The World Cup football, the Jabulani, combined with the South African altitude has robbed fans of goals and the much-loved dead ball special, although it appears the players are finally adapting.
The free kick count sits at four after 52 games.
A couple of the free kicks were scored in the same game, while one of the other two was a cross which avoided a group of players to sneak into the far corner.
It barely counts.
It came from Nigerian Kalu Uche against Greece, as his long diagonal ball hit the corner of the net. The others were from Asian countries.
First, Park Chu-Young hit a flat curling set piece into the corner of the net against Nigeria.
The other two came from Japan, who taught the football world how to hit set pieces in altitude with the Jabulani through stars Keisuke Honda and Yasuhito Endo.
Common opinion was to hit low flat free kicks with your laces. But it appears to be otherwise, despite what Mark Bresciano might tell you.
Honda and Endo didn’t hit theirs with too much force.
One of the reasons for this, possibly, is that the ball flies faster and further in altitude because of the different forces.
The reason keepers are complaining is because of the lessening reaction time they have in altitude because of the pace.
More pace means the ball moves less in altitude than at sea level.
With the free kick count at four, the goal count sits at 116 – at an average of 2.23 per game, before the Netherlands – Slovakia clash.
But the players appear to be adapting to the ball and the conditions.
More shots are hitting the target and there has been plenty of long range shooting that has caused trouble for the keepers in recent games.
Many of the goals have been from goalkeeper error.
Yet, my belief is that the goalkeepers have been their own worst enemies, rather than springing all the blame on the Jabulani.
Mental preparation has been off, with more time dedicated to criticizing the ball rather than saving it, and when it has been saved, or parried, it has been into the path of the striker, or into the net – as Robert Green will tell you.
The real problem with the Jabulani occurs in general play.
Most teams are struggling to control possession because of what some have described as a service station football.
Assuming they are right, as many of you will know, the ball would be difficult on the first touch.
We are also seeing more long shots because teams don’t feel confident in trying to regain possession in the middle of the park.
It would also explain the float (no, I refuse to call it movement) we have seen from some set pieces.
Honda and Endo have shown the world how it’s done, so let’s hope we see more of it in the remaining games. And it’s a good chance we will because we’ve been robbed of some favourite spectacles thus far.
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