> It still irks me that something as rare and prestigious as the World Cup (and Olympic Hockey) can get decided by shootouts.
Even without the shoutouts, football is a very random game (compare with something like Tennis). And this is amplified by the tournament format. I like how experts take this game so seriously and come up with deep analysis when there's so much randomness in the result.
The bulk of football is played in "league" format, not "cup" format, where teams all play each other two times in a year. With 34 matches, for example, much of that "randomness" is gone.
Some of the public analysis can be qualified as theological debate, yes; but behind the scenes, in professional clubs, there is a lot of actual tactical work and preparation, which really removes a lot of the “randomness”. The best team doesn’t always win a game, but it usually wins a league and it often wins a cup, and that’s not by accident.
Even without the shoutouts, football is a very random game (compare with something like Tennis). And this is amplified by the tournament format. I like how experts take this game so seriously and come up with deep analysis when there's so much randomness in the result.