Football used to be art. Now it's homework.
I grew up watching Brazil the actual Brazil, the 1970 Brazil, the 1982 Brazil with Zico, Socrates, Falcao. Teams that lost World Cups playing the most beautiful football ever seen, and people still talk about them 40 years later with more love than the teams that won it boring.
Then I watched Ronaldinho. Robinho. Prime Cristiano Ronaldo doing stepovers on fullbacks for fun at Old Trafford. Arjen Robben cutting inside from the right wing every single time and STILL beating you because the move itself was art. Messi dribbling through entire midfields like they were cones.
Now? Pep Guardiola turned up and convinced an entire generation of coaches that football is a possession exercise. 800 passes. Sideways. Backwards. Patient build-up. Fullbacks become wingers, wingers tuck inside and become playmakers, and actual 1v1 dribbling the single most exciting thing in football became a risk coaches actively coach OUT of players.
Look at the stats. Take-ons attempted per 90 minutes have been DROPPING across Europe's top leagues for over a decade. Players aren't getting worse at dribbling. They're being TOLD not to do it because "losing the ball in transition" is now a sin worse than playing boring football for 90 minutes.
And then there's the other extreme teams that don't even try to play. Low block, 10 men behind the ball, hit one long ball, hope for a set-piece. Or worse Arsenal style, where you don't even need open play anymore, just win 9 corners and throw your centre-backs forward like it's a rugby lineout. That's not football. That's basketball with extra steps.
Brazil the actual Brazil went from "the team that makes you fall in love with football to a team that sometimes looks like it's trying not to lose rather than trying to entertain. THAT'S how far gone we are. If Brazil isn't exciting anymore, what hope does anyone else have?
We've optimized the soul out of the sport. Every team plays the right way now and the right way is boring. xG this, build-up phase that, game management. Nobody talks about a player making them feel something anymore. They talk about expected threat models.
I miss football where you watched a player and thought what is he about to do. Now you watch a player and think "what's the structurally optimal pass here.
This World Cup better remind us what the sport is actually for. Otherwise we're just watching chess with a worse camera angle.