Now that Chelsea’s visit to Old Trafford is more appropriate on duty, a “fresh draw” rather than an epic “battle of the titans” or “battle of the century” (which in recent years has been characterized by the collisions of the teams of Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson), it's time talk about the future of the English Premier League, which now recorded the lowest performance in Europe. There are still enough reasons to consider this championship one of the most spectacular (for example, the last round was marked by a lot of exciting events and, by the way, presented more goals than usual), but if goals are a kind of quintessence of football, then according to statistics, which, as you know, knows everything, English football is in decline.
You don’t need to go far for examples. After Saturday’s defeat in Reading, Bolton’s only 15 goals scored in sixteen fights. And there would be nothing wrong with that if it were not for the standings of the Sam Allardyce team. Before the last round, “Bolton” was fourth and, despite the defeat of the “wanderers,” remained in the top eight. Now, to qualify for the European Cup zone, in the Premier League you can score less than a goal per match!
There is another interesting figure, dated to the end of November, confirming a disappointing trend. Only three teams in the column “Goals scored" had the number 20. In the same period last year there were 5 such teams, and in all previous seasons their number has invariably fluctuated between seven and thirteen. It is not surprising that the current average performance (2.14 goals per match) is the lowest in the history of the Premier League. Winning a 10-pound bet at Betfair the fact that in the match of the English championship three goals will be scored is more than two hundred pounds. If the current state of affairs continues, then by the end of the season the number of goals will only slightly exceed 800, while in previous years it effortlessly exceeded 900, or even a thousand.
However, the biggest revelation, in addition to the fact that Nvanquo Kanu, who has already exchanged the fourth dozen, shares the first place in the dispute of snipers, playing for a team that in most away matches can not hit other people's gates, this is a comparison with other European leagues. Remember series A? Sickly monotonous and obsessed with defensive football, the Italian league, which recently disappeared from English television screens, because compared to the prolific extravaganza of the Premier League, it was mortal boredom? So: they score more. Everyone scores more.
The most prolific snipers in Europe play in Holland, where on average the ball is on goal more than three times per game. The same indicator in the Bundesliga is 2.75, while in the Scottish Premier League and Serie A they score just over 2.5 goals per game. Everyone knows that the best defenders in Italy, and the most dodgy goalkeepers - in Scotland; Now a new stereotype has appeared: unforgettable forwards - in England.
On the one hand, this is not true. Thierry Henry - the only one who scored 20 or more goals for five consecutive seasons, has not yet gone anywhere. But on the other, it is an objective reality. Henry is now on his own mind. Michael Owen is injured, Alan Shearer finished with football, Rud van Nistelrooy in Spain. Where are the rest punching twenty scorers? This feat was successful for six in the 94/95 season, for the fourth - no further than in the 2002/03 championship. In the last championship there were only two of them, and one of them now stands for Real Madrid.
Is this the reason for the drop in performance? The generation of natural goleadors has not come a worthy change? Or did the scorers simply become extinct as a class? Schemes 4-5-1, 4-1-4-1 or 4-3-3 with the only player on the edge, who are responsible not only for creating and realizing scoring chances, are increasingly being taken into service; speaking as a link. Add to this the increased effectiveness of defensive actions and the readiness to win matches with the help of a single productive blow (Sam Allardyce, for example, does not hesitate to enjoy “crackers” and victories with a score of 1: 0) - all these factors seriously affect the effectiveness.
The central defender of Wigan, the Dutchman Aryan De Zeuv, whose experience in the Premier League is approaching ten years with a short break, believes that the teams intentionally adhere to defensive tactical schemes. “When I first came here, everyone played 4-4-2 and knew what they wanted. Now the majority of teams play with one player in front and five in the middle, one of which usually takes the position of Claude Makelele, providing an additional level of protection. I don’t think that football has become less spectacular, rather more cautious, because there is a huge gap between the top three and four best clubs. If in the match against Chelsea you are inferior in the score, you will not be allowed to recoup, therefore everyone thinks above all not to miss. Johan Cruyff said that in order to win the match, you need to score more goals than the opponent, but in the Premier League this approach is hardly applicable. Too much money at stake, too much pressure, not recognizing failures. Coaches are not allowed to make a mistake. Take, for example, Charlton. He didn’t play so badly; he played football and, it seemed, he could pull himself together and rectify the situation, but the coach was still fired. This is the pressure. ”
Arsenal defender Gael Clichy is in solidarity with his colleague. “There was a time when the matches in England quite often ended with a score of 4: 3 - for this they loved British football abroad. And now, when they come to Emirates, most teams send nine players each for defense and only one for the attack. “Villa”, “Everton”, “Middlesbrough”, “Newcastle” - they all came to defend themselves. In addition, we faced the same problem: we all allowed them to open an account, and subsequently they paid even more attention to defense. Everyone is afraid of the grandees and enter the field with the thought “we will not miss - we will not lose”. In my opinion, this should not be characteristic of the British, but the purpose of football is a game that gives a spectacle and goals, alas, it is forgotten. ”
It turns out that the coaches are to blame? “Guilty,” admit Harry Redknapp and Steve Bruce. “I don’t want football to go back to its prime 15 years ago, when everyone suddenly imagined that the game was just long passes, rebounds, a throw-in, free kicks and corners,” says Portsmouth's mentor. - I want to work with talented footballers who, with their game, make fans jump up from their seats, but last week in Liverpool we played “dense” football, and it worked. We rested - and took the point. "
The Birmingham helmsman, having learned about the decline in performance in the English championship, was surprised at first, but immediately found a banal explanation. “Are there more goals in Serie A than in the Premier League?” Who would have thought?! Amazing stats! Is it possible? Although ... All this is due to the race for the result, - says Steve Bruce, who did not save Birmingham from relegation last season. - In the Premier League, my task was to survive. And I understand where cautious coaches come from, because he himself did the same. We all want shows, but all clubs cannot be MJ. The sub-elite division is now very busy with the fact that about 12 clubs expect to win it. In the Premier League, 12 clubs are afraid of relegation, like hell with incense - that’s the whole difference. ” And they are rightly doing what they are afraid of, because 20 million payments for television rights are at stake.
