I was in the bakery section of the supermarket the other day, when to my surprise I saw that they were selling the roundish lump of dough with a dollop of sweet red gunk in the middle otherwise known as the ubiquitous jam/jelly doughnut. As you are reading this, I know that you are beginning to wonder what this has got to do with a game of football, apart from both objects being round. Who can guess the connection, well the doughnut is symbolic of the festival of lights, Chaunkah, which is a celebration of the last time that Israel beat the Greeks, and lo and behold, Israel just happen to be facing Greece tonight in a vital European qualifier.
So the question is, can Israel overcome one of their oldest foes again after over 2,000 years of trying? the omens don’t look good. Before I carry on, I know that all the Maccabi Tel-Aviv basketball fans who are reading this are going to say that Maccabi often beat Greek teams at Chanukah time, sorry guys, that does not count. I doubt that many of the players for Maccabi would qualify as members of the tribe.
I am sure that many of you good readers have head of the term a Greek tragedy, but are not quite sure what it means, so I went to Bet Shemesh’s eminent Greek Scholar, Dr Lisa Maurice and asked her for a quick definition. I told her I wanted 3 lines not the 3 days that she said would be needed to explain the concept, but she came through and here roughly is what she said. A play were the cast think that the they are good and things are going to work out, but in the end their hopes prove futile and they are shown not to be up too standard.
Sounds familiar, yes we could be talking about, the Israel national football team. The defeat to Croatia on Saturday night was very disappointing as the Croatians did not play well at all, and better execution of the chances that fell Israel’s way early on, would probably have given Israel a win. Therein lies the hope, Israel did create chances and good ones and Schechter’s goal was very well taken. Israel also tends to play better away from home, perhaps because there is less pressure on them.
If they were not expected to win against Croatia, then they are certainly expected to lose tonight. As I said in the last blog, in the absence of Yossi Benayoun, who is now expected to be out for 6 months with injury, somebody has to take the responsibility of pushing the team forward. Schecther, did his bit, but Gilly Vermouth was very disappointing, he has to play well for Israel to have a chance. Perhaps Fernandez will give Lior Rafelov a chance as he did well when he came on as a substitute.
This leads us to the manager, Louis Fernandez, who is a very unpopular figure in the Israeli press and this is not just because he is French, although that is just cause for me. The claim is that he has not brought any order to the team, there is no structure, some of these criticisms are justified, but the players have to take a lot of the blame and the press most for overstating the level of Israeli football. One thing is for sure, it is fun to watch Fernandez (I think the Israeli FA thought he was Spanish, because of his name, and the Spanish are world champs and European Champs at the moment) striding up and down his technical error, sucking on his lollipops and throwing his arms about in those classic Gallic shrugs.
A quick word about the Greeks, they are not that good, but always seem to do well against Israel. The crowd in Athens will be very hostile, the Greek number 7 Samaras, likes scoring against Israel. As the table stands, Greece and Georgia have 5 points and Israel 4, so there is still all too play for.
Starting with the World Cup in 2010, the idea of the blog is to hopefully help those who, whilst not being that interested in football, still want to keep abreast of what is going on. This way they won't feel such an outsider, when the said event is the only thing that everyone else is talking about. The blog is intended to be humourous and not very politically correct. Enjoy
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Thursday, 7 October 2010
Israel V Croatia a preview
Hello, and welcome back, after lots of pressure from you the readers, I am back to help you follow Israel’s progress through the qualification tournament for the 2012 European championships (aka Euro 2012) set to be hosted by Poland and Ukraine in June of that year.
Before previewing the game, a brief explanation is needed with those not so au fait with qualifying for major tournaments. The 50 or so odd countries that are part of the European football federation (you will be stretched if you know your geography to say that all of these countries are actually in Europe, Israel being a case in point) have been divided up into nine groups of either five or six teams. The winners of each group automatically qualify. The 2nd placed team with the best record from amongst the nine groups also gets in. The remaining eight 2nd placed teams then play off next November to see which four teams round out the competition. Add in the host nations and we are left with 16 teams to compete in Euro 2012 .
Israel was drawn in group F, to play Croatia, Greece, Latvia, Georgia and Malta, and was seeded third in this group. So far Israel has beaten Malta at home and drawn away in Georgia.
