Hi readers,
Good news! Secawan Bola will be back when the football season reopens! The blog will have an all new look and a fresh focus, this time, of course, on club football.
We're all itching to bring you the latest on the Premiership and all the other european and non-european leagues, but for now, the editors will continue to sip their drinks with umbrellas while on their tropical holidays, at least until the charity shield rolls into town.
You can expect The Geek to be your principal correspondent regarding all things EPL while Goodchristianboy will cover the action across the continents, from Spain's La Liga to Argentina's Clausura division. The feverish editor, Alex, will also be writing during the season, and don't bet against our resident funnyman Creagler also getting into the mix.
We are looking to add to our team, cos the season is long and the stories are many. If any of you are interested to be part of the Secawan Bola editorial team, drop us a line at secawanbola@gmail.com and we'll have a chat. If you're particularly interested in either the Premiership or the Champions League, that will be a major advantage!
For the rest of the readers, we look forward to returning. Do come back when the silly season is over, and the real football begins.
[get this widget]
Secawan Bola will be back!
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Zinedine Zidane: From man to god and back
Monday, July 17, 2006
The indisputable facts of Zinedine Zidane’s participation in the 2006 World Cup in Germany are as follows: matches played: 6, goals scored: 3, yellow cards received: 3, red cards received: 1. Everything else has become the subject of such debate and speculation that for many Italy’s triumph has become almost an afterthought.
Of the galaxy of stars assembled at the World Cup, it was “Zizou” who shone brightest and most brilliantly before exploding like a supernova in Berlin. In truth his form did not match that of the Italian skipper Cannavaro, the tournament’s outstanding defender, yet his brand of determined rearguard brilliance cannot capture the imagination as Zidane’s.
Not since Maradona in Mexico '86 has one player been so much the focal point of attention at football’s quadrennial carnival. And not since Maradona's “hand of god” goal against England has a player produced a moment of such scandal and controversy as Zidane: a headbutt to the chest of Italian defender Materazzi which earned him a dismissal in the final. It was the last act in the career of the greatest talent the game has seen for the past 15 years
The second coming
Zidane was not even supposed to be at the World Cup having retired from international football two years earlier after the European Championships in Portugal. A lacklustre France crashed out at the quarter-final stage to eventual winners Greece and it seemed Zidane’s days with les blues had come to an underwhelming conclusion.
His club career at Real Madrid seemed to be following suit. There was a glorious climax to his first season with Real when he struck a stunning volleyed winner in the European Cup final to add the most prestigious prize in club football to his international honours. But that proved to be the high point as Real crumbled under the hubris the “galacticos” policy. In his final seasons Zidane seemed tired and jaded, even his great talents unable to lift Madrid’s bloated squad above mediocrity.
With France struggling in their World Cup qualifying campaign, the call went up for the old guard to return. Zidane, along with fellow retirees Thuram and Makelele, was coaxed out of retirement by coach Domenech. Viera gladly yielded the captaincy back to Zidane.
No doubt the frustrations of his last years in Madrid tempted him to return to les blues for the chance of one more trophy and a glorious send-off. He negotiated an annulment of the final year of his contract with Real and announced that he would retire from all football at the end of the World Cup. Win or lose, France’s last match in Germany would be the last match of his career.
Yet Zidane's return proved to be no panacea to France’s woes. They limped through to the finals and arrived in Germany as firm outsiders. Abject displays in their opening two games did little to inspire confidence. There were rumours of a rift between Domenech and his captain, Zidane having stormed off angrily after being substituted against South Korea. With France in danger of elimination and Zidane suspended for the final group match it seemed the grand ending to his career he sought would instead be another disappointment.
Against Togo, France needed to win to be sure of a place in the knockout rounds. Win they did, sans Zizou, with an improved display which had some questioning if the captain should return. Zidane, they said, was too old, too slow and too ponderous to play alongside the young guns in the French team. Would Domenech do the unthinkable and drop his captian for the clash with Spain?
