Dissecting the languague behind Blues’ Falcao announcement.
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Official websites and press releases are fascinating things, full of strange language and notable for their absence of what absolutely everyone knows they are really thinking about the deal, and Chelsea’s statement on signing Radamel Falcao is no different…
With four goals at Manchester United last season in a similar season-long loan deal, it is blindingly obvious to everyone that this is a pretty strange move, and not one that will get a lot of Blues fans particularly excited ahead of the new campaign.
And yet, there is plenty of emphasis on Falcao’s great achievements from a few years ago, with his flurry of goals from back in 2011, 2012 and 2013 the main focus of the piece, including that hat-trick against Chelsea in the European Super Cup (though with no mention of the scoreline that night, or even acknowledgement that the west London outfit lost that game).
When it finally comes to the Colombian’s most recent exploits, there is no mention at all of his woeful performances at this summer’s Copa America, and a very brief, but brilliant line on his time at Old Trafford:
“After two goals in three games at the beginning of last season, he joined Manchester United on loan for the campaign, helping Louis van Gaal’s side back into the Champions League.”
Ah yes, well of course we all remember now, don’t we? United’s triumphant march back into the top four, almost single-handedly inspired by Falcao’s prolific form up front. If the 29-year-old’s arrival was so key to this success, why exactly did they send him back to Monaco faster than you can blink?
An overall translation of the piece might as well read: “We’ve signed Falcao, who was very good a few years ago, and even if he was rubbish at United, his presence in the squad maybe contributed to their successful season, even if only in comparison to finishing 7th the year before? No? Never mind.”