It might have been a slow burner but Thursday's match at Ellis Park eventually exploded into life and provided the most drama, desperation and edge-of-the-seat excitement that we have seen so far at the World Cup.
However, Italy's shock 3-2 to defeat to Slovakia won't be remembered fondly by Marcello Lippi and his players - most of whom could not get down the tunnel and into the very private sanctity of their dressing room quickly enough after the final whistle.
Only retiring skipper Fabio Cannavaro hung around, heading towards referee Howard Webb to vent some of his fury and frustration in the direction of the English official.
Eventually, as Slovakia's players and their entire backroom staff congregated in a giant huddle in the centre of the Ellis Park pitch to celebrate their extraordinary victory, Cannavaro was teased off the field by a member of the Italian delegation.
It was a sad end to a great career for the 36-year-old central defender, who has won 137 caps for his country, but the referee was not to blame for his team's exit.
The sad truth for the Azzurri is that in 2010 they were simply not good enough. Italy drew with Paraguay and New Zealand and lost to Slovakia. They did not deserve to qualify
Only in the final 15 minutes against Slovakia did we finally see some attacking cohesion and desire from an Italy side that had previously misfired.
Italy trailed 2-0 and 3-1 but twice moved back to within one goal of the draw that would have seen them sneak into the round of 16. They created enough chances in the final 15 minutes to pull off a stunning comeback - and would surely have done so if substitute Fabio Quagliarella's late strike had not been ruled out for offside.
It was all too much for the 27-year Napoli striker, who was a lively presence after his half-time introduction but who left the field in tears.
It proved to be the final game of coach Marcello Lippi's second spell in charge of Italy and afterwards the 62-year-old spoke with great dignity and honesty about the campaign.
"When you see a team that plays with fear in their legs and in their hearts you understand that you have failed," said Lippi.
Four years ago, Lippi used the negative publicity that surrounded the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal to galvanise his squad, who had arrived in Germany unfancied but left clutching their fourth World Cup title.
But they, like fellow finalists France, have been eliminated at the group stage in South Africa - and Lippi stressed time and again that he accepted total responsibility.
Every question, whether about selection, tactics, motivation, preparation or psychology, saw Lippi deflect the blame away from his players.
He was clearly at a loss to explain why his team performed so miserably for so long against Slovakia in what was a game his team knew they needed to win to be absolutely sure of qualification.
You can understand why he was so perplexed because Italy's record in crunch group games is exceptional. They had not failed to qualify from the group stage at the World Cup since 1974 and so history would suggest that Italy produced when it mattered.
The reasons why they did not do so in South Africa are varied. It has been suggested that they have an ageing squad.
It is not as old as either Brazil or England but at times against Slovakia the years appeared to have caught up with Cannavaro, who could easily have been dismissed for two poor tackles in quick succession in the opening half.
Italy conceded twice in the 2006 tournament, one of them an own goal, but errors played a part in all three goals they conceded on Thursday.
Daniele De Rossi's awful pass led to the first, a moment's hesitation from Giorgio Chiellini contributed to the second and the entire defence was caught out by Kamil Kopunek's run as he collected a throw-in for the third.
Italy constructed their previous World Cup campaign on clean sheets but they failed to keep one here and conceded five goals in three games.
They could argue that they were unfortunate in that the only two shots on target against them in their first two games resulted in goals.
Nonetheless, Italy had not conceded more than two goals in a World Cup fixture since their 4-1 defeat to Brazil in the 1970 final, but they were found wanting by a team who were outclassed by Paraguay in their previous fixture.
The injury sustained by goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon against Paraguay did not help. He is a reassuring presence and his influence on the team was clear even on Thursday as he stood in front of the Italy dugout imploring his colleagues to push forward.
He was stood next to Gennaro Gattuso, who made his first appearance of the tournament against Slovakia but was withdrawn at the break. The 32-year-old warmed up with all the vigour I expect of him but, after an injury affected season for AC Milan, he lacked the snarl and bite of old and has also quit the international scene.
This Italy team has also been short of goals - with Lippi's attacking selections during the three games strongly suggesting that no one striker had done enough to cement a place.
They had scored five in their previous eight games before Thursday, with just one goal coming in open play from a striker, Quagliarella's effort in a 1-1 draw with Switzerland in a warm-up fixture.
But what Italy have really missed during this campaign is midfield creativity. Andrea Pirlo was a deep-sitting playmaker in 2006 and instrumental in his team's victory but a calf injury meant that his only role in South Africa was as a second-half substitute against Slovakia.
During the first half the television images cut to Pirlo watching from the dugout, the obvious message being that he was the man Italy so desperately needed.
His absence was clearly keenly felt - a point that Lippi himself made - and, with a view to the long-term, Italy needs a new star to emerge in the middle of the park.
In one sense, Italy's World Cup failure is not all that surprising. They were awful in last year's Confederations Cup but Lippi, like Enzo Bearzot in 1986, perhaps continued to rely too heavily on players who were so successful for him four years earlier. They were 10 from the 2006 squad in South Africa.
But when the chips are down Italy normally show enough composure, skill and professionalism to produce a result.
The fact that Slovakia's players ended Thursday's match sliding across the turf in joyous celebration in front of their own supporters showed that this Italy team is now in need of reinvention.
For as Gattuso said afterwards, Italy have hit rock bottom.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
The French Revolution
Treachery, backstabbing and rebellion - traditionally the elements of film noir rather than football.
Yet France's chaotic World Cup campaign has fallen victim to all three.
The 2006 runners-up have no goals and only one point after their first two games and are on the brink of an embarrassingly early exit.
But it is the revolt within the team ranks that has grabbed the headlines.
"Shambles" was the front page in Liberation.
"Mutineers", cried the headline in Aujourd'hui en France.
'No-go zone'
The editorials reflect the general mood on the street. The Press reaction in France has been strident
The fan zone in front of the Eiffel Tower is the no-go zone for French supporters. Most can hardly wait for this to be over.
"It's a disgrace," said Blues supporter Patrick Pailhes. "I can hardly bear to watch them.
"It's unbelievable that football players - and such well paid football players - can go on strike like this.
"I am really hoping that we lose to South Africa, then we can finally say goodbye to the tournament. We need a new coach, a new group of players - a fresh start."
The row centres on the expulsion of star striker Nicolas Anelka, who refused to apologise for a foul-mouthed tirade he directed at French manager Raymond Domenech during the half time break against Mexico. The French team lost 2-0.
'Traitor' mole
The players are demanding to know who in the French camp leaked the details of the bust-up. They suspect someone within the federation. Captain Patrice Evra has described the mole as a "traitor".
On Sunday the open training session - which was supposed to heal some of the rift between players and supporters - turned into farce.
Evra was filmed in a stand-up row with the fitness coach and the players refused to train.
From the team bus they sent out a written statement protesting against Anelka's expulsion.
For team director Jean-Louis Valentin it was a "scandal"; he later resigned in disgust.
'Mess'
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has condemned the scenes as "unacceptable". His advisor Henri Guaino said it was "distressing". "It's no longer football; it's no longer sport," he said. "In fact, it's no longer a team".
The president has since asked his sports minister to stay on in South Africa to sort the mess out.
Roselyne Bachelot is to hold crisis talks with all parties on Monday night including the Federation President Jean-Pierre Escalettes, Domenech and Evra. There is a feeling in France this has now gone beyond football.
Sponsors are starting to distance themselves from the fallout. French bank Credit Agricole said on Monday it had cancelled a television campaign with the team.
And the fast-food company Quick decided over the weekend to stop using an advertising film featuring the disgraced star Anelka.
But perhaps more worryingly there are controversial accusations circling in some quarters that the player rebellion is down to "race"; there are six black players in this current French team.
Philosopher's groan
In an interview on Europe 1 the philosopher Alain Finkielkraut compared the players to youths rioting in ghettos. "We now have proof that the France team is not a team at all, but a gang of hooligans that knows only the morals of the mafia," he said.
He went on to suggest the "arrogant thugs" in the side should be replaced by "gentlemen".
Suddenly the glorious days of 1998, when France fell head over heels in love with its multi-ethnic World Cup-winning team of "Blacks, Blancs, Beurs" - blacks, whites and Arabs - feels a million miles away.
There is of course an outside chance that the French team could still progress on Tuesday night - if results go their way. But after two abject performances it is more likely they will be following Anelka home.
The players claim they will play to restore the nation's pride. In truth there is little chance of that - in the eyes of the majority of supporters in france - honour is already lost.
Yet France's chaotic World Cup campaign has fallen victim to all three.
The 2006 runners-up have no goals and only one point after their first two games and are on the brink of an embarrassingly early exit.
But it is the revolt within the team ranks that has grabbed the headlines.
"Shambles" was the front page in Liberation.
"Mutineers", cried the headline in Aujourd'hui en France.
'No-go zone'
The editorials reflect the general mood on the street. The Press reaction in France has been strident
The fan zone in front of the Eiffel Tower is the no-go zone for French supporters. Most can hardly wait for this to be over.
"It's a disgrace," said Blues supporter Patrick Pailhes. "I can hardly bear to watch them.
"It's unbelievable that football players - and such well paid football players - can go on strike like this.
"I am really hoping that we lose to South Africa, then we can finally say goodbye to the tournament. We need a new coach, a new group of players - a fresh start."
The row centres on the expulsion of star striker Nicolas Anelka, who refused to apologise for a foul-mouthed tirade he directed at French manager Raymond Domenech during the half time break against Mexico. The French team lost 2-0.
'Traitor' mole
The players are demanding to know who in the French camp leaked the details of the bust-up. They suspect someone within the federation. Captain Patrice Evra has described the mole as a "traitor".
On Sunday the open training session - which was supposed to heal some of the rift between players and supporters - turned into farce.
Evra was filmed in a stand-up row with the fitness coach and the players refused to train.
From the team bus they sent out a written statement protesting against Anelka's expulsion.
For team director Jean-Louis Valentin it was a "scandal"; he later resigned in disgust.
'Mess'
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has condemned the scenes as "unacceptable". His advisor Henri Guaino said it was "distressing". "It's no longer football; it's no longer sport," he said. "In fact, it's no longer a team".
The president has since asked his sports minister to stay on in South Africa to sort the mess out.
