack and score....
4 months ago
I would love to see more high scoring games. It is really entertaining. However, you strategize to win. In American football, they say "Defense wins championships". While this wasn't true in the UEFA Cup Final, it was interesting to see two football teams with different styles of play come together. That's what makes it fun. We speculate and predict over how the match will play out based on the different styles.
4 months ago
I understand all the above comments but, I'm just expressing my opinion about how more teams are opting to become "functional" rather than be a little more adventurous. I'm even including international football into the mix here. Did anybody enjoy the 2006 World Cup as a spectacle? I honestly thought that barring 4-5 matches at the most, the remaining were quite boring - that is a result of "result oriented thinking" - I'm not saying that it's wrong, all I'm saying is that it's just a reflection of how the game has changed over time.
2 months ago
I used to love the Dutch and Brazilian brand of football, even the Argentinians. Socrates, Ruud Guiitt, Marco Van Basten were really good. I guess the times demand the type of play. Off late we see very little grace, but then that is how football has evolved through the ages. Wonderful article.
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