In case you’re wondering what to watch in the Champions League tonight, here is a quick guide to help you sort the wheat from the chaff.
Group A
Look no further than this group for the most intriguing match of the final round. It’s quite simple really - Bayern Munich must win to go through. If they don’t, Juve go through. The game is being played in Turin so you would fancy the home club to do enough, but unlike some around these parts, I’m not about to break football’s oldest commandment and write off the Germans. Expect a tense game, where at least one managers job hinges entirely on the result.
Group B
Herein lies the battle for top spot. Wolfsburg need to not only beat Manchester United, but to beat them either 1-0, 2-1, or by two goals. A 3-2 victory, for example, won’t be good enough, because it will give United a better head-to-head record. It is within Man Utd’s interests to finish top, because should they not, then as things stand they will have to face one of Bordeaux, Real Madrid, Fiorentina, Barelona or Sevilla - that’s almost a 50-50 chance of drawing one of Spain’s big two. However, the other three teams on that list would probably prove to be quite favourable, so finishing second might just be a blessing in disguise should the draw be kind to United, which it invariably is. That said, the list of second place teams is made up almost entirely of outfits not unlike Fiorentina, Sevilla and Bordeaux, so after some back and forth, here is the conclusion: forget about what may happen in the draw for the last 16 - the best thing is the finish top and avoid the large possibility of facing one of Spain’s big two. Given the defensive crisis at Man Utd currently, this might actually be a game worth watching if you can’t source the one above.
Group C
Things are much more complicated here. Real Madrid need to beat Marseille away from home to guarantee top spot. If they draw and Milan don’t win, then they will also finish first. However, if they draw and Milan win then the Italians’ better head-to-head record will see them snatch first prize.
But -- and this is a pretty big but -- if Marseille not only beat Madrid, but beat them 3-0 (or 4-0, or 5-1 etc), then the French club go through in second place instead of the Spaniards, provided Milan also win (who will thus finish top). If Milan don’t win and Marseille triumph 3-0, then it is first place to Marseille and second place to Madrid.
The only way Milan can go out is if they fail to beat Zurich away from home and if Marseille beat Madrid by any score at all. If Milan lose and Marseille draw, the Italians still go through thanks to a superior record against the French.
Given that Milan lost to Zurich at home, and Madrid lost to a team in the Second Division B 4-0, anything is possible. Marseille--Madrid might just be worth watching if the French manage to get an early goal or two.
Group D
The big question from this group is can Atletico Madrid make the Europa League? That tells you just about everything you need to know. Avoid group D like the plague.
In sum, there are actually some good matches to be found in the final set of group games. Who’d have thought? My order of preference would be Juve v Bayern, Marseille v Madrid, and Wolfsburg v Manchester United.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
International Football
A Few Thoughts from a Weekend of international Football:
The question surrounding most England friendlies is “What did we learn?” From manager to player to journalist, friendly-as-learning-exercise is the dominant motif. Forgive me for overstating my case, but this is a complete cop out. This kind of language makes the England national team sound like a large footballing sponge, which soaks up all that comes its way. It’s as if the team has that incredible superpower which allows you to soak up all the other powers of your adversaries and use those powers against them. England have played France, and have thus learned the art of, um, disharmony [?]. England have played Spain, and have thus learned the art of possession. England have played Germany, and have thus learned the art of never being written off. England have played Brazil, and have thus learned the art of samba football [which, if the present Brazil team are to go by, looks a lot like the kind of football Liverpool play).
The reality, whoever, is that England have learned very little that they didn’t already know. Their players are not as good as those of other top nations. You cannot learn in one game what Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez have been learning their entire lives. The kind of football Spain play runs through the blood of all of its players. Their jealousy for the ball is pathological. To surrender it cheaply would be a betrayal not of “the system”, but of their inward fabric. You cannot teach that kind of disposition to men in their 20’s. It’s too late.
To illustrate my point, take Theo Walcott as a microcosm. In three of four years at Arsenal, has he developed into the “Arsenal” mould? Has he really learned to the point of transformation? I don’t think so. He is who he is, who he has been since he was coached as a child.
The England team will stand a better chance of winning the World Cup if they forget about “learning leassons” from technically superior players. England will not “out-Spain” Spain. They will not beat Brazil at their own game. They will simply need to work harder than the teams they play against, defend well, and hope the likes of Rooney can produce moments of quality at the other end.
There is a good reason why so few teams play football the way Spain play it - it is high risk. As communal as their style is, it rests on individual skill. Each player must be trusted enough so that the ball can be passed to him in any area of the pitch. After a lifetime of experience, each player has earned this trust. One cannot say the same for Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Frank Lampard, or any other midfielder England are likely to play. If England are to learn any lessons from their high profile friendlies, it’s that being a pseudo-Spain will not be good enough. England will only win the World Cup as England - the team that launches high balls up to Emile Heskey and hopes either Gerard or Lampard will get on the end of things.