Roselyne Bachelot is to hold crisis talks with all parties on Monday night including the Federation President Jean-Pierre Escalettes, Domenech and Evra. There is a feeling in France this has now gone beyond football.
Sponsors are starting to distance themselves from the fallout. French bank Credit Agricole said on Monday it had cancelled a television campaign with the team.
And the fast-food company Quick decided over the weekend to stop using an advertising film featuring the disgraced star Anelka.
But perhaps more worryingly there are controversial accusations circling in some quarters that the player rebellion is down to "race"; there are six black players in this current French team.
Philosopher's groan
In an interview on Europe 1 the philosopher Alain Finkielkraut compared the players to youths rioting in ghettos. "We now have proof that the France team is not a team at all, but a gang of hooligans that knows only the morals of the mafia," he said.
He went on to suggest the "arrogant thugs" in the side should be replaced by "gentlemen".
Suddenly the glorious days of 1998, when France fell head over heels in love with its multi-ethnic World Cup-winning team of "Blacks, Blancs, Beurs" - blacks, whites and Arabs - feels a million miles away.
There is of course an outside chance that the French team could still progress on Tuesday night - if results go their way. But after two abject performances it is more likely they will be following Anelka home.
The players claim they will play to restore the nation's pride. In truth there is little chance of that - in the eyes of the majority of supporters in france - honour is already lost.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Why does she want out???
A relationship is far more important to a woman than a man. Unlike a man whose greatest fulfillment is in what he achieves, a woman's greatest fulfilment is about sharing her life with a lover.
Her happy mood spills over to all other relationships with friends, relatives and work. A woman, therefore, loves to be in a relationship and makes effort to work on it. Unfortunately sometimes no matter how hard a woman tries, she has to do the most obvious thing.
She must leave because she sees nothing good in the relationship.
Why women leave
Security:
A woman needs to feel secure to give herself completely to her man. She wants a man for herself and to herself because she sees a man she loves as an intimate part of her. A rival becomes a third party.
The relationship then becomes a crowd which erodes her trust and commitment. She also suffers bitterness, jealousy and low self-esteem. She feels inadequate and belittled.
Chances are, she will leave. No wonder Akans say women hate "four eyes". Your woman needs to feel safe and comfortable in your presence.
She expects you to talk well of her and avoid emphasising her inadequacies. She expects you to protect her against attack from friends and relatives. You must be there for her when she is hurting. If you constantly condemn her, you break her motivation to stay.
A woman is conscious that time is not her side especially these days when we hear that by age 35 one in four women is infertile. She, therefore, wants to see a mission and a vision for the relationship.
If you keep your woman floating in a relationship and avoid discussions on marriage, she will leave the relationship before time passes her by.
Affection:
A woman loves attention. She wants to be listened to, loved and treasured. She loves to feel you do not take her for granted and that you appreciate her each day for what she does. Without appreciation, a woman feels bored and unloved.
You tell her she is not important in your life. You push her away without knowing.
Companionship:
A woman fears separation from her lover. She loves open communication in which she can freely express her hopes, aspirations and fears without rejection.
She, therefore, loves to be listened to, understood and help you without neglecting. She loves to share all areas of life in effective communication where you relate to her with all your mind, heart and soul.
If you are disrespectful, rude and violent, she feels unworthy and sees nothing in the relationship. You push her away.
Financial commitment:
A woman has many needs. A survey in the USA showed that while a man has eight basic items in the bathroom a woman has 350. No doubt Akans say 'emaa pe atoto toto' or women love to buy a lot of things.
She expects you to appreciate her needs and support her. Sometimes small gifts assure her she is on your mind. If you completely refuse to give her gifts, especially when you can easily afford to she sees it as a sign that you do not care about her. She may leave.
Advise to men
You are the most important treasure of your woman, she needs you more than cars, houses and properties. You, therefore, need to find quality time for her. Make her your best friend. Share activities you enjoy.
Always appreciate she has unique needs. Let what matters to her matter to you even if you see them as unimportant. If there is anything she loves just do it.
Be kind to your woman. Show verbal kindness with words of affirmation, encouragement and gratitude. Show behavioural kindness. Go out often. Share a meal. Give gifts often. Take care of her physical needs.
Your woman gives you same mark for your small or big gifts. You can, therefore, score highly as you give little gifts each day. Let your giving be regular and spontaneous.
Give her a shoulder to soar. If you want a happy life, make your woman happy first. If she feels good about herself, she gives you her best and your relationship grows.
Advise to women
Appreciate the fact that if your man does not want to do what he did initially it does not mean he does not love you.
For many Ghanaian men, the fact that he takes care of your needs simply means he loves you. Be interested in what your man does and appreciate whatever help you get. Make yourself happy.
Anytime you improve yourself, your relationship gets better. If you keep blaming your lover, you put the solutions out of your reach and nothing improves.
You must all appreciate all relationships are difficult. Ensure your decision to leave is based on logic and not emotions. If you are convinced your lover is not good for you, hug and say goodbye.
A bad relationship can unmake you for life. If you stay with the wrong man you never find the right man. You should never allow anybody to hold your life to ransom in the name of love.
Credit: John Boakye/ The Mirror
Her happy mood spills over to all other relationships with friends, relatives and work. A woman, therefore, loves to be in a relationship and makes effort to work on it. Unfortunately sometimes no matter how hard a woman tries, she has to do the most obvious thing.
She must leave because she sees nothing good in the relationship.
Why women leave
Security:
A woman needs to feel secure to give herself completely to her man. She wants a man for herself and to herself because she sees a man she loves as an intimate part of her. A rival becomes a third party.
The relationship then becomes a crowd which erodes her trust and commitment. She also suffers bitterness, jealousy and low self-esteem. She feels inadequate and belittled.
Chances are, she will leave. No wonder Akans say women hate "four eyes". Your woman needs to feel safe and comfortable in your presence.
She expects you to talk well of her and avoid emphasising her inadequacies. She expects you to protect her against attack from friends and relatives. You must be there for her when she is hurting. If you constantly condemn her, you break her motivation to stay.
A woman is conscious that time is not her side especially these days when we hear that by age 35 one in four women is infertile. She, therefore, wants to see a mission and a vision for the relationship.
If you keep your woman floating in a relationship and avoid discussions on marriage, she will leave the relationship before time passes her by.
Affection:
A woman loves attention. She wants to be listened to, loved and treasured. She loves to feel you do not take her for granted and that you appreciate her each day for what she does. Without appreciation, a woman feels bored and unloved.
You tell her she is not important in your life. You push her away without knowing.
Companionship:
A woman fears separation from her lover. She loves open communication in which she can freely express her hopes, aspirations and fears without rejection.
She, therefore, loves to be listened to, understood and help you without neglecting. She loves to share all areas of life in effective communication where you relate to her with all your mind, heart and soul.
If you are disrespectful, rude and violent, she feels unworthy and sees nothing in the relationship. You push her away.
Financial commitment:
A woman has many needs. A survey in the USA showed that while a man has eight basic items in the bathroom a woman has 350. No doubt Akans say 'emaa pe atoto toto' or women love to buy a lot of things.
She expects you to appreciate her needs and support her. Sometimes small gifts assure her she is on your mind. If you completely refuse to give her gifts, especially when you can easily afford to she sees it as a sign that you do not care about her. She may leave.
Advise to men
You are the most important treasure of your woman, she needs you more than cars, houses and properties. You, therefore, need to find quality time for her. Make her your best friend. Share activities you enjoy.
Always appreciate she has unique needs. Let what matters to her matter to you even if you see them as unimportant. If there is anything she loves just do it.
Be kind to your woman. Show verbal kindness with words of affirmation, encouragement and gratitude. Show behavioural kindness. Go out often. Share a meal. Give gifts often. Take care of her physical needs.
Your woman gives you same mark for your small or big gifts. You can, therefore, score highly as you give little gifts each day. Let your giving be regular and spontaneous.
Give her a shoulder to soar. If you want a happy life, make your woman happy first. If she feels good about herself, she gives you her best and your relationship grows.
Advise to women
Appreciate the fact that if your man does not want to do what he did initially it does not mean he does not love you.
For many Ghanaian men, the fact that he takes care of your needs simply means he loves you. Be interested in what your man does and appreciate whatever help you get. Make yourself happy.
Anytime you improve yourself, your relationship gets better. If you keep blaming your lover, you put the solutions out of your reach and nothing improves.
You must all appreciate all relationships are difficult. Ensure your decision to leave is based on logic and not emotions. If you are convinced your lover is not good for you, hug and say goodbye.
A bad relationship can unmake you for life. If you stay with the wrong man you never find the right man. You should never allow anybody to hold your life to ransom in the name of love.
Credit: John Boakye/ The Mirror
Friday, June 18, 2010
Another Naija blunder!!!
Nigeria midfielder Sani Kaita had the thousand-yard stare and weary, monotone voice of a man who had quickly grasped the impact of his actions as he answered questions about the red card he was given during Thursday's match against Greece.
The match turned completely on his moment of madness after 33 minutes, with the Super Eagles 1-0 lead eventually becoming a bruising and costly 2-1 defeat.
"I am sorry for the whole of Nigeria," said Kaita, who understandably looked like he would be just about anywhere else rather than in front of the semi-circle of journalists attempting to establish with almost forensic detail his version of events.
"It was not the right thing to do and I hope it will not happen again. I made a mistake. That is all."
Kaita had tangled with Vassilis Torosidis, who later scored the winning goal, as they competed for the ball close to the touchline.
The Nigerian aimed a kick in the direction of his opponent's leg and Torosidis went down holding his face, in what was an unseemly if hardly surprising example of the win-at-all costs philosophy that besmirches the modern game.
The whole incident was regrettable and ended with Kaita taking a long and slow march across the pitch to the dressing room.
Kaita watched on television as Greece's wily old coach Otto Rehhagel swiftly abandoned his ultra-defensive formation in favour of a rarely glimpsed attacking ambition that saw his team record their first victory at a World Cup.
Nigeria veteran Kanu revealed that the red card had left the 24-year-old Kaita in tears. Kaita himself said that he had been surprised to be dismissed but team-mate Yakubu, who failed to convert an excellent second-half chance, felt that it was the right decision.
"He was a little bit carried away but will learn from the mistake," said the Everton striker.
There can be no doubt that playing for Nigeria brings huge expectations from a fanatical and expectant public.
