"Across the nation's television studios and podcast armchairs, wearied men grizzle accursedly with forked tongues into branded microphones: entombed by a game they despise and yet are paid so generously to discuss. Out there in the wild digital beyond, the sickness festers still deeper. The game has gone, they type into a little white box."
"It's full-blown grappling at corners. It's the little towels they leave by the touchline for long throws. Ninety seconds to take a set piece. Everton hoisting the ball skywards, rugby-style, straight from kick-off. It's Arsenal scoring against Chelsea from a corner, then conceding from a corner, then scoring from a corner."
"The first thing to say is that this is not a debate that can ever really be settled, or proven or disproven with stats, because ultimately it is based on a feeling. It makes no odds to point out that the England team Gareth Southgate took to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup were celebrated for their mastery of set pieces."
A widespread dissatisfaction permeates football discourse across media platforms, with commentators, former players, and fans expressing boredom and disappointment with contemporary football. The criticism centers on tactical defensiveness, excessive set-piece reliance, time-wasting tactics like lengthy throw-ins and slow set-piece execution, and corner-kick dominance. Notable figures including Arne Slot, John Terry, Yaya Toure, and Ruud Gullit have voiced their disenchantment. The article acknowledges this discontent stems from subjective feeling rather than statistical evidence, noting that defensive tactics and set-piece mastery were previously celebrated in successful teams like Gareth Southgate's 2018 England squad.
#football-criticism #tactical-defensiveness #set-piece-play #modern-football-decline #fan-dissatisfaction
Read at www.theguardian.com
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