There’s nothing boring when you’re scoring
The word “thriller” has been noticeably absent in reports on Manchester United matches this season, but that changed on Tuesday night at St James’ Park where the two Uniteds fought out an entertaining 3-3 draw which was generally agreed upon by pundits as being a “genuine thriller”.
Several English newspapers went as far as dubbing it “the best game of the season”. The Daily Telegraph called it the “most unlikely six-goal thriller of the season”. (The Liverpool-Arsenal game the following evening, which bore the same scoreline, might also be a contender.)
Before the Newcastle game, there were a number of dire predictions about the possibility of a grim 0-0 stalemate involving two sides lacking sparkle and very short of confidence. At the training ground on Monday, when asked if he expected a low-scoring match considering his team hadn’t scored in 412 minutes, Newcastle manager Steve McLaren conceded: “The odds would probably be on 0-0, but it will probably be a 3-3!”, the last part said with tongue very firmly in cheek.
After that prediction, fans of the Magpies will be hoping McLaren gets a trifle bolder and forecasts a 4-3 win against West Ham today.
Not all Man U fans were happy with their more “entertaining” style of play, some noting they shouldn’t be celebrating letting in three goals against a side as poor as Newcastle. One commented that “both defences were a total shambles”. Others said they would have preferred a boring 1-0 victory.
Despite being the home team, Newcastle were the happier of the two clubs at the final whistle. “It definitely feels like a win,” said Paul Dummet, whose 90th-minute “screamer” gave the Magpies a much-needed point.
For his part, Wayne Rooney who finally had a decent game and scored two goals, admitted “it does feel like a defeat,’’ referring to blown leads of 2-0 and then 3-2.
Manager Louis van Gaal was more animated in the dugout than he has been for some time, but was unhappy with the result. “I am very disappointed,’’ he said. “We have to blame ourselves.”
Something that is a little puzzling of late is the demeanour of Van Gaal’s assistant manager, Ryan Giggs. Sitting on the touchline he hardly looks inspirational. In fact doesn’t look happy at all, almost as if he’s pondering what to have for dinner after the match. But maybe it’s just the cold weather that gets to him.
Van Gaal’s team have been frequently compared in unfavourable terms with the Man U sides of the past who most fans would say played more exciting football. Well perhaps, not always.
The Man U teams that took the 2008-09 and 2012-13 titles both won 16 matches by just one goal. Even the treble winners of 1998-99 experienced 13 draws, the most for any winner of the Premier League title. They surely weren’t all thrillers. Their most common result that season was 1-1.
Man U fans will quickly point to defending champions Chelsea as being quite dull towards the end of the 2014-15 season. When Chelsea parked the bus in a turgid 0-0 draw at the Emirates last April as they closed in on the title, Arsenal supporters fans roundly chastised Chelsea for being boring.
As always, Jose Mourinho had an answer: “Boring? I think 10 years without a title is boring,” was his riposte, relishing the opportunity at taking a snipe at his old foe, Arsene Wenger.
Playing boring football has never bothered Mourinho as long as he gets the results he wants. When he took Chelsea to the title in his first season with the club in 2004-05, the Blues had the most 1-0 wins in the league — and this was with goalscorers like Didier Drogba and Arjen Robben.
One of the most famous football chants ever, “One-nil to the Arsenal” is almost an anthem to boring football. It goes to the tune of Go West, originally a Village People song made popular in the early 1990s by the Pet Shop Boys. It was said to have been first heard at Arsenal matches in April 1994 when George Graham was manager and vital 1-0 scorelines were not exactly unknown.
Of course, when it comes to deciding whether a game is entertaining or not, you can’t always rely on statistics. There have been plenty of exciting 1-0 matches over the years and even some goalless draws have been nail-biters.
Back in 2004, in all his wisdom, Fifa boss Sepp Blatter, proposed scrapping draws altogether and having penalty shoot-outs to decide all drawn matches. Fortunately this absurd idea was greeted with the contempt it deserved.
A draw is a fundamental feature in football’s format, just like a win or a loss. Eliminate draws and you destroy the essence of the game and more than a century of football history. A struggling side holding on desperately for a draw against superior opponents can be quite gripping entertainment, particularly if it’s your team.
It will certainly be intriguing to see whether the “new look” Manchester United can maintain their more creative style of play at Liverpool tomorrow. It won’t be an easy task.
With all due respect to Newcastle, a visit to Anfield at the moment is somewhat more intimidating than a game at St James’ Park, as Arsenal discovered on Wednesday. One suspects Van Gaal will be happy to get a point even if his side play incredibly boring football. For him, even a grim 0-0 draw would be preferable to an entertaining 4-3 defeat.
Maybe if Van Gaal and Giggs lightened up a bit it might help the cause.