****************
I have already talked about Spain, but allow me to touch on their “friendly” against Argentina. I knew the gap between these two sides was large; I just didn’t realise how large. Argentina went out to literally kick Spain off the park; the Spanish ended up playing the Argentinians off of it. It should have been three or four nil at half time, such was the Spanish superiority.
What a shame to see an Argentine side so bereft of talent and guile. They were the most joyous team to watch 3 years ago, with that goal against Serbia & Montenegro standing as a monument to all that is good about football. Now they are nothing short of a joke. When Maradona came in and Riquelme left, who would have thought that it would have such disastrous consequences? It does seem ironic that the entrance of the real Maradona into the nation team set-up and the exit of a failed “New Maradona” would end up biting Argentina on the back-side, but it has. Spectacularly. Just as Iniesta/Xavi embody the Spanish philosophy of football, Riquelme embodies the Argentinian. Yes he is a flawed genius, but a genius he is nonetheless. You may question his loyalty for jumping ship at the start of Diego’s reign, but you cannot question his foresight. He recognised Maradona as a tactical nightmare, and decided he could play no part in such a mess of a team.
If Argentina are going to avoid humiliation next Summer, Diego has to go, and Riquelme has to be re-installed as the focal point of the team. It’s not going to happen though, is it? And even if it does, what of the defense and goalkeeper? Still, wouldn’t you like to see how the following 6 players would gel:
……………Mascherano…Cambiasso………..
……………………Riquelme………………….
Messi………………………………….Aguero
………………….Lisandro……………………
That’s a team I could get behind. A team with Gago in it is one that I can’t.
By the way, how wrong was Paul Doyle when he said Carlos Tevez was a rich man’s Dirk Kuyt? The busy Argentinian is a far less effective player than the Dutchman. Fergie may have made a lot of mistakes in the transfer market over the past three years, but refusing to sign Tevez was not one of them.
The question surrounding most England friendlies is “What did we learn?” From manager to player to journalist, friendly-as-learning-exercise is the dominant motif. Forgive me for overstating my case, but this is a complete cop out. This kind of language makes the England national team sound like a large footballing sponge, which soaks up all that comes its way. It’s as if the team has that incredible superpower which allows you to soak up all the other powers of your adversaries and use those powers against them. England have played France, and have thus learned the art of, um, disharmony [?]. England have played Spain, and have thus learned the art of possession. England have played Germany, and have thus learned the art of never being written off. England have played Brazil, and have thus learned the art of samba football [which, if the present Brazil team are to go by, looks a lot like the kind of football Liverpool play).
The reality, whoever, is that England have learned very little that they didn’t already know. Their players are not as good as those of other top nations. You cannot learn in one game what Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez have been learning their entire lives. The kind of football Spain play runs through the blood of all of its players. Their jealousy for the ball is pathological. To surrender it cheaply would be a betrayal not of “the system”, but of their inward fabric. You cannot teach that kind of disposition to men in their 20’s. It’s too late.
To illustrate my point, take Theo Walcott as a microcosm. In three of four years at Arsenal, has he developed into the “Arsenal” mould? Has he really learned to the point of transformation? I don’t think so. He is who he is, who he has been since he was coached as a child.
The England team will stand a better chance of winning the World Cup if they forget about “learning leassons” from technically superior players. England will not “out-Spain” Spain. They will not beat Brazil at their own game. They will simply need to work harder than the teams they play against, defend well, and hope the likes of Rooney can produce moments of quality at the other end.
There is a good reason why so few teams play football the way Spain play it - it is high risk. As communal as their style is, it rests on individual skill. Each player must be trusted enough so that the ball can be passed to him in any area of the pitch. After a lifetime of experience, each player has earned this trust. One cannot say the same for Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Frank Lampard, or any other midfielder England are likely to play. If England are to learn any lessons from their high profile friendlies, it’s that being a pseudo-Spain will not be good enough. England will only win the World Cup as England - the team that launches high balls up to Emile Heskey and hopes either Gerard or Lampard will get on the end of things.
****************
I have already talked about Spain, but allow me to touch on their “friendly” against Argentina. I knew the gap between these two sides was large; I just didn’t realise how large. Argentina went out to literally kick Spain off the park; the Spanish ended up playing the Argentinians off of it. It should have been three or four nil at half time, such was the Spanish superiority.
What a shame to see an Argentine side so bereft of talent and guile. They were the most joyous team to watch 3 years ago, with that goal against Serbia & Montenegro standing as a monument to all that is good about football. Now they are nothing short of a joke. When Maradona came in and Riquelme left, who would have thought that it would have such disastrous consequences? It does seem ironic that the entrance of the real Maradona into the nation team set-up and the exit of a failed “New Maradona” would end up biting Argentina on the back-side, but it has. Spectacularly. Just as Iniesta/Xavi embody the Spanish philosophy of football, Riquelme embodies the Argentinian. Yes he is a flawed genius, but a genius he is nonetheless. You may question his loyalty for jumping ship at the start of Diego’s reign, but you cannot question his foresight. He recognised Maradona as a tactical nightmare, and decided he could play no part in such a mess of a team.
