WORLD CUP FINAL: THE NETHERLANDS 0 SPAIN 1 (after extra time)
In the end, after more than two hours of mainly turgid football, I was thankful that we were spared the spectacle of yet another World Cup Final decided by penalty kicks. At least, in principle, the Cup was won by a team that desired to play football instead of a team who was content to play ugly as long as they won.
Did the Dutch play to their strengths (i.e. defensive negativity?) or were they so desperate for success that they deluded themselves into thinking they had to abandon the traditions of their “total football” masters in order to achieve?
One could certainly argue that ironically, this Spanish team built on the foundations of an incredible Barcelona side whose raison d’être for the “beautiful game” was established by possibly the finest total footballer of them all – the legendary Johan Cruyff, was more “Dutch” than the Dutch. (NB. Before Cryuff’s arrival as manager in 1988, Barca was – on their day – one of the dirtiest teams around.)
Therefore, by winning the World Cup in the classic Dutch style, Spain has actually done more justice to the Dutch teams of 1974 and 1978, than the current Netherlands side! “Justice” is very much the operative word for this final, as it would have been a grave injustice, if this dirty, cynical and negative Dutch team had been allowed to sneak through this final via penalties.
In the final analysis, Heitinga’s dismissal was the culmination of the Dutch game plan and they paid the ultimate price when Andres Iniesta found the resultant space to rifle in the winning goal. Even though the match was not much fun to watch, at least we got the right result. But it could so easily have gone according to the Dutch game plan, had Arjen Robben been more clinical in the two gild-edged chances he has given. Instead Spanish skipper Casillas stood his ground.
P.S. In a World Cup campaign that saw yours truly get most predictions wrong, I am at least proud to state that at the very beginning of the tournament, I did forecast a Spanish victory. Check out the evidence here. Despite their first game shock defeat at the hands of the Swiss, the Spaniards picked themselves up and applied themselves to the task. This is a team of winners – with at least seven Barca players (who have now won EVERYTHING!) – and they won by playing football. Now, hopefully, this success will be emulated by coaches and teams worldwide…
So congratulations to Spain, the winners of World Cup 2010!
You can tell how old you are by the number of World Cup Finals you’ve watched. Well… tonight’s final between the Netherlands and Spain will be my TENTH! World Cup Finals have not been fun affairs overall but it’s something you can’t ignore. The worst finals I can remember would have to be 1990, 1994 and 2006, all pretty recently you might say. The last times I watched the Netherlands in the finals, they lost both, of course, against West Germany (1974) and Argentina (1978).
Spain has never been in the World Cup Finals and seems to be overwhelming favorites tonight. Personally, I don’t understand why. If nothing else, the Netherlands has shown itself to be winners, above all. Forget about possession and flair, the Dutch know how to win and they’ve made a habit of doing so. Spain has only scored seven goals en route to the final and five of them came from David Villa. It’s not difficult to see how Dutch tactics will shape up. Denying service to Villa will be crucial and the less said about Torres, the better.
Whilst Spanish supporters will point to the skills of their central midfielders – Xavi, Iniesta and Xavi Alonso – to turn the game, in Van Bommel and De Jong, the Dutch possesses two destroyers in the classic Italian mold and instead of just one player, the Dutch have at least four to look to for goals viz. Sniejder, Robben, Van Persie and Kuyt. Yes I know the latter two have not really lit up the World Cup so far but something tells me that someone like Van Perise or Kuyt will scoring the winning goal.
In addition, Robben, Sneijder, Van Bommel, Van Brockhurst, Van Der Vaart, Kuyt have the advantage of playing (either alongside or against) many of the Spanish players and that might be the telling edge in the final analysis. Yes folks, I’ve thought about this carefully, as much as I would love Spain to win it for all the right footballing reason, my head most definitely favors the Netherlands…
But to be absolutely certain, I intend to get my cat, Bobo, to choose between two identical food trays later and determine who will win football biggest prize tonight. Will keep you all posted of the result.
It took the Spaniards six games but finally they played the perfect football match. The approach is so basic – keep possession and your opponent cannot score. Highly disciplined and patient, Spain eventually wore out Germany’s resolve and Barca skipper Carlos Puyol rose majestically in the 73rd minute to bury the winner past the despairing form of Neuer.
Germany who had proven devastating counter-attackers against England and Argentina, were never given time and space to launch offenses of their own and spent the majority of the game chasing shadows as Spain threatened to pass them to death.
Whilst it is true that due to Germany’s resolute rearguard action, Spain carved out precious few chances, in the end, one was all they needed. Once the initiative had been passed to Germany, they found the Spanish defence similarly uncharitable and not enough time to reverse positions effectively.
Thoroughly deserved victory for the Spain as they march on to their first World Cup final ever. Spain will no doubt be the favorites against the Dutch but seeing how the Dutch have edged all their games so far without being at all convincing, I have a feeling that the Netherlands will win their first ever World Cup come July 11. Yes folks, my heart says Spain, but the head says Holland…
The scoreline may suggest that this was some kind of epic thriller. In truth, it was more like a game of chess as both these teams put great stock on dour, uncompromising defence and one or two flair players to make the difference.
In the end, that difference was Arjen Robben’s uncharacteristic header, mere minutes after Wesley Sneijder had put the Dutch into a 2-1 lead. No, boys and girls, this was no classic but it was an enjoyable match to watch nonetheless.
I believe both sides have seriously over-achieved in this competition. Uruguay only qualified via a playoff against Costa Rica and nobody (probably not even their most ardent fans) expected them to be in the last 4. So this defeat is no disgrace as they pushed the Dutch to the very end.
Although the Dutch topped their European qualification group with ease, most observers expected the Dutch to implode internally (as in previous competitions) and get knocked out by the quarter-finals. However, this Dutch side seems to have learned from the mistakes of its predecessors and are now in the final itself.
However, to be brutally honest, this bunch of Dutch players especially Robben and of course Robin Van Persie, tend to play act and con the referee too many times. And how Mark Van Bommel has managed to avoid receiving a red card so far is beyond me. Van Bommel is probably the most vicious sly hatchet man out there now.
So congrats to the Netherlands for reaching their third World Cup Final, which will be their sternest test as they will face the formidable might of either Germany or Spain (yes, another all-European final). An intriguing prospect.
It was billed as the German youngsters against the Argentinean powerhouse but at the end, efficient Germany made Argentina look like lost boys. The secret of the German success? Playing simple football i.e. off-the-ball running, passing the ball to the player in space, safety first defending and so on. The reason for Argentina’s massive failure? No teamwork. Pure and simple. How many times did we see Argentinean players taking on the massed German defence on their own? Every time the Germans attacked, they seemed to have acres of space and frightening pace whilst Argentina were at sixes and sevens. The scoreline does not flatter the Germans at all, I must confess, and certainly on this display, the Germans are odds on favorites to beat Spain and reach their 8th World Cup final.
Speaking of Spain, they were rather fortunate to advance against a feisty Paraguayan team who gave it everything. Certainly if Cardozo had converted his penalty it would have been a deserved lead for his country. Sadly, for Paraguay it was not to be. Despite earning a reprieve from Xabi Alonso’s missed penalty, Spain’s David Villa provided the killer blow late in the game, his shot hitting both posts before going in! On this display, the Spanish will find it hard to contain the Germans, if the Germans deny the Spanish time and space to play their passing game, the Spanish might be vulnerable to Germans incisive counter attacks.
So on to the second semi-final, a rematch of the 2008 Euro final, Germany v Spain.
Last season, when Spurs hosted Chelsea at White Hart Lane, Chelsea was gunning for the title, Spurs for 4th place. Back in 1975, it was a completely different story as survival in the top flight was then the top priority of both teams. Yes boys and girls, a relegation six-pointer between Spurs and Chelsea! Check out the video below for the final result.
The Netherlands 2 Brazil 1 | Uruguay 1 Ghana 1 (Uruguay wins 4-2 on pens)
You may recall that I once wrote that I hated the World Cup. Last night’s games again emphasized why. Many pundits have described the current Brazilian side as almost European in approach and style. However, in last night’s quarter-final against the Netherlands, the sloppy defending that used to be the achilles’ heels of previous Brazilian teams returned to undo their World Cup ambitions.
After a first half of scintillating football that left the Dutch shaking in their boots, the Brazilians seemed out of sorts in the second as the Dutch team regrouped and began to regain crucial possession in Brazil’s half. Then in 15 suicidal minutes, Holland turned the game on its proverbial head. First, from a speculative floating cross from Wesley Sneijder, Brazilian Felipe Melo contrived to ignore a call from his keeper, Julio Cesar, to score an unlikely goal for the Dutch. Their confidence renewed, the Dutch then produced a simple set piece play – Dirk Kuyt flicking on Arjen Robben’s corner for Sneijder – one of the smallest men on the pitch – to nod home. Five minutes, Melo inexplicably stamped on Robben, received his marching orders and Brazil’s World Cup hopes were extinguished.
Effectively, the Dutch team that I once loved for its attacking flair has been replaced by Italy! Workmanlike, defensive and deadly at set pieces and counter-attacks. Perhaps after the 1st half Brazil believed that they had one foot in the semis and lost concentration. By the time they woke up, they were 2-1 down and a man light. Basically, too little too late.
As for Ghana-Uruguay, I warned that Ghana’s poor form in front of goal would be their undoing but even I could not predict how painfully true that would be for the African team. With the score tied at 1-1, and time running out on extra time, Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez stops a Ghana goal with his hands and is dismissed. Gyen is given the opportunity to score a golden goal that would send his team into the semis and make history. Of course, Gyen hits the crossbar and it’s the dreaded penalty kick shootout, which Ghana loses 4-2. Sick!
There’s been talk describing Suarez as a cheat. Nonsense. Yes, he handled the ball but he was punished – sent off and penalty awarded. It’s not Suarez’s fault that Gyen missed the penalty that would have eliminated Uruguay – that was not in Suarez’s control. As unfair as this all seems, cheating would be the Henry handball incident where he celebrates the “goal” as if nothing untoward happened, thereby gaining an unfair advantage by his illegal actions. Suarez is not a cheat.
And so, Brazil is surprisingly out but congrats to Holland for getting revenge for 1994 and 1998, I guess. For Uruguay, they rode their luck certainly and Ghana (and the African nations will need to learn from their mistakes).
Holland v Uruguay semi-final – did anyone predict this match-up at the beginning of the competition? But there you go…
World Cup 2010 ends on 11th July. It has been a mixed bag so far with as many thrilling moments as somnolent ones. The Round of 16 has by and large been enthralling affairs and mostly entertaining. Can we expect more from the quarter-finals as the stakes get higher and higher? Here are my thoughts on the matches coming up today and tomorrow.
Brazil v The Netherlands
Now, this will be almost too close to call. One thing is for sure, this will not be a classic. It will be a tight affair with Brazil edging it, by penalties.
Uruguay v Ghana
The South Americans have the edge as they are stronger in all departments. Whilst Ghana’s defence has been solid thus far, their attack is rather weak – having only scored only 4 goals so far, 2 from penalties. As much as I like to see an African nation in the semis, I have a feeling that the Uruguayans will sneak through by the odd goal, possibly after extra time.
Germany v Argentina
The best quarter-final tie in prospect. Although the Argentineans are probably marginally favorites, their vulnerability at the back may play right into the German’s hands, as England discovered. That said, if Argentina get an early goal, we could be in for a cracker. Argentina by the odd goal.
Paraguay v Spain
So it’s three South American teams for the semis and Spain. Seriously, I cannot see Paraguay causing an upset here. Could be by two or three goals even.
And so, Roy Hodgson has been confirmed as the new Liverpool boss. What does this mean for Liverpool Football Club? I mean, what has Hodgson achieved with Fulham that has convinced Liverpool that he is the right man to replace Rafa Benitez? I guess, working on a limited budget, he brought Fulham into Europe where they lost the Europa League Final to Athletico Madrid. Oh, and Fulham also finished comfortably in mid-table.
Is this what you want, Liverpool fans? I would have thought that what you wanted was a manager who could make Liverpool serious title challengers once more? Or is 7th place now the new standard?
I am not a Liverpool fan but I feel this appointment will be the beginning of the end for Liverpool’s tenure as a top club in England. The fact that Hodgson has been used to working on lesser resources is probably his biggest appeal to the cash-strapped Merseyside club. And does anyone believe that the likes of Torres, Gerrard and Mascherano will stay on for Roy Hodgson and a season without Champions League football? Highly unlikely.
Some may argue that the parallels between Harry Redknapp’s appointment at Spurs (and subsequent success) may have motivated the Liverpool board but if Liverpool’s hope is to emulate Spurs, then boy are Liverpool in trouble! Talk about aiming low! I’ve been following English football long enough to understand what Liverpool Football Club means to its fans and this blatant lack of ambition is not going to go down well, especially when the aforementioned superstars are no longer around and the results start going south.
Remember Roy Hodgson’s time at Blackburn? Hodgson was sacked barely two seasons into his job and Blackburn were relegated not long after… does that scenario frighten you Liverpool fans?
Of course, time will tell but it will not easy when the new season kicks off next month.
Paraguay 0 Japan 0 (Paraguay win 5-3 on pens) | Spain 1 Portugal 0
Well, it has reached the stage when one error might cost your nation progress in the World Cup. This was certainly true for the final two Round of 16 games last night. Paraguay and Japan cancelled each other out and could not be separated after 120 minutes of committed football. So instead, the dreaded penalty shootout did the job and sadly for Japan’s Komano, his miss was the deciding one and Paraguay are in the quarter-finals for the first time in their history. I hate penalty kick shootouts, it is probably one of the least satisfying ways to win a match but in the absence of anything better, it is a necessary evil. *Sigh*
On to the all-Iberian clash and once again, one mistake was all it took. This time, Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz replaced Almeida (who had been a serious threat to the Spanish centre backs the entire game up to that point) with the rather flaccid Danny! At the same time, Llorante was brought in for the anonymous Torres for the Spanish and the match was turned on its head. Suddenly, Portugal’s offense was blunted but (more crucially), Llorante (from unfancied Atletico Bilbao) unsettled the Portuguese defence (especially Carvalho) and inexplicably, Spanish dangerman Villa was allowed to ghost in to net his 4th goal of the competition, at the second attempt! Even with half an hour left, it did not look like the Portuguese had any ideas to bring the game back on level terms, especially with Ronaldo particularly out of touch.
In the end, Spain deserved to edge it – coach Del Bosque’s decisive action in replacing Torres (coupled with the aforementioned Queiroz’s tactical error) swung the game their way. However, I must say that I was disgusted with the cheating tricks played by Spain’s left back Capdevilla as his constant simulation resulted in Portugal’s Costa receiving an unmerited red card. Not the kind of antics anyone wants to see in this World Cup (remember Kaka’s sending off?).
Congrats to Spain and Paraguay for making it to the Quarter-Finals!
Looks like another promising World Cup clash between the Netherlands and Brazil is in store. Whereas in previous World Cups, both countries have been known for their free flowing football and perhaps defensive naivety, things are very different in 2010. Nowadays both teams can boast an attitude of steel that saw them ease past their opponents in the Round of 16, keeping their attacking prowess in reserve till the opportune time.
In the first game, the 2-1 scoreline flattered Slovakia somewhat as for most of the match, the Slovakians looked bereft of ideas on how to break down the Dutch rearguard. As it is, the early goal by Arjen Robben (see above) meant that the Dutch did not have to chase the game and relied on an (unnatural) defensive posture. With Slovakians committing men forward it was inevitable that one of the sporadic Dutch breaks would be exploited and true enough, Wesley Sneijder put the Slovakians out of their misery in the 84th minute. Vittak’s injury time penalty was almost an afterthought and the final whistle blew once he netted.
Over at Ellis Park, the mighty Brazil gave an efficient all-round performance to dispatch the Chileans comfortably. It was a solid and professional display from the Brazilians, who are ominously (for their future opponents) coming into good form at the right time. The Chileans tried their best to get back in the game after Juan’s towering headed goal from a corner in the 34th minute but were sucker-punched mere minutes later by the combination of Robinho, Kaka and Fabiano with the latter finishing with aplomb (see above). It was hard to imagine Chile coming back from that blow and indeed they found the Brazilian defense resolute (marshaled brilliantly by skipper Lucio) in the second period. By the time Robinho made it three (after great individual work by Ramires) on the hour mark, the contest was over.
Together with the Argentina-Germany clash, the Netherlands-Brazil encounter will be one of the highlights of an interesting quarter-final round.
They say that justice is blind. Well, based on last night’s games, so are World Cup linesmen! Right. Before I embark on my little rant, let me preface it by stating categorically that Germany deserved to win – probably not by 3 goals – but they had enough skill, class, pace and guile to outfox the clueless England defensive “system” to get the result. England were poor and the lion’s share of the blame must fall on Fabio Capello. But I’ll come to that later.
Now both of last night’s games were “infected” by crucial decisions by linesmen. In England’s case, the wiping off of a legitimate goal by Frank Lampard when the score was 2-1 to the Germans. For the Mexicans, Carlos Tevez quite clearly headed into the goal from an offside position but the “goal” was allowed to stand by the incompetent officials. Score? 0-0.
