Let's go back three years. WC 2006 had just finished. The Brazil national team had set new standards for complacency at a world cup. The public was outraged. Carlos Alberto Pareira had to go and a lot else needed to change. The Brazilian football board did what it could to appease the fans. Their priority was to introduce discipline and professionalism instead of the ball that was currently happening. So they chose Carlos Dunga. The minute this appointment was made, I was sure that Brazil had made the right choice. Dunga had no experience as such. However given the type of player he had been, I expected him to do very well. Now he has surpassed all expectations.
It wouldn't be wrong to say that in recent memory you may not be able to find a manager who has done more for a national side in three years than Dunga. Here is a brief description of what he did although he did so much that I am sure I will miss out some of it.
First of all note that from the time Dunga took over, he made such a conscious effort of trying out players for different positions till he found the best for the job. The scouts must be congratulated for observing football in so many different places and picking out the right names to be given a chance. If you recall, some of Dunga's initial choices were laughable. Anyone would say no way is this player worth playing for Brazil. Yet he gave them their chances, got convinced that they would never make the cut and then moved on to others. Let's look at a few examples. For central striker Dunga started out with Vagner Love and then he also tried Afonso Alves. Just when we thought whether it was not possible to find anything better, he struck an ace with Luis Fabiano. Similarly look at the defensive midfielder position. Initially he tried Mineiro who many felt was just not good enough. And yet by Jove as the Confederations Cup came near, from somewhere he found Felipe Melo.
With this effort itself most coaches would justify that theirs was a team in transition and no one would object much if they failed to win anything. Dunga on the other hand has won both the major tournaments his side participated in. Recall the final of Copa America 2007. Brazil had some big names missing. Argentina had a full team which was playing awesome football. Some thought the final should be a cakewalk for them. Argentina even had an experienced tactician in Alfio Basile. And yet a rookie like Dunga showed the world what a great tactician he is. The plan was to shackle Riquelme using Brazil's physically strong defensive midfield and to kill Argentina with the pace of the full backs since Argentina lacked speed and Dunga took advantage of that resulting in a convincing victory for Brazil. Now look at last night. Brazil were 2-0 down at the break. Yet when they came out in the second half you could be sure they would win the match from the 46th minute itself. Brazil showed that the reason they are the most successful team in the world is not just due to their flair but due to their character as well. So is Dunga a great motivator as well. The only tournament where Dunga failed was the 2008 Olympics. However that was not the main team and A C Milan had not allowed Kaka to join. Yet even that caused people to ask for his head. The fans in Brazil can be very impulsive but thankfully the board is not that stupid.
If you look at Brazil's starting 11 in WC 2006 and their starting 11 now, only three players are common - Lucio, Juan and Kaka. Imagine how much effort Dunga and his team have put to create a completely different top class team in just three years.
To add to all this there were enough factors making Dunga's job very difficult. All the time he was accused of not playing beautiful football the way Brazil should play. The last man to face this accusation was one Luis Felipe Scolari who won the world cup with the team ultimately playing with a good amount of flair. So Dunga is in good company. He retorted to such detractors that if they keep asking for beautiful football, Brazil would not win another world cup for 24 years and the rest of the world would be very happy.
Is Dunga's current side the finished product? Almost but a few areas could improve. For the left back slot neither Andre Santos nor Kleber have proven to be world class. There is a possibility of trying out Dani Alves for that role. In defensive midfield Gilberto Silva is old and not doing anything great. Yet it's perhaps important to have an experienced hand there. Besides he's complemented by one of the discoveries of the season. In Felipe Melo, Brazil have a player who can do his defensive midfield duties properly and yet contribute well in attack. The third attacking midfielder slot is also open with neither Ramires nor Elano nailing it. However Luis Fabiano has now dismissed all doubts. He will never be a Ronaldo but he fits in this team very well and can make the most of the chances created. The bench strength could also improve somewhat. What Brazil do have this time and what they usually lack is a really good defense and a top class goalkeeper.
Yes Dunga is accused of ignoring some players. The most obvious name would be that of Diego who is so brilliant that Juventus are basing their entire next season on him and yet he does not find his way into the Brazil squad. In Dunga's defense Diego is a player who needs the team to be built around him. This cannot happen in Brazil as the team will be built around the one and only Kaka. So Diego would be best on the bench as Kaka's understudy. However being such a great player he may want to be in the starting 11 creating all kinds of problems. So Dunga has left him out and could, albeit cruelly, leave him out of WC 2010 as well. And what about Ronaldinho. Yes given his flair he could come back if his fitness and performance improves. However if he were to replace Elano/Ramires, it's not sure whether this would affect the team balance. Quite a few theories say that Kaka and Ronaldinho cannot play together. I for one believe that it wouldn't be so bad to drop him altogether since he was at the very centre of the extreme complacency displayed in WC 2006.
Brazil is still not an unbelievably good team. What they have in their favor is that most national teams are currently down and suffering from a lot of problems. So as of today Brazil are the top favorites for WC 2010. I am a supporter of Argentina, Spain and Italy. Other than that I would not want Brazil to win because I want to see champions from countries who have not won for long and I want to see Brazil suffer more for their unforgivable attitude in WC 2006. Yet if other teams are powerless to prevent it, I will take solace in the fact that an exemplary player like Kaka and an exemplary manager like Dunga won the world cup. This Brazil side does lack a little in flair compared to Brazilian teams of the past. However they do a lot of important things well - great formation, great tactics, great set piece ability, great speed, physically strong, good in the air and good defense as well.
