After Spain’s fantastic performances in the European Championships this year it has been brought into question who does play the most pleasing football to watch?. No doubt the Spanish played lovely flowing football with there short triangular passing style but can it be compared to the likes of Brazil who play there way of football for such a long time now or is it more effective than the Italian style of play?. These questions have been asked for a long time and the only answer to them is by looking at who holds the current titles whether that be World Cup, European Championship, Copa America or African nations Cup.
What is a very interesting point though on this type of subject is how these types of styles of football have been created. Society has an impact on everything, the cultures and ways of life from one country to another can compare and vary dramatically, this can also be evaluated in football. You only have to look at the way the English national football team play compared to Brazil‘s. England’s tactics are of a direct route of attack with long balls over the top of defences for attackers to run onto where Brazil’s is of a more entertaining style, more free willed. When you look at the two cultures they can be seen as the same as there football. The English are very direct and rushed with life, everything is of getting A to B as fast and easy as possible, look at the way we eat, dinner is usually taken around 7pm or 8pm and we eat the food as quickly as it has been served. Also the way we drive, we want to get from one place to the other as soon as we can rather than relax and enjoy the journey. Then there is Brazil which is renowned for their carnival spirit and easy way of life, their restaurants don’t open until 9pm their life is led with a certain freedom. That is all shown in style of football they play.
You can look at the same thing with Italy, Portugal, Argentina, Spain and many more. At this current moment Spain are the best in Europe and are major contenders for the World Cup in 2010 in South Africa, can the Italian mentality of Fabio Capello be the catalyst that English football needs so desperately?. He has stated that technically our national team is as good as anyone’s, it is more to do with confidence. Now that is another part of our culture that needs to be addressed so badly and that is of the English mentality of self criticism. Yes the English media are mainly responsible for creating this crisis of confidence in the national team but it is also the people buying these papers that are responsible too. If only we could change our culture for the good and back our boys through thick and thin then it might be us holding that cup last Sunday!!!
