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9. Is Thiago Right? Is The Magic Gone in Football?
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Episode 9! The boys are back with an ironic, somber vengeance. In the aftermath of Spain, Croatia, France, and Switzerland's immensely entertaining Euro 2020 fixtures, Martin leads a discussion on a much less dazzling note--regarding Thiago Alcantara's recent interview with The Guardian in which he proclaimed that the magic has actually slowly left football. It's quite the claim, especially coming from a player at the pinnacle of the sport, so we had to dive into it.
The first half includes remarks on the individual vs. the collective--and how perceptions of appreciation and alienation have transitioned throughout generations. The purpose of sport has gotten muddied over the years, and for some, that's only given more oxygen to this trend in the ostensibly wrong direction. Players don't take long shots, they don't take defenders on 1v1, and the focus on systems over single-unit brilliance, that's been driven by the incessant need for optimization, has harmed the glittering angles of the sport anyone (even those not-ordinarily enamored with football) can enjoy. It's less accessible, in a way, and muted. People respond to unpredictability, but we've transitioned to favor predeterminism.
The duo also chat about media and money, performance and stat-based contract bonuses, The Reel Problem and selective memory, online ruthlessness, and the disappearance of the sensitive number 10. They carry the convo towards a few notes on VAR, UEFA's own goal rules, and cap off a more pensive episode with some hopes for the future. Perhaps our evolution is cyclical--perhaps it isn't.
Join us (especially you, Gareth) to hear our thoughts on all these items, and more--including Will's absolute favorite moment from the Germany England match, (speaking of which) another reality-jinxing loose-goose fiasco, some comments on the sexual counterattacking crescendo that VAR simply ruins, an pertinent own-goal insight, Pedri's long-distance banger, The Gold Power Ranger, and the burial of Giovanni van Bronckhorst's 4th of July celebration.
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