Football has for a long time found a need to find somebody to blame for everything. If Ibrahimovic hits an incredible chip from 40 metres out it is the keeper's fault for coming off his line; if Messi snakes through four defenders they are blamed for not taking him out; if Cristiano zig zags his way through a forest of legs his opponents are described as tins of milk. The greatBarça-Atlético matchin the Champions League on Monday night is the latest example.
The Brazilian artist that is Diego hits a ball like there is no tomorrow and that ball flies through the air and into the goal defended by Pinto. It is the kind of goal seen once every six months but the first reaction is to blame the keeper for not stopping it.
You can normally find the first verdicts on social media. With a slowed down camera it seems that the keeper has time to take a cup of tea in the period it takes to leave Diego's boot and arrive at the goal. That is of course not the case but some people don't want to enjoy the strike for what it is.
A few minutes later Andres Iniesta spots Neymar's run in a millionth of a second and finds a hole in Diego Simeone's steel like defence with a delightful pass. Not for some, however, who prefer to blame Juanfran... Few people seem to understand that this pass is only within the reach of two or three of the best players in the world - not anyone could have picked it out.
As a game, football is open to all kinds of errors and pieces of skill. In the 1986 World Cup, Reid, Butcher, Samson, Shilton and a few other English defenders were blamed for not stopping Maradona. For me it was a wonder goal.
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