The Premiership season begins tomorrow. We haven't gone out and covered all 20 teams. Honestly, we couldn't be too bothered about some of them, and we think you probably aren't as well. So without wasting time on what you don't want, here are blurbs on seven of the most exciting teams in England this year, and how they may fare. We've resisted the temptation to predict finishing positions - not only do we hate getting it wrong, we also think it's more fun this way. (And it alienates less readers.) Enjoy the read. But enjoy the weekend more.
In: Andriy Shevchenko, Michael Ballack, Solomon Kalou, Obi Mikel
Out: Damien Duff, Hernan Crespo, Asier del Horno
Going out: William Gallas
Chelsea have strengthened in personnel but much will depend on how Mourinho sets up his team, especially in midfield. Granted that his options are plenty, if almost limitless, any insistence on squeezing Ballack and Lampard into the same midfield even if it does not work may cost Chelsea valuable points, especially in early season. Discord among the bench-warming central midfielders appears to be the other related concern, but otherwise, the Blues look mouth-watering for a third successive title. If they all still want it bad enough, the Premiership can be theirs for the taking.
In: Craig Bellamy, Jermaine Pennant, Mark Gonzalez
Out: Djibril Cisse, Fernando Morientes, Didi Hamann, Djimi Traore
Coming in: Dirk Kuyt
Much is hoped of Liverpool this term as they continue to perfect the art of playing tight and systematic pressure football. Their season may hinge on the goal-return of Craig Bellamy and Peter Crouch. If their partnership clicks, and the goals flow, there is no reason why they shouldn't be title hopefuls. Liverpool are becoming increasingly notorious for being hard to play after they go 1-0 up, but they must also fix their form when playing the mid-table battlers. If they don't slip up there, and if Bellamy's goal-return is handsome, they may be very hard to catch.
In: Michael Carrick, Owen Hargreaves, Tomasz Kuszczak
Out: Ruud van Nistelrooy, Tim Howard
Man Utd always survive difficulty - it has always been their hallmark. They coped brilliantly last season in spite of losing so many players and now they have added the brains and bite in midfield that was lacking last season. Rooney will have to live without van Nistelrooy, and neither Saha nor Smith are commensurate goal-poachers. But United have some extremely industrious players and this kind of workrate always translates losses into draws, and draws into slim wins. Nonetheless, replacing van Nistelrooy remains the factor that determines whether or not they seriously challenge for the title.
In: Thomas Rosicky
Out: Sol Campbell, Robert Pires, Dennis Bergkamp
Going out: Ashley Cole, Jose Antonio Reyes
Arsenal are hard to predict, as their form last season showed, they are capable of slipping up in the league if their attention is turned elsewhere. They are very much still a team in transition, and if Cesc Fabregas has fully graduated into Vieira's boots, they may still need to groom replacements for Cole, Reyes, Campbell and Bergkamp. There is muted optimism on young Walcott's promise, and Rosicky should take to the Premiership's pace and physicality with ease. On paper, it's very hard to say that the Gunners are a better side this year, but Arsene Wenger's boys have earned everyone's respect, and still deserve to be feared.
In: Dimitar Berbatov, Didier Zokora
Out: Michael Carrick, Andy Reid
The fifth team in England at press time, Spurs did very well last year, running Arsenal and themselves ragged till the last day, and they will hope to consolidate on that this year by being consistent. But consistency is an elusive winged creature to a team with one eye on the UEFA Cup and another on catching the league's leading pack, and good money is on Spurs hoping best to (a) be ready if any of the big guns slip up, and (b) have a solid season in Europe. The more likely result is that they do well in one and plummet in the other. There are some humungously talented individuals in this squad, but they need to be extremely tight from start to end if they are to stay within touching distance of the 4th spot.
In: Damien Duff
Out: Alan Shearer, Jean-Alain Boumsong
They have money to spend, but no one wants to go there. Newcastle suffer from being hugely well supported but the lack of European football continues to blight any progress in the transfer market - and consequently, on the pitch. Their desperation to sign a big name striker has been well documented, and Glenn Roeder does not look at all capable of pulling off any of the big name heists that have made the rounds. Michael Owen could be out for the whole season. Damien Duff will become a cult hero but all the signs point to Newcastle having a horrible season. It's still fashionable to be a toffee, but life after Shearer won't be sweet.
In: Carlton Cole, Lee Bowyer, Robert Green
West Ham were remarkable last season as strikers Dean Ashton and Marlon Harewood turned on the style and became the revelations of their season. They have an extremely hardworking squad, and for reference to their passion for big scalps and big occassions, look no further than last year's FA Cup final. They do have quality, but it's all confined to the first eleven. While this should keep them struggling to catch Spurs, you can still expect more excitement from them that two or three midtable teams.
