Whenever I see the Indian cricket team play I somehow get reminded of the "great" English Football team. For a start, the English FA and BCCI are the richest boards in their respective games. Added to that, the tabloid press and media do tend to hype the respective players. Sample this, the hair-style of Dhoni and Beckham (in the last World Cup) is a major talking point. Similarly, the dressing room chats and politics are also a major revenue boosters for the "news" channels.
I have often felt that these teams are more of "blowing smoke" than actually "lighting fire". Take the records of these teams in major international competition i.e., their respective world cups and additionally also the Euro for the English team. It is, in fact, very mediocre.
I just cannot digest the fact that the so-called punters refer to the English football team as a heavy weight in European football. England, for the record, have actually only won the world cup once and that too on home soil. They could not even enter the final of Euro even once. Their best result in a Euro thus far has been the semi-final defeat to Germany at the Wembley. Additionally, whenever a world cup is round the corner the talk always goes back to the "tactics" used by 1966 team manager-Alf Ramsey or the "leadership skill" of Bobby Charlton. The comparisons are also conveniently drawn and the only difference is in the end result-England are always eliminated at most times before the semi-finals. Note that England did not even qualify for the 1974,78 and 94 world cups.
It is very scary when a similar line of comparison can be drawn with the the Men in Blue. India, like England, won the world cup only once. Experts (particularly the windies experts who appear in the trap box) do feel that the victory against the Windies was lucky. Similarly, England won the 1966 WC with a controversial and a lucky goal from Geoff Hurst. Subsequently, it took India 20 years to make it to the finals. In the mean-time India hosted the world cup 2 times and each time India could only manage at best a semi-final berth. Considering that the amount of competition prevalent is significantly lesser as compared to other games one would expect at least a better performance from the Indian cricket team. Similar to the English media, the Indian media also always draws a comparison with the 1983 squad whenever the WC is round the corner.
It becomes even scarier when one considers that the English football team's best chance to win a silver-ware came in the 2002 WC and 2004 Euro, similar to the Indian cricket team. England did play very well and I felt they were a bit unlucky against the Portugese in Euro 2004 while fatigue got the better of the English team in the 2002 WC. Note that other teams like France, Argentina, and even the eventual winners Brazil were also affected by the insane and early world cup schedule.
However, a case can also be made of the 1990 English team. I guess it was one of the best English team to never win any intl silver ware. Gazza was wonderful in that world cup and Lineker as usual was sharp in the box. However, they lost very heartbreakingly in penalty shootouts to Germany with Gazza missing the fourth penalty.
Similarly India's best chance in the cricket world cup was in 2003. It was only that the Aussies were too good for the Men in Blue. In other WC's India merely had hope rather than any realistic chance of winning the WC.
The fact that Chappell like his former English counterpart Ericsson is going to part ways immediately after the world cup makes for a perfect world cup "success" for the Indian cricket team.
However, I sincerely do hope that the current Indian team proves me wrong and wins the ICC cricket world cup.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Drugs, Football and of course El Diego!!!
"My body might be impure but the ball has always been pure"
Words of Diego
I am currently reading the biography of Diego Maradona and thought it fitting to express my opinion on the doping controversy that surrounded him.
Diego was initially caught in Napoli for the use Cocaine shortly after WC 90- to be precise 13 months after the WC in Italy. Cocaine is a stress reliever and Diego used it to go to cloud number 9. It was well known in Napoli during his stay from 1984 to 1991 that Diego was addicted to Cocaine. In fact, it is well documented that Diego got this Cocaine addiction through the numerous and notorious drug mafia contacts . The arrest of Maradona was more of a revenge especially after Maradona's argentina had eliminated Italy in the semi-finals which was held in Napoli. (Trivia: A certain Fabio Cannavarro was the ball boy in the game between Italy and Argentina in Napoli). Adding fuel to fire, prior to that game Maradona urged the Neapolitians to support Argentina over Italy. This remark was not taken kindly by the Italians and resulted in the home crowd even booing the Argentine national anthem in the finals held at the Olympicio stadium in Roma. Note that Cocaine has no performance enhancements it is just used to go to cloud number 9.
The arrest and the subsequent disgraceful exit of Diego from Napoli was just the end of a love-hate relationship with Italy and in particular with Napoli. Maradona deserved no mercy and was rightly banned from top-flight football. However, FIFA agreed to the participation of El Diego in the 1994 WC. The team managed by a certain Alfio Basile (well he is now the current coach of the Argentina) played some entertaining and attractive football before being eliminated by Romania in the Round of 16. However, prior to that game , on the very morning, Diego was tested positive for Ephedrine. The physchological impact of this incident resulted in the team morale being at its lowest and Argentina thus got eliminated and Maradona got disgraced, well now in a bigger stage.
