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From the simplest viewpoint, a table-flat pitch with soil soft enough to take a stud but not muddy enough to slip is the perfect soccer surface - assuming you play what the commentators call attractive passing football. The flatness allows you to pass the ball cleanly along the ground, while the firmness protects you from unexpected slips and cushions your falls a little.

However, it can be in a team's interest to prepare a less-than-perfect surface, particularly when playing technically superior opponents. A mudbath of a pitch tends to reduce the difference in class between two sides. Famously, the Cambridge United management of the early 90s tried their hardest to waterlog the corners of the pitch so the ball would get stuck there, allowing their wingers to collect it and cross into the box for Dion Dublin to score. If your strategy is to play long, aerial passes, a smooth playing surface doesn't do you any particular favours either. But as the late Brian Clough said, if God had meant football to be played in the air, He'd have put grass in the sky.

In recent years, artificial pitches have become more widespread as astroturf technology improves - next year's UEFA Champions League final will be played on the artificial surface at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow. Earlier experiments had generally been abandoned because of the unnatural bounce and increased likelihood of injuries on the hard surface. Having an artificial pitch was also perceived as an unfair home advantage.

Part of the beauty of soccer is that it can be played practically anywhere under more or less any conditions. However, most players would prefer an even, firm expanse of grass.

Learn more about this author, Colin Beveridge.
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