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It Wasn't Pretty But Chelsea's 'Catenaccio' Was Pure Football
It can be frustrating to watch, sure, but Jose's tactics recalled to me one genius Italy win over the Dutch back in Euro 2000...
It Wasn’t Pretty But Chelsea’s ‘Catenaccio’ Was Pure Football
The manner of Chelsea’s win at Anfield on Sunday has prompted much talk of aesthetics. In a game that is meant to be beautiful, winning ugly is frowned upon. But is it really fair to describe the kind of controlled, defensive performance Chelsea’s players put in as ugly?
The discussion currently raging took me back to the summer of 2000, and a similar collision between footballing swashbucklery and dour determination. It was the semi-final of Euro 2000, still the best international competition I’ve ever watched, and the semi-final in Ajax’s impressive Amsterdam Arena pitted hosts the Netherlands against Italy.
The Oranje were everything you’d expect of a Dutch team, with Edgar Davids, Patrick Kluivert, Denis Bergkamp, Marc Overmars and player of the tournament Boudewijn Zenden at the heart of a team that had stormed through the tournament, sweeping Denmark aside 3-0 in the group stage in front of an ecstatic home crowd in Feyenoord’s De Kuip Stadium in the group stages before stuffing a pretty useful Yugoslavia side 6-1 in the quarter finals.
Italy, in contrast, had reached the semi-finals by keeping it tight, only conceding two goals all through the tournament. There were players of flair, including Filippo Inzaghi, Alessandro Del Piero and Stefano Fiore, but this was an Azzuri who had the Italian tradition of catenaccio –the door-bolt – down to a fine art.
So the semi-final was set up as the forces of good versus the forces of darkness, football versus anti-football. Italy set up with five at the back. The Dutch, roared on by the wall of orange that went around almost the entire stadium, set about them with a starting line-up that featured just two natural defenders. Then, on 33 minutes, Italian defender Gianluca Zambrotta was sent off for a second bookable offence.
Del Piero was dropped back into midfield, leaving Inzaghi isolated up front. From then on, the Italians did not so much counter-attack as simply counter. The Dutch missed two penalties in normal time, one from Kluivert and the other from Frank de Boer. Watching rom high in the stands, I was mesmerised by the two disciplined lines of blue, moving purposefully up and down the pitch to squeeze the life out of the Dutch attack.
The longer the game went on, the more inevitable a penalty shootout looked. And so it came to pass, despite the introduction in extra time of Francesco Totti and Marco Delvecchio giving the Italians some attacking verve and, almost, a late win. The Dutch fans could not believe it had come to this, and maybe their nervousness transmitted itself to the pitch, because de Boer missed his second penalty of the game, while Jaap Stam delivered what will forever be known in the game as a Chrissy Waddle, blasting high over the bar.
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For Italy, Pessotto scored nonchalantly and Totti chipped a cheeky one over Edwin van der Sar before Francesco Toldo saved from Paul Bosvelt to take the Italians, written off before the tournament, to the final.
The Netherlands retreated into a state of shock and those of us who had watched the game argued long into the night about what it meant. For me, a firm adherent to Danny Blanchflower’s famous quote about glory, it had been an eye-opener. Italy hadn’t played the style of football I like to watch, and the game was, after all, meant to be entertainment. And yet I couldn’t see how anyone who loved the game could fail to appreciate the quality of what Italy had done.
It relied more on mustering the qualities of reading, positioning and tackling than it did on breaking up the play by taking ages over set pieces, staying down for as long as possible and – a Jose Mourinho speciality that he boasted about using in the European Cup with Porto – preventing quick throw ins when the ball goes out. And so it distinguished itself from gamesmanship. It was football, played at the very top level, effectively.
I still prefer the expansive game to the restrictive. It’s easier to appreciate the thrill of attacking football than to appreciate the qualities of obduracy, you have to look that bit harder. That semi-final taught me to look a bit harder. And to remember that the famous Blanchflower quote about glory was not just about glory, but glory and winning.
Follow Martin on Twitter, @MartinCloake
Martin Cloake is a journalist and author who writes about football, the football business and football culture when he’s not doing the day job writing about other stuff. That other stuff has included finance, politics, music, celebrity and real life stories – and fruit and veg. His most challenging commission was delivering a 5,000-word epic on potatoes. Sadly, this is no longer available. But his books, in ebook and paperback form, plus some rather handsome hardbacks, are available direct from his website.
