Soccer Rulz

The Copa Nuestra

2007-07-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

So the Copa America is underway and some good and not so good signs for the Argentina :-)

Just comparing the team from the world cup 2006 to this one gives a very good indication of the progress Argentina has made over the last 1 year. The world cup marketed the passing-game of the team primarily due to that Cambiasso goal. In fact, Argentina have been one of the most attractive side in the last decade or so. The current coach has decided, from the looks of it, to take it to a different level altogether. Argentina are playing with 2 (or 3??) play-makers in the XI - and with Riquelme in the side it makes it tougher as Roman likes to be the midfield boss channelling those quality passes from the centre. Veron reminds me more of a Pirlo - a deep-lying play-maker. The team also has plenty of quality in the bench as well. Basile, the Argentine NT coach, can additionally rely on the likes on Pablo Aimar, Luis Lucho Gonzalez and the classy Fernando Gago. Additionally, Messi has done a decent job in that position given the limited opportunities presented to Lionel. The options for Basile are plenty- I feel that midfield is a bit slow mainly due to the lethargy :-) of Riquelme and Veron. Argentina would do well to put some pace into their midfield by for example moving Messi a bit wider to the right or starting with Aimar- who does run around a lot. Basile would also do well to plan for the future instead of solely focussing on this tournament. A midfield combo of Messi (as #10), Gago and Mascherano would be mouth-watering. Anyway, Basile does have options and one can be rest assured that the team will play continue playing that nice one-touch football at least for some more time.

One wonders the reason behind starting with Messi especially given that Messi is playing just behind the striker. Its a role tailor-made for Saviola or even Carlos Tevez. Saviola would be an ideal foil to Crespo (oops he is out of the tournament) or Milito and with his fantastic off-the-ball movement he does open up space in the most decisive area of the field. Anyway, my guess is that Basile being a huge fan of Messi (anybody who loves football is a fan of Little Lionel :-), cant fault Basile on that) would like to see Messi play in the field for the entire game.

An honorable mention needs to be made of the star of this Argentine side- Javier Monsterano (intentionally). Which planet is he from?? A true monster who has shielded the defense brilliantly and has shown amazing maturity and composure (he is just 23) and even has started playing a role in the attack. I personally do feel that the way Mascherano reads the game he should be able to contribute a lot more in the attack. I think that is one aspect of his game that needs a lot of improvement.

The defense has been sloppy and the Milito-Ayala combination has been poor. A roster of Ayala-Milito-Heinze-Zanetti should give nightmares to the oppostion attack- on the contrary its only giving nightmares to Mascherano, Cambiasso and Basile.
I am a bit skeptical about Milito and Heinze. Both these players do posses some amazing mental strength and in the case of Milito some great anticipation as well. However, do they have the arial command demanded from a Central Defender is the real question.

The lesser said about the Goal keeper the better-I guess its time to give a starting position to either of Leo Franco, Ustari or Carrizo (that Riverplate keeper)
.

The big question is will all this attractive and positive game of the team bring the trophies - time will only tell.

End of the season

2007-06-12T09:56:00.000-07:00

The european club season has come to end (by the end of this week). Some of my views on the season. Feel free to comment.

Players of the Season

Ricardo Kaka:

No guessing why he is the player of the season. Kaka guided AC-Milan to victory and was decisive in every knock-out game of the Champions League. Additionally, with all the strikers of Milan hitting a dry patch the burden fell on the shoulders of Ricky. He was outstanding in Europe without doubt- one of the best performances by a player in CL over the last 10 years.

Cristiano Ronaldo:

At the beginning of the season too much dirt was thrown on this player and a lot was really really cheap. Cristiano was one of the outstanding players in the world cup and carried over the WC form into the Premiership. But, ironically the english press treated him as an outcast and everyone were asking when would he move out of EPL. Thankfully Alex Fergusson had some sense and the results are obvious to everyone. He has been consistent with his performance. To me CR7 is a complete player - very fast when given space, strong in air, and with some good shooting skills. He will have to curb a bit of his skill-bragging instincts to be even more effective.

Ruud Van Nistelrooy:

If Madrid manage to win the League half of the trophy should be given to RvN and the rest to Capello :-). A machine in front of opposition goal post and the only reason Madrid are battling for the league than relegation :-). If he had been a bit more cold in his finish in the CL game against Bayern Munich I guess Madrid would have progressed to the next round.

Honorable Mentions:

Francesco Totti (the top scorer in Serie-A), Didier Drogba (scored crucial goals for Chelsea), Diego (a class act and a fantastic player to watch out for ) Lionel Messi (phenomenal in the latter part of the season), Dejan Stankovic (the machine behind Inters spectacular season). A very very special mention to Rino Gattusso as well - warrior in the field, ready to fight for his team till the very end, his attitude was really refreshing and I put him in the list just bcoz of his attitude.

Team of the Season

Again I am spoilt for choice. Its a toss-up between the Italian serie-A champions and EPL champions. I guess I would for Manchester United. Not only did they halt Chelsea in the EPL but they did so in style. Manchester United played some scintillating football enroute their glorious season. Definitely, a force to reckon with in the next few years considering that the core of the side is young and with some smart additions this summer.

A very special mention to the Nerazzuris as well. Inter-Milan have been, in all honesty, phenomenal this season. They destroyed the European champions in the local derby and did break lots of records as well. I guess they should have done better in the Champions League, probably a better planning, and should have come trumps up against Valencia.

Manager of the Season

Again I am spoilt for choice. I feel its a toss up between Rafa Benitez and Fabio Capello. Rafa Benitez would win the vote for me. He orchestrated the victory against Barcelona in the CL and also out-thought the special one (Mourinho ) in the CL semi finals. Capello deserves a mention because of the way the Madrid press, management, supporters treated him - it was shocking to say the least. He could have thrown in the towel and gone back to Italy. Afterall, he just stands to gain a League title - yet another addition to overfilled cupboard of trophies. Capello has managed to instill team-spirit within Real and that explains the success of the team in the last few months.

Howler of the Season

There is no competition - Victor Valdez, the goal keeper of Barcelona, wins this without a shade of doubt. The performance of Valdez in the CL game against Liverpool was exemplary and ensured that Liverpool won the tie convincingly courtesy Valdez as a forward.
Well, there are plenty more as well. Ivan Helguera of Real Madrid, Dida of AC Milan.

Flop of the Season

He is player I have really loved during his time in Italy. A natural striker and deadly when given space, additionally he is also very good in air. I am surprised at the reason why he hasnt lighted up EPL this season. It just hurts to say that he has been a failure this season. I am not going to name the player - take your guess.

