The Red Cauldron: 2006-06-11

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Day 8 Round-up: Argentina 6-0 S&M, Holland 2-1 Ivory Coast; Mexico 0-0 Angola

Before I Start, Watch The Samba Boys In Action!

This was taken down minutes before Brazil's match and look how well they control the ball. Tell me it's not a god-given talent? Anyway it features Robinho, Roberto Carlos and of course the master, Ronaldinho.

S&M Whipped By Messi And Co.

Argentina 6 - 0 Serbia & Mont.

Scorers:
ARG - Maxi Rodriguez x2, Cambiasso, Crespo, Tevez, Messi;

Sexy and awe-inspiring. I think this 2 words fits perfectly if anyone is to ask how the Argies play their football. Life's fair perhaps, that Argentina's a pretty poor nation, yet many of them are blessed with excellent techinque, flair and creativity just like the Brazillians. There's no point comparing England, Portugal or France to Argentina or Brazil actully. I think European teams are too mechanical and rigid to play free flowing football. They're beng taught how to play football and are asked to play a certain way on the field. But to the Samba boys, they seemed to know how to play football even when they're in their mama's womb and ENJOY football instead of scrapping a few results so as to get out of their group...*cough*.

S & M, reknowned for their stubborn defence, was sadly torned apart by a brilliant Argentinian side and you have to feel for them. They're just not good enough to challenge them and always seemed to have one man less everywhere on the pitch although they do have a player down when Mateja "I CAN SCORE MORE GOALS THAN HENRY" Kezman was sent off for a 2 footed lunge. It sums up the frustration of the Serbs, as they struggle to get hold of the ball and seriously, the match looked like the Argentinians were having a training match with a bunch of wanna-bes and will-not-bes. Maybe they just flattered to deceive when they went through their qualifying round with relative ease, but they're just simply awe-strucked by the Argies.

I don't wanna go into describing every goal that the Argentinians scored. Too many to describe and I think one of the goals is just masterclass and you'll need to WATCH it to understand the beauty of it. The Spainish scored a brilliant goal few days back and yesterday, we witnessed yet another goal of almost, or maybe even higher standard. Many claimed it was as good as any great goals scored in the World Cup and undoubtly so! If I'm not wrong, before the goal was scored, the Argentinians passed the ball around and it took a total of 24 touches before the ball find the net. Sometimes against stubborn defence, patience is the key, NOT BECKHAM'S LONG BALL, period. They passed the ball around, made spaces for each other, dragged the defence out of position before sending a wonderful pass that paralysed the S&M defence like knife through butter. Well, most of them were.

For every Wayne Rooney, there's Carlos Tevez and Lionel Messi. Yup, you can never out-produce the Argentinians in terms of wonder kids and superstars. Yesterday they showed us that the hype surrounding them are for a cause and Messi showed the world why Maradona, their god himself claimed that he is the Special One (not Moan-inho). It really didn't take long for him to feel at home at the World Cup did he? He might have just returned from injury, but clearly, his finishing touches and his runs were not affected at all. Form's temporal, but class is permanent.

ARG VS S&M HIGHTLIGHTS:

The Elephants Tumble:

Netherlands 2 - 1 Cote D'Ivoire

Scorers:
HOL - van Persie, van Nistelrooy;
CIV - B. Kone;

Well, the Dutch really did hung on to their slender lead and with some luck as well, isn't it? I think there were countless of penalty claims in this match that were valid yet waved away by the referee. What's wrong with the referees nowadays. Did FIFA impose a fine on refs who give penalties away? It seemed like all the refs are so afraid to give penalties away. That's the only qualm I have during this current World Cup. There were a few stonewall penalty claims in that Italy vs Ghana game and this one as well, but the only penalty we've seen was a ridiculous decision by the referee.

Anyway I was cheering on the African Elephants throughout the match. I really hope they get something out of the game. Sometimes it just suck when teams like England played like they don't really care and can walk their group with ease, whereas teams like Ivory Coast had to fight for their bloody lives and in the end, their dreams ended quite abruptly. They fought well, technically QUITE okay, had the right mentallity and the physical strength and stamina. But they're just too inexperienced and a little naive.

But that's football, and Ivory Coast's a pretty new footballing power, so it will take some time for the players to get enough experience in the bigger stage such as this and learn from their mistake. I really hope to see them come back stronger in 4 years time and make the Africans proud! Go Elephants!

Mehico Rues Missed Chances:

Mexico 0 - 0 Angola

You pay for missing chances right? Yes, indeed. Another story of the World CUp I guess, 10 men holding favourites, Mexico. Well, Angola did regain some pride for the Africans, eh?

Friday, June 16, 2006

Day 8 Previews

Arene AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen

Argentina (9) vs Serbia & Montenegro (44)

This game will be very tight, almost too close to call I believe. Argentina will go into the game with much confidence after defeating the Ivory Coast and this win will ensure their place in the last 16. S&M on the other hand will not want to lose the second match in a row and go home early. They boasts an excellent defence but theur attack looked toothless. You don't win match by defending isn't it? Argentina to pip it, I believe.