Now, remember that moment in Back to the Future, where Marty McFly inadvertently caused his parents not to get together and how that resulted in his fading away from existence itself? Well, its all cause and effect, innit? Had Lampard’s effort been recognized, England would have pulled back a two-goal deficit – very much against the run of play – and they would have been flying. Who knows? They might have scored a third before half time and the Germans would have had to chase the game. As it was, England had to do so in the second half and when caught on the break, the flaws of Gareth Barry, John Terry, Glenn Johnson and Matthew Upson were easily exploited.
Even the German hero Muller admitted that the disallowed goal was a turning point - ”Of course, we had some luck with Lampard’s effort,” he reflected. “We knew we had to seize the opportunity with both hands. We got the stroke of luck and we knew we couldn’t give it away.” Naturally, he also added that he felt that it was justice for the 1966 World Cup Final – where a dubious Geoff Hurst goal was given, despite German protests that the ball had never crossed the line, and England won 4-2.
Does that mean England deserved to win or force the game to penalty kicks? Probably not – but it would have been closer in the second half than how it ultimately turned out. Some may argue that the injustice should have spurred England to fight tooth and nail to reclaim what was rightfully theirs. Sadly, with players off-color especially Wayne Rooney (who has looked burned out in the tournament) and Capello’s strange insistence on relying on the lumbering Heskey than the in-form Crouch upfront, that was not likely to happen.
So yet another World Cup where England exit, tails between their legs. Fabio Capello has to go and perhaps Roy Hodgson installed to bring back some pride and respect to this pathetic England team. There is too much obvious player power in the England setup with the likes of Lampard and Rooney undroppable no matter how badly they were playing. And will people now acknowledge that John Terry is not a world class defender? Don’t get me started on Jamie Carragher or Matthew Upson, either please. England need to wipe the slate clean and begin afresh for the Euro qualifiers.
But at least England did not surround and harass/abuse the officials when their goal was disallowed. The Mexicans were not quite so gracious about the offside “goal” that Tevez scored. Again, Mexico probably deserved to lose but questions will be raised – what if? By the time Mexico recovered to pull one back (scored by the impressive Man Utd recruit Javier Hernandez), they were 3 goals down. A mere consolation really. Mexico were obviously rattled by the decision and a horrendous defensive error allowed Higuain in for his 4th goal of the competition before Tevez blasted a beauty of a cracker into the top corner of Mexico’s goal to effectively finish off the tie.
FIFA and the officials must be pleased as punch that prima facie the WRONG decisions were NOT crucial in the final analysis because I am certain that FIFA will continue to ignore claims for video technology and remain in the dark ages. Hopefully, there are no more such further incidents in the upcoming games as it really does leave a bad taste in a football fan’s mouth.
Argentina v Germany in the quarter-finals, a mouth watering prospect!
Welcome to the knockout stage of the World Cup 2010, where anything can happen but quite usually cagey, defensive tactics and penalty kick shootouts, if history is any gauge. And I feared the worst, when the Koreans blundered defensively to give Ajax striker Suarez an open goal opportunity in the 7th minute which he did not spurn. From then on, for some reason, the Uruguayans decided to close up shop and wait for the final whistle! Yes, I know winning is important but we Singaporeans paid expensive cable fees to entertained, dammit! Kudos to Koreans who made a game of it and a long hour later, three Uruguayan defenders went up to head the same ball and inadvertently set up Bolton’s Lee Chung-Yong to nod past an onrushing Muslera.
Game on for the last 20 minutes and maybe extra time? It was looking good. Unfortunately for Korea, their defensive frailties came to the fore again, although to be fair, no goalkeeper on the planet would have saved Suarez’s brilliant swerving shot which propelled Uruguay into the quarter-finals. Korea could (and should) have equalized through Lee Dong-Gook in the closing minutes but it was not to be and Uruguay are through.
USA 1 GHANA 2 (aet)
The Americans have been the comeback kings of the tournament and to their immense credit they pulled back the remaining African nation to 1-1, after sustained pressure in the 2nd half through Landon Donovan’s 62nd minute penalty. Kevin Prince Boating had given the Black Stars an early lead in the 5th minute from range and Ghana had been in control of most of the 1st half. But the Americans fought back hard and were certainly the better team when the referee signaled for extra time. Sadly, for USA they could not complete the comeback, due to a moment of individual brilliance from Gyan, fending off two American defenders before slamming the ball past a helpless Tim Howard. This time there was no reply from USA and so Ghana is now (deservedly) only the third African nation to ever make it to the quarter-finals, with a good chance of being the first ever in the semis.
Not a great night for World Cup football as security of qualification took precedence over the playing of “beautiful game”. This malady even afflicted Brazil, as the Samba Boys played it safe against former colonial masters, Portugal, in a bad-tempered scrappy game. The scoreless draw ensured passage to the next round whilst North Korea and Ivory Coast were sent packing.
Over in Group H, the excitement of two attacking minded teams viz Spain and Chile made for an intriguing encounter till the last ten minutes when both teams were aware that the Swiss were being held scoreless by Honduras. That final result pushed both Spain and Chile into the knockout stage, whilst the Swiss must be wondering what went wrong after starting so well against the Spanish.
That’s it, group stages down and dusted and so begins the nerve-rattling knockout phase where proficiency in penalty shootouts becomes of prime importance. With France and Italy eliminated, and with Brazil and Spain topping their respective groups, the Brazil-Spain final is very much on. All remains to be seen…
Group F: Slovakia 3 Italy 2 | Paraguay 0 New Zealand 0
How did BOTH finalists from the 2006 World Cup end up bottom of their respective groups? For France, it was internal strife that did them in and for the Italians, the failure to replace aging players proved too much in the final analysis. Famously noted to be slow starters in the past, the Italians could not deliver when crunch time came and the unfancied Slovakians pierced the vaunted Italian rearguard three times to record a memorable victory. Italy, like France, will not be missed and that says a lot for the new World Cup order.
Over in Group E, Japan impressed against the Danes, scoring two superb free kick goals (from Honda and Endo) and proved that Asian teams are on the rise indeed. Although held in Africa, it is the African teams who have disappointed in the World Cup as only Ghana has made it through to the next round. Cameroon could not even get a consolation point from the Dutch and their toothlessness in front out of goal came back to bite them again.
After a tentative start, World Cup 2010 is now promising to be one of the most exciting of recent memory. Hopefully, the knockout phase brings more thrills and spills for football fans.
As a England fan, I was relieved that England managed to scrape 1-0 past a starkly inferior Slovenian side but even as the full-time whistle blew, over in the USA-Algeria game, Landon Donovan scored a late injury time to put the Americans in pole position in the group and consign the English to a second round encounter with the winner of Group D. Which as turns out is Germany, who defeated the Ghanaians rather fortuitously, it must be said. A mouth-watering prospect when one considers the great England-Germany World Cup matches of the past.
As a Spurs fan, I was pleased that it was Jermain Defoe who was England’s hero on the day, hopefully (for Defoe) erasing the terrible injustice of being left out of the 2006 squad due to the inclusion of the 16 year old Theo Walcott. Notably it was from a pin point cross delivered by James Milner in the true English style. England probably deserved to increase the scoreline with Rooney and Gerrard going close but Defoe’s goal proved decisive.
I must applaud the fighting spirit of the Americans once again, as they rescued their World Cup dreams, seconds away from elimination. The USA team never gave up and got their reward in the dying seconds of the game. The Ghana-USA match up will also be intriguing.
As for the Aussies and the Serbians, although they are out of the World Cup, both teams did their country proud and ultimately went down fighting (unlike say, the spoilt French brats – certainly the worst team in the competition.At least the Algerians played with pride, ironic when you realize the bulk of the Algerians are French-born!)
Group A: France 1 South Africa 2 | Uruguay 1 Mexico 0
Group B: Greece 0 Argentina 2 | Nigeria 2 South Korea 2
Drama! The final matches in Groups A & B decided the four teams who would progress into the round of 16 and the four others who would be left behind. In Group A, South Africa’s sentimental defeat of the hapless France would turn out to be a hollow victory as an inferior goal difference denied them second place in the group. That said, the French collapse in this competition is nothing short of scandalous with team spirit in tatters. The rather disgraceful sight of outgoing French coach Raymond Domenech refusing to shake the hand of his South African counterpart Carlos Alberto Parreira at the final whistle, merely confirmed the depths that the French team had plumbed.
Personally, I would argue that this end result is justice for Henry’s handball against the Irish and for the political games the French players decided to engage in with Domenech. For a country blessed with such talented players, it is criminal that they chose to act like prima donnas, disgracing their fans, country and flag with juvenile behavior. Whereas, the hosts South Africans played with heart and verve to at least go down fighting in front of their own passionate fans. So I got my predictions totally wrong about this group as Uruguay and Mexico go through.
As for Group B, despite fielding a weakened side, Diego Maradona’s Argentina still dominated proceedings although the Greeks were happy to concede possession, as they usually do, hoping to score from a counter attacking break. It may have taken a longer time, but finally the Argentineans broke down the Greek resistance and earned a deserved 2-0 win which confirmed their 100% record so far. I must say that I truly dislike teams like Greece who have no qualms about playing negative anti-football but was well pleased that their destructive tactics bore no fruit. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
I’m sure all Asia (bar North Korea) rejoiced at South Korea’s qualification for the next round. The South Koreans clearly are too defensively naive to survive beyond the second round and if not for some astonishing misses from the Nigerian strikers (especially Yakubu!), would have been taking the early flight back to Seoul. That said, both teams’ gung ho style made for enthralling viewing, including unintentionally humorous moments starring those comedic Nigerian forwards. So 1 out of 2 predictions right here with South Korea surprising the more fancied Greeks and Nigerians.
It took almost more than a week but World Cup 2010 finally featured three cracking ties that had goals and action that thrilled neutrals and diehards alike.
After Portugal’s toothless performance against the Ivory Coast and North Korean’s gallant display against Brazil, the utter trouncing that the Portuguese inflicted on the North Koreans was certainly surprising but only the North Koreans would be disappointed by the final scoreline. The Portuguese gave a dazzling display on how attacking midfielders should support the lone striker as their flowing one-touching passing and clinical finishing got their just reward. Even Ronaldo – who has a poor scoring record at international level – finally opened his account. Portugal is virtually through unless Ivory Coast scores a hatful against the North Koreans and Portugal gets thrashed by Brazil in the last games. Highly unlikely.
Over in Group H, Chile earned a deserved three points against a disgruntled 10-men Swiss team, the latter holding out till the 75th minute. At that point, the game exploded into life as the Swiss had to chase the game, leaving gaps for the attack-minded Chileans to exploit. Unfortunately, once the Chileans found those gaps, they seemed to run out of ideas and missed a shocking number of opportunities to make the match safe in the closing stages. Meanwhile, pre-tournament favorites Spain were made to work hard to register their first win of the competition by a dogged Honduras. David Villa’s individual brilliance (for the first goal) and fortuitous deflection (for the second) was about enough to see Spain through. However, the Spanish coach Del Bosque would not be pleased with the sheer of chances thrown away by his side, including a poorly taken penalty kick by Villa. Group H is still up for grabs amongst the four teams with Chile firm favorites to qualify and a race between Spain and Switzerland to join Chile in the next round.
Group F: Paraguay 2 Slovakia 0 | Italy 1 New Zealand 1
Group G: Brazil 3 Ivory Coast 1
With all the shock results coming at us quick and fast, it’s at least comforting to know that Brazil is still… Brazil. On a day where reigning champions Italy failed to beat New Zealand (and might had lost if Chris Wood’s late effort was more accurate), the Samba Boys gave the (dirty) Ivory Coast players a lesson in control, flair and finishing power as they dominated in every department and looked the part of tournament favorites. Luis Fabiano looks a tasty forward and I would not be too troubled if the rumors of Spurs’ interest in him are true. However, at the end, Keita’s simulation to get Kaka red-carded left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. I for one, hope Sven’s cheaters stay with us for only one more game.
Elsewhere, Paraguay’s comfortable win over Slovakia signaled their intent to progress as far as possible in the competition, whilst the day before, the Dane’s counter-attacking prowess proved too much for the toothless Cameroon as the latter became the first country to bow out, and an African one to boot. Pity for Assou-Ekotto and Bassong.
Just when you thought that the World Cup was on track to provide thrills and spills galore, along comes England to bore the living daylights out of you. Before the English game against Algeria, both Serbia and Slovenia provided sheer ectasy for the fans of the underdog as they over-achieved.
The Germans were never quite able to match the heights of the Aussie encounter and Serbia’s negative tactics paid off handsomely when in a matter of minutes German striker Klose was harshly sent off and Jovanovic gave them a shock lead. After that, it seemed that the Germans did their best not to get back in the game, as Podolski missed a host of chances, including a penalty to hand the Serb an unlikely victory. Not only that but once coach Loew brought off Oezil – German’s best player – the defeat was assured. Strange decision for sure.
In the meantime, the Slovenians made light of their underdog status – taking a well deserved two goal half time lead against the shell shocked Americans. However, to the credit of the USA team, they fought back bravely after the break and in fact should have won the game if the referee had allowed that last gasp “winner”. Game on still for both sides…
Before the World Cup, England players bigged up their chances to actually win the tournament. Now all that cocky bravado looks like a bad joke. Against a vastly inferior Algerian side, England once again lacked ideas and were unconvincing. Even Wayne Rooney looked a pale shadow of himself as the English players huffed and puffed to no avail. The confidence built up over a highly successful qualifying campaign has all but disappeared. England must now beat the improving Slovenians in the final match to stay in the competition and based on the performances so far, that is by no means a certainty.
Sven Goran Eriksson’s much maligned tenure as England coach will need to be re-assessed if England are forced to take the early flight back home soon.
CHEATERS NEVER PROSPER or WHEN IRISH EYES ARE SMILING
GROUP B: Argentina 4 South Korea 1 | Greece 2 Nigeria 1
GROUP A: Mexico 2 France 0
Well well well. The World Cup has truly now sparked to life! Football fans who felt strongly that France cheated their way to these Finals will no doubt be pleased by the French reversal at the hands (pardon the pun) of the lively Mexicans. All jesting aside, the France simply got what they deserved (not because of Henry’s handball against the Irish) but for a tepid, lifeless display. Mexico was the more adventurous team for the majority of the game and perhaps it was no surprise when Man Utd recruit Javier Hernandez beat France’s offside trap to finally put Mexico ahead. By the time, Blanco secured the win from the penalty spot in the 79th minute, France was already a well beaten side. With Uruguay and Mexico only needing a point in their final fixture together, the writing is on the wall for France and South Africa. How FIFA polices this should be intriguing.
Over in Group B, Argentina virtually secured qualification with an emphatic 4-1 victory over the South Koreans with the first hattrick of the Finals from Real Madrid striker Gonzala Higuain and Greece made history with their first goals and win in the World Cup Finals against the unfortunate Nigerians, a match marked by major goalkeeping blunders on both sides. With qualification at stake, both games were entertaining and more in tune with what these players are capable of. With the second qualifying spot available to Greece, South Korea and Nigeria, the last round of matches in this group should be exciting.
Let’s hope the goals and excitement keep coming in the days ahead!
Spain’s infamous World Cup jinx arrived a little earlier this year as the unfancied Swiss shocked the pre-tournament favourites by that dreaded of all scorelines. But the longer the game went on, the more Spain passed the ball around, the more predictable the outcome was going to be. Starting without Torres, Spain opted for only one man on top – the diminutive Villa – and played right into the tactical plan of the Swiss. Once again, the harsh lesson about football is that you cannot win if you do not score. Yes, there was something shambolic about the Spanish defending BUT the Swiss did put the ball in the net and that’s all that counts.
It’s not the end of the world for Spain of course. They should be too strong for the inferior Honduras and the Chileans will probably give them more space than the Swiss. However, should Spain end up as runners-up only then they run the risk of facing Brazil in the Round of 16. Still loads to play for but certainly, this result has shaken things up somewhat.
The second round of the group stage got underway with Uruguay comprehensively beating the host nation. With games running out fast, the teams had to go for the win and that attitude was evident in an open match, with Diego Forlan’s first half long-range deflected goal setting the tone. Sadly, for South Africa, their players are just not good enough. By the 80th minute, it was effectively over. Goalkeeper Khune adjudged to have fouled Sanchez (resulting in Khune’s dismissal) and Forlan converting the penalty with aplomb. I was rather amused at how reluctant the referee seemed as he was sending off Khune. The final goal (by Pereira) flattered Uruguay somewhat but it made no real difference to the final outcome.
Will South Africa be the first host nation ever not to qualify from the group stages? Will Spain still be able to top Group H? Will Switzerland be the new Greece? All intriguing questions that make for interesing World Cup viewing in the days ahead.
Group H: Ivory Coast 0 Portugal 0 | Brazil 2 North Korea 1
The final matches in the first round of the group stage run its course today. Thus far, the three Asian nations (Australia does not count!) have done the continent proud. After South Korea and Japan have registered opening game victories, it was the turn of the North Koreans to impress against the Samba Boys and they definitely ran the #1 ranked side close in the end. In the previous two World Cups, Brazil had beaten China 4-0 and Japan 4-1 but this time, Brazil took 55 minutes to breach the North Korean defence and with a bizarre goal as well as Maicon’s cross-shot beat keeper Myong-Guk Ri at his near post. With 18 minutes remaining, Robinho put Elano through with a superb pass which the latter finished clinically. Never allowing their spirits to wane, the North Koreans got their just reward with a brilliant goal by Yun-Nam Ji in the dying minutes. Well done, North Korea, you have done Asia proud!
