WHY IT’S RAINING GOALS
Poor defending, adventurous tactics, rule changes and VAR...
The transfer window closed last night with what seemed to be half of the Premier League searching for another centre half, a silverbullet signing to cure all ills.
Ideally, one who is quick, mobile and good on the ball. Who is capable of dominating in the air, with experience and character to organise and lead the team, and can play in a three or a four.
There is no shortage of good central defenders. They even exist at Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United, clubs who were still fishing around for an upgrade until close to the deadline, but the demands are extreme at the top of the modern game.
It is the reason Manchester City suffer a staggeringly low hit-rate on central defenders. And it was the reason Arsene Wenger was ridiculed for failing to sign a good one.
europe’s elite want to play with flair. They press high, with full backs pushed on. There is space behind, space down the sides and no cover. Centre halves are readily exposed and easily derided: not quick enough, not comfortable on the ball, not strong enough in the air or in the mind. Confidence is fragile.
everyone wants the complete centre half. They all want Virgil van Dijk. Although they don’t all want to pay £ 80million, and besides, even Van Dijk — the best centre half in the Premier League, — does not solve every single problem, every single time, as Liverpool discovered at Villa Park.
TACTICAL FASHIONS
More than ever in recent memory coaches are committed to attack. Perhaps seduced by Pep Guardiola and the success of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City. Perhaps feeling an urge to stay on trend and be perceived as daring and innovative. Perhaps simply understanding their obligation to entertain.
Squeezing high, it is all about intensity and energy, winning the ball in advanced areas. or inviting the press and encouraging defenders to try to play through.
It is a dangerous strategy and the space in behind is the reward for those with lightning quick strikers. Jamie Vardy, Son heungmin and Pierre-emerick Aubameyang are thriving.
There are variations on the theme, but more teams are on the front foot, having a go. even those newly- promoted clubs have ignored the convention that it is impossible to tackle the biggest and richest in the land at their own game. It wasn’t enough to save Norwich last season, but it proved more successful for Sheffield United, and Leeds are not about to change their style. It makes for knife-edge football.
PENALTIES, VAR AND RULE CHANGES
The upshot of video precision is that any contact in the penalty area means there’s a good chance of a penalty. When VAr was brought in, referees’ chief Mike riley and his PGMoL insisted they did not want to drive contact out of football, and they started out trying not to overrule the match referee. however, the natural consequences of VAr plus TV punditry, where everything is analysed to the nth degree, has been for more intervention, and more penalties. Forwards find any contact and fall over. What is there to lose? No one punishes divers. Any contact looks worse in super- slow motion, regardless of the fact it is a contact sport. Penalties abound. Free-kicks, too, with the lively new footballs wobbling all over the place and skilled dead-ball specialists. Throw in this season’s ludicrous change to the handball rules and defenders, as eric Dier says, are terrified inside the penalty area. It has led to more penalties and more goals.
EMPTY STADIUMS AND POST-COVID FOOTBALL
The first trend identified when football restarted after the lockdown was the proliferation of away
wins in German football. The absence of home advantage. The removal of pressure. Teams can play more freely.
Behind closed doors, the football lacks the same urgency. The routines are disrupted. The instant criticism is removed, inviting teams to cave in when they might not in front of their fans.
It is one step closer to a training exercise, which is ironic because there has been no pre- season programme and the competitive games crammed in so tight the coaches have lost their preparation time — time they might have spent on their organisation or the specifics tailored to each opponent.
Mental and physical fatigue will come into the equation, leading to lapses in concentration.
GLOBAL BRANDS
Money talked and football had to press on. There were bills to pay and global markets to satisfy.
The Premier League might have lost one great asset, the crowd and the unique atmosphere generated by english football’s historic rivalries. They have replaced it, by accident rather than design, with a goal frenzy.
Adventurous styles of football played at a breakneck speed. Littered with imperfections it might be, but it makes for a TV spectacle and will keep the global audience engaged.