If Argentina are going to avoid humiliation next Summer, Diego has to go, and Riquelme has to be re-installed as the focal point of the team. It’s not going to happen though, is it? And even if it does, what of the defense and goalkeeper? Still, wouldn’t you like to see how the following 6 players would gel:
……………Mascherano…Cambiasso………..
……………………Riquelme………………….
Messi………………………………….Aguero
………………….Lisandro……………………
That’s a team I could get behind. A team with Gago in it is one that I can’t.
By the way, how wrong was Paul Doyle when he said Carlos Tevez was a rich man’s Dirk Kuyt? The busy Argentinian is a far less effective player than the Dutchman. Fergie may have made a lot of mistakes in the transfer market over the past three years, but refusing to sign Tevez was not one of them.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Chelsea-Man Utd
A war of attrition. A fiercely fought contest. Whatever spin is put on the Chelsea-United match yesterday, there is no getting away from the fact that it was a frankly rubbish encounter between two teams so devoid of creativity and guile that Michael Carrick didn’t look out of place on the field.
It goes without saying that Man Utd had the better of it, but what did having the better of it actually entail? It certainly didn’t mean them having more chances, because neither team really conjured up anything worthy of the name. The Reds had more possession, but in the context of this particular game that simply amounted to being the team who gave the ball away cheaply slightly less times than Chelsea did. It was extremely rare to see a move not end after a half-dozen passes, with the ball then launched up to Rooney/Drogba.
It would be unfair to say that the game was without any quality. There was a deft pass from Rooney in the first half (made with the outside of his right foot to the onrushing Giggs) which displayed genuine skill. Nicholas Anelka also provided flashes of class with some nice dribbling. Fletcher’s ball over the top to Giggs complete with first time volley would have been a treat had it come off, but like almost everything the Welshman tried during the game, it didn’t.
The type of game this was can be summed up with the following sentence: Manchester United’s winger was employed to man-mark Chelsea’s fullback. Such is Valencia’s impotency in attack that it was probably a tactic which made the best use out of him, but what we have here is a case of “anti-football”, that term used by pretentious purists (such as myself) to describe football that intends not to create, but to destroy.
What we had on Sunday was two teams who have proven that on the biggest stage, their best (and perhaps only) weapon is anti-football. Being at home, the onus (a word you’ll very rarely see outside of football writing, incidentally) was on Chelsea to actually play football. The problem for the Blues is that they don’t have the kind of midfield up to the challenge. Frank Lampard disappears when the big boys come to town. I keep saying it, but only because it keeps happening. He will never lack effort, but more often than not he will always lack presence and authority, and the skill to manoeuvre in tight spaces. Ballack is semi-retired, as is Deco. Chelsea proved last season that they are capable of stifling the very best opponents, but they have yet to prove that they can create as well as destroy.
Manchester United have also shown themselves to be purveyors of destructive football. Forget about the myth of them being a free-flowing attacking force. When it comes to games that matter, that is the exception, not the norm. In the last few seasons, the following fact illustrates my point: Man Utd’s most creative talent, Wayne Rooney, has been deployed on the wings in order to prevent the opposition’s dangerous full-back from running amok. Could you imagine Wenger saying to van Persie, “Listen, Robin. That Bosingwa fellow is a threat down the flanks. Your job is to make sure he doesn’t get any crosses in.” The notion is absurd.
Yesterday, Rooney was finally allowed to play in a position where he can have a positive effect. The only problem was that his support player was Anderson, someone who has the creative finesse of a bulldozer. With United’s wingers tied up with keeping tabs on Chelsea’s fullbacks (who, for the record, aren’t all that when it comes to skilled attacking play), the genuine threat offered by the Manchester outfit was non-existent, and thus they were reduced to long range shooting. Their anti-football worked up to a point, but when it came to the part where creative football was required, they came up short.
Given the dodgy refereeing/linesman decision, Man Utd do have genuine reason to feel aggrieved at the result. Chelsea didn’t deserve to score, not to mention win. But if it's any consolation, there would have been little glory in winning such a poor game of football. The real injustice is that those were the two top teams in England out on that pitch, and will most likely remain so come May. The challenge for Arsenal is to stop that from happening. Last season Barcelona secured not only a treble, but a victory for football. They may have had only one way to play (as Tim Lovejoy churlishly suggested), but it was the right way. Arsenal do not know how to play football destructively. It may prove their undoing, but as a fan of the beautiful game I live in hope that their aesthetically pleasing brand of football translates itself into a winning brand of football. The more this happens, the more other teams will try to emulate it.
It goes without saying that Man Utd had the better of it, but what did having the better of it actually entail? It certainly didn’t mean them having more chances, because neither team really conjured up anything worthy of the name. The Reds had more possession, but in the context of this particular game that simply amounted to being the team who gave the ball away cheaply slightly less times than Chelsea did. It was extremely rare to see a move not end after a half-dozen passes, with the ball then launched up to Rooney/Drogba.
