Metamorphosis

to blog or not to blog

2006-07-14T23:12:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed blogging the world cup and loved the last month. Now I am faced with the reality of life without football. Bombs left and right, people dying and the middle east heading towards the middle ages. This lead me to decide that I need to start a new blog. A blog that is soley dedicated to one of my true passions; football. As of today I will try not to post to this dire polictically oriented and for the most part fucked up blog. I'm moving to http://footballogic.blogspot.com/ See you there, it's a lot more exciting and refreshing.

Zizou, what did you do?

2006-07-09T19:57:00.000-07:00

It seems unbelievable that the great Zidane did what he did in that game. One of the world's greatest players leaves behind a legacy that spanned 10 years of domination of world football. He did it all, winning everything and in style, but he will forever be remembered for the way he head butted Materazzi in the chest. A momentary lapse of reason and maybe he decided that he could no longer take any abuse, but to do it in is such a game is unforgiven. Aside from that incident the game was a typical final, ebbing and flowing with both teams dominating seperate spells of the game. France were lucky to be awared the penalty for the slightest of touches on Malouda. In my opinion that was a poor decision by the referee and a great dive by Malouda. The Italians regrouped and dominated the next 20 minutes of play. The managed to score and should have been ahead were it not for the bar. From then on it was all Zidane. He took control of the midfield and in the second half it appeared that Italy had run out of gas. I thought that Toni's goal was valid and he was the only Italian player who was not offside, but aside from that Italy did nothing except defend and hoping that they can win it on penalty kicks. Although they won the game, they were not the better team on the night, but were the best team in this tournament so deserve the championship. What will ultimately be remembered from that night though will not be the victory but the head butt. That single moment of madness by a genius of the game.

Italy vs France predictions

2006-07-08T20:27:00.000-07:00

We're down to the last game of what was for the most part an average world cup. Hopefully tomorrow's game will be worthy of a world cup final, although I am certain there will not be many goals scored. The game will be very even between two experience sides, although I give Italy a slight edge. They have more depth than France, particularly in midfield and wings. Both teams are excellent in defense and in Thuram and Cannavaro have probably the top defenders in the world. France will as usual depend on Zidane, who should be tightly marked by Gattuso. If Italy can do what the Portugese did to France before conceding the penalty then they will win the game. They will need to keep Zidance off the ball and prevent him from feeding Henry. Italy's hopes will be pinned on Pirlo and Totti to try and carve the French defense. They can also depend on their flying wingers, Zambrotta and Grosso who love to attack. If France end up winning the game it will probably be from a set piece. I'm going for a 1-0 win to Italy.

For all the Peter Crouch fans out there, some where.

2006-07-06T11:37:00.000-07:00

Peter Crouch's finest moment

Ronaldo can't stop Zizou

2006-07-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

It looks like whenever Zidane steps on the field and plays against a "Ronaldo" he ends up winning. The French came, they saw and they conquered and that pretty much sums up this boring game. France killed the game after the penalty kick and Ronaldo's heroics and relentless running wasn't able to budge the French defense. The way France played yesterday was dire, boring and effective. Looks like Domenech admires the "Catanecco" perfected by the Italian sides of the past. Portugal had no chance of coming back because they lack a striker. Pauleta can bag goals in the French league and that's pretty much it. Thuram and Ronaldo were amazing. Thuram defended like his life depened on it. Ronaldo kept on running at the French and showed a lot of character in withstanding the endless booing aimed at him. If only he'd stay on his feet more!

Where was the Brazilian defense when Henry scored?

2006-07-05T09:59:00.000-07:00

Check out this video to find out what Roberto Carlos was doing while Zidane was about to take the free kick.

Portugal vs France predictions

2006-07-05T07:24:00.000-07:00

Portugal are the underdogs and Scolari knows that. He also knows that they stand no chance if they give Zidance time and space to dictate the game. Portugal are a good team with an excellent coach. They have solid players all over the pitch, but I don't think that Pauletta will trouble the French backline. France depend Zidane to dictate the game so I expect Scolari to man mark him, hoping that Henry is left with little supply playing as the lone striker. I'm going for a 1-0 win to France altough I hope I get this wrong. I want to see Big Phil again in a final.

Ciao Deutschland!

