Well, at the end of the day, this was the most predictable outcome as Spurs chairman Daniel Levy elected to appoint ex-Porto / ex-Chelsea manager Andre-Villas Boas as the new Spurs head coach. AVB has signed a 3-year contract with generous bonuses if he brings Spurs into the Champions League and wins the title (yeah right).
The above image is ‘borrowed’ from a Mirror column (from Feb 2012) that advocated that the English FA sack Fabio Capello and appoint Harry Redknapp as England manager immediately! Of course, Capello subsequently resigned and Redknapp was installed by the media as the favourite to replace him. Redknapp himself encouraged this speculation, talking up the England job non-stop. This had a devastating effect on Spurs’ season, then sitting comfortably in third position, a good ten points clear of Arsenal.
The last Liverpool manager to win the English First Division title was Kenny Dalglish back in 1990. Since then, the club has seen a succession of managers (including Dalglish a second time around) fail to emulate this achievement. Now, after a middling season that saw the once-great club win the Carling Cup, place as runners-up in the FA Cup but finish below arch-rivals Everton in the Premier League, the club has sacked Dalglish and installed 39 year old Brendan Rodgers.
Haha yes, …dribbling… is back! No, I am NOT going to talk about the recently concluded Premiership season or the Champions League Final but I just want to say a short word or two about remembering a memorable moment in the history of the UEFA European Championship.
“Now is the winter of our discontent” probably sums up the feelings of both Spurs and Arsenal fans after last night’s respective horror shows against Man City and Man Utd. Having seen their pre-season preparations wrecked by the designs of Barcelona, Man City and Chelsea on their players, both Spurs and Arsenal have had a torrid opening sequence of results in the Premier League.
Two seasons ago, Spurs pipped Man City to the lucrative 4th spot (and Champions League qualification) but in the two years following City have spent close to £200 million on new players to race ahead of Spurs. Last night, that gulf in quality proved insurmountable for Spurs as City’s expensively assembled team thrashed hapless Spurs 5-1 with striker Dzeko grabbing four for himself.
Matters were compounded by Luka Modric’s half-hearted display at the heart of the Spurs team. Modric allegedly refused to play just minutes before the game, his mind concentrated on getting his big money move to Chelsea. If weekly remuneration of £50,000 is not enough for a professional footballer to ensure that he complies with his contractual obligations, then it is indeed a sad day for football in general.
The super-rich owners of Chelsea and Man City have been given the keys of the Premiership to do as they please. Thumbing their noses at the very concept of sporting competition, they have taken the joy out of the formerly beautiful game completely. By offering and paying these outrageous wages to players, they have distorted the value of footballers to such an extent that players like Modric and Nasri have only eyes for the filthy lucre. Football is a rich man’s plaything and sport (and even business sense) is thrown out of the window.
After Spurs’ humiliation at the Lane, their bitterest rivals proceeded to have the stuffing knocked out of them hard by Man Utd. The final 8-2 score is hard to swallow, especially for the Arsenal fans and manager Arsene Wenger. Whatever one may think of Wenger and his flaws, the man is being punished for believing that football is about player development and nurture and playing the game the right way. Except that in today’s unforgiving climate, he is beginning to look like a naive fool.
Clubs are Spurs and Arsenal – both properly financially managed now look like dinosaurs in the wake of the super-rich owners of Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool. Not spending the cash is now tantamount to suicide as pressure mounts on both clubs to sort out the messes they have suddenly been saddled with. And with the transfer window closing very soon, the opportunities to strengthen are dimming fast.
As for the Modric saga, it certainly appears that the Croat will be allowed to go for £40 million but who will replace him? As usual, Spurs have left it too late (remember the Berbatov saga) and a season of attrition beckons. For Arsene Wenger and Arsenal as well, 2011-2012 promises to be a long, hard season. But as the Frenchman himself remarked, the time for judgement is at the end of the season. Time will tell whether the crisis that currently besets the North London rivals will have been resolved or not.
MEET THE NEW BOSS, SAME AS THE OLD BOSS
After Liverpool’s appalling midweek loss at Blackburn, fans want manager Roy Hodgson sacked with Kenny Dalglish coming in as replacement.
Deja Vu?
It was not that long ago that Liverpool fans wanted Rafa Benitez sacked and Dalglish as replacement. Well, Benitez was removed but Hodgson was appointed instead. Fast forward a mere six months and it appears that Hodgson’s days are numbered.
WHO’S LAUGHING NOW?
It is no exaggeration to say that at the beginning of the 2010-2011 English football season, it looked as if Chelsea was running away with the Premiership title. Now that we are at slightly over halfway through the season, a different picture has emerged.
Chelsea, after sacking assistant coach Ray Wilkins, has had a total collapse of form and after last night’s shock defeat to relegation strugglers Wolves, is not even in the Champion League spots, sitting in an unlikely 5th place! Chelsea is now incredibly NINE points behind leaders Man Utd, with the Red Devils actually having a game in hand!!! Is Chelsea effectively out of the title race?
EARLY IN THE MORNING
Four matches into the 2010-2011 season and Chelsea, Arsenal & Man Utd occupy the top 3 positions in the table, which is no surprise. However, for the remaining pack who most observers reckon will be battling it out for that fourth Champions League spot (viz. Tottenham, Man CIty, Aston Villa & Liverpool) have all had slow starts.
YOU WIN SOME, YOU LOSE SOME
In the two-week international break since Spurs’ hapless home defeat to lowly Wigan, much has changed. The biggest news has of course been the arrival of Dutch international Rafael Van der Vaart from Real Madrid for what looks like a bargain £8 million at the close of the transfer window. More sobering perhaps were the injuries picked up by Michael Dawson and Jermain Defoe, whilst on international duty, which will put them out of action for a considerable time.
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.
OH SPANISH AYES!!!
Germany 0 Spain 1
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…
URUGUAY 2 NETHERLANDS 3
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.
THE TROUBLE WITH NORMAL
Argentina 0 Germany 4 | Paraguay 0 Spain 1
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.
THOSE WERE THE DAYS
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.
SO CRUEL
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…
AND THEN THERE WERE EIGHT
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, the semi-final lineup as I see it.
Brazil v Uruguay
Argentina v Spain
Hurm.
OVER THE RAINBOW
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.
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
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!
ALL CHANGE!
Netherlands 2 Slovakia 1 | Brazil 3 Chile 0
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.
… AND JUSTICE FOR ALL
Germany 4 England 1 | Argentina 3 Mexico 1
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!
URUGUAY 2 SOUTH KOREA 1
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.
EVEN THE LOSERS
Group G: Brazil 0 Portugal 0 | North Korea 0 Ivory Coast 3
Group H: Chile 1 Spain 2 | Switzerland 0 Honduras 0
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…
FROM HEROES TO ZEROES
Group E: Japan 3 Denmark 1 | Holland 2 Cameroon 1
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.
WHO DARES WINS
Group C: Slovenia 0 England 1 | Algeria 0 USA 1
Group D: Ghana 0 Germany 1 | Serbia 1 Australia 2
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!)
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