Not for the first nor dare I say the last time, coming into the Quarter final round of the World Cup the stage was set for an almighty battle between the South American teams and those defending Europe’s pride.
The slight difference in this tournament was that the rate of drop-off of European team was so high that all and sundry were talking of a ‘South American World Cup’ with the remnants of the Europeans receiving individual merits if any at all. How foolish this proved.
So what to make of the near catastrophic failure of the lower Hemisphere’s proud representatives? The correct action would of course be to study the performances individually to decide what went wrong and given the different set-ups of Spain, Germany and Holland, the three antipodeans’ conquerors, the three losses may not appear linked.
However at least one generic failing appears identifiable, in that all three sides appeared to have the run of the game for large stretches, with Brazil looking especially strong before being pegged back time and again. Could it be that the wintry conditions are finally playing into the hands of the European teams?
The sole representatives of the region are Uruguay, possibly the weakest of the lot (fifth placed qualifiers via a play-off lest we forget), and extremely lucky to be in the semi finals despite the talent they present up front. They created the majority of chances in the match against Ghana and deserved their progress for their bravery in playing against the whole of Africa as well as the international goodwill generated towards the West African country. The actions of Luis Suarez in the final minute of extra time will have eroded a lot of the kudos they had built up in progressing so far, but few players would have reacted differently and it is just a shame that Gyan did not produced his later shootout penalty at the most vital moment.
Onto the Semi finals, and Spain take on Germany to provide one European finalist, but before that Holland will be favourites to make it an Intra-continental affair if they can find a spark through Robben or Sneijder against Uruguay on Tuesday night.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Who´s Watching the Man With the Power?
Once again, FIFA has proved that it has no problem continuing to function as an inadequate body of power. I´ve waited a few days to write this post due to being busy with a wedding and awaiting FIFA´s decision on what to do with the referee Koman Coulibaly after he successfully ruined a chance for the USA to make history and become the only team down 2-0 at HT and come back to win. Thanks Koman, you are more than welcome to come visit anytime. We would love to show you around the States and introduce you and FIFA to something that Americans actually excel at in our version of football, fairness, replay, and justifying your calls. It won´t be a painful experience although fairness for some isn´t what they want to see. Football is still marred by controversy all to often because referee´s have too much power and the likes of Sepp Blatter and his unwillingness to allow fair play into the modern game.
The French would have never sniffed South African soil were in not for a lack of replay and the only blind man in the world to be on the pitch, the referee. A man who was still selected to be one of the referee´s in the World Cup after he single handedly kicked the Irish out of it on a blatant bad call. The present World Cup has been mired in controversy and the FIFA has no desire whatsoever to set the record straight and offer the world something in line with their "Say No to Racism" campaign, fairness. As an American commentating on world football, I understand how any average reader would be quick to jump on the bandwagon of saying I'm an idiot American who doesn't know what he's talking about. My reply would be a simple shrug of the shoulders. I don't care because I know I know what I'm talking about. As the World Cup continues to progress, more blatant bad calls continue. In the England match against Germany, Frank Lampard was denied a goal that clearly crossed the line. In the game between Mexico and Argentina, an obvious offsides goal is allowed.
Why? Why is it that a replay on the screen for all the fans, the referee himself, and the entire world shows a blatant offsides, an infraction of the game, and yet a goal is still allowed? What is so hard about allowing fairness into football? Why can't FIFA admit they're a bunch of buffoons and adapt a measure of instant replay? Anyone can look at the final score of the last two games mentioned and say that it didn't matter in the long run but that is not the case. A miscue of such astounding proportions changes the biggest thing in a football match: momentum. If one team is allowed a blatant goal that otherwise would not have been allowed or is denied a goal that is rightfully theirs, the momentum of the game changes. It's absolutely laughable to think that instant replay of such situations would somehow affect the game in a negative manner. I'm not calling for a petition to change things because that won't do much. What we need is a changing of the guard, a bringing about of a new way of thinking and actually letting the right thing happen. Would the World Cup be less of an event if the Irish were there instead of the French? Would it be so bad that the United States, a team generally laughed at by the rest of the football world, held the record of overcoming a 2-0 HT score to win 3-2 in the end? Yet they never will all because one man can't see. I'm not the most patriotic of people when it comes to pride in my country but I can honestly say that today, I'm proud to be from a country that espouses a belief in fair play and actually goes to the painstaking lengths to ensure the right team wins and doesn't chalk it up to the ignorance of "we have always done it this way". One day, the world may catch up to us. Until then, you can all keep complaining about how your team was cheated and I will too.
- El Guiri
The French would have never sniffed South African soil were in not for a lack of replay and the only blind man in the world to be on the pitch, the referee. A man who was still selected to be one of the referee´s in the World Cup after he single handedly kicked the Irish out of it on a blatant bad call. The present World Cup has been mired in controversy and the FIFA has no desire whatsoever to set the record straight and offer the world something in line with their "Say No to Racism" campaign, fairness. As an American commentating on world football, I understand how any average reader would be quick to jump on the bandwagon of saying I'm an idiot American who doesn't know what he's talking about. My reply would be a simple shrug of the shoulders. I don't care because I know I know what I'm talking about. As the World Cup continues to progress, more blatant bad calls continue. In the England match against Germany, Frank Lampard was denied a goal that clearly crossed the line. In the game between Mexico and Argentina, an obvious offsides goal is allowed.