So to the game itself, now I am going to write something, and you are going to think, well that is obvious, and that is, any other result other than a defeat will be a good one for Israel. Israel is expected to lose this game, as I mentioned earlier, they are the number three seed in the group and Croatia is number one. In one of the local newspapers they did a comparison of the probable opening 11 players on each side and the Croatian team was valued at 200 million Euro with Israel at 40 million Euro. Hopefully that gap in value, 5 times more will not translate into a similar result on the field.
However as the cliché goes “football is a funny old game”. Croatia have started their qualifying campaign with a 3-0 away victory over Latvia and a 0-0 draw against Greece, they were poor in failing to qualify for the World Cup and their form has tapered off since the glory days soon after the breakup of the old Yugoslavia . The last times these two nations met in Ramat Gan, the Croatians won 4-3 in a seven goal thriller, so as far as entertainment goes the omens are good.
The bad news for Israel is their best player is out injured. Yossi Benayoun will be missing for a couple of months with an Achilles injury, can Israel manage without him, are the next generation ready for the step up? Before we try to answer those questions, I must say a word about Yossi. He is obviously a mutant, as we know he comes from Dimona, where that secret installation that we are not allowed to talk about is located, just ask Mordechai Vanunu what happens when you do. The fact that he is so talented is not where the mutation manifests itself, no, the mutation is that he is so modest with it. Israeli football is awash with ex players whose mouths were bigger than their feet, so that they constantly were putting their feet in their mouths about how brilliant they were, instead of letting their feet do the talking on the pitch. The most classic case of this was Eyal Berkovitz, when he was at West Ham, one of his teammates tried to kick his head off, he was so disliked.
Yossi was desperate to get fit for this game, he even went to Belgrade to see the “The Serbian Witch” who uses a compound made from the placenta of horses to speed up the recovery. Of course it didn’t work, but I don’t think she charged him as the Serbs hate the Croats.
Back to the questions, there is no doubt that a new generation of skillful Israeli players are around, the question is do they have the mentality to succeed at his level. I will be bold and say the answer is yes, this does not mean that Israel will win, but that they should give a good account of themselves, despite all the negative vibes emanating from the Israeli press.
Itai Schechter is a case in point, he is a very fast, strong and skillful player who is making a name for himself in the Champions league for Hapoel Tel-Aviv, if the midfield and especially Gili Vermouth, (if he plays well, Israel has a chance) can provide him with good service, he will certainly cause the Croatians problems. Itai comes from a religious family, and as a teenager, had real issues with his undoubted ability and the problem of playing on the day of rest. He chose football, but still has an observant outlook on life. He caused a controversy whilst playing for Hapoel, when after scoring a goal against Salzburg, he pulled a Kippah out of his sock, put it on and prayed in the middle of the pitch. The Austrian crowd booed loudly and the referee showed him a yellow card.
On Sunday or Monday I will preview the Greece V Israel game and also talk about Israel’s rather eccentric manager Louis Fernandez.
Before previewing the game, a brief explanation is needed with those not so au fait with qualifying for major tournaments. The 50 or so odd countries that are part of the European football federation (you will be stretched if you know your geography to say that all of these countries are actually in Europe, Israel being a case in point) have been divided up into nine groups of either five or six teams. The winners of each group automatically qualify. The 2nd placed team with the best record from amongst the nine groups also gets in. The remaining eight 2nd placed teams then play off next November to see which four teams round out the competition. Add in the host nations and we are left with 16 teams to compete in Euro 2012 .
Israel was drawn in group F, to play Croatia, Greece, Latvia, Georgia and Malta, and was seeded third in this group. So far Israel has beaten Malta at home and drawn away in Georgia.
So to the game itself, now I am going to write something, and you are going to think, well that is obvious, and that is, any other result other than a defeat will be a good one for Israel. Israel is expected to lose this game, as I mentioned earlier, they are the number three seed in the group and Croatia is number one. In one of the local newspapers they did a comparison of the probable opening 11 players on each side and the Croatian team was valued at 200 million Euro with Israel at 40 million Euro. Hopefully that gap in value, 5 times more will not translate into a similar result on the field.
