Beautiful football and the 'dark arts'

Most football fans and many people involved in the sport always long to enjoy beautiful football, but that goodwill is often hampered by the so-called efficiency. Beautiful football that results in a loss becomes meaningless; a less beautiful game that wins at least offers something to rely on and find solace in. Therefore, in football, alongside the beauty that many always strive for, there are also the opposite—things that are not good or beautiful—that always exist and coexist here and there.

Many Italian defenders are world-renowned, handsome, and possess unparalleled fighting spirit. (Photo: Nhan Dan Newspaper)

The history of football over hundreds of years has left behind many tragicomic stories and countless lessons that can never be fully learned. All we know is that even the teams that play the most superb, beautiful attacking football, exceeding all expectations, don't always play beautifully and purely without any ulterior motives.

Conversely, when necessary, and when the rules permit, an unsavory situation can immediately arise from a player who is considered "brilliant" in everyone's eyes. Besides the occasional incidents of racism, which are always severely punished, the football field is indeed full of stories about "dark arts" and their effectiveness, from the most prominent stars and the most successful teams.

Brazilian football has long been associated with the flattering terms "samba dancers" or "artists of the pitch." But not long after hearing those beautiful words, Brazilian coaches were forced to bring in strongmen and warriors to form the backbone and driving force of the team. Names like Dunga and Casemiro, receiving yellow cards in every match as a matter of course, exemplify this shift in the new Brazilian football philosophy that led to their success.

The Brazilian national team always displays beautiful football. Photo: Nhan Dan Newspaper.

Of course, there will be teams that try every way to "counter" Brazil's beautiful style of play, and any opponent for that matter, starting with Argentina, Uruguay, or Paraguay, and further afield, the European giants. And then, everyone knows the Argentinians are famous for Maradona's genius goal from the "Hand of God" and the countless masterful tricks from their players. And how can we forget world-class striker Suarez (during his time with Liverpool and the Uruguayan national team) with his classic "bite" on Chiellini's shoulder at the 2014 World Cup, and on Ivanovic's ear (Chelsea) in the Premier League, not just once, despite facing heavy penalties and subsequent criticism and ostracism?

But those are just typical examples of individual "dark arts." For instance, against attacking, dominant teams, a team that wants to avoid defeat and then win inevitably has to focus on defense, even to the point of collective "dark defense." That's how Atletico Madrid, under coach Simone, played and won against Klopp's Liverpool in the Champions League last season. An ugly victory in the eyes of Liverpool fans, but beautiful because of the victory itself—the beauty here is the victory, in the eyes of Atletico fans, in that sense?

When it comes to pragmatism and the application of "dark arts," few can match Argentina or Italy, even though these teams have countless interesting and exciting stories in history, both in terms of dedication and... dirty play! Maradona, at his peak, scored with both his feet and his hands, playing "like a beast," yet he couldn't escape the tenacious marking of Italian defender Jentile at the 1990 World Cup. Zidane, so brilliant and amazing, was instantly provoked by Italian defender Materazzi, receiving a direct red card and leading to his team's defeat in the 2006 World Cup final between Italy and France!

Just recently, in the EURO 2020 final between England and Italy, captain Chiellini was still willing to crudely pull Saka's shirt when he was beaten and perceived danger to his team. In the semi-final before that, when it came to the penalty shootout, the Italians had already "guessed" their opponents from the moment the draw took place, meaning they employed all sorts of underhanded tactics without breaking the rules to gain an advantage for their team!

Many Italian defenders are world-renowned, handsome, and incredibly brave, striking fear into the hearts of countless famous strikers. Yet, there's a rather amusing story: before a match, one Italian defender ate a lot of garlic to boost his morale and deliberately breathed heavily into the face of the striker marking him! And then there's Chiellini, who recently wrote in his memoir admitting to being "shocked" by Suarez's bite, saying, "He didn't need to apologize. We're the same, we're both jerks when we play, and I'm proud of that!"

To achieve victory against a very strong opponent with an equally fierce desire to win, besides maximizing individual and collective strengths, it's inevitable that everyone must "act like scoundrels when playing," as Chiellini admitted. Ultimately, everyone must accept that a beautiful victory is a legitimate and enduring dream for many, and reality clarifies: only the final victory is truly beautiful and tangible!

Chau Phu