The Javier Effect

2007-05-25T10:59:00.000-07:00

"Even in the second-half I felt we were really close but we were still losing, so I brought on Peter Crouch for Javier Mascherano.'It allowed us to take more risks in attack but then we lost control of the midfield." - Rafael Benitez

This sums up the contribution that Mascherano made in the CL finals. He was undoubtedly the best player for Liverpool subduing Ricardo Kaka, currently the best player in the world, and even thwarting Pirlo from making those telling passes. Mascherano was phenomenal in that game, I just enjoyed watching that little monster play :-). I have been a vociferous supporter of Mascherano (I have to admit he is one of my favourite players in the world) for the last 2 years and I guess prior to the time he joined Liverpool many-a-people would have really wondered wht-on-earth is this guy telling ??- If Mas is that good why isnt he playing in Europe...etc...I guess all those queries have been answered about his quality with his performance in the CL games. To me it was personally very gratifying to see Mascherano deliver that performance at the highest level. It was as clear as daylight that Kaka and Pirlo were finding more space after Mascherano was substituted which actually resulted in that second goal. One knows he is not just an ordinary talent when at the age 22, he is already being touted as the next captain of the Argentine National Team and has won an astounding 22 caps for the NT. Lets also not forget the fact that he made his national team debut even before he was given the first cap for his beloved River-plate at the age of 18. I still remember the first time I saw him play for Argentina against Brazil at the Monumental Stadium where he shielded the defense brilliantly from the likes of Ronaldinho etal. To me he was the Man of the Match in that game without a doubt. He had a good world cup 2006 also where his job was to essentially cover for the short-comings of the magnificant Juan Pablo Sorin and thwart any counter-attack, needless to say he did it brilliantly.

The good part about Mascherano´s game is that he doesnt resort to a physical game rather relies on anticipation, positioning and reading of the game. Mascherano reminds me of Cannavaro, who has similar traits though they play at entirely different positions. Additionally, his passing is also pretty decent, he can start a few good moves as well, he will have to work on that part of his game. It would also be very interesting to see the way Mascherano adapts playing against players with low centre of gravity. Players like Messi, Tevez who rely on the opponents to commit - a strength of Mascherano´s game. I, for one, know who would come trumps in that case :-).

Check this video of Mascherano against Arsenal. Amazing :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-7q8sbiYxs

The Champions League

2007-04-24T11:02:00.000-07:00

Lets get few facts out first. The FIFA world cup currently is a no-match, in terms of quality, to the champions league. The growth of the champions league has been a recent phenomenon. With the arrival of players from the Americas/africas to europe, the champions league is a global platform for the players to showcase their true class. The globalization of the game has actually happened only over the last 2 decades. A quick glance at the Brazilian NT or the Argentine NT will suggest the same -almost all players are based in Europe. Note that this was not common say abt 12 years back when these teams were dominated by home-based¨players. The growth of the club-culture is a win-win scenario for the players and clubs. The player gets the money (a measly earning of 50,0000 euros a week ), a professional atmosphere and an international audience while the clubs benefit by winning titles and drawing a lot more fans. Its clearly a win-win situation for the clubs and the players. However, all this has meant that international football (hmm when a player plays for his country) takes a firm back-seat. Note the time the World cup is scheduled - at the end of the season. A lot has been made of the fact that players are too tired after a stressful season with the club. While it is largely true, cant the governing body move the WC at the beginning of the season?, pushing the tournament by 2 months from its current schedule. Wouldnt this ensure that players are fresh for the WC and given adequate rest before the tournament begins. The fact is such a schedule would be detrimental to the clubs as it would screw up 2 seasons. The bottom line is that the clubs are ruling the game.

Of course the game has benefited immensely from the globalization of the champions league. The champions league is an arena where the players can display their talents. The quality of the games are really of the highest standard. Additionally, with the increasing revenues of these clubs, they can buy the best and pay them handsomely as well. Hence, a team like chelsea, a team which was nowhere in the elite of europe as late as 2002, is currently the best team in Europe (its a very open question whether they play attractive football nevertheless they are effective). With the financial muscle of Roman Abrahamovich the Chelsea FC team can afford the likes of John Terry, Ashley Cole, Carvalho, (some of the better defenders in the world), Petr Cech, Michel Essien, Andriy Shevchenko (winner of theBallon Dor), Michel Ballack (unlucky not to win the B Dor in 2002). Of course other teams have also followed suite. All this means that only a few selected clubs dominate and will continue to dominate in Europe. The european glory days for teams like Red Star Belgrade or even teams like Ajax look realistically a distant dream. Is this doing any good for the game?. The positives are very obvious-watching a game between Barcelona and Chelsea or Real Madrid and AC Milan is almost like watching a world cup. However, this also means that the pressure on players is immense- one bad season and the knives will be out for the axing of the player (the talk about Ronaldinho can all be attributed to an ordinary season by his standards). Further, the stakes involved in some of these games are really really huge. Once a team enters the CL semi-finals or thereabouts then it just means that the team will have to focus on multiple dimensions - the league title (which are becoming extremely competitive) plus glory in Europe. It can be a glorious treble as in the case of ManU in 1999 or it can be a close photo-finish second as in the case of Milan in 2005 (lost the CL to Liverpool and then lost the Scudetto to Juventus in the last week). The margin for error is indeed very small. It is hence no surprise that not a single club over the last 16 years has been able to defend its CL medal the next season. Realistically speaking, Frank Rijkaard and Fabio Capello would not have been disappointed by the exit of their respective teams from CL as it would enable them to concentrate just on the La-Liga - a safer and more secure option.

to be contd...

Messidona ?

2007-04-19T08:48:00.000-07:00

The footballing world is all talking about the fantastic goal scored by Lionel Messi against Getafe (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0WpDO1PBSg). Pundits have gone aboard and even declared it even better than the famous El Diego goal. Leo´s team-mates have also been quick to claim that it is one of the best they have seen.
Of course there is no doubt about the quality of that goal. Firstly, Getafe are no ordinary teams. With Schuster in charge they have the best organized defense in La-Liga. Even a quick glance at the goal would suggest the same. Messi was surrounded by about 4 to 5 players when close to the P-Box. The pace and more importantly accelaration of Lionel really ensured that he left about 4 (or is it 5?) defenders literally dead in the field. To me the finish was brilliant, the opposition defender had nicely closed in on the near-post. Leo decided to go to the far post with his unfancied right foot. The composure shown at that point is really incredible, considering that Lionel is just 19 years of age. Messi has had a good come-back since returning from injury. A hat.trick against Real Madrid and a couple of impressive displays have really capped a good latter part of the season.

The goal scored by Messi might very well be better than Maradona´s stunner at the Aztec stadium. But then, it is worth noting that Maradona´s goal was scored in a World cup quarterfinal and that too in a very tensed and heated game. Of course, Maradona went on to repeat the same (or nearly the same) against Belgium and Germany (The Burruchaga winner where Maradona provided the crucial assist). After all, Maradona is not just remembered for the goal he scored but for the innumerable titles he won. The World cup victory in 1986 is even more remarkable considering that Argentina almost failed to qualify for the 1986 WC, and the team that won it was not the most distinguished WC winning teams(in terms of talent). As Jorge Valdano (a striker in that Argentine team) put it very exaggeratingly that the rest of the players used fetch the ball and give it to Diego, and that was their only job in that WC. Then of course, there is the love-hate relation Diego had with Napoli in Italy. It was really a gamble by Diego to move to Napoli, a club with very little pedigree in Serie-A. But then his success at Napoli was really the icing on the cake. He took a small town club to the elite of Europe- incredible indeed. Maradona was more than just a player with infinite talent. Luis Cesar Menotti (the manager of the WC winning Argentine team in 1978 and the WYC winning team in 1979) observed that he has never seen a player who works on his game as hard as Maradona in the field, coming from first-hand experience just shows that Maradona was more than just talent. The work-rate that Maradona possessed was also incredible. When the team did not have possession of the ball, he would chase (like a Gattusso )and help the defense and do the dirty work and of course inspire the team at crucial moments. The confidence that Diego provided to the team was really amazing. It is actually this (the confidence) that a team like Argentina has lacked in the last 4 WC campaigns. Hence, this obsession with the next Maradona and all that. There have been players with Maradona´s abilities (or close to his abilities) but they have somehow faded at crucial moments in big games.

