Want detailed stats of a match or the players? Sofascore is your app. How about match reports? Platforms such as OneFootball could be your go-to source. But are they the most accurate? The most reliable? After all, football is more than just a game of numbers, isn’t it?
Now, it is only probably fair that fans now rely on the most realistic source there is, Football Twitter. Made by the fans, for the fans.
A whole new genre of memes is taking over X (formerly known as Twitter), giving the most accurate description of performances of players, especially those in the Premier League, appreciating their tendencies while bashing them at the same time.
How would you know if De Bruyne actually fluffs his lines more than making it count whilst passing to Haaland? Wouldn’t his inability to do so hide behind the beautiful figures of goals and assists he manages to score and provides respectively for City?
Would you really be able to find out how many times Antony decides to go for a 360 degree spin in the middle of a match, for no apparent reason for Manchester United and then lose the ball? These may be useless to note for these data-analysers, but for us football fans? These are important events and the X football community, once again, has got you covered.
“I learn from these memes than any analytical piece.”, said one user.
Why wouldn’t you Alfie? Would Sofascore be able to tell you how many times Paqueta failed to provide a simple through pass along the grass to Antonio for West Ham and instead chose to do his own thing and later ping a ball yards in front and not to mention, insanely over the top?
How about Championship-level strikers completely minding their own business and forgetting the fact that they are supposed to score goals for their team, i.e their job description?
Do you remember Manchester City signed a promising left-back, Sergio Gomez from RSC Anderlecht last summer? I didn’t. Pretty sure Guardiola forgot about him too. But thank god for Twitter.
— Out Of Context Football (@nocontextfooty) April 7, 2024
While Hojlund can never say it publicly, how about it’s time adequate attention is drawn to the lack of service provided to him, in spite of his intelligent movement, by his talented, creative and speedy attack partners? As he can’t literally cry out for help, Twitter, as it so often does, decided to help.
So wide spread, and globally understood is this format, that even the Japanese league is catching on. Football, and not to forget, Twitter, really brings us closer.
Tactical knowledge, data analysis and interpretation and all other technicalities of football may not be comprehensible and even appreciable by others. But the language of memes is global and standard. You may not be a pro at setting your team on Fantasy Premier League or even Football Manager, but you will be to put it across as a meme, explaining it in a straightforward manner, how John Stones plays in midfield for City whilst being a defender.
