"The Referee's a... Hottie?"
"The Referee's a... Hottie?"
A bumper issue this week with dogs, Halloween, handsome referees, pranks, an awful own goal and some incredible ball skills.
The Week In Ball
I've been writing this letter since May. That's all, five short months. And yet here I am, about to talk yet again about a medical emergency during a live televised match.
Just before half time at the Newcastle v Spurs game the players suddenly stopped. Sergi Reguilon was seen pointing somewhere and advising referee Andre Marriner of something or other going on, it wasn't obvious what. It soon became clear that there was an incident in the crowd and the players had stopped play to ensure that it could be dealt with quickly and appropriately. Moments later we saw Eric Dier compelling the bench to go across with the defibrillator and the Newcastle team doctor then sprinted across the pitch with one.
It wasn't as visceral as the Christian Eriksen incident at the Euros so didn't feel quite so immediately traumatic but it's never pleasant when these things happen. I felt for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg who no doubt was taken back to that day in June in Copenhagen and was shown looking ashen faced and of course, studio guest David Ginola who himself suffered an on pitch heart attack and confessed to the whole scenario bringing back memories and making him feel very strange.
The players were taken off the pitch as the match was temporarily suspended and what followed on Sky was an excellent piece of broadcasting that highlighted the importance of CPR and how much of a lifesaver both that and having access to a defibrillator can be. I'm going to leave it to my mutual Mac who tweeted about it with great clarity and conciseness after someone complained (and then graciously admitted they were wrong) about the discussions.
Anyway you can learn what to do online via the FA here and can often book onto a course via your employer too if that's an option (I looked at the St John's Ambulance for individual courses and they're not running right now.)
Elsewhere, Liverpool kicked off the return of the Premier League in style with a 5-0 thumping of Watford, who failed to benefit from the 'new manager bounce'. Watford were so weak and lacklustre that Liverpool were able to dominate them across the pitch and this left room for Mo Salah to score yet another absolutely beautiful goal that left everyone who saw it speechless.
It also made Bobby Fermino, himself the scorer of a hattrick, do one of his trademark ridiculous leaps.
Chelsea managed, just, to see off the extremely impressive and persistent Brentford. If Brentford's finishing had been better and Chelsea didn't have the titanic Edouard Mendy it could have been a different story entirely. It pains me that he plays for Chelsea because every week I love Mendy more.
Other than noting that my German sons won against Mainz I've been a bit slack on continental football this week, however I did watch the second half of Barcelona v Valencia on Sunday which meant I got to see Sergio Aguero's debut appearance.
Also in Barcelona news, this week Pedri signed to keep him at Camp Nou until June 2026 with a contract that included a €1B release clause. It's obscene money but he seems like a nice boy and he's an outstanding footballer so I wish him well.
Since starting this I've also watched AC Milan v Verona, in which Milan came back from being 0-2 down to winning 3-2 after a truly awful own goal that made me shriek. I wonder if there'll ever be a day when I don't want to fully roll into a ball and scream when I see an og.
However, along with seeing Giroud play in a Milan shirt for the first time, the other notable thing was the referee, Alessandro Prontera. Shout out to your face signor.
Kick Off
This week we're going to delve into the 4-2-3-1 formation. Having just checked last week's newsletter I note I mistyped in the intro to this section that we were looking at this, but no, last week was the 4-3-2-1, this week is the 4-2-3-1, definitely...
SO, the 4-2-3-1 is a generally pretty wide formation, with the width offered by fullbacks who are expected to do the running, moving up and down the flanks to both help defensively and provide balls into the striker and whilst often overlapping with the two wide forwards. The centre backs are then offered additional protection from the two defensive midfielders.
The expectation here is that the two defensive midfielders can provide a double pivot, interchanging positions, so one who is unmarked can move into space for the ball while the other can take on the opponents. For this to work successfully these players need to be strong, intelligent and work well together. You may find one of them is a trusted workhorse or potentially even the captain; as long as they are a reliable presence on the field. They must have excellent passing skills, the ability to control the play and a keen eye for the positions held by the other players.