In conclusion I will say this. Most of us would agree that the greatest rookie coach in the world today is Pep Guardiola. And let us add that Carlos Dunga is a very close second to him.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Did You Know?
1. Italy have not lost a knock out match in normal 90 minutes time in a competition for more than 20 years.
2. Italy's loss to Egypt was their first loss ever to an African country.
3. In his entire career for club and country, Gary Linekar was never shown not just a red card but even a yellow card. Staggering!!!
4. There was once a competition on Ruud Gullit look alikes. Unknown to people, the superstar himself also participated. He came third.
5. Brazil changed their kit from white to yellow after WC 1950 because the white kit was considered unlucky since they had lost a world cup they were almost certain to win.
6. Spain have made it to the last 4 of a world cup only once - way back in 1950.
7. Spain are the only country ever to become ranked number 1 in the world in the Fifa rankings without ever winning a world cup.
2. Italy's loss to Egypt was their first loss ever to an African country.
3. In his entire career for club and country, Gary Linekar was never shown not just a red card but even a yellow card. Staggering!!!
4. There was once a competition on Ruud Gullit look alikes. Unknown to people, the superstar himself also participated. He came third.
5. Brazil changed their kit from white to yellow after WC 1950 because the white kit was considered unlucky since they had lost a world cup they were almost certain to win.
6. Spain have made it to the last 4 of a world cup only once - way back in 1950.
7. Spain are the only country ever to become ranked number 1 in the world in the Fifa rankings without ever winning a world cup.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Where Does Spain Stand Compared To Other Top International Teams
Spain have never won the world cup. I have doubts about their physical and mental toughness in big matches against the really big teams. Yet based on the strength of the first 11 or the whole squad strength, they are at least twice as good as any other international side. In fact I could even say that if they do not win WC 2010, they will perhaps never win a WC because this is easily the best group of players in their entire history, they have been performing consistently and most other nations are going down right now.
Given below is first details about how strong Spain is in each position. The second part is about where all the competitors stand right now. All the competent players capable of taking a particular place have been mentioned. The outstanding ones are in bold.
Goalkeeper – Casillas / Reina / Lopez / Palop / Valdes ( 5 world class goalkeepers to choose from – no other team perhaps has even 3 of this level )
Left Back – Capdevila
Right Back – Ramos / Arbeloa ( Arbeloa can deputise at left back as well )
Central Defense – Puyol / Albiol / Marchena / Pique ( maybe you will not call any of them the best in the world but they are all very competent )
Defensive Midfield – Senna / Alonso( Senna is a master tackler who has good passing, Alonso is a master at passing and possession play )
Attacking Midfield – Xavi / Fabregas ( a team that has to keep an awesome talent like Fabregas on bench tells you just what its level is, as for Xavi he is the best in the world in his role )
Flank Players – Iniesta / Silva / Riera / Cazorla / Mata / Pablo ( most of them are versatile enough to play as attacking midfielders, as for Iniesta it’s a pleasure to watch any match in which he plays )
Strikers – Torres / Villa / Guiza ( the two best strikers in the world play for the same nation )
Brazil – For one moment forget the hype about Brazil having the world’s best talents. Look at their team and squad carefully. Mediocrity runs right through. The only world class attacker is Kaka. Robinho is the most overrated player in the world. The rest are not even worth being considered stars. The central defense and the goalkeeper are good. The right back position is particularly strong. So are we talking about a defensive Brazil. For once if you forget that they have won 5 WC and are always considered the best team in the world ( sometimes for no rhyme or reason ), why would any top side today think that they don’t have at least an equal chance against this team?
Argentina – Messi is the world’s best player. Mascherano is the world’s best defensive midfielder. The other forward in the team can be chosen from stars like Aguero, Tevez and Milito. This sounds really impressive, right? The problem is after that the team has next to nothing. There are even theories floating around that there’s a small chance they won’t even make it to the WC.
Italy – Well, Lippi just cannot give up his oldies. Yes, we all criticize him but how can you chuck out players who won you the WC after 24 years. Yes, there are lots of genuine young talents coming up. Perhaps many of them won’t be chosen and the ones who are will not be mature enough to make an impact. A team for the future for sure but not for WC 2010.
Germany – The German determination and fighting spirit is always there but there’s not much talent and Ballack is way past it having become a mediocre player, thanks in large part to Chelsea. Yes they will be competitive but not even 50% value against a top class team.
France – Oh yes there is talent. It’s Henry’s swansong. Ribery is already touted as a future world player of the year. They even have options at almost every position. Perhaps one of the better teams but unfortunately it’s run by a joker who doesn’t even know how to make use of all the options.
England – Oh yes Italians make the best managers. Capello’s England is the best that you have seen in 25 years or more. Perhaps he will even take them to the semis – he’s a top class coach. Yet if he wins WC 2010 this one will surpass Rehaggel’s Euro 2004 with Greece as the greatest miracle in football because this time teams will be prepared for what’s coming.
Netherlands – The attacking talent is there for all to see. Yet when will Robben and Van Persie be fit. And Schneider and Van Der Vaart seem to have taken a backward step in their career. Huntelaar has a long way to go before becoming Van Nistelrooy. The defensive midfield shows no steady competent player other than an aging Van Bommel. As for the defense, the less said the better – some of us have had the pleasure of seeing one Mr. Heitinga in action especially against big teams when he is at his “best”. And after Van Der Sar retired there is no goalkeeper either.