[get this widget]
English Premier League: 06/07 Season Preview
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Young managers make international debuts
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Young managers. That seems to be the trend these days. And not just any trend either - the trend in international management. Just look around you. All you need is to have followed football since the early nineties and they're all there, all on display, in their respective dugouts. Some are in trackies and some are in sharp suits but all of them, just ten to fifteen years ago, clashed at the highest level as players in their prime.
At the world cup, we saw Klinnsmann lead Germany down an inspiring run. Marco van Basten was at the helm of the Netherlands. Now, Dunga is at Brazil, Roberto Donadoni is at Italy, Steve Staunton at Ireland, Slaven Bilic at Croatia. It's intriguing to note that Diego Maradonna and Stuart Pearce were in the running to succeed Argentina and England as well. So how are these guys doing? These young men of international management?
The man who was most prolific as a player - Jurgen Klinnsmann - is also the most successful as manager, at least thus far. His injection of young talent into Germany gave everyone much reason to cheer during the World Cup. Marco van Basten, hugely inspiring as a player is now seen as a solid no-nonsense manager with a mind of his own. His perculiar decisions have just been vindicated as Klaas Huntelaar scored a brace in the Netherlands' 4-0 trashing of Ireland. Ruud van Nistelrooy, who has been left out, surely knows that he is up against a strong-willed gaffer.
For the rest, it has been a hard working day on the chalk line. The first raft of international matches after Deeutschalnd 06, completed just hours ago, give us a quick peak at how their day in the office has come along.
Dunga and Donadoni patchy matches. Both named squads full of unknowns, the former seemingly to prove a point to his lacklustre stars while the latter to give an extended holiday to his own, much more decorated, pool of first choice players. As a result, both were met with disappointing results. Dunga's Brazil fought to a dull 1-1 draw with bogey team Norway. it turns out that cutting off his nose to spite his face has led wound Dunga up with an unconvincing and shaky start. No one is particularly impressed, not with the football, nor the results. Donadoni's Italy were thumped 2-0 by Croatia, but he has all 23 world cup winners left to call back, and if only by virtue of their glitter, Donadoni is spared of the critics' knives.
Croatia, that of Slaven Bilic, appears to be rejuvinated. Reinspired with new faces, phasing out of old tired ones, and now even sporting the presence of naturalised latino talent in Eduardo Da Silva in attack, the Croats put two past Italy efficiently. Bilic's team selection has been rewarded, as Da Silva, the Brazilian to don the chequered shirt of Croatia, scored the opening goal. And then there's Steve Staunton, who must surely lament his selection choices - left with a disarray bunch of Irish players in the post-Roy Keane era (not that Keane would have played under Staunton anyway!), Staunton's Ireland was massacred 4-0 by the Dutch, which says plenty about the task that lies ahead of him in whipping the Irish into a decent international outfit. And more than just ability, Staunton will need to be at his ruthless best with a pool of players notorious for indiscipline, malaise and underachievement. (Sounds a lot like England, i know, but that's not what i'm talking about.)
Mixed fortunes, so it seems, for all the young managers on the international scene. For those among us who grew up adoring some of these players, it is a strange time, to see them stand neck and neck on the touchline, chatting perhaps about the game or perhaps about some game some ten odd years ago.
[get this widget]
Argentina Apertura Championship: Boca keep pace, River stumble in thriller
Monday, August 14, 2006
We begin covering the Argentine Apertura Division today with results from the Buenos Aires giants. But first, here's how the league is run in Argentina.
The Argentine league is broken up into two competitions each year, the Apertura and Clausura (literally Opening and Closing) championships - each featuring the 20 teams playing only one round (not home and away). Therefore, there are two champions each year in Argentina. Neither the Clausura nor the Apertura is more prestigious, they're just separated that way. You can also think of it as the winter champions in european leagues, except that this one is real. Relegation is done by averaging the results of both championships and this inevitably helps the big guns avoid the drop. Nonetheless, we're frank enough to say that we don't really care about who drops in Argentina. It's the big four or five clubs that we're really interested to watch.
Two games have been played, and Boca Juniors are keeping pace with San Lorenzo and Independiente, all joint leaders. Boca defeated Rosario Central 2-1 away from home with goals from defenders Juan Krupoviesa (pic, above) and Daniel Diaz. All three goals were scored from free kicks and there was some horrendous goalkeeping by the Rosario stopper.
Elsewhere, River Plate lost some ground in a six-goal first-half roller coaster thriller with Newell's Old Boys ending 3-3. Paraguay striker Oscar Cardozo (pic, with Ariel Ortega) scored a brace to pull Newell's from behind into a lead before River levelled just after the break.