It would be unfair to say that the game was without any quality. There was a deft pass from Rooney in the first half (made with the outside of his right foot to the onrushing Giggs) which displayed genuine skill. Nicholas Anelka also provided flashes of class with some nice dribbling. Fletcher’s ball over the top to Giggs complete with first time volley would have been a treat had it come off, but like almost everything the Welshman tried during the game, it didn’t.
The type of game this was can be summed up with the following sentence: Manchester United’s winger was employed to man-mark Chelsea’s fullback. Such is Valencia’s impotency in attack that it was probably a tactic which made the best use out of him, but what we have here is a case of “anti-football”, that term used by pretentious purists (such as myself) to describe football that intends not to create, but to destroy.
What we had on Sunday was two teams who have proven that on the biggest stage, their best (and perhaps only) weapon is anti-football. Being at home, the onus (a word you’ll very rarely see outside of football writing, incidentally) was on Chelsea to actually play football. The problem for the Blues is that they don’t have the kind of midfield up to the challenge. Frank Lampard disappears when the big boys come to town. I keep saying it, but only because it keeps happening. He will never lack effort, but more often than not he will always lack presence and authority, and the skill to manoeuvre in tight spaces. Ballack is semi-retired, as is Deco. Chelsea proved last season that they are capable of stifling the very best opponents, but they have yet to prove that they can create as well as destroy.
Manchester United have also shown themselves to be purveyors of destructive football. Forget about the myth of them being a free-flowing attacking force. When it comes to games that matter, that is the exception, not the norm. In the last few seasons, the following fact illustrates my point: Man Utd’s most creative talent, Wayne Rooney, has been deployed on the wings in order to prevent the opposition’s dangerous full-back from running amok. Could you imagine Wenger saying to van Persie, “Listen, Robin. That Bosingwa fellow is a threat down the flanks. Your job is to make sure he doesn’t get any crosses in.” The notion is absurd.
Yesterday, Rooney was finally allowed to play in a position where he can have a positive effect. The only problem was that his support player was Anderson, someone who has the creative finesse of a bulldozer. With United’s wingers tied up with keeping tabs on Chelsea’s fullbacks (who, for the record, aren’t all that when it comes to skilled attacking play), the genuine threat offered by the Manchester outfit was non-existent, and thus they were reduced to long range shooting. Their anti-football worked up to a point, but when it came to the part where creative football was required, they came up short.
Given the dodgy refereeing/linesman decision, Man Utd do have genuine reason to feel aggrieved at the result. Chelsea didn’t deserve to score, not to mention win. But if it's any consolation, there would have been little glory in winning such a poor game of football. The real injustice is that those were the two top teams in England out on that pitch, and will most likely remain so come May. The challenge for Arsenal is to stop that from happening. Last season Barcelona secured not only a treble, but a victory for football. They may have had only one way to play (as Tim Lovejoy churlishly suggested), but it was the right way. Arsenal do not know how to play football destructively. It may prove their undoing, but as a fan of the beautiful game I live in hope that their aesthetically pleasing brand of football translates itself into a winning brand of football. The more this happens, the more other teams will try to emulate it.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Top 10 Predictions
Top 10 7 Predictions
In order to resurrect a dead blog, I was asked to come up with some left-field predictions for the coming 9 months of football. It’s hard to do this sort of thing without sounding purposefully contrary, and I won’t profess to have avoided that pitfall when all is said and done. Nevertheless, here is a collection of predictions that may or may not ruffle your feathers.
Premier League Winners
I picked Arsenal before the season began, and I see no reason to shy away from that (at the time unpopular) choice. Others -- most notably Eamon Dunphy, who completely wrote Arsenal off at the start of the season -- have joined the bandwagon since, for obvious reasons. Arsenal are playing the best football right now, and have more attacking talent at their disposal than even Barcelona. Barcelona’s bench (when at full strength) consists of Pedro, Bojan, and Jeffran. Arsenal’s has Rosicky, Nasri, Eduardo, Bendtner, Walcott. Even though I just compared, there is no comparison.
In a league campaign, Arsenal should win enough games to take the prize. They may fall short against their direct rivals, but as Manchester United proved last season, that is no obstacle to winning the league.
Champions League Finalists
It’s hard to look past Chelsea as one of the contestants, but I think they may well be joined by an outsider this season. My three to watch out for are Juventus, Inter Milan and Bordeaux, with Inter just shading it. They were quite unlucky to go out against Man Utd last season, and by getting rid of perennial CL knock-out flop Ibrahimovic they’re chances can only have been improved.
English Teams in the Champions League
The last two seasons have seen three English teams reach the semi-final stage. This season I expect there to be only one Anglo representative - the aforementioned Chelsea. Manchester United are extremely beatable right now, so unless they get a favourable draw (or invest well during January) I can’t see them going deep in the competition. Arsenal just seem like a team that will find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. They inspire no confidence when it comes to tight two-legged affairs. As for Liverpool, well, that one’s self explanatory. However, should the unlikely happen and they make it out of the group, the tired cliché will once again prove true - no one will want to draw them.