Portugal – Oh how I wish one Mr. Cristiano Ronaldo gets to watch WC 2010 in the comfort of his own home or perhaps in the company of the hottest actresses and models in Hollywood. And that’s what could happen since they currently lie 3rd in their group. The team is talented but not covered in all positions. And Luiz Felipe Scolari ( who some fools in England call a failure ) is terribly missed.
Given below is first details about how strong Spain is in each position. The second part is about where all the competitors stand right now. All the competent players capable of taking a particular place have been mentioned. The outstanding ones are in bold.
Goalkeeper – Casillas / Reina / Lopez / Palop / Valdes ( 5 world class goalkeepers to choose from – no other team perhaps has even 3 of this level )
Left Back – Capdevila
Right Back – Ramos / Arbeloa ( Arbeloa can deputise at left back as well )
Central Defense – Puyol / Albiol / Marchena / Pique ( maybe you will not call any of them the best in the world but they are all very competent )
Defensive Midfield – Senna / Alonso( Senna is a master tackler who has good passing, Alonso is a master at passing and possession play )
Attacking Midfield – Xavi / Fabregas ( a team that has to keep an awesome talent like Fabregas on bench tells you just what its level is, as for Xavi he is the best in the world in his role )
Flank Players – Iniesta / Silva / Riera / Cazorla / Mata / Pablo ( most of them are versatile enough to play as attacking midfielders, as for Iniesta it’s a pleasure to watch any match in which he plays )
Strikers – Torres / Villa / Guiza ( the two best strikers in the world play for the same nation )
Brazil – For one moment forget the hype about Brazil having the world’s best talents. Look at their team and squad carefully. Mediocrity runs right through. The only world class attacker is Kaka. Robinho is the most overrated player in the world. The rest are not even worth being considered stars. The central defense and the goalkeeper are good. The right back position is particularly strong. So are we talking about a defensive Brazil. For once if you forget that they have won 5 WC and are always considered the best team in the world ( sometimes for no rhyme or reason ), why would any top side today think that they don’t have at least an equal chance against this team?
Argentina – Messi is the world’s best player. Mascherano is the world’s best defensive midfielder. The other forward in the team can be chosen from stars like Aguero, Tevez and Milito. This sounds really impressive, right? The problem is after that the team has next to nothing. There are even theories floating around that there’s a small chance they won’t even make it to the WC.
Italy – Well, Lippi just cannot give up his oldies. Yes, we all criticize him but how can you chuck out players who won you the WC after 24 years. Yes, there are lots of genuine young talents coming up. Perhaps many of them won’t be chosen and the ones who are will not be mature enough to make an impact. A team for the future for sure but not for WC 2010.
Germany – The German determination and fighting spirit is always there but there’s not much talent and Ballack is way past it having become a mediocre player, thanks in large part to Chelsea. Yes they will be competitive but not even 50% value against a top class team.
France – Oh yes there is talent. It’s Henry’s swansong. Ribery is already touted as a future world player of the year. They even have options at almost every position. Perhaps one of the better teams but unfortunately it’s run by a joker who doesn’t even know how to make use of all the options.
England – Oh yes Italians make the best managers. Capello’s England is the best that you have seen in 25 years or more. Perhaps he will even take them to the semis – he’s a top class coach. Yet if he wins WC 2010 this one will surpass Rehaggel’s Euro 2004 with Greece as the greatest miracle in football because this time teams will be prepared for what’s coming.
Netherlands – The attacking talent is there for all to see. Yet when will Robben and Van Persie be fit. And Schneider and Van Der Vaart seem to have taken a backward step in their career. Huntelaar has a long way to go before becoming Van Nistelrooy. The defensive midfield shows no steady competent player other than an aging Van Bommel. As for the defense, the less said the better – some of us have had the pleasure of seeing one Mr. Heitinga in action especially against big teams when he is at his “best”. And after Van Der Sar retired there is no goalkeeper either.
Portugal – Oh how I wish one Mr. Cristiano Ronaldo gets to watch WC 2010 in the comfort of his own home or perhaps in the company of the hottest actresses and models in Hollywood. And that’s what could happen since they currently lie 3rd in their group. The team is talented but not covered in all positions. And Luiz Felipe Scolari ( who some fools in England call a failure ) is terribly missed.
Top Managers In World Football
I wanted to make a list of the top managers in world football. So here is the list that I have made. I have chosen 8 who I feel stand out. I have ordered them with the best coming first. I would like to know how far you agree with my selections and the relative ordering.
1. Marcello Lippi – Won WC 2006 with Italy. Has been to 4 UCL finals with Juventus out of which he won one and lost the other three, one of them on penalties. Has also won 5 Serie A titles with Juventus. He is the only manager in this list to have attained the highest pedigree in both club and international football.
2. Fabio Capello – Has won titles with every club he’s coached. Won UCL 1994 with Milan defeating Johann Cruyff’s dream team 4-0 in the final, a result which shocked all football pundits. Won Serie A multiple times with Milan, Juventus and above all unfancied Roma. Has coached Real Madrid in two spells, each of only one year and has incredibly won the La Liga title on both occasions. Has just recently moved to international football and under his tutelage England is improving leaps and bounds. The one major criticism against him is that he has favored boring result oriented football. Also he’s difficult to get along with and has made enemies in most of the places he’s coached. One more point is that other than the one UCL title, his teams have not done much in UCL.
