Defending, on the face of it, is a pretty animalistic art. Without a doubt, there are a myriad of subtleties to transform it into a fine art, but you still won’t get very far as a defender without being physical and instinctive. You’ve got to have the appetite for getting stuck in and crunching — you’ve got to mark your territory with blood, sweat and piss.
Some fans in Brazil have set a new bar for smuggling things into soccer games. They brought a pig.
— ☭ Porquinho ☭ (@PorquitoReal) October 16, 2017
You'll forgive us if, for a little bit during Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg's Bundesliga clash Sunday, our attention was taken away from the actual soccer being played.
You see, there was a ladybug. FOX Sports 1 analyst Eric Wynalda was particularly fixated by the little insect.
Mesut Ozil is one of the most serene players in world football, able to glide past defenders and place inch-perfect passes while still looking like he gives zero f*cks about being on the pitch. A new video from Hypebeast has shown a bit more what he’s like off the pitch, and while he still doesn’t appear to be giving any f*cks, he sure does have a boatload of shoes — and one cute pup.
A dog running on the field is pretty much the best event possible in a soccer match. It's fun, and you don't have to be stressed about the outcome of the game for a little bit. You can just be like "hey there's a good dog" and revel in the dog's goodness until someone herds it off the field.
A match in Argentina was interrupted by a particularly lively dog that ran around and chased the ball while even the players looked on, pleasantly entertained.
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE.
Everyone loves a good dog. Especially when he brings goals.
Moments after a dog wandered onto the pitch in the World Cup qualifier between Colombia and Brazil, Willian opened the scoring with a beautiful goal in a 1-1 draw between the two teams who came into the match atop the CONMEBOL standings.
A dog entering the field during Colombia - Brazil pic.twitter.com/abEH1bZnVB
The end of the transfer window is a stressful time for everyone. Will business get done? Will business not get done? Will my club's glaring weaknesses be addressed? Who will sign the next hot young thing? When is it OK to start celebrating a signing? Which news outlets can I trust and not trust? It's all very maddening and it makes me want to throw up.
Thats why I've decided to ignore the transfer deadline, if only for just a few wondrous moments, and just watch dog videos. You should too! Here are some to get started:
Counterattack mitigation is probably the most important skill in any defensive midfielder's arsenal. Often tasked with protecting a vulnerable back line, elite defensive midfielders must get their spacing and decision-making correct every time.
Liverpool are horrible at defending set pieces. I don’t have any facts or figures to back up that statement, but every commentator says the same thing and I don’t see them pointing to any evidence. It’s just accepted that, like every other team on the planet, they cannot defend a great set piece.
Friday was the deadline for FIFA to accept bids to host the 2026 World Cup, the first to be awarded since scandal rocked the organization following Russia and Qatar controversially winning the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, respectively. The U.S. had already turned in a joint bid with Mexico and Canada that’s expected to win easily, but at the last minute Morocco decided to throw its hat into the ring.