2006-07-04T15:54:00.000-07:00

Probably the best game of the tournament so far and worthy of a semi-final. I fancied Italy to win it and that is what happened. Italy are a fantastic team lead by two great players; Cannavaro and Pirlo. Cannavaro can play alone in defense and still help his team keep a clean sheet. He is truly a joy to watch. Pirlo is the midfield master mind. He controls the pace of the game and his passing is second to none. I liked Lippi's changes, which were all unlike an Italian coach as they were all offensive. I suppose he knew that Germany never lose penalty kicks while Italy never wins. I labeled the Italians as cheats after their game against Australia but to be honest the game was very clean and there was none of that traditional diving. Germany are a young team, but I am still not convinced that they can be a great team. They will need to prove themselves on foreign soil where they are not lifted by their home crowd.

P.S. Where were Ballack and Totti?

Germany vs Italy predictions

2006-07-04T09:21:00.000-07:00

I doubt that these two teams have lots of fans outside of their own countries. They both play a blend of mechanical and ultra defensive football, which can be boring. I like it and admire their style of play. It is extremely efficient and is not necessarily that boring. If you do not belive me, count the number of times these teams reached the world cup final in the last 20+ years. What is interesting about today's game is that both teams are not that boring. Germany has played some very good attacking football and Italy has scored a lot more than it usually does. The Italians have been magnificent in defense and I still find it hard to believe that Klose-Podolski will score against them. Toni has at last found the target so he might feel that he has a chance to crack the "weak" German defense. In my opinion the Italian midfield is more dynamic that the German one. Italy have Pirlo and Totti who can orchestrate things from the middle of the field. Germany rely on Ballack who is a great player but I expect that Gattuso will keep him busy. I'm going for a 1-0 win Italy.

The Rooney,Ronaldo saga

2006-07-04T09:09:00.000-07:00

A lot has been said recently about Rooney's sending off and what part Ronaldo played in that. To be fair the sending off was harsh. In my opinion Rooney didn't intentionally try to castrate Carvalho. They were both going for the ball and Rooney accidentally squashed Ricardo's balls. Shit like this happens in football. I also believe that Ronaldo's reaction was normal. It's a tense quarter final and you've just seen your team mate's balls squashed, what do you do? Stand there and watch. I'd have done the same; confronted Rooney and shouted at the referee. Having said that I can understand that the poor referee had no choice but to send Rooney off. It's a lot easier for me to say that it was not intentional because I have the replay, the referee has to make an immediate decision. People tend to forget that the referee's main job is to protect the players. Now, is there an area that needs more protection that a player's balls? He had to protect Carvalho's crown jewels :-)
The unfortunate thing about this mess is the role of the press who tried to vilify Ronaldo and blame him for the sending off. I am not a big fan of Ronaldo, although I do admire his skills, but to do so is unfair and missing the point. Not to mention is it a complete exagerration. I really doubt Ronaldo has the power to send players off. I'm also shocked at a former player like Allan Shearer hoping that Rooney "sticks one on him". Absolutely disgusting.

Brazil and England out.

2006-07-01T18:07:00.000-07:00

Although I predicted that both would win, I don't think I really believed that. Both teams are quite similar in the way they were disposed. They struggled throughout the tournament and never delivered on their potential. Brazil in particular never played as a team but as a group of individuals. Ronaldinho looks to have believed that the stunts he pulls on the Joga Bonito video clips can be done in the world cup. He should learn from Zidane. England believed so much in Wayne Rooney and dubbed him the "next Pele", which off course is rubbish. Lastly both teams were lead by coaches who lacked the courage to make the right yet difficult decisions. Beckham was a waste for England and should have been benched, while relying on an overweight Ronaldo upfront was silly at best. Both teams needed someone to pop their halo and they are deservedly out.

Brazil vs France predictions

2006-06-30T17:07:00.000-07:00

Brazil have so far dozed through the tournament and have been outplayed in every single game except probably against Japan. Yet they are the only team in the world that can be completely outplayed for 80 minutes and still win 3-0. This approach doesn't work against a top quality team like France though. Should Brazil put a display similar to the one againt Ghana, they will lose and by a wide margin. Thierry Henry will not miss like Gyan. In my opinion Brazil need to start with Ronaldo and Robinho to win this game. Ronaldo is slow (and yes overweight) so he'll be easily contained by Gallas and Thuram that is why he needs the speedy Robinho by him. Robinho is fast, skilled and very hungry and can carve the ageing French backline for his overweight but deadly partner to score. Ronaldinho needs to have a huge game and come to life because this is not the world player of the year. Juninho should start instead of the poor Emerson. He spreads the ball much better than Emerson and is the best free kick taker in the world, period. He won't, because Parreira lacks the balls; he's not Scolari.

