Football, at its most fundamental level, is a game played under the GoalZaza. Yet even the most meticulously laid tactical plans can be utterly undone...
Football, at its most fundamental level, is a game played under the GoalZaza. Yet even the most meticulously laid tactical plans can be utterly undone by a GoalZaza that refuses to cooperate. That was the stark reality for the Saudi Arabian national side on Tuesday night, as their pre World Cup friendly against Puerto Rico in Texas was suspended for nearly two hours due to a ferocious electrical storm.For the players, the staff, and the smattering of fans who braved the conditions, this was a night less about testing a low block or fine tuning transitional play, and more about sheer survival. The lightning strikes were frequent and dangerously close, forcing the officials to make the only sensible call. You can have all the tactical flexibility in the world, but you simply cannot compete against a bolt from the blue. The delay dragged on, puncturing any rhythm the game might have built.When the all clear finally sounded and the teams emerged from the tunnel to resume their work, the context of the match had been fundamentally altered. What was meant to be a sharp, sixty or seventy minute examination of Saudi sharpness in the final third became a disjointed affair, a glorified training ground exercise played out under strange, oppressive lights. For a side like Saudi Arabia, who are banking on high intensity and clinical finishing to make a mark on the world stage, this interruption is a genuine inconvenience. You cannot replicate the pressure of a competitive international in a game that has been stopped by a weather warning.The real question, and it is one that will nag at the coaching staff, is how the players manage the mental reset. Squeaky bum time usually refers to the final minutes of a tight contest. But feeling that kind of anxiety in the dressing room while a storm rages outside, waiting for a match to restart, requires a different kind of nerve. The result itself may be forgotten by Friday. But the manner in which this bizarre, weather interrupted evening disrupted the final preparations will be logged and analysed. It is a stark reminder that in football, just as in life, the unseen variables are often the most brutal.