World Cup Winners
The odds suggest that a team other than Spain will win the thing, so allow me to choose at random one such team. I’ll go for Germany. A WC semi final in 2006, a Euro 2008 final. This is their time to go one step further. They’re by no means the best international side around, but a 1-0 win against Russia in Russia suggests that they are more than capable of stepping up to the plate when necessary.
World Cup Flops
The easy answer is Argentina, although if they crashed out in the group stages would it really be considered a flop given recent goings on? As such, I’m going to go against everything I believe about football and pick Spain. Their win in 2008 was remarkable for a number of reasons, one of which being the relative lack of hype surrounding them before the tournament. Things will be a lot different in 2010, and one wonders if the under-achievers tag won’t rear its ugly head once more. They breezed through qualification alright, but come next summer some key players will surely be just about ready to collapse. Xavi looks tired already, while Torres is quite literally a broken man right now whom Liverpool can’t afford to fix. Add to that list some injury prone players like villa and Iniesta, and Spain could be in trouble before a ball is even kicked in South Africa. Their defense is not likely to bail them out either. Puyol, Pique and Sergio Ramos are a collective mistake waiting to happen, so chances will always present themselves to the opposition.
My rather novel prediction is that Spain will just about make it out of their group, but then lose to high flyers England in the last 16, with England making it to the semi-final before losing out to the Germans…on penalties.
PL Player of the Season
There are currently three stand-out performers in the Premier League right now - Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie and Didier Drogba, with the latter looking particularly spectacular. Between the three of them they have 21 goals and 23 assists, which is phenomenal. I suppose a lot will depend on who wins the league, so given that I’ve picked Arsenal to go the distance I’ll back Fabregas to pick up the prize. After a moderate start to the season the Spaniard looks up for it (if you’ll excuse the Tony Cascarino-ism), knowing that this is as good a chance as any to win some prime silverware with the club he has spent a third of his life at.
Surprise Package of the Season
There is one team in the Premier League that is defying all reasonable expectations given the amount of average players that make up their weekly team-sheet. Rather than potentially challenging for a top 4 spot, they are in fact looking more and more likely to be taking a stab at the top prize itself. It may not come as a surprise to some, but to me the big spenders in Manchester should not be where they are, and yet they are. Of course Manchester United do have a rich history in the competition, but that doesn’t change the reality that they are hugely reliant on Darren Fletcher. Of course it’s not hard to see why that’s the case, what with Anderson, Nani, Valencia, Giggs, Carrick and Scholes being his distinctly underwhelming contempories at the club (no disrespect to Scholes, who was once the finest midfield player in the league).
Then you have Wayne Rooney, the patchiest player in England (which is no mean feat in a country boasting such patchy luminaries as Gabby Agbonlahor and Shaun Wright-Phillips). He’ll score 6 in 6 and look like the best player in the world, and then not do anything for a month. As for Berbatov, he seems to think that plucking the ball out of the sky with a velvet touch is enough to excuse him from actually playing football, a game where his team spends about 40% of the time without the ball. If he actually consistently contributed in terms of attack (and wasn’t so annoyingly smug) he might be forgiven (as Ronaldo was by many), but the Bulgarian remains unreliable, especially in games that matter.
And yet, and yet, United could win the league. A team that, on paper, is barely better than Sunderland’s, will almost certainly be there or thereabouts come May. This should surprise us, people! If I sound anti-United, I am. Unashamedly. I loathe them from the depths of my being. But don’t let that fool you into thinking that I’m completely wrong. Nobody is “objective” about anything, let alone matters pertaining to football.
As the keen observers will have noted, I was asked to make ten predictions but only mustered up seven. If there are any particular requests then fire them this way, otherwise I'll leave things as they stand.
In order to resurrect a dead blog, I was asked to come up with some left-field predictions for the coming 9 months of football. It’s hard to do this sort of thing without sounding purposefully contrary, and I won’t profess to have avoided that pitfall when all is said and done. Nevertheless, here is a collection of predictions that may or may not ruffle your feathers.
Premier League Winners
I picked Arsenal before the season began, and I see no reason to shy away from that (at the time unpopular) choice. Others -- most notably Eamon Dunphy, who completely wrote Arsenal off at the start of the season -- have joined the bandwagon since, for obvious reasons. Arsenal are playing the best football right now, and have more attacking talent at their disposal than even Barcelona. Barcelona’s bench (when at full strength) consists of Pedro, Bojan, and Jeffran. Arsenal’s has Rosicky, Nasri, Eduardo, Bendtner, Walcott. Even though I just compared, there is no comparison.
In a league campaign, Arsenal should win enough games to take the prize. They may fall short against their direct rivals, but as Manchester United proved last season, that is no obstacle to winning the league.