Flair comes from the presence of three creative midfielders who are given the time and space to show off their skills due to the five players in the more defensive positions. Essentially, with the help of the fullbacks, the role of these two wide midfielders is to stretch and distract the opposing team, forcing decisions from their fullbacks as to which player to mark and therefore hopefully leaving space open for passes and crosses to be made.
This leaves the striker as a standard out and out striker, ready to pick up balls in the final third or even the opposition box and find the net.
An advantage of this formation is its fluidity. By packing the midfield it's easy to transition from playing five in attack to having as many as six players in defence when under pressure. This also gives it balance; when everyone is in their correct position no particular area is left uncovered.
As with any formation what can let it down is the quality of the players both in their ability and their understanding of what they're supposed to be doing. It's possible for there to be confusion with too many players defending, leading to a lack of chances or pressing, or alternatively, the press can be too high and too intense, leaving the side exposed and open to counter attacks.
However, whichever way you slice it this is an effective and versatile system that can be played against any other set-up and, providing the personnel is there, can produce great results.
The Offside Thirst Trap
After last week we're staying in Spain but moving over to Real's biggest rivals Barcelona and the absurdly handsome Sergi Roberto. Look at those eyes! And those lips! And the fact he always looks a little bit tired and stressed and sad and OK.. that says more about me than him...
And if, for whatever crazy reason, you disagree with me, you have to hand it to him for having two fantastic dogs. The little curly chap in particular is a real mischief.
Football 'eritage
On Sunday two titans of the game will meet in what is pitched as the Game(s) of the Season. There's no hyperbole here, it really is one of the, if not the, greatest rivalry in modern club football. Yes, it's Manchester United vs. Liverpool.
Considered even bigger than their local derbies with Manchester City and Everton respectively, this a rivalry forged along economic, industrial and cultural lines with each city having a distinct and identifiable vibe.
Both teams are also on an approximately equal footing when it comes to titles and trophies, both being by far the most successful teams in England, so the only thing separating them has been current form and we all know that goes out of the window when there's a derby.
Without wishing to rhapsodise yet again about the 90s perhaps one of the biggest occasions was The Return of Cantona. After his 'kung-fu kick' in January 1995, Cantona was banned for nine months from playing any football at all. Luckily for him, for Sky Sports and for the Premier League his return match was against Liverpool on the 1st October of the same year.
This truly super article gives a brilliant overview of the time, the game and everything else that was going on at the time. Let's just say it was veritably dripping in Narrative.
What remains to be seen is how Sunday is going to play out. Overall we're currently looking at a period of Liverpool in their pomp and United, despite having their moments, treading water desperately, trying to avoid implosion.
Will we get the treat of Mo Salah stripping off in celebration again or will Ole be again 'at the wheel', driving his team of disjointed superstars to a win? And with the announcement of Scouser's favourite, Anthony Taylor, as the referee, can we expect some scandal?
Kit Bag
I didn't think there was going to be anything for this section this week and then, swooping in on their broomstick, came Napoli with this absolutely outstanding Halloween kit (Halloween kit? Since when has that been a thing?!). Just look at it. You will probably have heard me say that I've never met a black kit I didn't like and this carries on that statement, it's stunning. Though of course the choice of model, the beautiful Dries Mertens, helps but even so, the shirt. THE SHIRT! COBWEBS! ON A FOOTBALL SHIRT!
God I love it and they wore it on Sunday and are going to wear it against Bologna on the 28th! It looks so damn good with accompanying black shorts and black socks too 😚👌🏼
Extra Time
A few bits of nonsense for you this week, starting with this unreal bit of skill from Erling Haaland
Next up is this prank from Mount and Jorginho on poor Timo Werner. Obviously the best bit is this face from Jorginho but the whole thing is a good time.
I very much enjoy Alex’s Tifo IRL videos. They’re beautifully simple to understand, interesting and Alex has a wonderfully soothing voice too. They’re a great way to see how some of the formations I’ve been talking about over the past few weeks work in practice. This is the latest, showing the differences between Juve last year and this. Also check out the previous one about Jadon Sancho where an absolutely rascal t-shirt is on display.
For comments, clarifications, questions or corrections drop me a line at thewayutalkaboutball@gmail.com
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