As we approach the final matches of the first round of games from World Cup 2010 there has been a lot of talk regarding the quality of football being played as well as the poor entertainment value of the opening exchanges.
So far the matches that stand out as the most entertaining have to be...erm, okay it's the Germany Vs Australia match. The Germans were rampant, the Aussies had their backs to the wall and there was a contentious decision when Tim Cahill was sent off for a challenge barely deserving of a booking.
At the final whistle, the Germans had laid the gauntlet firmly at the feet of the other pretenders to the World Cup crown with an efficient, effective very German performance and a 4-0 victory that saw four different forwards score and Mesut Oezil put in a truly world class performance.
Besides this match however, we have been "treated" to a festival of football reminiscent of my "house" tournaments at school, where each house mashed together a team comprising of a few footballers, a few rugby players and people who could run for a bit. Needless to say, passes were misplaced, "long ball" was the choice tactic, clear chances were shanked and any spectators cheering on their house was left feeling that a Maths lesson would have been a preferable experience.
Now a lot of excuses have been made for this drab affair, with the altitude and the ball being the main focus football-wise. As for the entertainment, many fans are cursing the one metre long piece of plastic known as the Vuvuzela, this is a trumpet blown by fans inside the stadium that, when blown in unison, generate a sound akin to a swarm of angry bees. So far, Lionel Messi, Patrice Evra & Cristiano Ronaldo have all stated that the continual drone has effected players concentration, communication and has prevented uninterrupted rest away from the games.
Could the Vuvuzela truly be having an adverse effect on the players?
The matchball, known as the Jabulani is manufactured by Adidas and was developed at Loughborough University in the UK. It is boasted that it is the "roundest" ball available today. Complaints have been made by Goalkeepers Júlio César, Iker Casillas, David James and Gianluigi Buffon, with Júlio César going as far as comparing it to a "supermarket" ball. Now, with the main complaints coming from keepers you'd have thought that some more goals would have been scored, but it seems to me that the outfield players are struggling as well, with these supposed "World-Class" players averaging a 69.7% pass completion rate* with Germany unsurpisingly managing 88.2% and Paraguay at the other end, only managing to complete 38.0% of their passes. For those interested England were mid-table, completing 67.1%.
As a goal-wise comparison after 5 days at the 2002 World Cup there had been 31 goals in 2006 it was 27 goals and in 2010 18.
Could the ball be preventing the players from displaying their true talents and scoring the goals we so desire?
Altitude is the last of the possible reasons. Among the host stadiums, Soccer City stands at 5,558 feet. The beach-side Moses Mabhida stadium is at only 26 feet.
Other stadiums at altitude include Bloemfontein at 4,432, Pretoria at 4,364, Polokwane at 4,035 and Rustenburg at 3,783.
Dave Saunders of Holloway Personal Training UK explains what the altitude will do to the players:
"Oxygen (O2) Levels in the atmosphere drop the higher the altitude gets. People who live at high altitude have a higher level of Red Blood Cells (RBCs) to combat the low levels O2. RBCs are the transport system for O2 to the muscles and organs, so if there are more RBCs then they have a higher chance of being oxygenated."
"This is affecting all the Footballers at the world cup who live at low altitudes due to their low RBC count. They will find they become breathless quicker due to their bodies craving O2. Saying this their bodies will adapt and the amount of RBCs in their blood will increase due to the low levels of O2 in the air. So further on through the tournament the players will appear to be fitter and the speed of the games will pick up."
Another consideration when it comes to the altitude is again, the Jabulani Ball which is scientifically proven to behave differently in the thinner air. Adidas themselves have stated altitude is the main factor affecting the Jabulani ball not its design and blames players for not practising enough with it.
So is it the altitudes that are effecting the players performance?
With these reasons clearly playing at least a small part in each match, is it fair as fans to swallow these excuses or is the problem not with the players or their tools but with us as spectators. Are we being too hasty in expecting fireworks? Could it be that future games will provide more of a spectacle? I will let you guys and girls decide...
*stats accurate up to and including the 14/06/2010
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