Top 5 misconceptions in modern day Football

Our generation, like the others, isn’t one without any comparisons and rivalries. Needless to say, some people over-state their merits (or their rivals demerits), and the popular ones gain momentum far too quickly, causing a vast majority of people to blindly follow the aforementioned misconceptions like the gospel truth. This list features a compilation (in no particular order by the way) of modern day football misconceptions, that I have tried to burst!

*WARNING* Most of these  misconceptions are based on popular urban folklore and facebook trolls.

Arsenal is a one man club

WEST BROMWICH, ENGLAND – MAY 13: Robin Van Persie of Arsenal during the Barclays Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Arsenal at The Hawthorns on May 13, 2012 in West Bromwich, England. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

Arsenal had one of their worst starts of all time last season, registering a total of 4 points in 5 games. Enter Robin Van Persie. The mercurial hit-man truly changed Arsenal’s fortunes and single handedly brought them back from what not only seemed to be a finish out of the top 10, but also appeared to be a season that would see them getting relegated. A very respectable 3rd place finish saw haters commenting on Arsenal’s dependency on van Persie. Some even went to the extent of labeling him ‘Arsenal’, leading to several jokes (If van Persie joins Juventus, does that mean Arsenal will shift to the Serie A?). However, analyzing the stats correctly would show that Arsenal F. C. minus Robin van Persie were a force to reckoned with.

Robin van Persie netted 30 goals last season in the premier league, and his absence would have caused a loss of 22 points to Arsenal, which would have resulted in a 9th place finish. However, their condition truly wasn’t as bad as it appears. One- third of van Persie‘s goals from last season were assisted by either Gervinho or Walcott. Adding all of Arteta’s, Walcott‘s, Ramsey’s, Arshavin’s and Gervinho‘s assists in the premier league last season, we get 29 assists in all, just one short of van Persie‘s personal goal tally.

 Taking nothing away from van Persie’s achievements, any decent striker could have produced similar results, if not the same. And if you are still unconvinced of Arsenal’s self sufficiency, Manchester United would have 17 points less on their table had Wayne Rooney not been there, so much for not depending on your striker.

Cristiano is not a big match player

MADRID, SPAIN – SEPTEMBER 02: Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid reacts during the La Liga match between Real Madrid and Granada at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on September 2, 2012 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)

A misconception popularized by Barcelona and Messi fans, no doubt. After a goal scoring drought in the El Clasico games by Cristiano Ronaldo, and a few lackluster performances for his country in major tournaments such as the Euros and the World Cups, they claimed Cristiano Ronaldo was never a big match player.

Cristiano Ronaldo has now scored 8 goals in the El Clasico encounters, and has scored a total of 8 goals in the Euros and World Cups, while his arch rival Messi has only netted 1 goal overall in the two World Cups (2006 and 2010). Cristiano was the only reason Portugal reached the Semi Finals of the Euro 2012, where he netted three goals en route, before bowing out to eventual champions Spain , and that too by a penalty shootout. Sorry Barcelona fans, but the joke’s on you. And for the record, Ronaldo had the 4th highest assists in the La Liga, he isn’t selfish either.

Arsene Wenger’s fascination with kids

STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND – AUGUST 26: Jonathan Walters (R) of Stoke City is challenged by Kieran Gibbs during the Barclays Premier League match between Stoke City and Arsenal at the Britannia Stadium on August 26, 2012 in Stoke on Trent, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

You have to thank Facebook and Manchester United fans for this one again. After a series of signings from their youth academy and other teams, most football fans noticed the average age of these players is lower than most league clubs. Most of them turned out to be really young guns, leading to in-numerous humiliating (yet absolutely hilarious) photos on facebook. However, this observation is false for the most of it. After some not so quick calculations and permutations, I found out the average ages of the average starting eleven for the top 5 teams in the Premier League. Arsenal actually possessed a team older than Manchester City and Liverpool, and Chelsea were in touching distance. Arsenal had an average of 26.63 year old players on their starting XI, by no means a very ‘young team’. Incidentally, the ones pulling the mickey out of Wenger and Arsenal, Manchester United, possessed the oldest team, with the average being around 27.63, thanks to the likes of Giggs and Scholes.

The glamour of  David Beckham 

CARSON, CA – SEPTEMBER 01: David Beckham #23 of the Los Angeles Galaxy crosses during the MLS match against the Vancouver Whitecaps at The Home Depot Center on September 1, 2012 in Carson, California. The Galaxy defeated the Whitecaps 2-0. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)

David Beckham. No doubt one of the most flamboyant players to grace the football pitch. But, rating him as the 20th best player of all time is stretching it. An amazing free kick, an extravagant lifestyle, a huge influence in his own country, a celebrity wife and ridiculously good looks definitely contribute to his popularity, perhaps more than his skills do. Think of it this way, the Sportskeeda top 20 footballers of all time had Beckham at No. 20. That would also mean Beckham was ranked above Rivaldo, George Weah, Thierry Henry, Bobby Charlton, Gerd Muller, George Best, Karl Heinze-Rummenigge, Paul Gascione and Roberto Baggio.

The Messi Myth: 

BARCELONA, SPAIN – SEPTEMBER 02: Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona looks on during the warm up prior the La Liga match between FC Barcelona and Valencia CF at Camp Nou on September 2, 2012 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

The last misconception on this list is about Messi. This one was probably drawn up by the Madrid and Ronaldo faithful in reply to misconception #2 (or vice versa). According to the Madristas, Messi relies completely on his Barcelona teammates Xavi and Iniesta to score goals. This probably stemmed from Barcelona’s Tiki- Taka, which involves plenty of passing and retaining possession. Xavi and Iniesta had a combined total of 16 assists last season in the Liga BBVA, while Messi found the back of the net a total of 50 times, and combined for goals 16 times with his teammates. Sorry Madrid fans, but the joke’s on you now.