Of all the patterns and expectations that make up supporting a club, maybe the most malleable are those centered around formations or style of play. For example, Arsenal supporters were delighted with ‘1-nil to the Arsenal’ until they won a different way, and have spent the last decade entranced with the newer notion … until it stopped winning. Now they’re looking back at that ancient defensive solidity not as stodginess, but surety. The results color everything.
it’s not hard to understand why. One of the revelations of soccer analytics is just how much luck means in football.