Champions League Finalists
It’s hard to look past Chelsea as one of the contestants, but I think they may well be joined by an outsider this season. My three to watch out for are Juventus, Inter Milan and Bordeaux, with Inter just shading it. They were quite unlucky to go out against Man Utd last season, and by getting rid of perennial CL knock-out flop Ibrahimovic they’re chances can only have been improved.
English Teams in the Champions League
The last two seasons have seen three English teams reach the semi-final stage. This season I expect there to be only one Anglo representative - the aforementioned Chelsea. Manchester United are extremely beatable right now, so unless they get a favourable draw (or invest well during January) I can’t see them going deep in the competition. Arsenal just seem like a team that will find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. They inspire no confidence when it comes to tight two-legged affairs. As for Liverpool, well, that one’s self explanatory. However, should the unlikely happen and they make it out of the group, the tired cliché will once again prove true - no one will want to draw them.
World Cup Winners
The odds suggest that a team other than Spain will win the thing, so allow me to choose at random one such team. I’ll go for Germany. A WC semi final in 2006, a Euro 2008 final. This is their time to go one step further. They’re by no means the best international side around, but a 1-0 win against Russia in Russia suggests that they are more than capable of stepping up to the plate when necessary.
World Cup Flops
The easy answer is Argentina, although if they crashed out in the group stages would it really be considered a flop given recent goings on? As such, I’m going to go against everything I believe about football and pick Spain. Their win in 2008 was remarkable for a number of reasons, one of which being the relative lack of hype surrounding them before the tournament. Things will be a lot different in 2010, and one wonders if the under-achievers tag won’t rear its ugly head once more. They breezed through qualification alright, but come next summer some key players will surely be just about ready to collapse. Xavi looks tired already, while Torres is quite literally a broken man right now whom Liverpool can’t afford to fix. Add to that list some injury prone players like villa and Iniesta, and Spain could be in trouble before a ball is even kicked in South Africa. Their defense is not likely to bail them out either. Puyol, Pique and Sergio Ramos are a collective mistake waiting to happen, so chances will always present themselves to the opposition.
My rather novel prediction is that Spain will just about make it out of their group, but then lose to high flyers England in the last 16, with England making it to the semi-final before losing out to the Germans…on penalties.
PL Player of the Season
There are currently three stand-out performers in the Premier League right now - Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie and Didier Drogba, with the latter looking particularly spectacular. Between the three of them they have 21 goals and 23 assists, which is phenomenal. I suppose a lot will depend on who wins the league, so given that I’ve picked Arsenal to go the distance I’ll back Fabregas to pick up the prize. After a moderate start to the season the Spaniard looks up for it (if you’ll excuse the Tony Cascarino-ism), knowing that this is as good a chance as any to win some prime silverware with the club he has spent a third of his life at.
Surprise Package of the Season
There is one team in the Premier League that is defying all reasonable expectations given the amount of average players that make up their weekly team-sheet. Rather than potentially challenging for a top 4 spot, they are in fact looking more and more likely to be taking a stab at the top prize itself. It may not come as a surprise to some, but to me the big spenders in Manchester should not be where they are, and yet they are. Of course Manchester United do have a rich history in the competition, but that doesn’t change the reality that they are hugely reliant on Darren Fletcher. Of course it’s not hard to see why that’s the case, what with Anderson, Nani, Valencia, Giggs, Carrick and Scholes being his distinctly underwhelming contempories at the club (no disrespect to Scholes, who was once the finest midfield player in the league).
Then you have Wayne Rooney, the patchiest player in England (which is no mean feat in a country boasting such patchy luminaries as Gabby Agbonlahor and Shaun Wright-Phillips). He’ll score 6 in 6 and look like the best player in the world, and then not do anything for a month. As for Berbatov, he seems to think that plucking the ball out of the sky with a velvet touch is enough to excuse him from actually playing football, a game where his team spends about 40% of the time without the ball. If he actually consistently contributed in terms of attack (and wasn’t so annoyingly smug) he might be forgiven (as Ronaldo was by many), but the Bulgarian remains unreliable, especially in games that matter.
And yet, and yet, United could win the league. A team that, on paper, is barely better than Sunderland’s, will almost certainly be there or thereabouts come May. This should surprise us, people! If I sound anti-United, I am. Unashamedly. I loathe them from the depths of my being. But don’t let that fool you into thinking that I’m completely wrong. Nobody is “objective” about anything, let alone matters pertaining to football.
As the keen observers will have noted, I was asked to make ten predictions but only mustered up seven. If there are any particular requests then fire them this way, otherwise I'll leave things as they stand.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Too Many Kiss-related Puns?
Cesc Fabregas produced a masterclass in midfield play against Blackburn last Sunday. Having assisted Arsenal's first three goals he decided to cut out the middle man and simply put the ball in the back of the net himself.
The ensuing celebration was notable for one main reason: it contained the ever popular badge kissing from a player who's been linked with a transfer to pastures greener, in this case, Barcelona.