3. Sir Alex Ferguson – In 23 years at Manchester United, he’s won 33 titles, more than 20 of them being major ones. He’s won 11 EPL titles. He’s won 2 UCL titles and is close to bagging the third one. There’s just no stopping the wily old Scot.
4. Guus Hiddink – Is regarded as a magician in football. No matter where he’s coached, given the time and resources he was given, the results he has produced have almost invariably been much higher than realistic expectations. His number of titles may be lower and less prestigious than some of the others but he’s often been in charge of underrated teams. He’s won the European Cup with PSV in 1988 and several Dutch league titles with them as well. He’s taken Holland to WC 1998 semi final, Korea to WC 2002 semi final, Australia to WC 2006 second round and Russia to Euro 2008 semi final. In a very short spell of just 3 months recently at Chelsea he has produced such a wonderful string of results that Chelsea fans are pleading with him not to leave the club.
5. Jose Mourinho – Won UCL with outsiders Porto. Won 2 Portuguese league titles with them. Won 2 EPL titles with Chelsea. Also just won 1 Serie A title with Inter. That’s a very impressive trophy haul. However he’s being rated slightly lower for some reasons that I will explain. After that one UCL victory, he’s not managed to take any team to the UCL final. Although he’s a good tactician he’s often lost out in tactical battles in knock out ties. More than a tactician he’s a great man manager, motivator and a born winner. Not all his titles look that great. The Portuguese league is not all that great. With Inter he’s only done the bare minimum winning Serie A but he could not win the Coppa Italia. Serie A currently is not all that competitive because Juventus is still not top class, Roma have exhausted everything they had and Milan are both disinterested in Serie A and have not improved their squad for several years. Other than this, like Capello, he too is known to promote boring result oriented football. He also makes a lot of enemies but mainly with his opponents and what’s more he really enjoys doing that.
6. Luis Felipe Scolari – Won WC 2002 with Brazil. After that took Portugal on the best run in their history – Euro 2004 final, WC 2006 semi final and Euro 2008 quarter final. However when he tried top flight club management for the first time with Chelsea, after a good beginning, things went so much downhill that his term can be called a failure. However he does deserve at least one more chance at a top club and then we will be able to rate him better.
7. Carlo Ancelotti – He’s the second manager on this list to have won 2 UCLs – 2003 and 2007 with Milan. He also took Milan to the UCL 2005 final. He’s also won one Serie A title with Milan in 2004. However in the last couple of years he seems to be losing the plot completely. Besides his not winning any more Serie A titles and generally giving it much less importance than UCL also counts against him. It’s time for him to move to Real Madrid or Chelsea and then we can evaluate him better.
8. Arsene Wenger – He’s the professor of beautiful football. He won EPL 1998, EPL 2002 and EPL 2004 with Arsenal. For 9 years , he kept Arsenal in the top two of EPL. However he did not win any European titles but did take Arsenal to the final of UCL 2006. Unfortunately in the last 4 years his club has been going down the drain. It’s time for him to move to Real Madrid and prove his real worth once again.
1. Marcello Lippi – Won WC 2006 with Italy. Has been to 4 UCL finals with Juventus out of which he won one and lost the other three, one of them on penalties. Has also won 5 Serie A titles with Juventus. He is the only manager in this list to have attained the highest pedigree in both club and international football.
2. Fabio Capello – Has won titles with every club he’s coached. Won UCL 1994 with Milan defeating Johann Cruyff’s dream team 4-0 in the final, a result which shocked all football pundits. Won Serie A multiple times with Milan, Juventus and above all unfancied Roma. Has coached Real Madrid in two spells, each of only one year and has incredibly won the La Liga title on both occasions. Has just recently moved to international football and under his tutelage England is improving leaps and bounds. The one major criticism against him is that he has favored boring result oriented football. Also he’s difficult to get along with and has made enemies in most of the places he’s coached. One more point is that other than the one UCL title, his teams have not done much in UCL.
3. Sir Alex Ferguson – In 23 years at Manchester United, he’s won 33 titles, more than 20 of them being major ones. He’s won 11 EPL titles. He’s won 2 UCL titles and is close to bagging the third one. There’s just no stopping the wily old Scot.
4. Guus Hiddink – Is regarded as a magician in football. No matter where he’s coached, given the time and resources he was given, the results he has produced have almost invariably been much higher than realistic expectations. His number of titles may be lower and less prestigious than some of the others but he’s often been in charge of underrated teams. He’s won the European Cup with PSV in 1988 and several Dutch league titles with them as well. He’s taken Holland to WC 1998 semi final, Korea to WC 2002 semi final, Australia to WC 2006 second round and Russia to Euro 2008 semi final. In a very short spell of just 3 months recently at Chelsea he has produced such a wonderful string of results that Chelsea fans are pleading with him not to leave the club.
5. Jose Mourinho – Won UCL with outsiders Porto. Won 2 Portuguese league titles with them. Won 2 EPL titles with Chelsea. Also just won 1 Serie A title with Inter. That’s a very impressive trophy haul. However he’s being rated slightly lower for some reasons that I will explain. After that one UCL victory, he’s not managed to take any team to the UCL final. Although he’s a good tactician he’s often lost out in tactical battles in knock out ties. More than a tactician he’s a great man manager, motivator and a born winner. Not all his titles look that great. The Portuguese league is not all that great. With Inter he’s only done the bare minimum winning Serie A but he could not win the Coppa Italia. Serie A currently is not all that competitive because Juventus is still not top class, Roma have exhausted everything they had and Milan are both disinterested in Serie A and have not improved their squad for several years. Other than this, like Capello, he too is known to promote boring result oriented football. He also makes a lot of enemies but mainly with his opponents and what’s more he really enjoys doing that.
