It's Derby day! The one we all love, the pinnacle of football. Passion, goals, roaring fans, a deep seeded hatred of a certain demographic of people based solely on geographical location. But most importantly, the chance that any of the 22 players and/or managerial staff could end their day in the back of an ambulance. The thrill of watching two teams face off in the biggest game of their season is a sporting feeling like no other, or at least it used to be.
Harry Maguire (L) and John Stones (R) hug at the end of the Manchester Derby. Source: The Times, Credit: Rex Features.
Nowadays, it's seemingly more and more common for a game to be built up for weeks, only for it to end in a 0-0 bore draw; offering nothing more than 90 minutes of drab football. Gone are the days of two teams scrapping it out, stopping at nothing to achieve victory over their counterparts. Derby days just don’t feel the same. For the sake of convenience I will look at a recent example of this, this season's first Manchester Derby, which ended 0-0 as both teams registered only two shots on target each and two yellow cards between them. Yes you read that correctly, each team only registered one yellow card in a supposed derby game. Disgraceful. There should be at least several challenges resembling arrestable offences for it to be considered a proper derby in my books.
The most notable moment from the match occurred after the final whistle, with Harry Maguire and John Stones greeting each other in a warm embrace, much to the dismay of former United man Roy Keane, who stated after the match that, “I’ve never seen so many hugs and chats”. At this point I think we are a few displays of common decency between rival players away from Roy Keane having a cardiac arrest live on air; Souness in the background surely finding a way to blame it on Paul Pogba.
Roy Keane gets revenge on Alf-Inge Haaland engaging him in a warm embrace via the bottom of his boot. Source: Stephen McLoughlin via YouTube.
So football is dead because it's too soft, and not like it was back in the “good ol’ days”. Football has changed, and has undeniably become less physical. Why is this? The main reason for the so-called "death" of derby day, without trying to sound too much like Nigel Farage, is the influx of foreign talent into the Premier League; and subsequently the lack of home talent being brought through the academies of clubs. Only 37% of the players in the Premier League for 2019/20 were domestic - the lowest percentage among the Europe's big five footy leagues. Furthermore, only 9 managers in the Premier League are of British descent.
Expectedly, foreign players and staff have less allegiance to British clubs and their respective rivalries; not being brought up in Britain and therefore forming local allegiances, it is inevitable that they will view ‘derby’ games differently. Richarlison certainly has more loyalty to compatriot Roberto Firmino than he does to your average fan from Liverpool, and vice versa. In fact, Firmino recently caught flack from fans after liking an instagram post from Richarlison celebrating his goal in the derby.
Regardless of this, foreign talent makes the quality in our league better and is what makes the Premier League the best in the world. When renowned Champions League winner and managerial legend Carlo Ancelotti, known for managing some of the biggest clubs in the world, is in charge at Everton, it shows you everything you need to know. Is this added quality enough of a benefit to surrender the sacrilegious derby day?
Simply put, the sorts of players that would ignite the fire in a derby game - Roy Keane, Joey Barton, Lee Cattermole - the old school types that get ‘stuck in’, are not wanted or needed by managers in today’s game. Tougher refereeing has also removed the viability of this. For a manager, the most important thing is to win, not necessarily to entertain fans. In this vein, 11 players is much more valuable than 10, and no longer can a footballer's only role in a team be to hand out career ending injuries like they are going out of fashion, which ironically enough, they are.
Lee Cattermole's Premier League disciplinary record is not great, though he did have less red cards than I expected in his 271 matches. He did average almost a booking every three games however. Source: premierleague.com
In the modern game, a player has to be able to do near enough everything on a football field. Yes the likes of esteemed Hollywood actor first, footballer second, Vinnie Jones were entertaining to watch, but they lacked footballing ability in so many areas. You won't see Kevin De Bruyne gripping the crown jewels of his opposing number, that's for sure. But you wouldn’t see the likes of Vinnie Jones pinpointing a 40 yard pass onto the toe of a forward in a gracious display of total football. The footballing gods giveth, and the footballing gods taketh.