This season has really shown the talent in the impish boy-wonder (Lionel Messi) that has been obvious since the World Youth Cup days . Of course, he did play a more than a dominant part in the World Youth Cup victory of Argentina in 2005. But international football is a difficult test altogether as compared to Youth football. (As Pekerman rightly puts, the main purpose of youth teams is to serve as a constant source of talent for the national side.) The pressure and expectation from the fans could very well work in a negative direction as has been the case with a lot of players. With each little progress that Messi takes more comparisons would be drawn with great players which would also translate into more pressure to perform and more crucially ensure victory for his side. Additionally, with increased teams in the league and the competition the physical fitness and the consistency of a player is really tested. Something, which has not been existing in Maradona and Pele eras.
However, the evidence presented so far has been very encouraging and Messi seems to be very positive and confident on the pitch, time will only tell if Messi will continue on the good work and be remembered with the likes of his illustrous predecessors like Maradona and Di-Stefanio.

El Enganche

2007-01-02T11:10:00.000-08:00

You might be wondering the strange title of this post. It is a word very commonly used in Argentina and it means the link or in pure football terms it is the link between the defense and the attack who is the creative play-maker in the side. To me the creative deep-lying play-makeris the backbone of any football team. He will be rarely visible in the finish or even in the goal-assist so it is very tough to see his contribution. But there is little doubt the value a play-maker brings to the side. It is a tragedy that such kind of players are very rare in modern football. The likes of Riquelme, Veron, Zizou, Diego, Pirlo, David Pizarro etal. The reason Why I am big fan (or is it fanatic) of the Argentine NT is the importance given to passing and movement and the crucial role of the play-maker. (Riquelme wore the "sacred" Number-10 shirt in this world cup)

Football is a very creative game. It is, according to the legendary Argentine manager Luis Cesar Menotti, a game of space. The ball needs to be moved around the pitch in-order to create that vital space in the penalty-box. So the play needs to be mixed with use of width from the attacking full-backs/wingers and runs thru the centre of the pitch. This is a very crucial decision and it normally rests on the enganche. The playmaker, being at the centre of the pitch, can quickly decide the defenders who are slightly out-of-position and start the move accordingly. In modern football with a back-4 and the 2 defensive mid-fielders there is very little space especially in the final-third of the pitch. The play needs to be mixed and the defense needs to be stretched and this is exactly the job of a play-maker. So a team like Argentina relies on plenty of possession of the ball with some wonderful movement off-the-ball. Whenever an Argentine player has the ball just note the number of players who run into positions of space around him. This gives the player plenty of options say to play a quick 1-2 or to play in some neat-triangles. However, a team will be one-dimensional if it just keeps constantly pressing for the final kill. The game of possession can also be a game of patience. The now famous 24 pass (or is it 25 ?)goal by Cambiasso against S&M is a good example. The ball was being played around by the likes of Mascherano, Heinze, Ayala, Sorin and of course Riquelme without any great intention of going for a goal and then I guess it was Riquelme who decided to move the ball faster. It was actually testing the patience of the opposition players and with plenty of movement resulted in acres of space for Crespo and Cambiasso to play that wonderful 1-2 which culminated in that goal. In short, Argentina scored that goal with plenty of variation in the tempo of the game, neat passing and some great movement. Hence a play-maker is more of a player who reads the game and takes those crucial decision. He might not be flashy but he is very crucial in the team.

If the Argentina-Serbia game was a benchmark for the game of possession then the q/f between Argentina and Germany, to me, at least typically summarized the world cup. Here was a team (Argentina) that had a solid defense, a good midfield and clinical finishers of the likes of Saviola and Crespo. Additionally Argentina, if iam not mistaken, had a mammoth 66% possession in the first-half. Normally one would expect Argentina to tear the opposition to shreds with that kind of possession and that quality in the pitch (and probably more quality in the bench!!!). But the team took a very cautious approach (partly due to the stakes involved and also I guess due to Pekerman's nerves) and played the ball mostly in the middle of the park. This did not threaten the German defense who were happy chasing the ball. Klinsmann did his homework well by closing down on Riquelme with Torsten Frings. This in-effect took the creative spark out of Argentina's attack (further aggravated by a bit-of-a blind eye refereeing in favour of the hosts). Once a playmaker, and in this case Riquleme, is closed on quickly then he tries to shield and protect the ball instead of trying some creative options. This is even easier when a team plays a 4-5-1 formation. The 5 midfielders are mainly used to cut space, win the ball and hence choke any creative spark left in the opposition. This in effect means that the game can very well turn into a stale and boring affair with neither teama prepared to take the initiative (to me the Argentina-Germany match was more a test of patience of the spectator). Additionally, the lone striker up-front is usually used in a quick counter-attack thru the flanks once the possession is regained. This was a system used by France in WC-06 and also by Arsenal in UCL 05-06. It is indeed shocking to see "flair" teams like France and Arsenal using this "boring" formation to good effect. The success of Greece in EURO-04 was a start of the cautious approach and the WC also roughly proved the same. For the record, Chelsea which is one of the best clubs in Europe (yeah I hate to admit it) plays in this way . The game is actually won by the team which makes lesser mistakes.
These are danger signs and FIFA should do well to take note of it and probably think of changes in rules to encourage more open play . Otherwise the days of the Enganche are numbered.

Ten sports "Analyst"

2006-12-08T02:23:00.000-08:00

The most tortuous part in watching the Champions League on Ten Sports are the analysts. In particular, that Bald person (I dont know his name). Last year, at least the sky sports analysts were better and generally refrained from commenting in a derogatory way on certain Leagues. This year, However, it has been different.

Firstly, the Italian sides are viewed with contempt largely due to the scandal that has broken out in Serie-A. Those analysts (in particular that Bald bastard) would do well to go and do an internet search on Calciopoli- the Italian word for the Serie -A scandal. In fact, it is quite evident that the players have not been implicated. The referee fixing was in-fact done by the likes of Luciano Moggi, Adriano Galliani etal .. (they occupy position similar to a Peter Kenyon in Chelsea). So it is totally wrong to put the blame on the players. The world cup , in fact, proved the same. The players who shined in the world cup were- Fabio Cannavarro, Gigi Buffon, Andrea Pirlo, Zambrotta, Lilian Thuram, Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, Patrick Viera. All these players in fact have played for Juventus - the club that has become the face of the scandal. The quality of these teams was never in-doubt. So it is totally wrong to brand a team like AC-Milan, the top-ranked club in Europe currently according to UEFA, as cheats (this was the exact word used by that Bald person). Serie-A currently might not be in the elite league of Europe, with the sale of top players due to the scandal and additionally empty stadiums with the average attendance for a Serie-A game dropping to 11,000. However, it is the league that has given football lovers the best of Maradona, Platini, Zidane, Zico, Lothar Matheus, Jurgen Klinsmann, Ruudi Voeller, Kaarl Heinz Ruminegge, Tony Cerezo, Falcao, Marco Van-Basten, Zvonmir Boban, Dejan Savisevic, Ruud Gullit, George Weah, Gabriel Batistuta, Javier Zanetti, Marcos Cafu, Laurent Blanc, Marcel Desailly, Lilian Thuram, Manuel Rui Costa, Pavel Nedved, Hernan Crespo not to mention the scores of Italian players and some of the best managers in the world like Marcelo Lippi, Fabio Capello, Arrigo Sacchi, Giovanni Trappatonni. Also, the successful Les Blues team of 1998 WC managed by Aime Jacquet was built with a distinct Italian flavor of balance (something u can see in the Madrid team currently with 2 DM's), a fact Jacquet himself tells openly. A healthier respect can be shown to a league than actually branding it a league of cheats.