In the battle of the minnows, New Zealand scored their first goal (and earned their first point) in the World Cup with Reid’s last gasp equalizer cancelling out Vittek’s opener for Slovakia. Historic occassion for both sides but this will probably be the most joy they will experience in this World Cup as tougher opponents in Italy and Paraguay loom large on the horizon. And… the less said about the Ivory Coast-Portugal scoreless bore, the better…
Still trying to figure out why, after five days, the World Cup matches tend to be erm “boring”? Well, “boring” may be a little bit too harsh but those expecting free flowing exciting football may be a bit disappointed with what has transpired thus far. Maybe its our expectations as fans that may not be entirely realistic. Let me explain…
No coach wants to begin the competition with a defeat as the pressure on the two remaining games may become intolerable. So whilst a victory would be prized, avoiding defeat is paramount. Which explains much of what we’ve seen in the opening games. When teams do attack, the midfielders seldom support in numbers and thus, defences are rarely threatened. The risk that coaches face is a devastating counter-attack should any offensive move break down. Perhaps that is why only the Germans have impressed so far as they have truly committed midfielders to attack when the right moment arose.
That is why these matches have been by and large cagey affairs and most of the deciding goals have been caused by blatant defensive errors. Last night’s games were no different. Holland’s opener against Denmark was a bizarre own goal, Japan’s winner courtesy of a mix-up amongst Cameroonian defenders and Italy’s equalizer against Paraguay, yet another goalkeeping howler.
What struck me last night – Japan’s first away win in World Cup Finals a tremendous boost for Asian football, Italy’s opening draw by now a cliche, Holland don’t look like contenders and Cameroon – as Africa’s top-rated team never quite got going.
So… will games get better (i.e. more entertaining) in the second round and beyond? Time will tell…
Football is a simple game. Accurate passing is of major importance but without movement off the ball, that is virtually impossible. Most of the opening games of World Cup 2010, have seen static players being a hindrance to any accurate passing and thus possession seldom translates to goal opportunities and the result if often the boring spectacle of two teams canceling each other out.
Such was the case with the Algeria-Slovenia and Ghana-Serbia encounters, with the eventual wins only achieved due to a goalkeeping error (in the case of Slovenia) and poor defensive decision making (in the case of Ghana). Blame has been laid on the new ball for the inferior play evident thus far but I think that’s totally exaggerated.
That theory has been comprehensively discredited by the performance of the Germans against the Aussies. In a pulsating first half, the German team never kept still, making intelligent movement to bewilder the Aussies, finding space and thus, delivering pin-point passes resulting in numerous chances and two goals, finished with aplomb by Podolsky and Klose. To their credit, the Aussies fought hard early in the second period but the game was effectively over due to the poor refereeing decision to send off Australia’s Tim Cahill. I really believe that Cahill was completely innocent and the Mexican official got it wrong. The Everton midfield had every right to be aggrieved.
With the man advantage, Germany’s superior movement and passing tore the Aussie defence asunder and the final score of 4-0 flattered the Aussies somewhat. And so, the Germans stake their claim to make significant impact on this World Cup. I do realize it’s early days yet but based on this performance, Germany have earned the right to be quietly confident of making it into the next round. For Australia, one wonders whether they will pay the ultimate price for having two many aging players and their lack of a proper striker (Cahill was playing as lone striker initially!) may mean an early flight back home.
So full marks to Germany for being the first team in World Cup 2010 to truly entertain us so far. Long may it continue…
Group B: South Korea 2 Greece 0 | Argentina 1 Nigeria 0
For the neutrals, last night’s round of matches was a feast. A focus on attacking football, a tremendous win for South Korea, a spirited performance from Nigeria and a goalkeeping howler from England’s Robert Green were all highlights in an enthralling night of World Cup football.
Earlier on, the South Koreans ignored Greece’s reputation as 2004 European Champions and set about dismantling the vaunted Greek defence with surprising ease. Whilst both Korean goals came from Greek defensive lapses, the manner in which Lee Jung-soo and Park Ji-sung finished their opportunities, was top class. Greece has never scored (let alone won a game) in the World Cup Finals and on this showing, might very well leave South Africa empty handed yet again. For the Koreans, this victory places them in a good position, needing one more win out of the next two games to secure an unlikely qualification to the next round.
On paper, Argentina have the players capable of winning the World Cup, no doubt about that. A look at the strikers in their squad will easily confirm that. And with Heinze scoring early from a corner, it looked as if Argentina would overrun Nigeria. That did not happen as the Nigerians came back strongly and but for poor finishing, might have got something out of this game. Argentina tried their best to extend their lead but a combination of poor finishing and excellent goalkeeping from Enyeama kept the score down. At the end, the Argentineans had done enough to put three points on the board. As powerful as they are as an offensive force, the Argentineans defensive flaws may come back to haunt them against stronger teams. How coach Diego Maradona deals with that in the upcoming games will determine their progress in this tournament.
Group C: England 1 USA 1
Finally, England – despite an outstanding start with Gerrard’s early goal – was less than convincing and allowed the USA to gain a point, thanks largely to Green’s shocking error. Like France the previous night, the English huffed and puffed to no great effect. Once again, chances were made but both Heskey and Rooney spurned them. With Ledley King coming off injured at half-time, coach Fabio Capello paired John Terry with Jamie Carragher – possibly the slowest central defensive pairing at the World Cup – and were almost caught out for pace by notably inferior players like Altidore and Findley. A huge disappointment for the England camp and another indication that any expectations of England actually winning the World Cup is a notion far removed from reality.
What is significant is that the world game has become a more level playing field as traditionally “weaker” teams like South Korea, Nigeria and USA were able to hold their own against the European/South American powerhouses, in this case two former World Cup champions and one former European champion. And that is certainly good news for football fans everywhere. Whether this shift can be sustained into the knockout stages remains to be seen.
What have we learned from the opening round of games in World Cup 2010? That despite the presence of two previous World Cup winners, Group A appears to be one of the weakest groups. A mere two goals from these two games does not bode well for the teams in Group A.
Of the two games, the encounter between the hosts and Mexico was marginally more entertaining as both teams displayed attacking intentions but betrayed defensive naivety. South African Siphiwe Tshabalala’s stunner was the tournament’s opening goal, and you could not ask for a better one certainly. Sadly, due to an individual error by skipper Aaron Mokoena (from English club Portsmouth), Rafael Marquez (from Spanish club Barcelona) was played onside to equalise. Still, the hosts demonstrated enough determination and skill to suggest that they might make it out of the group stages.
Mexico’s chances will depend mainly on whether they can muster a victory against Uruguay. Despite a poor showing from the Uruguayans (including a sending off), they still managed a scoreless draw against the lacklustre French. The French dominated proceedings but displayed a paucity of ideas and even when they did create the odd chance, the finishing was pathetic. Top players like Anelka, Ribery, Gourcuff, Malouda, Henry and Diaby were left huffing and puffing ineffectually and if not for Diego Forlan’s miss halfway through the 2nd half, Uruguay might even have nicked an undeserved victory.
Certainly, France has to get their act together as their vaunted players need to make the right decisions on the pitch and sort out their difference off it. Surely, the French have too much class not to qualify for the next round but if they continue to play like they did last night, they might be going home sooner than later.
Yes, your guess is probably as good as mine at this stage. But even as World Cup 2010 kicks off tonight (10pm GMT +8) when hosts South Africa take on Mexico, I want to offer my own biased predictions as to how it will all end up. Don’t bet on them, though!
Group A: 1. France 2. South Africa
Group B: 1. Argentina 2. Nigeria
Group C: 1. England 2. USA
Group D: 1. Germany 2. Ghana
Group E: 1. Holland 2. Cameroon
Group F: 1. Italy 2. Paraguay
Group G: 1. Brazil 2. Ivory Coast
Group H: 1. Spain 2. Chile
Round of 16
France v Nigeria (Nigeria), England v Ghana (England), Holland v Paraguay (Holland), Brazil v Chile (Brazil), Germany v USA (Germany), Argentina v South Africa (Argentina), Italy v Cameroon (Cameroon), Spain v Ivory Coast (Spain)
Quarter-Finals
Nigeria v England (England), Holland v Brazil (Brazil), Germany v Argentina (Argentina), Cameroon v Spain (Spain)
Semi-Finals
England v Brazil (Brazil), Argentina v Spain (Spain)
Final
Brazil v Spain (Spain)
There you have it, Spain to win World Cup 2010. Of course, they could very well be put out in the Round of 16 so who knows? And will England get as far as semi-finals? Well, sentimental choice. I am assuming also that the African teams will do better in this World Cup than ever before and for the other traditionally weaker teams to go home early. It’s a bit of a fanciful predication I know. So what’s yours?
… and so it begins. 32 countries fighting it out for the top prize in football, the FIFA World Cup, without doubt the most watched sporting event on the planet. Is it the best football tournament in the world? Arugably not, as that distinction probably belongs to the UEFA Champions League but that will hardly matter in the next month or so.
Hosted by South Africa, this World Cup is also the first World Cup held on the African continent, which is significant in itself, of course. The big question is what type of World Cup will we get? One filled with free flowing football or one burdened with negative anti-football. Considering the players on show, I hope for the former but unfortunately, as far as the various coaches are concerned, the fear of failure may allow negativity to sneak in to spoil the party.
I mean, how can you quibble with a competition that can boast top players like Messi, Ronaldo, Rooney, Torres, Kaka, Ribery, Drogba, Robben, Tevez, Villa, Anelka, Milito, Fabiano, Forlan and so on? However, after a long gruelling season with their respective clubs, will they be able to perform at their peak in the next couple of weeks? We shall see…
What is particularly exciting is that on paper there are quite a few countries who should impress and do well. Spain, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina, Holland, France, Ivory Coast, Portugal, Ghana and even England should be worth taking a look at. And the host nation South Africa will naturally be inspired by playing in front of their fellow countrymen or be dragged down by the weight of expectation but certainly their cup exploits will be entertaining.
So check back with the Power of Pop where we will be covering the World Cup 2010 with previews, match reports and all the nonsense in between.
Finally, the Italians overcame four consecutive World Cups of hurt (losing out on penalties and then to a golden goal against South Korea) to clinch the trophy they barely deserved. This time, lucky Italy triumphed on penalties against another undeserving team, the cheating French.
Sad to say, there were too many incidents that highlighted to me the terrible injustices this competition can sometimes produce. From Wayne Rooney’s sending off (provoked by his Man Utd team mate Ronaldo, no less!) to Italy’s dubious last gasp penalty against the gallant Aussies, from Thierry Henry’s simulation against Spain (that resulted in a goal from the free kick) to Zidane’s moment of madness in the Final, this was a World Cup memorable for all the wrong reasons.
As usual, a team in the group stages caught the imagination of the neutral – this time it was Argentina. Against Serbia-Montenegro, the Argentines were irresistible.
Sadly, Argentina was caught out again by the ultra-efficient Germans (host nation), who (yes you’ve guessed it) edged the ties on penalties.
So for only the second time ever in World Cup history, the final was decided on penalties and Italy, who had struggled to beat Australia in the round of 16, found themselves winners for the fourth time. Ah but that’s the World Cup for you!
Finally! A World Cup in Asia! Which simply meant, matches at “earthly” hours.
Co-hosts South Korea provided the biggest shocks, beating Spain and Italy on the way to the semi-finals. Sure there were dubious refereeing decisions that assisted them along the way but the whole of Asia enjoyed it anyway. Japan did enough to get into the round of 16 but could not overcome the Turks, who also overachieved to reach the semis.
Holders France flopped magnificiently, losing to Senegal in the opening game and failing to qualify from the group stage. Similarly European powers England, Spain and Italy fell along the wayside whilst the underrated Germany once again reached the World Cup Final (with three 1-0 wins in the knockout phase). Brazil, smarting from their no-show in the 1990 final, did what was necessary to set up their third consecutive cup final showdown.
Two goals from Ronaldo was sufficient to win Brazil their fifth World Cup as Germany’s luck ran out.
As mentioned above, South Korea provided, for me, the highlight of the tournament when they put out the vaunted Italians. Like the commentator says, you couldn’t write a better script…
After being perennial World Cup bridesmaids, France finally got their hands on the World Cup trophy, in front of their own countrymen, no less. Ironic perhaps that despite being filled to the brim with talented players, the ultimate victory was workmanlike, with precious little flair. What I will say, is that the French team played with heart and soul and in the end that was just about enough.
Their opponents in that final – Brazil – looked like formidable opponents with the red-hot Ronaldo (the other one) in fine form. But inexplicably, Ronaldo and the entire Brazilian team never showed up and the French romped to a curious 3-0 victory.
Before all that there were other memorable moments thankfully.
Michael Owen’s goal against Argentina and Beckham’s silly sending-off.
Hosting the 1994 World Cup in a country where “football” meant men in shoulder pads throwing pigskin ball seemed like a crazy idea. But contrary to expectations, the 1994 World Cup set record attendances and helped to establish the Major League Soccer in the USA.
For me, this World Cup was a bit of a blur as it started a mere 3 days after my youngest son, Jeremy, was born. So… it was a lot of match watching in the wee hours of the morning feeding and changing him. Heh!
In any case, I don’t think I missed much as once again the World Cup was a bit of a disappointment. Surprise team this time round was Bulgaria. The Bulgarians (led by Hristo Stoichkov) shocked holders West Germany in the quarter-finals, before losing to Italy in the semi-finals.
This was Brazil’s World Cup with Romario and Bebeto leading the charge as the Samba boys just about managed to out-score the opposition. If you think the 1990 World Cup final was poor, well this edition ran it close as Brazil and Italy played out a scoreless draw after extra time with the final being decided on penalties. Sadly for Italy, Roberto Baggio ballooned his spot kick and handed the trophy to Brazil!
I’m not going to bother posting a video of that non-final so instead I’ll treat you to two moments that I do remember from that finals.
First up is Saudi Arabia’s Saeed Al Qwairan doing his best Maradona impression against Belgium.
Second is the man himself, Diego Maradona’s excellent goal (and that celebration) against Greece, before being expelled from the competition for drug abuse! What a player!!
The enduring image of World Cup 1990 – held in Italy – was the sight of England midfielder Paul Gacoigne crying his eyes out when his team lost to West Germany in the semi-finals on penalties. Gazza – and striker Gary Lineker – had been inspirational in England’s run to the World Cup semi-finals but sadly for him and for football, World Cup 1990 would be another triumph of anti-football.
Too harsh and too cynical for comfort? Of course, there were the surprise teams like Cameroon (who shocked holders Argentina in the opening match) but overall, it was the anti-football dished out by ultimate finalists Argentina and West Germany that left a bad taste in the mouth. Generally considered as the worst modern-day World Cup competition (though I’ll argue 1994 came close), it was also the lowest-scoring with many ties determined by penalty kicks.
Hosts Italy carried the hopes of this football crazy nation and fell at the semi-final stage (also on penalties) to a negative Argentinean side led by an increasingly cynical Diego Maradona. The final itself was terrible, notable perhaps for the sending off of Pedro Monzon and Gus Dezotti, the first in a World Cup final. There was only one goal in the game, yes you guessed it, a dubious penalty converted by Andreas Brehme. Many are convinced that the horrendous World Cup resulted in the new back pass rule which was implemented before the next World Cup in 1994.
Mexico became the first country to host the World Cup twice in 1986 (they first did it in 1970, a mere 16 years apart). A little astounding when you think that previous winners like Brazil (1950) and England (1966) continue to have to wait to host the competition for a second time.
Anyways, watching this World Cup on TV was pretty tough on Singaporeans as the games were televised at 2am and 6am respectively! Sleeping optional!!
As far as this World Cup was concerned, one player dominated for good and bad reasons. Diego Maradona. The Argentine captain single-handedly (see below) won the World Cup for his country.
In the quarter-final matchup with England (not long after the Falkland hostilities), the Argentines took the lead when Maradona somehow inexplicably was allowed to punch the ball over the onrushing Peter Shilton and into the goal. Despite the English protests, the goal stood and then Maradona did this.
Probably one of the greatest goals ever scored. But these two incidents summed up Maradona perfectly. The cheating genius, you might say. And it also summed up the tournament as Maradona proved irresistible in the semi-final for Argentina to line up against perennial finalists West Germany in the grand final.
The final itself was a cracker of a game. Argentina taking a 2-0 lead before comeback kings West Germany drew level and then with 7 minutes of the game remaining, a Maradona through ball set Jorge Burruchaga free for the winner. Of course, I supported West Germany (because of the Hand of God incident) and once again, banked on the loser!!! As with most purists, I hoped for England, Denmark and France to make an impact and whilst they certainly did, ultimately fell by the wayside.
A familiar trend was emerging… would it be any different in 1990?
1982 was a good year as I completed my full-time National Service in June. At the very same time, the World Cup in Spain was in progress. By this time, the live TV coverage was improving and we got to watch most of the important matches and for FREE! (Singtel and Starhub, please take note!)
I still remember most vividly watching England’s opening game against France. Bryan Robson scored twice in an emphatic 3-1 victory. This World Cup was remarkable as three British nations qualified – England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with the Irish providing the biggest shock, beating the hosts 1-0!