Drogballs' Prediction: Argentina 1-0 S&M.

Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion, Stuttgart

Netherlands (3) vs Ivory Coast (32)

After Watching The England Game Once Again....

Disclaimer: I'm not a master tactician or as inspiring as..Svennis, but from reading various articles on tactics over the years, listening to sound commentators (not John Motson) and playing a little FM, I have at least a little bit of knowledge about the tactics and formation in football. So you can agree or disagree with me with the post below. Thankyouuuu.

England's Problems

The English have undoubtedly, the best football league in Europe, or maybe even in the world, but seriously, what's going on with the England side? A side consisting of Beckham, Gerrard, Lampard and Rooney surely is going to be the ultimate world beater? On paper, they looked brilliant and much, much more balanced than the Brazillians. But why they seemed to struggle in matches even though the opponents were Paraguay and T&T ? Well, I can give you a few factors, like the weather, the attitude of the players and maybe even the fans. But now most importantly, let's look at the way they play and their flaws.

Strikers & Forwards...:

The Italians have Luca Toni, Vincenzo Iaquinta, Alberto Gilardino, Fillippo Inzaghi, Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero in the striker's departmet. The Argies have Lionel Messi, Javier Saviola, Hernan Crespo and Carlos Tevez. The English? Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen......Peter Crouch..............Theo Walcott....who? Yes, you could see the problem there, don't you? The lack of quality strikers. The Italians looked the best on paper as they have both Totti and Del Piero that can play as midfielder and striker alike. The Argies have a young strike force, but Messi seemed like the next Maradona and playing week in week out for Barcelona, he must something quite special. Hernan is one of the most potent finisher in the business and Tevez will be one of the best striker in the future.

What about England? Wayne Rooney just recovered from the foot injury and he will take another 3-4 games at least to regain his match fitness. Last night he was pretty active and does quite alot of running, but his lack of fitness is evident. What about Owen? It seemed like his career has gone downhill since that wonder strike in 1998 World Cup. Also just returning from injury, he looked jaded, lacking fitness and was a passenger throughout the game. Peter Crouch might have scored last night to save England, but I'm afraid he is far, far too inexperienced to play in the World Cup. His miss in the first half was an evidence of him lacking in composure and experience.

But credits to him, he worked his socks off throughout the game and never gave up. What about Theo Walcott then? Unknown quantity? Dear lord, even Svennis admitted he never seen him play. So why bring him to Germany when he's not even gonna get a game against T&T? Might as well bring in Dean Ashton, Harewood, Bent or even Defoe? Huge mistake.

Chronic Lack Of Width:

David Beckham used to be one of the most potent winger in the modern game. His crosses were a menace for the defending team and his crosses were the reason why ManYoo was so dominant back then. But over the years, especially after having the captain's armband, he seemed to drift everywhere he wants andnot playing the role he used to excel anymore. He might have lost a yard of his pace over the years, but he would still make a brilliant winger I think. This is something that puzzles me. Is this problem because of Beckham's tactical naivity, or Sven's tactics? I believe it's Sven's tactics. On paper, it looks like Beckham's gonna play on the right wing, but have a little closer look the next time. He looks like he's playing almost everywhere and spraying 40 yards ball all over the place for Owen to chase.

Again if Sven's the one that made him the free-role man, let's take a look at other competitor's. Argentina's playmaker is Juan Roman Riquelme, and they have a back up in Pablo Aimar, who ain't too shabby. The Italians have the privilege of fielding 2 playmakers even, Totti and Del Piero. How do you define a playmaker actually. He's the one spark of brilliance, the one who dictates the tempo of the game and bringing as many players into the game as possible. But Beckham, as far as I'm concerned, is definitely not a playmaker, and should never play a free role. His constant drifting here and there empties the right wing to only Gary Neville and if it ends up like yesterday, when Neviller gets injured and got replaced by Carragher, you know your right wing will be paralysed, as we all know Carragher is not known for bombing down the wings. Stick Becks on the right and that's it.

The left wing looks quite bad as well. Joe Cole is not a winger, and a right footer playing left wing is not the best option, isn't it? What Joe Cole mostly does is to take the ball, do a few side steps then cut back in on his right foot. It's getting predictable and you could see that the T&T right-back was constantly ready for his cut-back. His cut-back might be useful for left-back Ashley Cole, who's reknown for his runs from deep. But as an Arsenal defender, we know they love to play ground football and even though they have the chance to cross, they would play it along the ground. Now suddenly, he will have to adapt to the presence of Peter Crouch and cross it a little higher. We could all see he was not used to it at all and had a few stray crosses here and there. All these little problems adds up and you could say the wide players are somewhat paralysed and couldn't provide anything for the strikers. To be honest, England looks MUCH better with Lennon in the side as he proves to be a thorn in the T&T defence. THAT'S width.

No Width? Long Ball Then.....