The more cynical Arsenal fans might have cast their minds back to the beginning of last season, when Emmanuel Adebayor scored a pre-season goal for the Gunners and decided to show his loyalty to the club by kissing the badge in front of the Arsenal supporters. Fast forward to 12th September 2009, when Adebayor decided to taunt Arsenal supporters by celebrating a goal he scored for Manchester City right in front of them.
What then of Cesc's celebration? Is his kiss of the Arsenal badge the kiss of death for his career at the club? Or to put it another way, like Judas, has he betrayed them with a kiss? Unlike Adebayor, Fabregas is loved by the supporters of Arsenal football club, and so if he decides to leave at the end of the season it will surely be on good terms. After all, he has been at Arsenal for seven seasons, which is almost as long a service as recent legends Viera and Henry, the latter of which was a witness of Cesc's demolition of Blackburn and received generous applause from the Emirates crowd prior to the game.
However, unlike Thierry Henry and Patrick Viera, Cesc Fabregas has yet to lead Arsenal to a piece of prime silverware. The fans will feel that he still owes them some trophies, and so they must remain in hope that the latest Gunner to kiss the badge is not planning on kissing the club good-bye any time soon.
However, should he pack his bags next summer he will still be remembered fondly by Arsenal fans as a wonderful playmaker, whose commitment to the club on the field was rarely if ever in question. But he will also be remembered as someone who failed to bring the club the glory it so desperately craves. Can he live with that? Perhaps he won't have to if he continues to play like he did on Sunday, because in that kind of form Arsenal will surely be walking away with a trophy or two come next May.
The ensuing celebration was notable for one main reason: it contained the ever popular badge kissing from a player who's been linked with a transfer to pastures greener, in this case, Barcelona.
The more cynical Arsenal fans might have cast their minds back to the beginning of last season, when Emmanuel Adebayor scored a pre-season goal for the Gunners and decided to show his loyalty to the club by kissing the badge in front of the Arsenal supporters. Fast forward to 12th September 2009, when Adebayor decided to taunt Arsenal supporters by celebrating a goal he scored for Manchester City right in front of them.
What then of Cesc's celebration? Is his kiss of the Arsenal badge the kiss of death for his career at the club? Or to put it another way, like Judas, has he betrayed them with a kiss? Unlike Adebayor, Fabregas is loved by the supporters of Arsenal football club, and so if he decides to leave at the end of the season it will surely be on good terms. After all, he has been at Arsenal for seven seasons, which is almost as long a service as recent legends Viera and Henry, the latter of which was a witness of Cesc's demolition of Blackburn and received generous applause from the Emirates crowd prior to the game.
However, unlike Thierry Henry and Patrick Viera, Cesc Fabregas has yet to lead Arsenal to a piece of prime silverware. The fans will feel that he still owes them some trophies, and so they must remain in hope that the latest Gunner to kiss the badge is not planning on kissing the club good-bye any time soon.
However, should he pack his bags next summer he will still be remembered fondly by Arsenal fans as a wonderful playmaker, whose commitment to the club on the field was rarely if ever in question. But he will also be remembered as someone who failed to bring the club the glory it so desperately craves. Can he live with that? Perhaps he won't have to if he continues to play like he did on Sunday, because in that kind of form Arsenal will surely be walking away with a trophy or two come next May.
Too Many Kiss-related Puns?
Cesc Fabregas produced a masterclass in midfield play against Blackburn last Sunday. Having assisted Arsenal's first three goals he decided to cut out the middle man and simply put the ball in the back of the net himself.
The ensuing celebration was notable for one main reason: it contained the ever popular badge kissing from a player who's been linked with a transfer to pastures greener, in this case, Barcelona.
The more cynical Arsenal fans might have cast their minds back to the beginning of last season, when Emmanuel Adebayor scored a pre-season goal for the Gunners and decided to show his loyalty to the club by kissing the badge in front of the Arsenal supporters. Fast forward to 12th September 2009, when Adebayor decided to taunt Arsenal supporters by celebrating a goal he scored for Manchester City right in front of them.
What then of Cesc's celebration? Is his kiss of the Arsenal badge the kiss of death for his career at the club? Or to put it another way, like Judas, has he betrayed them with a kiss? Unlike Adebayor, Fabregas is loved by the supporters of Arsenal football club, and so if he decides to leave at the end of the season it will surely be on good terms. After all, he has been at Arsenal for seven seasons, which is almost as long a service as recent legends Viera and Henry, the latter of which was a witness of Cesc's demolition of Blackburn and received generous applause from the Emirates crowd prior to the game.
However, unlike Thierry Henry and Patrick Viera, Cesc Fabregas has yet to lead Arsenal to a piece of prime silverware. The fans will feel that he still owes them some trophies, and so they must remain in hope that the latest Gunner to kiss the badge is not planning on kissing the club good-bye any time soon.
However, should he pack his bags next summer he will still be remembered fondly by Arsenal fans as a wonderful playmaker, whose commitment to the club on the field was rarely if ever in question. But he will also be remembered as someone who failed to bring the club the glory it so desperately craves. Can he live with that? Perhaps he won't have to if he continues to play like he did on Sunday, because in that kind of form Arsenal will surely be walking away with a trophy or two come next May.