Welsh football legend Ian Rush, drawing a parallel between his short unhappy business trip to the Apennines and the present, doubts that football is more than work for the current players. “When I played for Juventus, I really didn't enjoy the game. When we were leading 1-0, we just started to defend ourselves, and the same thing is happening now in England. But it’s a pity, because, in my opinion, the best football players in the world are playing in the Premier League - just go out and show the sight. ”
An even darker picture is painted by Christophe Dugarry, the world champion in the French team, who before trying his hand at Birmingham, played in Italy, Spain and France. “Something is wrong with English football. How did he always captivate the hearts of fans? Speed, struggle, dedication - it was a real spectacle! But tactically sophisticated foreign coaches decided to change his face, and since there are fewer and fewer homegrown players in the English teams, their task was noticeably easier. They bring a lot of negative from European football. See what Liverpool Rafael Benitez turned into. The team does not show any desire to attack, for her the main thing is not to miss. And the way he treats Steve Gerrard speaks for itself. Gerrard must control the game and do it in the English style: at every opportunity, attack or shoot on goal. Thunder and lightning - that is what the English public likes. And Benitez’s standard is organization and tactical infallibility. Jose Mourinho is the same. The abundance of foreigners in English football who in one way or another control the game is a step away from the recklessness that the English have always liked. ”
However, among continental footballers there are also those who see the decline in performance in the Premier League as positive rather than negative. Albert Ferrer, a former defender of Chelsea and Barcelona, and now an analyst with Spanish television, is impressed by how much the defense has improved in the Premier League. “When I played in England, the defenders were fine, but that was all. Now they are much more masterful. There is definitely an improvement, and I think this is mainly due to the fact that in training we began to work more on the game on the defensive. ”
So goals are not everything. And while the unexpected lag of the Premier League from Serie A by several dozen goals is more like a frivolous comedy farce, in this tar barrel you can also find a spoonful of honey. In the end, we have the best league in the world. Which was previously considered Italian, where goals were scored "per hour on a teaspoon." Our defenders can look to the future with their heads held high. Having got rid of the "donkey skin", now they can safely congratulate themselves on concrete obstruction. And sooner or later it may turn out that other European leagues will also make fun of a lightweight need for entertainment rather than football itself. Italy? Too many easy heads. Germany? Simpletons!
Alan Hansen * will have to come up with new scenarios. In the near future, when the average performance drops below two goals per game, be prepared that the “Best Goal of the Month” section will be replaced by “Best Tour Block”, “Best Tackle of the Year” or “Best Offside Trap of the Season”. We live in an age of defense.
The proclamation of Fabio Cannavaro as the best footballer of the year proves this. And, as the laureate noted, other great defenders, such as Paolo Maldini, Franco Barezi, Marcel Desailles and Lilian Thuram, failed to win the plebiscite held by France Football Probably because they all played in Italy for too long. Cannavaro made a smart move, moving to Spain, although he, of course, is also from yesterday. But the next Golden Ball winner will be Gary Neville or Linwa Primus.
And most importantly: England will certainly win the 2010 World Cup. And it’s nothing that the golden generation of the youth team is knocking louder on the national team’s doors - now pragmatism is in price. We are England, and we are stingy with goals. It still sounds implausible, but we have four years to get used to. Italy did it.
* Alan Hansen - former player of Liverpool and the Scottish national team of the 80s, one of the best central defenders in the history of British football; over the past ten years - a leading television expert on the BBC .
Translation by Andrey KARNAUKHOV