So, the previous problems leads on to the other. Because the midfielders have no players to spread the ball, they all pass it long for the 2 strikers up front to pick up the scrapes. There were a few instances where Beckham keeps passing it long over the head of Gerrard and Lampard to Joe Cole. Well, you have FOUR midfielders and the long balls made it looked like you have only TWO. By playing long ball, you're effectively taking players out of the game and make them look stupid. But as I've said, they can't do anything about it because England lacked width and therefore even if Gerrard or Lampard were to bring the ball forward, there wont be anyone there to help spread the defence out and especially when you're against a team with at least 6 players behind the ball, the lack of width is never gonna help.

Well, long ball does help sometimes, against stubborn defences or defences who have high defense line. But how much height are there in the England squad. Peter Crouch might be 2.01m tall, but lacks the strength of Luca Toni or Adriano and therefore gets out-muscled often. Owen? He lost lots of pace over the years and looks abit disinterested. Long ball for him is useless nowadays especially when the defence sits so deep. Last night we witness Beckham, Gerrrard and Lampard spraying passes for Joe Cole and Owen to run on to, or Crouch to try a knock down. But effective? No. In actual fact, it gave the T&T defenders an easier task.

Gerrard & Lampard...

The age-old arguement of whether Gerrard > Lamps or the other way round.

It's a difficult decision to make and I'm not going to make my stand yet, but bringing in a defensive midfielder WILL certainly help England. Currently, Gerrard is being asked to play at a deeper position and his attacking potence were undermined greatly. His runs from deep into the box and all those marauding runs seemed to disappear with him wearing the England shirt isn't it? Sometimes you hope there will be someone there to hit a volley or cannonball when the ball goes loose outside the box. Bringing on a defensive midfielder will not affect the attacking potency of England, but in fact it will increase the potency.

Remember the Champions League Final '05, when Liverpool was trailing 0-3 to Milan? Gerrard was playing with Alonso and had a hard time, as they struggled to contain Kaka. But once we brought on Hamann, things start to change and the rest as said, was history. In the first half, Gerrard was somewhat torned in two, whether to attack Milan? Or help defend against Kaka? A player however good, should never do two tasks at the same time and therefore the presence of Hamann brought assurance to Gerrard and a license to have a go at Milan. It paid off isn't it?

Defensive Midfielder, We Have None....

Easier said than done. Put a defensive midfielder in an problem solved? No. Does England have a quality defensive midfielder? Again the problem is England's best defensive midfielder is...yes, Gerrard. But as I have mentioned previously, release Gerrard and let him run. Italians have Gattuso, Pirlo and De Rossi. Argies have Mascherano, Cambiasso and the French have Makalele and Vieira. England? Michael Carrick....Jermaine Jenas and........Owen 'Cannuck' Hargreaves (ha ha ha). So much 'quality' eh? No. But you can't blame anyone isn't it. It's a sad fact that the England First Xi is rather strong but when it comes the sub bench...it lacks depth and might be the biggest downfall for the most talented squad in England's history.

Conclusively...

Maybe it's just not Svennis' fault totally, that he can't get the best out of certain players. But its worrying to see that the England squad lacks depth and players in certain position. They do not have a outrigt left winger and most importantly, a holding midfielder. That will surely undermine England's potential and might prove to be the biggest downfall.

But with some good luck and hard work, I believe England is still strong enough to win the WC. Serious! Why not let me cover England's strength tomorrow? Oh yes, I will.

The 2006 World Cup Best Goals Compilations & That Gerrard Scorcher....

World Cup 2006 Best Goals So Far (Up Till Brazil vs Croatia)

This World Cup had been blessed with superb goals so far! And this is a compilation of all the great goals and it's just one week's action! I think we should expect a DVD version of great goals come the end of the World Cup. Enjoy, lads!

Does .."3 Added Minutes....And Gerrrardddd!!"....Sounds Familiar?

Yup, the FA Cup Final goal. But this time round Gerrard brought his canon along with him to Germany and again, it beats that very 'keeper as well. A wonderful left footed curler! GET IN THERE YOU BEAUTYY!!!

Anyway, I'll be catching the England game once again later as I didn't watch the game...properly I should say. I might do an analysis of the game much later and I'm sure there's something wrong with England and I might try to pin-point the problem!

Liverpool 2-0 T&T....Oh....

Frakenstadion

England 2 - 0 Trinidad & Tobago

Scorers:
England - Crouch (83 min), Gerrard (90 min);

So the Liverpool lads did England proud or should I say saved England's as* by leaving it really late. All seemed lost for England, as they kept trying and getting really frustrated. To be honest, England looked like Bolton, passing the ball to Beckham, then launch those 40-50 yards long pass to find Joe Cole, or Peter Crouch, who looked a little isolated due to the disappearing act by Mickey Owen. He might be a little short of fitness currently, but how bad does he looked? The first half was pretty bad, by England standard. Maybe they are THIS bad normally, but they looked really ordinary. They didn't really create any clear cut chances and Beckham is just passing the ball around 40 yards to Joe Cole who is mostly likely to misplace the cross and another chance spurned.