France lined up with Zidane, but for perhaps the first time in a decade they found themselves as underdogs against an impressive young Spanish side. Spanish supporters, having seen the end of Zidane’s club career only weeks before, brought banners reading “Au revoir, Zidane”, so confident were they of ending what remained of his career. But it instead turned out to be “Adios Espana”, Zidane himself capping a resurgent French victory by skipping past Puyol, Spain’s finest defender, and slotting home in the final moments.
Most thought Zidane had merely earned himself a stay of execution, as France faced tournament favourites Brazil next. Up against Ronaldinho, his successor as FIFA’s official best player in the world, he responded by producing one of the all-time great World Cup performances. Rolling back the years, his full repertoire of touches, dribbles, flicks and passes was on show. From the very first minute he mesmerised and confounded the Brazilians and set up the winner for Henry with a wonderfully flighted free kick, all while never threatening to score a goal himself. Zidane’s performance demonstrated again that he was the playmaker supreme; a virtuoso whose artistry functions for the betterment of the team.
Portugal were dispatched in the semi-final, a largely forgettable match settled with a Zidane penalty. He now had his date with destiny; the final match of his career would be a World Cup final against Italy. To lead his country to a second world championship would surely provide confirmation of what many already professed and still do: that Zidane belongs alongside names such as Pele, Beckenbauer and Maradona as one of very greatest players the game has known.
Despite the presence of other world class talents in their squad, Zidane’s teammates spoke of him in almost reverential terms. When quizzed on the reason for their confidence before the final more than one French player answered to the effect of “we have Zizou and they don’t”.
Early in the match, Malouda tumbled in the area and France were awarded a penalty. As in the semi up stepped the captain. His previous attempt from the spot has been a powerful effort whipped into the low into left corner. Facing Buffon, rated by most as the world’s best keeper, he produced an audacious chip of such backspin that it hit the crossbar before bouncing down over the line, hitting the crossbar again and then out. Zidane tuned away to celebrate sheepishly, knowing how close his daring had come to costing his team.
Italy equalised shortly with a header from Materazzi, but after half-time France began to dominate. The talk before the final was of how the aging legs of Zidane and others would be exploited by the Italians, but instead it was the French who looked full of energy. Following their captain's lead, the other veterans of the French side seemed to summon untapped reserves of will for a final push to victory.
Just before the half-time in extra-time, Zidane slid the ball out to Sagnol on the right. The full-back delivered a perfect cross into the area towards Zidane, who had continued his run. For once the tiring Italian defence failed to pick him up and he rose to power a header towards goal. Buffon denied him with a majestic leaping save. Zidane had almost sealed his own fairy tale ending.
“Oh, Zinedine. Pa ça, Zinedine.”
The dream had been so close, but now came the nightmare. With 10 minutes to go, after exchanging words with Materazzi, the same famed, balding scalp responsible for those two headed goals in the ’98 final in Paris delivered a firm coup de tête to the Italian’s chest. Materazzi could not have collapsed more dramatically if he had been shot, but Zidane’s punishment was inevitable: a red card.
The reaction of French TV commentators was shock, disbelief, confusion, despair. French supporters in the stadium, not privy to replays of the incident, howled their disapproval until the final whistle. With both teams drained and the atmosphere poisoned, the remainder of the game spluttered towards a penalty shoot-out, won by Italy after a solitary miss by Trezeguet.
In the immediate aftermath Zidane remained silent. Materazzi has never been anyone’s idea of a sporting gentleman and doubtless it was some obscene comment which provoked Zidane. News organisations around the world scrambled to find lip-readers to decipher the Italian’s insults. Common suggestions were slurs on Zidane’s family or his Algerian-Muslim heritage. For his part Materazzi only issued a few clumsy statements of defence.
The day after it emerged that Zidane had won the “Golden Ball” award for player of the tournament on votes cast by journalists before the conclusion of the final. FIFA president Blatter, clueless to a fault, made the hollow suggestion that Zidane’s could be stripped of the award.
