When two teams hate each other, it adds a whole new different dimension to a game. An average game or play can become exciting because of the rivalry. There are fewer true rivalries nowadays. You tune in because the two teams want to kill each other.

This is not only a tactical battle; this is a battle. You have one eye on what you should be doing and another eye on the opposition, waiting for the hard challenge. You only have two eyes, so there’s less time for creatives to create and pick out passes. That’s exciting. We had a lot more rivalries at the top levels of the game ten years ago.

We try to manufacture rivalries between the top teams, but there’s no venom between the players. You can tell. It is between the fans and the media that helps fan the flames. But the players go to dinner together, they go on vocation, they cordially shake hands, they joke during the game, and they hug in the tunnel. It is forced.

Football needs a bully. More than one bully. That can be an edge for a team. Someone, one or two teams hate because the opposition plays differently against rivals. They tackle harder; they are more aggressive positionally, but when they become aggressive, they drain their energy and leave space behind.