One thing I'll never understand is why Beckham is being played at such a deep position and spraying passes. Why not let him play the out and out winger and put in wonderful crosses as we have seen him in ManYoo shirt. By passing those 40 yards long pass, it bypassed the central midfielders and the making the two central midfielders rather useless.

Now, get ready for Whisky Ferguson's whining tomorrow morning eh? In the 58 minutes, when England looked really terrible and Eriksson's patience finally ran out, he decided to throw England's golden boy and only hope, Wayne Rooney on for a very disappointing Mickey Owen. Surely this is the last throw of the dice, as England really don't have any more strikers on the bench other than a very inexperienced Theo Walcott. Enland continued to strive for the opening goal but still looked very unimpressive throughout.

But when T&T defenders start to tire and losing concentration, England struck and left T&T with defeat staring in their faces. Beckham placed a wonderful cross into the back post and Peter Crouch rose the highest to head home. To be honest he should have scored at least two beforehand and was wasteful.

I was telling my friends IF England were to draw that game, Crouch would have been made the scapegoat. But he once again silenced the critics and scored the first England goal this World Cup. When everyone thought England would sit back and soak up the pressure once again, they struck and this time round Superman G! It's Steven Gerrard! he got the ball on the right hand side before cutting in a struck a beautiful left footed shot that curled past Shaka Hislop. Surely game over now. Yes and the two Liverpudlians rescued England this time round and helped booked a place in the last 16 alongside Germany.

Not a wonderful win, but effective enough.

Thursday, June 15, 2006

One Joke That Made My Day, And That Torres Goal.....

Away Goals Count Double In Europe:

Julius Caesar was addressing the crowd in the Coliseum. "Friends, Romans
and Countrymen, lend me your ears. Tomorrow I take our glorious army to conquer Northern Europe and I shall start with France. We shall kill many Gauls and return victorious."

The crowd are up on their feet "Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees, hail mighty
Caesar"

Brutus turns to his mate and says " He doesn't half talk some shi*e eh?
He couldn't fight his way out of a wet parchment bag."

Six months later, Caesar comes back having conquered France and
addresses the crowd in the Coliseum. "Friends, Romans and Countrymen, I
have returned from our campaign in France and as I promised, we killed
50,000 Gauls".

The crowd are up on their feet again. "Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees, hail
mighty Caesar". Brutus once again turns to his mate "I'm sick of his
bullsh*t,I'm off to France to check this out."

So Brutus sets of for France and three weeks later he comes back to
Rome.

Caesar is addressing the public in the Coliseum again "Friends, Romans
and Countrymen, tomorrow we set off for Britain and we are going to
sort those b*stards out"

The crowd are up on their feet. "Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees, hail
mighty Caesar"

Brutus jumps up and shouts "Caesar, you are a liar. You told us that
you had killed 50,000 Gauls in France but I've been there to check it out
you only killed 25,000 !!!!"

The crowd are stunned and all sit down in silence.

Caesar gets up and looks slowly round the Coliseum then across at
Brutus and says "Brutus, you are forgetting one thing . . . . .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Away Gauls count double in Europe."

HAHAHA. Okay I think you won't get this if you're not a football fan. Anyway it just means away GOALS count double in Europe. In European football where teams travel around to play Champions League or UEFA Cup, the teams that score the goal away from their home stadium usually gets the advantage. It seemed like it counts double, but it does not by the way.

This Has To Be The Goal Of The World Cup So Far!

Yea, that's the goal that I've described on the previous post. Just look at the team work and interplay over there, and Carles Puyol, the central defender doing a trick made known by Zidane! Pure joy to watch!

Day 6 Round-up: Spain 4-0 Ukraine, Tunisia 2-2 Saudi Arabia, Germany 1-0 Poland

Neuville Breaks Polish Hearts:

Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund

Germany 1 - 0 Poland

Scorer:
Germany - Neuville (91 min);

Oh, how I feel for Poland. I was literally on the edge of the seat as the dramatic game wore on. A moment of brilliance and sheer predatory skills from Olivier Neuville brings the Polish down to earth and sadly, they're the first team to be eliminated in the 2006 World Cup. The Polish were hanging on while the Germans were seriously substandard and a game marred by tons of close shaves and embarassing misses. Both teams going into the game with different atittude. The Germans know that they'll go into the last 16 if they win it while the Polish knows that they could not afford to lose this game.

So the first half was as expected, a cagey and tense affair. Polish did threatened early on and they looked well prepared for this game to be honest. They defended quite deep and looked much more organised than they did against Ecuador.

Well, the Germans honestly don't look as good as they were on the opening game and their passing game was at their best. Maybe the inlcusion of captain Michael Ballack did something to the fluency of the Germans or maybe he's still lacking abit of match fitness. Anyway the Germans had a fantastic chance to draw first blood but Miroslav Klose, who's usually so accurate with his headers, sent the ball agonisingly wide. If that's worst, then how about Lukas Podolski's? Philipp Lahm marauding down the left, sent a wonderful ball into the box for Podolski, who found himself 1 on 1 with Artur Boruc, but once again he's wasteful and sidefooted the ball wide again.

