Soccer is still the most popular sport on the planet and has billions of fans who follow its every move. While this is naturally true for huge leagues like EPL, Ligue Une and Serie A, MLS in the US is also currently gaining a lot of attention. This is due to many factors, but the presence of top-class goalkeeping talent in the league is a major plus – as is the attention top American goalies like Tim Howard have brought to US soccer over time.
It is not just watching soccer which people love to do though. Lots of fans also enjoy betting on it and getting more involved by placing wagers on matches. This is especially true in the US, where more and more states are starting to legalize sports betting. New York's sports betting landscape is a great example and shows how fast this industry is changing in the country. Sports betting on soccer also ties in with the game itself because both involve taking calculated risks. While it might be obvious how this works for betting, you might wonder how calculated risks come into soccer in general.
One of the best examples is how managers can sometimes take risks to overcome tricky opposition. Below are three of the best examples of this.
Sir Alf Ramsey takes a risk in 1966
England is widely regarded as the home of soccer and has a fine history to look back on. This includes their famous World Cup win in 1966, which included a thrilling 4-2 victory over West Germany in the final at Wembley. This final game saw them take on a very dangerous West German team, which included top players like Franz Beckenbauer. Of course, England had arguably the greatest goalkeeper ever in Gordon Banks on their side. Although a list of the world's best goalkeepers might no longer include Banks, he remains a legend in the game.
Much of England’s success in the tournament and the final is credited to the tactical risk that manager Sir Alf Ramsey took with his formation. Although not unusual now, the 4-3-3 system Ramsey employed was seen as a risk by many, as it meant his team did not play with any recognized wingers. This was queried by many who thought it lacked width and left the midfield too exposed. As the final result showed though, this was a calculated risk which paid off.
Liverpool stuns AC Milan in 2005
Moving back to domestic soccer competitions, the stunning win Liverpool pulled off against a solid AC Milan team in the 2005 Champions League final ranks highly. The first half of the match proved eventful, as the Italian team roared into a 3-0 lead after dominating the field.
Something magical happened at half-time and Liverpool came back to score three of their own in the second half. Eventually, Liverpool won on penalties to take home the trophy – but what risks had manager Rafael Benitez taken at half-time to make this happen?
The answer was a bold move to bring defender Steve Finnan off and put tough midfielder Dietmar Hamann on. This enabled Liverpool to change to a more solid 3-4-2-1 system in the second half and release Steven Gerrard into attacking areas.
Greece pulls off huge Euro win in 2004
The 2004 European Championship produced a shock winner in Greece but the final led to them taking on a Portugal team packed with stars like Deco, Ronaldo and Figo. As a result, Portugal was a dangerous opponent and many people expected them to thrash the Greeks. This did not happen though, and Greece won 1-0 in the end. But what risks did manager Otto Rehhagel take in this match to pinch the win?
In essence, he was bold enough to play an unfashionable defensive system and invite Portugal to play through them. By sitting back and being content to grab a set-piece goal against the run of play, he pulled off a brilliant tactical win. Although this was a risky approach, as it could have resulted in his team wilting under Portuguese pressure, it worked out perfectly. Portugal 0 - Greece 1 in Euro 2004 is a headline which never gets old!
Soccer is all about bold calls and calculated risks
As the above shows, there have been some great examples of managers making risky calls to get past dangerous opponents. This shows that sometimes in this sport, you have to take risks in order to win – especially if the other side is tough to play against. This will always be the case in soccer, and we can only look forward to more inspired managerial decisions which confirm this.