Squad Numbers

Trends come and go in football, twenty years ago, everyone was playing 4-4-2, with direct wingers playing on their favoured sides and no nonsense centre-backs, now it’s all about playing out from the back, with every player required to be comfortable in possession, even goalkeepers playing out from the back. These trends affect the game as a whole, as well as the individual players involved. It’s strange, as it is just like normal life, for a period a few years ago jeans would be the only choice of trouser, whilst now you’d be hard pressed to find an adolescent not wearing baggy clothing. Football players live in a bubble, influenced by their peers and their actions, creating industry wide trends. This effect has led to a crop of players growing who all abide by the same standards, and do similar things.

Today, I introduce you to Alex Smith, our made up “fashionable” football player. Alex is a 25 year old English midfielder. Notice the lack of specification on his position? well it’s because I don’t know his best position, in fact, nobody does, he has played in attacking midfield before, and as a more box to box midfielder, he’s even been tested as part of a double pivot and on the wing, yet in every single role he has left something to be desired, something hasn’t felt quite right. Wherever Alex has gone he hasn’t managed to quite get a nailed on position in the team, his managers have always wanted him in the team, citing his work rate and out of possession work as major positives. Yet it failed for him at his boyhood club Arsenal, who he was forced to leave aged 23 in search of more game time, he now plays for Southampton, who he also doesn’t feature from the start regularly enough.

Standing at 5’10, Alex is lightweight, fairly skinny and often wears a long sleeved shirt, with an untidy cropped haircut, which features a taper fade. The four capped England international wears his socks pulled down, and with holes cut in the backs of them. When coming on as a substitute as he often does, Alex does a quick hop as he begins jogging onto the pitch. After making a foul, being fouled or when waiting for a corner, Alex will pull one of his shorts all the way up, almost exposing his underwear, before walking around with a slight hobble and a grimace.

Alex loves to drop deep to pick up possession, but has multiple options when he does so, he can either receive the ball on the half turn, letting the ball roll across his body before turning and driving forward with the ball or he will charge directly towards the player in possession, hurriedly urging them to give him the ball, before playing the softest, most simple pass directly back to them and jogging off, laid back as he does so.

Alex celebrated his first goal for Arsenal by grabbing the ball and stuffing it down his t-shirt, staring down the camera as he sucked his thumb, referencing the birth of his first child, Alex was 21 at the time.

The Englishmen has already started his own podcast along with another Premier League footballer, and has appeared on Sky Sports’ “Monday Night Football” as a special guest during a spell on the sidelines through injury.

Smith has gone viral a couple of times in his career, once for taking his jacket off before a game, and giving it to his mascot, patting him on the back as he ran off. A second time for not walking on the Real Madrid badge at the Bernabeu upon arrival pre-match, being dubbed as a “respect moment”.

None of these things are a negative thing, in fact most of them are entirely irrelevant as they have no impact on performance. Maybe Smith feels more confident in himself when he pulls his shorts up, I don’t know, but practically, having that doesn’t mean that he can dribble or pass as he can. Alex Smith isn’t pulling his socks down because he believes it gives him an advantage, he’s doing it because he’s seen so many of his peers doing the same. It’s a totally natural thing for players, and people, to do. Humans suffer from social pressure and much of our struggles are that of fitting in, these factors are especially prevalent in youth, which shouldn’t be underestimated as many of the players cohering to these standards are still extremely young relatively, looking to find their way and fit in to a world which has expanded for them at an extraordinary rate. Much of this is sub conscious,. This isn’t a criticism of players like Smith, it is merely on observation.