In an eventual TV interview, Zidane was reticent about details, saying only the insults concerned his mother and sister. "I do apologise but I don't regret my behaviour because regretting it would mean he was right to say what he said." Non, je ne regrette rien.
The Player. The Icon. The Man.
It was estimated that over one billion people watched the final in Berlin. Over the past 15 years through his exploits for France, Cannes, Boudreaux, Juventus and Real Madrid, Zidane has been possibly the most watched player at a time when football’s appeal has never been greater.
His footballing story has now come to a bitter end, but manner in which it has captivated the world is a testament sport’s unique cultural appeal and capacity for human drama. Twice Zidane has appeared on football’s greatest stage and in those two performances he has shown us ecstasy and agony, genius and madness, glory and shame, joy and anger, triumph and defeat.
The world first knew Zidane the player; one of peerless touch, vision and control. Since that night in Paris it has known Zidane the icon; of France, of racial integration, of Gallic flair and genius; of football’s global appeal. After Berlin, not for the first time but more starkly than ever, it knows the Zidane the man; capable of sporting feats most can only dream of, yet also capable of the same follies and weaknesses as the rest of us. If you prick him, will he not bleed? And if you wrong him, shall he not revenge?
The world watched to see Zidane ascend to the footballing pantheon, but was instead reminded that a man with god-like talent remains just that: a man.
[get this widget]
The Show Ends
Monday, July 10, 2006
Ah... and so the show ends. The world cup travels to Rome and the street cleaners of Berlin sweep away the remnants of a month left behind by long nights of foreigners drinking and locals celebrating irregardless of results. The world cup isn't really there to celebrate nations or teams or even heroes, these are just incidentals in the larger scheme of things - the world cup is there to celebrate football. Not nearly the lofty humanitarian ideals of the olympics, but still, you can't fault the celebration of football. And we've seen some pretty good football across the last four weeks.
Germany was a thrill to watch, with Klinnsmann breathing a good gust of fresh air into a nation we all feared was fast depleting in guts and style. Their incredible comeback against Argentina, and their subsequent victory in penalties, proved that there is a lot of life left kicking in these German legs. When Bastian Schweinsteiger drove home (literally) two piledrivers against Portugal, he only confirmed for us what we should have known all month - Germany are very, very on.
The African countries were quite a joy to watch - Ghana and Ivory Coast were thrilling in their attacking brand of football. And while we'd appreciate a cut back on their simulation, we'd all love to see them back in the world cup again.
England was a disappointment - frustrating as it was always going to be. Holland gave us early flutters but went out with a limp (again, literally) while Spain once again gave us false reason to believe. Argentina and Brazil both went out in the quarters, one could have gone further, the other could have gone out earlier. And Portugal, well, they played some really good football at times, and but for a few individuals soiling the gloss of their football itself, they did give us the best latin flair to a tournament dominated otherwise by organised european traditions.
France was a surpise, weren't they? One week into the world cup, i spoke to a jersey shop guy whose answer to my query if he had any France jerseys summed up public opinion of them prior to their great run: "Takde boss. Peranchis kali ni drop la" ("None boss. The French have dropped"). Yet, they took out some big names en route to the final in a run that must surely redeem them from their less than glorious immediate past.
And then there's Italy - world champions for the fourth time. Who - other than Secawan Bola - would have been crazy enough to predict Italy winning this world cup? When all the hype surrounded the magic quartet and recovering metatarsals, this tight-knit blue machine ploughed through a tough group and then shifted gears in their awe-inspiring semi-final triumph over Germany. Their collossal defenders, galloping fullbacks and tireless midfielders will forever infuse all memories connected to this tournament now.
And so we pack up the snacks, give the tv a break and return to our normal lives, penning, as a final homage to wild month of relentless football watching our allstar XIs.
In the meantime, your Secawan Bola editors are on what we believe is a well-deserved holiday. When we come back, we'll sit around again and see if the blog will be back after the summer, all pumped up up for the new football season. We'll let you know.