There are many stories still floating around ranging from a FIFA conspiracy to an Argentine treachery for the exact reason of Diego's disgrace.
I am in not going into the nitty gritty details of all these theories. However, it is very interesting to note the controvery surrounding the drug Epherdrine. It is , in fact, no longer a banned substance according to WADA (World Anti Doping Agency). The prime reason being that there is no evidence correlating the intake of Ephedrine and increase of stamina/energy level. Additionally, the tests for ephedrine are also reported to be very dicey!!!
Surely, Maradona was hard done by Ephedrine.
Now let me come to the exact reason for this post. I was listening to a debate, a very predictable one, on who is the greatest footballer of all times. Time and again, the drug abuse of Maradona was used to degrade his talent and skills. Unfortunately, the experts who were participating were of the impression that Maradona was a cheat/lier and a big fraud in football. The so called punters were totally ignorant of the drug he used!!!.
Further, the so-called punters are also ignorant of another fact. It was very common in the 1950-60's for football clubs to encourage the use of stamina/energy enhancers. In fact, the 1958 manager of Botafogo (a club in Rio De Janerio in Brazil) the late Jose Saldanha has stated publicly that the team doctor was asked to prescribe performance enhancers (read drugs) for key players. There was of course no drug testing at that time and hence the players/coaches got away with it. Botafogo had Garricnha (the greatest right winger), Nilton Santos (the greatest LB), Didi (the cerebral footballer who invented the now famous kick named the fallen leaf). Saldanha also went on to coach Santos in Sao Paulo (I am not sure I may be wrong here) which had a certain Pele in their squad.
My case rests here, Need I say any more?
Edit: I have no intentions of maligning these players. It may as well have been that Pele/Garrincha/Didi etal. wud have rejected the drug or Saldanha wud have wanted some media attention. I just wanted to point out the fact that drugs were commonly used and some players might as well have taken advantage of it. Players from the earlier era were not subjected to media/technology glare and hence are always wrongly thought to be innocent in this respect.
Words of Diego
I am currently reading the biography of Diego Maradona and thought it fitting to express my opinion on the doping controversy that surrounded him.
Diego was initially caught in Napoli for the use Cocaine shortly after WC 90- to be precise 13 months after the WC in Italy. Cocaine is a stress reliever and Diego used it to go to cloud number 9. It was well known in Napoli during his stay from 1984 to 1991 that Diego was addicted to Cocaine. In fact, it is well documented that Diego got this Cocaine addiction through the numerous and notorious drug mafia contacts . The arrest of Maradona was more of a revenge especially after Maradona's argentina had eliminated Italy in the semi-finals which was held in Napoli. (Trivia: A certain Fabio Cannavarro was the ball boy in the game between Italy and Argentina in Napoli). Adding fuel to fire, prior to that game Maradona urged the Neapolitians to support Argentina over Italy. This remark was not taken kindly by the Italians and resulted in the home crowd even booing the Argentine national anthem in the finals held at the Olympicio stadium in Roma. Note that Cocaine has no performance enhancements it is just used to go to cloud number 9.
The arrest and the subsequent disgraceful exit of Diego from Napoli was just the end of a love-hate relationship with Italy and in particular with Napoli. Maradona deserved no mercy and was rightly banned from top-flight football. However, FIFA agreed to the participation of El Diego in the 1994 WC. The team managed by a certain Alfio Basile (well he is now the current coach of the Argentina) played some entertaining and attractive football before being eliminated by Romania in the Round of 16. However, prior to that game , on the very morning, Diego was tested positive for Ephedrine. The physchological impact of this incident resulted in the team morale being at its lowest and Argentina thus got eliminated and Maradona got disgraced, well now in a bigger stage.
There are many stories still floating around ranging from a FIFA conspiracy to an Argentine treachery for the exact reason of Diego's disgrace.
I am in not going into the nitty gritty details of all these theories. However, it is very interesting to note the controvery surrounding the drug Epherdrine. It is , in fact, no longer a banned substance according to WADA (World Anti Doping Agency). The prime reason being that there is no evidence correlating the intake of Ephedrine and increase of stamina/energy level. Additionally, the tests for ephedrine are also reported to be very dicey!!!
Surely, Maradona was hard done by Ephedrine.