However as the cliché goes “football is a funny old game”. Croatia have started their qualifying campaign with a 3-0 away victory over Latvia and a 0-0 draw against Greece, they were poor in failing to qualify for the World Cup and their form has tapered off since the glory days soon after the breakup of the old Yugoslavia . The last times these two nations met in Ramat Gan, the Croatians won 4-3 in a seven goal thriller, so as far as entertainment goes the omens are good.
The bad news for Israel is their best player is out injured. Yossi Benayoun will be missing for a couple of months with an Achilles injury, can Israel manage without him, are the next generation ready for the step up? Before we try to answer those questions, I must say a word about Yossi. He is obviously a mutant, as we know he comes from Dimona, where that secret installation that we are not allowed to talk about is located, just ask Mordechai Vanunu what happens when you do. The fact that he is so talented is not where the mutation manifests itself, no, the mutation is that he is so modest with it. Israeli football is awash with ex players whose mouths were bigger than their feet, so that they constantly were putting their feet in their mouths about how brilliant they were, instead of letting their feet do the talking on the pitch. The most classic case of this was Eyal Berkovitz, when he was at West Ham, one of his teammates tried to kick his head off, he was so disliked.
Yossi was desperate to get fit for this game, he even went to Belgrade to see the “The Serbian Witch” who uses a compound made from the placenta of horses to speed up the recovery. Of course it didn’t work, but I don’t think she charged him as the Serbs hate the Croats.
Back to the questions, there is no doubt that a new generation of skillful Israeli players are around, the question is do they have the mentality to succeed at his level. I will be bold and say the answer is yes, this does not mean that Israel will win, but that they should give a good account of themselves, despite all the negative vibes emanating from the Israeli press.
Itai Schechter is a case in point, he is a very fast, strong and skillful player who is making a name for himself in the Champions league for Hapoel Tel-Aviv, if the midfield and especially Gili Vermouth, (if he plays well, Israel has a chance) can provide him with good service, he will certainly cause the Croatians problems. Itai comes from a religious family, and as a teenager, had real issues with his undoubted ability and the problem of playing on the day of rest. He chose football, but still has an observant outlook on life. He caused a controversy whilst playing for Hapoel, when after scoring a goal against Salzburg, he pulled a Kippah out of his sock, put it on and prayed in the middle of the pitch. The Austrian crowd booed loudly and the referee showed him a yellow card.
On Sunday or Monday I will preview the Greece V Israel game and also talk about Israel’s rather eccentric manager Louis Fernandez.
Sunday, 11 July 2010
The Final- a preview
So, Spain v Holland, a mouthwatering prospect or is it. I hope that these two teams will produce a spectacle of football which will be long remembered, but I have my doubts, therefore it is my duty to warn those who are not so au fait with this game that it could be very boring and here are the reasons why.
A number of people complained to me that Spain v Germany was a boring game, Spain had the majority of the possession, yet they only won 1-0. For the football purist, Spain was a joy to watch, complete control of the ball. Passing it at will with the Germans content to sit back and try and catch them on the counter attack much as the Swiss did against Spain. There is a very big risk with this strategy, if you don’t catch your opponent on the break, eventually Spain because of their sheer amount of talent are going to score and then you have to chase the game.
This means pushing more and more players forward in an attempt to find the equalizer, thus leaving your defence exposed to lethal Spanish counter attacks and also the Spanish ability to just hold onto the ball with their amazing short passing game known as tacky-tacky as the ball pings from foot to foot.
This is the problem the Dutch face today, their defence is not very good, so therefore they are going to try and close Spain down inside the Spanish half, rather like a full court press in basketball. They will also hope by this high pressure game to steal a goal from a Spanish mistake and then defend for their lives.
The best hope for a good game is an early goal for Spain, as then the Dutch will have to come at them, and this will lead to a more open game. Players to watch for, Robben and Sneijder for the Dutch and look out for Van Persie, it is time he delivered for the Dutch. Xavi, Iniesta, Pedro and of course our favourite Bet Shemesh aaars lookalike David Villa for Spain.