Until then... keep your mind off football and go do something else.
Cheers and thanks for reading.
[get this widget]
ITALY WIN THE WORLD CUP
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Italy have won the world cup!
After 120 minutes and five perfect penalties, Italy have become champions of the world for the fourth time.
If you didn't see the game, it was tight, especially after the first two goals were scored, and the Italians, who at several times in the last month thrilled us with attacking football, crawled back into their defensive shell and did what Italians did best - play cattenaccio football. While it wasn't pretty, it was certainly an absorbing final - never really reaching the excitement of the semi-final with the host, but the contest was always on. For the largest part of the 120 minutes, France was the aggressor, and by far the side that looked like they wanted it more. Ultimately, though, their many attacks were blunted by the dogged Italian defence, and whatever went past Cannavaro and Matterazzi didn't go past goalkeeper hero Gigi Buffon, whose save against a Zidane free header in extra time will not just go down as one of the best saves of the tournament, but certainly the most important.
The game will forever be marred, however, by a senseless headbutt by Zidane into Matterazzi's chest in the 110th minute. Ten minutes from retirement, Zidane displayed his badass charm and was duly thrown off the pitch - a shameful end to an otherwise legendary career.
The penalties were all of a high quality. So high that the only miss would have been a textbook unsavable penalty had it been two, three, maybe four inches lower. The Italians, who had been knocked out of the world cup three times on penalties - and once in the final - were extremely calm. Pirlo, Matterazzi, del Piero, de Rossi and - of course - Grosso, all converted excellent penalties, three of which were top corner kicks.
After that, it was a sea of blue and white as Camoranesi had his ponytail chopped off and Gattuso had his shorts stripped in what must have been "if we win the world cup, i will..." bets. The Italians were playful and childlike in their celebration, and the ceremony was capped off with Fabio Cannavaro hoisting up the world cup - a fitting end for the Italian centreback, whose majestic performances all month now lifts him into that pantheon of world cup winning captains: Maradonna, Pele, Beckenbauer, Dino Zoff.
Italy are the new world champions. They will go home to a stockpile of domestic football troubles, armed now with perhaps the best evidence for grace. But that is for another day. Today, Italy win the world cup - they deserve to paint Berlin blue.
[get this widget]
Italy v France: Penpix
Thursday, July 06, 2006
[get this widget]
Editors Predict
THE GEEK SAYS...
The stage is set for a World Cup story suitable for those DVD compilations - Zidane takes France to victory just before retirement. The momentum is certainly with the French and if the aged squad can get one more performance out of themselves, they shoould ace it. I somehow do not see Italy being the usual Italy. Not cynical enough in their approach. Not their style. But they are in the Finals so that says a lot about the importance of beautiful attacking play. But I want to see Zidane's story in a DVD when I turn 60 and have nothing to do on those lazy Saturday afternoons. So I say the French should ace it.
ALEX SAYS...
Well, my Italy team profile was rather sceptical of Italy chances, but nonetheless I rated them as 4th favourites behind France. If Italy were drawn in the "group of death", their progress to the final has been a "path of life", the biggest test being a moderate German side galvanised by home support. But their play so far has been impressive, particularly Lippi's new attacking philosophy which saw Gilardino, Iaquinta Totti and Del Peiro all on the pitch at the end of the semi-final. At the back, Nesta's absence has hardly been felt due to Cannavaro's imperious form and Buffon's inability to be beaten (by opposing players at any rate).
France will draw inspiration from their resurgant performance against Brazil, but they will need to perform at least as well to beat this Italian side. The defence is sound and Makalele and Viera give added protection in midfield. Ribery has been the best new talent to emerge at this World Cup, but France will still be relying primarily on Zidane and Henry to conjure up goals (or more likely, a goal). However, they also need Barthez not to make a costly blunder like to one which almost allowed Portugal to equalise in the semi.