"There are 150 million of them and all of them think they are a manager or a coach," added Yakubu.
Shortly before the World Cup the Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan said: "I expect the Super Eagles to prepare well and win this trophy."
However, this Nigerian team were always unlikely to be able to match Jonathan's unrealistic ambition.
This is Nigeria's fourth World Cup campaign but they only just scraped through qualification, needing a late Obafemi Martins goal to defeat Kenya, while Mozambique stunned Tunisia.
Nigeria have some excellent players, such as goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, full-back Taye Taiwo and forward Peter Odemwingie. They also have players with superb potential, such as 19-year-old midfielder Lukman Haruna.
But they are without the injured John Obi Mikel in South Africa and are not of the same standard of many of the Super Eagles teams that have played with such flair over the last decade and a half. They lack the creativity that was provided by the likes of Sunday Oliseh, Finidi George and Jay-Jay Okocha.
Their Swedish coach Lars Lagerback was appointed in February, but did not hold his first training session with his players until 20 May and had just three friendlies to settle upon a formation.
Nigerian managers such as Samson Siasia, Oliseh and Stephen Keshi would have been potentially interested but were overlooked, while Lagerback beat off competition from Glenn Hoddle and Sven-Goran Eriksson to land the role.
But if his appointment was based on his coaching experience with his native Sweden at the 2002 and 2006 finals, then I don't think his decision making on Wednesday vindicated the decision.
Rehhagel, who presided over Greece's remarkable Euro 2004 triumph, changed his side's entire strategy four minutes after Kaita was dismissed by taking off a defender and bringing on a forward.
Lagerback waited until the break to make a change, replacing Odemwingie with Chinedu Obasi and sending his team out for the second-half with Yakubu as the lone striker and two banks of four behind him.
By that time, however, the damage had been done. The momentum of the match had changed irreversibly and a Greek side that appeared to be slipping out of the tournament were reinvigorated - as well as on level terms.
I also think that Lagerback made a mistake in playing Yakubu for the entire 90 minutes. Surely as the match wore on the striker should have been replaced by the fresh legs of the pacey Martins?
"Every four years there is a World Cup and qualifying from the group is decided in just three games," mused Lagerback, who knew the structure of the competition and indeed the composition of Nigeria's group before he accepted the job.
However, all is not yet lost for the Super Eagles and their fanatical fans as Thursday's result leaves Group B fascinatingly poised with one round of games left.
Argentina have six points and take on Greece, who have three thanks to their win over Nigeria.
South Korea, thumped 4-1 by Argentina in the group's other match on Thursday, have three points after defeating Greece, and take on Nigeria.
"We have one more game to go and we will keep fighting and see how it goes," added Yakubu, who clearly has not given up on the possibility of reaching the round of 16.
But with Kaita suspended and Taye Taiwo, who possesses an excellent long-range shot, injured, it will take a remarkable upturn in fortunes if the rock-bottom Super Eagles are to soar up Group B and snatch second place.
The match turned completely on his moment of madness after 33 minutes, with the Super Eagles 1-0 lead eventually becoming a bruising and costly 2-1 defeat.
"I am sorry for the whole of Nigeria," said Kaita, who understandably looked like he would be just about anywhere else rather than in front of the semi-circle of journalists attempting to establish with almost forensic detail his version of events.
"It was not the right thing to do and I hope it will not happen again. I made a mistake. That is all."
Kaita had tangled with Vassilis Torosidis, who later scored the winning goal, as they competed for the ball close to the touchline.
The Nigerian aimed a kick in the direction of his opponent's leg and Torosidis went down holding his face, in what was an unseemly if hardly surprising example of the win-at-all costs philosophy that besmirches the modern game.
The whole incident was regrettable and ended with Kaita taking a long and slow march across the pitch to the dressing room.
Kaita watched on television as Greece's wily old coach Otto Rehhagel swiftly abandoned his ultra-defensive formation in favour of a rarely glimpsed attacking ambition that saw his team record their first victory at a World Cup.
Nigeria veteran Kanu revealed that the red card had left the 24-year-old Kaita in tears. Kaita himself said that he had been surprised to be dismissed but team-mate Yakubu, who failed to convert an excellent second-half chance, felt that it was the right decision.
"He was a little bit carried away but will learn from the mistake," said the Everton striker.
There can be no doubt that playing for Nigeria brings huge expectations from a fanatical and expectant public.
"There are 150 million of them and all of them think they are a manager or a coach," added Yakubu.
Shortly before the World Cup the Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan said: "I expect the Super Eagles to prepare well and win this trophy."
However, this Nigerian team were always unlikely to be able to match Jonathan's unrealistic ambition.
This is Nigeria's fourth World Cup campaign but they only just scraped through qualification, needing a late Obafemi Martins goal to defeat Kenya, while Mozambique stunned Tunisia.
Nigeria have some excellent players, such as goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, full-back Taye Taiwo and forward Peter Odemwingie. They also have players with superb potential, such as 19-year-old midfielder Lukman Haruna.
But they are without the injured John Obi Mikel in South Africa and are not of the same standard of many of the Super Eagles teams that have played with such flair over the last decade and a half. They lack the creativity that was provided by the likes of Sunday Oliseh, Finidi George and Jay-Jay Okocha.
Their Swedish coach Lars Lagerback was appointed in February, but did not hold his first training session with his players until 20 May and had just three friendlies to settle upon a formation.
Nigerian managers such as Samson Siasia, Oliseh and Stephen Keshi would have been potentially interested but were overlooked, while Lagerback beat off competition from Glenn Hoddle and Sven-Goran Eriksson to land the role.
But if his appointment was based on his coaching experience with his native Sweden at the 2002 and 2006 finals, then I don't think his decision making on Wednesday vindicated the decision.
Rehhagel, who presided over Greece's remarkable Euro 2004 triumph, changed his side's entire strategy four minutes after Kaita was dismissed by taking off a defender and bringing on a forward.
Lagerback waited until the break to make a change, replacing Odemwingie with Chinedu Obasi and sending his team out for the second-half with Yakubu as the lone striker and two banks of four behind him.
By that time, however, the damage had been done. The momentum of the match had changed irreversibly and a Greek side that appeared to be slipping out of the tournament were reinvigorated - as well as on level terms.
I also think that Lagerback made a mistake in playing Yakubu for the entire 90 minutes. Surely as the match wore on the striker should have been replaced by the fresh legs of the pacey Martins?
"Every four years there is a World Cup and qualifying from the group is decided in just three games," mused Lagerback, who knew the structure of the competition and indeed the composition of Nigeria's group before he accepted the job.
However, all is not yet lost for the Super Eagles and their fanatical fans as Thursday's result leaves Group B fascinatingly poised with one round of games left.
Argentina have six points and take on Greece, who have three thanks to their win over Nigeria.
South Korea, thumped 4-1 by Argentina in the group's other match on Thursday, have three points after defeating Greece, and take on Nigeria.
"We have one more game to go and we will keep fighting and see how it goes," added Yakubu, who clearly has not given up on the possibility of reaching the round of 16.
But with Kaita suspended and Taye Taiwo, who possesses an excellent long-range shot, injured, it will take a remarkable upturn in fortunes if the rock-bottom Super Eagles are to soar up Group B and snatch second place.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
South Africans feel let down...
South Africa’s 3-0 defeat to Uruguay last night has almost certainly ended their involvement in the World Cup. Judging by the mood in Johannesburg this morning the spirit of the tournament may also exit with the hosts according to my sources in Jo'burg...
The game at Loftus Versfeld was always likely to be decisive for Bafana Bafana, but its scheduling on Youth Day, a resonant occasion for post-apartheid South Africa, cranked up the significance for the nation.
Defeat has hit particularly hard. Diego Forlan’s second goal in Pretoria, a penalty, prompted a mass-exodus from the ground, and the result has kicked off an intense inquest that suggests many supporters will turn their back on the team and the tournament.
“Forlan and forlorn” reads the headline in The Times above a picture of devastated fans. The Star is clinging on to the teams slim hopes: “Bafana dream on a knife-edge” it says.
Radio phone-ins were less kind as the nation woke up to the reality of its limited team and the prospect of a month coloured only by the achievements of their guests.
Interestingly there is a harsh edge to the criticism, a willingness to characterise this as a shaming moment rather than a perhaps inevitable defeat to superior opponents.
A government minister is reported to have called one radio station last night and said the team had let the country down, and this morning the self-flagellating tone continued.
“In 10 years time we will ask ourselves, ‘How do you we remember June 16?’ The answer will always be 3-0,” said one caller.
With the mood turning it may not take much for the hosts to abandon hope altogether. Their prospects are slim enough, resting on a draw between Mexico and France in Polokwane this evening and then victory over France, something even the most optimistic here cannot quite see.
Lets hope the note of shame does not persist. With goals scarce, the infrastructure creaking and empty seats in some stadiums South Africa still faces many challenges if it is deliver the successful tournament it craves. It can ill-afford the public enthusiasm that has been so evident in the last week to fade away.
The game at Loftus Versfeld was always likely to be decisive for Bafana Bafana, but its scheduling on Youth Day, a resonant occasion for post-apartheid South Africa, cranked up the significance for the nation.
Defeat has hit particularly hard. Diego Forlan’s second goal in Pretoria, a penalty, prompted a mass-exodus from the ground, and the result has kicked off an intense inquest that suggests many supporters will turn their back on the team and the tournament.
“Forlan and forlorn” reads the headline in The Times above a picture of devastated fans. The Star is clinging on to the teams slim hopes: “Bafana dream on a knife-edge” it says.
Radio phone-ins were less kind as the nation woke up to the reality of its limited team and the prospect of a month coloured only by the achievements of their guests.
Interestingly there is a harsh edge to the criticism, a willingness to characterise this as a shaming moment rather than a perhaps inevitable defeat to superior opponents.
A government minister is reported to have called one radio station last night and said the team had let the country down, and this morning the self-flagellating tone continued.
“In 10 years time we will ask ourselves, ‘How do you we remember June 16?’ The answer will always be 3-0,” said one caller.
With the mood turning it may not take much for the hosts to abandon hope altogether. Their prospects are slim enough, resting on a draw between Mexico and France in Polokwane this evening and then victory over France, something even the most optimistic here cannot quite see.