Secondly, I was shocked when the Ten-sports analysts told that Internazionale (or Inter as it is called) do not have the quality to win a Champions League. They were telling that Inter can at-best enter the CL semi-finals. What can u say of a team that boasts of the quality of Recoba (this Uruguayan gem has the ability of a Ronaldinho but the consistency of an Agarkar), Figo, Solari, Cambiasso (one of the most consistent midfielders in Serie-A), Samuel, and either of Adriano/Crespo/Ibra, on the bench. There has actually never been any doubt about the quality of Inter, it has always been their lack of consistency that has been the problem. Inter have probably the most talented team at-least among the european clubs. Hopefully, they can show a lot more consistency.

The icing on the cake has got to go to the comment of that Bald person. He suggested that Ludvicic Guily is abetter player than Little Lionel and so should play in the starting XI of Barca. I am at loss of words to respond to this.

El Fenomeno

2006-12-05T07:42:00.000-08:00

This weekend saw the return of one of the greatest striker of all time. There may not be better sights in current football than Ronaldo in the box. The great man might be in the news for all the wrong reasons like his weight problems and his bust-up with Don-Fabio. But, there are no peers when it comes to a more effective and technically complete Number-9 than Luis Ronaldo. His goal against Bilbao might not even figure in the top-10 goals of the month in La-Liga but it does definitely showcase the ability of The Fenomenon, even when he is going through a lean patch. The goal as it occured in real time involved -An excellent and a well-anticipated diagonal run timed perfectly and then the brilliant first touch and that too on the move which was accompanied by a great positional sense in front of the goal and then the trademark finish. To me wht really seperates R9 from his peers is his finish- head straight, the body in perfect position, and a wonderful awareness of the goal and then a calm roll of the ball to the net.

We are seeing a different R9- a fatter, less mobile R9 in comparison to the skinnier and athletic player of the mid to late 90's. The last couple of years have been a period of transition for R9. He may never be able to play and score goals like he did for PSV in the Ervedivise and later for Barca in La Liga (check out this goal he scored- true to his name) but the finish and the technique will never betray him (A 80 year old R9 will finish better than Crouch at his prime!! ). Early on his career, with a perfectly fit body the world of football was under the feet of R9. But, times has changed and probably R9 has been a bit slow to adapt and realize his limitation i.e., his weary and rugged body. My main concern with R9 over the last year or so has been the lack of mobility- I dont remember even a single diagonal run of R9 or a dummy run in the entire WC. Also, when the game was not going in favour of Brazil esp against France one would normally expect the strikers to drop deep and try to create magic. This strangely did not happen and watching Brazil play in the WC was like watching a still image. (All the attacking players of Brazil were silent and static spectators to a Zidane-act.).

I guess R9 has realized this (his lack of mobility) and has worked hard on his fitness and was very active with some wonderful movement in the game against Bilbao. R9 did put a very strong display (and to me he was the MOTM against Bilbao) but there are more sterner tests for Madrid and R9 than a relegation threatened team with one of the most porous defense in La-Liga. R9 will have to fight for a starting XI in Madrid esp considering the form of RvN and Raul, though the latter has been playing more as an attacking midfielder than a striker. The coach will have to show a lot of confidence in R9 and give him more starting XI place, a pre-requisite for any striker. Capello knows it all too well- he was the manager of AC-Milan when the legendary Dutch striker Van-Basten was at his peak and later was injured badly. If Capello does show enough confidence then we might very well be witness to a new R9- The phenomenon who took Belo Horizonte by storm just at a young age might very well light up and indeed prove true to his name as the real phenomenon.

PS: I hope to write a post which does not have pheonomenon in the title!!!!

The River Phenomenon

2006-11-21T23:58:00.000-08:00

The latest of the South American star to make news on a possible switch to Real Madrid is Gonzalo Higuain. He is just 18 years of age and additionally put in a memorable display against Boca Juniors at the Estudieo Monumental (the famous horse shoe shaped home ground of River Plate) abt a month back. Co-incidentally he also has a French and Argentine passport and he has not yet decided on the international jersey he is going to wear. To be honest, I have only watched a few video clips of this player and hence I am not in a position to comment on his abilities. However, I do feel that Higuain is being hyped up by the media and fans and I do feel that Higuain will be better-off if he can delay the atlantic trip by atleast 1 year. I do however feel that Higuain's performance is being given excessive media coverage in order to facilitate his transfer. This is the first season of Higuain in top-flight football and he is a bit too raw and mostly untested say for a La-Liga or Serie-A. I do doubt (based on the comments in soccer forums)whether Higuain is even the best player in River-forget abt the entire league. However, these South American players do feel a sense of insecurity (in monetary terms) and hence they would take the first flight to Europe when offered a decent contract by a big club even if they are benched for an entire season.

I was reading an interesting article on Jose Pekerman-the most successful youth coach in football. He gave a very interesting advice to young players. According to Pekerman, It seems the facilities available say in Argentina or brazil are comparable to any other European country. Hence, these young budding players can develop and hone their skills in their home country. Player like Higuain or Aguero (Athletico Madrid's 18 yr old wonderkid) can develop their game staying and playing in the starting XI in an Argentine club rather than being benched in Madrid or Milan.
I guess Higuain will be better-off listening to the advice of Pekerman rather than chasing an 20 Million dollar contract.

PS: Pekerman was once asked the difference between a young European player and a South American player. He said, in South America first the talent in a player is identified and then he is put to a nutritionist but in Europe its the other way round.

A nice Puskas tribute

2006-11-20T22:45:00.000-08:00

This is a wonderful tribute on Puskas from Independent

Ferenc Puskás Biró, footballer: born Kispest, Hungary 2 April 1927; played for Kispest/Honvéd 1943-56, Real Madrid 1958-67; capped 84 times by Hungary 1945-56, four times by Spain 1962; married 1950 Erszébet Bozsi (one daughter); died Budapest 17 November 2006.

Precisely where Ferenc Puskás stands in the pantheon of all-time great footballers is a matter for passionate and pleasurable debate. Suffice it to say that there can be no doubting the flamboyant Hungarian's right to his own personal pedestal alongside those of Pelé and Maradona, di Stéfano and Cruyff, and perhaps just a handful of others in the history of the world game.