Italy deserve to start as favourites. They look like scoring and don't look like conceding and the difference this time round is Lippi will ensure they won't sit back on a one goal lead. This final could be France's to win with a final act of brilliance by Zidane, or Italy's to lose with a Euro 2000-style meltdown. On the balance, Italy's comparative youth and the extra day of rest might just swing it their way.
Prediction: Italy 2-0
CREAGLER SAYS...
My heart's opinion: It would be magical if the legend leads France to a 2-1 win over Italy. Godforbid, no more penalties though. Yet another creative howler from the most enigmatic keeper alive today. Good all round solid performance by the old dogs.
Result: Croissants for free the next day in the whole of Paris. Soon to be followed by yet another riot.
My (golden)ball's opinion: An effective performance from the resolute (boring, for the first time this tournament by them?) Italian defence. Plug away with a 1-0 to the good. In the most old school 4-4-2 formation that can still be seen today in international football, they will conjure up memories of the yesteryears. Notwithstanding, tensions displayed by the Italians all round.
Result: Spaghetti meatballs thrown into the streets the next day all through out Rome. Backpackers' wet dream.
Can I follow my heart?
GOODCHRISTIANBOY SAYS...
Big, big clash turns out to be a remarkably open game, spoiling early bets that it would be cagey and dull. Both teams go after each other's necks, mainly because France decide to go for the jugular and Italy find enough space to respond in like fashion. Cannavaro and Materazzi hold up in spite of the constant raids of Riberry, Zidane and Vieira, but you get the feeling that the French lack a bit of width. The Italians keep jumping at the French, attacking on the break with silky quick passes from Pirlo upfield, but Toni is caught offiside on numerous occassions, making him frustrated. The first half ends 0-0.
The second half starts brightly, and after another French attack, Italy storm forward and find the fullbacks asleep. Totti makes space for everyone and then sends in a killer pass to... Luca Toni. He is onside. Toni races to the goal and chips... 1-0.
France storm in attack and Italy hold tight. Late in the second half, Italy break again and who is there on the left wing but the audacious Fabio Grosso. He squares the ball and the French backline is caught wrong-footed... who else is there but... Totti.
Prediction: 2-0
[get this widget]
Who will win the World Cup?
Everyone has an opinion about the world cup. Well, almost everyone... except some girl I spoke with who went "eeeh, i don't watch that stuff". For the rest of us, we all have our thoughts on what the big final will bring. And so, Secawan Bola took to the handphones and emails and even the streets, and found out what some of you think...
"I think Italy will win because they have more flair. The French don't seem to have the cutting edge. The Italians, their passing is so slick, and they're very tight at the back too. I think they have the advantage."
- KT, businessman
"It should be a good match although you would have to expect a lot of diving for penalties from the Italians. Being an Aussie part of me hopes the French win, because Zidane shows old people can still play and I don't want to see those mongrel Italians who robbed the Socceroos win. However the other part of me says go the Italians because that means the Socceroos could have won the World Cup if they hadn't been robbed by the Italians, win win both ways for me. In any case I think the French have played more consistently and it will more than likely be champagne over chianti."
- PS, general manager
"If Grosso, a defender, can put in such a beautiful curling shot past Lehmann, it's going to be an Italian victory against the more aged French side. Old man Zidane is still very good and together with Henry, France have a fighting chance. But I'll put my money on the more creative Italians. Italy should win!"
- Jeanie, homemaker
"France don't have the stamina. They looked tired in the second half against Portugal, and made lots of mistakes. If they go into the extra half an hour, they will not make it."
- Michael, former triathlete.
"I think this is Italy's year ... if they can avoid a penalty shootout that is ... because I think demons of old are going to haunt them if it does come down to that, being the superstitious people that they are."
- Vann, competitive Scrabbler
"I will have to go for Italy. I hope that they play like they did in the last 10 minutes against Australia and Germany. They proved they can play attacking football and not be remembered for their diving and histrionics. France have been disappointing and defensive. An early Italian goal will be the secret to an entertaining final. Otherwise, Italy to win on penalties."