Back then, (and since 1982), FIFA had instituted a second round group stage instead of a knockout phase. This of course resulted (at times) in negative tactics, with draws the primary objective. As is usual in World Cups, the “best footballing” team would be eliminated by an “anti-football” side. This time, it was eventual winners Italy. Brazil, with Zico, Socrates and Falcao, was the neutral’s favourites and needed only a draw against Italy to secure a deserved semi-final place. Unfortunately, despite almost total domination, Brazil’s shoddy defending were caught out of the Azzuri’s counter-attacking and lost 2-3 to a famous Paolo Rossi hattrick.
With Poland, Italy, West Germany and France in the last four, it was left to the exciting French team (with Michel Platini in peak form) to capture the imagination of the neutrals. Naturally they lost to West Germany on penalties (of course)! To be honest, by the time the final came along, I was pretty jaded as I felt that both finalists were anti-football sides and the game would be dull. However, faced with the technical Germans, the Italians decided to up the ante somewhat and ran out 3-1 winners.
Little did I know that it was the beginning of the end and every subsequent World Cup would provide disappointment galores for my favoured teams…
All things considered, Rafa Benitez’s exit from Liverpool was not too surprising. With the club being put up for sale, the current owners had to put things in order to attract potential buyers.What is surprising is how fast Benitez has fallen from grace. In his six seasons at Liverpool, Benitez brought the club to two Champions League finals, winning one, captured the FA Cup and finished 2nd in 2008-2009, 4 points adrift of Man Utd.
The manner in which Liverpool had gone from that achievement to 7th place (only securing a Europa League spot due to Portsmouth’s ineligibility) has been shocking. In hindsight, failing to keep Xavi Alonso, not having competent backups for Fernando Torres or Steven Gerrard, the stubborn refusal to play the likes of Aquilani, Benayoun and Babel was Benitez’s undoing. Benitez departs Liverpool with £6 million compensation package and no shortage of job opportunities on the horizon (Champions League winners Inter Milan appears likely future employer).
But will this decision create more problems than it solves? Without Champions League football next season, the futures of Torres, Gerrard and Mascherano with Liverpool are in doubt. Also, with a severely limited transfer kitty (the payment to Benitez would not have helped), Liverpool will not be in a position to challenge the top five financially and the chances of a quick return to Champions League football will be lessened.
Thus, much will depend on who Liverpool will appoint to succeed Benitez. So far the likes of Roy Hodgson, Martin O’Neill and even Kenny Dalglish have been proposed and if this is the scope of Liverpool’s search then fans are going to be in for a rough ride. Fact is neither Hodgson or O’Neill have ever brought an English club to Champions League qualification and Dalglish is a total non-starter. In my view, the appointment of Hodgson or O’Neill would be a stepdown from Benitez as both are untested at a “top” English club. Unless, of course, Liverpool’s target in 2010-2011 is to finish in the top six and no higher…
Remember Goal 2010? Some years back, the Football Association of Singapore set 2010 as a target for the national team to qualify for the World Cup Finals. Obviously, the team did not come close but then again none of our South East Asian neighbours did either.
In the absence of Singapore in the World Cup, Singaporeans – being huge fans of English football – have usually supported England. Although with the cosmopolitan make-up of the Premiership nowadays, maybe this allegience has been relatively diluted.
Being of English-Portuguese ancestry (on my late father’s side), I naturally follow the fortunes of the respective national teams. England, the home of football, has only won the game’s top prize once (in 1966) and since then the closest they’ve come is a semi-final defeat to West Germany in 1990.
This year, English fans are hoping will be England’s year. But looking at the players in the England squad and their performances in qualifying matches and in friendlies, the team may be good enough to reach the last 8 but after that it will be a challenge. The problem with England is that many of its top players fail to deliver when the time comes. There are weaknesses and flaws in every department that superior teams will no doubt exploit.
However, as with any other competitive sport, it is teamwork and the winning mentality that will count in the end and that is the responsibility of coach Fabio Capello. On paper, England should ease through the group stage without a hitch against USA, Algeria and Slovenia but England will need to guard against complacency.
I can’t for the life recall much of World Cup 1978, hosted by Argentina, except that I was rooting for the hosts in the final – against the Dutch, who had qualified for their second successive final. I also do not remember watching any of the matches live – except the final of course. As I mentioned earlier, I was supporting Argentina so thoroughly enjoyed the final.
The Dutch, without Johan Cryuff – who had withdrawn from the squad before the finals – in their distinctive bright Orange Adidas jerseys – were strong and the Argentineans had qualified after a controversial 6-0 victory over Peru. However, it was the host nation who drew first blood with a flash of individual brilliance from striker Mario Kempes.
Like four years earlier in Munich, the Dutch fought back in the second period to make up the one-goal deficit and this time they succeeded. Nanniga heading home in the dying minutes of the game. In extra time, Kempes (with another fine solo goal) and Daniel Bertoni made the difference and Argentina became World Champions for the first time in their history.
After the World Cup, two members of that cup winning squad became the first foreign players in the English First Division, when Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa joined Spurs. But that’s another story altogether…
As one football club sited on the English coast drops out of the Premiership, another rises up to take its place. Last night, Blackpool FC (considered by most experts to be relegation candidates from the Championship at the beginning of the 2009-2010 season) defeated Cardiff City to claim the third promotion spot into the Premiership.
By all acounts, it was a thrilling game, with all five goals coming in a frenetic first half. Blackpool had to come from behind twice before snatching the ultimate winning goal on the stroke of half-time. Cardiff tried their best but the closest they got was Michael Chopra hitting the woodwork with a thunderous drive. The Welsh side continued to carve out chances but poor decision making meant that it would be Blackpool making its debut in the top tier of English football in 2010-2011.
But now the hard work begins. Certainly Blackpool has over-achieved this season and one wonders how they can possibly survive next season. After all, their record transfer fee is £500,000, a sum many Prem superstars earn in a month and even with the injection of funds, I reckon their stay will be a short one.
Good or bad?
It might be tempting for Blackpool to pocket the money, invest frugally and live to fight another day when they inevitably do return to the Championship, rather like Burnley, I guess. Or they can go for broke, have a couple of exciting seasons and end up in administration, like Pompey.
Yes, I suppose it seems churlish to write them off a day after they’ve earned promotion but those are the harsh facts, I’m afraid. Even clubs better equipped than Blackpool – like Newcastle, West Brom, West Ham, Wolves, Wigan & even Birmingham – will struggle to stay up.
But that’s something to chew on much later, for now, let Blackpool enjoy the fairy tale while it lasts.
The British press are reporting that Chelsea and Man City are involved in a tussle to obtain the services of Aston Villa’s England international, James Milner. It seems that Man City has increased its bid from £25m to £30m, after Villa rejected the initial bid. And now, Chelsea has joined in the fray. With the financial resources available to both clubs, this bidding war could reach astronomical heights and who knows, Milner may actually move in excess of £35m. If so, that would make Milner more expensive than David Villa, who has just been transferred to Barcalona for £34m!
Which begs the simple question – is James Milner worth such a large fee?
Well, certainly, Milner has played a big role in Villa’s top six finishes in the last two seasons and has recently broken into the England team but is he as influential a player as say, David Villa? Judging from the video highlights below, Milner is definitely a skillful player and an asset to any squad but for £35m? That seems unrealistic and another case of the money clubs distorting the transfer market completely.
Objectively, if I were Milner, I’d choose Chelsea of course, for Champions League football and for the fact that Chelsea’s squad is more settled than the transitional state of affairs at Man City. That said, it’ll probably boil down to the wages and in that department Man City may be willing to offer more than Chelsea. But if the sale goes through, what does it mean for Villa’s own ambitions? Surely Champions League qualification in 2010-2011 must be a priority and losing Milner would be a great blow. And although the Villa war chest would be enlarged, the message sent would be that Villa continue to be a selling club and is mot serious about major honours.
That last comment would reflect bascially on Villa’s own billionaire owner, Randy Lerner and how much he is willing to compete with the wealthy owners of Chelsea and Man City. Whatever the outcome, this early transfer saga will set the tone for the close season transfer market ahead, especially in shop window-sorry, World Cup year.
It’s going to be an interesting couple of months leading into 2010-2011 season.
The first World Cup Final I’d ever watched live was the 1974 final between hosts West Germany and Holland. It was also a historic Singaporean event as it was the first-ever live telecast and colour broadcast! My late father had actually bought a Telefunken TV especially for the occasion. I’d only starting seriously following football in 1973 and had become a fan of Tottenham Hotspur after their League Cup triumph.
The final itself began with a bang! With its first attack in the first minute of the match, Holland captain Johan Cryuff was brought down in the penalty box and English referee Jack Taylor bravely pointed to the spot! Dutch striker Johan Neeskens converted with aplomb and the Dutch were ahead.
I’m not sure why but I was supporting West Germany and this was a terrible blow so early in the match. It could be that in the previous year, in our Faber Hills estate football team, I’d adopted the persona of West German striker Jupp Heynckes and thus became a West Germany fan. Irony was that Heynckes did not play in that ’74 final.
Anyhow, the West Germans fought back and by halftime had reversed the scoreline with goals from Paul Brietner (another penalty) and Gerd Muller. I remember the second half seemed like an eternity as Holland committed themselves to attacking the West Germans and I guess you could say the West German’s stout defensive performance – led by the legendary Franz Beckenbauer – saw them through in the end.
Looking back in hindsight, Holland probably deserved to be World Champions as they were the best team of the tournament, their brand of “total football” winning over the fans and critics alike. However, as is usually the case in World Cup football, the pragmatic approach and Teutonic discipline of the West Germans were victorious over Dutch flair.
Check out highlights of the final below.
Yes, folks, I will continue my reminiscences of the previous World Cups in the days to come.. not a pretty sight, I wager, but someone has to do it. Comments, please…
I guess that after the exertions and subsequent achievement of the mid-week victory against Man City, it is not too surprising that Spurs wilted in the second half against already relegated Burnley at Turf Moor. Especially when it was clear that Arsenal would not be surrendering to a weakened Fulham side focusing on an upcoming cup final.
Still, for many Spurs fans, this was a side of their team that they hope they will not see in 2010/2011 when Spurs began their Champions League adventure. At the end of the day, notwithstanding losing a two goal lead, there is little significance to be attached to this unlikely defeat.
Job done. Now the real work begins. Definitely the squad needs to be suitably strengthened so that we do not repeat the mistakes Everton made in their disastrous foray into the Champions League in 2005. Congratulations to Harry Redknapp, the backroom staff and the players for a wildly successful season, which exceeded ALL expectations. An achievement to be built on!
My first World Cup experience was in 1974 – the Final between West Germany and Holland – the historic maiden colour broadcast in Singapore. I was rooting for the Germans and celebrated wildly when Gerd Muller scored what proved to be the winner in the first half. Years later, I would learn that it was a victory of steel over flair, of pragmatism over creativity, which would set the tone for most of the World Cups to come.
Since then, I’ve watched eight World Cups and apart from Argentina’s win in 1978, have not enjoyed a single World Cup final since then. Sure, the preliminary/group stages usually get you excited about one team’s pure attacking play e.g. France in 1982, Denmark in 1986, Cameroon in 1990, Argentina in 1994, Croatia in 1998, Holland in 2002 and Argentina again in 2006. What’s the common thread here? None of these teams won the tournament. Why?
Mainly because, by and large, these teams were naive and tried to play football instead of defending for 120 minutes and hoping to nick the game in penalties. The number of times I’ve seen cynicism triumph over flair is too many to contemplate.
And what about England? As someone with English ancestry, it’s expected that I support the “motherland” but that always ends in tears through some on-field silliness and of course, naivety and missed penalties, as usual. Does Fabio Capello really believe that this year will be different? I would love to proven wrong, Fabio!
So I greeted the news of the FIFA-Starhub-Singtel conspiracy to over-charge us for an event that is FREE in many countries with a little ambivalence. Just don’t watch this stupid, pointless competition – might actually relieve me from a month of frustration.
So to the kind folk of FIFA, Starhub and Singtel, thank you for making the decision to forsake World Cup 2010 that much easier.
Long-suffering Spurs fans have waited a long time for this night – when Spurs finally achieved 4th place in the Premier League and qualification to the Champions League. Manager Harry Redknapp sent out an ambitious team with two wingers in fit-again Aaron Lennon and in-form Gareth Bale and enforcer Wilson Palacios left on the bench. An attacking line-up considering that Spurs only needed a draw at Eastlands to further their Champions League cause.
As expected, City came out of the traps running, dominating a first half that still had Peter Crouch hit the post and a valid Ledley King effort ruled out. Much credit to Michael Dawson, King and Gomes for keeping City out during a half that City edged. The beginning of the second period was alarming for Spurs fans as possession was conceded too often by the Spurs midfield and attack.
But slowly but surely the Spurs midfield began to assert their influence on the game as chances galore were made for Jermain Defoe and Crouch, which were thwarted either by poor finishing or ex-Spurs goalkeeper Marton Fulop. As the match wore on, Spurs’ confidence grew and in the 82th minute, right back Younes Kaboul crossed the ball from the byeline, which was deflected off a City defender and Crouch finished clinically off Fulop’s tentative push out. Unbelievably, Spurs were ahead and heading for 4th spot!
City heads visibly dropped and some City fans even left the stadium whilst Spurs held out for a priceless and historic victory. At the final whistle, Spurs players, management and fans partied the night away in celebration of a magic moment. Considering the massive disappointment of that FA Cup semi-final defeat mere weeks ago, Spurs have come back to beat Arsenal, Chelsea and now Man City to secure their place amongst the elite. A tremendous achievement.
The way things stand, Spurs may even finish 3rd if Arsenal loses to Fulham and Spurs beat Burnley on the final day of the season! Stranger things have happened this term!
I don’t know how much more of this I can take! Spurs made it hard going yesterday but the important thing is the three points, which keeps Spurs a point ahead in 4th place. Sure, it would have been nice if Man City had drawn or lost but that does not matter – Champions League qualification is still in our own hands.
Bolton made it difficult for Spurs with a professional display and it took a thunderous shot from Tom Huddlestone to secure this precious win in Spurs’ final home game of the season. With all the Spurs strikers seriously misfiring in the last couple of games, it’s been the midfielders and defenders who have stepped up to the plate with the goals.
And so, it’s virtually do or die against Man City on Wednesday… all I can say is COME ON YOU SPURS!!!!
With two weeks left to the end of the season, we know that Portsmouth, Burnley and Hull City will be relegated from the Premiership. Other than that, the key questions remain answered. At the very top, Chelsea are one point ahead of Man Utd, with two games left to play, and the title is firmly in their own hands.
In the battle for the precious 4th place and Champions League qualification, four clubs remain in the running separated by a mere 3 points. Aston Villa and Liverpool have played a game more than Spurs and Man City, who play each other in that extra game on 5th May. The permutations are endless as to which of these 4 clubs will clinch that 4th place but Spurs are in the driving seat – win their last 3 games and they will be 4th.
Apart from the Spurs-City match-up, City will have to play Villa and Liverpool will have to play Chelsea, which will favour Spurs’ chances, provided they can obtain maximum points from Bolton (home) and Burnley (away). Again, on paper, pretty straightforward but considering Spurs’ defeats already against Wolves (home and away) and Stoke (home), certainly nothing can be taken for granted.
Spurs fans need only to cast their minds back to that fateful day in May 2006, when Spurs were denied 4th by West Ham and an unfortunate virus, to realize that the fates can be indeed cruel when it comes to Spurs. In that, there is an uncanny similarity with the run-ins of 2005-2005 and this season. First, Spurs play Bolton at home (1-0 win in 2006), then play their biggest rival for 4th spot Man City (back in 2006, it was Arsenal and a 1-1 draw) and finally, Burnley away (a team wearing claret and blue – Hammers in 2006).
Definitely, the next two weeks will be nail-biting times for Spurs fans and nothing get be taken for granted. Seriously, this is Spurs’ best chance of breaking into the ellusive top four – win the next three games and none of their rivals will be able to catch them. It’s time for Spurs players to step up to the plate and make history!
After the crushing disappointment of that FA Cup Semi-final result, Spurs have turned their season around with two simply awesome performances against their “superior” London rivals. Ever since the commencement of the Premiership, Chelsea have been the bogey team for Spurs to such an extent that Chelsea fans justifiably dubbed Spurs’ home ground, “three points lane”. Not any more. Since Aaron Lennon’s famous winner in the 2005-2006 season, Spurs have now beaten Chelsea in three out of the last four games at White Hart Lane.
Certainly, yesterday’s performance was the best of the lot so far, despite the numerous injuries, the Spurs team stepped up and looked dangerous with almost every attack and at the back, Michael Dawson and Sebastian Bassong gave the sort of commanding display that explains why Spurs have the best defensive home record in the Premiership.
For some unfathomable reason, Chelsea gave the Spurs players the freedom of the Lane and Spurs took advantage. Gareth Bale – Man of the Match, no contest – gave Paulo Ferreira a torrid time. A sustained spell of pressure culminated in a penalty awarded from John Terry’s handball which Jermain Defoe finished with aplomb.
Finally, Chelsea began to up their game – as if awoken from a stupor – but it was Spurs who increased their lead with a lovely goal from the magnificent Bale. Once again, Ferreira could not handle the lively Bale and the Welshman found Petr Cech wanting at the near post to send the Spurs faithful into dreamland.