Puskás was remarkable in so many ways, scoring more senior international goals than anyone else before his total was surpassed by Ali Daei of Iran, and enjoying a uniquely dramatic career of two glittering and vividly contrasting halves. First he was the charismatic focal point of "The Magnificent Magyars", who twice humiliated England and, with their breathtakingly imaginative tactics, practically reinvented football in the 1950s, thus bringing untold pride and joy to their strife-torn homeland.

Then, aged 31 and with his belly bulging, he commenced a celestial sojourn with star-spangled Real Madrid, who epitomised all that was glamorous and successful at club level. Beyond that, he was a swashbuckling character, a vibrantly humorous fellow who captivated all sections of society with his blend of swaggering, earthy charm and audacious impudence in his frequent dealings with military and sporting authority.

Ferenc Puskás grew up as a hardy, scuffling street kid in Kispest, a small community on the outskirts of Budapest. His was a poor family which, he liked to recall, could afford only one pair of shoes for himself and his brother, so they took one each. Ferenc put his on his right foot and didn't dare kick with it for fear of damage, thus explaining the development of the most famously potent of all left feet.

Even at that stage it was evident that "Ocsi" (kid brother), as he was known affectionately all his life, possessed extraordinary ability and he graduated rapidly through the ranks of the local club, where his father coached. Small but strong and prodigiously skilful, he progressed meteorically, making his league début for Kispest at 16 and becoming a full international as an 18-year-old against Austria in August 1945.

Hungarian football had been virtually unaffected by the Second World War, continuing even during fierce fighting when German-occupied Budapest was besieged and then "liberated" by the Russians. Further dark days lay ahead for Hungary, but for a time, though poverty was widespread, there was sufficient semblance of normality for the nation's soccer in general, and Puskás in particular, to flower luxuriantly.

The visionary national coach Gusztáv Sebes assembled a group of exceptional players known as "The Golden Squad" and revolutionised tactics by employing a deep-lying centre-forward, which led eventually to the universally adopted 4-2-4 formation. The new system depended on fluid interchanging of positions and sweetly accurate passing. It produced football which flowed freely, it was both lavishly entertaining and immensely effective, and the sharpshooting Puskás was at its heart.

In 1949 it was decided that Hungary's team would benefit from improved understanding and esprit de corps if all the top players were brought together in two clubs under the auspices of the army. Kispest FC was chosen as the principal star vehicle and - renamed Honvéd and captained by Puskás - it lifted five domestic championships between 1949 and 1955, the great man netting 50 goals in one campaign and topping the scoring charts in several more.

What set him apart? Certainly not prowess with head or right foot, both of which were negligible. But his left foot was an instrument of wondrous precision, by turns brutally powerful - many of his hundreds of goals were crashed home from outside the box - and silkily smooth.

With it, he was the absolute master of the ball, his control instant, his placement of both pass and shot virtually unerring, and he was phenomenally strong, almost impossible to dispossess. Crucially, too, Puskás was blessed with the acute intelligence, intense concentration and magical spontaneity to make the most of his physical gifts. He was an instinctive tactician, able to adapt in a flash to the ever-changing picture around him, and a natural leader.

Thus he was perfectly equipped to flourish on the international stage and he did so with a vengeance, excelling alongside the world-class likes of the wing-half József Bozsik, the scheming centre-forward Nándor Hidegkuti, his fellow marksman Sándor Kocsis and the goalkeeper Gyula Grosics.

Between 1950 and 1956, Hungary dominated world football, winning Olympic gold in 1952 and conceding defeat only once. Unfortunately, that was in the 1954 World Cup Final, when they lost 3-2 to West Germany, perhaps falling prey to complacency after leading by two early goals, one of them struck by a not fully fit Puskás.

But it is not for that sadly anticlimactic performance that the incomparable Magyars are primarily remembered. Their indelible mark on sporting history was made at Wembley in November 1953 when they took on England, who had given the game to the world and had never been beaten on their own soil by foreign opposition.

Hungary won 6-3, but it was the manner of the victory as much as the margin which made it so emphatic. The visitors humbled their hosts, utterly outclassed them, with breathtakingly beautiful football which was summed up by one moment of sheer sorcery from Puskás.

As Zoltán Czibor's dispatch came in from the right, the Hungarian skipper was lurking on the near corner of the six-yard box but was marked by the England captain Billy Wright, who lunged forward to clear. But he kicked air as, in one sumptuous movement, Puskás had dragged the ball back with the sole of his boot, then pivoted on the spot before thundering a savage drive into the net over the shoulder of the startled goalkeeper Gil Merrick. It remains one of the most famous of all goals and after the match its scorer was promoted by his army masters, duly entering folklore as "The Galloping Major".

As if that lesson were not enough to ensure that the notoriously arrogant and complacent English soccer hierarchy realised that times had changed, Hungary delivered an even more comprehensive tutorial in Budapest six months later in the form of a 7-1 drubbing. Back in England, those with eyes to see marvelled at the new order and adjusted their sights accordingly, while, inevitably, others in positions of power buried their heads in the sand.

During this period of Hungarian ascendancy, Puskás and company, who were nominally members of the army, enjoyed a privileged existence at home against a harrowing backdrop of increasing public hardship, as discontent against the repressive Stalinist regime simmered dangerously.

These paper soldiers, who were used shamelessly as propaganda tools to promote the government's socialist ideal, were allowed to train full-time, they were rewarded lavishly with under-the-counter goods and the authorities looked the other way when they used football trips overseas to smuggle luxuries into the country.

Puskás, who described himself as non-political, made the most of his position as national hero and, despite the fact that his constant manipulation of favours for friends and family became common knowledge, he was admired, even honoured, as a generous and loveable rascal, both by those in high office and the bulk of his suffering compatriots.

Not surprisingly, that virtual untouchability faltered after the World Cup defeat, for which he was unfairly blamed by many, and even another long unbeaten run was not enough to recover it.

However, graver concerns were looming. Political unrest culminated with the October Uprising of 1956 and Soviet tanks moved in to crush the revolt. At the time the Honvéd team, cocooned from everyday life and barely aware of the situation on the streets, were on a foreign tour. When the immediate crisis was resolved they were ordered home but some, including Puskás, refused to go, perhaps fearing the personal consequences under new rulers, maybe yearning for a more prosperous future abroad. As a result, he was banned from playing for 18 months and, for an ever-more-portly thirtysomething, career prospects did not appear bright.

However, the serial European champions Real Madrid were confident of his quality and in 1958 they recruited him to play alongside the fabulous Argentinian Alfredo di Stéfano. At first, Puskás was ridiculed as a tubby has-been, but he worked assiduously to regain fitness and soon he was scoring freely. At first, there was tension with the great Alfredo, who was used to ruling the Real roost, but the newcomer defused the situation with typically astute psychology.

Come the last game of his first Spanish season, the two men were tying as the league's top scorer, for which there was a much-coveted individual trophy. Towards the end, Puskás had the goal at his mercy but instead of claiming the prize for himself, he passed to di Stéfano, who duly netted.

