Who knows?

Programme article from 27th Sept ECFC 1-1 Woking

Last Thursday, Jonathon Woodgate endured what must surely be one of the worst ever debuts. Woodgate signed for Real Madrid over a year ago, but hadn’t played in a competitive match for them due to injury. Having finally got himself fit, he was rewarded with a starting role against Athletic Bilbao. Real had had a shaky start to the season, taking 3 points from 3 games in La Liga and losing 3-0 in their first Champions’ League match. The manager was likely to get the sack if the team didn’t win. In steps Woodgate, ring-rusty and desperate to justify the £14 million Madrid paid for him. Sadly, it didn’t quite go to plan.

In the 25^th minute, Woodgate tried to deflect a 30-yard shot from a Bilbao player past the post but only managed to head it past his own goalkeeper. Not a great start. He also picked up a booking for a late tackle that showed his lack of match practice. 1-0 down at half time and things were not looking good for Wanderley Luxemburgo, the Madrid coach.

While Real managed to improve in the second half and take a 2-1 lead, things got worse for Woodgate who picked up a second yellow card in the 66^th minute and left the pitch shaking his head in disbelief. While it wasn’t quite the worst possible start because Madrid managed to win 3-1, it was pretty close.

Real clearly demonstrate that spending lots of money doesn’t guarantee success. Despite having splashed out hundreds of millions of Euros on players such as Beckham, Zidane, and Ronaldo, they have won nothing for the last 2 years. While Chelsea have been accused of buying their success, Madrid show that there must be more to it than the ability to buy any player you want. Jose Mourinho has clearly been central to Chelsea’s achievements.

Recently, there have been complaints about the style of football that Chelsea play, which certainly contrasts with that of Madrid. While Real aren’t known for their defence, which is why Woodgate’s return was so important for them, Chelsea win many games 1-0. Their success is based on a solid foundation at the back, rather than free-flowing attacking football.

This reliance on defence has lead some to accuse Chelsea of being “boring” and “bad for football”. It’s certainly true that they have been struggling to sell tickets for some matches this season, which is a strange problem for the Premier League Champions to be facing.

Mourniho’s response to all this has been that he is under no obligation to entertain and that Chelsea’s style is a winning style, which is all that matters. Perhaps he is right: after games where City have played brilliantly and lost, many people leave thinking that they would have much preferred an ugly 1-0 win.

On the other hand, ugly football doesn’t attract new fans for the long-term. It’s interesting to note that while crowds in the Premier League, where 4-5-1 has become the formation of choice, have fallen sharply this season, attendances in the football league and Conference are at least holding firm, if not slightly increasing. I see this as a reaction against high prices and a lack of entertainment in the Premier League. Perhaps the problems at the top of the game will lead some fans of Premiership clubs to look closer to home for their football diet. For the sake of clubs like ours all over the country who struggle to make ends meet, let’s hope so.