Watching the Liverpool v. Arsenal game was incredibly frustrating, nearly unbearable with English commentary. I'm not 100% sure who was commentating on the game, possibly Derek Rae. If you do know who was commentating, please post their names.
I was completely disgusted at how Liverpool literally put 10 men behind the ball for the entire second half and commentators were hailing it as a brilliant tactical move; one that is an important trait for European competition. Wow. Really? Ironically, if it was Juventus playing, they would have been chewed apart relentlessly. Most other Italian teams also get the same treatment, even if they are not very defensive. They become stereotyped. I remember when Undinese made the Champions League maybe four or five years ago for the first time in who knows how long. They were drawn in the same group as Barcelona. They were destroyed of course. Prior to the matches, Barcelona players were quoted as saying things along the lines of, 'we don't really know much about them, but all Italian teams are tough defensively and it will take a lot from us to breakdown'. That was totally not the case with Udinese at all. But it has become a pre-recorded response to direct towards Italian teams.
The second half of Liverpool and Arsenal was ridiculously boring. Yet, the commentators were absolutely loving it. Three seasons ago when Juventus played Liverpool I can still recall the sneering comments made about the Juventus defense. Comments such as, 'that's no nonsense defending from Cannavaro, booting the ball way down field'. In my memory I have a contrast of another commentator saying the exact same thing about John Terry; however his voice was filled with pride and awe. How does this work? Please explain how Liverpool can completely close up in their own half and be praised for it? Liverpool's defensive mentality that game was so over the top I feel it dwarfs the defensive performances of Italian teams over the last ten years.
Can anyone recall Liverpool v. Chelsea from three seasons ago? How boring was that?
I know everyone will make a point to bring up a point against the A.C. Milan v. Juventus final of 2003. How it was boring and how it was a shame it had to be decided on penalties. I am not a big fan of deciding important matches on penalties, however, where are the fans that hailed a near flawless performances by both teams. A match were neither side were completely taken off guard or fell victim to error or misjudgments?
There is a long history of world class Italian defenders. Does this mean that Italian teams are completely built of central defenders? Of course not. Italy has produced brilliant offensive players in the form of Andrea Pirlo, Francesco Totti, and Alessandro DelPiero to name a few recent and still active players. Italian encounters may produce fewer goals, but there is less error. Personally, I'd rather see a high quality offensive move result in a goal rather than defensive blunders or goal keeping errors.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C0RtpjDceU
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2 comments:
I have no problem with defensive soccer.I didn't find the second half of Liverpool-Arsenal boring at all.
It is not a soccer team's job the entertain the fans. The job is to get the best realistic result. For Liverpool yesterday, the best realistic result was a 1-1 draw. They got it. Mission accomplished. Good for them.
There's a long history of defensive soccer in Italy:
-Gianni Brera, probably the most influential and famous Italian sports journalist, believed a perfect match would end 0-0.
-The catenachio system was perfected in Italy (though invented in Switzerland).
-Italy and Brazil played what was probably the most boring final in World Cup history, drawing 0-0 in 1994, with Brazil winning the shoot-out.
And plenty of other examples I'm sure.
The commentators yesterday were Derek Rae and Tommy Smyth. I don't mind them so much, though Smyth is given to inane comments.
I think you're overreacting a bit. I don't believe these guys favour English teams over others. (They're not even English—Rae is Scottish, Smyth is Irish).
But they do fall into the automatic stereotype that all Italian teams are defensive. Obviously this is untrue, as last year's Champions League winners Milan played very attractive, attacking soccer, as do current Roma and the Italian national sides.
You're right.
I am overreacting.
And I am grouping all United Kingdom citizens as English supporters. Definitely not fair or cool on my behalf.
And perfect matches would end in the draw, much like chess, every move can be accounted for, anticipated, and therefore blocked.
It is always not the strength of a team that determines whether or not they will score a goal. A lot has to do with whether or not the opposition is likey to conceded.
Liverpool did the right thing. Arsenal were breathing down their necks, they had to tighten up. I just don't like that one set of teams will get praised for this, while others get mocked and criticized.
I am not imagining this. Derek Rae and Tommy Smyth ALWAYS speak more favorably about English teams and their long historical lineage. Like Italian teams are new to the scene. I hear it all the time from these guys and it's really irritating.
Defense should be a priority for any top team. How can you go forward when things are not under control in the back? It leads to sloppy soccer. And sloppy soccer is NOT entertaining.
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