Lets hope the note of shame does not persist. With goals scarce, the infrastructure creaking and empty seats in some stadiums South Africa still faces many challenges if it is deliver the successful tournament it craves. It can ill-afford the public enthusiasm that has been so evident in the last week to fade away.
Ronaldo sorely missed in the premiership...
He complains of a lack of protection, he plays with a scowl on his face and there is a genuine of sense that he believes the World Cup revolves around him and him alone, but there is no doubt about it, the Premier League just isn’t the same without Cristiano Ronaldo.
Put aside for a moment the debate as to whether Ronaldo or Lionel Messi is the world’s current number one footballer.
The fact that Ronaldo is even part of that debate underlines just what he brings the table in South Africa 2010 and focuses on the stardust he once sprinkled all over the Premier League for Manchester United.
Within 20 minutes of the start of Portugal’s World Cup opener against Ivory Coast in Port Elizabeth on Monday, Ronaldo had shown us all what we have missed in England since he left Old Trafford for Real Madrid 12 months ago.
Ronaldo rattled the Ivory Coast post with an audacious 35-yard shot – he has no problems with the Jabulani ball judging by that strike – and also tried a free-kick from even further out before narrowly missing the target.
He earned a booking for Didier Zokora, despite appearing to dive over a challenge from the defender, and then picked up a yellow card himself for aggressively confronting Guy Demel after being upended 20 yards from goal by the full-back’s clumsy challenge.
Before the game had even got going, Ronaldo had shown all of the traits – good, bad and ugly – that earned him adulation and loathing in equal measure during his time in England.
But love him or hate him, Ronaldo makes things happen, he lifts fans off their seats and he creates a frenzy of excitement whenever he touches the ball.
Messi eclipsed Ronaldo in Spain last season, such was his brilliance for Barcelona, but don’t fall into the trap of dismissing Ronaldo’s talents.
He is a wonderful player, a modern-day superstar, and, like it or not, Old Trafford and the Premier League are poorer, less interesting places, without him.
Put aside for a moment the debate as to whether Ronaldo or Lionel Messi is the world’s current number one footballer.
The fact that Ronaldo is even part of that debate underlines just what he brings the table in South Africa 2010 and focuses on the stardust he once sprinkled all over the Premier League for Manchester United.
Within 20 minutes of the start of Portugal’s World Cup opener against Ivory Coast in Port Elizabeth on Monday, Ronaldo had shown us all what we have missed in England since he left Old Trafford for Real Madrid 12 months ago.
Ronaldo rattled the Ivory Coast post with an audacious 35-yard shot – he has no problems with the Jabulani ball judging by that strike – and also tried a free-kick from even further out before narrowly missing the target.
He earned a booking for Didier Zokora, despite appearing to dive over a challenge from the defender, and then picked up a yellow card himself for aggressively confronting Guy Demel after being upended 20 yards from goal by the full-back’s clumsy challenge.
Before the game had even got going, Ronaldo had shown all of the traits – good, bad and ugly – that earned him adulation and loathing in equal measure during his time in England.
But love him or hate him, Ronaldo makes things happen, he lifts fans off their seats and he creates a frenzy of excitement whenever he touches the ball.
Messi eclipsed Ronaldo in Spain last season, such was his brilliance for Barcelona, but don’t fall into the trap of dismissing Ronaldo’s talents.
He is a wonderful player, a modern-day superstar, and, like it or not, Old Trafford and the Premier League are poorer, less interesting places, without him.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Kaiser absolutely spot on about three Lions..
John Terry tore around in England's training session like a man who had just finished reading Franz Beckenbauer's brutal analysis of Fabio Capello's side.
England's players were in combative mood in the brief time the media were allowed to watch them in action, with former captain Terry throwing in several robust tackles and, in a separate incident, Jermain Defoe ending up on the floor following another challenge.
If England's squad had a little bit of extra bite in their work on Rustenburg's coldest day since their arrival in South Africa, it may just have been the result of a highly uncomplimentary assessment of their style by German legend Beckenbauer following Saturday's 1-1 draw with the United States.
Beckenbauer, a World Cup winner as player and manager, was distinctly unflattering about England in a column in South Africa newspaper The Times: "It looked to me as if the English have gone backwards into the bad old days of kick and rush. What I saw... had very little to do with football."
But is 'Der Kaiser' right?
On the basis of England's performance in Rustenburg, especially the last 30 minutes, then his "kick and rush" claims are based on fact. England hit far too many long balls in the direction of first Emile Heskey and then Peter Crouch as they ran out of ideas.
But to suggest England have "gone backwards" under Capello on the evidence of a single game is nonsense and something the Italian may just have an added desire to address should his team meet Germany in the last 16 of this World Cup.
Everyone connected with Germany was clearly delighted, and rightly so, with the convincing manner of the win against Australia. Joachim Loew's emerging team played at a high tempo and showed an impressive command of the new Jabulani World Cup ball - hardly surprising as they have been using it since February.
It is a win, however, that should be placed in the context of a desperately poor Australian team, whose most influential player, Tim Cahill, was contentiously sent off in a game that was played at sea level in Durban.
Germany, with hopes typically played down in the build-up to the tournament, looked full of purpose. That said, much tougher tests lie ahead.
In contrast, England's performance at altitude was poor and deserved the criticism it received. But to write them off after one match would be as ill-judged as to declare Germany champions-elect after their thrashing of the Socceroos.
Beckenbauer appeared to question whether Capello could have any serious impact on England's prospects in this World Cup, adding: "The English are being punished for the fact that there are very few English players in the Premier League clubs as they use better foreign players from all over the world."
Capello has indeed bemoaned the lack of English talent in the Premier League but Beckenbauer does appear to have rushed to judgement after one game, however undistinguished that game was.
England have been poor in recent months, but they were emphatic in qualifying, sweeping aside the dangerous Croatians home and away, playing some fine football in doing so.
Since his arrival, Capello has gone out of his way to stress in public - and in private to his players - that he wants England's team to adopt a passing style. It was, in fact, one of his first telling observations about the players he inherited.
Capello will have noted the basic approach in the last quarter of England's performance against the US and will no doubt attempt to remedy it, forcibly.
He also constantly preaches the mantra of the pressing game - and his displeasure at what Beckenbauer describes as "kick and rush" was clear for all to see when England played their warm-up game against Platinum Stars shortly after their arrival here.
He was at full volume - complete with the full range of irate body language - when berating goalkeeper Joe Hart for choosing aimless long clearances rather than a more measured approach.
If England were guilty of using the long ball as a blunt instrument against the United States, then it is highly unlikely to have been at Capello's instigation.
Where Capello does not help himself is that he is locked into using either Heskey or Crouch as a partner to Wayne Rooney. Sometimes the temptation is too much to resist when such obvious targets are presented.
The argument that Steven Gerrard should be Rooney's close companion on the field if England are to master the style demanded by their coach is an old one. One of Capello's other more strident public statements, however, was that he would always use two strikers, usually one big and one not so big.
Surely the pairing of Gerrard and Rooney would be more conducive to a more fluid, passing style? Capello clearly thinks not.
The coach has utilised width and has also settled on two attack-minded full-backs in Glen Johnson and Ashley Cole, indicators of his dislike of the long-ball game.
If Beckenbauer has based his remarks on watching England throughout Capello's reign, his criticism is wrong. If they are based on the evidence presented in Rustenburg on Saturday, then he is offering up a very short-term and premature view.
And yet, unwittingly, Beckenbauer may just have done England a favour.
He has drawn to very public attention a flaw that did mar their game on Saturday. And he has prepared Capello's pre-match speech for him should England play Germany here.
Reaching for the press cutttings is often the last refuge of the desperate manager, but it is a safe bet Beckenbauer's words will be used as a motivational tool should England and Germany cross paths.
The feeling around the England camp on Tuesday was that Beckenbauer may have been indulging in some good old-fashioned mind games to disguise his healthy respect for the old enemy and their hugely experienced coach.
After all, it was not so long ago he was lavishing praise on Rooney and admitting he could even be the architect of an England World Cup win, labelling them one of the tournament favourites.
Capello got plenty wrong in his decision making on Saturday. There have been other slips, too, such as the ill-fated 'Capello Index'.
But when Beckenbauer suggests England have hit some sort of reverse gear under Capello, he might care to reflect on the parlous position they were in when the Italian took over - not even good enough to qualify for Euro 2008 from a generous group.
England have advanced under Capello - the way they secured their place in this World Cup proved that - and they may yet get the chance to deliver a more emphatic answer to Beckenbauer's brickbats.
England's players were in combative mood in the brief time the media were allowed to watch them in action, with former captain Terry throwing in several robust tackles and, in a separate incident, Jermain Defoe ending up on the floor following another challenge.
If England's squad had a little bit of extra bite in their work on Rustenburg's coldest day since their arrival in South Africa, it may just have been the result of a highly uncomplimentary assessment of their style by German legend Beckenbauer following Saturday's 1-1 draw with the United States.
Beckenbauer, a World Cup winner as player and manager, was distinctly unflattering about England in a column in South Africa newspaper The Times: "It looked to me as if the English have gone backwards into the bad old days of kick and rush. What I saw... had very little to do with football."
But is 'Der Kaiser' right?
On the basis of England's performance in Rustenburg, especially the last 30 minutes, then his "kick and rush" claims are based on fact. England hit far too many long balls in the direction of first Emile Heskey and then Peter Crouch as they ran out of ideas.
But to suggest England have "gone backwards" under Capello on the evidence of a single game is nonsense and something the Italian may just have an added desire to address should his team meet Germany in the last 16 of this World Cup.
Everyone connected with Germany was clearly delighted, and rightly so, with the convincing manner of the win against Australia. Joachim Loew's emerging team played at a high tempo and showed an impressive command of the new Jabulani World Cup ball - hardly surprising as they have been using it since February.
It is a win, however, that should be placed in the context of a desperately poor Australian team, whose most influential player, Tim Cahill, was contentiously sent off in a game that was played at sea level in Durban.
Germany, with hopes typically played down in the build-up to the tournament, looked full of purpose. That said, much tougher tests lie ahead.
In contrast, England's performance at altitude was poor and deserved the criticism it received. But to write them off after one match would be as ill-judged as to declare Germany champions-elect after their thrashing of the Socceroos.
