It's Either Luck, Or Skills, Or Both... Or None of Them!

It's often debate, especially in sports, either a team or athlete do actually achieved their glory because they are skillful, or based on a pure luck? The debate often goes on until that most of the time to a ridiculous length of time and points...

To take the Manchester United European's glory in 1999 at Nou Camp as an primary example, even today the game is still debated by some about either United deserved the victory or not. Either they won it because they were lucky that night, that it was a fluke, a pure luck or because they really deserve it, being a better team at that night...

Take a look at that night highlight here.

One could argue in Bayern Munich defense about "What if..."

What if one of the two off the post shot were converted?

What if Matthaus never been substituted?

What if Solskjaer and Sheringham never been used?

What if the added time was shorter than 3 minutes?

What if Bayern could deal better with the both corner?

All this come to the equation to finally summarized that United winning is purely by luck and not by any chance by the quality possesses by the team, as later been told by Matthaus himself as, "it was not the best team that won but the luckiest"

But was it the case?

The funny thing about life is that everything is just like a coin. They have two sides of them. It easy to decipher things like 'the ball hit the post' or 'injury added time equalizer' as something caused by luck (or lack of it), but it also worth stated that it can be because of the skills of the player (again, or lack of it)!

When you say that Bayern were unlucky to hit the post twice, when otherwise the goalkeeper already beaten, I would rather said that those Bayern players aren't skillful enough to put the ball in the net, resulting them only hit it to the bar. Maybe they can do it in training or other match, but not at that match, at that level of pressure, at the surface of playing, and so on, and so on... You might want to argue that all the factors that I just stated is something a player can't control, thus strengthen your believe that it were all a bad luck spell for the players, but, a good player can eliminate those factors around him and focusing their mind to their skill and the game and cannot be affected by such factors at a huge sums of it.

So, if a player was to succumb to these factors and pressures, then he or she is not good enough of a player (at least for that stage of a match)!

When you said that it was lucky for United because Bayern most influential player had been subs by the time they scored their both goals, I will tell you that Ottmar Hitzfeld at that time wasn't skillful enough to used his players or subs, wisely enough. He wasn't, at that particular match, skillful enough to overcome United with his tactics and strategies.

How about the injury time? It wasn't for players to decide it for how much he time is added on. Surely it was a pure luck factor? No! Because all the players were aware about the added time's rules. Everyone on the pitch and off the pitch who watch the match know about the added time. So, if they didn't want any added time to be played, they just have to avoid any injuries or time wasting act during the real match's time. But every players know that it will be almost impossible, so they should always prepare to play more than just 90 minutes! They should have the mental toughness and physical ability to stay fit beyond 90 minutes to play out their strategies, to overcome their opponents, and in term of '99 European final, United shows it better and clearer than Bayern did!

Well, the corner kick part is pretty obvious, maybe I didn't have to explain it further...

But, of course, there are a pure unlucky event in football such as this one; and a pure luck situation, such as this one...

But, could it be both because of luck and skill?

Well, why not? It's a matter of classic saying about every goals, or a poacher goals (both United goals were a poacher goals that night), it's a matter of at right place at the right time. United might enjoy a little luck that night. The fact that they were without two most important midfield and players in Scholesy and captain Keano did justified that they did ride their luck on the formation and players who came in to replaced them both in the final.

You might go back to an old argument about how lack of skills from Bayern players at the important moments of the match were mean that it's a lucky night for United... It's one way to view it.

But then, let's not forget the last possibility, which I personally like - it wasn't because of both, luck or skills!

Yes, for the sake of whatever left in a romance (of football), I prefer it to be...

...maybe, just maybe... 




It's destiny!

T/t: while using the classic 1999 European Final as an example, I do believe every sports' result do stand the same arguments. It doesn't matter either it's skills or luck... What's matter is it was meant to be!