France will as usual rely on Zidane to orchestrate the midfield and feed Henry. France will try and take advantage of free kicks and hope that they can repeat what they did in 1998. I'm hoping that Domenech will play Trezeguet along side Henry to put more pressure on a fragile Brazilian backline, particularly with Trezeguet's aerial threat. He won't, because he lacks the balls; he's not Scolari.

This one is too tough for me to call, but I'm going for 2-1 for Brazil. France are too old :-)

England vs Portugal predictions

2006-06-30T17:01:00.000-07:00

This game is better known as "Scolari vs Eriksson III". In all previous encounters it was Scolari who managed to pull a rabbit out of his bag of tricks and squeeze a win, tomorrow will be different though. England have been playing quite poorly, but winning, which is all that matters and they feel comfortable that they can repeat that pattern tomorrow against a weakened Portugal. Tactically the Portugese are much better because Scolari is savvier than Eriksson, but with an ageing lineup and injuries I am afriad that will not be enought against a very hungry English team. I'm going for a 1-0 win to England.

Italy vs Ukraine post game analysis

2006-06-30T14:09:00.000-07:00

Italy is player better and better as the tournament progresses and they are now my favorites to win it. I was not surprised that they defeated a very poor Ukrainian side, but the efficiency of the win was impressive. Tactically they are superb and their defense is by far the best in the world.

Germany vs Argentina post game analysis

2006-06-30T14:06:00.000-07:00

Pekerman blew it with his bizzare changes and Argentina lost a game which they should have won. Removing Riquelme might have been forgiven if he'd been replaced by Aimar or Messi as Argentina needed someone to hold the ball when leading 1-0. Unfortuntely for them they conceded a goal and ran out of ideas after that. They clearly missed a play maker. Germany again proved two things: they never give up and they never miss penalty kicks.

Italy vs Ukraine predictions

2006-06-29T21:04:00.000-07:00

Probably the least exciting of all games which is no surprise since Italy is taking a part. The Italians have the best defense and goalkeeper of the tournament. Add to that some special theatrical skills by their offense and you have a winning, albeit cheating, combination. Ukraine are one dimensional and rely on Schevchenko who will be easily dealt with by Cannavaro and co. My prediction: 1-0 Italy (unfortunately).

Germany vs Argentina predictions

2006-06-29T20:54:00.000-07:00

The world cup starts tomorrow. Forget all of the other games, the quarter finals is where heros are made and tomorrow's games has all the writings to be a classic. The home team versus the mighty Argentinians. I see no clear cut favorite for this game although I fancy Argentina. Argentina have a better defense and midfield but lack the fire power of the Germans. Klose and Podolski are the best attacking duo of this world cup thus far. Germany's weakest point is its defense which has been untested but will be by Crespo, Saviolla and Messi, should he play. Argentina will try and absort the German onslaught in the opening stages and hope that they do not concede a goal within the first 15 minutes. Should they do so they will be able to set the game's pace and dictate things. I'm going for a 1-0 win for Argentina.

Round of 16; my thoughts

2006-06-27T19:52:00.000-07:00

Out of 32 teams that started the tournament, only 8 remain and if you haven't noticed 7 of them are the top seeds. Things might not look better, right? Not quite so, particulary the referees. In my opinion FIFA screwed it big time. Whatever it is they told the referees back fired and I hope that this trigger happy way of awarding cards and penalty for every touch will cease. It's killing the game and is clearly in favor of the bigger teams. I am sure Sepp Blatter is very happy that all the big guns are through to the next round. Anyways here are my thoughts on the teams that progressed.

Germany: One of the better sides of the second round although they were hardly troubled by a very poor Swedish side. I like the attacking duo of Klose and Podolski they are fast, strong and hardly miss so they will be a handful for any defense. Their midfield is good especially the great Ballack. Their weakest link is their defense, you just feel that they will concede goals against better teams. With the home advantage they can go all the way if they manage to defeat Argentina.
Argentina: Solid, balanced and very effective. With no clear weak point, this Argentinian team will be very difficult to defeat. Unfortunately for them they face Germany in the next round. An early final in my opinion and its very difficult to predict who will win.
England: Shite comes to mind. Yet another win and they managed to stumble into the next round. This English team reminds me of a tired boxer in the 12th round who is waiting for the knock-out punch. The problem is the punch never comes. Having said that, I wouldn't be surprised if they win it. Remember Italy in 1994 stumbled all the way to the final. Their next test is against Scolari's Portugal and they will get a massive boost if they go through.
Portugal: If they concentrate on playing football and not Kung-fu they can be a very entertaining side. Their match against Holland was a scandal by all means. They are lead by a very savvy coach and have quality players everywhere.
Italy: Cheats + a rock solid defense = can win it.
Ukraine: Spain must be trying to figure out how the team they demolished in their opening game is in the next round and they are not. Well, they won't last too long as Italy will take care of that, although I really hope they kick the cheats out.
Brazil: Unconvincing yet efficient and quite lucky. The Brazilian teams of Tele Santana are long gone and it would be naive to expect them to play the way they did in 1982 and 1986. These teams were magnificent to watch yet won nothing. The current Brazilian playing style lead them to 3 consecutive world cup finals and 2 wins, so they won't change it any time soon. Having said that they need to shape up and play like a team if they want to defeat France. Ghana exposed them many times and you know that if this was Henry out there he'd have buried all these chances. Brazil usually move into top gear at this stage so it will be interesting to see how they play.
France: I thought it was aurevoir Zizou but he proved me wrong. France are solid and very experienced. They will be extremely difficult to beat especially if they manage to keep on scoring as they've done recently.