Why? Why is it that a replay on the screen for all the fans, the referee himself, and the entire world shows a blatant offsides, an infraction of the game, and yet a goal is still allowed? What is so hard about allowing fairness into football? Why can't FIFA admit they're a bunch of buffoons and adapt a measure of instant replay? Anyone can look at the final score of the last two games mentioned and say that it didn't matter in the long run but that is not the case. A miscue of such astounding proportions changes the biggest thing in a football match: momentum. If one team is allowed a blatant goal that otherwise would not have been allowed or is denied a goal that is rightfully theirs, the momentum of the game changes. It's absolutely laughable to think that instant replay of such situations would somehow affect the game in a negative manner. I'm not calling for a petition to change things because that won't do much. What we need is a changing of the guard, a bringing about of a new way of thinking and actually letting the right thing happen. Would the World Cup be less of an event if the Irish were there instead of the French? Would it be so bad that the United States, a team generally laughed at by the rest of the football world, held the record of overcoming a 2-0 HT score to win 3-2 in the end? Yet they never will all because one man can't see. I'm not the most patriotic of people when it comes to pride in my country but I can honestly say that today, I'm proud to be from a country that espouses a belief in fair play and actually goes to the painstaking lengths to ensure the right team wins and doesn't chalk it up to the ignorance of "we have always done it this way". One day, the world may catch up to us. Until then, you can all keep complaining about how your team was cheated and I will too.
- El Guiri
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Last Chance Saloon
As we come to the final round of group games, very little has been answered and there is much to discuss and debate, fully in the knowledge that the answers will promptly arrive; the beauty of the World Cup.
Teams such as Spain, Mexico and Portugal have really stepped up as expected after disappointing results in the first round of matches and go into the final games with justified confidence. Others are still dragging themselves along with ‘potential’ more than substance giving their fans hopes; indeed very few teams have actually been knocked out of the competition at this point – only North Korea (insert actual name!) have no mathematical chance of progressing!
Groups A & B will be decided today and they have not been short of ‘shocks’ either; although anyone who has followed the travails of Monsieur Domenech in recent years or saw Nigeria’s inept performance against Ghana in the African Cup of Nations may not have been too surprised.
If there is any justice in the World (Cup), France will be on a plane home after their match against South Africa; the players clearly want to go home, we want them to go home, and the French public continue to not be bothered, excepting their outrage at the team’s refusal to train. A conspiratorial draw between Mexico and Uruguay would be enough to see both teams safely through and, without knowing all the ins and outs of Central-South American rivalry; this is something one is almost hopeful of.
MY PREDICTION: Mexico & Uruguay to progress
In group B Nigeria have conspired to knock themselves out of the tournament, not so much with an expected defeat against Argentina but by somehow engineering a reversal against Greece having looked the better team and with a one goal lead – the first team to lose after taking the lead in this year’s competition. For second place, South Korea’s fantastic win over Greece in the group’s first game should be enough to see them through the group, barring a disastrous loss to Nigeria. Diego Maradona will be playing a reserve team against Greece, but I still expect a comfortable win for La Albiceleste.
MY PREDICTION: Argentina & South Korea to progress
I suppose a few thoughts on England would take place here if I had any more patience left. Rather I think I will paraphrase Big Ron to say that I never comment on players [referees] and I’m not going to break the habits of a lifetime for those prats. I shall not be watching the England-Slovenia game live on Wednesday and I expect them to pull themselves together and beat a team who are frankly not in their pampered league. F**k John Terry, f**k scaredy cats, f**k nil-nil draws... its Big Boy time and for once expectations are not being set too high in expecting, nay DEMANDING, an England win.
MY PREDICTION: USA & England to progress
On to happier times and Group D. Ghana sit on top of the group but will be up against an angry, wounded Germany and the head overrules the heart here. Germany win. This leaves the door open for Serbia to ‘pick the pockets’ of the Ghanaians with a victory over group bottom-feeders Australia. Easy, no? Well no... Not only will the Aussies have the motivated return of ‘magic’ Timmy Cahill, they are also a very decent team - while the simmering tension and, for want of a better word, hate that exists between the Slavic side and the Australians has its roots in older, non-footballing matters. However, if Germany do punish Ghana, a draw should be good enough for Serbia and that’s a far more appetising bet to take on.
MY PREDICTION: Germany & Serbia (via a draw) to progress
As mentioned, it's Big Boy time now; excuses wont keep you company on the long flight home.
Teams such as Spain, Mexico and Portugal have really stepped up as expected after disappointing results in the first round of matches and go into the final games with justified confidence. Others are still dragging themselves along with ‘potential’ more than substance giving their fans hopes; indeed very few teams have actually been knocked out of the competition at this point – only North Korea (insert actual name!) have no mathematical chance of progressing!
Groups A & B will be decided today and they have not been short of ‘shocks’ either; although anyone who has followed the travails of Monsieur Domenech in recent years or saw Nigeria’s inept performance against Ghana in the African Cup of Nations may not have been too surprised.
If there is any justice in the World (Cup), France will be on a plane home after their match against South Africa; the players clearly want to go home, we want them to go home, and the French public continue to not be bothered, excepting their outrage at the team’s refusal to train. A conspiratorial draw between Mexico and Uruguay would be enough to see both teams safely through and, without knowing all the ins and outs of Central-South American rivalry; this is something one is almost hopeful of.