From then on, Chelsea never looked like overturning the deficit and their misery was compounded when Terry was sent off for two reckless tackles in four minutes. In truth, Spurs could have had more with Defoe, Pavlyuchenko and Bale missing gild-edged chances. At the death, Frank Lampard scored in the dying minutes of injury time but it was all a dejected, depleted and ultimately defeated Chelsea could muster.
And… with Paul Scholes giving Man Utd a late narrow win over Man City, Spurs are now back in the driving seat for that Champions League spot. Still loads to do, especially with upcoming away games against both Manchester clubs but what a week indeed to be a Tottenham Hotspur fan – it will live long in the memory.
Three days after suffering a humiliating extra-time FA Cup Semi-final defeat at the hands of relegated club Portsmouth, Spurs picked themselves up to register their first league win over the arch enemy in 11 years to put their season back on track and effectively end Arsenal’s title challenge.
Due to injuries and suspension, Harry Redknapp had to make do with a weakened team, opting to give 19 year-old Danny Rose his league debut at right midfield instead of the half-fit David Bentley. Would Redknapp have imagined the impact that Rose would have? Early in the first half, Manuel Almunia punched the ball clear from a cornor and Rose caught it sweetly with his left foot to send the ball screaming past the bewildered keeper and the White Hart Lane crowd into raptures.
For most of that 1st half, Arsenal was the dominant force without seriously troubling the Spurs goal. Spurs players were giving up possession too easily but managed to keep Arsenal at bay with determined defending especially from Ledley King, Michael Dawson and Tom Huddlestone.
Trailing by that wonder goal at half time, it was expected that the Arsenal would start the 2nd period with guns blazing. Instead, the Arsenal defence somehow allowed Gareth Bale to wander unmarked into the penalty area to stroke in Jermain Defoe’s accurate through ball, with Bachary Sagna keeping the Welshman onside. 2-0 and suddenly that elusive league victory appeared to be on the cards for Spurs.
In desperation, Arsene Wenger brought on Robin Van Persie (out with injury since last November) with half an hour left and the Dutch striker had an immediate impact, forcing world class saves from Heurelho Gomes and suddenly Spurs were rattled. Nicholas Bentner forced home a late consolation but that was all Arsenal could muster and Spurs had done it!
The perfect response from the Spurs players to Sunday’s fiasco. Now one point away from Man City with five games left, that race for the Champions League spot is truly hotting up now.
What a fiasco! How did we lose that game when we totally dominated?
Simple – Alan Wiley.
He was a disgrace. Disallowing a perfectly good equaliser by Peter Crouch and then giving a penalty when Wilson Palacios clearly played the ball. Being a Spurs fan is tough enough, without having referees constantly making the wrong decisions that hurt us.
Not much else to say – except that our season is well and truly over now.
What’s the point? I guess Chelsea must be pretty pleased with the “performance” of the two referees over the semi-finals. Sets them up perfectly for a double…disgusting.
We’re at the business end of the season, so to speak. For Spurs, two games in the space of 4 days will certainly define it. On Sunday, 11th April, Harry Redknapp brings his Spurs team to Wembley to contest the FA Cup Semi-Final with his former employers, Portsmouth. Then on Wednesday, 14th April, it’s the fiery North London Derby against Arsenal with pretty much everything to play for.
Two different opponents for Spurs but with similar motivations. For Portsmouth, doomed to relegation and under administration, the FA Cup provides a respite for all their problems and certainly they will have nothing to lose against Spurs, coming in as the outright underdog. This is where Redknapp must warn his players against any false sense of security or complacency. Two weeks ago, Spurs beat Portsmouth at a canter but the cup tie will be another story. Portsmouth have injuries piling up whilst Spurs have players returning – hopefully Corluka, Dawson and Huddlestone will be back to shore up a defence that looked fragile last time out against Sunderland. Then there’s the question of Aaron Lennon, will he be on the bench to play a part in one of the biggest games of the season? One hopes so.
Whatever the result on Sunday, there will be little time for Spurs to recover before facing the Auld Enemy. Spurs’ Premiership record against Arsenal is abysmal, having not beaten Arsenal since 1999 (under ex-Arsenal manager George Graham). Arsenal has only just suffered humiliation at the hands of Barcelona in the Champions League and will be wanting to bounce back from that defeat to continue their challenge for the title. On the personnel front, Arsene Wenger has problems with Fabregas, Arshavin, Gallas and Song missing. I do not place too much stock in that, ultimately, Spurs will have to beat the eleven Arsenal players on the pitch next Wednesday, whoever they are.
Much therefore depends on whether Redknapp is able to select the right teams and provide the relevant motivation for these two massive games. Oh and there’s also the small matter of the Chelsea game on Saturday, 17th April. Exciting days!
After Chelsea’s critical win at Old Trafford and Arsenal’s unconvincing last gasp home victory over struggling Wolves, both clubs – and Man Utd – continue to contest the Premiership title, with the Blues having the slight edge: 2 points ahead of Man Utd and 3 of Arsenal.
With 5 games left, it’s probably the most exciting Premiership race in recent memory – does that indicate that the overall standard of the Premiership has been raised or lowered?
With Chelsea and now Arsenal (after last night’s 1-4 humiliation at the hands of Barcelona) out of the Champions League, and Man Utd needing to overcome a 1-2 deficit against Bayern Munich, there may be no English clubs at the semi-final stage this season. To me, that’s an objective indication that the Premiership (or at least the “top” clubs) are weaker but it does make for a more exciting season for all concerned.
So who’s going to win the title? As it stands now, considering the injury problems faced by Arsenal (Fabregas) and Man Utd (Rooney), Chelsea are favorites. In my opinion, unlike their rivals, Chelsea are less reliant on one or two star performers and work well as a unit whereas Man Utd and Arsenal have tended to struggle in the absence of Rooney and Fabregas respectively.
The next four weeks or so are going to be very interesting. So who do you think is going to win the title?
The battle for fourth place in the Premiership took a turn for the literal at the end of the crucial Man City-Everton midweek clash, when managers Roberto Mancini and David Moyes tussled for the ball on the touchline during injury time.
The incident occurred when Moyes was holding on to the match ball, whilst in the process of making a substitution and somehow Mancini saw RED! Mancini attempted to recover the ball from Moyes which resulted in the two men getting involved in a rather unbecoming pushing and jostling encounter.
What does it all mean? Has Mancini lost the plot after witnessing City’s Champion League qualification hopes severely dented by an unlikely home defeat? Was he reacting to the Everton fans’ taunts – “2-0 and we paid fuck-all!”? Was he reacting personally to Moyes’ accusations against City for wrongdoing in the Joleon Lescott transfer?
Who knows?
Certainly the pressure of securing that elusive fourth place to please his employers (and avoid the sack) must be getting to Mancini. And with reports also that Craig Bellamy made certain comments supporting Moyes in the fracas points to definite unrest at Eastlands.
With eight games left, the race for the title as well as fourth place is really hotting up, which this late in the season is making 2009-2010 one of the most exciting Premiership seasons in a very long time. Long may it continue.
To Wembley for a FA Cup semi-final tie with Portsmouth. Last night’s 6th round replay was the proverbial tale of two halves. For the first, Spurs were atrocious, giving their London rivals too much time and space to create attacks and allowing Fulham to blunt their own offence with sheer defensive numbers. Perhaps it was not surprising that Spurs went into the half time break a goal down. Fashioned by Damien Duff – given the freedom of White Hart Lane – and finished with ease by a bemused Spurs old-boy (one of FIVE in the Fulham line-up) Bobby Zamora.
To the immense credit of Harry Redknapp, he rang the changes at half time, replacing the ineffectual pair of Niko Kranjcar and Benoit Assou-Ekotto with David Bentley and Tom Huddlestone. This meant that Gareth Bale returned to a left-back role and Luka Modric would sit in the left side of midfield.
The impact was almost immediate. Within two minutes of the restart, Bentley swung a delicious free-kick into the Fulham six-yard box which eluded everyone and ended up sweetly in the back of the net. The game was certainly on. On the hour, Bentley delivered another enticing cross from the right, which found an unmarked Roman Pavlyuchenko (a subsititute for the injured Corluka) and the red-hot Russian striker gave Spurs the lead. The comeback was completed minutes later as Eidur Gudjohnson completed a brilliant move, collecting a Modric pass in the penalty box to slot home after rounding Mark Schwarzer.
Redknapp has been criticised for his tactical nous (or lack of) in the past but on this special night, he provedith his half time changes that he had the ability to turn matches around. And with 4th place rivals Aston Villa drawing and Man City losing, the Champions League qualification is totally in Spurs’ hands now.
Since losing to Wolves away in mid-February, Spurs have won 4 Premiership games on the trot and are two matches away from the FA Cup Final. This, despite injuries to many key players including Aaron Lennon, Tom Huddlestone and Jermain Defoe. Yesterday’s victory at Stoke was proof that Spurs’ current position in the top four is well deserved.
The Britannia Stadium is an intimidating place for opposition teams to visit and the Stoke players maintain this pressure on the pitch, with a physical and long ball game. Contrast this performance with last season, when Spurs were reduced to 9 men and suffered an ignominious 1-2 reverse, a result which contributed to Juande Ramos’ sacking as manager.
After a forgettable 1st half with few chances and numerous fouls, Spurs lit up the second half with an early goal through substitute Eider Gudjohnson’s first goal for the club. Showing great strength and composure, Gudjohnson exchanged passes with Peter Crouch before holding off Faye and deftly planting the ball past Thomas Sorensen.
The game seemed to totally swing Spurs way, when Whitehead was sent off for a second bookable offence on Luka Modric. However, as Spurs are wont to do, Assou-Ekotto was adjudged to have pushed Dave Kitson in the box and ex-Spur Matthew Etherington finished the resulting penalty kick with ease.
To the Spurs players’ immense credit, they knuckled down to the task, brushed aside a couple of Stoke near-misses and after brilliant interplay between Gareth Bale, Assou-Ekotto and Gudjohnson (with a dummy), Niko Kranjcar finished off the move with aplomb to hand Spurs three precious points.
With Spurs’ injury list piling up – Pavyluchenko is the latest with groin strain – our squad is stretched to its limit. But with 8 matches to go, Spurs are well placed to contend for that 4th place. With Villa unable to beat Wolves yesterday, we can hope for more dropped points from Liverpool and Man City to complete a good weekend.
I’m sure you’re sick of hearing about the John Terry – Wayne Bridge fiasco/scandal by now. Whilst I believe that this silly matter has little to do with football and more about tabloid soap opera, what it has proven conclusively is that John Terry’s lapse of judgement may ultimately cost Chelsea and England the big prizes this year.
Already, Terry’s perceived betrayal of Bridge certainly motivated Man City sufficiently to shock Chelsea at Stamford Bridge over last weekend. Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy definitely looked like they wanted so badly to beat Chelsea on their own with Tevez even squaring up to Terry during the course of the game. Ridiculous to think that Terry’s indiscretions had done a better job than Roberto Mancini could in geeing up the City players.
And then there’s England… Terry has lost the captaincy and has possibly divided the squad into two camps. How would the City players (like Gareth Barry, Sean Wright-Philips and Micah Richards) be expected to work with Terry carrying such strong feelings? Again, a ridiculous situation ahead of the World Cup and Fabio Capello has his work cut out to resolve this.
There you have it – so much for club and country riding on one man’s inability to do the decent thing. I am not taking any high moral ground here – its simple common sense not to let your personal life interfere with your business or career. Of course, common sense is never that common…
After Man City’s shock win at Chelsea, the pressure was on Spurs to maintain their challenge for a top 4 place, by defeating the in-form Premiership team – Everton. In the first half, Spurs played with such flowing ease that they threatened to put the game beyond Everton. Two goals from back-in-favour striker Roman Pavlyuchenko and Luka Modric gave confident Spurs the perfect platform for victory.
However, of course, this is Spurs we’re talking about and Everton – sometimes with the aid of Spurs’ sloppy passing and defending – came back into the game to reduce the deficit. Suddenly, all of Spurs’ good work in the first half was put under severe threat by Everton’s renewed vigour.
And if it were not for Landon Donovan’s outrageous miss, Everton might have got themselves the result they were looking for. To Spurs’ credit, they dug in and resisted Everton’s attacks to earn themselves a trip back to 4th place.
It was good to see Pavlyuchenko continue his excellent form – scoring his 6th goal in four games – and Modric returning to his pre-injury form. It was significant that in the absence of Peter Crouch there was less reliance on the long, high ball and Spurs kept the ball on the deck and were all the better for that.
Still much to play for in the weeks ahead. It’s a good time as any to be a Spurs fan!
When Roberto Mancini was appointed as manager of Man City, I made the following comments: -
Vaunted foreign coaches like Ramos, Eriksson and Scolari have all found the going tough and have paid for their failures but of course the likes of Wenger and Mourinho have proved themselves to be wildly successful. How will it all turn out for Mancini and Man City? Will Mancini be able to withstand the scrutiny and the pressure? Will his players be able to?
Initially, Mancini appeared to be the man to bring City to the next level as his wealthy employers hoped with four straight wins. But the honeymoon period is well and truly over.
First, Craig Bellamy was reportedly involved in a clash with Mancini over training methods. Then, Carlos Tevez had to go home to Argentina to attend to his prematurely-born daughter. Now, after being knocked out by Stoke City in the FA Cup 5th Round and a poor run of Prem results, Mancini seems to have lost the dressing room and his position looks threatened.
The rumour is that if Man City does not get into the top four at the end of the season, Mancini will be sacked and yet another manager will be brought in. Madness!
The reason why former manager Mark Hughes was removed was that City owners were not confident that Hughes could deliver on the top four target (given Hughes’ own modest managerial record) and thus, Mancini – who has a enviable record in Serie A – was appointed.
So why would Mancini’s employers not give him more than six months and with players of his own choosing to prove himself in the Premiership? Maybe, its because whilst the City owners may be good at making money from oil, THEY HAVE NO F–KING CLUE HOW TO RUN A FOOTBALL CLUB!
Of course, with 12 matches to go and only goal difference currently separating City from 4th spot, Champions League qualification is still possible but with the pressure mounting on Mancini and his players, that achievement may be a bridge too for City this season.
Prior to this result, Spurs had only won one Prem game in 2010 – a dismal record which had many – including their own fans – doubting Spurs’ ability to finish 4th come the end of the season. At the end, it was a rather more comprehensive victory than first imagined, under atrocious pitch conditions. Similar to the hard-fought win at Blackburn, Spurs proved that if willing, they are capable of grinding out a result.
For Wigan, their season has been defined somewhat by that 1-9 drubbing Spurs handed to them at the Lane but any thoughts of revenge were mostly unfulfilled due to a toothless attack which were easily defended by Michael Dawson and Ledley King. In midfield, Wilson Palacios and Tom Huddlestone nullified any creative notions of their Wigan counterparts. But upfront, Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe were finding it hard to make any headway.
That is, until Gareth Bale bombed down the left flank to put across a teasing centre which the seemingly offside Defoe converted easily. And that appeared to be that as Wigan struggled to make any impact on the Spurs goal with Crouch and Defoe denied by good goalkeeping from Chris Kirkland. At roughly the hour mark, Harry Redknapp brought on Roman Pavlyuchenko and Luka Modric for Defoe and Niko Krancjar respectively, and these changes turned the tide completely in Spurs’ favour.
With Modric at the heart of every good Spurs move, Pavlyuchenko made the game safe for Spurs with a smart finish from good work by Modric in the 84th minute and an instinctive poacher’s goal from a set piece in added time. So, are Spurs geniune contenders for a top 4 place? Well, with 11 games to go, Spurs now sit in 4th place (on superior goal difference) albeit having played one game more than Man City and Aston Villa. So, yes, there’s still all to play for. Not to mention the little matter of a FA Cup 5th round replay with Bolton this Wednesday.
No, boyz and grrls, I haven’t suddenly decided to turn the Power of Pop into a money-making site by featuring scantily-clad babes (not yet anyway), the ill-dressed lady pictured above is related to this … dribbling … post. Trust me.
Yes, those of you in the know will be aware that the hot babe above is in fact, pop star Cheryl Cole. Football fans may know her better as Mrs Ashley Cole. Yes, the Ashley Cole who is the latest celebrity sportsman involved in lurid tales of infidelity and another tabloid’s dream come true!
You would be keenly aware that the wives of folks like Tiger Woods, John Terry and Ashley Cole tend to be unnaturally good looking which puts the behaviour of their respective husbands in sharp relief. So isn’t being young, rich and famous enough for this lot that they just have to have every appealing woman that comes into their sights as well? Apparently not.
What does this have to do with football? Well, over at Chelsea, owner Roman Abramovich has reportedly warned his players to behave or else. You can see where he’s coming from. Already the sex scandal has had a negative impact on Terry – losing the England captaincy ahead of the World Cup and losing focus in the recent defeat vs Everton. I guess its just as well that Cole is injured at the moment as Chelsea cannot afford any more slip-ups with Man Utd (with Rooney in searing form) breathing down their necks.
With the crucial run-in in League and Cup looming, clubs need their players to be concentrating on the game and not on unsavory off-field activities and inviting unnecessary press scrutiny. Is the Cole saga the last one for now or is it merely the tip of the iceberg? We never had entertainment like this in the good old days…
For the first 45 minutes of this FA Cup 5th Round tie, Spurs were awful. Even though, arguably, Harry Redknapp selected his best starting eleven, this Spurs team just did not turn up for the first half. Owen Coyle’s Bolton looked like world beaters – or maybe Spurs made them look that way – as they mixed up their style of play with long ball and short passing strategies employed.
