Foot & Soccer Soccer Match Reports, Football News
India is known in the Western world as a cricket-mad nation. The sport is a religion in India, and the players are bestowed with demi-god status. Even the narrowest streets are turned into a cricket pitch by kids desperate to showcase their talents. In such a cultural setting, I was among the minority who followed soccer with equal enthusiasm. This is the story of how I became an Indian Arsenal diehard fan.
Love at first sight
A cricket fan to begin with, though I am still one, a clash between the Premier League heavyweights Arsenal and Manchester United made me fall in love with soccer and the Gunners in particular. The two clubs are no strangers to producing edge-of-the-seat thrillers and the 2-2 draw of November 2007 was one such classic.
United visited the high-flying Arsenal hoping to put a dent in their rivals’ title charge. As the match progressed I found everything about the Premier League fascinating. The aura it had, the energy generated by the fans, watching the ball travel up and down the pitch, the crunching tackles, eye-of-needle passes, players squaring up to each other, and even the commentary. It was quite the spectacle.
Playing soccer the Arsenal Way
Arsenal snatched a draw courtesy of a William Gallas equalizer in the dying moments, providing a huge relief to the Emirates crowd. But it was their style of play that caught my eye. Under the watchful gaze of Arsene Wenger, his boys were playing in a swashbuckling manner, focusing on one-touch passing and intelligent movements. The gaffer was known for giving players the freedom to express themselves on the pitch, leading to unique and innovative patterns of play.
Gradually I started moving away from cricket, instead following Arsenal. I spent my weekends watching them play while all my friends were busy discussing how Sachin Tendulkar dismantled the opponent bowlers on the cricket pitch. As a 16-year-old, it was hard not to be in awe of how Wenger’s teams progressed…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/india-sports-fan-becomes-arsenal-diehard/
Author : Kavin Kumar
Publish date : 2024-07-29 13:00:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