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COMMENTS
Defense requires resilience and determination, steadfast concentration and endurance, all qualities CFC has in abundance. If it was so easy to 'park the bus' why doesn't Stoke win at Anfield? Chelsea went down to 10 men at Barcelona in '12 and persevered, when United went down to 10 against Real Madrid they collapsed. It takes guts and determination to win against these offensive juggernauts and Chelsea does it. Repeatedly. They have the self reliance to win without apology against the very best and it should be heralded, not critisized. The fortitude they display should be admired and lauded by the British as an example of their never say die character, not slandered in envy. They score plenty of goals, just ask Arsenal, but more importantly they WIN, which, after all, is the name of the game.
don't worry my fans,whether it be real or Bayern, I will park da bus in front of goal
he realy is a complete helmet this joker isn't he,apparantley he has a fully fit squad to choose from for tomorows game.you run out of words to describe this idiot don't ye,am sure athletico have fallen hook,line and sinker for this and have sent there reserve team over to play the game. jose [stan butler} Maureen, you are without a doubt the biggest helmet to ever walk the face of gods earth. COME ON ATHLETICO,the whole of England is behind you.
oh dear ! real Madrid do look like the special ones this year don't they.if I were a Chelsea fan I would rather go out tomorrow rather than see the shit scared one and his convoy of coaches drive all the way to Lisbon just to get battered. 10. . .4 . . . . .this one"s here rubber duck
Liverpool were looking like the Special ones..... Until Sunday!
listen mate, real Madrid are not Liverpool. they are the best team in Europe by a landslide. you should pray you go out tonight rather than face them. reg varney can park as many buses as he likes against them and it wont make a blind bit of difference.roman wont be happy with his Portuguese puppet if they win noyhing will he especialy as he wanted trophies and great flowing attractive atta cking football to go with it.expect reg varney to be sacked before the world cup.
What a ridiculous comparison. That semi final game wasn't a advertisement for how well Italy had played (they were in fact really poor). Italy were just incredible lucky not to be 5-0 down by the end of the match. It wasn't there style of football that made Holland miss two penalties, or hit the post multiple times. I have never seen a more one sided match. The Italians just rid their luck beyond anything I have ever seen. That semi final game only teaches you that luck can very occasionally win you games. Nothing more. Italy got pumped, and somehow managed to win on penalties.
Now the dust has settled , the cats been kicked and the beer has run out.we can take stock. Maureen did exactly what he had to do for his team.like it or not.it was liverpools failings to break down his wall of blue.not nice to look at , but there you go. What lets the Machiavellian one down is his hypocrisy.his comments when spurs did it and west ham were accused of playing football from another century.when he does its playing to your teams strengths. Ah well its a good job we all dont take him too seriously.
hahahahahahahahahahaha must say an absolute masterclass from mourinho,didnt know what to do did he,wen it went 1-1,hope uefa clamp down on the prick for trying to bribe the referee before the 2nd half.credit where its due though he brought on eto and he made an instant impact.giving a clear penalty away for athletico ba da ba ba ba am lovin it.and within minutes it was 3-1.cant wait to hear what the smug twat has to say.probably call the ref a cheat and say the best team lost.thanks jose yuve made a nation happy tonight and I can hear the plastic fans crying all the way from the kings road to penny lane.i will leave you with these words from a very very famous liverpudlian. "instant karmas gonna get you.going to smack you right in the face. and its goodnight from me and goodnight from me hahahahahahaha.
josmourinho,frank lampard,david mellor,john terry,peter Osgood,peter bonetti,fernando torres,zola,andre flo,roman abramovich,gianluca vialli,eto,hazard,oscar,dennis wise,roberto di matteo. . . .can you hear me . . . . ,your boy"s took one hell of a beating.
come out,come out wherever you are and meet the young lady who fell from a star [:
the fraudster was found out once again I see, and before I go any further it was so refreshing to hear that chewsea fan on 606 last night absolutely fuming that they got rid of rafa benitez for that fake.well said that man cos if the majority could see what you saw last year,then you may probably be going to Lisbon for the final.the game last night starts 0-0 and masterclass Maureen starts with 6 yes six defenders ? can you believe that,the man even tries to park the bus at Stamford bridge.and then came the second stroke of genius.he brings on eto a striker and almost immediately eto the striker is back in his OWN PENALTY AREA giving away a penalty.abramovich should sack this prick this morning and let him see out his masterclass career at the likes of fenerbache or olympiakos bcos that is where this wanker belongs.special what exactly ?
@Masterclass - that has to be one of the best rants I've read in ages! I can actually imagine hearing you say it! Excellent!
Can anyone translate mano71's rants into English? I've only lived her 25 years and am struggling to read it.
Chelsea 1 athletico 3,easy to read in it. jonny Ribena ? wat the fxxk,wer u get that name from softlad.
SABOTAGE