As the German frustration grows and Polish fans urging the team on, the match took a dramatic twist when Polish midfielder, Radoslaw Sobolewski was sent off for a second yellow and Poland down to 10 men. So now they have to defend their only hope with 10 players and had to hand the initiation of the game to the Germans, who brought on Odonkor, Neuville and Borowski. In the last 10 minutes, the Polish were literally hanging on by a thread as Artur Boruc, their goalkeeper made saves after saves. It seemed that it was definitely not Germany's day when Lahm sent in a perfect cross for Klose, who's unmarked. Surprisingly, he headed the ball against the bar and you thought Michael Ballack was on hand to finish it off, but NO! He crashed the ball against the crossbar as well!

The story finally unfolds as the Germans kept their persistent attack and it looks like they're really getting closer and closer. The Polish defence seemed to have collapsed in the last few moments in the game and you could see it coming, don't you? Odonkor, the substitute raced onto the loose ball and put in a inch perfect cross for Oliver Neuville to slide the ball beyond the reach of Artur Boruc. Pure joy for the Germans. Utter disappointment and pain for the Poles. Bad luck, Poland. I actually think you guys deserved something out of this game. But it's football, and it's cruel. But again, what a match! This World Cup is turning into quite a classic already!

Jaidi Rescues Tunisia:

Allianz Arena, Munich

Tunisia 2 - 2 Saudi Arabia

Scorers:
Tunisia - Jaziri (23 min); Jaidi (90 min);
Saudi Arabia - Al Kahtani (57 min), Al Jaber (84 min);

World Cup Day 6 Latest

Spain Turn On Style!

Zentralstadion, Leipzig

Spain 4 - 0 Ukraine

Scorers:
Spain - Alonso (13min), Villa (17min, pen 48min), Torres (81min);

Wow, what a match! Of all the big teams so far, I must say Spain looked the most impressive and positive of all the European teams. Maybe some of you guys might know I have a soft spot for the Spanish. Maybe because of their influence on Liverpool I guess? Out of the starting 11, there were 2 Liverpool players, Xabi Alonso and Luis Garcia. Anyway as I have mentioned on the previous post, maybe Spain might find a bit of freshness by dropping Raul and adopt to a brand new 4-3-1-2 formation.

The Spanish didn't take too long to stamp their authority on the game and looked at home. They were quite positive and started a few good moves early on. Because they decided to play 3 defensive central midfielders, their wing backs have to provide the width in the team as well as the strikers and I must say the formation suits them surprisingly well. It really didn't take long before they score. Xavi's corner was headed goal wards by Liverpool midfielder, Xabi Alonso and although Garcia tried really hard to get the credit, replays show it was Alonso who got the last touch of the ball. Before Ukraine could steady the ship, Spain striked again and clinically finished off Ukraine within the first half of the hour. David Villa was brought down just ouside the box and he himself took responsiblity of taking the freekick. As a fine striker of the ball, he smashed the ball into the back of the net with the help of a wicked deflection from the Ukrainina wall.

To be honest, Andriy Shevhenko was in Puyol's pocket the entire match and Ukraine only threatened once and it was due to the eccentricity of keeper, Iker Casillas. The Ukraine came out for the second half with 2 substitutes and clearly they had a plan to strike back at Spain. But the plan backfired when referee Massimo Busacca controversially sent off Ukrainian defender, Vashchuk and awarding Spain the first penalty in the 2006 World Cup. David Villa would be relieved to see his penalty just went pass the hands of the Ukrainian goalkeeper. Ukrainian's plan came undone and it was one way traffic after that.

Credits to the Spaniards, even after they scored the 3rd goal, they went in search of the 4th instead of sitting back and wasting the time away. Their determination paid off when Carles Puyol off all players, started the move from the middle of the field, did a 360 russian roulette before passing the ball to Torres. Torres then laid the ball off to Cesc Fabregas and he chipped the ball for Puyol. The move came to the one who started it and his brilliant lay off was just perfect and all Torres need to do is to place the ball into the bottom of the net. Game over for Ukraine. Yes, I know the description of the goal might make you a little dizzy, but don't worry, I'll post it up soon. It's THAT dazzling.

VAYA ESPANA!! I'll be behind you!

Tags: World Cup 2006, Spain, Ukraine, Football, Soccer

England Squad Got Punk'd!

Rio Ferdinand's Merc'd

Right most of you surely would have watched Ashton Kutcher's Punk'd on MTV before. But this time round it's Rio Ferdinand's very own Merc'd and it's some sort of a show like Punk'd. Just that the stars of this show are players of the Three Lions, or England. Anyway they're hilarious and here they are!

Wayne "Ronnie" Rooney:

Peter Crouch:

Shaun Wright-Phillips:

David Beckham:

Gary Neville:

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

World Cup Day 6 Preview

Zentralstadion, Leipzig

Spain (5) vs Ukraine (45)

So, Luis Aragones has finally grown some balls and dropped the over-rated Raul Gonzalez. He will NOT start tonight and instead, Valencia's David Villa will start in his place alongside Fernando Torres. Luis Garcia of Liverpool will get a surprise start tonight playing 'in the hole' just behind the strikers. Barcelona's Xavi, Liverpool's Xabi Alonso and Villarreal's workhorse, Senna will form the 3 in midfield.

