The Element of Hype is Overrated

By Zain Alvi | 26th February 2009

The Element of Hype is Overrated | read this item

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r252617_1040550 No doubt, it is great to see two massive sides come together at a massive venue in massive form. Furthermore, if the clash between these two teams has been scheduled for months, proceedings become even more pulsating. Fans of both teams feel the chills down their spines while the neutrals across the world just wait restlessly for a cracker of a game.

The question I want to ask here is: How many of these big games actually live up to the reputation that precedes them? Am I the only one who thinks this way or is the element of hype really quite overrated? In recent times, all the indications suggest that I might not be the only one who feels that hugely promoted games end up being either heavily one sided or simply very drab and defensive-minded.

For starters, take the example of the first clash this season between Premier League Champions Manchester United and last year’s runners-up Chelsea. The two sides played to a drab 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea managed to respond with a late equalizer in a game that Manchester United fans still feel their side dominated. I couldn’t agree more. While the score-line was the same as it was in May’s extremely thrilling Champions League final in Moscow, both sides looked extremely nervous; United failed to convert their dominance into goals and Chelsea merely played for the draw after suffering for long stages.

When these two sides met at Old Trafford a few weeks ago, the stakes were increased, and Chelsea badly needed a result to stay in touch with the Red Devils. As expected, the game was billed as an epic clash between two of the favorites for the Premier League title. The visiting Blues suffered a shocking 3-0 defeat in a performance that, to put lightly, was listless. The only thing this heavily one-sided game will be remembered by, outside the Manchester United camp, is that it started the end of Felipe Scolari’s reign as Chelsea manager.

The two encounters between Chelsea and Liverpool have also been strictly average, at best. A deflected Xabi Alonso goal ended Chelsea’s massive unbeaten home record in the league but once that meaningless record was broken, hardly anyone from outside these two clubs remembered that extremely defensive-minded game. The rematch at Anfield was worse as the two teams performed well below the mark in terms of both creating chances and finishing. I still maintain that had it not been for Frank Lampard’s red card, Liverpool could have found it very hard to win the way they did and therefore, the only thing to remember this clash by would be Jose Bosingwa’s infamous kick to the back of Liverpool’s Yossi Benayoun.

In the Champions League this season, the story has been no different, as the so called massive games between Real Madrid and Juventus in the group-stages both ended with 2-0 wins for the Bianconeri. Los Blancos were completely outplayed by Alessandro Del Piero and group at both the Bernabeau and the Delle Alpi. The most shameful thing was both games looked extremely similar, and it seemed as if Juventus had discovered a secret code to unsettle Real’s poor defense.

While I have already heard disagreements regarding my latest target of criticism, I will stand by my beliefs and declare that even the much-anticipated clash between Inter Milan and Manchester United this Tuesday was well below expectations. United ripped Inter apart in the first half, and it literally seemed as if all of a sudden it was Julio Cesar versus Manchester United, as opposed to the entire Inter side competing against the defending champions.

Though Inter did come out with a renewed purpose to play better football in the second half, it looked like they were more careful about avoiding an away goal than scoring a goal in front of their home fans. In my opinion, they gave Manchester United too much respect and United were guilty of not finishing the tie off at the San Siro itself. Therefore, the game may not have lacked passion or intensity, but it was surely a disappointment, as hardly anything came out of it.

In contrast, lesser talked about games such as Barcelona at Lyon and Porto at Atletico Madrid managed to provide an unexpected source of thrills and entertainment. Therefore, I rest my case that the element of hype is indeed quite overrated – or so it seems this season. As a football fan who craves for epic clashes to be created every day, I can only hope that the next time a match is hyped nearly as much as any of the aforementioned games, it lives up to at least half the expectations it generates.

Do you agree that recent matches have been overhyped? Discuss this article in the comments section below or head on over to the Premiership Talk Forum!

Jon at Just-Football says:

February 28, 2009 at 12:44 am

Interesting article. I definitely think its true to say that a lot of the time the pre-match hyperbole far outweighs the actual entertainment on the pitch. Real Madrid v Liverpool was a perfect case in point. A game involving two of the world’s most romantic football names, giant clubs with history and tradition, but ultimately a borefest, a game you would do well to remember anything about other than Benayoun’s goal. If you even watched that long.

The point is, a lot of Champions League games these days are far too cagey to really offer genuine excitement. But I suppose that is as much a testament to the technique, tactical nous and quality of teams at the top level as anything else.

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Zain Alvi says:

February 26, 2009 at 1:01 am

Oh, I should add that when I say that Lampard’s red card changed the boring Liverpool vs. Chelsea game @ Anfield, I mean a completely bogus red card at that too as we all know how wrong and uncalled for that decision truly was.

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