Let us hope for a classic
Wiggi
A number of people complained to me that Spain v Germany was a boring game, Spain had the majority of the possession, yet they only won 1-0. For the football purist, Spain was a joy to watch, complete control of the ball. Passing it at will with the Germans content to sit back and try and catch them on the counter attack much as the Swiss did against Spain. There is a very big risk with this strategy, if you don’t catch your opponent on the break, eventually Spain because of their sheer amount of talent are going to score and then you have to chase the game.
This means pushing more and more players forward in an attempt to find the equalizer, thus leaving your defence exposed to lethal Spanish counter attacks and also the Spanish ability to just hold onto the ball with their amazing short passing game known as tacky-tacky as the ball pings from foot to foot.
This is the problem the Dutch face today, their defence is not very good, so therefore they are going to try and close Spain down inside the Spanish half, rather like a full court press in basketball. They will also hope by this high pressure game to steal a goal from a Spanish mistake and then defend for their lives.
The best hope for a good game is an early goal for Spain, as then the Dutch will have to come at them, and this will lead to a more open game. Players to watch for, Robben and Sneijder for the Dutch and look out for Van Persie, it is time he delivered for the Dutch. Xavi, Iniesta, Pedro and of course our favourite Bet Shemesh aaars lookalike David Villa for Spain.
Let us hope for a classic
Wiggi
Politics, Religion and Football before the Final
So we are now less than 24 hours from the final and can almost start looking forward to Rio in 2014, but before we get to the final itself, let us look at some of the side effects and issues associated with the world cup.
The first of these is the politics, for those who have been watching the games and not just following this blog. One can’t have not help but notice the procession of heads of states at these games, if your national team is doing well, you can be assured that the politicians will want to be seen and therefore associated with something which makes the people happy. Angela Merkel could not control herself against Argentina. King Juan Carlos was coolness personified against Germany and as for crown princess Maxima of Holland, well her joy was unrestrained as Holland went ahead against Uruguay. This association however can backfire, if the team flops, The Argentinean president Cristiana Kirchner who is up for reelection, campaigned for free screenings of games and arranged for large screens to be erected all over the country, which was all well and good until the Argies lost 4-0 to the Sherman’s.
So the feel good factor which politicians try to feed off is manifested in another way. In nine months time there will be a baby boom in at least the countries that advanced to the last four. This is actually very important to some of these countries especially the Dutch, where a leap in the indigenous population is very important due to the number of Moslems already in the country. Obviously in the Catholic countries this will not be so felt, which leads us nicely into the last facet at which I wish to look at today.
The most commonly observed act during this tournament has been the sight of players crossing themselves throughout the games.
The two countries playing in the final embody their separate faiths. As an Englishman, when I think of Spain, I conjure up images of El Cid, Catherine of Aragon (cause of the Reformation in England) The Spanish Armada and of course who could have expected Torquemada and the Spanish Inquisition.
The Dutch as we know play in Orange and Prince William of Orange became William the third of England in 1689 before going on to defeat the Catholic King James the second of England at the battle of the Boyne on July 12th 1690 (could be a good omen for the Dutch) to establish Protestant hegemony in Ireland, which has survived in the north at least to this day and has been the cause of so much trouble in the Emerald Isle.
The facts speak for themselves, only one truly Protestant country has ever one the world cup, that being England, and even though Germany was the home of the Protestant movement, their best teams and players have traditionally come from Bavaria, a staunchly Catholic province, so we will call them half and half.
So why does it seem that Catholics are better at football than Protestants, well there a number of reasons, the first is historical and relates to the reason Luther posted his articles(a man obviously ahead of his time, the first blogger) Luther was against the indulgencies of the Catholic church. Indulgency is the watchword of Catholic football, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, need I continue, play there football in an over indulgent, somewhat extravagant manner and it seems to work.
The next reason is the way the two faiths deal with sin or in this case, mistakes on and off the football field. In Catholicism, you sin or stray and one simply has to go to confession, say a couple of Hail Mary’s (and that is not the American football kind) receive absolution and you are free to err again. This translates to the football field to a much more relaxed attitude to giving the ball away or missing a goal. The players don’t even need to confess, they just cross themselves and are good to go again. Not so with the Protestants, who view sin in a much more serious manner. There is no hope for sinners until they die. This means that the burdens of making an error are far greater. No-one in England has really forgiven or forgotten the litany of players who have missed penalties or made glaring mistakes and thus caused England to lose.
