Spin Doctor: Erik Ten Hag will be DELIGHTED at Antony's showboating

Paul Macdonald

• 28 Oct 2022 11:15 BST
• 4 min read

Antony did a little trick, and people couldn't handle it.

The Brazilian winger chose to spin the ball around his body in a 360-degree motion before attempting to play in a team-mate. The ball ran out of play for a goal kick.

Antony was subsequently castigated by BT Sport pundit and former Manchester United player Robbie Savage for his action. It's been called 'embarrassing' and 'ridiculous' by various cold-hearted observers.

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Football is an entertainment business and Antony wants to entertain. The fact that there was no end product is entirely irrelevant. Much of what the likes of Ronaldinho or Diego Maradona did had nothing to show for it and those players receive endless praise.

Clips of Maradona juggling the ball with his shoulder, or Ronaldinho attempting nutmegs on the touchline are paraded around social media, but when a modern player does it, it's supposed to be symptomatic of something. It's stupid and reductive.

Particularly when football is competing with a whole host of emerging activities such as online gaming, Youtube sports and other pastimes which are rapidly eating into its market share among teenagers. But there's a desire to tear into someone who did a little trick.

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Antony a welcome sideshow

In any event, Erik ten Hag will be thoroughly pleased, because all the focus is on Antony's spin-a-roonee and not on his team producing another measured, controlled performance against albeit weaker opposition.

His side are making strides of late, looking infinitely better defensively thanks to Casemiro's introduction, while the forwards are starting to find some rhythm.

Antony is just one of them; Marcus Rashford is scoring again, Anthony Martial looked sharp when he came on, just back from injury, and Bruno Fernandes has looked back to his best in recent weeks.

And so Twitter being filled with Antony memes is exactly the way ETH will want it. Keeping the progress his side are making under the radar.

Antony when he gets the ball: pic.twitter.com/VstJp8xMfF

— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) October 28, 2022

United are by no means the finished article, but that's three solid, professional performances in the space of eight days. Tottenham were despatched in style, Chelsea really should have been beaten at Stamford Bridge, and Europa League progression was achieved. It's not much, but it's a start.

The top-four race is more rabid than ever this season and there's a good chance United will take the Europa League seriously. Winning the tournament grants Champions League qualification, meaning it's another route into the competition they really need to be in.

And they have five eminently winnable games building up to the World Cup in three competitions, to leave a positive vibe in the camp before Qatar.

Antony can dance and spin all he wants, as long as the results are coming, and for Ten Hag, there are signs that the United he wants to build might be twirling into view.