Now let me come to the exact reason for this post. I was listening to a debate, a very predictable one, on who is the greatest footballer of all times. Time and again, the drug abuse of Maradona was used to degrade his talent and skills. Unfortunately, the experts who were participating were of the impression that Maradona was a cheat/lier and a big fraud in football. The so called punters were totally ignorant of the drug he used!!!.
Further, the so-called punters are also ignorant of another fact. It was very common in the 1950-60's for football clubs to encourage the use of stamina/energy enhancers. In fact, the 1958 manager of Botafogo (a club in Rio De Janerio in Brazil) the late Jose Saldanha has stated publicly that the team doctor was asked to prescribe performance enhancers (read drugs) for key players. There was of course no drug testing at that time and hence the players/coaches got away with it. Botafogo had Garricnha (the greatest right winger), Nilton Santos (the greatest LB), Didi (the cerebral footballer who invented the now famous kick named the fallen leaf). Saldanha also went on to coach Santos in Sao Paulo (I am not sure I may be wrong here) which had a certain Pele in their squad.
My case rests here, Need I say any more?
Edit: I have no intentions of maligning these players. It may as well have been that Pele/Garrincha/Didi etal. wud have rejected the drug or Saldanha wud have wanted some media attention. I just wanted to point out the fact that drugs were commonly used and some players might as well have taken advantage of it. Players from the earlier era were not subjected to media/technology glare and hence are always wrongly thought to be innocent in this respect.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Super Classico review
The secret is out in the open and Madrid can thank Chelsea and in particular Jose Mourinho for showing light at the end of the tunnel especially after Real's disgraceful performance last week against Getafe. Capello's Madrid did on Sunday night to Barca wht Mourinho's Chelsea did in the champions league clash against the same opponents. The tactics were matched perfectly and Madrid emerged as the worthy winners - but the result hardly did justice to such a quality game.
The game was true to its name Super Classico or Grand classico. Normally, such derbies tend to produce stale affairs due to the expectations of the fans but thankfully this was not case.
It was end to end stuff and more importantly also showed the quality of the next generation - Messi and Robinho put up some brilliant performances.
The game plan used by Madrid was very simple - Do not give time to the Barca players and in particular their attacking players even in the middle of the park. This was amply visible wheneverDinho got the ball he was constantly "heckled" by Raul and Ramos in the left. Similarly, Messi was also constantly pressured by Robinho and Carlos in the right. As a result they were not able to set the tempo and deliver those quality balls to the first third of the field. Madrid shd thank Rijkaard for that first goal- there was absoultely no necessity to replace Rafael Marquez and they paid the price with a poor piece of defending from Thuram. It just meant that Barca had to attack and push their players upfront which inevitably resulted in quick counter-attacks. Robinho, in particular was brilliant in the left side but credit shd also go to Zambrotta for backpedaling and pressuring Robinho throughout the game. It was such a quality battle between Robinho and Zambrotta.
At the other end of the field, a 19 year old was playing one hell of a match. Messi, was such a treat to watch, he embarrased Carlos and then later setup brilliantly Gudjohnsen with a great run down the right. Messi was the only bright spot for Barcelona's attack and he looked the only player capable of creating any goal-scoring opportunities. He has been their best player this season and probably the best right midfielder/forward in La Liga. I just shudder to imagine Messi say 10 years down the line when he should be, as is the case with any athelete, at the peak of his career.
Ronaldinho was again having a forgetful night. Players like Ronaldinho need time on the ball to weave their magic or setup their team-mates so when the opposition quickly closes him down Dinho becomes a different player. Madrid closed in on Dinho and he was almost taken out of the game. Credit should also go to Madrid team as they played very well as a cohesive unit. However, the game would have been different if Messi or Gujohnsen had converted those wonderful opportunities. But, this was one of the nights for Barca where nothing worked right for them- the tactics, attack, defense and luck.
I think this result has thrown the La-Liga wide open. It has provided that vital boost of confidence to the Merenguez. Now Madrid can now look forward to the rest of the season and put some pressure on the reigning La-Liga champions. There was absoultely no question abt the talent in the Real Madrid team it was always the question of confidence, team-work, and tactics. Now, with this win they can kickstart their campaign for the treble glory which is still realistically far far away.
I feel that La-Liga is the most competitive league in the world. Even, technically I guess Serie-A and EPL are far-off from the kind of quality present in La-Liga. A quick glance at the La-Liga table also indicated the kind of competition present in La-Liga. I can think of at least 6 teams (Barca, Athletico Madrid, Real, Valencia, Sevilla, Deportivo La Coruna) currently who are in a good position to win the League. Added to that teams like Villareal and Real Zaragoza are also improving and can catch up with the league leaders with a couple of upset wins.