- Shawn, senior legal writer
[get this widget]
Christiano Ronaldo slams ref and we agree
"Everyone who saw the match could see that the referee wasn't fair. He should have shown yellow cards but he did not..."
- Christiano Ronaldo.
We agree with you Christiano. You should have been booked for that dive.
[get this widget]
Italy v France: A Head-to-Head
France have beaten Italy in their last three competitive matches. Their games have always been tight, and the last two had to be settled by penalties and a golden goal.
When you trace Italy back to the last time they lost in the world cup in 90 minutes, you would go back to the 2-1 loss in 1986 below. In 1998, there was nothing between the two sides, at least not until Luigi diBaggio blasted his spot kick onto the cross bar. Sure, it was heartbreaking. But not as heartbreaking as what would happen two years later. At the Euro 2000 final, Italy had taken an early lead, and held that lead till the last 30 seconds of the game, when Silvain Wiltord equalised. They went into extra time, and David Trezeguet scored the golden goal. Both strikers are still there, on the bench, and ready to come on late in the game again.
Historically, Sunday looks very good for the blue of le bleus.
1986 World Cup
France 2-1 Italy
1998 World Cup
France 0-0 Italy (France win 4-3 on penalties)
2000 Euro
France 2-1 Italy
[get this widget]
Italy v France: A Tactical Analysis
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Some games are won by individuals, some games are won by teams. Some games are won in the dugout, and then some are won on the training pitch. What does it take to win a world cup final against a age-old rival and neighbour? Passion? Tradition? A moment of brilliance versus a moment of stupidity? Or will it actually boil down to the old fashioned, hard-knocks chess game of tactics and strategy?
THE LONE STRIKER
In his story entitled The key to the finals on Soccernet, Norman Hubbard talked about how this world cup has largely been a success for the back four. Tactically, the back three plus wingbacks, which was so successful in 2002, was no longer in style - in were the two centerhalves and two fullbacks. It makes for interesting reading, and it also reminds us of another piece of tactical fashion. The lone striker.
The lone striker is in fashion this world cup. It has worked for some, and then for others, it has been underwhelming. But anyone watching the two semi-finals would be able to tell you that attacking football is keenly the way to go, and playing one striker supported by a link man is the choice of winners.
Italy and France will play like this - in fact, Italy and France will play with almost identical formations. It is intriguing to note that while Klose and Podolski yielded the most goals and praise, you find the top two teams playing with only one man up front. Of course, this lone-striker system does not immediately suggest negativity. In many ways, it is a system that very easily shifts gear into a 4-3-3, with the link man - Totti and Zidane - dropping deeper into midfield to play orchestrator rather than attacker, and the wide men bombing forward to add numbers in attack.
Nonetheless, the system isn't infallible - Van Basten, Errikson and Scolari all found out too soon that an off form lone striker paired with wingers who hog the ball can mean much fun but few goals. Yet, between Luca Toni and Thiery Henry, fortunes differ in spite of their common success - Toni, like Van Nistelrooy and Pauleta before him, is a lone striker finding life lonely and somewhat barren. Henry, more similarly to Rooney, in spite of an unremarkable goal return, gets involved in games a lot more by dropping deep, picking up the ball and drifting onto the left wing where he is most dangerous. Is it then fair to say that the lone striker is the most successful attacking formation of this tournament? Perhaps it is a fairer to say that it is a system that best suits the style of teams playing here in Germany, where cagey games are fought out to tight draws and the promise of extra time, it is in the packed midfield where duels are won and lost. Perhaps it also accounts for the very few goals in the latter stages of the tournament.
COMPARING TACTICS
Italy is set up tighter. For most games, Gattusso will sit in front of defence together with Pirlo and Perrotta, or now even the returning De Rossi and act as a very tight tackling/passing unit. Italy pass-and-run beautifully, in triangles, and their movement up field, when fluent, is a delight to watch. At the heart of this fluency is Andrea Pirlo, whose ability to split defences and set up goals belies his position as a deep-lying midfielder. Pirlo is testament to the argument that deep-lying holding midfielders need not always tackle hard - they can also be identified by their ability to make clean passes and shift the gears not with posession but penetration.