But “wait!”, I hear you ask, “is there not space for the likes of both Vinnie Jones and Kevin De Bruyne in the same team, bringing a balance of both brawn and brains?” No. Not yet. In a perfect world yes, but this is not a perfect world. Case in point, Piers Morgan still has a spot on one of British daytime televisions most popular programs. There is no justice in this earth. The modern day tactics focused football requires every player on the pitch to be absolutely comfortable and capable with the ball at their feet. But football adapts, and I believe there will come a time when the tough-tackler type of footballer will be favoured once again, if these sorts of players can adjust to the modern game.
Vinnie Jones grabs more than he bargained for to Paul Gascoigne's surprise. Credit: Daily Mirror.
If you're looking for someone to blame, which of course we all are, you could pinpoint the emergence of the new tactics-focused “soft” football on one man - Pep Guardiola. Of course it would be absurd to say that the football we see today is only the way it is because of one manager, but he has had a big part to play in all of this. He is renowned for wanting players who can do it all, and be able to do it with both feet. Even down to the goalkeeper; if your keeper isn't capable of placing one top bins from 35 yards, what's the use in having him? Whether or not you like Pep’s style of play, it is undeniable that it is successful, and it's why so many clubs are following suit. He has been a serial winner at every club he’s been with, winning the champions league with both Bayern and Barca, and setting an English top flight record for the most points in a season (100).
Pep celebrating the 2009 Super Cup alongside Thierry Henry. Credit: PA.
Whether or not you would like to admit it, it has improved the quality of the Premier League, with ‘smaller’ clubs focusing their efforts on acquiring talented players who can fit a manager’s system. We can see this clearly with the success of clubs such as Wolves and Leeds, who both have foreign managers bringing in lots of stars from abroad, resulting in a less physical yet more tactically-sound style of play. This sentiment is echoed by the struggles of Burnley in the current season, who are known for their grit, determination and old school style of play. Slowly but surely, the PL is changing. As the old adage goes, “Can they do it on a wet cold night in stoke?” Yes these teams probably can, because Stoke are currently sitting mid-table in the Championship. Clubs must adapt, and if they do not, they will fall short.
Personally, I think that if we have to shelf a more physical game where players absolutely hate each other, in favour of a less physical one where players are allowed to flaunt their natural ability to its full extent, I don’t mind too much. To me, when I think of my favourite footballing moments, they are wonderful displays of footballing magic, not bone-breaking tackles. Never before has the Premier League had so many talented players from all over the globe, allowing us to see such moments on a weekly basis.
And if you're worried about the lack of British representation in the Premier League, I have some good news for you. It seems that British managers are starting to catch up with the modern style of the game, besides Big Sam of course. Clubs are starting to place faith in British managers who can keep up with their peers from abroad - Graham Potter at Brighton and Brendan Rodgers at Leicester are both great examples of British bosses playing a more modern style of football. There is also a plethora of young British talent coming through - Grealish, Foden, Maddison and Rice to name a few. Good football will always exist, and as long as it doesn't become a non-contact sport, I think it is not as doomed as everyone believes. Football adapts, and in 10 years time it will probably be a completely different game to what it is now. Just try to enjoy it, after all, that’s why we watch it.
Jack Grealish (L), Phil Foden (C) and Mason Greenwood (R) warm up for England, 2020. Credit: Rex Features
Is there hope for the Lions? On one last positive note, if there's one good thing to come out of the state of the modern Premier League, it is surely the prospects of the English national team. In a cyclical and cathartic fashion, I will hark back to what inspired this article, John Stones and Harry Maguire hugging. It may seem to go against everything we stand for as Englishmen - showing affection towards your fellow man - but this hug may be a sign of better things to come for our national side. In previous years, as fans we’ve often asked ourselves, why didn’t it work? Why didn’t the golden generation of English football ever win anything?
One reason suggested by many is that the rivalries that existed between the players at a domestic level carried over into the international. Rio Ferdinand explains in this clip how, despite being close to Frank Lampard in earlier years of his career, he wouldn’t speak to him and other rival teammates during their international matches because he didn't want anything to impact Manchester’s chances of winning a game in the Premier League. He states these rivalries are “what held us back”. These same sentiments are shared by both Gerrard and Lampard.
England's previous stars Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard honestly tackle why it didn't work for the Three Lions. Source: BT Sport via YouTube.
A lack of intense rivalries between the English players today may actually allow them to achieve something notable on the international stage. You never know, maybe we can look back at this article proud winners of the 2022 World Cup. Probably not, but we can always dream.
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