I think people who believe that EPL is the most competitive league are living in a pipe dream!!!
The game was true to its name Super Classico or Grand classico. Normally, such derbies tend to produce stale affairs due to the expectations of the fans but thankfully this was not case.
It was end to end stuff and more importantly also showed the quality of the next generation - Messi and Robinho put up some brilliant performances.
The game plan used by Madrid was very simple - Do not give time to the Barca players and in particular their attacking players even in the middle of the park. This was amply visible wheneverDinho got the ball he was constantly "heckled" by Raul and Ramos in the left. Similarly, Messi was also constantly pressured by Robinho and Carlos in the right. As a result they were not able to set the tempo and deliver those quality balls to the first third of the field. Madrid shd thank Rijkaard for that first goal- there was absoultely no necessity to replace Rafael Marquez and they paid the price with a poor piece of defending from Thuram. It just meant that Barca had to attack and push their players upfront which inevitably resulted in quick counter-attacks. Robinho, in particular was brilliant in the left side but credit shd also go to Zambrotta for backpedaling and pressuring Robinho throughout the game. It was such a quality battle between Robinho and Zambrotta.
At the other end of the field, a 19 year old was playing one hell of a match. Messi, was such a treat to watch, he embarrased Carlos and then later setup brilliantly Gudjohnsen with a great run down the right. Messi was the only bright spot for Barcelona's attack and he looked the only player capable of creating any goal-scoring opportunities. He has been their best player this season and probably the best right midfielder/forward in La Liga. I just shudder to imagine Messi say 10 years down the line when he should be, as is the case with any athelete, at the peak of his career.
Ronaldinho was again having a forgetful night. Players like Ronaldinho need time on the ball to weave their magic or setup their team-mates so when the opposition quickly closes him down Dinho becomes a different player. Madrid closed in on Dinho and he was almost taken out of the game. Credit should also go to Madrid team as they played very well as a cohesive unit. However, the game would have been different if Messi or Gujohnsen had converted those wonderful opportunities. But, this was one of the nights for Barca where nothing worked right for them- the tactics, attack, defense and luck.
I think this result has thrown the La-Liga wide open. It has provided that vital boost of confidence to the Merenguez. Now Madrid can now look forward to the rest of the season and put some pressure on the reigning La-Liga champions. There was absoultely no question abt the talent in the Real Madrid team it was always the question of confidence, team-work, and tactics. Now, with this win they can kickstart their campaign for the treble glory which is still realistically far far away.
I feel that La-Liga is the most competitive league in the world. Even, technically I guess Serie-A and EPL are far-off from the kind of quality present in La-Liga. A quick glance at the La-Liga table also indicated the kind of competition present in La-Liga. I can think of at least 6 teams (Barca, Athletico Madrid, Real, Valencia, Sevilla, Deportivo La Coruna) currently who are in a good position to win the League. Added to that teams like Villareal and Real Zaragoza are also improving and can catch up with the league leaders with a couple of upset wins.
I think people who believe that EPL is the most competitive league are living in a pipe dream!!!
Saturday, October 21, 2006
The song bird
I am reading the biography of Mane Manuel Garrincha (Garrincha in portugese means song bird) written by Ruy Castro.
What a player and what a messy life he lived.
In the very first game of Mane's career when he was selected to represent Botafogo in the local tourneys Mane nutmegged Nilton Santos a couple of times.
Well, Nilton Santos is one of the best ever Left Back the game has ever seen and nutmegging a defender is probably the most embarrasing experience for him in the pitch.
Its a wonderful book but at times the author exaggerates Mane's achievements. Like the author claims that Garrincha was the best brazillian player in the 1958 WC. Actually it was Didi, the Botafogo team-mate of Mane, who was the best player in that WC. There is also another misconception that it was Pele but Garrincha, Didi, Nilton Santos, and Nilmar were also at least equally gud as Pele in that campaign.
It was amazing to read the kind of preparation that the Brazilian football federation had undertaken. The team to sweden was accompanied by a physchologist (this was needed as in the earlier campaign the players were gripped by fear of loosing when they played the Puskas led hungarian team), dentist (a total of 200 teeths were removed), a spy (to go to the training grounds of opposing teams and get to know abt their tactics), and different specialists in case of health problems. It seems even the hotels were booked abt 6 months in advance after taking into account the warm climate around the WC time and proximity to the training ground. Even the team arrived in sweden very early in order to acclamatize with the new environs.