MY PREDICTION: Mexico & Uruguay to progress
In group B Nigeria have conspired to knock themselves out of the tournament, not so much with an expected defeat against Argentina but by somehow engineering a reversal against Greece having looked the better team and with a one goal lead – the first team to lose after taking the lead in this year’s competition. For second place, South Korea’s fantastic win over Greece in the group’s first game should be enough to see them through the group, barring a disastrous loss to Nigeria. Diego Maradona will be playing a reserve team against Greece, but I still expect a comfortable win for La Albiceleste.
MY PREDICTION: Argentina & South Korea to progress
I suppose a few thoughts on England would take place here if I had any more patience left. Rather I think I will paraphrase Big Ron to say that I never comment on players [referees] and I’m not going to break the habits of a lifetime for those prats. I shall not be watching the England-Slovenia game live on Wednesday and I expect them to pull themselves together and beat a team who are frankly not in their pampered league. F**k John Terry, f**k scaredy cats, f**k nil-nil draws... its Big Boy time and for once expectations are not being set too high in expecting, nay DEMANDING, an England win.
MY PREDICTION: USA & England to progress
On to happier times and Group D. Ghana sit on top of the group but will be up against an angry, wounded Germany and the head overrules the heart here. Germany win. This leaves the door open for Serbia to ‘pick the pockets’ of the Ghanaians with a victory over group bottom-feeders Australia. Easy, no? Well no... Not only will the Aussies have the motivated return of ‘magic’ Timmy Cahill, they are also a very decent team - while the simmering tension and, for want of a better word, hate that exists between the Slavic side and the Australians has its roots in older, non-footballing matters. However, if Germany do punish Ghana, a draw should be good enough for Serbia and that’s a far more appetising bet to take on.
MY PREDICTION: Germany & Serbia (via a draw) to progress
As mentioned, it's Big Boy time now; excuses wont keep you company on the long flight home.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Superlative Spectacle!
OK boys and girls, we've gone through all the groups once. I say it's about time for some superlative awards, no matter how soon! (Keep in mind, I've missed a few games, so feel free to vocalize (or digitize) your disagreements)
TEAMS
BEST TEAM PERFORMANCE - Germany (vs Australia)
WORST TEAM PERFORMANCE - Australia (vs. Germany)
MOST IMPRESSIVE PERFORMACE - Chile (after not winning a WC match since 1962)
MOST DISAPPOINTING PERFORMANCE - England (vs. USA)
BEST DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE - Paraguay (vs. Italy)
MOST DISAPPOINTING MATCH - Argentina vs. Nigeria
PLAYERS
BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE - Maicon (#2 Brazil vs. N. Korea 108 passes [83%], 1 goal)
BEST GOAL - Maicon (vs N. Korea)
BEST SINGLE PASS - Robinho (to Elano for 2nd goal vs N. Korea)
BEST OVERALL PASSING - Maicon (see above)
BEST DEFENDING - Onyewu (#5 USA vs. England: effectively neutralizing Wayne Rooney)
MOST DISAPPOINTING PERFORMANCE - Ronaldo (#7 Portugal vs. Ivory Coast: need I explain? he should wear scuba gear next match, he'd look more appropriate when diving)...Or Torres (# 9 Spain vs. Switzerland: running past the brilliant cross from Villa that would have put him square in front with his "flawless first touch".)
OK chicos, that's my 2 cents. You think I'm nuts? SAY SO!
TEAMS
BEST TEAM PERFORMANCE - Germany (vs Australia)
WORST TEAM PERFORMANCE - Australia (vs. Germany)
MOST IMPRESSIVE PERFORMACE - Chile (after not winning a WC match since 1962)
MOST DISAPPOINTING PERFORMANCE - England (vs. USA)
BEST DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE - Paraguay (vs. Italy)
BEST OFFENSIVE PERFORMANCE - Germany (vs. Australia)
MOST BLOWN CHANCES - Spain vs. Switzerland (Crossbars, crosses, and perfect passes in. 0 goals scored)
MOST IMPRESSIVE FIGHT - Paraguay (vs. defending champs and looming beasts Italy)
BIGGEST UPSET - Switzerland (vs. Euro Champs, FIFA Ranked #1 , and favorites Spain)
MOST EXCITING MATCH - Chile vs. Honduras / Portugal vs. Ivory CoastMOST DISAPPOINTING MATCH - Argentina vs. Nigeria
PLAYERS
BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE - Maicon (#2 Brazil vs. N. Korea 108 passes [83%], 1 goal)
BEST GOAL - Maicon (vs N. Korea)
BEST SINGLE PASS - Robinho (to Elano for 2nd goal vs N. Korea)
BEST OVERALL PASSING - Maicon (see above)
BEST DEFENDING - Onyewu (#5 USA vs. England: effectively neutralizing Wayne Rooney)
MOST DISAPPOINTING PERFORMANCE - Ronaldo (#7 Portugal vs. Ivory Coast: need I explain? he should wear scuba gear next match, he'd look more appropriate when diving)...Or Torres (# 9 Spain vs. Switzerland: running past the brilliant cross from Villa that would have put him square in front with his "flawless first touch".)
OK chicos, that's my 2 cents. You think I'm nuts? SAY SO!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
WC Whingealot
The month of celebration, fun and inevitable tears that is supposed to be the World Cup is a whole six days old and already the level of criticism may have surpassed that of any previous World Cup. For my part, try as I might I can’t seem to get excited for the early stages ... however I am starting to find the complaints irksome and now bordering on the embarrassing.