Thereafter the animosity evaporated and the pair scaled lofty peaks together as Real Madrid cemented their reputation as the finest club side of all time. This was symbolised rivetingly in 1960 when they claimed their fifth consecutive European Cup triumph - at that point no other side had ever won the competition - by defeating Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3 at Hampden Park, Glasgow. Puskás scored four times and di Stéfano three, and the game is now revered as the most luscious feast of soccer entertainment ever put before the public.

Still, though, Puskás was not finished. Starting in 1960/61, he pocketed five consecutive Spanish title medals, he was the league's premier marksman on four occasions, he plundered a hat-trick as Real lost the 1962 European Cup Final to Benfica, and he picked up another loser's medal two years later when the Spaniards were defeated by Internazionale of Milan.

In addition, though he never played for Hungary after 1956, he earned four caps for his adopted country, culminating in an appearance in the 1962 World Cup Finals. When eventually he bowed out of the Bernabeu Stadium in 1967, he was 40 years old.

Thereafter, football remained his life. First he coached in Spain and Canada before accepting the reins of the Greek club, Panathanaikos. Against all expectations he inspired them to reach the final of the European Cup in 1971, losing 2-0 to mighty Ajax of Amsterdam, Johan Cruyff et al, only after a gallant struggle.

Two Greek championships followed, then Puskás embarked on a coaching odyssey which took him to Chile, Saudi Arabia, back to Spain and Greece, then Egypt, Paraguay and Australia, improving teams wherever he went.

In 1991, arguably the most famous of all Hungarians returned home to spend his declining years in Budapest, putting in a spell as caretaker coach of the national team in 1992 before accepting a role in youth development.

Though the influence of this colossally colourful character transcends mere statistics, a few are apposite here. In club football he scored 358 goals in 349 games for Kispest/Honvéd, 324 in 372 for Real Madrid; for Hungary there were 83 strikes in 84 matches (some sources say 84 in 85), a total which transcends even Pelé's magnificent return for Brazil.

He spent two decades straddling the game's giddiest pinnacles, achieving greatness twice over. Few men have had a more profound influence on their chosen sport than Ferenc Puskás.

Ivan Ponting

India and England- A tale of similar woes

2006-10-31T01:20:00.000-08:00

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.

Drugs, Football and of course El Diego!!!

2006-10-26T08:13:00.000-07:00

"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.

Super Classico review

2006-10-22T23:55:00.000-07:00

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 song bird

2006-10-21T09:36:00.000-07:00

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.

Super Footy weekend!!!

2006-10-20T08:55:00.003-07:00

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.

Indian "Football"

2006-10-17T23:32:00.000-07:00

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?

What a goal!!!

2006-10-17T00:18:00.000-07:00

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.

Whats wrong with Tevez?

2006-10-03T09:55:00.000-07:00

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.

WC Profile : Brazil

2006-05-26T07:39:00.000-07:00

The favourites for this world cup or every WC(yes, almost all WC brazil are considered the favs except of course of 1994 and 2002 when they found it difficult to qualify but went on to win the WC). The greatest footballing nation and the only nation to win WC more than 3 times, 5 times to be exact.

History World cup winners in 1958,1962,1970,1994,2002. WC finalists in 1998,1950 (Brazil historically lost to Uruguay). The legends of Brazil are some of the greatest footballers have come from brazil and boast an unrivalled history in producing super stars. Charles Miller (father of brazilian football ), Pele (O' Rei is a 3 times WC winner), Mane Garrincha (2 time WC winner, one of the best Right wingers ever), Vava, Didi (both these players figured prominently in the WC 1958 and 1962 campaign), Carlos alberto (winning captain of 1970 Brazil team), Jarzinho, Tastao, Gerson, Rivelino (prominent players alongside Pele in the 1970 WC winning dream team), Zico, Socrates, Tony Cerezo (players of the famous 1982 WC team), Romario, Bebeto, Dunga, Taffarel (Players who played in the WC winning 1994 team), Ronaldo, Cafu, Roberto Carlos(2002 WC winning team), and of late Ronaldinho (not quite a great but if he continues to play at this level definitely will be there). Brazil also boasts very successful coaches like Carlos Alberto Perrera (WC winning coach 1994 and also the current coach)., Mario Zagallo(technical director of the current team and WC 1998 coach), Luis Felipe Scholari (current coach of Portugal, and coach of the 2002 WC winning team), Tele Santana(coach of the famous 1982 WC team). Brazil has also won the Copa America 7 times and have been the runner-ups 6 times. The one trophy that is conspicuously missing from the cabinet of the selecao is the olympic gold.
I do not want to bore you with any further history, you can find more details in the CBF (Brazilian football federation) website.

Team:
The current national team has 21 players playing in Europe and 2 players playing in Brazil. The current team has 2 players who have won the World Player of the Year and 3 players (no guesses who they are )to win the Ballon d'Or (the two + Roberto Carlos).

I will start with the Brazilian attack.

Brazil boasts an embarrasment of riches in the attack. The current forward line up is even compared to the all-conquering 1970 Brazilian team. Brazil's squad strength mainly lies in the attacking prowess of these players. The brazilian system, under CP (Carlos Parreira), works with the forwards attacking from the middle of the park and the RB/LB's overlapping to effectively fill the role of the wingers. Usually when the opposing team has a strong defence, Carlos and Cafu tend to get a little too forward. Then the Defensive midfielders (Emerson, Silvinho, Gilberto Silva) drop back and effectively perform the role of the wing backs.

Forwards:
The magic quartret is the backbone of the brazilian team. CP has a found a neat way of accomodating all the 4 players namely, Dinho, R9, Adriano, and Kaka. Kaka and Dinho tend to attack from the left and move into the center, CP has moved kaka a bit out of position, Kaka plays in the right mid field and also plays a bit deeper almost in the center of the park. Dinho also plays a bit deeper from his normal playing position for Barca. This system seems to work well for the Selecao.

Ronaldo: The most prolific goal-scorer of the current Brazilian team. O' Phenomenon is one of the most consistent strikers in world football. The player of WC 2002 and WPOY winner of 1996,1997, and 2002. R9 plays for Real Madrid. Although R9 has currently put on weight and is also a yard and a half slower as compared to the pre-1998 days, still he is one of the most dreaded strikers around. R9, needless to say, has some amazing skills though he is not that good in air. Without doubt, R9 will start in the game against Croatia.

Adriano: The Emperor is the latest addition to the roster of strikers from Brazil. Adriano plays for Inter-Milan in Italy. Adriano is an un-brazilian striker, well-built with amazingly subtle skills and a powerful left foot. Adriano of late has been handed the task of taking free-kicks in Inter-Milan. He is also good in air and does possess some good skills. This season has not been good for the emperor but he does tend to play better for Brazil than for the club. Adriano should make it to the starting XI of Brazil.

Ronaldinho: Dinho is currently the best player in world. He was the key to the revival of Barca in 2004. Dinho has improved vastly over the last year. Needless to say, he has some wonderful skills which he uses at crucial moments, unlike other players like Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) or Zlatan (Sweden) who over use it. Dinho, of late, has developed an amazing vision and can create some splendid opportunities for his team-mates. He is also extremely quick and is very deadly on a counter attack(It is wrong to point out only Dinho it is a general case of the Brazilian team).