Off the field, the same differences are apparent, in a Non football related example. President Mitterrand of France was known for his indiscretions which barely caused an eyelid to be raised. Compare that to the reaction in the USA, to the behaviour of President Clinton, in a Catholic country, a shrug of the shoulders may have ensued.
The English camp was riven a few months before the world cup, due to allegations against the then Captain, John Terry, of affairs unbecoming.
This was a definite factor in the poor performance of the English team, as the rumours about similar behaviour by other players and recriminations amongst the players continued.
In France and Spain nobody could see what the fuss was about. Team Spirit is very important.
So if this theory holds true, Spain will emerge victorious later today. But perhaps King William of Orange will again triumph. We will have to wait and see.
I will post a more traditional preview of the final later today, remember to check back
Wiggi
The first of these is the politics, for those who have been watching the games and not just following this blog. One can’t have not help but notice the procession of heads of states at these games, if your national team is doing well, you can be assured that the politicians will want to be seen and therefore associated with something which makes the people happy. Angela Merkel could not control herself against Argentina. King Juan Carlos was coolness personified against Germany and as for crown princess Maxima of Holland, well her joy was unrestrained as Holland went ahead against Uruguay. This association however can backfire, if the team flops, The Argentinean president Cristiana Kirchner who is up for reelection, campaigned for free screenings of games and arranged for large screens to be erected all over the country, which was all well and good until the Argies lost 4-0 to the Sherman’s.
So the feel good factor which politicians try to feed off is manifested in another way. In nine months time there will be a baby boom in at least the countries that advanced to the last four. This is actually very important to some of these countries especially the Dutch, where a leap in the indigenous population is very important due to the number of Moslems already in the country. Obviously in the Catholic countries this will not be so felt, which leads us nicely into the last facet at which I wish to look at today.
The most commonly observed act during this tournament has been the sight of players crossing themselves throughout the games.
The two countries playing in the final embody their separate faiths. As an Englishman, when I think of Spain, I conjure up images of El Cid, Catherine of Aragon (cause of the Reformation in England) The Spanish Armada and of course who could have expected Torquemada and the Spanish Inquisition.
The Dutch as we know play in Orange and Prince William of Orange became William the third of England in 1689 before going on to defeat the Catholic King James the second of England at the battle of the Boyne on July 12th 1690 (could be a good omen for the Dutch) to establish Protestant hegemony in Ireland, which has survived in the north at least to this day and has been the cause of so much trouble in the Emerald Isle.
The facts speak for themselves, only one truly Protestant country has ever one the world cup, that being England, and even though Germany was the home of the Protestant movement, their best teams and players have traditionally come from Bavaria, a staunchly Catholic province, so we will call them half and half.
So why does it seem that Catholics are better at football than Protestants, well there a number of reasons, the first is historical and relates to the reason Luther posted his articles(a man obviously ahead of his time, the first blogger) Luther was against the indulgencies of the Catholic church. Indulgency is the watchword of Catholic football, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, need I continue, play there football in an over indulgent, somewhat extravagant manner and it seems to work.
The next reason is the way the two faiths deal with sin or in this case, mistakes on and off the football field. In Catholicism, you sin or stray and one simply has to go to confession, say a couple of Hail Mary’s (and that is not the American football kind) receive absolution and you are free to err again. This translates to the football field to a much more relaxed attitude to giving the ball away or missing a goal. The players don’t even need to confess, they just cross themselves and are good to go again. Not so with the Protestants, who view sin in a much more serious manner. There is no hope for sinners until they die. This means that the burdens of making an error are far greater. No-one in England has really forgiven or forgotten the litany of players who have missed penalties or made glaring mistakes and thus caused England to lose.
Off the field, the same differences are apparent, in a Non football related example. President Mitterrand of France was known for his indiscretions which barely caused an eyelid to be raised. Compare that to the reaction in the USA, to the behaviour of President Clinton, in a Catholic country, a shrug of the shoulders may have ensued.