6. Luis Felipe Scolari – Won WC 2002 with Brazil. After that took Portugal on the best run in their history – Euro 2004 final, WC 2006 semi final and Euro 2008 quarter final. However when he tried top flight club management for the first time with Chelsea, after a good beginning, things went so much downhill that his term can be called a failure. However he does deserve at least one more chance at a top club and then we will be able to rate him better.
7. Carlo Ancelotti – He’s the second manager on this list to have won 2 UCLs – 2003 and 2007 with Milan. He also took Milan to the UCL 2005 final. He’s also won one Serie A title with Milan in 2004. However in the last couple of years he seems to be losing the plot completely. Besides his not winning any more Serie A titles and generally giving it much less importance than UCL also counts against him. It’s time for him to move to Real Madrid or Chelsea and then we can evaluate him better.
8. Arsene Wenger – He’s the professor of beautiful football. He won EPL 1998, EPL 2002 and EPL 2004 with Arsenal. For 9 years , he kept Arsenal in the top two of EPL. However he did not win any European titles but did take Arsenal to the final of UCL 2006. Unfortunately in the last 4 years his club has been going down the drain. It’s time for him to move to Real Madrid and prove his real worth once again.
My Predicted Top 10 Players For 2009
I am almost sure about the top 8. Only the order could differe but all of them should definitely come somewhere in the top 10. As for the remaining 2 it can very much change and these are only two of the possible candidates.
There can be some changes based on how the second half of the year goes but till now here’s my predicted top 10 players of 2009 in order.
1. Lionel Messi
2. Andres Iniesta
3. Xavi Hernandez
4. Cristiano Ronaldo
5. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
6. Nemanja Vidic
7. Steven Gerrard
8. Diego Forlan
9. Thierry Henry
10. Samuel Eto’o
Others could come close like Gonzalo Higuain, Wayne Rooney, Maicon, Julio Cesar and Frank Lampard.
There can be some changes based on how the second half of the year goes but till now here’s my predicted top 10 players of 2009 in order.
1. Lionel Messi
2. Andres Iniesta
3. Xavi Hernandez
4. Cristiano Ronaldo
5. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
6. Nemanja Vidic
7. Steven Gerrard
8. Diego Forlan
9. Thierry Henry
10. Samuel Eto’o
Others could come close like Gonzalo Higuain, Wayne Rooney, Maicon, Julio Cesar and Frank Lampard.
Does Argentina's Situation Look Grim?
Argentina sit 4th in the South American qualifying group with 22 points after last night’s loss at Ecuador.
Their remaining 4 matches in order are Brazil at home, Paraguay away, Peru at home and Uruguay away. At least three of these are expected to be very difficult matches.
So would you say their situation is grim?
Here are the South American qualifying group standings.
Groups and Standings
The top 4 teams qualify for the FIFA World Cup™. The 5th placed team enters a home-and-away playoff with the 4th placed team from North,Central America & Caribbean.
Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Brazil
14 7 6 1 25 6 27
Chile
14 8 2 4 23 14 26
Paraguay
14 7 3 4 20 13 24
Argentina
14 6 4 4 19 15 22
Ecuador
14 5 5 4 18 20 20
Uruguay
14 4 6 4 23 16 18
Colombia
14 4 5 5 7 11 17
Venezuela
14 5 2 7 17 24 17
Bolivia
14 3 3 8 19 30 12
Peru
14 1 4 9 7 29 7
Their remaining 4 matches in order are Brazil at home, Paraguay away, Peru at home and Uruguay away. At least three of these are expected to be very difficult matches.
So would you say their situation is grim?
Here are the South American qualifying group standings.
Groups and Standings
The top 4 teams qualify for the FIFA World Cup™. The 5th placed team enters a home-and-away playoff with the 4th placed team from North,Central America & Caribbean.
Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Brazil
14 7 6 1 25 6 27
Chile
14 8 2 4 23 14 26
Paraguay
14 7 3 4 20 13 24
Argentina
14 6 4 4 19 15 22
Ecuador
14 5 5 4 18 20 20
Uruguay
14 4 6 4 23 16 18
Colombia
14 4 5 5 7 11 17
Venezuela
14 5 2 7 17 24 17
Bolivia
14 3 3 8 19 30 12
Peru
14 1 4 9 7 29 7
The Two Best International Teams
The whole world seems to agree that the two best teams in the world today are Spain and Brazil.
Yet if we leave aside the hype and their world cup pedigree, is the current Brazilian team even comparable to the Spanish one? Let us investigate on a man to man basis.
Iker Casillas better than Julio Cesar ( although Cesar is in better form )
Joan Capdevila equal to Kleber
Maicon / Dani Alves better than Sergio Ramos / Alvaro Arbeloa
Lucio / Juan / Alex / Luisao just slightly better than Carles Puyol / Raul Albiol / Carlos Marchena / Gerard Pique
Marcos Senna way better than Gilberto Silva
Xabi Alonso much better than Felipe Melo
Kaka better than Xavi ( but Xavi is in better form and has a deputy like Cesc Fabregas. Kaka could later have his deputy in Ronaldinho if the latter comes back into form )
Andres Iniesta light years ahead of Robinho ( can teach him a thing or two about football )
David Silva much better than Elano
Fernando Torres / David Villa vastly superior to Luis Fabiano / Alexandre Pato
Overall Score :-
Spain = 1 + 0.5 + 0 + 0 + 1 + 0 + 1 + 1 + 2 = 6.5
Brazil = 0 + 0.5 + 1 + 2 + 0 + 1 + 0 + 0 + 0 = 4.5
At least this analysis demonstrates that Spain is quite superior to Brazil. Compared to Brazilian teams of the past, this Brazil’s strength is its defense and that’s the only area in which it is better than Spain and that too marginally.
