I seem to have spent a lot of the past week discussing gegenpressing/closing down/
defending from the front – delete as applicable depending on what era you grew up in or how long your hipster beard is.
In the rush to heap praise, quite rightly, on both Liverpool and Spurs after their weekend wins, one quote shone like a beacon.
Following the 4-1 win over Manchester City, Adam Lallana said, “We didn’t give them a second on the ball. Going forward we looked very dangerous, it was great fun.”
Woah, woah, woah. What have we just read? A footballer has said that it was fun. Football was fun!! I can’t remember the last time I heard that.
I know it’s a business, I know money and jobs can be lost as a result of what happens on the pitch but didn’t we all – fans, players and managers alike – first get into the sport because it was fun?
If you didn’t enjoy it when you were six or seven you wouldn’t continue with it would you?
Text right now from a mate who's a Liverpool fan simply says 'Footy's great.' #Klopp
— Mark Chapman (@markchapman) October 8, 2015
There is obviously a bit of a Klopp love-in going on in the media at the moment.
I know this might sound simplistic but I think the main reason for that isn’t his record at Dortmund, his tactics, his beard or even what he says. It’s because he smiles.
He looks like he is enjoying himself. He will joke in press conferences, he will laugh on the touchline and he will do interviews with nine-year-old Scousers. I’m sure the smile will disappear at times but for now it is most welcome.
Claudio Ranieri falls into that category too, a man who looks like he is enjoying himself in charge of a player who looks like he is enjoying himself in Jamie Vardy.
Now yes, you might say that that is easy to do when you are top of the table and scoring in ten consecutive games but then consider why we all enjoyed Blackpool’s year in the Premier League.
They weren’t top, they didn’t have players breaking Premier League records but they gave it a good go and in Ian Holloway had a manager who was there to relish his season in the top flight.
How many times do you see managers look happy? How many times do you see players smiling? How many times do pundits on television laugh and joke? How many times do you hear happy fans on 606? We are in a malaise of seriousness.
The most popular clip we have had over the past couple of years on 2Good 2Bad on MOTD2 is Sam Allardyce laughing at Chico Flores rolling around pretending to be injured. He couldn’t contain himself. Him laughing makes you laugh.
It feels particularly apt to be writing about this in the week that has seen the 10th anniversary of the death of George Best, a man who wanted to entertain and had the skills and the charisma to do so.
Jimmy Greaves once said: “George was the ultimate showman. His attitude was ‘why simply beat a defender when you can torture him and entertain your public too?”
Do you look at the team you support and wonder whether your players want to entertain you? Do they think that is their job? Does your manager send out your team with instructions to entertain you?
The odd one might. If your side are doing well at the moment then you are probably enjoying your season but are you being entertained? Is there a difference?
I put the question to Manchester United fans after the soporific draw with PSV Eindhoven whether they would prefer points or entertainment? We all know points mean prizes so would they sacrifice a trophy if they were being entertained. In a hugely unscientific poll the majority wanted to be entertained above anything else.
We live in an era of gegenpressing, in-depth tactical analysis and races to prove that you heard of a right-back playing in the Chilean second division before anybody else.
An era of diamond formations, false nines and global brands.
Some have more merit than others in a game that is still in essence all about trying to put a ball into a net.
A game that the first time we played it with our mates, the first time we watched it with our dads made us smile, laugh and be happy.
Adam Lallana might just be on to something.