Beckenbauer appeared to question whether Capello could have any serious impact on England's prospects in this World Cup, adding: "The English are being punished for the fact that there are very few English players in the Premier League clubs as they use better foreign players from all over the world."
Capello has indeed bemoaned the lack of English talent in the Premier League but Beckenbauer does appear to have rushed to judgement after one game, however undistinguished that game was.
England have been poor in recent months, but they were emphatic in qualifying, sweeping aside the dangerous Croatians home and away, playing some fine football in doing so.
Since his arrival, Capello has gone out of his way to stress in public - and in private to his players - that he wants England's team to adopt a passing style. It was, in fact, one of his first telling observations about the players he inherited.
Capello will have noted the basic approach in the last quarter of England's performance against the US and will no doubt attempt to remedy it, forcibly.
He also constantly preaches the mantra of the pressing game - and his displeasure at what Beckenbauer describes as "kick and rush" was clear for all to see when England played their warm-up game against Platinum Stars shortly after their arrival here.
He was at full volume - complete with the full range of irate body language - when berating goalkeeper Joe Hart for choosing aimless long clearances rather than a more measured approach.
If England were guilty of using the long ball as a blunt instrument against the United States, then it is highly unlikely to have been at Capello's instigation.
Where Capello does not help himself is that he is locked into using either Heskey or Crouch as a partner to Wayne Rooney. Sometimes the temptation is too much to resist when such obvious targets are presented.
The argument that Steven Gerrard should be Rooney's close companion on the field if England are to master the style demanded by their coach is an old one. One of Capello's other more strident public statements, however, was that he would always use two strikers, usually one big and one not so big.
Surely the pairing of Gerrard and Rooney would be more conducive to a more fluid, passing style? Capello clearly thinks not.
The coach has utilised width and has also settled on two attack-minded full-backs in Glen Johnson and Ashley Cole, indicators of his dislike of the long-ball game.
If Beckenbauer has based his remarks on watching England throughout Capello's reign, his criticism is wrong. If they are based on the evidence presented in Rustenburg on Saturday, then he is offering up a very short-term and premature view.
And yet, unwittingly, Beckenbauer may just have done England a favour.
He has drawn to very public attention a flaw that did mar their game on Saturday. And he has prepared Capello's pre-match speech for him should England play Germany here.
Reaching for the press cutttings is often the last refuge of the desperate manager, but it is a safe bet Beckenbauer's words will be used as a motivational tool should England and Germany cross paths.
The feeling around the England camp on Tuesday was that Beckenbauer may have been indulging in some good old-fashioned mind games to disguise his healthy respect for the old enemy and their hugely experienced coach.
After all, it was not so long ago he was lavishing praise on Rooney and admitting he could even be the architect of an England World Cup win, labelling them one of the tournament favourites.
Capello got plenty wrong in his decision making on Saturday. There have been other slips, too, such as the ill-fated 'Capello Index'.
But when Beckenbauer suggests England have hit some sort of reverse gear under Capello, he might care to reflect on the parlous position they were in when the Italian took over - not even good enough to qualify for Euro 2008 from a generous group.
England have advanced under Capello - the way they secured their place in this World Cup proved that - and they may yet get the chance to deliver a more emphatic answer to Beckenbauer's brickbats.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Wazza left frustrated by Yanks!!
Sometimes even the greatest sportsmen get nervous. Sometimes even those at the top of their game are not able to perform. Sometimes it happens so unexpectedly.
As the seconds ticked by before England’s World Cup started, before the release of weeks of tension, build-up, expectation and desire, Wayne Rooney gave a little indication he was feeling the pressure. He licked his lips in that dry-mouthed, edgy way that showed the enormity of what he was about to embark upon was hitting home. His eyes darted. He was feeling it.
This could still be Rooney’s World Cup. He is 24, he has 61 caps, it is six years since he threatened to overwhelm all-comers at Euro 2004 before injury which was the only thing that appeared capable of stopping him, denied him.
He is England’s main man. One of the world’s best. They talk of the Big Five when it comes to safaris in these parts but Rooney is part of the Big Four - along with Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka (with a doff of deference to that talented little Spanish quartet of Villa, Torres, Xavi, Iniesta). But personally, i think it's all hype, orchestrated by the British media cos he is good though, make no mistake about that but not nearly as world class as the Brits would like us to believe. If not for the fact that I'm a Man Utd fanatic, I would totally disagree witht those assertions..
Great players mark out this tournament as their own. Pele in 1970, Cruyff in 1974, Maradona in 1986 even. Rooney can claim this one, though Messi has made an early play for it. Rooney has that belief, that ability and that extra Maradona-like quality of being a street fighter who can drag his team through when things are not quite right, when their backs are against the wall.
The eulogies came thick and fast in the run-up to last night with Steven Gerrard claiming his friend had the same ability as Messi while Cruyff simply called him the “complete player”.
England need him. No other 'big’ nation at the World Cup, not Brazil, Spain or Argentina, depends on one player as much as England do Rooney.
For all his diktats around the team, the spirit, the confidence, Fabio Capello knows that and believes that also which is partly why he continues to start with Emile Heskey. He knows Rooney is more comfortable with Heskey in the side than either Peter Crouch or Jermain Defoe. And even Capello wants to keep Rooney happy.
The USA knew that threat also. Coach Bob Bradley had spent most of the last week fielding questions of how to stop and whether his players would attempt to provoke Rooney. What they did, instead, was what Capello would have done. They got in his face, they didn’t cede an inch. They tracked and covered and got close to England’s main weapon who, disappointingly, struggled to cope with the attention.
Instead it was Heskey who was taking the fight. His wonderful lay-off teed up Gerrard for England’s early goal and, time and again, he provoked the American defence into fouls with his presence while he chased down forward passes. He even inflicted a bone-rattling challenge on Tim Howard although he also, predictably enough, fluffed a clear chance, shooting straight at the US goalkeeper.
Not that it was pretty. England were struggling for possession. Gerrard tried, Frank Lampard miscued. Rooney came deeper and deeper for the ball and twice, with crisp, angled passes switched the point of attack with balls out to Aaron Lennon on one flank and Ashley Cole on the other.
But this was not where Capello wants Rooney to play. He was too far away from the centre of goal, foraging on scraps. Rooney, like this, was not a threat.
Recently the striker had joked that one of his problems at Manchester United, when Ronaldo was there was that he was often expected to get on the end of his own crosses. There was a reminder of that last night.
Capello will have been furious. He has not spent two years drilling it into his squad to get Rooney playing more centrally for him to then have to try and make things happen for himself. Again. This was not how he has gathered 43 goals in 59 appearances this season, this was, however, how he gets frustrated as he did in his last World Cup appearance, being sent off against Portugal.
Capello had eulogised how “spontaneous and instinctive” Rooney was but he needed the ball and the lack of it started to take its toll. Rooney’s touch began to desert him in the over-eagerness to make his meagre rations count.
In fairness, however, he remained controlled, his temper in check, no sign of rage. He ran and ran and tried to haul himself into it.
The nerves will have evaporated now, replaced instead by a sense of frustration and an enduring desire to still make a difference.
As the seconds ticked by before England’s World Cup started, before the release of weeks of tension, build-up, expectation and desire, Wayne Rooney gave a little indication he was feeling the pressure. He licked his lips in that dry-mouthed, edgy way that showed the enormity of what he was about to embark upon was hitting home. His eyes darted. He was feeling it.
This could still be Rooney’s World Cup. He is 24, he has 61 caps, it is six years since he threatened to overwhelm all-comers at Euro 2004 before injury which was the only thing that appeared capable of stopping him, denied him.
He is England’s main man. One of the world’s best. They talk of the Big Five when it comes to safaris in these parts but Rooney is part of the Big Four - along with Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka (with a doff of deference to that talented little Spanish quartet of Villa, Torres, Xavi, Iniesta). But personally, i think it's all hype, orchestrated by the British media cos he is good though, make no mistake about that but not nearly as world class as the Brits would like us to believe. If not for the fact that I'm a Man Utd fanatic, I would totally disagree witht those assertions..
Great players mark out this tournament as their own. Pele in 1970, Cruyff in 1974, Maradona in 1986 even. Rooney can claim this one, though Messi has made an early play for it. Rooney has that belief, that ability and that extra Maradona-like quality of being a street fighter who can drag his team through when things are not quite right, when their backs are against the wall.
The eulogies came thick and fast in the run-up to last night with Steven Gerrard claiming his friend had the same ability as Messi while Cruyff simply called him the “complete player”.
England need him. No other 'big’ nation at the World Cup, not Brazil, Spain or Argentina, depends on one player as much as England do Rooney.
For all his diktats around the team, the spirit, the confidence, Fabio Capello knows that and believes that also which is partly why he continues to start with Emile Heskey. He knows Rooney is more comfortable with Heskey in the side than either Peter Crouch or Jermain Defoe. And even Capello wants to keep Rooney happy.
The USA knew that threat also. Coach Bob Bradley had spent most of the last week fielding questions of how to stop and whether his players would attempt to provoke Rooney. What they did, instead, was what Capello would have done. They got in his face, they didn’t cede an inch. They tracked and covered and got close to England’s main weapon who, disappointingly, struggled to cope with the attention.
Instead it was Heskey who was taking the fight. His wonderful lay-off teed up Gerrard for England’s early goal and, time and again, he provoked the American defence into fouls with his presence while he chased down forward passes. He even inflicted a bone-rattling challenge on Tim Howard although he also, predictably enough, fluffed a clear chance, shooting straight at the US goalkeeper.
Not that it was pretty. England were struggling for possession. Gerrard tried, Frank Lampard miscued. Rooney came deeper and deeper for the ball and twice, with crisp, angled passes switched the point of attack with balls out to Aaron Lennon on one flank and Ashley Cole on the other.
But this was not where Capello wants Rooney to play. He was too far away from the centre of goal, foraging on scraps. Rooney, like this, was not a threat.
Recently the striker had joked that one of his problems at Manchester United, when Ronaldo was there was that he was often expected to get on the end of his own crosses. There was a reminder of that last night.
Capello will have been furious. He has not spent two years drilling it into his squad to get Rooney playing more centrally for him to then have to try and make things happen for himself. Again. This was not how he has gathered 43 goals in 59 appearances this season, this was, however, how he gets frustrated as he did in his last World Cup appearance, being sent off against Portugal.