France's midfield is a lot more traditional, with a robust central pairing of Makelele and Vieira providing all the bite and thought while the out and out wingers, Malouda and Riberry supply youthful enthusiasm, pace and workrate. This allows Zidane to drop into a more free role, to somtimes win the ball deep, sometimes to hover in the hole and sometimes make runs into the six yard box. By being supported by a midfield that follows its tasks to the letter, Zidane is allowed time and space to dictate the tone of the game, and almost everything that goes through France goes through Zidane.
Totti played a very deep role against Germany, constantly not getting into attacking positions that the more defensive Perrotta did. Sucked so deep in midfield, one must only wonder what Lippi has in mind for this mercurial playmaker, who is surely best in the Zidane-like role described above. Still, depending on the opposition, Totti can either orchestrate the elegant passing in midfield, with Pirlo, from a deeper midfield position, or he can bomb forward and support the striker as he did so well against Australia. And so, while France's tactics on the day will be textbook, Italy's will remain cloaked in suspicion - what role will Totti play in the final?
Italy's outstanding player of the moment is of course Fabio Grosso, and together with Gianluca Zambrotta, they go to great lengths to add width to a narrow midfield. When Grosso and Zambrotta bomb forward, they are by far more dangerous than when Abidal and Sagnol do, for the two Italian fullbacks posess not just great pace, ability to jink and dribble, but they also love getting into the box or shooting from around it. Shebby Singh said the other day that he wasn't sure if Grosso was a very attacking minded fullback or a deep-lying striker. In this sense, it is Lippi who, in his vast experience of top level football, has the less predictable - more 'total' - setup. Players move across different positions in different matches: Totti drops deep, Perrotta makes runs, Pirlo attacks from defence and their fullbacks play like traditional wingers. Gattusso, sometimes, plays like a true-blue Italian centerback.
WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT?
France will play a naturally fluent football, capitalising on their width, pace and the sublime skills of Zizou. They will pass the ball without flair but should get into attacking positions quickly. The Italians will play as they always do - pressure soaking in midfield, lots of ball-winning and short passes, the occassional long ball, and they will keep trying all day to break the offside trap. The cliche that it will be French attack versus Italian defence is misleading. It will very much be a battle for midfield superiority, and neither Toni nor Henry will often be called upon if their midfield is the one losing that battle. Both defences have done extremely well this world cup, yet one suspects that the Italians will be harder to break down. No one else has yet to score against Italy (the only goal they've conceded was an own-goal), and in Gigi Buffon, Italy have the best pair of hands in this world cup. Still, you can trust the elegant Henry to cause more trouble than Toni's lumbering frame, so the match will very much be poised - as i've said - in midfield.
This is where the stakes for some are high, and the stakes for others are higher. Totti, who had a miserable world cup four years ago, and an equally annonymous euro 04 has a lot left to do before he can become the undisputed darling of the tifosi. For him, the stakes are high - he needs nothing short of a brilliant game and perhaps a heroic goal to elevate him into the cult status enjoyed by Rivera, Rossi, Schillachi and Baggio. But for one man, the stakes are even higher. Zinedine Zidane, the already great Zinedine Zidane plays his last match of his life in the Olimpiastadion - for him, achieving greatness is not the agenda, achieving legend is. And when Zizou leads le bleus onto the pitch on sunday, he stands 90, maybe 120 minutes away from the legendary status of Pele and Maradonna, perhaps even surpassing the latter. Victory would surely make him the greatest European player to have ever lived, for not even the kaiser Beckenbauer or the master Johann Cruyff himself would have achieved what the French captain would. The heart says the script is written for France, the mind thinks maybe Italy are too smart. The tactical battle says two men will be working very hard.