The English camp was riven a few months before the world cup, due to allegations against the then Captain, John Terry, of affairs unbecoming.
This was a definite factor in the poor performance of the English team, as the rumours about similar behaviour by other players and recriminations amongst the players continued.
In France and Spain nobody could see what the fuss was about. Team Spirit is very important.
So if this theory holds true, Spain will emerge victorious later today. But perhaps King William of Orange will again triumph. We will have to wait and see.
I will post a more traditional preview of the final later today, remember to check back
Wiggi
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
2nd Semi-Final
Today’s game is the long awaited clash between the Condor Legion and the republicans, will we see another Guernica? But seriously now, Germany and Spain is a repeat of the 2008 European Final, in which Spain emerged victorious.
To be honest the Spanish haven’t really shined in S Africa, but they are one game away from the final against Holland, who beat Uruguay 3-2 last night, (the goals were great)
The Sherman’s on the other hand have been like a steamroller, scoring a hatful of goals.
A Spain v Holland final would pit the two best teams never to win the world cup against each other, whereas a Holland v Germany final, would give the Dutch a chance for revenge for their defeat to Germany in the 1974 final, which will always be looked back on as a classic.
The Germans will be without Muller for this game and whoever replaces him will have to play well, as Muller has scored 4 goals and been hugely involved in most of Germany’s best attacking play.
The question for the Spanish is should they play Torres or not? There is no doubt to his ability, but he has been very poor throughout the tournament and the Spanish have only really started to look dangerous in their games after he has been substituted.
Last night’s semi final provided us with 5 excellent goals, but not much excitement, let’s hope that tonight’s game gives us neutral fans both.
An interesting little side note, with which you can impress your friends with your knowledge, whoever wins the final will be the first European team to win the World cup when it has not been played in Europe. To date Brazil is the only nation who has won a world cup hosted outside of its own continent.
Wiggi
To be honest the Spanish haven’t really shined in S Africa, but they are one game away from the final against Holland, who beat Uruguay 3-2 last night, (the goals were great)
The Sherman’s on the other hand have been like a steamroller, scoring a hatful of goals.
A Spain v Holland final would pit the two best teams never to win the world cup against each other, whereas a Holland v Germany final, would give the Dutch a chance for revenge for their defeat to Germany in the 1974 final, which will always be looked back on as a classic.
The Germans will be without Muller for this game and whoever replaces him will have to play well, as Muller has scored 4 goals and been hugely involved in most of Germany’s best attacking play.
The question for the Spanish is should they play Torres or not? There is no doubt to his ability, but he has been very poor throughout the tournament and the Spanish have only really started to look dangerous in their games after he has been substituted.
Last night’s semi final provided us with 5 excellent goals, but not much excitement, let’s hope that tonight’s game gives us neutral fans both.
An interesting little side note, with which you can impress your friends with your knowledge, whoever wins the final will be the first European team to win the World cup when it has not been played in Europe. To date Brazil is the only nation who has won a world cup hosted outside of its own continent.
Wiggi
Monday, 5 July 2010
first semi-final
It just goes to show, why it is so difficult winning ones fortune by dong the football pools or filling out the toto as it is known here. Before the Quarter-Finals, all the pundits, including this one were talking how well the S American nations were doing, and hey presto, we only have one team, Uruguay, from that continent who have survived to the semi-finals. They will be playing Holland the conquerors of the self imploding Brazilians.
I am not going to make a prediction for this game and thus hurt the chances of the team I plump for. I do not want to be thought of as Sir Mick Jagger, lead singer of the rolling stones, is at the moment. He has been supporting the four following teams in person, USA, England, Brazil, Argentina, and we all know where they are now.
Actually I don’t mind making one prediction which I hope will be wrong. It does not really matter who wins this game as they will probably lose to the Sherman’s in the final.
The Uruguayans are depending on ones perspective, riding their luck or have fate on their side. The incident in the last minute of the 120 in their game against Ghana amplifies this point. The number 8 Suarez, handled the ball as it was going into the net to deny Ghana what would have been the game winning incident. The referee quite rightly awarded a penalty and dismissed Suarez with a straight red card. The Ghanaians missed the subsequent penalty and Suarez celebrated by punching his fists in the air on his way to the changing room and a one match ban which means he misses the semi-final. He was later quoted as saying it was worth it. Luck or fate we shall see.