Drogballs' Prediction: Spain 1-0 Ukraine. Maybe by dropping Raul, Spain will begin to find their touch and freshness in the side.

Allianz Arena, Munich

Tunisia (21) vs Saudi Arabia (34)

Drogballs' Prediction: Tunisia 2-0 Saudi Arabia. Ah, come on. It's still Saudi Arabia after all right? ha ha ha.

Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund

Germany (19) vs Poland (29)

This will be a very hard-fought and tight game in my opinion. Poland will fight for their lives as if they lose this game tonight, it will be 'balek kampong' for them, or time to go home. Therefore I think they will not give up without a fight a give Germany a run for their money. But Germany will be boosted by the return of Michael 'big nose' Ballack and will look to be the first team to qualify for the second-round.

Drogballs' Prediction: Germany 2-1 Poland. As I said, it will be decided by a goal and I just think that Germany is abit too strong although they will let a goal slip past them.

All The Goals Last From Last Night's Action!

If You Haven't Voted...

Alright, I'm closing the 'Hottest Footballer's Wife/Girlfriend' polls tomorrow. So if you haven't voted yet, CLICK HERE for the pictures and the poll is just below that annoying tagboard THANKYOU.

4 Goals Only, lah....

It wasn't a good day yesterday. Not many goals and the French bore the hell out of me and only South Koreans doing something of note. Anyway if you have missed the action..

Kaka (Brazil) vs Croatia

Mohamed Kader (Togo) vs South Korea

Lee Choon Soo (Korea) vs Togo

Ahn Jung-hwan (Korea) vs Togo

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

World Cup Day 5 Latest

Koreans Came From Behind To Beat Togo:

Waldstadion, Frankfurt

Korea Republic 2 - 1 Togo

Scorers:
Korea Republic - Lee C.S (54min), Ahn J.H (72min);
Togo - Kader (31min);

The Koreans did what the Australians did yesterday by comig back from a 1 goal deficit and went on to win the match. Sad to say the first half display from the Koreans was toothless to say the least and lacked a little creativity in the side. While the Koreans are finding ground, the Africans hit them with a sucker punch. Mohamad Kader with his excellent first touch, raced ahead of the Korean defenders before placing the ball nicely into the net beyond Lee Woon-Jae's dispairing dive. The Koreans looked shell-shocked and their sleep-walk continued on till the end of first half.

Second half, Korean coach, Dick Advocaat decided to throw on World Cup 2002 hero, Ahn Jung-hwan and hopes that he will help the Koreans salvaged something out of the uninspired game. And it was a masterstroke from the Dutch, as he created space for himself and held up the ball well. Soon, Korean's most dangerous player, Park Ji-sung of ManYoo was brought down cynically by Togolese captain, Jean-Paul Abalo and in turn, he was sent off for a second yellow. Something of note is that English referee, Graham Poll was supposed to show the yellowcard before the red, but he showed the red and then the yellow! And that was certainly the turning point of the game, as the loud Korean support cheered the team on, Lee Chun-soo struck a sweet free-kick and made it 1-1.

The Koreans spirits were lifted and their usual determined self seemed to be brought alive by that goal and it was not long before the Koreans found the second. Ahn, the man brought on to change the game got the ball outside the box before hitting a wonderful shot across the body of the Togolese defender and it whizzed pass the helpess goalkeeper. And the Koreans sensed that the victory was their for the taking and went on to pass the ball around. It was not very nice of them to do that actually and I'm someone that is quite critical of teams doing that. But since it's not in the rule book that states teams should not pass the ball among defenders, then so be it. And the Koreans hung on for their first ever victory in a World Cup game, away from home.

Tres Bien, France Not Scoring....

Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion, Stuttgart

France 0 - 0 Switzerland

Let's sum this game up in 2 words. VERY BORING. That is all.

Oh, is the referee a clone of that one in the England vs Paraguay game?

One Moment Of Magic And....

Olimpicstadion, Berlin

Brazil 1 - 0 Croatia

Scorer:
Brazil - Kaka (40min);

It took just one moment of brilliance from Kaka to change to face of the game. The AC Milan midfielder scored a beauty from outside the penalty box with his left foot and it whizzed past Stipe Pletikosa. Wow, we've already seen so many long shots in this World Cup and some of them are really beauitful, this one too.

Anyway credits to the Croatian team. They worked really hard and they were very organised at the back and allowed little space for Ronaldo and Adriano to run. I'm not sure whether the pressure and hype has gotten the better of some of the Brazillian players, as they looked subdued and Ronaldo looked a little uninterested at times. He was off-paced and seemed to be on the wrong frequency. The Croats managed to stifle Ronaldinho as well, placing a player to man-mark him and make his life a little difficult. Not only did they worked hard, they also created a lot of chances and IF only they are more clincal, they could have put 2 or 3 past Dida. Dado Prso was one of the contender for the man of the match as he ran the show and not only did he created some good chance for Niko Kranjcar and Ivan Klasnic, he nearly scored himself as well.

From this match we could see a few problems in the Brazillian team. Firstly, their defence seemed susceptible and Lucio seemed to be the weakest link. His constant running forward and a lapse of concentration in some moment makes him a liaibility and more experienced team would have exploited that. Lastly, their over-confidence. Now, this is dangerous. You can be confident, but over-confidence will just bring you back down to earth if it seeps into the heart of the team. In some instances where the players trust their skills rather than taking the safer routes means that they could put the team into trouble. Roberto Carlos, famous for his accurate left foot, sprayed a pass across his defence without looking and nearly made his team pay. That's what I mean. Not a very convincing performance from the Samba Boys, and a more clinical team like Argentina or Czech Republic might have beaten them based on their performance tonight.

And seriously, I'm pissed off with Blogger. I typed all these over again just because I hit 'enter'. GRR

Tags: World Cup 2006, Football, Soccer, Korea, Togo, France, Switzerland, Brazil, Croatia

World Cup Day 5 Previews

Waldstadion, Frankfurt

South Korea (29) vs Togo (61)

Chaos is within the Togolese camp as their head coach seemed to have resigned from the post as their manager due to money problem but again looked to have did a u-turn and back coaching the team. The Togolese team haven't been training too much.

Drogballs' Prediction: South Korea 2-0 Togo

Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion, Stuttgart

France (8) vs Switzerland (35)

Marseille midfielder, Franck Ribery, sets to take over the left wing from Lyon's Florent Malouda as he is unfit for the game. French coach Raymond Domenech seemed determined to play a 4-2-3-1 formation with Paddy Vieira and Claude Makalele in the holding role with Arsenal's Thierry Henry upfront by himself. Meanwhile, another Arsenal's player, Johann Djourou will start ahead of Patrick Muller.

Drogballs' Prediction: France 1-0 Switzerland

Olimpiastadion, Berlin

Brazil (1) vs Croatia (23)

As usualy, the Brazillians have already named the starting XI even before the World Cup kicked off and there isn't any surprises in the squad selection. They will play a 4-2-4 with Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Adriano and Kaka in the attack. Meanwhile, Croatia looks set to start Ivica Olic alongside Ranger's Dado Prso

Drogball's Prediction: Brazil 2-0 Croatia

Some Great Goals From Last Night's Games

LATEST: Peter Crouch won't do the robot dance again unless England wins the World Cup. Ooh I think his robotic career ended alreday :(

Great Goals!

Last night's games were blessed with great goals and if you have missed the action, here they are!

Tim Cahill's 2nd vs Japoon

Tomas Rosicky's 1st vs USA

Andrea Pirlo vs Ghana

Silly Facts About Togo:

Since they're playing against South Korea tonight, I'll present you with the factfile of this African country:

Full Name: Togolese Republic
Capital City: Lomé
Area: 21,853 sq miles
Population: 5,400,000
Time Zone: GMT +0
Languages: French (official), Ewe (other)
Religion: 70% Ant/insect worship, 20% Christian, 10% Muslim
Currency: Togolese Sausage (S)

Wow, COOL! HAHA

Monday, June 12, 2006

Day 4 Results: Aussie 3-1 Japan; USA 0-3 Czech Rep, Italy 2-0 Ghana

Wanna Keep Track Of The World Cup?

Alright, I've been keeping track of all the matches and movement in the group with the uber cool wall chart. Maybe my blog isn't too detailed for you as it doesn't have the group tables anywhere. So here it is! CLICK HERE FOR THE WALLCHART

World Cup Day 4 Results:

Cahill Inspires Aussie Comeback:

Fritz-Walter Stadion, Kaiserslautern

Full Time:
Australia 3 - 1 Japan

Scorers:

Australia - Cahill (84,89), Aloisi (90);
Japan - Nakamura (26);

Ooh, the 4th day of the World Cup kicked off with the all Asian (okay, let's count the Aussie as Asian shall we?) encounter with Zico's Japan facing off with Guus Hiddink's Socceroos. The Socceroos started brightly in the game and stamped their authority, as they want to tell the whole world that Aussies too, can play some football! Mark Viduka of 'Boro was in centre of almost all the Australian attacks as he leads the line with Liverpool winger, Harry Kewell just behind him.

But they couldn't turn their possesion into goals. So the Japanese punished them with a highly controversial goal. Shunsuke Nakamura, using his lethal left foot, curled a ball into the Australian box. Mark Schwarzer came all the way and tried to punch the ball away, but flapped and the ball went into the net without any of the players touching it. Schwarzer feels he is impeded by the Japanese forwards and I think it should have been a foul. Since goalkeepers are the most protected species ever. Anyway the goal counted and it's 1-0 to Japan. Right after that, Harry Kewell nearly scored an immediate equaliser as he struck a stinger shot that shaved the bar.