Spain just looks such a complete – almost a flawless team. However for a team whose best record in a world cup is a fourth place finish in 1950, I am probably just building too much expectation.
BTW, I am supporting Argentina, Spain and Italy. The problem with Argentina is that the goalkeeper is new, the defense is in shambles, the midfield is somewhat mediocre except for Mascherano, the formation is not yet worked out and only the attackers are top class but even they have not learnt how to play alongside each other. The problem with Italy is that it is largely composed of the world cup winning veterans who just do not have the stamina to excel in one more world cup. So in spite of everything my best bet at the moment is Spain.
Yet if we leave aside the hype and their world cup pedigree, is the current Brazilian team even comparable to the Spanish one? Let us investigate on a man to man basis.
Iker Casillas better than Julio Cesar ( although Cesar is in better form )
Joan Capdevila equal to Kleber
Maicon / Dani Alves better than Sergio Ramos / Alvaro Arbeloa
Lucio / Juan / Alex / Luisao just slightly better than Carles Puyol / Raul Albiol / Carlos Marchena / Gerard Pique
Marcos Senna way better than Gilberto Silva
Xabi Alonso much better than Felipe Melo
Kaka better than Xavi ( but Xavi is in better form and has a deputy like Cesc Fabregas. Kaka could later have his deputy in Ronaldinho if the latter comes back into form )
Andres Iniesta light years ahead of Robinho ( can teach him a thing or two about football )
David Silva much better than Elano
Fernando Torres / David Villa vastly superior to Luis Fabiano / Alexandre Pato
Overall Score :-
Spain = 1 + 0.5 + 0 + 0 + 1 + 0 + 1 + 1 + 2 = 6.5
Brazil = 0 + 0.5 + 1 + 2 + 0 + 1 + 0 + 0 + 0 = 4.5
At least this analysis demonstrates that Spain is quite superior to Brazil. Compared to Brazilian teams of the past, this Brazil’s strength is its defense and that’s the only area in which it is better than Spain and that too marginally.
Spain just looks such a complete – almost a flawless team. However for a team whose best record in a world cup is a fourth place finish in 1950, I am probably just building too much expectation.
BTW, I am supporting Argentina, Spain and Italy. The problem with Argentina is that the goalkeeper is new, the defense is in shambles, the midfield is somewhat mediocre except for Mascherano, the formation is not yet worked out and only the attackers are top class but even they have not learnt how to play alongside each other. The problem with Italy is that it is largely composed of the world cup winning veterans who just do not have the stamina to excel in one more world cup. So in spite of everything my best bet at the moment is Spain.
Was Ramon Calderon Really That Bad?
Calderon is now claiming the Ronaldo deal as his doing and taking some credit for laying the foundation of the Kaka deal and that’s exactly what has happened.
To be honest with you, if for the time being we forget about him having rigged the assembly, I don’t think he was such a bad president. He did speak out of turn once in a while. He did pay over the odds for some undeserving players. However his masterstroke was the signing of Capello who really cleaned the Augean stables. Then he sacked Capello but he may have been under pressure. His next choice Schuster was a surprise for us but even he did the job and the team became even better. His third choice Juande Ramos actually went above expectations. Most importantly he did a lot to eliminate egos in Real Madrid saying he wants footballers and not billionaires at the club. The result was winning back to back La Ligas when everyone in the world could see clearly that Barcelona were superior on paper. Some of the existing players in the squad rediscovered their form and managed to put in great performances. Now all the problems of the Galacticos era will slowly come back.
Also if you look at the Ronaldo deal, it’s quite clear that it’s Calderon’s pact that has been invoked. If it were a fresh deal even Perez would have bargained instead of accepting to pay E94m straight away. Also the foundations of the Kaka deal were laid down latest in January when Kaka refused to go to Manchester City and Calderon was in charge then.
So even though he’s been painted as a big villain, was he really that bad?
To be honest with you, if for the time being we forget about him having rigged the assembly, I don’t think he was such a bad president. He did speak out of turn once in a while. He did pay over the odds for some undeserving players. However his masterstroke was the signing of Capello who really cleaned the Augean stables. Then he sacked Capello but he may have been under pressure. His next choice Schuster was a surprise for us but even he did the job and the team became even better. His third choice Juande Ramos actually went above expectations. Most importantly he did a lot to eliminate egos in Real Madrid saying he wants footballers and not billionaires at the club. The result was winning back to back La Ligas when everyone in the world could see clearly that Barcelona were superior on paper. Some of the existing players in the squad rediscovered their form and managed to put in great performances. Now all the problems of the Galacticos era will slowly come back.
Also if you look at the Ronaldo deal, it’s quite clear that it’s Calderon’s pact that has been invoked. If it were a fresh deal even Perez would have bargained instead of accepting to pay E94m straight away. Also the foundations of the Kaka deal were laid down latest in January when Kaka refused to go to Manchester City and Calderon was in charge then.
So even though he’s been painted as a big villain, was he really that bad?
