Here is Dale’s latest article.

———————————————————————–

The world of football has been blessed with immense talent in recent years, from the days of Zidane’s ingeniousness, Ronaldinho’s trickery and Messi’s balance and grace. Couple this with the likes of Christiano Ronaldo, Torres, Kaka, Gerrard, Iniesta, the list goes on! The La Liga and Premiership has emerged as the two titanic platforms in which the beautiful game has very much lived up to its name. However, a question remains. With all the flamboyant skill, talent and ability in the Spanish and English leagues, are fans starting to prefer style over substance? Arsenal and Barcelona are two prime examples. Pep Guardiola and Arsene Wenger, the new young maverick and the established wise Frenchman. Both have created, managed and developed teams whose style has been labelled as the purest form of football. Skills, technique, grace and elegance on a football pitch has produced a spectacle which very few can match. Those who have witnessed the Catalan giants in the amphitheatre of Camp Nou will have experienced something magical. Something which only the Gunners at the Emirates stadium can replicate and the rest of us envisage. Passages of play that result in turning to the equally astounded person next to you, usually your dad or mate, and laugh at how good it was.

Equally as impressive are Real Madrid and Manchester United who have won more domestic titles than their exuberant counterparts in Barcelona and Arsenal. Both Madrid and United play magnificent football at times but do not quite reach the fluidity and entertaining spectacle which you can get at Arsenal or Barcelona. That said, they win trophies. 31 of the past 50 La Liga titles has gone to the Galactico’s with Manchester United and Liverpool tied at the top of the domestic winners list in England on 18 each. Therefore in a metropolitan megacity such as London and Barcelona, is it simply sexier to play stylish football at the expense of silverware?

Football in England has become the quickest and most athletic, travelling at a pace which tests the eyesight of the crowd at times! Players 6 foot and taller are not a rare sight in the English Top Flight, testing the physical attributes of all those who dare to participate in the most unforgiving of leagues. Spain however have adopted a more technical style of play with pin point passing, fluid movement and lightening speed all properties of successful teams. The elegance, chic and sophistication of the Spanish League are admired worldwide with more of a Latino South American samba influence. Regardless of the country, winning the biggest domestic trophy is regarded by most as the major achievement. The champion’s league is and always has been a prestigious competition but the continuity and consistency that the domestic league demands pitches it above the European tournament format that the Champions League offers. Therefore, it is surely a question of entertainment over achievement. Does a typical señor crave to see his beloved Barcelona lift the La Liga title with a string of gritty and ugly victorious games or will he sacrifice the domestic silverware to see week after week the classy and majestic performances that are currently in full flow at Barcelona?

However here is where out romance between the pie and paella depart. England’s Premier League is much more physically demanding with hard hitting challenges and powerful athletes competing for possession of the ball. This has shown that having all the technique and skill is not enough to top the table in such an environment. Spain however, is more suited to the more cultivated and artistic player, meaning teams can be entertaining and successful. Barcelona has shown that the style in which they play does not have to be compromised in order to win domestic and European competitions. Arsenal on the other hand will have to re-evaluate their stance on style and substance? Are they content with having the label of the most beautiful footballing team in the country but not winning any silverware? Or will we see a change in Arsene Wenger’s approach to the physical 38 fixtures in the most athletic league in the world in order to see his team lift a domestic trophy for the first time since 2004?

Style over substance, a matter of countries, leagues and the product of a multi million pound entertainment business known as “The Beautiful Game”