This scientific approach was actually undertaken by Juan Havalange who was the boss of CBF. Havalange is truly a revolutionary.
What a player and what a messy life he lived.
In the very first game of Mane's career when he was selected to represent Botafogo in the local tourneys Mane nutmegged Nilton Santos a couple of times.
Well, Nilton Santos is one of the best ever Left Back the game has ever seen and nutmegging a defender is probably the most embarrasing experience for him in the pitch.
Its a wonderful book but at times the author exaggerates Mane's achievements. Like the author claims that Garrincha was the best brazillian player in the 1958 WC. Actually it was Didi, the Botafogo team-mate of Mane, who was the best player in that WC. There is also another misconception that it was Pele but Garrincha, Didi, Nilton Santos, and Nilmar were also at least equally gud as Pele in that campaign.
It was amazing to read the kind of preparation that the Brazilian football federation had undertaken. The team to sweden was accompanied by a physchologist (this was needed as in the earlier campaign the players were gripped by fear of loosing when they played the Puskas led hungarian team), dentist (a total of 200 teeths were removed), a spy (to go to the training grounds of opposing teams and get to know abt their tactics), and different specialists in case of health problems. It seems even the hotels were booked abt 6 months in advance after taking into account the warm climate around the WC time and proximity to the training ground. Even the team arrived in sweden very early in order to acclamatize with the new environs.
This scientific approach was actually undertaken by Juan Havalange who was the boss of CBF. Havalange is truly a revolutionary.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Super Footy weekend!!!
This is one hell of a weekend (in fact a great month too with lot of derbies - Boca-River, Milan-Inter, Madrid-Barca) with some quality clashes in La Liga, Serie-A.
There is of course the super classico between Real Madrid and Barcelona at Bernabeu on 23 OCt.
This should be an interesting match.
Madrid are in the process of rebuilding squad and seem to have problems in all departments. The main problem for the Merengues is that they lack creativity in Central Midfield. Guti, I guess, is a temporary replacement for Zizou and would be looking forward to the Jan transfer window to buy Gago (currently with Boca Juniors). Reyes will definitely start and shd trouble the Barca LB - Gio van Bronhorst. It will also be interesting if Capello gives Robinho a start as he has been pheonemenal this season wearing the Selecao shirt and played brilliantly in the recent CL fixture.
Barca, of course, are oozing with confidence and shd definitely go as the favourites for this encounter.
I wouldnt be surprised if Capello decides to play on the counter and allow Barca to dominate the midfield. Sevilla and Chelsea have had decent successes using this system against Barca.
The other games worth mentioning are
Deportivo vs Athletico Madrid.
This shd be an interesting encounter as just 2 points seperate these 2 teams. I guess this is a home game for Depor.
It will be interesting to see whether Javier Aguirre (coach of Athleti) starts with Kun Aguero (18 yr old Argentine wonder-kid)considering that Martin Petrov (the right attacking midfielder) is injured and out for at least 2 months.
I am not a big fan of Athleti as they seem to have a very direct approach-feed the ball in the flanks and somehow get it into the first third of the field. They do not seem to possess a true playmaker.
AC Milan vs Palermo
This match shd be a cracker. Palermo are currently third in Serie-A. They play a very attacking game and unlike other newbies (Palermo got recently promoted) do not sit on a 1-0 lead and play on the break. Palermo has been involved in some cracking high scoring matches this season. Milan, on the other hand, have plenty of problems. In particular, their strikers are woefully out of form. Their defense also seem to be very fragile and Sampdoria were deadly (last weekend) on the counter attack. They also lacked creativity in the midfield in the absence of Pirlo. I thought that Milan were lucky to get a point last weekend. However, Pirlo shd be back for this encounter and will provide those wonderful quality balls to the likes of Kaka etal. They were missing Pirlo badly in the Samp encounter (he got injured).
I guess there is the ManU-Liverpool game (I am not sure as I am not a big fan of EPL) this weekend.
Champions League Round Up
I thought that the Barca-Chelsea encounter was a very boring game. Boulharouz (I hope the spelling is correct) played very well. I just liked the way he defended - closed in on Dinho quickly and did not allow him to cut-inside even in the half-line!!!. It is also worth mentioning the tactics used by Mourinho. Chelsea, actually, did not allow any space in the midfield and were content chasing the ball. They did not defend deep and constantly pressured the Barca midfield. This was very surprising as Chelsea had 2 attacking midfielders (Ballack and Lampard) to create chances but they were content at giving the possession to Barca. In fact, Lampard was helping Ashley Cole in the left midfield!!.