Second half is almost one-way traffic, with Australian trying to find the equaliser. They found it difficult as the hot sun continued blazing and Harry Kewell struggling a little as he had just recovered from injury and several players getting tired. Australians made a few substitutions as then Kennedy, Cahill and Aloisi was brought on to try and salvage something out of the game. Mark Viduka had a great chance to score and break his scoring duck, but his freekick was briliantly parried by the Japanese keeper, Kawaguchi.

But the substitutions paid off. A long throw from Lucas Neil caused confusion in the Japanese box and Cahill was on hand to strike the ball through several player's leg. It was the first ever goal scored by the Australians in the World CUp finals and they finally saw the light. But immediately at the other end, he nearly went from hero to zero as he tackled a Japanese player stud up and it was a stonewall penalty, which was fortunately waved away from the referee. He could have been sent off as he already had a yellowcard previously. But again it was Cahill at the centre of things has he struck a beautiful shot outside the box as the ball went in off the post. Australians lead the first time in the game.

It was not long before the Japanese totally crumbled. John Aloisi took the ball and dribbled right into the heart of defence before placing the ball beyong the reach of a disparing Kawaguchi. It's game over for the Japanese, and what a comeback from the Socceroos. This Japanese defeat is something of a reminsce of what happened few weeks back when they took a 2-0 lead against Germany before surrendering it in the last 10 minutes. A great win for the Aussies and there is certainly a chance for them to enter the last 16.

And The US of A Got A Stern Lesson:

Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen

Full Time:
United States 0 - 3 Czech Republic
Scorers:

Czech Republic - Koller (5min), Rosicky (36, 76min);

The Czechs showed the world why they're one of the favourites for this tournament as they trounce the United States. Maybe trounce is not the word but the scoreline do suggest so and the Czechs looked really impressive in this game.

It really didn't take long for the Czechs to find a gap in the American defence as Zdenek Grygera sent a wonderful cross into the path of the towering giant, Jan Koller and an easy headed goal for the 2.08m tall striker. And it's only 5 minutes. But sadly Koller couldn't manage to complete the game as he was forced to be substituted due to a hamstring injury. After that the Americans seemed to got a little grip of the game and steadied he ship while the Czechs continued to play good football. The interplay between Rosicky, Nedved, Plasil and Poborsky were sublime at times and you could see why they only need one striker. Americans hit back as Man City midfielder, Claudio Reyna hit a wonderful shot that beat Petr Cech, but not the post. A little unlucky there and questions on why is he allowed so much space.

The Czechs went on searching for the 2nd goal and it didn't really take that long, as new Arsenal signing, Tomas Rosicky struck a beautiful right-footed shot that whistled into the net. Something for the Arse fan to cheer about I guess! And really, it was not his last contribution to the game. To me he was the man of the match, as he was a central figure in every Czech moves and he got his second goal as well. He raced onto Nedved's through-pass and all he needed to do is to put it into the net and it was 3-0 and good night USA.

I must say th US didn't do too badly in this game, but they never realy tested Petr Cech and the Czech defence looked untroubled throughout. But this is a young team and lacked experience. So this is the experience they need and of course there is much to be learnt, especially from the Czechs as most of the players are already in their 30s. Great match.

Italians Eased Pass Ghana:

AWD Arena, Hanover

Full Time:
Italy 2 - 0 Ghana
Scorer:
Italy - Pirlo (40min), Iaquinta (83min);

A really great match, played with loads of pace and had a great rythmn to the game. Ghana looks raring to go and certainly impressive while the Italians wants to change their style of play, their defensive 'Catenaccio'. It was end to end stuff as both Italy and Ghana were looking for the first goal. Luca Toni, the record goal scoring striker went close as he muscled his way and struck a shot against the bar. The Italians looked impressive and it was not long before the Italians struck. Andrea Pirlo, known for his excellent shooting, got a short corner fro Totti. He got the ball near the outside of the box and shot an absolute beauty into the bottom corner of the net.

Of course the Ghanians didn't just sit back and watch. They were fairly entreprising and had a few good chances. It's down to their experience and were fairly raw to such big matches. Michael Essien tested Gianluigi Buffon from 30 yards out while there where several calls for penalties. The first was a blatant penalty as De Rossi pushed Amoah in the box but was waved away. The second, was a dive though, and the diver should have been sent off. From the TV angle it looks like it was a penalty, but from the referee's point of view, spot on.

There was another incident that caught my attention. Samuel Kuffour's tackle on substitute Vincenzo Iaquinta. I think it's a grey spot in football's rule. Iaquinta was clearly offside, but he played on and looks like he's gonna score from the 1 on 1 with Kingson, but Kuffour blatantly tackled him from behind and then it was judged an offside. What I think is no matter what, he should have been sent off for that, offside or without. You don't resort to doing things like this and injure a player in the process. But what comes around goes around I guess. In the 83rd minute, Kuffour was on the ball and dwelled on it as Iaquinta raced onto his poor back-pass, rounded Kingson and rolled the ball into an empty net. A fairly good game overall, and I'm very impressed by the Africans showing so far!