The Dutch have to be in the look out for the anti-climax. Coming from a goal behind to beat Brazil is an outstanding achievement and the Dutch coach has to ensure that his players do not rest on their clogs, thinking that they have done the hard work and now it will be easy. I can’t even predict what type of game this may be. I just hope it will be a good one.
Enjoy
I am not going to make a prediction for this game and thus hurt the chances of the team I plump for. I do not want to be thought of as Sir Mick Jagger, lead singer of the rolling stones, is at the moment. He has been supporting the four following teams in person, USA, England, Brazil, Argentina, and we all know where they are now.
Actually I don’t mind making one prediction which I hope will be wrong. It does not really matter who wins this game as they will probably lose to the Sherman’s in the final.
The Uruguayans are depending on ones perspective, riding their luck or have fate on their side. The incident in the last minute of the 120 in their game against Ghana amplifies this point. The number 8 Suarez, handled the ball as it was going into the net to deny Ghana what would have been the game winning incident. The referee quite rightly awarded a penalty and dismissed Suarez with a straight red card. The Ghanaians missed the subsequent penalty and Suarez celebrated by punching his fists in the air on his way to the changing room and a one match ban which means he misses the semi-final. He was later quoted as saying it was worth it. Luck or fate we shall see.
The Dutch have to be in the look out for the anti-climax. Coming from a goal behind to beat Brazil is an outstanding achievement and the Dutch coach has to ensure that his players do not rest on their clogs, thinking that they have done the hard work and now it will be easy. I can’t even predict what type of game this may be. I just hope it will be a good one.
Enjoy
Friday, 2 July 2010
Quarter finals part II
June the 30th 1986 was the day I was inducted into the army. It was also the day that W Germany were due to play Argentina in what was expected to be a very good game and one that I was not going to see. Well in the end it was a very good final with the Argentineans coming out victorious 3-2 after extra time. I was also fortunate enough to see the whole game as the bus drivers taking us to our base refused to move until the game was finished. It was painful to see Maradona lifting the trophy as this was the world cup of the hand of god incident as I have mentioned previously.
In 1990, a now unified Germany and Argentina again met in the final, with the Germans winning a terrible game with a late penalty, thankfully sparing the watching world the agony of another 30 minutes of dross.
In 2006 also in the Quarters, the Germans ran out victorious on penalties. In fact the 1986 game is the only occasion that the Argies have won in 5 attempts.
This year, these two teams have played the most exciting football and are the top scorers to date. They both have young goalkeepers with little experience so it will be interesting to see who comes out on top. Although it is hard to admit it, as I loathe Diego Armando, the best final we could probably see is a clash between Brazil and Argentina.
In the 2nd game tomorrow, we see Spain against Paraguay. As I was growing up I remember Spain and Paraguay as countries both ruled by fascist dictatorships, and they have both come a long way since then. Spain is one of the favourites and on paper should be far too strong for Paraguay, who was appalling against Japan, but football is a funny old game and the Spanish temperament is fragile. Let us hope that this will be a good game worthy of a world cup quarter-final.
Wiggi
In 1990, a now unified Germany and Argentina again met in the final, with the Germans winning a terrible game with a late penalty, thankfully sparing the watching world the agony of another 30 minutes of dross.
In 2006 also in the Quarters, the Germans ran out victorious on penalties. In fact the 1986 game is the only occasion that the Argies have won in 5 attempts.
This year, these two teams have played the most exciting football and are the top scorers to date. They both have young goalkeepers with little experience so it will be interesting to see who comes out on top. Although it is hard to admit it, as I loathe Diego Armando, the best final we could probably see is a clash between Brazil and Argentina.
In the 2nd game tomorrow, we see Spain against Paraguay. As I was growing up I remember Spain and Paraguay as countries both ruled by fascist dictatorships, and they have both come a long way since then. Spain is one of the favourites and on paper should be far too strong for Paraguay, who was appalling against Japan, but football is a funny old game and the Spanish temperament is fragile. Let us hope that this will be a good game worthy of a world cup quarter-final.
Wiggi
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