4th July 2004: A Greek tragedy?
Obviously not for the Greeks, but the fact that the rank outsiders
won Euro 2004 highlights what a poor tournament it was, and it is
a sign that international football is suffering.
The countries expected to do well performed only in patches if at
all. France were particularly disappointing. England pushed the self
destruct button to gift them their first victory and they were fortunate
to get results in their other two games. Italy played well in one
game and didn't win it, Holland failed when it mattered most and Portugal
were lucky to get to the final.
It has amazed me that Scolari has been feted as one of the coaches
of the tournament. His brand of negative football, playing just one
man up front, has been indicative of the tournament. Against Spain
he was fortunate that his substitution worked - when they looked like
they would never score, he swapped Pauleta for Nuno Gomez when a change
to a more attacking formation was required. Nuno Gomez won the game
with a moment of pure genius, but Scolari should not take the credit.
Arguably, Portugal had more top quality flair players than any other
but they rarely looked like a potent threat. They never really exerted
any concerted pressure for any length of time. They probably played
their best football against England and yet only equalised thanks
to poor England defending.
Which brings me neatly onto the performance of England. There is no
doubt that they were disappointing although it seems a little harsh
to criticize Eriksson for negative football when they finished joint
top scorers in the competition. Although I accept that against France
and Portugal they should have pushed on a bit more in the second half.
Once again, England could have gone through with a little more luck,
and would've had a good chance of going all the way.
But England's poor displays along with those of France, Spain and
Italy are more than likely down to the fact that international football
is not important enough any more. The clubs pay the wages and therefore
call the shots. The long domestic seasons take their toll on the players
and international games are "fitted in". The fact that England changed
their style of play in the last warm up game is indicative of part
of the problem - there aren't enough international fixtures for the
squads to develop the understanding that is required for players to
function properly as a team.
If the football world is to take the international game seriously,
there need to be changes. There is too much domestic football at the
top level which means that the top players play too many games. One
of the reasons that Greece looked fitter than most sides is because
many of their players are squad players at their clubs rather than
being regulars - man for man, I'm sure they've played less games in
the domestic season. The top divisions in Europe should really only
be 16 teams - obviously that will damage Albion's chances of staying
in the top flight for an extended period, but for international football
to recover, I see it as essential. However, I don't see it happening
unless there is a major change in the financing of the game.
Money is obviously the source of the power in football. The money
is with the clubs and, consequently, so is the power. The only way
for international football to become more important is for it to generate
more income, and use that income to compensate the clubs for the use
of their players. That is the only way for the club versus country
conflict to be resolved, which is the only way that international
football will regain its position at the top of the game.
There is obviously a conflict for any football supporter in this debate
between support for your club and support for your country. The fervour
that grips the nation during a major international tournament suggests
that international football is important to football fans - indeed,
people not normally interested in football also get involved which
can only be good for the game.
I believe that a strong international game is important for football
in general, and that without changes to the organisation and financing
of the game, the international game will eventually die. That will
inevitably involve some difficult decisions to be made that will greatly
affect the club game, decisions that I don't believe the current figures
at the top of football are prepared to make.
Change is needed, but I don't see it happening soon.
|