FIFA = Fucking Insane Football Association

2006-06-27T12:32:00.000-07:00

That's it, I've had it. FIFA is turning football into a contactless game. I just saw the penalty awared to Spain and it is shocking. This is not basketball where every contact is called for, this is football! FIFA will destroy this game with these overzealous calls.

Spain vs France predictions

2006-06-26T22:25:00.000-07:00

First of, this game will not be entertaining. It will be a cagey midfield battle with Viera and Makalele on one side and Fabregas and Xavi on the other side. Both teams have a solid defense and excellent goal keepers. Both teams have good attackers so it's quite even and could go either way. I'm going against the odds and history and hoping that Spain win it.

Aurevoir et merci Zizou, you were the greatest!

Brazil vs Ghana predictions

2006-06-26T22:22:00.000-07:00

I think Ghana will be easily dealt with by Brazil. I can see Ghana defending very well and holding the midfield, but without Essien it will not be rock solid. Ghana are a good team but they lack the final touch. They missed many chances against the Czech Republic although they ended up winning the game 2-0. They must take any chance they get against Brazil, because they know that Brazil will take theirs. I'm going for 1-0 Brazil.

The men in black need a red card

2006-06-26T22:14:00.000-07:00

Apart from a couple of games involving Argentina and Germany the second round games have been a disappointment so far. Some of that has to do with the tension and fear of losing but a lot of it is related to the "new" refeering methods being applied. I can understand that FIFA wants to clamp down on shirt-pulling, diving and whatever cheap tricks (read cheating) that player can occassionaly resort to, but pulling out a card for every foul committed is not the way to solve this. The Portugal-Holland game was a complete farce a fiasco and an insult to the millions of people who turned in to watch it. The problems continued in the Italy game with two horribe calls. The red card was in no way deserved, it was a yellow card at best and the penalty should have been a yellow card for a blatant dive. It's not your regular dive where a player acts like he stepped on a mine without any contact. This one was a smart dive, the player leaves his foot dragging behind him knowing that the defender's body is in the way and the rest is history. I just hope tomorrow's games and the rest of the world cup will see better refs and better games.

Holland vs Portual predictions

2006-06-25T00:26:00.000-07:00

A very balanced game with no clear favorite. Portugal have the better midfield lead by Figo and Deco while Holland have a better front line with Robben, Van Nistelroy and Van Persie. Both teams are managed by good coaches although Scolari is far a lot more savvy than Van Basten. I'm going for penalty kicks and Portugal winning it.

England vs Ecuador predictions

2006-06-25T00:21:00.000-07:00

Should be a straight forward game to England and they should have no problems in disposing Ecuador. England will probably go for a 4-5-1 formation with Rooney as a lone striker. This will give a lot of room for Gerrard and Lampard to roam right behind Rooney and attack at will. Ecuador will try and contain England and keep it tight. If they manage to keep the score 0-0 at half time they will feel confident that they can take this game to extra time and penalty kicks or somehow snatch a winner. Ecuador's main chances will come from quick counter attacks of dead ball situations, hoping for England to defend in a manner similar to they way they did against Sweden. I'm going for a 2-0 win for England.

Mexico vs Argentina

2006-06-25T00:16:00.000-07:00

I predicted a 2-0 win to Argentina and although the result was not that far off, it was far form easy. Mexico had a better game and should have won it in regular time were it not for a bit of unfortunate luck that lead to the first Argentinian goal. Argentina were quite disappointing throughout the game and won due to a wonder strike. Riquelme looked poor and wasn't involved in many parts of the game. He needs to get involved more if they stand a chance of winning this cup. When this team clicks they are the best in the world. I cannot wait for their 1/4 final against Germany.