Vuvuzelas, lack of goals, the Jabulani ball, the lack of big name stars (covered previously on this blog), the England/Italy/France/Insert your own team and possibly the whole of Commercialism itself have come in for criticism in just a short space of time.
There must be a combination of factors contributing to this global whinge-fest. Firstly the massive, barely controllable proliferation of communications channels has enabled any Charlie Fat-Fingers to tell us all their two pence worth. Whether it be the dedicated football website, news channels, twitter, blogging (ahem...) or specifically targeted projects (such as the Guardian Fans Network), we can all have a say. This is obviously a good thing but it does tend to exacerbate any issue, big or small, into a big issue. For example it is right for millions to comment on the European debt crisis, but when a similar number are blogging on the ‘disgrace of Vuvuzelas’ it is more difficult to take it seriously.
Secondly, the unfamiliarity of a WC on African soil seems to have thrown a lot of broadcasters. Of course a lot of focus should rightly be given to this, and with it being Sepp Blatter’s personal mission to stage the event here we cannot be surprised; however the coverage of the ‘African-ness’ is threatening to overshadow the actual event. If we are honest, do we watch Holland-Denmark to see a live game being broadcast from this continent for the first time, or to watch Robin Van Persie try to get the better of Daniel Agger?!
I’ve actually enjoyed the fact that the organisers refuse to bow to Commercial pressure to ban the Vuvus, but that may be because I don’t mind the noise too much.
Then maybe throw some general discontentment at the state of the Global Economy, worries about the little fishies in the Gulf of Mexico*, Alan Sugar being a Lord... and you can see why people might be stressed and over-reacting to the standard timid opening games. My philosophy on this has always been to allow all the teams the first dull games and lay into them from the second game onwards as any primary result should in theory stimulate a positive response; Won? Keep it going. Drew? Try harder. Lost? Try hardest!
Enough doom and gloom!
Here’s what we have to look forward to, which will hopefully kick us all out of the rot:
- Last round of Group matches. Big name are you? Lots of History, but failed to win against a minnow or suffered a shock loss to a team from some God-forsaken land? Well it’s Big Boy Time my friend, step up or step on the plane home. Psst: We all kinda want to see you crumble, even if it means less quality in the latter stages.
- Token bad guy, villain, scoundrel, unlucky scapegoat. This can be a player (think Rivaldo in 2002), referee (step up Graeme Poll), or whatever causes either the Host nation or your particular country to be knocked out. I still can’t believe Phil Neville went through that Romanian player in the last minute. Twerp.
- Knockout stages. Even if this World Cup was being staged on Neptune, on a cold day (do they have these?), in the middle of rugby season, the latter stages are where it’s at. Heartbreak? Check. Big boy tears? Check. Red cards, penalties, Germans? Check.
- Race for Golden boot. Probably between functional Teutonic goal-machine who utilises his one skill perfectly and some sort of Hispanic flair-o-magnet from Brazil or Spain (whichever doesn’t implode in the QFs).
- Your team being eliminated. Snotty tears, angry jeers, soul-searching, finger-pointing...and finally the sweet release of acceptance.
ROLL ON THE NEXT BATCH OF GAMES! AUPA!
* Apologies for the sarcastic tone, I appreciate the full impact of this disaster
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Mistakes and misgivings
After four days of openers, I think we've all got to have another look at our expectations for this year's cup. Of the games that I watched, this is what I saw:
Argentina - A team I had personally placed among the top contenders for the final, on paper they should win it on talent alone. But seeing them flail and rush and give up numerous balls, I'm struck by the impression that they are a team that just don't know one another. Too many possibilities in front of the net when one player couldn't read his own teammate. But who can blame them when their boss fielded 100 different players before the opener. They say Maradona won a world cup. They'll say he lost one too.
England - Always buried with pressure to regain 44 year old glory, this year also looks to be one in which they could actually pull it off. But coming away from facing the States with only one point says a lot to the contrary. Starting from the front, (aside from the one click that resulted in Gerrard's fantastic finish) both Heskey and Rooney were in poor form or more or less anonymous, respectively. SWP also seemed to have decided to leave the game up to Lamps and Gerrard. Carragher and Terry showed a serious lack of pace, and well the fact that Green started reveals a problematic approach by the man charged with managing the entire squad. Changes will have to be made.
USA - The players showed excellent fitness and strength of pace. But that was their strongest point. When it came to bringing the ball to the net, there were far too many times when Dempsey would charge down the middle and Altidore and Findley would simply stay at the corners of the area, close to their defenders. Far too many shots from far out, fortunately for them one jubilani ball made it's way past the hands of Green (more on that later).
Ghana - Very energetic and looking confident most of the time, they still seemed to be playing in the Africa Cup of Nations style with lots of long shots and an overall attempt at outpacing the giant Serbains rather than outclassing them. I don't see them getting very far if they stick to a contest of athleticism and individual talent.
Germany - They looked deadly. Cool, smooth, precise. It was like the German stereotype. Yes, it's true, they played an Australian side that was too timid to challenge for the ball mid-field and more or less looked like a bunch of athletic boys playing against a professional team. But still, you have to appreciate their calm calculations between the back four as they waited for the Socceroos to get hot and leave a gap. Without a doubt the strongest performance of the cup so far.
