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Hello, all!
I’m listening to a playlist of songs from different versions of FIFA, and today I’m serving up a picture of former Tottenham midfielder Moussa Saïb at the top.
Ramble of the Day
There are a number of things players and coaches can do to push themselves just a little bit harder, and therefore get the wins they are seeking. The most obvious is are tactical decisions, but with that many people in the football world, there are always some creative suggestions.
A relatively common one (and an option that I naturally take interest in) is when managers show their players films to inspire them. Norwich’s Daniel Farke showed his side Troy before the team played Spurs in December, and ended up with a 2-2 draw, so it somehow worked. Gladiator is perhaps the most common pick, liked by players and managers. One time Sam Allardyce even picked it out for his Blackburn team. The result wasn’t kind, though.
In L’Equipe today, Gael Givet says Sam Allardyce tried to fire Blackburn’s players up for a game against Man United in 2010 by showing them clips from Gladiator and 300. “We were all like, ‘Ahhhhh!’ [mimics soldier with sword]. After 30 minutes, we were 3-0 down. We lost 7-1.”
— Tom Williams (@tomwfootball) November 24, 2019
Movies might be a fun way to go, but I think the most unique pre-match preparation I’ve seen comes from Dani Alves. I stumbled upon this video a couple of days ago, and I don’t really know how to set it up so I’ll just drop it in and then we can discuss.
Blessing the timeline with @DaniAlvesD2 going down an escalator before the 2015 Champions League final pic.twitter.com/TSoy0RDi8S
— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 24, 2020
I could ask why, but I will instead make a guess: Maybe he wanted to do a full body stretch before the match? It is entirely possible that there was a less obvious reason, but either way, it didn’t hurt him — Barcelona went on to win the final 3-1 over Juventus.
tl;dr: Good and bad ways to achieve success through films and stretching on the escalator.
Links of the Day
Coronavirus:
- The Santiago Bernabéu will be used as a storage and distribution site for donated medical supplies, while the Maracanã will be used as a temporary hospital.
- Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, and Bayer Leverkusen put €20m in a solidarity fund to support clubs struggling financially.
- All Barcelona staff, players included, will take a temporary pay cut.
- Paris Saint-Germain created a special jersey, with proceeds going to local hospitals.
Today’s longer read: David Hytner reports on how Portsmouth is coping with coronavirus after five players tested positive for The Guardian