I loved the way Leo got the better of Ashley Cole (one of the best LB's around). The secret in the flanks is always whether the right/left midfielder (or sometimes the winger) will cut inside or run down the flanks and cross. Leo used his low center of gravity to good effect and Cole was caught totally out of position a couple of times.
Chelsea did not defend deep in their own half. Barca, of course, had a very poor game in all departments.
I hope Werder Bremen (a very attacking team) spices up this group!!!
I missed the Arsenal-CSKA Moscow game. I heard that Dudu Cesarense (Brazilian play-maker) had a wonderful game and put in a flawless display.
There is of course the super classico between Real Madrid and Barcelona at Bernabeu on 23 OCt.
This should be an interesting match.
Madrid are in the process of rebuilding squad and seem to have problems in all departments. The main problem for the Merengues is that they lack creativity in Central Midfield. Guti, I guess, is a temporary replacement for Zizou and would be looking forward to the Jan transfer window to buy Gago (currently with Boca Juniors). Reyes will definitely start and shd trouble the Barca LB - Gio van Bronhorst. It will also be interesting if Capello gives Robinho a start as he has been pheonemenal this season wearing the Selecao shirt and played brilliantly in the recent CL fixture.
Barca, of course, are oozing with confidence and shd definitely go as the favourites for this encounter.
I wouldnt be surprised if Capello decides to play on the counter and allow Barca to dominate the midfield. Sevilla and Chelsea have had decent successes using this system against Barca.
The other games worth mentioning are
Deportivo vs Athletico Madrid.
This shd be an interesting encounter as just 2 points seperate these 2 teams. I guess this is a home game for Depor.
It will be interesting to see whether Javier Aguirre (coach of Athleti) starts with Kun Aguero (18 yr old Argentine wonder-kid)considering that Martin Petrov (the right attacking midfielder) is injured and out for at least 2 months.
I am not a big fan of Athleti as they seem to have a very direct approach-feed the ball in the flanks and somehow get it into the first third of the field. They do not seem to possess a true playmaker.
AC Milan vs Palermo
This match shd be a cracker. Palermo are currently third in Serie-A. They play a very attacking game and unlike other newbies (Palermo got recently promoted) do not sit on a 1-0 lead and play on the break. Palermo has been involved in some cracking high scoring matches this season. Milan, on the other hand, have plenty of problems. In particular, their strikers are woefully out of form. Their defense also seem to be very fragile and Sampdoria were deadly (last weekend) on the counter attack. They also lacked creativity in the midfield in the absence of Pirlo. I thought that Milan were lucky to get a point last weekend. However, Pirlo shd be back for this encounter and will provide those wonderful quality balls to the likes of Kaka etal. They were missing Pirlo badly in the Samp encounter (he got injured).
I guess there is the ManU-Liverpool game (I am not sure as I am not a big fan of EPL) this weekend.
Champions League Round Up
I thought that the Barca-Chelsea encounter was a very boring game. Boulharouz (I hope the spelling is correct) played very well. I just liked the way he defended - closed in on Dinho quickly and did not allow him to cut-inside even in the half-line!!!. It is also worth mentioning the tactics used by Mourinho. Chelsea, actually, did not allow any space in the midfield and were content chasing the ball. They did not defend deep and constantly pressured the Barca midfield. This was very surprising as Chelsea had 2 attacking midfielders (Ballack and Lampard) to create chances but they were content at giving the possession to Barca. In fact, Lampard was helping Ashley Cole in the left midfield!!.
I loved the way Leo got the better of Ashley Cole (one of the best LB's around). The secret in the flanks is always whether the right/left midfielder (or sometimes the winger) will cut inside or run down the flanks and cross. Leo used his low center of gravity to good effect and Cole was caught totally out of position a couple of times.
Chelsea did not defend deep in their own half. Barca, of course, had a very poor game in all departments.
I hope Werder Bremen (a very attacking team) spices up this group!!!
I missed the Arsenal-CSKA Moscow game. I heard that Dudu Cesarense (Brazilian play-maker) had a wonderful game and put in a flawless display.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Indian "Football"
I have encountered some interesting and unique "Indian Football" terms - feel free to add more. Well for more you can watch the Santhosh Trophy.
Stopper Back
Super Back
Wing Half
Quarter Back
Center Half
Minus Pass
Miss pass - I never knew that a misdirected ball actually counted as a pass - Bravo Zee commentators!!!