Ricky Kaka: Kaka plays his club football for AC-Milan. Personally, my favourite player wearing the Selecao shirt. Kaka is a true example of an attacking midfielder. Kaka is deadly when he is provided space, just rewind to the Champions League final 2005 first half and most of the goals scored in that half were from kaka moves. He is also very quick and has a very good vision. Kaka plays in a slightly deeper position in the NT. Shd make it to the starting XI.

Robinho: A player with wonderful skills and an amazing talent. Plays his club football for Real Madrid. Robinho was one of the players, alongside Diego, of the successful Santos team of 2004-05. When he made the inevitable move across the Atlantic to Madrid, he was expected to deliver instant results for Real Madrid, which did not happen. Of late, he has begun to show his true quality for Madrid and is the future of Madrid. But, he has yet to prove his true value for the national team though robinho did played well in the Confed cup.

Midfielders
Brazil does boast a decent midfield, with the midfield primarly consisting of Defensive midfielders. Note that brazil does not have a true play maker who dictates the game sitting deep in the half.

Emerson: Emerson is a decent DM. He plays his club football for Juve in Italy. Emerson is not quick and cannot play in an attacking role. He is ideally suited for the current Brazilian team which is overflowing with attack.

Ze Roberto: Ze is a DM who also plays . Ze has some decent skills and is also a decent dribbler. He plays his club football for Bayern Munich and also had a major role to play in the fortuneof Bayer Laverkuersen in 2002. Bayer reached the final of Champions League in 2002.

Juninho Pernambuchano: A wonderful midfield player who tends to create some good goal scoring opportunities for the forwards. Juninho is also the best in the business in dead ball situations. Juninho plays his club football for Lyon and has been the backbone of success of the Lyon team in 2005 and 2006.

Gilberto Silva: Gilberto plays his club football for Arsenal . He is a decent DM.

2006-05-24T09:32:00.000-07:00

The starting XI

The likely starting line up of Argentina. The classical 4-2-1-3

Abbondanzieri

coloccini----Ayala----Heinze----Sorín

Mascherano--Cambiasso

Riquelme

Messi------Crespo------Tevez

I hope to profile Brazil in the next post. I also hope to profile Italy, England, Czech, and may be Dutch/Spain in future

Countdown to world cup

2006-05-22T07:43:00.000-07:00

The biggest sports tournament in the world is going to get underway in a few days time. So I thought about profiling the major teams, the player, coaches and their strategies. Hope to profile as many teams as possible.

So here we go with the first team, and yes they are my sentimental favourites The Albiceleste- Argentina

Argentina

History: 2 times winners in 1978 and 1986 and once runner-up in 1990. Argentina boasts not just trophies but a long list of legends, probably next only to Brazil. Some of the greats from Argentina are like whos who in football from Omar Sivori (First South American player to play in Europe-played for Juve), Alfredo De Stefanio (Backbone of the Real Madrid team of 50's and 60's) , Mario Kempes, (architect of the 1978 WC victory under Luis Menotti and a legend in Valencia), Daniel Pasarella (Captain of 1978 WC winning team and considered one of the greatest CB), Diego Maradona(El Diego is , at least to my eyes, the most complete player ever), Gabriel Batistuta(Batigol has an impeccable record wearing the Albiceleste shirt, almost a goal a game!!, ) to the current players like Javier Zanetti(Did I mention that he is not in the 22???) and Robert Ayala (A legend in Argentina, Valencia).

Argentina also have also won theWYC 6 times, the maximum by any team. Particularly the current crop of players, 15, are from the WYC winning teams of 95, 97, and 01 teams coached by a certain Pekerman, who also happens to be the NT coach of Albicelestes.

I dont want to bore with more stats, u can get it from AFA (Argentine Football Federation) website.

Team:
The current national team has about 16 players playing in Europe and only 6 playing in South America. Surprisingly this team has no players from Riverplate- equivalent to a Liverpool, ManU in England. There are only 8 players who also played in 02 WC, did I mention who got disgraced in 02 WC.

Goal Keepers:

Roberto Abbondanzeri (Pato): The first choice keeper for the Albiceleste. Pato plays his club football in Boca Juniors. Considered to be a good keeper with Boca but his form has dipped of late. Rewind to the friendlies played in Nov 05 and Pato was making blunder after blunder and finally succeeded in gifting a goal to Michael Owen. The judgement of Pato in long balls is also not good. Overall a decent goal keeper but a bit of sadness to say that Argentina which is known to produce excellent goalkeepers in South America, Goyakochea in Italia 90 springs to my mind, is having problems at this position.

Oscar Utsari : Just 19 years of age but a fine prospect, looks to be the long term solution for Argentina's current GK problem. Oscar has had a wonderful season with Club Independente, a small club which has done remarkably well to reach the quarters of Libertadores (South American equivalent of Champions League). He was also the keeper of the 05 winning WYC. The big question that beckons is will Pekerman gamble and give him the mantle ahead of El Pato?

Leonardo Franco: Goalkeeper of Athletico Madrid. Frankly speaking I dont know much abt this lad. Not a great prospect though, at least according to argentinians in soccer forums and the south american journalists. But, definitely not a starter for the Argentinian NT.

Defenders
Argentina has a decent defence compared to the other competing countries. Argentina does boast the best defence in south America (Iam not sure may be Columbia might have a better defence) and has leaked the least number of goals in the world cup qualifiers. But it is vulnerable to speed and runs down the flanks, especially when they play with3 defenders rather than 4.

Robert Ayala: The fulcrum of the Argies defence, Ayala is currently one of the best CB's in the world. The importance of this player can be gauged by the way Ayala marked brilliantly the likes of Adriano, Robinho and Ronaldo in the dramatic 3-1 win against Brazil in Buneos Aires. A Ayala-less defence got badly mauled 4-1 by the same team 20 days later. Ayala was also part of 02 team, and 98 Argie teams (remember that Owen wonder goal in 98, he dribbled past Ayala). He was also the captain of the 2002 WC team. Ayala is excellent in air and also has a good judgement in terms of when to commit. But he is vulnerable to speed, Owen has always given him trouble. Ayala is currently 33 and this shd be his last WC. He is a player who just cannot be replaced, one of the reasons argentina lost in 2002 was the lack of solidity in the back due to the absence of Ayala, he got injured and just played abt 6 minutes in the entire WC. Samuel, the replacement for Ayala did not play to the expected marks set by Ayala.

Gabriel Heinze:Gaby is a rock solid defender. He plays his club football with Manchester United. An excellent CB can also play as a LB. Gaby can also overlap and play forward. He is also good at set-pieces. Gaby is currently 26 years of age and shd be part of at least one more Argentinian WC campaign. Will defenitely be part of the starting 11 against Ivory Coast.

Fabricio Coloccini: How on earth was this guy chosen ahead of the likes of Samuel is a question that only Peker-Head (Pekerman) can answer. At least to this eye, Coloccini is an average defender who is just too willing to commit and fouls that is. Does not have speed and cannot overlap and play up the field. In the confederations cup this guy was an embarassment for the Albiceleste.

Juan Pablo Sorin: Juanpi as he called by his teammates is the captain of the current campaign. Coincidentally (or is it??) Juanpi was also the captain of the 95 WYC Argies team under Pekeman. He is a Left Back who can also play a useful role in the attack which gives the team an added dimension. To me, on current form, he is better than Roberto Carlos(Brazil). A very good defender, he has made his name with Villareal in spain. He also has had stints with Juventus and another big Serie-A club (dont remember the name).