What Ails Italy?
The Italy team seen in the Confederations Cup is the worst that I have seen since I began watching football. So what makes them like that. Here is a list of reasons.
1. Zambrotta, Gattuso, Camoranesi and above all Toni are clearly past it.
2. A team whose traditional strength has been defense certainly does not look assured in that area. Cannavaro’s presence does make things better but when a player on his last legs has to lead the Italian defense you just stop to question – what has happened to the erstwhile mass production of defenders? As for Chiellini – he is the best but only of a bad lot. He doesn’t yet seem ready to shoulder the burden of the national team.
3. Let’s move on to the midfield. Pirlo as we all know is a maestro – one capable of inspirational creativity. However he is a deep lying midfielder and with no one to support him ahead of him on the field how far is he going to shoulder the burden of creativity especially at this age. As for Daniele De Rossi, he is supposed to be a top class central midfielder. Yes he does win challenges and take good shots but leaves me with two major question marks. Why does he not do anything very creative – is he really capable of it? Also if he is such a good defensive midfielder, why is it that the opponent gets to play so freely in the midfield? Is it because Italy always depended on the terrier Gattuso to do this job? Oh he still retains the passion but not the stamina. Unfortunately there just isn’t anyone in Italy to fit in his place.
4. As for the full backs, yes Grosso does do his job but Zambrotta is quite clearly past it especially in an attacking sense. You will not see any of the sublime runs of WC 2006 any more from him. Is it time to try Davide Santon? Is he really ready for this level?
5. All the above mentioned are serious problems. Yet the one that hurts me most comes now. Where is the link between midfield and attack? The attackers are all one-dimensional having no sense of how to play alongside each other. And there just isn’t any attacking midfielder to support them without which they are almost toothless. This does not look the same side that had an equally competent African team Ghana in its pocket in the WC 2006 opener or the side that proved itself to be technically well superior to a super power like Germany in the WC 2006 semi final. At the moment if anyone talks about the technical qualities of Italy, you will want to look the other way.
6. As for the attack, what is Luca Toni still doing even in the squad? A few of the strikers can shoot from distance but what do they do other than this. They cannot bring each other into play. There is no creation within the oppositions penalty box. It’s all about taking your chances from distance – sometimes it will work and sometimes it will not. This is not the way the reigning world champions ought to play.
7. Should Lippi have come back? After winning the world cup you can never do more. So isn’t it a good idea to leave it then and there and never come back? Besides you are stuck with the burden of playing your world champions even when your mind tells you that it’s not working. A new coach would not have much of this burden. Also if you have something against one of the most creative players in the country i.e. Cassano, your presence will only inhibit him. I am not being fool hardy enough to suggest that the man who I consider the best coach that I have ever come across should be sacked. Yet, would it be so bad if he were to resign due to the media and public backlash that is sure to come his way now? Perhaps there would be a risk of not qualifying for WC 2010 where we are lucky to be in a very easy group. Yet the way we are going now our only target seems to be damage limitation.
So where do we stand as a whole. Once a team becomes world champions, they usually get better and dominate world football for some years. Unfortunately for Italy their victory came when most of their best players were in the ending stages of their careers. So instead of becoming better we have only gone down and that too really fast. This gives our detractors the chance to say all kinds of things like we are laughable and did not even deserve to be world champions. Yet the good thing is no matter what they do they can never make another team the winner of WC 2006. That will remain ours but the immediate future would almost certainly not be ours.
Italy’s last worst performance in a world cup was in 1986 when they were completely outclassed by a vastly superior France side in the second round. Ironically that was also the world cup immediately after their triumph and they were still being led by the man responsible for that triumph – Enzo Bearzot. Already there have been two equally bad results ( 3-0 mauling at the hands of Holland in Euro 2008 and yesterday’s night’s humiliation ) but they were not in the world cup. So what now – are we expected to suffer something worse in WC 2010?
1. Zambrotta, Gattuso, Camoranesi and above all Toni are clearly past it.
2. A team whose traditional strength has been defense certainly does not look assured in that area. Cannavaro’s presence does make things better but when a player on his last legs has to lead the Italian defense you just stop to question – what has happened to the erstwhile mass production of defenders? As for Chiellini – he is the best but only of a bad lot. He doesn’t yet seem ready to shoulder the burden of the national team.
3. Let’s move on to the midfield. Pirlo as we all know is a maestro – one capable of inspirational creativity. However he is a deep lying midfielder and with no one to support him ahead of him on the field how far is he going to shoulder the burden of creativity especially at this age. As for Daniele De Rossi, he is supposed to be a top class central midfielder. Yes he does win challenges and take good shots but leaves me with two major question marks. Why does he not do anything very creative – is he really capable of it? Also if he is such a good defensive midfielder, why is it that the opponent gets to play so freely in the midfield? Is it because Italy always depended on the terrier Gattuso to do this job? Oh he still retains the passion but not the stamina. Unfortunately there just isn’t anyone in Italy to fit in his place.
4. As for the full backs, yes Grosso does do his job but Zambrotta is quite clearly past it especially in an attacking sense. You will not see any of the sublime runs of WC 2006 any more from him. Is it time to try Davide Santon? Is he really ready for this level?
5. All the above mentioned are serious problems. Yet the one that hurts me most comes now. Where is the link between midfield and attack? The attackers are all one-dimensional having no sense of how to play alongside each other. And there just isn’t any attacking midfielder to support them without which they are almost toothless. This does not look the same side that had an equally competent African team Ghana in its pocket in the WC 2006 opener or the side that proved itself to be technically well superior to a super power like Germany in the WC 2006 semi final. At the moment if anyone talks about the technical qualities of Italy, you will want to look the other way.
6. As for the attack, what is Luca Toni still doing even in the squad? A few of the strikers can shoot from distance but what do they do other than this. They cannot bring each other into play. There is no creation within the oppositions penalty box. It’s all about taking your chances from distance – sometimes it will work and sometimes it will not. This is not the way the reigning world champions ought to play.
7. Should Lippi have come back? After winning the world cup you can never do more. So isn’t it a good idea to leave it then and there and never come back? Besides you are stuck with the burden of playing your world champions even when your mind tells you that it’s not working. A new coach would not have much of this burden. Also if you have something against one of the most creative players in the country i.e. Cassano, your presence will only inhibit him. I am not being fool hardy enough to suggest that the man who I consider the best coach that I have ever come across should be sacked. Yet, would it be so bad if he were to resign due to the media and public backlash that is sure to come his way now? Perhaps there would be a risk of not qualifying for WC 2010 where we are lucky to be in a very easy group. Yet the way we are going now our only target seems to be damage limitation.
So where do we stand as a whole. Once a team becomes world champions, they usually get better and dominate world football for some years. Unfortunately for Italy their victory came when most of their best players were in the ending stages of their careers. So instead of becoming better we have only gone down and that too really fast. This gives our detractors the chance to say all kinds of things like we are laughable and did not even deserve to be world champions. Yet the good thing is no matter what they do they can never make another team the winner of WC 2006. That will remain ours but the immediate future would almost certainly not be ours.
Italy’s last worst performance in a world cup was in 1986 when they were completely outclassed by a vastly superior France side in the second round. Ironically that was also the world cup immediately after their triumph and they were still being led by the man responsible for that triumph – Enzo Bearzot. Already there have been two equally bad results ( 3-0 mauling at the hands of Holland in Euro 2008 and yesterday’s night’s humiliation ) but they were not in the world cup. So what now – are we expected to suffer something worse in WC 2010?
Why Spain Lost?
Spain(0) – USA(2) sounds like a major shock result but is it really? I was not all that surprised as the warning signs had very much been there in the previous two matches.
Let’s look at the long list of reasons why this “upset” happened.
1. Wrong tactics – If you look around all the major teams in world football, playing two strikers is slowly going out of fashion. It’s still not impossible for that system to work but the two strikers really have to complement each other. Torres and Villa play in such a different way that they never do that. Torres’s game is based on playing off the shoulder of the last defender and breaking at speed. Villa on the other hand drops into midfield and helps to build the game from there using his creativity. The way Spain play makes Villa actively involved but Torres is often rendered completely useless in several matches. Although this has not been mentioned much, the injury to Villa in Euro 2008 was actually a blessing in disguise. Spain changed its formation to 4-1-4-1 and looked a much more dangerous team in the semi final and final than they had looked earlier. Torres now had space to run at defenders and Fabregas behind him provided great link up play. This is the best formation for Spain. On the other hand the 4-4-2 used earlier was not all that bad but then they had two flank players. Using Silva’s pace and Iniesta’s guile really helped, neither of whom played yesterday. On the other hand playing 4-4-2 with Fabregas on the right was always going to be a recipe for disaster because he would play through the centre leaving Sergio Ramos alone on the right flank. He has already complained in Real Madrid that being the only right sided player, he finds it very difficult. So when he himself does not believe he is capable of performing such a difficult role, why give it to him?
2. Lack of speed – Whether we like it or not, speed is crucial in the modern game. A beautiful technically top class team like Argentina were troubled so much by a pacy Mexico side in the second round of WC 2006 and the same team was thrashed by a mediocre Brazil in the final of Copa America 2007. Their main problem was lack of speed. In Spain it’s mainly Torres who has the pace but as explained above he is often rendered useless. So Silva and Iniesta can provide some speed but even they are not that fast. Yesterday neither of them were there any way.
3. Lack of strength – Spain does not have players as strong physically as some of the other teams and this counts in a big way. They are unable to prevent the other team, no matter how inferior, from playing. Marcos Senna did this job wonderfully in Euro 2008 but he was not there this time. It seems he has no ready made substitute. Xabi Alonso while being a great central midfielder is not really an enforcer and hard tackler. Even in Liverpool he depends on Mascherano to do that job for him.
4. Defensive frailties – Even though they had kept a lot of clean sheets Spain’s defense has never been very convincing. I think playing Pique in place of Albiol was a big mistake. The Barcelona man has had an excellent season but he fancies himself as an attacking player which along with his lack of experience decreases his reliability. Albiol on the other hand is probably the best defender in Spain at the moment. As for Puyol, what people do not say but a few of them know is that in Euro 2008 Marchena made him look much better than he actually is on current form. Capdevila showed yesterday that he has a long way to go. As for Sergio Ramos who is supposed to be a very promising player, frankly yes he does spectacular things once in a while but I have seen him make so many mistakes that I am fed up now. No wonder Real Madrid are trying to get Maicon who is much better.
5. Lack of set piece abilities – In a game if you dominate possession and create many chances, you are bound to get a lot of free kicks and corners. Yet if you cannot make use of even one of them, what can be done? In Spain not one guy looks capable of striking a spectacular goal from a free kick. They don’t do much from corners either mainly due to a lack of aerial threat.
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