Iam sure contemporary coaches like Mourinho, Capello, Lippi, Rijkaard will be totally stunned by these terms
The icing on the cake has gotta go to the new definition given by these pundits to Total Football. It was actually started by the magnificient River Plate team of the 1940's, carried over by the De Stefano ledMadrid team of the late 50's and made famous by the Rinus Michels managed Dutch team of the 70's.
The total football according to the bandwagon of experts in the Zee thrash-box is when
1. The defender is playing up-front and involved in the attack. However, they conveniently forget that the defender is actually out of position and there is no cover in case of a counter-attack or play in the break.
2. The full-backs when they overlap. Again this is a basic feature in any team - all the Intl teams (at least those that played in this WC) use the full-backs for the additional width in the attack. This necessarily doesnt indicate that the team is playing Total football(I dont want to use that dreaded term).
3. When a team feels the need to hold onto possession - they normally drop deep and pass it back to the goal keeper. This, according to the Zee TV pundits, is again Total football as the GK is functioning as a Central Defender.
All I can say is - Rest in Peace Rinus Michels!!!
PS: I have often wondered why people keep asking what is wrong with Indian football.
I think we shd start positively and ask the question - What is right with Indian Football?
Stopper Back
Super Back
Wing Half
Quarter Back
Center Half
Minus Pass
Miss pass - I never knew that a misdirected ball actually counted as a pass - Bravo Zee commentators!!!
Iam sure contemporary coaches like Mourinho, Capello, Lippi, Rijkaard will be totally stunned by these terms
The icing on the cake has gotta go to the new definition given by these pundits to Total Football. It was actually started by the magnificient River Plate team of the 1940's, carried over by the De Stefano ledMadrid team of the late 50's and made famous by the Rinus Michels managed Dutch team of the 70's.
The total football according to the bandwagon of experts in the Zee thrash-box is when
1. The defender is playing up-front and involved in the attack. However, they conveniently forget that the defender is actually out of position and there is no cover in case of a counter-attack or play in the break.
2. The full-backs when they overlap. Again this is a basic feature in any team - all the Intl teams (at least those that played in this WC) use the full-backs for the additional width in the attack. This necessarily doesnt indicate that the team is playing Total football(I dont want to use that dreaded term).
3. When a team feels the need to hold onto possession - they normally drop deep and pass it back to the goal keeper. This, according to the Zee TV pundits, is again Total football as the GK is functioning as a Central Defender.
All I can say is - Rest in Peace Rinus Michels!!!
PS: I have often wondered why people keep asking what is wrong with Indian football.
I think we shd start positively and ask the question - What is right with Indian Football?
What a goal!!!
Just watch this magnificient strike by Dejan Stankovic.
I think this was the game against Chievo at San Siro(I am not sure but Inter won it 4-3 after leading 4-0 for 75 minutes!!!)
.
In order to understand the skill required to score this goal. Visualise the following as it happened in real time.
The ball arrives at the feet of Dejan from a pass by Olivier Dacourt I guess. He is just outside the penalty area (the right side) but at the edge of it. So, naturally the angle is acute and given that Dejan is a right-footed player (mainly uses it to unleash these ferocious shots) he can only go to the near-post. The goalkeeper does actually well to cover the near post. But Dejan hits with the outside of his right foot to the far-post. The ball curls into the far corner of the post. The skill lies in placing it to the far corner of the post with the curl using the right-foot. It would have actually been relatively easier for say a left footed player to score this goal. But Dejan is special!!!
There is absouletly no chance for the GK to stop it.
This also shows how deadly it can be when a player is given space near the penalty area. Especially players like Dejan, another player who actually strikes brilliantly from outside the penalty area is Kaka.
I just love the way Dejan plays - he is too gud and has a terrific passion for the game. Its just a shame that he cud not use his talent to great effect.
I think this was the game against Chievo at San Siro(I am not sure but Inter won it 4-3 after leading 4-0 for 75 minutes!!!)
.
In order to understand the skill required to score this goal. Visualise the following as it happened in real time.
The ball arrives at the feet of Dejan from a pass by Olivier Dacourt I guess. He is just outside the penalty area (the right side) but at the edge of it. So, naturally the angle is acute and given that Dejan is a right-footed player (mainly uses it to unleash these ferocious shots) he can only go to the near-post. The goalkeeper does actually well to cover the near post. But Dejan hits with the outside of his right foot to the far-post. The ball curls into the far corner of the post. The skill lies in placing it to the far corner of the post with the curl using the right-foot. It would have actually been relatively easier for say a left footed player to score this goal. But Dejan is special!!!
There is absouletly no chance for the GK to stop it.
