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Effulgent Russia

Russia may or may not win the Euro 2008 championship but it has already made a wonderful contribution to the game of football. In playing a courageous brand of Total Football, Guus Hiddink’s unfancied team has exposed the banality of the ‘guard against defeat’ approach that has afflicted the football ethos of too many countries. As was seen in the last Copa America, even Brazil has been vulnerable to the crippling effect of a game philosophy that values d efence far above offence. The Russians blew conventional wisdom to pieces with their stunning performance in the match against Holland, especially in extra time. Coach Hiddink felt that his team’s naivety had caused its 1-4 loss to Spain in its first game. Its aggression paid off against Greece, the dourly cautious defending champion, in the second. The transformation into a street-wise outfit that could go all the way came with the return of playmaker Andrei Arshavin in Russia’s last match of the opening round, against Sweden. With his mesmerising dribbling skill, speed, ability to go either side, and vision, 27-year-old Shava orchestrated the moves that tore the Dutch defence to shreds. Even more awesome was the commitment he displayed throughout; few other players would have raced the ball to the corner flag in the 120th minute of a game that was in the bag. The focus on football’s new superstar should not eclipse the contribution made by his teammates. In fact, experts seem unable to decide which of five other Russians deserves to be called ‘a close second-best.’

Over the years Guus Hiddink has done enough to be regarded as one of the great coaches of all time. Under his tutelage, South Korea entered the semi-final of the 2002 World Cup and Australia did itself proud in the 2006 event. The man from the nation that carried Total Football to its zenith has tried to stay with the glorious tradition. With Russian potential now at his command, Hiddink will hopefully go on to deconstruct football’s governing philosophy. The over-emphasis on tightly organised defences and over-reliance on counter-attacks as the preferred offensive mode has been squeezing the spirit out of the modern game. Sure, no team or its supporters like to lose but sport is supposed to entertain and inspire. The followers of the game want to believe that courage, commitment, and self-assurance can also be essential ingredients of victory. Too few teams in the modern era have done enough to nurture such a belief. The ‘Dutch traitor’ and his gifted Russian men have stoked hunger for the true spirit of football. Football lovers round the world will ardently hope they will continue to feed it.

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