Misconceptions of Football - Part One

Football, like any other sport, has many misconceptions and false beliefs – this article will help correct some of the common misconceptions in football which non-avid watchers generally have or believe. Part 1 focuses particularly on Arsenal, Barcelona and Real Madrid and misconceptions surrounding these clubs and its players.

Pepe is a bad defender

Pepe against Messi.

One of the biggest misconceptions today is that Pepe of Real Madrid is a bad defender – false. He is one of the top centre backs in the world, and is one of the first names on the team sheet whenever Jose Mourinho picks his squad. If you overlook the aggressive behaviour, the mass yellow cards (and occasional reds) and rash tackles, you’ll find that Pepe is a very useful defender to have, as he provides a storming presence at the back and can distribute the ball well. Under Mourinho, Pepe’s best has been brought out, as he is clearly getting better with age and is notably one of the few defenders to have neutralized Lionel Messi.

Arsenal haven’t challenged for trophies since 2005

Jack Wilshere.

Arsenal haven’t won a trophy since their 2005 FA Cup win, and battling the financial constraints of the move to the Emirates Stadium, many fans and portions of the media have claimed Arsenal must start challenging for trophies. Hang on, Arsenal have been challenging for trophies, from the very start of their drought too. Since May 2005, Arsenal have been involved in 3 title chases, 2 Carling Cup finals, a Champions League final and an FA Cup semifinal. While they have lost out on all occasions – with some due to bad luck – Arsenal have still been challenging despite limited resources nonetheless.

Barcelona don’t spend big

Chygrynskiy – one of Guardiola’s expensive flops.

Given Real Madrid’s nature of spending big on stars and Barcelona’s development of youth stars, many believe the Catalans rarely spend on players – very false. In fact, Barcelona – where the majority of the side is filled with home-grown players – have a higher average wage bill than Real Madrid. As of June 2012, the average wage at “high spending” Real Madrid is £90,859 whereas the average at homely, youth dependent Barca is £101,160.

If you look at the signings over the years, the likes of Dani Alves, Hleb, Caceres, Keita, Henrique, Pique, Ibrahimovic, Chygrynskiy, Keirrison, Maxwell, David Villa, Mascherano, Adriano, Afellay, Fabregas, Alexis Sanchez and Alex Song have all cost around £316m, which is certainly a lot of money, especially if you consider that most of those purchases have been flops or barely feature.

Fabregas and Nasri are benchwarmers

Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas both left Arsenal in the summer of 2011 to Manchester City and Barcelona respectively – and many Arsenal fans and neutrals have labelled them as bench warmers since these moves. Incorrect. As of today, Fabregas and Nasri have made 72 and 61 appearances for their clubs respectively since transferring in the 2011/2012 season, which isn’t a small amount. If we look at it in depth, Fabregas started 38 of the 44 La Liga games he has played for Barcelona since returning in 2011, while Nasri has started 37 of the 43 Premier League games he has played for Man City. Bench warmers? Far from it.