Who said football was supposed to be fun? The meeting between Manchester City and Arsenal on Sunday was billed as an epic showdown between sorcerer and apprentice that might decide the league title. It produced a total of three shots on target which is to say as many as Brentford had against Manchester United between the 53rd and 55th minutes.
Admire the tactical machinations if you like, the levels of concentration and the planning that went into it, the obviously refined level of the lack of action, but this was shit on a stick for the TikTok generation.
In fact, in many ways it was worse. When the great former Argentina forward Jorge Valdano came up with his line in Marca to describe the second leg of the 2007 Champions League semi-final between Liverpool and Chelsea - "Put a shit hanging from a stick in the middle of this passionate, crazy stadium and there are people who will tell you it's a work of art. It's not: it's a shit hanging from a stick" - he was at least describing a knockout tie.
In that 2007 Liverpool-Chelsea match, there was a sense of jeopardy, that any mistake could lead to elimination. Daniel Agger's goal midway through the first half cancelled out the lead Joe Cole had given Chelsea in the first leg.
Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin April 02, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin April 02, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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