Jim Holden Champions League
I happened to see the Champions League final on television in Italy, where the programme covering the match was called “Pressing”.
It is the buzzword of modern football, the tactical style preferred by men like Hansi Flick and Jurgen Klopp.
As soon as the match had finished, the conversation among pundits was insistent: are we now in a period of domination by German coaches?
Flick and Klopp, victorious in the last two finals; Thomas Tuchel, this year’s runner-up; Julian Nagelsmann, coach of semi-finalists RB Leipzig.
It is a seductive thought. Among pundits, coaches, aficionados and ordinary fans, there is an endless search for the latest trends, a quest for explanations, and a desire to see empires built and legacies created.
Few could doubt that Bayern Munich were worthy champions in a most curious 2019-20 football season. They played some exhilarating football in dismantling Barcelona 8-2 in the quarter-final and were superior in the final against Paris Saint-Germain.
Yet, look back to last autumn and Bayern were a club in turmoil. They had lost 5-1 to Eintracht Frankfurt, their heaviest defeat for a decade, and coach Niko Kovac was sacked.
Flick was promoted from within. He had not been in charge of a team for 15 years since a spell at Hoffenheim, and was only supposed to see Bayern through to the winter break.
Instead, he swiftly rejuvenated the team. Yes, it was a high-pressing game, but it came with flexible and pragmatic adjustments in tactics during matches. He also had Robert Lewandowski.
A prolific goalscorer who stays fit and in form is crucial to champion teams. If Kylian Mbappe had taken his chance just before half-time in the Champions League final, isn’t it likely that PSG would have lifted the trophy?
Here is the profound truth of the modern game: winning the Champions League is about the marginal moments far more than the tactical trends.
The moment of genius when Trent Alexander-Arnold took a quick corner for Liverpool’s decisive goal against Barcelona in the 2019 semi-finals; Sergio Ramos’ 93rd-minute header in the 2014 final that opened the door for Real Madrid to beat Atletico in extra-time; the many chances missed by Bayern in the finals of 1999 and 2012 that allowed unlikely comebacks for Manchester United and Chelsea.
Margins are slim between Europe’s major clubs, and sometimes between them and the next level of teams like Ajax, Atalanta, Lyon and Leipzig. This is why the Champions League is so compelling – because it is unpredictable.
In the knockouts it is a proper cup competition, where one poor match, one piece of misfortune, one key injury, can end the hopes of the best teams. Pick this season’s winner? Not likely.
The football intelligentsia will guide you towards a German coach now that Pep Guardiola’s style has supposedly been “found out”, and when his old club Barcelona are suffering internal chaos.
They are just guessing. We don’t have a clue who will be European champions in 2021. It could be any of a dozen clubs.
Who knows how Andrea Pirlo will fare as head coach at Juventus? He could be the most inspired choice.
Will Messi’s form be affected by the saga? Will another year of experience make Dortmund’s youngsters a force? Will PSG take the final step next time? Is the rejuvenation of Manchester United magic or make believe?
We haven’t yet mentioned Liverpool or Real Madrid or Manchester City. The transfer work of Internazionale and Chelsea may prove substantial.
Which club will be in crisis, change coach, and emerge as a revitalised unstoppable juggernaut? Remember how Zinedine Zidane took charge of Real in January 2016 and won the Champions League months later?
He won three titles in succession, yet without amazing tactical innovation. Zidane just found the practical knack of winning matches, and his team came out on top in the decisive moments. In the end, this is what matters most.
Here is the profound truth of the modern game: winning the Champions League is about the marginal moments far more than the tactical trends