With the Spurs defence seemingly distracted by David Bentley not being waved back into play by the referee Phil Dowd, Bolton took the lead through Kevin Davies (yet again!). Spurs were fortunate to go into the break only a goal down as we were simply second best in every department.
However, Spurs improved in the 2nd half and with Spurs Man-of-the-Match Gareth Bale flying down the left flank posed the biggest attacking threat to Bolton. Spurs hit the woodwork twice before finally, one centre came to Jermain Defoe, for once unmarked in the box, and that extra space was all Spurs leading marksman needed to rifle home the equalizer. Well deserved on the balance of play.
Spurs were now in the ascendancy and earned a penalty through Peter Crouch’s clever work. Unfortunately, Jussi Jaaskelainen saved Tom Huddlestone’s poor spot kick and spurned the opportunity to win the tie. It seems that Spurs is determined to make things tough on ourselves as the tie goes to White Hart Lane for the replay.
I guess after that dismal 1st half performance, Spurs fans should be happy to be still in the Cup but objectively, Spurs should have converted that penalty and won the match. Once again, Spurs proved that we lack that crucial winning mentality and unless Harry Redknapp addresses this major problem, we will end up with nothing again come the end of the season.
Frankly, you could see this coming from a mile off. So pissed off by this result that i really didn’t want to write about it. But then i read Paul Smith’s excellent report on the game at his wonderful Spurs Odyssey site (which i totally agree with) and thought i’d just link to it here.
Thanks, Paul.
Hopefully, Paul’s next report will be about a Cup victory at the Reebok.
Yet another home game where Spurs did EVERYTHING but score. Based on this match, neither Villa or Spurs will qualify for Champs League. Villa, for not possessing the ambition to go for the win and Spurs, for not possessing the killer instinct to win. And with Man City’s defeat at Hull, it does appear at this stage that Liverpool has gained the upper hand in that particular race, possessing the ability to grind out the right result without playing well.
Positives? Spurs once again dominate possession over their opponents. Negatives? Not being able to score. For the rest of February, Spurs will play Wolves (away), Wigan (away) and Everton (home), all “winnable” games to continue their assault on the top 4. And… lest we forget, there is also the small matter of the 5th round of the FA Cup, away to Bolton.
Yes, another disappointment for Spurs fans but still much to look forward to for the rest of the season.
I can assure you that at half-time, the Spurs fans were not singing. After dominating much of the first half and taking a deserved lead – scored by Jermain Defoe (after 5 previous gild-edged attempts) and assisted by Man of the Match, David Bentley – Spurs once again contrived to take its foot off the pedal and allowed Leeds to equalize just before the break.
But thanks to a professional second half display, Spurs finally cast aside Leeds’ challenge with Defoe completing his hat-trick, with Bentley providing another fine assist for the second. Overall, the result is nothing less than Spurs deserved for their thoroughly dominant performance.
The main positive point taken away from this game is the continued improvement of Bentley. In the prolonged absence of Aaron Lennon, Bentley has stepped uo to prove even his harshest critics. Bentley was a constant thorn in Leeds’ side with his movement and intelligent passes. It augers well for Spurs’ progress in both league and cup for the rest of the season.
The FA Cup represents the best chance of silverware this season for Spurs, especially with Man Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool all out. Even if the reward for succesfully negotiating this replayed tie is a tricky 5th Round encounter with Bolton at the Reebok Stadium. With the number of injuries and players loaned out, Spurs seem to be down to the bare bones, which is an unhappy situation to be in.
And so, the team effectively picks itself i.e. Gomes, Corluka, Dawson, Bassong, Bale, Bentley, Huddlestone, Palacios, Modric, Crouch and Defoe. Which, on any day, looks good enough to beat anyone. So, I’m sticking my neck out to predict a comfortable Spurs win. I believe that Leeds have ridden their luck somewhat, against Man Utd and us (in the first game) and playing in front of their own fans may turn out to be their undoing, with the pressure on them to get a result.
Says a lot for the closing of the 2010 January transfer window that the biggest news was the move of Robbie Keane from Spurs to Celtic on loan. For many Spurs fans, this is a bittersweet moment. Keane scored more than 100 goals in Spurs colours and spent almost eight years (barring a six month spell at Liverpool) at the club. However, in 2008, Keane alienated Spurs fans when he signed for his “boyhood club” (Keane likes to apply that term to different clubs) Liverpool in a deal worth £20.3 million.
The move was a disaster and Keane returned to Spurs in last year’s January transfer window. Barely a year has passed and Keane is now surplus to Spurs’ requirements. Certainly, since leaving Liverpool, Keane’s form has dipped dramatically and he has recently also lost his starting place to Peter Crouch. And with the loan acquisition of Eidur Gudjohnson, Keane has moved further down the pecking order.
Yes, I do realize that its only a loan move but I also believe that Keane’s days at Spurs are over and the loan will be turned into a permanent transfer in the summer. Many Spurs fans will always remember Keane for his goals, his cartwheeling celebrations and the sheer exhilaration on his face when Spurs won the Carling Cup in 2008. Unfortunately, many Spurs fans will never forget how he jumped ship the moment Liverpool came sniffing around even though he declared his devotion to the club a few mere weeks before.
Personally, I think that Keane should be remembered with fondness and respect. Like many other Spurs fans, I was disappointed when he dumped us for Liverpool but also feel that he has received his just desserts for that betrayal and is now reaping what he has sown. The man is now a pale shadow of his former self and the lesser demands of the SPL will suit him and his “boyhood club” Celtic fine.
The problem being a Spurs fan is that you can never relax until you hear the final whistle. I mean, unless we’re at least 4 goals ahead. Too many times, we have lost two and even three goal leads and end up with nothing. If you’re a Spurs fan, I need not elaborate.
I’m guessing that Spurs fans would have taken a point off Birmingham before the game, considering the good form that Brum has been in of late. One defeat in 13 (at Stamford Bridge, no less) does suggest that Brum manager Alex McLeish is doing something right. However, for three-quarters of yesterday’s match, Spurs was in control, but had nothing to show for it.
The Spurs goal was hardly threatened as the likes of David Bentley and Gareth Bale did their best to create opportunities and apart from a gild-edged chance which Luka Modric, could not get pass the resolute Brum defence. Finally, in the 69th minute, the hard work paid off as Jermain Defoe finished a fine move with assists from Bale and Crouch.
But – and this is the galling part – instead of seizing the initiative to secure the win – Spurs inexplicably took their collective foot off the pedal and defended deeply, handing the impetus over to Brum. This made no sense whatsoever, almost as if the Spurs team had thought that the game was over after scoring. Suddenly, a Brum side that looked utterly toothless became dangerous with each and every attack.
Harry Redknapp brought on Robbie Keane and Jermaine Jenas for Defoe and Bentley respectively. Both contributed little. In fact, the removal of Bentley probably weakened Spurs right flank and in injury time, Jenas and Corluka allowed Ridgewell time and space to score the inevitable equalizer from an unmarked postion from close range – WITHIN THE SIX YARD BOX!!!! You can’t blame Spurs fans for the frustration, Ridgewell’s goal should have never happened but somehow the Spurs team switched off once again.
As I have often observed, this Spurs team lacks a winning mentality and resolve to see a game through. Too many players go missing at the end of games and all the previous hard work is wasted. On our away trips to our closest challengers, we have flattered to deceive – dominating possession but not getting the right result. It’s simply not good enough. With Liverpool, Villa and Everton all winning and Man City having games in hand, 4th place is probably out of our hands and dependant on the other pretenders screwing up as badly as we often do.
So obviously, there are problems which need to be fixed if we are serious about Champions League qualification but is getting Eider Gudjohnson and Younes Kaboul the answer? No. Simply put, with the players (and mentality) we currently have, we may not even qualify for the Europa League.
Since the mid-week victory over Fulham, Spurs have signed Eidur Gudjohnson on loan till the end of the season and also look like signing Younes Kaboul and Asmir Begovic from Portsmouth. The loan deal involving Gudjohnson seems to have sealed the departure of Roman Pavlyuchenko, although the fact that Spurs will attempt to recoup as much of the fee paid to Spartak Moscow for his signature may deter potential suitors.
Ironically, one of those potential suitors is Birmingham City, this Saturday’s opponents! Yes, it’s all a little complicated isn’t it?
Apparently, the acquisition of Gudjohnson is intended to cover the continuing absence of the injured Aaron Lennon, not to hasten the exit of Pavlyuchenko as Gudjohnson would be able to operate in a diamond-shaped midfield. More than anything, this move probably spells the end of Robbie Keane as Keane has been employed in this role whenever a five man midfield was utilized by Harry Redknapp.
The rumoured signings of Kaboul and Begovic make sense as cover for central defence and goalkeeping positions respectively, with the injuries to Woodgate, King and Cudicini but I still cannot fathom the Gudjohnson deal as surely Luke Modric would be able to function in the “hole” (and David Bentley has demonstrated against Fulham that he just may be able to compensate for Lennon’s absence) and at 31, is Gudjohnson still good enough for the Premiership?
In any case, the trip to St. Andrew’s will provide a stern test of Gudjohnson’s qualities should Redknapp choose to employ him. In mid-week, leaders Chelsea emphatically put an end to Birmingham’s unbeaten streak. So best or worst time to face Birmingham?
All of which makes this fixture an intriguing encounter.
Finally, a league win in January! But then, you can usually rely on Fulham yielding all the points at the Lane. So, for once, this match went according to the form book. Spurs welcomed Tom Huddlestone to the central midfield after injury and included David Bentley in light of Aaron Lennon’s continued absence and Niko Kranjcar’s illness.
Apart from the opening 20 minutes, Spurs never really got into top gear. Both goals may be attributed to individual errors on the part of Bjorn Helge Riise. The first, prodded home by Peter Crouch after good work by Modric dispossessing the doddling Riise. The second, the unfortunate Riise changing the flight of Bentley’s free kick beyond Mark Schwarzer.
In truth, Fulham was poor, and never seriously threathened the Spurs goal. All told, a rather routine victory for Spurs, which keeps us in 4th place, for now anyways, until Man City and Aston Villa play their respective games in hand.
One notable statistic though, Gareth Bale, after 23 attempts, finally started in a Spurs team in a league match which ended in a victory! Been a long time coming but I’m glad that Bale can now put that horredous record behind him.
A sterner test awaits on Saturday with the away game against in-form surprise package, Birmingham City.
It has been a disappointing 2010 so far for Spurs. Apart from the 4-0 drubbing of Peterborough in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup, Spurs have struggled to home draws against Hull City and Leeds United, and of course, an Anfield defeat to Liverpool. So you can understand my trepidation at the thought of Fulham at the Lane tonight.
Fulham are 12 points behind Spurs, having lost their way somewhat since the goal-less draw between the clubs on Boxing Day. Still, Fulham has proven itself to be a very organised & efficient team this season and is precisely the type of side that might defend stoutly for 90 minutes and grab a winner deep into injury time.
On the bright side, Fulham has a poor record at the Lane and has not been good on their travels this season. So once again, the impetus is on Spurs to take the game to the away side. After the poor performances of the last few games, what side will Harry Redknapp to take Spurs out of this slump?
Your guess is as good as mine. I am hoping for a Spurs win, naturally, but I am not too optimistic.
In the end, Spurs got what they deserved. Football is a simple game – score more goals than the opposition. It is NOT about the amount of possession, shots on goal, corners etc. After all, at the 25 minute mark, Spurs had 10 shots to Leeds’ none. In fact, after 6 minutes, Jermain Defoe had contrived to miss yet another crucial penalty kick. We’ll talk about penalties a little later again.
For that first quarter of the match, Spurs were irresistible moving forward but failed at the most basic thing – score a goal. And when they did score, they proved to be brittle as glass at defending. Sure, as a 37 year Spurs fan, this kind of performance is nothing new but don’t professional footballers know when its time to hold possession to get the right result and when its time to bomb forward in search for an extra goal?
Yes, you can point to the usual defining moments – Defoe’s pathetic spot kick, Jenas’ bad miss, the other Defoe penalty that wasn’t to be, the wrongful ruling out of Keane’s “goal” for offside and of course, Dawson’s poor judgement at the death. Still, what it boils down to is Spurs’ inability to convert domination and chances into goals. Pure and simple.
Harry Redknapp shook things up a little by starting Danny Rose on the left and bringing on Pavlyuchenko, who finished off an excellent team move to give Spurs a 2-1 lead. However, the sad fact is that once again too many players went AWOL, notably Jenas, Modric and Kranjcar. Defoe and Crouch are beginning to look jaded and frustrated by the lack of success in front of goal and Redknapp needs to freshen things up and fast. By the way, thank goodness we didn’t get Ruud Van Nistelrooy!
The main positive to take from this game is the return of Pavlyuchenko. I do hope that Redknapp decides to give the Russian striker an extended run in the team so that the likes of Defoe and Crouch do not take their starting places for granted. And to be honest, considering the way we play over the entire match, a draw is probably what we and Leeds deserved. The ties is not over yet, now that the impetus has moved to the Leeds camp, maybe Spurs can go to Elland Road and book their place to the next round.
Having already beaten champions Man Utd at Old Trafford (no less) in the previous round, giant-killers Leeds must be feeling confident of adding Spurs to their list of top flight scalps in this season’s FA Cup. Leeds probably did Spurs a favour as in the last two seasons, Spurs have been knocked out in the 4th Round by Man Utd!
As usual, being at home, Spurs are favourites but will Leeds be another slippery banana peel? After all, Spurs has already lost to Stoke and Wolves at home, and these defeats would provide the blueprint for Leeds to set out their gameplan and tactics. Speaking of tactics, will Harry Redknapp be able to rise above the naivety shown in recent games, where congested midfield and penalty boxes have effectively thwarted our offensive actions?
To be honest, I am beginning to despair of Redknapp’s tactical nous (or lack thereof). Spurs seem unable to breakdown more determined teams who do not give us the time or space to play our passing game and once the chips are down, the lack of mental strength is a worrying fact. Sadly, Spurs’ performance now hinges on whether the other team lets us play or not. This is a totally unsatisfactory state of affairs and despite all that he has achieved, perhaps Redknapp is not the manager to bring us to the next level.
With Lennon and Huddlestone likely to be absent, we are missing two key components of our good season and slotting in Modric on the right and Jenas in the middle, has not been working out so far. Redknapp may want to gamble with Giovanni Dos Santos (or even Danny Rose) on the left flank, Kranjcar on the right and play Modric in the middle with Palacios. Whatever he does, Redknapp needs to mix it all up a little as we have become all too predictable.
And… with another crucial Premiership fixture coming up against Fulham on Tuesday night, Redknapp may have no choice to tinker somewhat. My prediction? A Spurs win but only just.
Simply put, Spurs were not good enough. It pains me to say this but despite playing a side weakened by injuries to key men like Torres, Gerrard and Benayoun, Liverpool just wanted it more than Spurs.
Sure, you could blame it on the inconsistent refereeing (what was Defoe’s ‘goal’ disallowed for?), Redknapp’s poor tactical nous (why change a central defence that has not conceded in five consecutive games?), the absence of Aaron Lennon (Spurs had no width without him) or the fates (Spurs have not won at Anfield since 1993) but the simple fact is that on the night, the Spurs players did not possess the winning mentality or the confidence to beat Liverpool. This “inferiority complex” is the difference between a top four and a top six finish (or lower).
For once, Rafa Benitez got his tactics spot on – playing Kuyt as striker (two goals the result), Riveria on the left and starting Aquilani in the hole. Playing a balanced team is crucial, look at Spurs – no natural wide midfielders causing the midfield to be very compressed – Jenas, Modric and Krancjar all had poor games – and with no proper support for Crouch and Defoe, Spurs were very blunt moving forward.
I hate to say this but I believe that Ledley King’s best days are behind him and should no longer be risked for these top games any longer. Either Redknapp develops the Dawson-Bassong partnership – which had done so well in the last few games – or Redknapp brings in a new centre back to cover for the chronically injured King and Woodgate. The two goals were caused by errors in the central defence – Dawson and Bassong – which I believe was partly due to Redknapp’s tinkering.
The season is not over yet, of course, there’s still life in our challenge for the Champions League place, if Redknapp can quickly sort out these problems. And there is still the business of Leeds at home in the FA Cup 4th Round this Saturday.
This is it – the proverbial “big one”. Spurs’ promising season began with a 2-1 victory over Liverpool back in August 2009 and now potentially, we are in a position to put some distance between ourselves at Liverpool – 7 points daylight in fact.
Except that in these situations, Spurs often choke and let us all down. Not only that but Spurs’ record at Anfield is abysmal, In fact, the last time Spurs got all three points in a Premiership game at Anfield was 1993, when Teddy Sheringham scored twice to earn Spurs a 2-1 win!
But… with Gerrard, Torres and Benayoun all out with injuries, this is Spurs’ best chance to make right the terrible record at Anfield and improve our prospects of Champions League football next season. My main concern is in the midfield, with Lennon out and Modric & Kranjcar on the flanks, there will not be any width, which means that our attacking game will be rather congested.
