Danny Murphy exclusive: “the technical level in football has dropped”

We haven’t got much time with former Liverpool, Spurs, and England midfielder Danny Murphy, but that’s not his decision. For his part, talking football is no problem at all; a comfortable wiggle into his seat digs himself him like a cat on a windowsill and we get right into what I would assume from the look on his face is his favourite topic in the world. All we need is a fireplace, a pair of cigars, and an old radio to occasionally remind us of the passage of time.

With 417 top division games under his belt and a regular face on the BBC’s Match of the Day, Murphy is no stranger to a weekly chin wag about the Premier League zeitgeist.

Because of this top tier experience followed by years of professional analysis into what’s going on in the self-styled ‘best league in the world’, I ask why the narrative is so strong that the product is actually boring for many this season.

“I think the re-emergence of long balls, of the time taken on corners, and the massive impact the team at the top is having on set plays, which is now filtering down to other teams, has become a narrative because it is so obviously there.

“We have never seen so many teams take long throw-ins. We have never seen so many teams copy one other team in terms of how they take corners and approach set pieces. That is quite new. Whether it is clever dark arts at the end of games, set plays, slowing things down, all those elements.”

“The technical level in some games has dropped a little”

And he’s right. According to Sky Sports’ data, we have seen league leaders Arsenal take an average of 44.5 seconds over each corner they have taken so far. In a game against Brighton earlier this month, adding in free-kicks and throws, Arteta’s team took an average of over 30 seconds to restart play. To add more context, Arsenal have scored 19 set piece goals so far, 31% of their total number.

But for Danny, there is more than just time-wasting: “I also think there is some truth in the idea that the technical level in some games has dropped a little,” he admits. “There has been more reliance on physicality, distance covered, turnovers and transitions. And because many teams feel they cannot compete in a technical football match, we see a lot of low blocks.

“We see teams making the game scrappy, elongating phases of play, trying to drag things out, or letting the ball go out of play more often. There is definitely an element of truth to it."

While it’s not “cynical” in his mind, it is indeed creating the fan narrative of things not being enjoyable, he claims. “Our eyes generally don’t lie. A lot of fans are going to football at the moment and leaving games uninspired and not particularly happy with what they have seen."

Coaching carries a weight to things, too. More and more we are seeing the rigidity of football being blamed on coaches’ influences on their players. Former stars such as Gareth Bale and Roy Keane have both come out recently with similar points of view to what Danny tells me: “I do think too many games are cautious, overly tactical, and overthought. The freedom and expression of players has dropped a little. I think a lot of that comes from pressure. Managers are under enormous pressure for results, whatever club they are at. Whether you are trying to win the league, qualify for the Champions League, or avoid relegation, the pressure is immense.

“If you asked in most seasons how many teams people genuinely enjoy watching, there would usually be quite a few. This season there are fewer."

“Referees could punish immediately with fouls or penalties”

“I would be a bit stricter with timekeeping from the officials,” he reveals when we pivot in our pair of comfy chairs and move on slightly to talk about how the referees are under pressure to adhere to a set of confusing rules while having to deal with the ubiquity of deceit and deception across the league: “they already add time, but I think they should not worry if games run slightly longer."

And specifically, changing the moment at which the ball can be counted as in-play would, in his eyes, work to allow punishments to be handed out more frequently.

“There are a lot of corners in modern football and referees often intervene before the ball comes back into play because players are grappling and pushing each other. The referee ends up having several conversations before the corner is finally taken. The reason they do that is because they cannot give a foul while the ball is not in-play.

“The biggest change I would make would be this: when the ball is in the thrower’s hands or placed in the corner quadrant ready to be taken, the ball should be considered in-play. Then referees could punish grappling immediately with fouls or penalties rather than constantly intervening beforehand.

“That alone would probably save two or three minutes per game. If the ball were considered in-play earlier, referees could simply give fouls or penalties and the behaviour would stop very quickly."

“If that was enforced consistently for four or five games, the pushing and holding would disappear very quickly because players would realise they cannot get away with it anymore.”

“You cannot tilt the rule too far in favour of attackers”

Rule changes are on the agenda today, and the fat is being chewed at a ferocious pace. My “interesting” questions get a compliment, but only in the context of a frustrated football fan. The Wenger offside rule hands like an executioner’s axe over the neck of the modern game, the new proposed change that would need daylight in between the attacker and defender to be considered offside.

“Instead of stepping up to hold a high line, teams would drop deeper,” Murphy says, sat forward now, forehead itching. “Then the midfield drops as well and the game becomes more compressed. You could end up with matches that feel like training exercises.” That’s a categoric ‘no’ to that, then.

“We all love goals‚” he continues (there’s no stopping him at this point), “but there is also an art to defending. A back four that works in unison - stepping up at the right moment and understanding positioning - can be brilliant to watch. You cannot tilt the rule too far in favour of attackers."

Just like time-wasting, I ask for an alternative: “Base it on the feet only,” comes the reply. “If it is just the feet, officials have a clear reference point for the line. We would not get the silliness of someone being offside because of their nose, shoulder or armpit.

“One bad pass in a game and you can feel the mood in the stadium turn”

The radio voice reminds us time is indeed ticking, but I can’t let the cigars burn out without asking about Tottenham. While Murphy played at the top end of the league with Spurs, the team now find themselves on the verge of relegation. Being in that fight is not a nice surprise and the expectant crowd “can be very tough when results are bad and the fans turn against you.”

“One bad pass in a game and you can feel the mood in the stadium turn,” he warns, “small details matter. Ultimately it comes down to mentality and leadership within the squad. Who stands up and takes responsibility.

“This season, four teams are all fighting to stay alive. While Wolves and Burnley may have privately accepted their fate, all of Spurs, Leeds United, West Ham, and Forest are withing three points of each other as we hurtle into the final stretch.

“What is interesting this season is that the teams near the bottom all have quality players capable of winning matches. Tottenham, West Ham, Leeds, and Forest all have individuals who can produce moments."

And despite the ‘boring’ narrative around the English game this season, the fight to stay in the top division is something that never fails to deliver and makes the league what it is.

“In past relegation battles you often looked at teams and wondered where the goals would come from. But I think this one will go right to the wire.”

This interview was carried out thanks to CasinoHawks.

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