Leonardo Cufre: Cufre plays for AS-Roma in Italy. He has had a major role to play in the success of the Roma in 2006(Jan-May). Just as a reminder Roma recorded 15 consecutive wins in Serie-A, a record set by the 50's Juve team. A decent CB was also groomed by Pekerman.

Lionel Scaloni: Why on earth is this below par player chosen ahead of Javier Zanetti?. Is not a great defender, and cannot overlap and play up the field. Btw this guy is a RB (Right Back). Scaloni plays for some English clug, guess it is West-Ham Utd.

Midfielders
Argentina does have an overflowing talent in the Midfield lead by none other than Juan Roman Riquelme. They have the most fluid game in the world, in terms of passing, particularly the short passes, and playing quick 1-2s. Surpisingly Argentina are one of the few teams to play over the years a classical midfielder, a player who pulls the strings sitting deep in the field and hence he is impossible to man-mark, in the hole between the DM (Defending Midfielders) and Strikers. Btw the midfield of Albiceleste is built around the wonderful play making of Roman.

Juan Roman Riquelme: First things first, Roman is gonna wear the No 10 Jersey last worn by a certain Diego Maradona and later retired by the AFA in 1997. What can I say abt this brilliant mid-fielder. The best midfielder in the world currently. Wait a minute before u jump on this Ronaldinho plays almost in the strikers role, not a pure midfielder that is, and Zidane is, at least to these eyes, a spent force (hate to use it, but cant hide realities). EPL fans might bring players like Beckham, Steviege or Lampard. I might be a bit biased in my assessment but these players dont seem to possess the play making abilites of Roman. Well to know more about this player tune in to the Argentina-Ivory Coast match, and watch the passes being poured from the middle, or slightly up further, of the park. Has an amazing vision, have not seen for a long time a player who just happens to know where his co players in the park are. Another speciality of Roman is his Free-Kick, wonderful thats all wht I can say. I will stop here and not dwell into his Boca Juniors heroics. An interesting anecdote, after the Germany-Argentina match in the Confederations cup Klinsmann referred to Roman as almost perfect player. Cant get better praise than that, also Zidane is believed to be a huge admirer of Roman. Btw plays for Villareal. Shd I say that Roman is in the starting XI.

Lucho Gonzales: Lucho is an able leiutenant for Roman. Can play to perfection the role of a suporting midfielder. Plays his club football for FC Porto in Portugal. Not a great talent, in terms of skills etc, but is always consistent and is a wonderful foil for Roman. Played particularly very well against Brazil in the WC qualifiers, and whenever he was called to the NT. Plays in the Central Midfield. If Messi plays in the starting XI Lucho will be benched or shd play.

Javier Mascherano: Just note down this name, also remember where u first heard it from!!. An absolute monster of a Defensive Midfielder(DM) ,a team man to the core. The man of the match in the game against Brazil in Buneos Aires. Did not even give a centimeter to a certain Ronaldinho in that game. Very consistent and can aso create some good moves. Player of the tournament in WYC 2003. Plays his club football for Cornithans in Brazil. Iam sure after the WC if Argentina have a decent run, big clubs will be waiting to sign this immensly talented youngster. Rumours has it that Real Madrid, Chelsea, ManU are interested in signing Mas. Shd I mention that Mas will be in the starting XI.

Esteban Cambiasso: Est, as I prefer to refer to this player, plays his club football for Inter Milan. The most consistent midfielder for Inter over the last year. Est is a DM. Another team man to the core. Est can also play up front and create a few chances or finish them. Shd figure in the starting XI. Another of those DMs who played for Real Madrid, remember Makelele, and thrown out for god knows why?

Pablo Aimar: The argentines call him, The Clown, as he has a cartoon appearance. Aimar is a player who plays very similarly to Kaka (Brazil). Has an excellent ball control and can create some stunning opportunities for his team mates. Does not have the vision of Roman but plays further up the field compared to Roman, almost plays near the penalty area of the opponents, and is very effective for Valencia. Aimar is also decent in air. Aimar plays for Valencia and was one of the few players to be praised after the WC2002 fiasco. will not start in the XI, but may come as a sub when Roman has an offday.

Maxi Rodrigues: Maxi plays his club football with Athletico. Have seen him play for the Albiceleste a few times but I have not been impressed by this player. Plays in the right midfield position. Will not make it to the starting XI, may come as a sub. But with Messi in the squad I seriously doubt whether Maxi will be given a chance to play.

Lionel Messi: Did I mention Maradona?. A prodigy fromRosario Central. I, personally, have followed this player since the WYC 2005 days in holland where he lead single handedly a not so great Argentine squad to cup victory. Prior to the game Messi played in that tournament Arg lost to USA and would have got knocked out had it not been for this boy wonder. Has already earned a starting place in the Barca team, currently the team which has the best Midfield in Europe. Has some interesting tricks in his bag. Plays in the Right mid field position and is electric fast. Leo also played a major role in the anhilation of Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. Also add to that list-Chelsea. Iam sure Pekerman does not expect Leo to be a saviour as some so-called experts(Bhutia, and the other Indian "experts" bandwagon say). Leo will definitely serve as a good plan-B for Pekerhead. Furthermore there are complications to the attack if Messi starts.

Forwards
Argentina do not have great forwards in the current squad. Not as talented as the Brazilians or even the Italians but they are effective. Sometimes they tend to waste some golden opportunities, just rewind to WC2002 and Gary Linekar referred to the Argentine team of the 2002 WC as a team that cannot hit the ball straight.

Hernan Crespo: Hernan Crespo plays for Chelsea. Not a great talent definitely not as talented as Saviola or Tevez. Hernan is nevertheless effective. Hernan also is good in air. A problem with hernan is that he cannot create magic, for example dribbling past 2 defenders and setting up another forward for a goal. Hernan has been the most prolific striker for the Albiceleste since Batigol. Hernan is also 30 yrs of age. Shd make the starting XI

Javier Saviola: Saviola, referred to as the rabbit by the argentines, plays his club football for Sevilla in spain. Saviola is a talented player who has speed and skills to create goal scoring opportunities. Of late Saviola has started playing for Sevilla in a position just behind the strikers, a more midfield position. An effective striker and in my eyes definitely better than Hernan and shd start but Pekerhead has other plans.

Carlos Tevez: El Apache as he is referred to by team mates is, i will quote Tim Vickery of BBC, a mad bull. An extremely talented youngster who plays for Cornithans in Brazil. He was voted the Best player of South America for 3 consecutive years(03,04,05). Carlitos has tremendous accelaration and has some wonderful skills. I expect this player to light up the WC and can also be a possible "find" as the Europeans call it of the world cup. He plays to the Left of the center forward. Shd make it to the starting XI.

The other players Julios Cruz, Rodrigo Palacio, Nicolas Burdisso are strikers who may not figure prominently in the campaign. Just a mention of Rodrigo Palacio: He plays for Boca in Argentina. A wonderful talent and has scored 24 goals for Boca, shd make a move to Euroe soon. It was good to pick him in the team instead of some Balbo or Cannigga (happened in the last WC).