Capello had eulogised how “spontaneous and instinctive” Rooney was but he needed the ball and the lack of it started to take its toll. Rooney’s touch began to desert him in the over-eagerness to make his meagre rations count.
In fairness, however, he remained controlled, his temper in check, no sign of rage. He ran and ran and tried to haul himself into it.
The nerves will have evaporated now, replaced instead by a sense of frustration and an enduring desire to still make a difference.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
God! Who will win the World Cup??
Thirty- two countries, one ball; one cup! God, I sometimes wonder how you handle such situations. Irrespective of their strengths and weaknesses, all 32 countries will be begging for your mighty intervention to win.
Although I know you are a just and principled God, and therefore have clearly defined laws of success, you sometimes choose seemingly weak links to make powerful statements. Oh God, please permit me to discuss football with you and forgive me if I blaspheme.
I have a winner in mind. It may not be Nigeria, a country which makes you giggle in my mind anytime I begin to wonder about its contradictions. You often remind me that destroying talents, as Nigeria does, is perhaps worse than burrying them as in the popular parable but do give them a good run in the tournament though, but not further than my beloved Ghana.
My wish may not matter much in this case but I believe you will allow me to express it. First, my heart goes out to players who for four good years dreamed about this competition and prepared for it, only to be ruled out by last-minute injuries.
God, before arguing my case for the winner, permit me to talk about some of the countries that have no business there. North Korea has demonstrated by its primitive belligerence that it has no place on the table of dignified and civilised society.
While its citizens die of poverty and starvation, it has continued to invest heavily in nuclear weapons. And it is so paranoid and unnecessarily aggressive. It is believed that its President Kim Jong may have ordered the torpedo attack that sunk a South Korean warship on March 26, in which 46 sailors were killed.
Truly, they have no business in SA, but if their participation is to allow the team see the civilised world, it is fine, Sir.The highly provoked South Koreans are also in SA, but although they displayed some brilliance two World Cups ago, they need some more time to grow. This is not Taekwondo.
The French are there, but they are an aging team, not as strong as they used to be. Although, the number of my African brothers in the team thrills me, I don’t like it that they stole their way to SA. God, I know you don’t forget.In extra time during a match with Ireland on November 19, last year, Thierry Henry clearly controlled the ball with his hand before passing it on for the goal that secured France’s ticket to South Africa.
The referee
The referee didn’t see the incident and allowed the goal to stand despite howls of protest from the Irish players. After the game, Henry admitted that he had touched the ball, but in a manner implying it was accidental. But replays showed he actually touched it twice, the second time with a certainty that suggested it was deliberate. God, it is an insult to call that incident “Hand of God 2”. But the man who started it all is also in SA.
Diego Maradona is the star in “Hand of God 1”. He had used his hand to score in a World Cup match between Argentina and England in 1986.At the time, he described it as “A little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God.” But he later admitted the use of hand and that the goal should have been disallowed.
Maradona is in SA as the coach of Argentina, which struggled to qualify for the last 32. That was strange for a squad that boasts of Messi, Milito and other fine players. Maradona will not accept that he is the cause of the team’s woes, but I don’t see Messi shining in the team as he does in Barca.
In truth, God, I don’t think Argentina is a suitable country to win the cup. Its coach, after disgraceful battles with drugs, is hardly a role model.He has already said if his team wins, he will go naked in public. God, I know you will find that nauseating. Unlike Argentina, England has a gentleman coach.
A seasoned coach, Fabio Capello has a good team, but, ah, I fear the team’s wild army of hooligans o. South Africa’s security challenge will worsen with the more matches the English team wins, and to have them in the advanced stages of the competition would mean wahala. My hand no dey o!
God, for many of the 32 countries, appearance in SA is good enough achievement. So, I don’t want to spend much prayer time on them than the wish that they continue to grow their game.
African teams
The African teams are in this category, and as an African, my prayer is that they are not disgraced with basketful of goals against them.I pray that at least one of them makes the embattled continent proud.
South Africa must be credited for its ability to host the competition.I hope they stay long so I can enjoy more vuvuzelas and the laska (I call it Ajaso) dance. God, I can hear giggles in my heart again.
That seems to be your response anytime I wonder about the contradictions in Nigeria. This is a country you have blessed abundantly with material and human resources, but yet is so poor. So poor that over 70 per cent of the population is impoverished; so poor that basic socio-economic infrastructure is lacking; so corrupt that looting of public treasury is becoming a fad; and so poor in organizational ability that we hardly prepare well for competitions.
Ill-prepared teams. The Nigerian team is one of the most ill-prepared teams in SA. And it shows. It was tough qualifying to be among the 32. The narrow qualification at the expense of Tunisia was disappointing and the late friendly matches have not been impressive.
The only win was against North Korea. God, I hear the giggling in me again. And it doesn’t matter if the President is called Goodluck?I agree that you are a God who rewards hard work and abhors laziness. I agree that you may be sending out wrong signals and may be seen to be breaking your own rules of success if you allow an ill-prepared team to win.
Nigeria has very urgent developmental challenges to tackle and I am sure you will not get them drunk on World Cup successes to forget their problems. God, I am not sure you will want to make football the opium of impoverished Nigerians.
The hot favourites to win the cup include Spain, Germany, Italy (after his experience in the last World Cup, Zidane will agree on their inclusion), and Brazil. Out of the favourites, my wish is for Brazil to win. It is not because of their mastery of the game and the samba style football I enjoy so much. I get lots of that from Barcelona Football Club these days.
Oh sorry, God! As I write some three million people are involved in a gay parade in Sao Paulo, Brazil and you must be upset about that. But God, remember Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, fondly called “Lula”, who you made President in 2002 after his four failed attempts. Remember his sad background and the statement you have made with his story – from abject poverty to be President of Brazil.
The son of a poor, illiterate peasant family, Lula worked as a peanut seller and shoe-shine boy as a child, only learning to read when he was 10 years old.It was feared that he would be a ranting demagogue and a rabid socialist, but he has been so successful that US President Barack Obama recently described him as “the most popular politician on earth.”Lula has deeply entrenched Brazil on the world stage, but more than that, he had made his people happy with a strong economy and lifted millions out of poverty.
Its economy is forecast to grow 6.5 per cent this year. By increasing the minimum wage well above inflation and broadening state help to the most impoverished, Lula has transformed the lives of some 44 million poor people, and built a strong middle class. Brazil is confident that it is on course to become the world’s fifth largest economy by 2026.
It is today in the company of India, China and Russia as countries on the road to being global leaders. God, for a man who has raised Brazil’s profile on the international scene, presided over its longest period of economic growth in three decades, and lifted so many people from poverty, I think Lula deserves a World Cup glory in his last year as President.
It will not be out of place for the best football nation in the world. But God, all said, I believe your will should always be done!
Although I know you are a just and principled God, and therefore have clearly defined laws of success, you sometimes choose seemingly weak links to make powerful statements. Oh God, please permit me to discuss football with you and forgive me if I blaspheme.
I have a winner in mind. It may not be Nigeria, a country which makes you giggle in my mind anytime I begin to wonder about its contradictions. You often remind me that destroying talents, as Nigeria does, is perhaps worse than burrying them as in the popular parable but do give them a good run in the tournament though, but not further than my beloved Ghana.
My wish may not matter much in this case but I believe you will allow me to express it. First, my heart goes out to players who for four good years dreamed about this competition and prepared for it, only to be ruled out by last-minute injuries.
God, before arguing my case for the winner, permit me to talk about some of the countries that have no business there. North Korea has demonstrated by its primitive belligerence that it has no place on the table of dignified and civilised society.
While its citizens die of poverty and starvation, it has continued to invest heavily in nuclear weapons. And it is so paranoid and unnecessarily aggressive. It is believed that its President Kim Jong may have ordered the torpedo attack that sunk a South Korean warship on March 26, in which 46 sailors were killed.
Truly, they have no business in SA, but if their participation is to allow the team see the civilised world, it is fine, Sir.The highly provoked South Koreans are also in SA, but although they displayed some brilliance two World Cups ago, they need some more time to grow. This is not Taekwondo.
The French are there, but they are an aging team, not as strong as they used to be. Although, the number of my African brothers in the team thrills me, I don’t like it that they stole their way to SA. God, I know you don’t forget.In extra time during a match with Ireland on November 19, last year, Thierry Henry clearly controlled the ball with his hand before passing it on for the goal that secured France’s ticket to South Africa.
The referee
The referee didn’t see the incident and allowed the goal to stand despite howls of protest from the Irish players. After the game, Henry admitted that he had touched the ball, but in a manner implying it was accidental. But replays showed he actually touched it twice, the second time with a certainty that suggested it was deliberate. God, it is an insult to call that incident “Hand of God 2”. But the man who started it all is also in SA.
Diego Maradona is the star in “Hand of God 1”. He had used his hand to score in a World Cup match between Argentina and England in 1986.At the time, he described it as “A little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God.” But he later admitted the use of hand and that the goal should have been disallowed.
Maradona is in SA as the coach of Argentina, which struggled to qualify for the last 32. That was strange for a squad that boasts of Messi, Milito and other fine players. Maradona will not accept that he is the cause of the team’s woes, but I don’t see Messi shining in the team as he does in Barca.
In truth, God, I don’t think Argentina is a suitable country to win the cup. Its coach, after disgraceful battles with drugs, is hardly a role model.He has already said if his team wins, he will go naked in public. God, I know you will find that nauseating. Unlike Argentina, England has a gentleman coach.
A seasoned coach, Fabio Capello has a good team, but, ah, I fear the team’s wild army of hooligans o. South Africa’s security challenge will worsen with the more matches the English team wins, and to have them in the advanced stages of the competition would mean wahala. My hand no dey o!
God, for many of the 32 countries, appearance in SA is good enough achievement. So, I don’t want to spend much prayer time on them than the wish that they continue to grow their game.
African teams
The African teams are in this category, and as an African, my prayer is that they are not disgraced with basketful of goals against them.I pray that at least one of them makes the embattled continent proud.
South Africa must be credited for its ability to host the competition.I hope they stay long so I can enjoy more vuvuzelas and the laska (I call it Ajaso) dance. God, I can hear giggles in my heart again.