My experience of Spurs at Anfield has more often than not, been miserable but remain cautiously optimistic as I make plans to watch this at 4am tomorrow morning.
Over the weekend, the title-challenging trio of Chelsea, Man Utd and Arsenal kept pace with each other with victories. The real story lay with the Champions League chasing pack as each team contrived to drop points in the face of “inferior” opposition. Arguably, you might say that Rafa Benitez should be happy with the point gained at the Britannia but if not for Dirk Kuyt hitting the woodwork in injury time, Liverpool would have gotten away with all three points!
However, Liverpool’s challengers failed to take advantage with Spurs and Villa only managing home draws and Man City actually losing to Everton at Goodison Park. Perhaps now, City manager Roberto Mancini will temper his arrogance with a dose of reality. Having cruised past Stoke, Wolves and Blackburn easily, Mancini’s men failed miserably with their first true test and Everton deservedly took them to the cleaners!
So, do any of these teams want that Champs League spot that is obviously up for grabs? We shall see…
Deja vu for Spurs fans as Hull, like Stoke and Wolves before, “parked the bus” at White Hart Lane and goalkeeper Myhill made save after save to deny Spurs a deserved victory. Hull’s tactics were simple. Defend with 10 men behind the ball and continually upset Spurs’ rhythm with time wasting measures.
However, once more, Spurs did not possess the killer instinct to finish off Hull as Defoe and Keane contrived to miss gilt-edged chances when one-on-one with Myhill.
The Spurs line-up featured both Modric and Kranjcar in the midfield, whilst Keane was preferred to Crouch upfront. Spurs dominated the game somewhat and created several half-chances early on, mainly long range efforts from outside the penalty box. Modric, Krancjar and Keane are players who tend to drift into centre midfield, which basically packs the area already manned by Palacios and Huddlestone. And in the absence of Lennon, Spurs had no effective width but even if they had, there was no target man (like Crouch) to exploit any crosses.
Crouch did come on in the 60th minute and did initially make a significant impact but somehow the fizz was missing from Spurs’ game, despite the relentless attacks. All told, Spurs had 23 shots on goal, 16 of them on target and in the end, I guess we should be thankful for the point that brings us to 4th spot (on goal difference) and City’s defeat to Everton keeps us in the top four till the midweek games against Liverpool.
A frustrating result but still a long way to go in the season yet…
A full Premiership programme returns this weekend to the relief of fans around the globe. All eyes will be on the Stoke v Liverpool game, as Rafa Benitez’s men fight to rescue their season. Liverpool will be without the services of the injured trio of Gerrard, Torres and Benayoun and will definitely feel their absence as they take on Stoke at the cauldron that is the Brittania Stadium.
The rest of the so-called Top Four have seemingly easier opposition to deal with. Man Utd take on Burnley who welcome new manager Brian Laws, Arsenal also face a team with a new manager, as Owen Coyle takes his bow with Bolton and Chelsea entertain out-of-sorts Sunderland at Stamford Bridge. All indications point to 3 points each for the title contenders but in light of the shock results we’ve been having this season, who knows?
Roberto Mancini faces his first stern test as he brings his unbeaten Man City team to Everton, who have been playing very well recently, without getting the results their performances have merited. Spurs and Villa also appear to have easy home games (against Hull and West Ham respectively) by which to cement their challenge for Champs League qualification.
An intriguing round of matches, whichever way you look at it.
On paper, this is a winnable game – 3 points in the bag. But as Spurs fans are already too keenly aware, so were the games against Wolves and Stoke earlier in the season. So this is by no means, a easy match. However, if Spurs score first and early, then Hull might be in for a torrid time but if Hull’s defence holds firm then, the old wounds will re-open and thoughts of those shock defeats will come to mind. Your guess is as good as mine.
On the team front, injuries to defenders viz. Assou-Ekotto, Hutton, Woodgate (all groin) & King (knee) means that Spurs will have to depend on Corluka, Dawson, Bassong and Bale. Although I do not think that our defence will be engaged as much as our attack, but they will have to be at their best to thrawt any Hull counter-attacks.
Much will depend then on our offensive play. Lennon will also be missing so, will Redknapp employ Modric and Kranjcar on each flank, with Corluka and Bale overlapping? Very likely. Huddlestone and Palacios will provide the midfield solidity and Crouch and Defoe the cutting edge. Team practically selects itself now.
Out of the Premiership title race, out of the Champs League and now, out of the FA Cup. For Rafa Benitez, out of excuses. After the game, Benitez offered - ”We played a strong team and we tried to win the game. Sometimes you don’t play as well as you can and sometimes the other team plays well.” Right…
At the end of this shocking 1-2 defeat, the Liverpool faithful jeered their players off – clear indication that the fans are unhappy with the performance of their team. Playing at home against Championship strugglers (21st place!), dominating possession and leading until injury time, it seems remarkable that Liverpool actually gave up the initiative so late in the game.
Benitez’s intent was clear by starting both Torres and Gerard but typically, both had to be withdrawn through injuries and despite being in the lead, Liverpool could not kill Reading off and paid the ultimate price. Reading defended well and took their chances when they came to claim a historic, giant-killing feat.
For the neutrals, the FA Cup has brought romance back to English football with both Man Utd and now, Liverpool falling to lower opposition. But for the Liverpool fans, the nightmarish season seems to be getting worse. What does the future hold for Rafa Benitez? Mind you, the season is far from over, Europa League participation remains, as well as the fight for that Champs League spot but do the players have the mentality and the stomach for such a fight. With each defeat, the confidence levels dip even lower and a mammoth task awaits Benitez in the remaining months of the season.
The whole problem with blogging about football is how quickly things change and opinions previously stated begin to appear rather silly. Weeks ago, I was considering the appointment of Roberto Mancini as Man City boss and now, three straight wins later, City sit pretty in the top four, one point ahead of Spurs. Carlos Tevez (above) has been the ace in the hole, scoring goals for fun as City overcame Stoke City, Wolves and Blackburn. Alright, admitedly not the three toughest challenges Mancini will face this season but an impressive run nonetheless.
The African Nations Cup is underway and sadly has been marred by a terrorist attack which left some Togo players and officials dead. Togo is now out of the competition. Question marks about the suitability of South Africa to host the World Cup? Ironically, this incident may actually cause the South African organizers to beef up security even more. Probably not the terrorists’ intention, but a natural consequence.
The transfer window usually throws up some extraordinary moves. For me, the most bizarre so far has been Sol Campbell’s return to Arsenal! Seems totally illogical. If Arsene Wenger thought Campbell was not good enough a few years back why is he good enough now? Has he improved with age? The mind boggles.
Leeds’ historic victory over Man Utd in the FA Cup 3rd Round demonstrates that romance is alive and well in the oldest cup competition in the world. Perhaps Alex Ferguson underestimated his League One opponents – there is certainly trouble in the Man Utd camp and strengthening in the window seems essential and inevitable but with Utd’s current financial constraints, it seems unlikely.
On the Spurs front, the club has been linked with Mathieu Flamini, Joe Cole and Brazilian central midfielder Sandro. Of the three, Sandro is probable transfer with the signing ex-gunner Flamini, surely a non-starter. Joe Cole? That’s never going to happen – why would Chelsea sell? Really, some of the rubbish that passes for transfer speculation nowadays.
And so Bolton manager Gary Megson becomes only the third Prem managerial casualty so far in 2009-2010 after the sackings of Paul Hart (Portsmouth) and Mark Hughes (Man City). Well, it seemed only a matter of time before Megson – hugely unpopular with Bolton fans – would be given his marching orders.
But were the fan’s expectations a bit too unrealistic?
To be fair, these fans will remember how Bolton, under big Sam Allardyce, finished in the top 6 a few years ago but such success seems a distant memory now. Of course, Big Sam decided to manage a “bigger” club erm Newcastle (and we all know how that ended up), Sammy Lee took over and flopped before Bolton surprised everyone by bringing in Megson, not exactly a Prem success himself.
I recall when reading about Megson’s appointment that it was a disaster waiting to happen and with Bolton languishing in the bottom three (only on goal difference and with games in hand), I guess that there were enough grounds to warrant the sacking. But c’mon, this is Bolton, we are talking about and basically a small club and the fans need to forget about the golden age of the Big Sam era. It’s over.
So what now for Bolton? There are a couple of out-of-job managers who might fancy the challenge e.g. David O’Leary, Alan Curbishley, Ian Dowie et al, who have had the prequisite Prem experience. So no shortage of candidates. With the Prem table being very tight (only three points separate Bolton from 12th placed Stoke!) and the January transfer window opening, it seems a good time to bring a new man.
Only question is who? Time will tell whether this decision was the right one. Personally, I’ve always found Megson’s teams to be one-dimensional and lacking flair, so I don’t begrudge the Bolton fans’ feelings towards Megson. Now they must hope that the club appoints someone better.
What a difference a week makes in Premiership football! Not long ago, all the talk was about Aston Villa challenging for the title, Liverpool’s Champs League’s chances being written off and of course, Mark Hughes’ dismissal at Man City.
Well, over the Christmas fixtures, Villa lost both games and Liverpool and Man City secured maximum points making the top eight a pretty tight affair. Significantly, the title race is now a three-horse race, with fourth-placed Spurs eight points away from leaders Chelsea.
If nothing else, this makes for exciting viewing and the race for the title, Champs League and Europa League qualification is hotting up indeed. Simply put, that 4th place is up for grabs and its difficult to put any daylight between Spurs, Man City, Villa or Liverpool.
Just like the title race, its too close to call but with the January transfer window opening soon and key African players missing in the same month, there should be further surprises to come…
At the end it was a comfortable win over the Hammers, completing a satisfying double – the first of the season. But truth be told, Spurs failed to kill off the game for 70 minutes, after the early goal from Luka Modric, spurning chance after chance but keeping West Ham in the game.
As the match wore on, Spurs fans were getting a little nervous with each West Ham attack but Jermain Defoe showed why he is currently the top scorer in the Premiership, as he blasted a rocket past Robert Green at the second time of asking – a sweet instinctive strike!
The other notable record was the fourth consecutive clean sheet, which bodes well for the rest of the season. If Spurs can stiffen their defence from now on and continue to be deadly in front of goal, then 2010 promises to be an exciting year for Spurs’ fans. This win moves Spurs back into the Top Four, with their competitors Villa, Man City Liverpool still to play. Good time to be a Spur!
Point gained or two points dropped? With Fulham having thrashed the reigning champions 3-0 in its last match, I suppose that keeping a clean sheet at Craven Cottage was an achievement. Still, Spurs were unable to find its usual attacking rhythm and apart from the excellent Peter Crouch posed little threat to the Fulham goal. The home team on the other hand, did their best to try to prove that their success against Man Utd was no fluke but were in the main ineffective. On the couple of occasions where they seriously threatened the Spurs goal, they found Gomes in fine fettle, denying Fulham with a string of top class saves.
The primary reason for Spurs largely toothless performance, the inclusion of Jermaine Jenas and Robbie Keane in place of Tom Huddlestone and Jermaine Defoe, basically weakened the side and Spurs can count itself fortunate not to have lost this game, despite that.
Perhaps Harry Redknapp figured that the West Ham game on Monday warranted resting Defoe and Huddlestone in the hope of taking maximum points. But in light of the victories earned by Man City and Liverpool, it does appear that Spurs have lost ground on their competitors for that Champs League spot.
Well, its the halfway stage in the 2009-2010 Premiership season and what have we learnt? That the Premiership is the most exciting, most open football league in the universe? Or something like that. The main talking point on every fan’s mind is of course a change to the status quo – has the Top Four’s (i.e. Chelsea, Man Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool) domination of the league come to an end?
At Christmas, Chelsea, Man Utd and Arsenal remain in the top three with Aston Villa, Spurs and Man City threatening to fill in the vacancy currently left by the out-of-sorts Liverpool (who lie in an uncustomary eighth!). Even unfancied sides like Fulham and Birmingham are looking to gatecrash the party with recent successes.
So seriously, folks, are we expecting real change to occur come the end of this season OR will the status quo be maintained? Its hard to say but based on the results so far this season, we can expect more shocks and more surprises in th emonths to come. I’m going to stick my neck and make some “educated” guesses about the eight clubs who will have a major say in the Premiership this season.
First up, the traditional “Top Four”
CHELSEA
The Blues looked too strong for the rest of the field at the beginning of the season but are rather being found out of late, being held to draws by Everton and West Ham with unconvincing performances. Ancelotti must be wary of the treatment of Scolari last time out when Chelsea faded after a bright start and Chelsea have already sacked managers in mid-season in the last two seasons, so there is precedent. This is compounded by the absence of ALL his main strikers in January either due to injury (Anelka) or international duty (Drogba and Kalou). It’s hard to imagine how Ancelotti will deal with this problem without diving into the transfer market. Elsewhere, Ancelotti will be without midfield dynamoes Essien and Mikel whilst his other midfielders (Lampard, Ballack, Deco) – as excellent as they are – are clearly showing signs of aging and slowing down. Not only that but even Petr Cech is now more error-prone with the defending not as resolute as it used to be. Still, Chelsea is probably the team to beat and will be heavily involved in the title chase.
MAN UTD
The Champions are going through a defensive crisis, with ALL their first choice defenders missing. Certainly, the main problem for Sir Alex is that – despite his protestations – Man Utd has not adequately replaced Ronaldo. Add to that the poor form of strikers Berbatov and Owen, too much has been placed on the shoulders of Rooney. Whilst Rooney is indeed a top player, he’s not in the same class as Ronaldo. In the creative department, Sir Alex is left with the average talents of Valencia, Nani and the tiring legs of Scholes and Giggs. Sure, the likes of Carrick and Fletcher will work hard and graft but will not provide the spark to turn games around. The fact is, Man Utd need to get a big name player in January like Ribery or Villa to strike fear into the opposition as the 0-3 loss to Fulham has certainly boosted the confidence of other Premiership sides and strengthen the belief that Man Utd is not as invincible as it used to be. Too good to be written off but Man Utd might find themselves coming last in the three-way title race.
ARSENAL
How does Arsene Wenger do it? The Arsenal manager ignores conventional wisdom, choosing to nurture obscure youngsters and added the odd “name” player to forge a collective unit that is greater than the sum of its parts. I believe that there can be no doubt that Arsenal is chock full of talented players that on their day can play any team off the park. But where Arsenal is still lacking is attitude and mentality – when they are ahead and everything is going right, they can be an unstoppable force but if opposing sides get into their faces, or if a couple of decisions go against them and they need to fight and scrap their way to win, then this brilliant Arsenal team can be taken down. Lack of strength of depth is also the other issue. With Van Persie out for the rest of the season, Wenger is relying on Eduardo, Vela and Bendtner (?) to deliver the goods upfront and that must be a major concern for Wenger. However, in Fabregas, Diaby, Nasri & Arshavin, Arsenal do have midfielders with an eye for goal. In the final analysis, whilst Arsenal will certainly press Chelsea and Man Utd all the way, how Wenger deals with the mental strength of his young charges will determine whether Arsenal can go to the next level and win the Premiership with “kids”.
LIVERPOOL
What more can we say about Liverpool? When Spurs beat Liverpool on the opening day, I was over the moon, considering that the Merseyside side only lost 2 games last season. BUT since then Liverpool has lost to Aston Villa, Arsenal, Portsmouth, Fulham, Chelsea and Sunderland, which rather diminishes Spurs’ achievement, don’t you think? But seriously folks, Liverpool is in deep doo-doo and unless results improve very soon, we might just see the end of Rafa Benitez’s reign at Anfield. It boils down to Rafa’s attitude and his obstinance regarding his selection. His decision to stick with two holding midfielders continues to be mystifying to Liverpool fans as he leaves creative players like Benayoun and Babel on the bench. Then of course there’s the Aquilani saga, which remains unresolved. Rafa must realize that losing can become a habit too and the Liverpool fans will not accept a mid-table finish for their beloved club. This outcome looks a certainly unless Rafa pulls a rabbit out of the hat and fast. His big name players are getting frustrated with the poor performances and his mediocre selections will continue to drain the confidence out of players who displayed the winning mentality so resolutely last season. Frankly, I don’t see Champs League football for Liverpool next season and maybe not even Eurpopa League.
Comments?
Stay tuned for part two where I assess the “wannabes” viz. Aston Villa, Spurs, Man City & Fulham.
In his maiden press con as Manchester City manager, Roberto Mancini declared, “First, we must think about this season and the target of reaching the top four. There are 20 games until the end of the season and this is our target, but next season the target changes and we want to be first in the Premier League.”
Bold words. Ahead of his debut match against Stoke City on Boxing Day, Mancini has gone further to undertake to win FIVE Prem titles for City!
Is Mancini setting himself up for the fall? Rumors abound that if he does not bring City into the Champs League at the end of this season, he will be sacked. So is he merely echoing the expectations of his new employers, basically to throw down the gauntlet to the other clubs challenging for the available top 4 spot (i.e. Liverpool, Aston Villas & Spurs)? Or is it the kind of arrogance that Mourinho displayed when he arrived in England talking himself up as the “Special One”.
On the plus side for City fans, Mancini does have a good track record having won the Italian Cup in his first seasons with Florentina and Lazio, and of course the big one (Scudetto) three times with Inter Milan. Despite the latter success, Mancini found himself booted out when Mourinho became available to the Inter bosses. And … despite what the City owners may have thought of Mark Hughes’ achievements (or lack of), he has left City in 6th place, six points away from 4th placed Villa with a game in hand. Thus, Mancini seemes to have a good foundation to build on.