The ensuing celebration was notable for one main reason: it contained the ever popular badge kissing from a player who's been linked with a transfer to pastures greener, in this case, Barcelona.
The more cynical Arsenal fans might have cast their minds back to the beginning of last season, when Emmanuel Adebayor scored a pre-season goal for the Gunners and decided to show his loyalty to the club by kissing the badge in front of the Arsenal supporters. Fast forward to 12th September 2009, when Adebayor decided to taunt Arsenal supporters by celebrating a goal he scored for Manchester City right in front of them.
What then of Cesc's celebration? Is his kiss of the Arsenal badge the kiss of death for his career at the club? Or to put it another way, like Judas, has he betrayed them with a kiss? Unlike Adebayor, Fabregas is loved by the supporters of Arsenal football club, and so if he decides to leave at the end of the season it will surely be on good terms. After all, he has been at Arsenal for seven seasons, which is almost as long a service as recent legends Viera and Henry, the latter of which was a witness of Cesc's demolition of Blackburn and received generous applause from the Emirates crowd prior to the game.
However, unlike Thierry Henry and Patrick Viera, Cesc Fabregas has yet to lead Arsenal to a piece of prime silverware. The fans will feel that he still owes them some trophies, and so they must remain in hope that the latest Gunner to kiss the badge is not planning on kissing the club good-bye any time soon.
However, should he pack his bags next summer he will still be remembered fondly by Arsenal fans as a wonderful playmaker, whose commitment to the club on the field was rarely if ever in question. But he will also be remembered as someone who failed to bring the club the glory it so desperately craves. Can he live with that? Perhaps he won't have to if he continues to play like he did on Sunday, because in that kind of form Arsenal will surely be walking away with a trophy or two come next May.
Monday, October 5, 2009
And It Showed...
I got my first proper look at Barcelona on Saturday, catching all of the second half of their game against Almeria. It was a rather unremarkable game but for one stand out feature:
Xavi and Iniesta were man-marked for the entire game, and it showed.
I don't know what the passing statistics were, but I doubt either of them have made fewer passes in a game over the past couple of seasons. They were basically irrelevant. Both of them!
Of course there are other factors to consider before one thinks that these two maestros can simply be man-marked out of a game. First of all, Iniesta still isn't match sharp. His fitness and touch aren't yet what they should be, and so when they are it will be a much tougher prospect to mark him out of a game. Secondly, Messi was going through the motions, content to win the game without really breaking a sweat. A focused Messi would have created space for the midfield duo by dribbling past players and causing general mayhem. Thirdly, Busquets did not play a clever game. He was the free man, yet he used the ball quite carelessly and was reluctant to try anything incisive. As soon as Toure came on, the midfield area was broken up by his sheer presence and directness, and more space was created.
Still, Almeria's tactics raise some interesting discussion points, and no doubt some of Europe's more illustrious clubs were paying attention to what they were up to. "I expect that many teams will copy our tactics here", said Almeria manager Hugo Sanchez. He may just be right.
No doubt also that Pep is well aware of this, and already coming up with a counter-plan. Shift Iniesta out wide as a nominal left winger? Bring Messi into the centre a la Champions League Final '09? Go high up to Ibra and have Xavi and Iniesta pushed further forward to pick up the scraps? Play the free man (Busquets/Toure/Keita) higher up the pitch, since no defensive midfielder is required?
Did you see the game? Any thoughts?
Xavi and Iniesta were man-marked for the entire game, and it showed.
I don't know what the passing statistics were, but I doubt either of them have made fewer passes in a game over the past couple of seasons. They were basically irrelevant. Both of them!
Of course there are other factors to consider before one thinks that these two maestros can simply be man-marked out of a game. First of all, Iniesta still isn't match sharp. His fitness and touch aren't yet what they should be, and so when they are it will be a much tougher prospect to mark him out of a game. Secondly, Messi was going through the motions, content to win the game without really breaking a sweat. A focused Messi would have created space for the midfield duo by dribbling past players and causing general mayhem. Thirdly, Busquets did not play a clever game. He was the free man, yet he used the ball quite carelessly and was reluctant to try anything incisive. As soon as Toure came on, the midfield area was broken up by his sheer presence and directness, and more space was created.
Still, Almeria's tactics raise some interesting discussion points, and no doubt some of Europe's more illustrious clubs were paying attention to what they were up to. "I expect that many teams will copy our tactics here", said Almeria manager Hugo Sanchez. He may just be right.
No doubt also that Pep is well aware of this, and already coming up with a counter-plan. Shift Iniesta out wide as a nominal left winger? Bring Messi into the centre a la Champions League Final '09? Go high up to Ibra and have Xavi and Iniesta pushed further forward to pick up the scraps? Play the free man (Busquets/Toure/Keita) higher up the pitch, since no defensive midfielder is required?
Did you see the game? Any thoughts?
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