Pep-Ball is dying before our eyes at this World Cup. Senor Guardiola’s tippy-tappy evolution, which has been copied universally, is being swept aside by an upsurge of high-speed attacking football on the grandest stage of all.
Many of the 48 nations have arrived in the Americas well aware that conforming to a method in which goalkeepers have the ball for longer than the 10 outfield players put together is unlikely to succeed at this summit gathering of the best footballers on earth — let alone keep the crowds happy.
Even the most devout disciples of Pep-Ball are being converted, one by one, to a revolution of high-risk excitement which caught some of the traditional superpowers of the game off guard. Brazil, Spain, France and Portugal among them. England, also, in their first 45 minutes here before they woke up to the change happening around them. Only to relapse in the bore draw with Ghana which followed.
Hallelujah, we say. Most loudly the fans themselves, who are weary of watching teams let minute after minute slip by as five-yard passes are forever shuttled between close-knit blocs of players parked between their own penalty area and the halfway line.
The public here are letting their opinion be known by whistling at increasing volume whenever that cure for insomnia is served up in return for the enormous prices they are paying for tickets. America’s real games — baseball, their football, especially basketball — are all action, after all.
The opening match in World Cups invariably sets the tempo for the tournament. Mexico turned up that trend to the boil. They exploded out of the blocks with attacks even more lightning than the biblical storm which burst upon this city later that night of June 11. And kept it up until the final whistle.
Leaving South Africa, whose physical strength and athleticism usually makes them hard to beat, looking like a team plodding through one of those matches for nostalgic pensioners.
When South Korea came to altitude a week later they were primed for the new football. They joined Mexico in going hammer and tongs all night.
When that thriller ended, Mexico, who many doubted would survive the early phase, became the first country to qualify for the knockout stages. Topping what had looked like a tricky Group A.
The crusade gathered pace. Long, lazy build-ups whose main purpose appears to be boring opponents into losing concentration are going out of vogue. Increasingly in fashion here is a quick-shoe shuffle as runs are made from all quarters of the pitch, opening up channels for instant passes crisply unleashed.
Long balls, even from the keepers, are added to the mix. Not high and loopy but low and fast, catching defenders out of position.
Pressing still has its place but more now mano-a-mano by means of brisk but mostly fair tackles which strand midfield players and thereby expose defenders. For possession, read dispossession.
By such means have the unfancied Ivory Coast, Japan, Egypt, the USA, Ecuador and Cape Verde made an impact. The latter with an inconceivable draw against Spain who seemed to forget for a moment that they began this transformation of the game at the Euros. Second favourites France needed a late burst into life by the great Kylian Mbappe to snatch victory against Senegal.
Brazil, the beautiful five-time champions, had to liven up from a somnolent start to rustle up three goals against Haiti and Scotland.
Even Brazil’s maestro himself, Professor Carlo Ancelotti, was taken by initial surprise at the rapid-fire turn of events.
The patronised minnows are reminding one and all that the winning of this World Cup will require exactly what they are bringing to the party. A willingness to go flat out, sweating buckets, gasping for air for 90 minutes, plus overtime.
Kylian Mbappe had to spring into life late on to see off spirited Senegal in France’s opener
Only then might superior skills prevail. Rely on reputation, then go strike the tent.
FIFA’s new rules against time-wasting at throw-ins, corners, substitutions et al are boosting the transition to high-velocity risk and drama.
As for the clampdown against turning penalty areas into UFC cages, Thomas Tuchel has wisely moved grappler-in-chief Declan ‘Spitter’ Rice from the box to take corners and free-kicks. But solving one problem begets another. Whatever else Rice may or may not contribute, he is not David Beckham with the dead balls.
Spitter Rice? Watch TV close-ups of him watering pitches orally, for which many councils in England would arrest him if caught doing it in their streets.
Not only Arsenal face making adjustments when the Premier League reopens for business a month after the World Cup Final. FIFA’s new laws will apply everywhere football is played, at every level. Any bellyachers back home might care to factor in the high-risk entertainment awaiting the paying customers.
Every era has its time and Guardiola enjoyed protracted and laudable success during his epoch at Manchester City.
Pep-Ball lasted a lot longer than cricket’s Bazball but now its day is done.
Viva La Revolucion.
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