This also shows how deadly it can be when a player is given space near the penalty area. Especially players like Dejan, another player who actually strikes brilliantly from outside the penalty area is Kaka.
I just love the way Dejan plays - he is too gud and has a terrific passion for the game. Its just a shame that he cud not use his talent to great effect.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Whats wrong with Tevez?
The former cornithan and boca star has failed to live up to the hype generated byhis surpise move across the atlantic to the Hammers. In a lot of board rooms (esp the BBC chat rooms) people have understandably started questioning his talent, commitment etc.. Whts has happened to the former boca cornithan star?.
I present here my two cents on the problems faced by tevez and pardew.
The game of football is so dynamic and diverse. Though the rules are same whether it is played in Argentina or England the way the game is viewed and played is different. Football in latin countries is more a sublime art with a high emphasis on ball control, skill, vision. In contrast, europe (not all euro but eng, germany are gud examples) gives importance to the physical aspect of the game - long passes into vacant spaces, strength in air etc. Most of the EPL teams, note not all, emphasize on using the width of the pitch to feed their forwards. Usually, the long balls are played from the deep positions and the job of the striker to latch on to these and cut into the penalty area. So a striker in EPL will mostly need a good physique and tremendous acceleration (Henry is a fine example) to be successful. In contrast, a latin american team will mostly try to play from the center of the park (with occasional use of width) using some nice short-passes, 1-2's or triangles and create space using skill and off-the-ball-movement. So a latin american player almost always likes to get the ball at his feet.
while these differences might seem trivial, these can make or break a footballers career.
So it is very important for a manager to understand his players strength.
Alan Pardew, the manager of hammers, has indicated quite frankly that he does not have any idea abt the argentine duo. In the 5+ games that Carlitos has played for the hammers he has failed to make any impact. Firstly, tevez is being made to play in a slightly wider (left side) position or in a deeper position (center of the park). However, tevez has made a name (in argentine NT, boca, cornithans) by playing very close to the penalty area. Usually a quality ball arrives at his feet near the edge of the penalty box and he uses his skill/vision (his feint/nutmeg being very famous) to create goal scoring opportunities for his team. But, Hammers do not seem to have players (so called play-makers) to deliver such quality balls, instead they rely more on width to create chances. Hammers, in fact, use tevez and carlton cole (the other striker) to attack through the flanks. This renders tevez ineffective.
I guess pardew will have to push tevez closer to the penalty box and
ensure that quality passes arrive at the feet of tevez in order to make use of his talent. I think the hammers fans need to be more patient with their team and coach to get the best out of a very talented player.
I present here my two cents on the problems faced by tevez and pardew.
The game of football is so dynamic and diverse. Though the rules are same whether it is played in Argentina or England the way the game is viewed and played is different. Football in latin countries is more a sublime art with a high emphasis on ball control, skill, vision. In contrast, europe (not all euro but eng, germany are gud examples) gives importance to the physical aspect of the game - long passes into vacant spaces, strength in air etc. Most of the EPL teams, note not all, emphasize on using the width of the pitch to feed their forwards. Usually, the long balls are played from the deep positions and the job of the striker to latch on to these and cut into the penalty area. So a striker in EPL will mostly need a good physique and tremendous acceleration (Henry is a fine example) to be successful. In contrast, a latin american team will mostly try to play from the center of the park (with occasional use of width) using some nice short-passes, 1-2's or triangles and create space using skill and off-the-ball-movement. So a latin american player almost always likes to get the ball at his feet.
while these differences might seem trivial, these can make or break a footballers career.
So it is very important for a manager to understand his players strength.
Alan Pardew, the manager of hammers, has indicated quite frankly that he does not have any idea abt the argentine duo. In the 5+ games that Carlitos has played for the hammers he has failed to make any impact. Firstly, tevez is being made to play in a slightly wider (left side) position or in a deeper position (center of the park). However, tevez has made a name (in argentine NT, boca, cornithans) by playing very close to the penalty area. Usually a quality ball arrives at his feet near the edge of the penalty box and he uses his skill/vision (his feint/nutmeg being very famous) to create goal scoring opportunities for his team. But, Hammers do not seem to have players (so called play-makers) to deliver such quality balls, instead they rely more on width to create chances. Hammers, in fact, use tevez and carlton cole (the other striker) to attack through the flanks. This renders tevez ineffective.
I guess pardew will have to push tevez closer to the penalty box and
ensure that quality passes arrive at the feet of tevez in order to make use of his talent. I think the hammers fans need to be more patient with their team and coach to get the best out of a very talented player.
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