The Netherlands - Started out looking fierce, fast and aggressive. They stripped the Danish dozens of times. But they themselves gave up the ball too often, and as they seemed to slow during the middle of the match they were generally a bit sloppier than you expect the Dutch to be. But a formidable side nonetheless, and one to keep an eye on.
Italy - They came out to play much more aggressively than I'd expected. Considering that losing their first game as defending champions to a team that's never won before would be devastating to a side that's already being derided by their own fans, many thought they would simply park the bus. Instead they went out to win. Unfortunately they didn't, and when Cannavaro and De Rossi let Alcaraz simply leap up between them and net Paraguay's only goal, they showed telling weakness and lack of ability to control the game (if giving the ball away often and almost never finishing didn't show enough). But then again, it's true that they have a knack for sticking it through and coming out strong in the end. We shall see, especially considering they have only to beat Slovakia and a country that qualified by beating teams whose aggregate national populations hover somewhere around 2 million.
Paraguay - While many called Denmark the tournament's dark horse, it seems Paraguay are the squad to surprise. They came out fighting and might have won it if not for one defensive blunder, which seem in one way or another to be littering this tournament so far (again, more later). Though they might not have enough of a chance to be considered dark horses, coming out of their conference and starting out as strong as they have with no star player but Santa Cruz (who only came on in the end anyway) makes them one of the more impressive teams thus far. It will be great to see how far they can progress.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Most teams look less than comfortable and very scared to lose their first matches. Lots of defense and poor follow through (except of course ze Germans). Some say altitude, others say vuvuzela, and many say the ball. Are they to be blamed for all the wide shots, or is it the strategy so many seem to be adopting to shoot from 30-40m out? And then again, if those factors are distracting keepers and defenders so much, then why is it that by the start of the 8th match in 2006, there were more than double the number of goals already scored (2006: 17 vs. 2010: 8)??
WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY?
- Tommy "I thought you were still standing there" Spaeth
Also, watching Portugal v Ivory Coast the other day, I was reminded how lucky Italy was to escape so many deserved cards. Was the referee scared to book the Italians or what??
Argentina - A team I had personally placed among the top contenders for the final, on paper they should win it on talent alone. But seeing them flail and rush and give up numerous balls, I'm struck by the impression that they are a team that just don't know one another. Too many possibilities in front of the net when one player couldn't read his own teammate. But who can blame them when their boss fielded 100 different players before the opener. They say Maradona won a world cup. They'll say he lost one too.
England - Always buried with pressure to regain 44 year old glory, this year also looks to be one in which they could actually pull it off. But coming away from facing the States with only one point says a lot to the contrary. Starting from the front, (aside from the one click that resulted in Gerrard's fantastic finish) both Heskey and Rooney were in poor form or more or less anonymous, respectively. SWP also seemed to have decided to leave the game up to Lamps and Gerrard. Carragher and Terry showed a serious lack of pace, and well the fact that Green started reveals a problematic approach by the man charged with managing the entire squad. Changes will have to be made.
USA - The players showed excellent fitness and strength of pace. But that was their strongest point. When it came to bringing the ball to the net, there were far too many times when Dempsey would charge down the middle and Altidore and Findley would simply stay at the corners of the area, close to their defenders. Far too many shots from far out, fortunately for them one jubilani ball made it's way past the hands of Green (more on that later).
Ghana - Very energetic and looking confident most of the time, they still seemed to be playing in the Africa Cup of Nations style with lots of long shots and an overall attempt at outpacing the giant Serbains rather than outclassing them. I don't see them getting very far if they stick to a contest of athleticism and individual talent.
Germany - They looked deadly. Cool, smooth, precise. It was like the German stereotype. Yes, it's true, they played an Australian side that was too timid to challenge for the ball mid-field and more or less looked like a bunch of athletic boys playing against a professional team. But still, you have to appreciate their calm calculations between the back four as they waited for the Socceroos to get hot and leave a gap. Without a doubt the strongest performance of the cup so far.
The Netherlands - Started out looking fierce, fast and aggressive. They stripped the Danish dozens of times. But they themselves gave up the ball too often, and as they seemed to slow during the middle of the match they were generally a bit sloppier than you expect the Dutch to be. But a formidable side nonetheless, and one to keep an eye on.
Italy - They came out to play much more aggressively than I'd expected. Considering that losing their first game as defending champions to a team that's never won before would be devastating to a side that's already being derided by their own fans, many thought they would simply park the bus. Instead they went out to win. Unfortunately they didn't, and when Cannavaro and De Rossi let Alcaraz simply leap up between them and net Paraguay's only goal, they showed telling weakness and lack of ability to control the game (if giving the ball away often and almost never finishing didn't show enough). But then again, it's true that they have a knack for sticking it through and coming out strong in the end. We shall see, especially considering they have only to beat Slovakia and a country that qualified by beating teams whose aggregate national populations hover somewhere around 2 million.
Paraguay - While many called Denmark the tournament's dark horse, it seems Paraguay are the squad to surprise. They came out fighting and might have won it if not for one defensive blunder, which seem in one way or another to be littering this tournament so far (again, more later). Though they might not have enough of a chance to be considered dark horses, coming out of their conference and starting out as strong as they have with no star player but Santa Cruz (who only came on in the end anyway) makes them one of the more impressive teams thus far. It will be great to see how far they can progress.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Most teams look less than comfortable and very scared to lose their first matches. Lots of defense and poor follow through (except of course ze Germans). Some say altitude, others say vuvuzela, and many say the ball. Are they to be blamed for all the wide shots, or is it the strategy so many seem to be adopting to shoot from 30-40m out? And then again, if those factors are distracting keepers and defenders so much, then why is it that by the start of the 8th match in 2006, there were more than double the number of goals already scored (2006: 17 vs. 2010: 8)??
WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY?
- Tommy "I thought you were still standing there" Spaeth
Also, watching Portugal v Ivory Coast the other day, I was reminded how lucky Italy was to escape so many deserved cards. Was the referee scared to book the Italians or what??
Monday, June 14, 2010
Shock and Draw
It’s only been one game but already it feels like injuries and paucity of options are depriving Capello of the chance to break the ‘English curse’ at the World Cup.
With Ferdinand and King (according to today’s headlines) quickly falling aside and Milner doing a good impression of a man new to his left foot, options for England seem to be limited to a good ‘Plan A’ with less and less flexibility available after that. A topline analysis of the game in Rustenberg reveals deficiencies in attacking support for Rooney, defensive support for Terry, absence of pace in central defence, complete uncertainty over the goalkeeping situation and lack of experience on the wings. But apart from that everything’s ok.
However perhaps the one galling aspect of the disappointing result was the inability of Gerrard and Lampard to stamp their authority on the game. One can always excuse the first game of a WC campaign for being unsure and slow, but having made such an explosive start to the game through the former, the stage was set for England to grab the game by the cojones and leave the Americans trailing. The early promise gave way to anonymity from the experienced pair, with Lampard noticeably absent from any of England’s attacking forays; whether he was taking Ballack’s advice and sacrificing himself for his midfield partner remains to be seen, though one would expect to find a resurgent ‘Lamps’ back in the thick of the action against Algeria on Friday whether it is form or tactics hindering him at present.
For my money, England’s problems started almost as soon as any attack was being assembled. Too often the ball was sprayed out wide from the central defensive pairing, bringing the wide men into the action too soon and too far away from goal. Both Wright-Phillips and Lennon operate well with the ball played in front of them, relishing the opportunity to run at and embarrass defenders, but this strength was diminished by the distance they were asked to cover before any attempted cut-back to a team-mate. Whether this problem was due to or the cause of the central midfield deficiencies is open to debate, but I would suggest the lack of disciplined holding midfielder may have influenced the strategy of trying to bring the ‘width & pace’ option in too soon.
The final doom and gloom moment was watching big Crouchy being lumped on up front to have the ball bounce off his head for the last portion of the match; I cannot believe that in two years this is the best ‘Plan B’ that Capello has come up with, surely it must have been due to the host of injuries!? Alternative theories do not bear contemplation.
Onwards and upwards - to take the incredibly optimistic view, the 3 Lions are cleverly getting injuries, defensive blunders and typical English insecurities out of the way early doors thereby allowing characters such as Jamie C, Robbie G et al. to be in perfect fettle for the real challenges presented in the latter stages. Perhaps we should unleash Dawson, Cole, Defoe and even let Jamo out of his mental straightjacket against the Algerians to get the bugs out of their systems nice and early?- Prince of Castilla
We Won 1-1!
The big game came and went in the blink of an eye and left me with a lack of reaction. A draw wasn't something I was expecting, although I guess I should have been hoping for that at a minimum like many other Americans back home. In my opinion, a draw isn't good enough, not at the World Cup, but it is better than a loss. An emphatic newspaper headline in the states read: "America Wins: 1-1" and I guess I can understand what they are trying to say, even if it doesn't make sense at all.
In the overall scheme of the game, the Americans were sloppy. The passing was erratic and there seemed to be a sense of nervousness that usually accompanies the American team into a big game. In most big competitions, the first match for the USA is always sloppy and ugly and usually ends with humiliation. So for us to end with a 1-1 draw against a strong English side, it feels like we won something. But what exactly did we win? Confidence.
For the USA, confidence within the team is hard to come by and a lack of leaders makes it even more difficult to get this to believe in itself. Landon Donovan expressed strong belief in himself as a leader and in the team. He even went so far to say that he was ready to step into a leadership position for the team. Carlos Bocanegra was given the captain's armband for his leadership capabilities and yet when Steven Gerrard opened the scoring just under five minutes, neither men stepped up all that well. The USA seemed destined to follow in its own self destructive footsteps of every other major tournament and fall apart. But a leader did emerge and the team recouped and kept their heads in the game and continued to play at a high level and this is how we won. We are not a country of football prowess so it takes us more time to elevate ourselves to the world stage. For the first time, we didn't back off, we didn't tuck our tails between our legs and home, and we were able to fight back following our new found leader, Tim Howard.
For many English people watching the game, beating the yanks is something that should happen without a problem and yet the Americans gave the Three Lions all they could handle. Wayne Rooney was effectively taken out of the match. He had a few touches here and there but was quiet overall thanks to the defensive duo of Oguchi Onyewu and Jay DeMerit, both of whom had question marks coming into the Cup. Donovan played decent but not up to the expectations or level of last year's Confederations Cup. The USA constantly tried to threaten through the middle of the field and occasionally was able to use their speed to simply outrun a slow English defense. Jozy Altidore looked good on a few plays, especially when we outran Jamie Carragher and took a shot that deflected off the post and out of reach. Clint Dempsey had a mediocre performance highlighted, by the biggest stroke of luck to strike the US team in years, when his twenty five yard strike bobbled through Green's hands and into the net. English fans will be complaining for years about that goal and will be reluctant to accept that it still counts and the that's that. The man of the match was Tim Howard. Granted, it always helps when the opposing teams shots come directly at you but he managed to hang on and play through a rib injury from Heskey's tackle. All in all, for a first game in a major competition, the USA played a decent game and most importantly, showed they have the mental tenacity to be here.
