Football has evolved into a tactical spectacle, a battle between the brilliant minds of two managers, but Junaid Benjamin feels that it has come at a severe price.
The likes of Ronaldinho, Jay-Jay Okocha, Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo and so forth provided something different — a unique set of skills that added even more enchantment to the beautiful game. Stars like these who possessed a certain spark that set them apart from other players, and brought fans to the edge of their seats in anticipation of what they would do next because of their unpredictable nature.
Read: Mailula's coach: He will have to wait until...
Now, however, they are not as prominent as they once were because of modern football's philosophy of ball retention and positional play. The emphasis that has been put on statistics has also not helped the case of that player who could dazzle a crowd with some superb skill.
This has translated onto the pitch and although it is always wonderful to see a player turn elegantly away from trouble with one move, a crowd would perhaps get more enthusiasm from an outrageous piece of control, or a remarkable sequence of step-overs that leaves defenders falling over one another or a cheeky nutmeg during an attack.
It is just not something spectators are able to see on a regular basis anymore, because of how much the game has changed. It is as though players do not have the freedom to try and be tricky because of how much emphasis has been placed on keeping and recycling the ball, effectiveness and numbers. So often these days, a spectator would see the ball go from side to side as the attacking team attempts to break down a resolute defensive unit. This can go on for long periods of time before a breakthrough is made or the team sitting back pounces with a quick counter-attack.
It is a sentiment that former Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips, who was quite a tricky player himself, seems to agree with. While in Cape Town with the Citizens on their trophy tour, the retired winger also highlighted the emphasis being placed on stats in today's game.
"Everybody's judged a lot of the time on numbers," he said.
"When I played, it wasn't so much numbers, it's how you just affected the game. Whereas now, if you're not scoring goals, you're not creating chances and that was attacking errors, the likelihood is that you don't play no matter how good you are.
"Because there's so much pressure on teams, either getting into the Premier League or getting promotion, that, everything cost time on the pitch. You have to create chances. I hate saying that.
"I have to tell my son the same thing. I always brought him up to enjoy football, and go and excite the fans. Now I have to say to him, 'when you play, you need to create chances, score a goal or get an assist' because in those attacking areas, that's what wins you games and what wins you titles and that's what makes a club successful.
"Everybody has a role effectively in games nowadays that they have to play and they have to play it well."
Read: Chelsea legend 'declines' African giants' offer
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
WATCH: