What makes a good game of football?
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- Written by David Moftakhar
The Beautiful Game is an over-used phrase: football is often an arduous spectator sport. When it’s good, it’s really good. When it’s bad, it’s awful. And when it’s somewhere in-between – which is where it spends most of its time – it’s usually pretty turgid.
Those who pooh-pooh ‘the beautiful game’ point to the fact that in 90 minutes you’d be lucky to see an average of three goals. They point to a raft of 0-0s every week and a lack of genuine excitement. But let me point something out to them: you can have an utterly enthralling 0-0 and goals don’t necessarily equate to a good game.
The footballing news today is predictably dominated by the Champions League clash between Arsenal and Manchester United tonight. Usually I would therefore try and find something else to talk about, but apologies the pull is too much and besides it would be neglectful not to wax lyrical about a match that will probably be watched by millions of people across the world.
The Liga Sagres would’ve fit in nicely on Clapham Common this weekend after its bottom was the scene of some significant action.
It’s now that time of year when the aspirations of different football clubs are either realised or shattered. In keeping with that theme I thought it would be apt and perhaps morbidly fascinating to take a look at the fortunes of some of the clubs that have been relegated from the Premier League.
There was a time when Juan Sebastian Veron was a very good player. Then, for a few years, he was wasn’t so good. But recently, at 34-years-old and back playing for his hometown club, Estudiantes, the playmaker has recaptured his very best form.