Marcello Lippi and Raymond Domenech will spend the next few days poring over blackboards, talking on the training pitch and glued to videos of their opponents. So many times, we've seen managers make wrong tactical decisions - or in fact approach whole matches with poor tactical ethos - and fail. Neither Italy nor France have failed. Between now and Sunday, Lippi and Domenech will be plotting to change that.
[get this widget]
ITALY vs FRANCE
ITALY v FRANCE
World Cup Final 2006
[get this widget]
Italy Go Forward
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
It was always going to be a great match. With Brazil already out of the world cup, Germany and Italy represented the next two greatest teams in the world. Both are three time champions, both hunting for that elusive fourth. Germany had been riding on the wave of euphoria, and had taken full advantage of their role as hosts/organiser by staging this epic semi-final on their impenetrable ground, Dortmund's Westfalenstadion. Impenetrable, of course, until today.
It is easy to get caught up by the emotions of a match like this and say that it will go down as a world cup classic - it might. It's definitely the most riveting game of the finals up till now, and perhaps the most memorable in the last two world cups. It would surprise those who weren't there to see it that for the best part of 120 minutes, Germany and Italy were locked in a goalless chess game.
Still, it wasn't cagey - it was a remarkably open game for two great sides. Of course, the benefit of hindsight tells us that the semi was Germany's to lose, and Italy - grounded by their rock solid defence - actually threw in some sparks in attack. Tactically, everything did go according to plan. Germany was to attack with pace and width, calling on men like Schneider and Lahm to supply crosses to stretch the defence. Italy was always going to be tough to break down, and their reliance on the counterattack and beating the offside trap with through balls went right down to script.
Italy would dominate the first half, sit back in the second, and then burst into unrecognisable life in extra time. Substitutions played a key role, and a post-mortem of the game will reveal that Klinnsmann's lack of options in attack perhaps foiled his ability to shift gears, or create new problems for Italy. Marcello Lippi, however, decided for once to turn on the style, replacing the undereffective, ran-ragged midfielders Camoranesi and Perrotta for strikers Iaquinta and Del Piero.
Was Italy the more positive of the two sides or were their substitutions merely clues as to Lippi's choice of penalty takers? Regardless, Italy did press much harder during extra time, and though they looked for large parts of the 30 minutes like they as much wanted to go to penalties as the Germans, they nonetheless attacked harder. Two goalpost misses later and the tide was firmly swinging Azzurri way. Penalties, for all intents and purposes, would have been a tasteless way to end a match that, in spite of its 0-0 character, was box to box and anything but dull.
Italy received their just rewards when Germany appeared to finally quieten down and play out for penalties. Their marauding runs forward earned them fruitless corner after corner, yet it was their last corner that yielded their first goal. That man - leftback extraordinaire - Fabio Grosso curled a left foot shot that would have made Faschetti, Cabrini and Maldini blush with pride. Grosso's keen eye for late drama had won the game for Italy. When Germany threw 9 men forward and Gilardino broke for a counter, it was syrup on the cioccolatta. Del Piero looped over a resigned Lehmann to gloss the score.
The flattering scoreline ultimately reveals what the tale of the tape was screaming all night. Italy had 10 shots on goal - Germany had 2. Italy had 57% posession - Germany 43%. Italy had 12 corners - Germany 4. What it came down to was perhaps the massive pillars in defence, spearheaded by the one and only Fabio Cannavarro, who must now surely be of the legend of Claudio Gentile and Franco Baresi. Genarro Gattusso had another outstanding match in front of the defence, and he kept Michael Ballack quiet for large parts of the game.
Italian fans celebrate as football in Italy crumbles in the wake of scandals. The similarities to 1982 are stunning. The defeat of Germany by two goals just makes the link all the more intriguing. It is a shame that Germany must go out so soon - we've all enjoyed their free-flowing brand of football, Klinnsmann's revolution of the German ethos, and the brilliant strike partnership of Klose and Podolski. Everone's favourite after the quarterfinals became the first team out thereafter. Italy are through to the final of the world cup - as they were 12 years ago, 12 years before, and 12 years before that. They wait for France or Portugal.
[get this widget]