On the minus side, Mancini has to deal with players who have been unsettled by the dismissal of Hughes. Not only that but City’s shambolic defending will be of concern to Mancini, with the injuries to Bridge and Lescott leaving a void that Mancini has to address. Mancini could not ask for a more challenging task than Stoke, with their muscular style and route one football. How the City defence copes with the Stoke set pieces will be an intriguing sign of whether Mancini can manage the high-tempo hustle and bustle of the Premiership.
Vaunted foreign coaches like Ramos, Eriksson and Scolari have all found the going tough and have paid for their failures but of course the likes of Wenger and Mourinho have proved themselves to be wildly successful. How will all turn out for Mancini and Man City? Will Mancini be able to withstand the scrutiny and the pressure? Will his players be able to?
In any other season, Craven Cottage would be a daunting place to visit for the Spurs team. However, in a season where Fulham has emphatically beaten the likes of Liverpool and Man Utd at home, you can understand the concern Spurs fans are feeling about this fixture.
That said, the professional manner in which Spurs dispatched Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park last week should at least give Spurs fans a certain measure of confidence that maybe this season, Spurs can actually get something from this away day.
Add the fact that Ledley King and Luka Modric have been pronounced fit for the match is definitely a boost. Bascially, Spurs have to ignore & forget the matches that Fulham has won and concentrate on our own game.
Which means that defensively, Spurs have to play it tight and offensively, to move the ball fast when they have it. Cut out the sloppy passing and the ponderous build-up play and I am sure that Spurs will surprise Fulham.
Sounds easy, eh? But its never that simple with Spurs, is it?
After Liverpool’s latest defeat (their 7th Prem loss this season – they only lost twice last season and finished 2nd) to bottom club Portsmouth, manager Rafa Benitez gave a mystifying post-match interview, describing referee Lee Mason’s performance as “perfect” and that the referee “made no mistakes”. When asked about his own prospects, Benitez replied glibly - “we hope to win the next game”.
Clearly, all is not well at Anfield and Benitez is acting like a petulant child, as if the walls are closing in on him slowly but surely. Increasingly, there is a haunted look in his eyes after each poor result. Against Portsmouth, that fear and paranoid spread to the players as they failed to react properly to going one-down and one-man down, after Javier Mascherano lost his head. Perhaps that had as much to do with Benitez’ selection as much as anything.
I mean, what “top” team goes to Portsmouth with two holding midfielders? And why does Benitez persist with ordinary players like Lucas and Dossena, when the likes of Benayoun and Babel remain benched? You reap what you sow. When a team like Liverpool with their history and prestige, thinks only of defence first, then you know there has to be problems.
The fact is that the quality of Liverpool’s squad is poor – especially having lost lynchpin Alonso to Real Madrid and replacing him with a player whom Benitez does not even play i.e. the elusive Alberto Aquilani. The other big signing of the close season? The severely overrated (and overpriced) Glen Johnson! Add to that the over-dependence on the respective forms of Steve Gerrard and Fernando Torres and this all spells mini-crisis.
So, what now for Liverpool and Rafa Benitez? Apparently, Benitez’s recent contract renewal makes him virtually unsackable (a compensation of 15 million quid has been mentioned) and with the debt problems of the owners, there’s little cash to be splashed around in the January transfer window. So Liverpool is stuck with its manager and players till the end of the season.
Can the team turn things around and reclaim its top four place? It looks highly unlikely now with either Villa, Spurs or Man City threatening to replace Liverpool in the top four. If Liverpool cannot look forward to Champs League football in 2010-2011, will top players like Torres or Gerrard hang around? And will then the financial difficulties faced by the club force its hand to sell these prized assets to its deadliest enemies viz Chelsea and Man Utd? This is a nightmare scenario that every Liverpool fan can barely contemplate but unfortunately for them, at this point of time, looks a distinct possibility.
This a new PoP feature, where I blog about football stuff that is non-Spurs related. So here goes. Appreciate your comments.
DON’T DREAM IT’S OVER
So Sparky is gone, as predicted. After the outlay of 200 million quid in the close season, there was no doubt that his employers were going to be less than patient about results. Well, 2 wins in the last 11 Prem games was obviously not good enough. Is 18 months sufficient time to assess a manager’s capability? Of course, pundits will always cite Hughes’ ex-boss Fergie getting 5 seasons breathing space before winning his first trophy (the FA Cup, if you must know) but that was then and this is now.
Still, one wonders whether now is the time to offload Hughes. Certainly, if you wanted to bring in someone new, you’d do it before the January transfer window so that the new man can get the players he wants. But are these players availble in January? And what about Hughes’ replacement, Roberto Mancini, an untested quality outside of Italy? I mean, strictly speaking, didn’t Mancini guide Inter to the Scudetto only because Juve and Milan had been decimated by the corruption scandal and resultant sanctions?
So, isn’t bringing in Mancini as big a risk as keeping Mark Hughes? Not only that, it has been reported that Mancini is only a caretaker manager and will only be offered to stay on if City makes the top four. What planet are these people living on? That’s incredible pressure on a manager and unless Mancini is a miracle worker, the rest of the season will be transitional for City. Which certainly does not serve City’s cause at all.
Time will tell of course but I don’t envy Mancini the task ahead. The players whom Hughes brought are probably not pleased by his sacking and Mancini will also shake things further up in the January window, so lifting morale will be an issue, not to mention the destabilising effect of wholesale changes in January. Should be interesting to witness how all of this pans out.
What a week this has been for Spurs! After the pathetic loss to Wolves last weekend, Spurs picked up 6 points on the trot, demolishing the highly-priced Man City team at White Hart Lane, before going to Ewood Park and fashioning a hard-earned victory over tough-tackling Blackburn Rovers.
Truth be told, Spurs were sloppy and hesistant in the first half and were rather unfortunate to go into half-time leading. From Niko Kranjcar’s excellent hanging cross, Peter Crouch beat two Rovers defenders to head past Paul Robinson from close range. Rovers starting the 2nd half with greater domination and intent both Spurs with a combination of solid defending and goalkeeping were resilient and repelled Rovers’ offence.
With thirty minutes left, Harry Redknapp brought on Jermaine Jenas and Robbie Keane, and this had a positive effect on Spurs game, which became more fluid. From a pacy move, with both Keane and Jenas involved, Crouch found himself one-on-one with Robinson and he converted the opportunity clinically.
A good result all round, as Ewood Park is not often a happy hunting ground for Spurs. As the game wore on, Spurs got better at defending and chasing every loose ball, hard-earned but well-deserved at the end of the day. Still, it makes one wonder, if Spurs had only won those games against Wolves and Stoke, we’d actually be SECOND!!!
With the Christmas fixtures coming up, its make or break time for Spurs’ Champions League ambitions in the weeks ahead.
Naturally, at the end of this game, Spurs were booed off the pitch by their own fans. Bitterly disappointed with the result and performance, especially after the tremendous high of the last home game, the 9-1 thrashing of Wigan.
The focus again from the media and fans alike will be an assessment of Spurs Champions League ambitions. But again, is that a reasonable expectation? Seems to be that the realistic target for this season – especially after being at the bottom at the beginning of the last – is first and foremost a top six placing. This requires a measure of consistency that Spurs is still trying to achieve. Not only that but Spurs continue to lack a winning mentality that separates the men from the boys. Which means not only going to the homes of your competitors (like Villa and Everton) and dominating the play but taking your chances to win such crucial games (which Spurs did not).
At home, barring perhaps the Liverpool, Burnley and Wigan (of course) games, Spurs haven’t actually set the Premiership alight with their ponderous play. Fact is our midfield is much too predictable and when desperation creeps in and Crouch is the target, our offence is much too easy to defend against as the likes of Birmingham, Stoke and Wolves (teams that Spurs should comfortably put away) have proven.
So what about the game itself? Well, a typical Spurs non-performance i.e. lapse of concentration at set-piece and the inability to break down a 10-man defence thereafter. No power, no mobility, no pace and no guile. On the positive side, the return of Luka Modric… nothing much else to say, actually.
That said, the rest of the Premiership results – including Villa’s shocking 1-0 victory at Old Trafford and Man City’s 3-3 at Bolton indicates that there’s a long way to go and that Spurs’ chances of having a rewarding season have not been completely extinguished by this poor result.
Everton is having a torrid early Premiership season. Sitting in 16th place, three points off the relegation zone, the team looks a pale shadow of the one that swept into 5th place last season. How much is attributable to the injuries to key players is hard to say. Having lost last week in the Merseyside derby must have hurt and Everton will want to make amends for that defeat in front of Goodison Park.
Which may be bad news for Spurs as they come to a ground where they usually do well, borne out by the fact that Spurs has earned its most away points in the Premiership at Goodison Park. Earlier in the season, Spurs beat Everton comfortably (2-0) in the Carling Cup, albeit at White Hart Lane.
But what does this all mean for this latest match-up? Hard to say. Spurs were disappointing against Man Utd in the mid-week Carling Cup Quarter-Final at Old Trafford and will also want to get things right against Everton and entrench themselves in the top four of the table.
Three vital points that either team can ill afford to forfeit although you might say that Everton needs the points more than Spurs. For Spurs, Woodgate, King & Modric remain unavailable whilst Kranjcar (cup-tied against Man Utd) will return to bolster the midfield. Frankly, after the stirring 2nd half performance against Villa last week, I can’t see Harry looking beyond the same 11.
All things considered (especially Everton’s poor form) this game is indeed winnable for Spurs and really, the expectation should be nothing less.
COYS!!!
Fans in Singapore can watch the game on the Football Channel at midnight, Monday 7th December.
Apart from a sloppy opening 15 minutes, during which they conceded a soft set piece goal, Spurs demonstrated why they should be taken seriously as a Premiership force this season. Especially in the second half, when observers might have mistaken Spurs for the home team, such was their dominance out-shooting the Villans 17-4. That said, the Villa goal was living a charmed life as a combination of desperate Villa defending and goalkeeping heroics from Brad Friedel kept Spurs’ relentless attacks at bay.
Finally, Spurs broke Villa’s resistance with an emphatic finish from – from all people – captain-for-the-day Michael Dawson, adding his name to the impressive list of outfield players who have scored for Spurs this season. The sense of relief rippled through the Spurs camp and Spurs had the chances to complete the job and collect maximum points but it was not to be.
In his post-match interview, Villa manager was happy with the point (and well he might be) as Spurs totally outplayed Villa in that second half and Villa were lucky to hold on to the end.
With the Wigan drubbing and this resilient comeback in back to back outings, there is cause for optimism for all Spurs fans. Of course, there are still problems, central midfield efficiency continues to elude us but with Modric on the mend and Krancjar’s impressive form, the future looks bright, the future is lillywhite!
What do you do with a team that recorded a 9-1 victory in its last match? Don’t change a thing? Or freshen things up? That is the dilemma facing Harry Redknapp as he brings his high-flying Spurs to Villa Park for the 4th vs 5th clash between Aston Villa and Spurs.
Surely, conventional wisdom would tell you never to change a winning side, especially one that has won 9-1 a week ago. But wouldn’t it be naive to assume that Wigan at home and Villa away will provide the same challenge? Apparently, Redknapp is of the same opinion and has been making noises during the week about the possibility of Keane and Jenas starting, presumably at the expense of Crouch and Huddlestone.
No doubt, Villa will be an entirely different proposition from Wigan but it would be a mistake to give Villa too much respect and not play to our strengths, which is to attack, attack and attack. Hopefully, Redknapp will not resort to putting Keane in midfield as he did against Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea with disastrous results.
With three points seperating the clubs, this match is effectively a “six-pointer” in the race for a Champions League spot, a victory for Spurs will begin to crystalize ambitions thought frivolous during the nightmare reign of Juande Ramos. It will be a close encounter but I fancy Spurs to get at least a point.
Funny how I was wondering whether Jermain Defoe had gone off the boil slightly after his three match suspension. Ask the Wigan defence what they think! The first Premiership striker to score five goals in one half staked his claim for a starting place in next year’s England team with a impeccable showcase of goal-scoring ability.
But at half-time, with Spurs leading by a Crouch header (after great wing play from the returning Aaron Lennon, it was not hard to see the 2nd half being a tad more difficult for Spurs. Quite the opposite ensued! Spurs went ballistic as everything went right, dominating the midfield and bombarding the Wigan goal from every angle. Despite the fact that he conceded nine goals, Wigan keeper Kirkland actually had a good match! Which says a lot about Spurs’ utter dominance.
Even substitute David Bentley got in on the act, curling a brilliant free kick over the wall, which the hapless Kirkland was unlucky to deflect into his own net but credit to Bentley nonetheless. Every Spurs man, a hero Krancjar and Lennon simply magic on both flanks and capping it all off with a goal each.
But the kudos belong to Defoe, who demonstrated why he is – on his day – one of the most lethal strikers in the world. Certainly, this result will do wonders for Defoe and the Spurs team. With Modric due to return, the signs are looking pretty good for Spurs as they begin to realize their potential as a top Premiership side.
The international break has been dominated by one headline – Henry’s handball. Will that affect this weekend’s round of Premiership games? Will referees be more circumspect about player’s attempts to cheat? How about the effect of the Irish disappointment on players like Robbie Keane?
As far as Spurs are concerned, there is only one target for this weekend, 3 points out of the home match against Wigan. Despite Spurs’ recent poor form, Spurs are still sitting pretty in 4th spot – a false position? – and a victory against inconsistent Wigan will go a long way towards the goal of a successful season.
Spurs recent indifferent performances has been attributed to the absence of the injured Luka Modric but surely, if Spurs has ambitions of Champions League qualifications, it cannot be seen to be a one-player team. So, is the lack of Modric’s guile and creativity on the ball the actual reason or is that merely masking the fact that Spurs still do not possess the quality or winning attitude needed to gate crash the “top four”?
The return of Aaron Lennon to the Spurs team on Sunday will add pace and dash to a Spurs attack sorely bereft of ideas in the last couple of matches and hopefully will dismiss the notion that Modric is indispensable. With Keane and Defoe upfront, perhaps the long hoof up the pitch will be laid to rest and a balanced midfield will bring predictable shape and a return to a passing game that should be too good for Wigan.
Not going to say too much about this as it’s probably the biggest sports news worldwide this week but I do want to express my astonishment at certain quarters who have been surprised at Henry’s conduct in this matter. Isn’t this the same Arse player who would constantly run to Spurs fans and taunt them whenever he scored in a NLD and get away with it? And isn’t this the same French player who cheated in the 2006 World Cup to get Spanish defender, Puyol (now his club captain!) sent off and earn France a free kick (from which they scored the winner!) Lest we forget… evidence below.
Thierry Henry is a cheat. Always has been. Glad to see that the football world is finally waking up to that fact.
How did Spurs beat Sunderland last night? Well, simply put, we scored two goals and the Black Cats did not manage even one. This, despite Harry Redknapp’s best attempts to sabotage a must-win home game which ultimately puts us back into the top four of the Premiership.
Spurs started the match with Luka Modric and Aaron Lennon still unavailable and so Redknapp opted for Crouch/Defoe upfront and a midfield diamond (ala Chelsea) with Keane as the point and Palacios, Jenas and Huddlestone covering the middle of the park. No place for Niko Krancjar again – although he has demonstrated he has more to contribute that either Jenas or Huddlestone on the left side of midfield.
This resulted in a torrid first half with Spurs barely managing to string any attacking plays together. In fact, they only had two shots at goal, one which rather luckily found the back of the net. Assou-Ekotto was given the freedom of the flank to float a good cross which Crouch knocked down and Keane bundled over the line after his first effort was blocked by Sunderland keeper Craig Gordon. How Sunderland did not score in that first half must have truly frustrated manager Steve Bruce.
Clearly the Spurs formation was not working but instead of bringing Krancjar on for Keane at the start of the 2nd half, Redknapp reverted to a traditional 4-4-2 but with Keane on the left side of midfield. This was a disaster waiting to happen and when Gomes was adjudged to have fouled Darren Bent in the box, it looked odds on to be the beginning of the end for Spurs. However, all the pre-match publicity about Bent’s return must have got to him as he totally fluffed his penalty kick and Gomes was able to celebrate a memorable save. For Bent, it capped a miserable day for him as he did nothing to prove that Redknapp was mistaken to release him from the Spurs ranks.
Finally with 30 minutes left on the clock, Kranjcar replaced Keane and immediately Spurs looked a different team and after Kranjcar found Defoe lurking with intent just outside the Sunderland box, Defoe held up play well to set up the erstwhile ineffectual Huddlestone who finished with power and aplomb.
Game over? Not according to Sunderland who manfully pounded the Spurs goal but found Gomes in impervious form even when his defenders were losing their heads around him. Undoubtedly, the man of the match, Gomes showed enough awareness, assurance and agility to justify his acquisition from PSV Eindoven last close season.
With Manchester City once again dropping points, Spurs sneaked into the top four – totally unmerited if based on this performance - but with Modric and Lennon returning soon, Spurs fans can at least take heart from the fact that winning when you’re playing poorly is the mark of a winning mentality, which – whatever his faults may be with choice of tactics – at a minimum, Redknapp has injected into this Spurs team.
