This is why footballers get substituted despite being among the best on the pitch
This is not a story of how football players score a hat-trick and are substituted right before the end in order to get standing ovations. It’s also not a story of injury getting in their way. It’s a story of how managers sometimes have to take difficult decisions by withdrawing some of their best players in order to try and tactically outsmart the opposition. One of the purest examples was once again performed by one and only José Mourinho.
Remember Leonardo Spinazzola? Italy’s majestic left-back was exceptional in Euro 2020 but then suffered a torn Achilles tendon.
After a long spell outside of the game, he is back at his best. Watching him in a match between Napoli and Roma in Serie A was a delight.
He was a constant threat on Roma’s left side, putting some dangerous crosses into the box and being heavily involved in attacking options.
On numerous occasions, he was given space and time to advance well into the final third of Napoli offering a possibility for creating a chance for his teammates.
At the end of the first half, he had the best chance for Roma when his bouncing effort was saved by Alex Meret. He was among the best players on the pitch. For Roma maybe even the best one.
However, he got substituted despite his unmissable involvement in the game. Was his defensive part a problem? Far from it.
A goal from Victor Osimhen was a masterpiece and if problems occurred on Roma’s left side was because of Roger Ibañez's sloppy passing or timing when closing down.
So, why did he deserve to be benched very soon? He didn’t deserve it. Leonardo Spinazzola was brought off because of yet another of José Mourinho’s tactical masterpieces.
The Portuguese saw that Napoli’s right side leaves a lot of space to be more dangerously explored. A place where chances can be produced. A place where if a ball falls to the right player his team can capitalize.
With all due respect to Spinazzola who is a fantastic player, you don’t want your best chance(s) to fall to your full-back. You want them to fall to someone more comfortable when scoring.
Someone with higher finishing standards. Especially in a match where you are expected to have fewer chances.
Therefore, Mourinho opted for Stephan El Shaarawy, a winger more dangerous in the final third. Is anything suspicious up to this point? Not really if we assume a formation would be changed.
However, Roma’s manager decided to play El Shaarawy in the exact same position. The formation wasn’t changed. It was winger against winger in terms of protecting Roma’s goal.
The bold move paid off in the end. The Italian scored the equalizer. He scored it just as Mourinho planned it. A single attacking detail.
El Shaarawy made a split-second movement in anticipating that a cross will come down to him at the far post and finished it like no striker would be ashamed of.
It was that sudden movement to get in front of the defender before a cross that not any or rarely any full-back would do. If we can assume that a move could somehow be duplicated, a finish from any left-back found in this position could certainly not be.
Another interesting thing to mention was that when Roma’s bench was jumping in celebration after the equalizer, José Mourinho didn’t start celebrating like mad but started to look soo serious and focused nervously scratching his head.
We can’t read his mind but it was something like: “Ok, my plan worked. Now we have a completely different game. Napoli will come and try to get the winner. We are happy with the point and can look for some counter-attacks. Now what?”
After a long assessment with his assistant coaches, he decided to do nothing and leave Stephan El Shaarawy in the exact same position.
Another brave decision but more understandable. I have seen such decisions regularly in my career. When an opposition winger doesn’t face a full-back on a regular basis but instead battles with a winger, he is often confused for some time.
He doesn’t know what to expect. Can he close down an open space just as well? Am I faster than him at all? What if he dribbles me more easily when he has the ball?
Such questions ring in the head of wingers not faced with a full-back for some time. And José Mourinho decided that it’s not that long until a final whistle.
His gamble once again paid off since the Italian was nowhere near at fault for Napoli’s winning goal. Despite all the managerial brilliance, Chris Smalling made an obvious individual error by not being close enough to Giovanni Simeone which cost Roma a point.
Nevertheless, to stay on the subject. How do managers then handle or approach players in Spinazzola’s position? After the team speech after the match, they pull them aside and explain their plan and situation.
They assure them that it didn’t come down to their performance but it was part of the bigger tactical plan. With that, they are nowhere at any disadvantage for the next match.
Most players understand while some stay angry and even argue with managers’ decisions.
No matter the end outcome, the above-mentioned principle is the only right way of dealing with a such complex, yet highly advanced situation. We can be pretty sure that José Mourinho and Leonardo Sponazzola handled it like real pros.