Looking to the future, I hope that Bob Bradley can figure out a way to use the fast pace of the American team to out class our next two opponents. We definitely showed that we have speed but we don't exactly know what to do with it. The defense has to learn to not give up such quick goals because the momentum change can be insurmountable when a great team scores quickly. To reiterate my point, this American team managed to keep it together, work together, and fight back. This is the biggest step for us and we must continue to move forward, win the next two games, and show we belong amongst the top teams of the world.
-El Guiri
In the overall scheme of the game, the Americans were sloppy. The passing was erratic and there seemed to be a sense of nervousness that usually accompanies the American team into a big game. In most big competitions, the first match for the USA is always sloppy and ugly and usually ends with humiliation. So for us to end with a 1-1 draw against a strong English side, it feels like we won something. But what exactly did we win? Confidence.
For the USA, confidence within the team is hard to come by and a lack of leaders makes it even more difficult to get this to believe in itself. Landon Donovan expressed strong belief in himself as a leader and in the team. He even went so far to say that he was ready to step into a leadership position for the team. Carlos Bocanegra was given the captain's armband for his leadership capabilities and yet when Steven Gerrard opened the scoring just under five minutes, neither men stepped up all that well. The USA seemed destined to follow in its own self destructive footsteps of every other major tournament and fall apart. But a leader did emerge and the team recouped and kept their heads in the game and continued to play at a high level and this is how we won. We are not a country of football prowess so it takes us more time to elevate ourselves to the world stage. For the first time, we didn't back off, we didn't tuck our tails between our legs and home, and we were able to fight back following our new found leader, Tim Howard.
For many English people watching the game, beating the yanks is something that should happen without a problem and yet the Americans gave the Three Lions all they could handle. Wayne Rooney was effectively taken out of the match. He had a few touches here and there but was quiet overall thanks to the defensive duo of Oguchi Onyewu and Jay DeMerit, both of whom had question marks coming into the Cup. Donovan played decent but not up to the expectations or level of last year's Confederations Cup. The USA constantly tried to threaten through the middle of the field and occasionally was able to use their speed to simply outrun a slow English defense. Jozy Altidore looked good on a few plays, especially when we outran Jamie Carragher and took a shot that deflected off the post and out of reach. Clint Dempsey had a mediocre performance highlighted, by the biggest stroke of luck to strike the US team in years, when his twenty five yard strike bobbled through Green's hands and into the net. English fans will be complaining for years about that goal and will be reluctant to accept that it still counts and the that's that. The man of the match was Tim Howard. Granted, it always helps when the opposing teams shots come directly at you but he managed to hang on and play through a rib injury from Heskey's tackle. All in all, for a first game in a major competition, the USA played a decent game and most importantly, showed they have the mental tenacity to be here.
Looking to the future, I hope that Bob Bradley can figure out a way to use the fast pace of the American team to out class our next two opponents. We definitely showed that we have speed but we don't exactly know what to do with it. The defense has to learn to not give up such quick goals because the momentum change can be insurmountable when a great team scores quickly. To reiterate my point, this American team managed to keep it together, work together, and fight back. This is the biggest step for us and we must continue to move forward, win the next two games, and show we belong amongst the top teams of the world.
-El Guiri
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
A View From Across the Pond
When I was five years old, my father walked into my room one evening and gave me a choice, baseball or football. I chose football and that was that. I was too small to play American football so football suited me better. There were only a handful of teams back then and the skills of the players left something to be desired. I spent summers at training camps on university campuses to learn more and improve my skills. By the time I was a teenager, I was trying out for one of the two local teams because that was all that was available at the time. Now, on any given Saturday, you can find tons of American kids and teenagers making long trips and spending lots of time playing football. I talked to one of my best friends back home recently and we discussed how much we were looking forward to this World Cup. For us, this year’s Cup has more significance to us because the guys on the US team are our age. They grew up playing in the environment we did, without too much to go on and trying to make yourself better. The kids who played football back then weren’t the cool kids at school; we were kind of odd because we played a game no one else really understood, nor wanted to understand.
Every four years, many Americans packed into bars to watch our team let the nation down or be cheated by the Germans in 2002 and they validated the thinking that basketball, American football, and baseball are the only sports worth caring about in the US and to some extent, they had a valid point. It’s hard to continually vouch for a sport and a team that is only good at failing. I know for many, the Confederations Cup wasn’t that big of a deal but for many Americans, it was. It started out in the usual fashion, the American team being outclassed by the likes of Italy and Brazil. It seemed the Cup was over for us before it even started but then the Italians were man handled by Brazil and we put on a resurgent show against Egypt, good enough to put us through to the semi-finals to take on world number one Spain. I’ve heard many excuses about how the Confederations Cup means nothing, and that’s fine, but you can’t deny that Spain fielded its best starting eleven and we beat them. For many people, it was a wake up call back home. Finally, the American football team is worth watching. A few days later we lost the final to Brazil in a heartbreaker, but the first half showed more promise than we’ve ever seen.