That seems to be your response anytime I wonder about the contradictions in Nigeria. This is a country you have blessed abundantly with material and human resources, but yet is so poor. So poor that over 70 per cent of the population is impoverished; so poor that basic socio-economic infrastructure is lacking; so corrupt that looting of public treasury is becoming a fad; and so poor in organizational ability that we hardly prepare well for competitions.
Ill-prepared teams. The Nigerian team is one of the most ill-prepared teams in SA. And it shows. It was tough qualifying to be among the 32. The narrow qualification at the expense of Tunisia was disappointing and the late friendly matches have not been impressive.
The only win was against North Korea. God, I hear the giggling in me again. And it doesn’t matter if the President is called Goodluck?I agree that you are a God who rewards hard work and abhors laziness. I agree that you may be sending out wrong signals and may be seen to be breaking your own rules of success if you allow an ill-prepared team to win.
Nigeria has very urgent developmental challenges to tackle and I am sure you will not get them drunk on World Cup successes to forget their problems. God, I am not sure you will want to make football the opium of impoverished Nigerians.
The hot favourites to win the cup include Spain, Germany, Italy (after his experience in the last World Cup, Zidane will agree on their inclusion), and Brazil. Out of the favourites, my wish is for Brazil to win. It is not because of their mastery of the game and the samba style football I enjoy so much. I get lots of that from Barcelona Football Club these days.
Oh sorry, God! As I write some three million people are involved in a gay parade in Sao Paulo, Brazil and you must be upset about that. But God, remember Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, fondly called “Lula”, who you made President in 2002 after his four failed attempts. Remember his sad background and the statement you have made with his story – from abject poverty to be President of Brazil.
The son of a poor, illiterate peasant family, Lula worked as a peanut seller and shoe-shine boy as a child, only learning to read when he was 10 years old.It was feared that he would be a ranting demagogue and a rabid socialist, but he has been so successful that US President Barack Obama recently described him as “the most popular politician on earth.”Lula has deeply entrenched Brazil on the world stage, but more than that, he had made his people happy with a strong economy and lifted millions out of poverty.
Its economy is forecast to grow 6.5 per cent this year. By increasing the minimum wage well above inflation and broadening state help to the most impoverished, Lula has transformed the lives of some 44 million poor people, and built a strong middle class. Brazil is confident that it is on course to become the world’s fifth largest economy by 2026.
It is today in the company of India, China and Russia as countries on the road to being global leaders. God, for a man who has raised Brazil’s profile on the international scene, presided over its longest period of economic growth in three decades, and lifted so many people from poverty, I think Lula deserves a World Cup glory in his last year as President.
It will not be out of place for the best football nation in the world. But God, all said, I believe your will should always be done!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Serial Flops?? No, Serious Favourites!!!
Holland and England fans who associate World Cups with false dawns and heartbreak should spare a thought for the Spanish.
For a country that has given us two of the most celebrated club sides in the game's history and a roll call of stellar players, Spain's record in the global showpiece is nothing short of woeful.
Fourth place in 1950 is their best showing in 16 tournaments, with most of their other campaigns ending in humiliation, misfortune, or abject failure .
However, South Africa 2010 promises to be a very different story.
Victory at Euro 2008 ended a 44-year wait for an international trophy and was followed by a World Cup qualifying campaign in which Vicente del Bosque's side won all 10 of their games, culminating in a 5-2 away victory over their nearest rivals Bosnia-Hercegovina.
Spain have won 45, and lost only one, of their last 48 games. A team at the peak of their powers, they underlined their status as World Cup favourites with an effortless 6-0 demolition of Poland in their final warm-up game on Tuesday.
So what is it about this Spanish team that makes them rise to the big occasion where their predecessors foundered? What factors can explain the seismic change that has taken place?
Many football observers suggest Spain's transformation from a perennial underachiever to a ruthless winning machine is largely explained by the emergence of a golden generation of players, drawn heavily from Barcelona's ranks.
As former Barca and England striker Gary Lineker asks: "How many sides could survive the loss of Fernando Torres? Only one: Spain. Because they have got David Villa.
"They've also got Cesc Fabregas, who could play behind the strikers and doesn't get a regular game because they've got Xavi and Andres Iniesta in midfield."
Others point to the strength of the Spanish domestic league, or argue that playing in the Premier League has given some of the squad members vital experience of a more physical kind of football.
But often overlooked are the seeds sown by the Spanish Football Federation over the last 15 years, which are now bearing fruit.
Pedro Calvo, who coached Liverpool striker Torres at the Atletico Madrid academy, believes Spain's current prowess owes much to the federation's long-term commitment to a nationwide programme for the training of coaches.
According to European football's governing body Uefa, Spain had almost 15,000 Uefa A and Pro Licence coaches in 2008 - more than double the number of any other European nation. And that is despite it taking 750 study hours to acquire a Pro Licence in Spain, compared with just 245 in England.
"The federation has really focused on getting people qualified and to the level where they can go to other countries and coach," says Calvo. "It's not just in professional football, it runs right through the system. You have to have the same qualification to work in schools as you do to work in the top division.
"We are really starting to see the effects in the last few years."
Unlike the turbulent world of England's Football Association, Spain's FA is a model of stability, with president Angel Maria Villar about to begin his 23rd year at the helm.
Not only are there more qualified coaches in Spain than in England, they are all promoting exactly the same style of football - the highly technical, possession-based game that has taken Barcelona to the summit of European football, made Spain's youth teams the envy of the world and allowed the national side to end nearly half a century of failure in Vienna two years ago.
Indeed, the senior team's victory at Euro 2008 was not an isolated success. Since 1998, Spanish youth teams from under-16 to under-21 level have won 19 Uefa and Fifa championships. During this same period, England have won just one - the U17s European Championship last month when they beat Spain in the final.
Former Spain and Real Madrid captain Fernando Hierro, who was made the federation's technical director in 2007, said recently: "We have moved on from the time when nobody knew what the characteristics of Spanish football were.
"Before, we all knew about Italian football, English football, German, Argentine, Brazilian. Now, it's good to say that Spanish football is here."
The importance of the structures put in place by the Spanish federation was recognised in Uefa's technical review of Euro 2008, drawn up by a panel including Fulham manager Roy Hodgson and former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier.
"For years, Spanish youth football has carried the same, recognisable hallmark," the report read. "And, after years of watering the roots, the plant has matured and blossomed."
International success has been matched by domestic triumphs, with Spain's top-flight La Liga surpassing Italy's Serie A and the Premier League to be rated by many as the world's strongest.
Barcelona are the reigning World Club champions, and the league's strength in depth is illustrated by the fact that Spanish teams have won the Uefa Cup/Europa League four times in the last seven seasons. Not one English, Italian or German side has claimed the trophy during that period.
But while the nucleus of Spain's team play their football at home, six members of Del Bosque's 23-man squad, including Fabregas, Torres and Pepe Reina, either play, or have played, in England.
Rodolfo Borrell, who coached Fabregas and Lionel Messi at the Barcelona academy before joining Liverpool's youth set-up in 2009, says the experience gained amid the rough and tumble of the Premier League has added crucial ingredients to the mix.
"Aggression, tackling, passion and heart are all a lot bigger in England than in Spain," he says. "The football is more competitive than other leagues. This is making our national team stronger."
If the Premier League has improved the physical strength of Spain's players, it is a new-found mental toughness that has allowed them to exorcise the ghosts of World Cups past, says Spanish football expert Phil Ball.
He believes previous Spanish squads were hampered by frailties rooted in the national psyche and bore mental scars from the 1982 tournament, when as host nation they won just once in five games, suffered a 1-0 loss to Northern Ireland, and crashed out in the second round.
"Little by little, Spain have shed the inferiority complex they have always had towards northern European sides," explains Ball, the author of 'Morbo: the History of Spanish Football'.
"Under (former Spanish dictator) Franco, Spain were seen as the poor man of Europe, a bit backward politically until the 1970s.
Shock defeat for Spain by Northern Ireland in 1982
"When Spain opened up after the transition into democracy, it got a World Cup in 1982 and made a fool of itself. It had that chance to show the world that it wasn't inferior and it mucked it up."
Ball, who has lived and worked in the northern city of San Sebastian for 20 years, says Spain's footballers may have been inspired by national success stories in other sports.
"You've got the likes of Fernando Alonso in Formula 1 and Rafael Nadal in tennis. People are seeing these Spaniards going out and doing the business. They've got that tough winning mentality."
According to Calvo, much of the credit for Spain's psychological transformation must go to Luis Aragones, the outspoken coach who led them to Euro 2008 glory before making way for former Real Madrid manager Del Bosque.
"Before, we were a good team, we would always cruise through the group stages, but when we got to the important stages, like the quarter-finals, we seemed to have a breakdown, we didn't believe that we could do it," he says. "Aragones made them believe. He knew how to prepare them for the really big games."
Among many who are tipping Spain to win the World Cup is Lineker.
The BBC frontman, who was England's top scorer at the 1986 and 1990 tournaments, says the Spanish now boast a depth of talent that makes them the envy of most other sides at this year's event.
"There is quality right the way through their squad - they have even got the best group of goalkeepers in world football and most of the best players in the world," he said. "They will take some beating in South Africa."
Yet for those who wonder how Spain finally changed from wobblers into winners, the message is clear: the glory has been a long time in the making.
For a country that has given us two of the most celebrated club sides in the game's history and a roll call of stellar players, Spain's record in the global showpiece is nothing short of woeful.
Fourth place in 1950 is their best showing in 16 tournaments, with most of their other campaigns ending in humiliation, misfortune, or abject failure .
However, South Africa 2010 promises to be a very different story.
Victory at Euro 2008 ended a 44-year wait for an international trophy and was followed by a World Cup qualifying campaign in which Vicente del Bosque's side won all 10 of their games, culminating in a 5-2 away victory over their nearest rivals Bosnia-Hercegovina.
Spain have won 45, and lost only one, of their last 48 games. A team at the peak of their powers, they underlined their status as World Cup favourites with an effortless 6-0 demolition of Poland in their final warm-up game on Tuesday.
So what is it about this Spanish team that makes them rise to the big occasion where their predecessors foundered? What factors can explain the seismic change that has taken place?
Many football observers suggest Spain's transformation from a perennial underachiever to a ruthless winning machine is largely explained by the emergence of a golden generation of players, drawn heavily from Barcelona's ranks.
