Before the game, I did not really get why France were such big favourites. And nor did I understand why their defeat to Spain was such a big shock.
Yesterday’s game was actually an interesting watch.
In the French corner, you have players that are terrific athletes. Runners. Big, strong lads. Facing them was Spain. They sacrifice athleticism for control of the ball, for passing and technique.
The result answered the thoughts that man American’s have shared this summer: _If our best athletes trained to be soccer players, we would be unbeatable_. But this view always ignored that football is not just about being athletic. It is about having the technique to pass the ball, at the right time, at the right pace, to the exact right spot.
Top footballers are likely top golfers – they have an exact place they are aiming to get the ball too.
Golfers will aim the ball to land in around a meter or two of an area. For footballs it is not just about passing the ball to your teammate, but passing it to the correct foot, or into the correct space for them to run onto without breaking stride. And yesterday was the perfect example as to why being a top footballer is not just about being a top athlete.
Spain played like a team. They controlled the game and won the ball back at ease. France played as individuals, rarely putting together passages of play and looked like they were waiting for Spain to lose the ball rather than trying to win it. Result: Spain win.
One player to really struggle was Bradley Barcola.
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Barcola is your typical athletic footballer. He is big, strong and quick. But he is not actually that great with the ball at his feet – crosses often go over the cross bar, shots tamely roll into the keepers gloves, and when in tight spaces with no where to run into, the ball gets stuck under his feet.
If you are now thinking “Barcola reminds me of someone”, you are right. Gabriel Martinelli.
Barcola is basically the French Martinelli. He has the same strengths and weaknesses, and for me is no better. And you can chuck Anthony Gordon and Rafael Leao into the same box.
All these players are the same profile. Fantastic runners, super quick. But rely on having space in behind to run into. Space that you do not get when playing for Arsenal.
Prior to this World Cup, I saw no point in selling Martinelli and signing Barcola. It all felt a little “Emperors new clothes”. This World Cup has reinforced me view.
Barcola would thrive at a mid-table team that plays on the counter attack. The likes of Aston Villa or Newcastle. But playing for a top team he would struggle. And anyone that watches PSG regularly will see that struggle. He only puts in the goals and assists he does in France because Ligue 1 is a hugely inferior team outside the top 1. In Europe, playing against better opposition, his output sinks quicker than West Ham.
If we are looking to replace Martinelli, the player coming in needs to provide the same electric pace and directness, but also have the addition of being composed on the ball and able to beat players in tight places. Beyond the top 2 or 3 left wingers in the world, others just have the same deficinies as Martinelli.
I would be surprised if any Arsenal fan still wants Barcola after this World Cup. And Liverpool are welcome to him.
**Keenos**