When we talk about home advantage in football what are we really talking about? Does not having to travel help preparation? Are the playing conditions more familiar? Does the crowd act as a “12th man”? Is the referee bias? Or is it purely psychological both for the home team and the players who are visiting? It’s the age old question which may never have a straight answer, but I’m happy to give it a go.
Manchester City have played some incredibly dominant and clinical football at home this season, beating Newcastle 4-0, smashing another 4 past the champions Man Utd, schooling Norwich in a 7-0 victory and last weekend saw them embarrass Spurs 6-0. The City who can pull out these performances is the team who make me believe they’ll take the title this season. Then they play away from home where they look shaky at the back and fail to convert their chances up front. City have recorded 6 wins and 0 losses at home, netting 26 goals and conceding 2. Away from home they have recorded 1 win, 1 draw and 4 losses scoring 8 goals and conceding 10. So why is home advantage so important and why do some teams play so terribly on the road?
One obvious reason we can point to is the physical travel involved which can be detrimental to the body. If we jump to the A-League and take a look at Wellington Phoenix, the home advantage and away disadvantage is obvious. When the Phoenix are on the road they are required to travel internationally, with a 2 hour time difference if they’re playing on the east and a 5 hour time difference if they’re playing in the west. Perth v Wellington is the longest travelling distance of any domestic football tie in the world, totaling 7 hours. We can also point to the playing conditions which can be quite difficult to deal with for travelling fans at times. During a World Cup qualifier match against Jordan in July, the Australian team decided to keep the stadium roof open as the cooler conditions in Melbourne were thought to disadvantage their opposition. South American national teams always dread travelling to Bolivia as the altitude of the Estadio Hernando Siles in La Paz, sitting at 3,600 metres above sea level, is one of the highest professional stadiums in the world. This altitude can not only be difficult to play in but also brings the danger of players contracting altitude sickness.
Sure, in a situation where the playing conditions are harsh or the distance to the stadium is nearing the double digits a home advantage is obvious, but what about when Spurs are hosting Arsenal or Villa are playing West Brom? The home crowd are often referred to as a “12th man” in football as the noise created by the spectators, we know, can be almost deafening. There are some home fans who are known for their hostility and can make any team fear travelling there. La Bombonera, home to Boca Juniors in Argentina, is a stadium said to physically shake when fans are in full swing, where the stands are so steep it can feel like the frenzied fans are on top of the players. Ali Sami Yen stadium which was home to Galatasaray until 2010 was nicknamed “hell” by the home fans, the full brunt of which was felt by United when they visited in 1993. Then there was that match recently at Red Star Stadium in Belgrade between Red Star and Partizan where the crazed fans actually set fire to the stands in various sections. In many of these stadiums the fans are also fond of flares, not shy of throwing them onto the pitch along with rocks or bricks. The playing conditions in England can be loud but they’re hardly life threatening and the 12th man rule may not apply to the same extent as it does in other stadiums around the world.
One pool of thought is that the man with the whistle give the home team an advantage, particularly the “bigger teams” and can be seen as a literal 12th man at times. A great example is the recent Chelsea v West Brom game where the ref unfairly awarded a penalty to Chelsea in the dying minutes gifting the Blues an undeserved point. Referees chief Mike Riley even came out after the match and issued an apology to the baggies for the poor call. In no way do I believe the refs are making bias calls on purpose, I think the crowd plays a massive part in this. Hearing 40,000 strong fans yelling for a free kick can often make the challenge look worse than it actually was. The backlash that can also come from making a tough call against the “big teams” at home may also sit in the back of their minds. These instances do not occur in every match, however, and this cannot be the sole responsibility for an away team facing defeat.
The mentality that comes with playing at home and in turn away from home, in my opinion, is the biggest contributing downfall for travelling English clubs. There is always so much emphasis before each match about whether it’s being played at home or away. Automatically home sides are expected to pick up the 3 points and the away team travels just “hoping” to get something out of the match. Managers often change their formation and tactics depending on where they’re playing, usually fielding a more defensively and counter attacking strategy on the road. This automatically plays into the hands of the home team who usually have a positive and attacking mentality in a home fixture. Of course playing at home can work in the opposite manner, if we look back to Arsenal’s form last season it could be argued they played better away from home, with many suggesting the pressure of performing in front of their home fans getting the better of them. Although they recorded one more win at home than on the road, Arsenal’s defensive record away was the strongest in the league letting in only 14 goals. At home however, they conceded 4 more than any other team in the top 7 of the table. If Wenger’s side had looked at all matches on an even basis, their home form should have been the same as their away. I realise this is obviously easier said than done, but if teams can treat an away match in the same manner they would a home game, results would surely be more consistent. Who knows where City could be in May if they overcome these obvious psychological issues and if Pellegrini implements identical playing tactics on the road as he would at City of Manchester Stadium.