As former Barca and England striker Gary Lineker asks: "How many sides could survive the loss of Fernando Torres? Only one: Spain. Because they have got David Villa.
"They've also got Cesc Fabregas, who could play behind the strikers and doesn't get a regular game because they've got Xavi and Andres Iniesta in midfield."
Others point to the strength of the Spanish domestic league, or argue that playing in the Premier League has given some of the squad members vital experience of a more physical kind of football.
But often overlooked are the seeds sown by the Spanish Football Federation over the last 15 years, which are now bearing fruit.
Pedro Calvo, who coached Liverpool striker Torres at the Atletico Madrid academy, believes Spain's current prowess owes much to the federation's long-term commitment to a nationwide programme for the training of coaches.
According to European football's governing body Uefa, Spain had almost 15,000 Uefa A and Pro Licence coaches in 2008 - more than double the number of any other European nation. And that is despite it taking 750 study hours to acquire a Pro Licence in Spain, compared with just 245 in England.
"The federation has really focused on getting people qualified and to the level where they can go to other countries and coach," says Calvo. "It's not just in professional football, it runs right through the system. You have to have the same qualification to work in schools as you do to work in the top division.
"We are really starting to see the effects in the last few years."
Unlike the turbulent world of England's Football Association, Spain's FA is a model of stability, with president Angel Maria Villar about to begin his 23rd year at the helm.
Not only are there more qualified coaches in Spain than in England, they are all promoting exactly the same style of football - the highly technical, possession-based game that has taken Barcelona to the summit of European football, made Spain's youth teams the envy of the world and allowed the national side to end nearly half a century of failure in Vienna two years ago.
Indeed, the senior team's victory at Euro 2008 was not an isolated success. Since 1998, Spanish youth teams from under-16 to under-21 level have won 19 Uefa and Fifa championships. During this same period, England have won just one - the U17s European Championship last month when they beat Spain in the final.
Former Spain and Real Madrid captain Fernando Hierro, who was made the federation's technical director in 2007, said recently: "We have moved on from the time when nobody knew what the characteristics of Spanish football were.
"Before, we all knew about Italian football, English football, German, Argentine, Brazilian. Now, it's good to say that Spanish football is here."
The importance of the structures put in place by the Spanish federation was recognised in Uefa's technical review of Euro 2008, drawn up by a panel including Fulham manager Roy Hodgson and former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier.
"For years, Spanish youth football has carried the same, recognisable hallmark," the report read. "And, after years of watering the roots, the plant has matured and blossomed."
International success has been matched by domestic triumphs, with Spain's top-flight La Liga surpassing Italy's Serie A and the Premier League to be rated by many as the world's strongest.
Barcelona are the reigning World Club champions, and the league's strength in depth is illustrated by the fact that Spanish teams have won the Uefa Cup/Europa League four times in the last seven seasons. Not one English, Italian or German side has claimed the trophy during that period.
But while the nucleus of Spain's team play their football at home, six members of Del Bosque's 23-man squad, including Fabregas, Torres and Pepe Reina, either play, or have played, in England.
Rodolfo Borrell, who coached Fabregas and Lionel Messi at the Barcelona academy before joining Liverpool's youth set-up in 2009, says the experience gained amid the rough and tumble of the Premier League has added crucial ingredients to the mix.
"Aggression, tackling, passion and heart are all a lot bigger in England than in Spain," he says. "The football is more competitive than other leagues. This is making our national team stronger."
If the Premier League has improved the physical strength of Spain's players, it is a new-found mental toughness that has allowed them to exorcise the ghosts of World Cups past, says Spanish football expert Phil Ball.
He believes previous Spanish squads were hampered by frailties rooted in the national psyche and bore mental scars from the 1982 tournament, when as host nation they won just once in five games, suffered a 1-0 loss to Northern Ireland, and crashed out in the second round.
"Little by little, Spain have shed the inferiority complex they have always had towards northern European sides," explains Ball, the author of 'Morbo: the History of Spanish Football'.
"Under (former Spanish dictator) Franco, Spain were seen as the poor man of Europe, a bit backward politically until the 1970s.
Shock defeat for Spain by Northern Ireland in 1982
"When Spain opened up after the transition into democracy, it got a World Cup in 1982 and made a fool of itself. It had that chance to show the world that it wasn't inferior and it mucked it up."
Ball, who has lived and worked in the northern city of San Sebastian for 20 years, says Spain's footballers may have been inspired by national success stories in other sports.
"You've got the likes of Fernando Alonso in Formula 1 and Rafael Nadal in tennis. People are seeing these Spaniards going out and doing the business. They've got that tough winning mentality."
According to Calvo, much of the credit for Spain's psychological transformation must go to Luis Aragones, the outspoken coach who led them to Euro 2008 glory before making way for former Real Madrid manager Del Bosque.
"Before, we were a good team, we would always cruise through the group stages, but when we got to the important stages, like the quarter-finals, we seemed to have a breakdown, we didn't believe that we could do it," he says. "Aragones made them believe. He knew how to prepare them for the really big games."
Among many who are tipping Spain to win the World Cup is Lineker.
The BBC frontman, who was England's top scorer at the 1986 and 1990 tournaments, says the Spanish now boast a depth of talent that makes them the envy of most other sides at this year's event.
"There is quality right the way through their squad - they have even got the best group of goalkeepers in world football and most of the best players in the world," he said. "They will take some beating in South Africa."
Yet for those who wonder how Spain finally changed from wobblers into winners, the message is clear: the glory has been a long time in the making.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
No. 1 in the world!!
And so Rafael Nadal is back ruling his clay-court kingdom and we shouldn't be remotely surprised.
To close the red-shale season unbeaten, with a perfect record from his seven matches at Roland Garros, emphasised his superiority on the slowest surface.
His win over Robin Soderling, in a dominant final performance, also emphasised that his defeat in 2009 - his only loss in six years here - probably requires an asterisk in the history books.
The 2009 Rafa, beaten by the Swede in the fourth round then to pull out of Wimbledon, was let down by troublesome knees and shaken by unexpected family issues when his parents split up.
He went for almost an entire year without a title - from Rome 2009 to Monte Carlo 2010 - but now he has won four in a row, three Masters and one major.
The barren spell was similar, in many ways, to that endured by Roger Federer from October 2008 to Madrid 2009. The Swiss predictably rebounded by winning the French and Wimbledon last summer and Nadal appears more than capable of managing the same feat.
Collapsing to the ground not once but twice emphasised the importance of this victory and the importance of the journey he has taken.
We love to watch sports stars rise to the top and we love to see them dominate. But there is something even more addictive about watching a deposed champion scale the heights once more.
Was I the only one concerned when watching Nadal at the end of last year, giving everything at the ATP World Tour Finals but finishing bottom of his group?
Not writing him off, not saying he was finished, just concerned.
This wasn't the same Rafa. The same gusto, the same determination, but not the same Rafa.
Did he have doubts himself?
"Sure, I had doots" he admitted, with one of his endearing 'Rafa-isms'. "Everybody has doots."
But all doubts were banished at Roland Garros 2010, where he also reclaimed the world number one ranking from Federer. We saw the familiar sight - as in Monte Carlo, Rome and Madrid - of Nadal dominating on the clay, bruising opponents physically and mentally.
His opponents threw everything - especially Lleyton Hewitt, Thomaz Bellucci and Nicolas Almagro, as well as Jurgen Melzer in the third set of the semi - but they didn't win a set between them as Nadal racked up his fifth French Open title and his seventh Grand Slam.
To close the red-shale season unbeaten, with a perfect record from his seven matches at Roland Garros, emphasised his superiority on the slowest surface.
His win over Robin Soderling, in a dominant final performance, also emphasised that his defeat in 2009 - his only loss in six years here - probably requires an asterisk in the history books.
The 2009 Rafa, beaten by the Swede in the fourth round then to pull out of Wimbledon, was let down by troublesome knees and shaken by unexpected family issues when his parents split up.
He went for almost an entire year without a title - from Rome 2009 to Monte Carlo 2010 - but now he has won four in a row, three Masters and one major.
The barren spell was similar, in many ways, to that endured by Roger Federer from October 2008 to Madrid 2009. The Swiss predictably rebounded by winning the French and Wimbledon last summer and Nadal appears more than capable of managing the same feat.
Collapsing to the ground not once but twice emphasised the importance of this victory and the importance of the journey he has taken.
We love to watch sports stars rise to the top and we love to see them dominate. But there is something even more addictive about watching a deposed champion scale the heights once more.
Was I the only one concerned when watching Nadal at the end of last year, giving everything at the ATP World Tour Finals but finishing bottom of his group?
Not writing him off, not saying he was finished, just concerned.
This wasn't the same Rafa. The same gusto, the same determination, but not the same Rafa.
Did he have doubts himself?
"Sure, I had doots" he admitted, with one of his endearing 'Rafa-isms'. "Everybody has doots."
But all doubts were banished at Roland Garros 2010, where he also reclaimed the world number one ranking from Federer. We saw the familiar sight - as in Monte Carlo, Rome and Madrid - of Nadal dominating on the clay, bruising opponents physically and mentally.
His opponents threw everything - especially Lleyton Hewitt, Thomaz Bellucci and Nicolas Almagro, as well as Jurgen Melzer in the third set of the semi - but they didn't win a set between them as Nadal racked up his fifth French Open title and his seventh Grand Slam.
WHO BORN DOG??
I don’t know who Rawlings had in mind when he talked about the Konongo Kaya in his June 4 speech. His story line however made it look like he was referring to President Mills.
I can however say with all the political savvy I can muster that if the Rawlingses truly go ahead with the Konadu for 2012 agenda, her contest in the primaries alone is enough to create the safest passage for Nana Addo to the jubilee house whilst Mills will prematurely join Rawlings in the hall of former presidents.
That is the day we may find who the true Konongo Kaya is and probably who born dog!
I can however say with all the political savvy I can muster that if the Rawlingses truly go ahead with the Konadu for 2012 agenda, her contest in the primaries alone is enough to create the safest passage for Nana Addo to the jubilee house whilst Mills will prematurely join Rawlings in the hall of former presidents.
That is the day we may find who the true Konongo Kaya is and probably who born dog!
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