Break. Mistakes. Markings that fail. Welcome to the world’s best league. Something strange is happening with the Premier League. Stable defenses are as rare as unicorns. The tight duels reminiscent of chess have turned into frantic battles where it looks like each player has downed seven cups of espresso. We see chance after chance, goal after goal. It’s “Hawaii football” on steroids. This is not normal at all. Jürgen’s Christmas rib We have never seen the goals flow in so often in the Premier League. The average this season is 3.15 goals per game. If we are to find a more goal-rich period in the top division in England, we have to go back to 1965-66. From Sunday to Tuesday, the three biggest title contenders conceded three goals each in three days. Liverpool won 4-3 against Fulham on Sunday, before Manchester City played 3-3 against Tottenham. By Tuesday night it looked like only Arsenal knew how to defend… …and then they beat Luton 4-3. OVERTIME HERO: Declan Rice steered the ball into the goal after a beautiful Martin Ødegaard cross, and ensured that Arsenal won in the seven-goal thriller away to Luton. Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP In each match, a goal came after 87 minutes. What a drama! The coaches know that they spoil the fans who follow from bars and pubs with a heart rate of 150. – Be good, said Liverpool’s Jürgen Klopp, as if he had just put Christmas presents on the table. But for the big teams this is not good. Defense wins titles It is largely true that attack wins games and defense wins titles. In the last four years, the league champion in the Premier League has conceded the fewest goals. The coaches have built their careers on tight systems that should lead to three safe points every single week. They will lead 2-0 before overtime so that the drama will never be necessary. Liverpool kept a clean sheet against bottom team Sheffield United on Wednesday, but against Fulham they needed a late winner. Arsenal sank Luton six minutes into injury time. City have three points and nine behind in four league games. Neither of them check in the wins as often as they would like. But that’s what happens when almost every team wants to attack. EMBRACED CHAOS: Erling Braut Haaland and Manchester City have been involved in some chaotic, goal-rich and entertaining games recently. Photo: CARL RECINE / Reuters Do as Pep Here, Pep Guardiola must take much of the credit and the blame. The boss of Manchester City has made football more offensive in the last 15 years, with high pressure and free play from the back. He was laughed off in 2016-17, when he made his Premier League debut by taking City to a disappointing third place. The light blues took chances – and were punished. But five league titles later, Guardiola is the king, and many now do like City. GLORY AND BLAME: Pep Guardiola has become a trendsetter in the Premier League. Photo: CARL RECINE / Reuters Roberto De Zerbi (Brighton) asks the players to step on the ball with the sole to be pressed, so they can play past. Mauricio Pochettino (Chelsea) has built his identity as a coach on standing tall. Mikel Arteta (Arsenal) almost won the title ahead of his mentor. Ange Postecoglou (Tottenham) stands with a resting pulse when his stopper hits a pass across his own goal that touches the tip of the boot of the opponent’s striker. – I’m just copying Pep, jokes Postecoglou. Especially when these coaches meet each other, there is chaos: Chelsea 4–4 City, Spurs 1–4 Chelsea, City 3–3 Spurs. The logical thing would have been for the weaker team to defend itself. But no matter how bad things go, nobody wants to change anything. Valuable mistakes Too many of the top coaches are tactical fundamentalists. They play the same way regardless of the opposition. They know that tactical principles are worth nothing if they are compromised. If the coach doesn’t follow them to the end, why should the players believe in them? The most extreme example came when Tottenham received two red cards against Chelsea. For an entire half, they pushed the defense up to the center line, without pressure on the ball handler. With two more men and half a pitch with back room, Chelsea rolled the ball straight through and won 4–1. It could have been 10-1. GOAL CELEBRATION: Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson scored three times as the blue shirts beat Tottenham 4-1. Photo: TONY OBRIEN / Reuters Postecoglou seemed naïve at best, but he went home with his principles intact and when Spurs met City last Sunday, they picked up a great point. Postecoglou has played this game long enough to have landed on a truth: It is often worth failing today to succeed tomorrow. SPURS SUCCESS: Ange Postecoglou has become a popular figure in the lily-white part of London. Photo: LEE SMITH / Reuters Everyone wins Everything indicates that chaos football is here to stay. You can sit in a corner by yourself and wail. Where is the cynicism? Where are the warriors with seven scars on their faces who tear and kick their way to three points? Where is the value in great attacking play if the stoppers are barely able to mark a cone? These are good questions, but the truth is that everyone benefits from the chaos. The fans love good football. It has been a long time since a Tottenham coach has been as popular as Postecoglou. People like that the team tries, that they don’t show their rivals too much respect. It is better to dry too much than too little. The players like to have the ball. Most people would rather create than destroy. The coaches get to do things their way. When all the top teams are sending players forward, it’s harder to criticize them for taking too many chances. The owners know that fun on the track quickly means money in the coffers. Neutrals will watch them play, the TV companies will show the matches and the fans will buy tickets. And the Premier League is rubbing its hands, because everyone is watching. They don’t need to write scripts or hire movie stars, just broadcast the drama live. In fact, they have jumped on the mayhem by marketing themselves as the league where thrillers happen every weekend, where one round of matches will have you checking your pulse, leaning back and gasping for air. FALL PLADASK: No one should accuse Pep Guardiola of lacking empathy. Here he lies down during the six-goal thriller between Manchester City and Tottenham. Photo: CARL RECINE / Reuters The Premier League isn’t just competing with La Liga and Serie A. It’s battling Netflix, TikTok and cute cats on Instagram. When everyone wants to be entertained, all the time, Hawaii football is a gift package. On Monday, the agreement for the Premier League’s domestic TV rights was extended by four years. It is worth twice as much as that of the Italian Serie A. Down south in Europe, some club presidents still want a super league. In England, just let the party go on.
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