1. Independiente P2 Pts 6
2. San Lorenzo P2 Pts 6
3. Boca Juniors P2 Pts 6
4. Estudiantes P2 Pts 6
5. Newell's Old Boys P2 Pts 4
6. River Plate P2 Pts 4
The Argentine league has been notorious of late with their unearthing of young talent. Hot on the heels of Leo Messi making it in Barca is Sergio Aguerro, the 16 year old, who has made his big game transfer to Atletico Madrid. Hot on his heels is River's winger Gonzalo Higuaín, who remains in South America hoping to win something there before he moves to Europe. Our feelers are firmly planted on these young stars so that our readers are always the first to know what's going on in latin football.
[get this widget]
One up for Benitez
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Signs are that it's not going to be all sunshine and fruit punch for Chelsea this season. Liverpool managed to wrestle victory even with their inspirational, and possibly career-capping captain starting on the bench and the new gawky forward line of Crouch and Bellamy very much involved.
But Ballack limping off with a hip injury could well be a blessing in disguise as many people have expressed their skepticism on Ballack and Lampard's ability to play together on a starting sheet.
And so in the end the two generals of the red and blue camp chose not to shake on it as both a blatant disregard for simple footie decency and a notion to the war that is to start next week for the EPL.
We sit back and chill on our lazy boys, awaiting for the plot to unfold.
[get this widget]
The Curtain Is Raised
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Secawan Bola is back! With its new "high-journalism" look and a renewed vigour for all things football, the same lads who led you through the highs and lows of the World Cup are back to guide you through the maze of club competition. Everything from the Premiership all the way to the Copa Libertadores will be covered by our stable of indefatigable editors. And what better place to begin than this Sunday's annual curtain raiser of club football... the Community Shield.
Chelsea v Liverpool. Blue versus red. South versus north. Glamourous city versus industrial port. The powers of new versus the powers of old. John Terry jostling with Steven Gerrard for England's armband. Premiership champions versus FA Cup champions.
Tell someone in the mid 90s that ten years later, the tie to watch every season will be Chelsea v Liverpool and they would have scoffed at you. But the script seems perfectly well-written, and while Ferguson and Wenger's war is turned down to a simmer, it has been Chelsea and Liverpool who have been writing the history that matters. In the Premiership, Chelsea have had much of the upper hand, defeating Liverpool home and away for two seasons now. But in cup competitions, it been all red, beginning with that marginal Luis Garcia goal in the Champions League, followed by the tight draws in Europe last season and culminating in Liverpool's FA cup semi-final success.
Up in the Mersey, it's been another hardworking summer for Rafa Benitez, whose new additions include Craig Bellamy, Jermaine Pennant and the belated arrival of Mark Gonzalez (pic). Boasting a side that has genuine pace and width, many Liverpool fans believe that they finally have a team that is close to challenging for the title. Yet, their propensity for starting seasons slowly, and their inability to see off easy opposition, has cost them in the past. Where Chelsea's preseason friendlies have shown some positive signs, Liverpool's have been woeful, and it took a Gonzalez winner two minutes from time to save Liverpool the blushes in their mid-week Champions League qualifier.
Chelsea look like the more settled team, with fewer coming in and going out, and while not everyone there is happy, there is a lot more class in their ranks now. It may be early in the season, but some of that class, which only two months ago was still on display at the World Cup, has to show. As for Liverpool, their relative lack of richess has resulted in perhaps more creative shopping - or compromised, whichever way you see it. Regardless, Liverpool won't be expected to come off the blocks so quickly as the Rafalution incorporates more young Spanish speakers into its fold. Still, all the key cogs from their last two campaigns are very much there, and they are by far an improved side.
If this was a Premiership tie, you'd have to hand it to Chelsea. Quick start. Two-goal margin. Done and dusted before one hour. Their machine-like efficiency makes them anyone's bet to come right out of preseason to beat fellow top opposition. But because it's a cup tie - or a shield tie, however stupid that sounds - you can't leave Liverpool without a shout. They have a very different setup in midfield this year, and though it seems to be taking time to gel, Rafa is an extremely canny man who knows better than anyone how to stop Jose Mourinho.
Having said that, with the kind of quality that Jose has brought to Stamford Bridge, the Community Shield looks like Chelsea's to lose. Lose it they just might. But don't bet too much on that happening.
As for the rest of the season... check back next week for a Premiership season preview! Enjoy the game this Sunday!
[get this widget]
Secawan Bola will be back!
Thursday, July 20, 2006
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]
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]