So for me, this game with England can bring some validation to a country that is still written off by many as not being a worthy football opponent. I can’t argue with that logic, our track record is terrible, especially in big competitions. But now we have a team full of players who have grown up playing football and most of them have careers in Europe, some on some really good teams. So how can I not be excited about this year’s World Cup and a game against England? This is our chance to prove to the world that we can play, and we can beat big teams. For me, England is a good team but it’s a team full of many egos and personalities. I believe Capello has done a good job at trying to create some cohesion and a sense of togetherness and if he has succeeded, we will have a very tough road to beating them. I’ll wrap up this entry with one final thought. One of my English friends tells me all the time that the English media loves when the national team fails and to that I say, keep up the good work to all the English media outlets.
- El Guiri
Every four years, many Americans packed into bars to watch our team let the nation down or be cheated by the Germans in 2002 and they validated the thinking that basketball, American football, and baseball are the only sports worth caring about in the US and to some extent, they had a valid point. It’s hard to continually vouch for a sport and a team that is only good at failing. I know for many, the Confederations Cup wasn’t that big of a deal but for many Americans, it was. It started out in the usual fashion, the American team being outclassed by the likes of Italy and Brazil. It seemed the Cup was over for us before it even started but then the Italians were man handled by Brazil and we put on a resurgent show against Egypt, good enough to put us through to the semi-finals to take on world number one Spain. I’ve heard many excuses about how the Confederations Cup means nothing, and that’s fine, but you can’t deny that Spain fielded its best starting eleven and we beat them. For many people, it was a wake up call back home. Finally, the American football team is worth watching. A few days later we lost the final to Brazil in a heartbreaker, but the first half showed more promise than we’ve ever seen.
So for me, this game with England can bring some validation to a country that is still written off by many as not being a worthy football opponent. I can’t argue with that logic, our track record is terrible, especially in big competitions. But now we have a team full of players who have grown up playing football and most of them have careers in Europe, some on some really good teams. So how can I not be excited about this year’s World Cup and a game against England? This is our chance to prove to the world that we can play, and we can beat big teams. For me, England is a good team but it’s a team full of many egos and personalities. I believe Capello has done a good job at trying to create some cohesion and a sense of togetherness and if he has succeeded, we will have a very tough road to beating them. I’ll wrap up this entry with one final thought. One of my English friends tells me all the time that the English media loves when the national team fails and to that I say, keep up the good work to all the English media outlets.
- El Guiri
World Cup Excitation
The 2010 South Africa World Cup is almost upon us and as a fan of football for many years, I can say that I am truly excited about the possibilities of this years competition. The field of 32 teams is ready and there are some exciting match ups coming our way. Briefly, here are some of the match ups I’m excited about: Brazil vs. Portugal. These two have some great talent are poised to make some noise at this years competition. The Brazilians under Dunga have gone with a more defensive minded option, which to many Brazilians is just unacceptable but he gets results and in the end, that is all that matters. For the Portuguese, they will ride in on the back on Ronaldo and they are surely hoping he won’t repeat the results he got in Madrid his first year.
Another interesting match for me is Italy vs. Paraguay. This may seem odd, but to me Italy have everything to prove. Lippi has finally admitted the obvious, that his side is just old, and in a tournament full of young talent, Lippi might not have any other choice other than to use some of his younger and faster players who lack some of the experience of the older guys. Then, there is Paraguay, a team that almost dominated the CONMEBOL region. To dominate the region of the world that has Argentina and Brazil is an impressive feat. They accomplished this because they have cohesion within the team. This is one of the few teams that isn’t lined with superstars and the lack of egos and large personalities really allows Martino to build a sense of a team.
The other match I’m most excited about though has to be my native country, USA, against England. Now that is something to get excited about. Again, like the Brazil/Portugal match, you have old world fellas taking on a country they once founded. While the English and the Americans have many things in common, their histories in football have a stark contrast. In England, football is a way of life; one of the first things you find out about a person upon meeting them is which team they support (only if this isn’t obvious by a hat, a scarf, or a jersey they might be wearing already). In the USA, football is a game played with a ball similar to a rugby ball and the season lasts four months and makes tons of money. Although, to our credit, we are following the world’s game better these days and there are more and more kids growing up playing football (soccer in this sense).
- El Guiri
Another interesting match for me is Italy vs. Paraguay. This may seem odd, but to me Italy have everything to prove. Lippi has finally admitted the obvious, that his side is just old, and in a tournament full of young talent, Lippi might not have any other choice other than to use some of his younger and faster players who lack some of the experience of the older guys. Then, there is Paraguay, a team that almost dominated the CONMEBOL region. To dominate the region of the world that has Argentina and Brazil is an impressive feat. They accomplished this because they have cohesion within the team. This is one of the few teams that isn’t lined with superstars and the lack of egos and large personalities really allows Martino to build a sense of a team.
The other match I’m most excited about though has to be my native country, USA, against England. Now that is something to get excited about. Again, like the Brazil/Portugal match, you have old world fellas taking on a country they once founded. While the English and the Americans have many things in common, their histories in football have a stark contrast. In England, football is a way of life; one of the first things you find out about a person upon meeting them is which team they support (only if this isn’t obvious by a hat, a scarf, or a jersey they might be wearing already). In the USA, football is a game played with a ball similar to a rugby ball and the season lasts four months and makes tons of money. Although, to our credit, we are following the world’s game better these days and there are more and more kids growing up playing football (soccer in this sense).
- El Guiri
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