Plastic fantastic
October 9, 2009
To claim World Cup qualification in Moscow on Saturday night, Germany will not only have to beat Guus Hiddink's impressive team, they'll have to get the better of another influential foe.
The Luzhniki Stadium's artificial pitch is one of the few used by major European venues and is known for causing visiting teams problems. Despite being a FIFA-approved FieldTurf artificial surface – first laid in 2002 as an alternative to the regular grass pitches which were regularly destroyed by the harsh Russian winters – the Luzhniki pitch has gained notoriety among opponents arriving in Moscow in search of victory.
Playing Russia, with their free-flowing, rapid counter-attacking style, is always a challenge but in Moscow, on a surface which some have claimed adds so much extra bounce to the ball that it's like playing soccer with a basketball on concrete, it becomes an ominous task. Some opponents have complained that the pitch gives Russian teams that play there an unfair advantage.
No distortion of competition
"This is a home advantage for Russia but I would not call it a distortion of competition," Dr. Wolfgang Potthast, an expert on artificial surfaces at the German Sport University's Institute for Biomechanics und Orthopedics in Cologne, told Deutsche Welle. "If you play on natural turf which is in very bad condition, then there is home advantage there too. After a couple of hours playing on an artificial surface, you can adapt as much as it is necessary to play well on the surface."
The main advantage to having an artificial surface appears to be the one which led the stadium's owners to lay the Luzhniki pitch in the first place: the weather.
"The climatic influence is not as big on an artificial surface," said Dr. Potthast. "Water on a natural pitch makes the ground very soft and slippery, which is not that much of a problem with artificial surfaces. Artificial pitches are also very flat and don't develop holes like on natural surfaces. But there are big differences between the standards of these artificial surfaces."
More bounce, less deceleration
Dr. Potthast and his team have conducted extensive research into artificial playing surfaces and have found that some of the complaints that teams have are valid but the effects they claim alter the aspect of the game can be minimal and are always factored in to regulatory checks made by world soccer's governing body.
"The ball bounces a little higher than on natural turf although some natural pitches in southern Europe which are hard have this problem also," he said. "The traction and deceleration of the ball when it is rolling is slower on artificial grass and the ball behaves a little different, that's clear, but there are mechanical tests carried out as part of the FIFA approval system which put these factors within certain boundaries so one cannot expect too much of a difference in relation to natural grass on a FIFA-approved artificial surface."
Other concerns that artificial surfaces can cause more physical wear-and-tear on players' bodies have not been substantiated by scientific evidence, according to Dr. Potthast, but he says anecdotal evidence for the players themselves suggest that their play and their bodies react differently than on natural grass.
Players give insight into physical demands
"There hasn't been that much research done on injuries and so there is not that much scientific consensus," he said. "We rely on the perception of the players and what they tell us. There are no indications at the moment that the injury patterns are really changing on artificial turf compared to natural turf. Players perceive the game differently on artificial turf; they say they need longer recovery times, they say certain muscle groups are sore after a game on artificial turf – and this is especially true with players who are not used to this surface or not adapted to playing on this surface.
"The ball and body movement may change a little, especially on lower grade third generation artificial turf systems," he added. "On these we see that kicking maneuvers are different, the standing leg moves differently, and when crossing from the wings, the kicking leg and foot are positioned differently. The kicking quality in regard to ball speed and accuracy also changes. The players say they have difficulties performing cutting maneuvers or 180 degree turns, and we perceive that the artificial turf is creating a little too much traction."
But while some teams have complained about the effect they claim the pitch has on their game and their physical performance, others have found that adjusting to the Luzhniki pitch takes mere minutes and that ultimately it offers few differences to playing on real grass.
Germany optimistic of overcoming artificial foe
The German players, as well drilled as ever, appear to be of the opinion that by the time Saturday's kick-off comes around, they will be used to the surface and ready to play.
"I have only trained on artificial turf a few times and never played a match on it," Germany captain Michael Ballack told reporters after a training session at the stadium earlier this week. "But we are well prepared. Of course, it's all a bit new, but it's the same for both teams and so I do not think it will play much of a role."
Coach Joachim Loew said his were already coming to terms with the new surface.
"Of course there is an adjustment that we're going to have to get used to in the next few days but we will get used to it," said Loew. "We have a few days to get accustomed to it and then it shouldn't play a role."
Author: Nick Amies
Editor: Andreas Illmer