HOLLAND 4 FRANCE 1

There is still more than a slight probability that France will join Holland in the quarterfinals of Euro 2008, a situation possible only if Romania fail to beat the Dutch, and France beat Italy; and while these are slim pickings indeed, considering Holland will top Group C no matter the result against Romania, and the Oranje may fancy sending both World Cup Finalists out of the first round, let us hope Van Basten and Co. will instead choose to keep the winds blowing in Dutch sails and therefore make France - Italy a winner takes-all affair.

Reverting back to the game played out last evening at the Stade de Suisse, it was easily one of the most dismal French performances I have ever seen. It was abominable not only in the sense that the players underperformed and gave a terrible account of themselves. It was also a case of grave injustice, on part of referee Robert Fandel, and of Raymond Domenech, who quite simply got everything wrong. Even if France do succeed in advancing to the next stage of the tournament, the repercussions of this match will be felt far beyond Summer '08. It can be argued the Dutch have ridden their luck so far numerous times against Italy and France, but a 4-1 rout, no matter how unfortunate or unlucky for France, indicates a nice long look at the mirror. What was it that went so wrong? And how can the problems be fixed?

The first culprits are of course the players themselves. Gregory Coupet was downright abysmal. In defense, the experienced, reliable center-back pairing of Thuram & Gallas showed astonishing immaturity by allowing Holland to score their third just 45 seconds after Henry had breathed new life into France at the other end. Things like that are just not supposed to happen at such a high level. Sagnol's crossing was woeful, and it's rather pathetic Domenech was unwilling to play Clerc, who would have represented a more youthful and energetic option. And although Makelele and Toulalan gave industrious performances in midfield, they are ultimately no play-makers. Henry managed to find the back of the net, but by then he should have had at least a hat-trick. What a stupid lob that was. The King of Highbury is clearly a thing of the past.

Henry brings us to Mr. Fandel's decision not to award France a clear-cut penalty. It's not the first time these crucial moments have come to define the outcome of the game (Switzerland vs. Czech Republic, Poland vs. Austria, and Italy vs. Romania, quickly come to mind), moments which completely hinge on the referee's call. A penalty to France would have reinvigorated Les Bleus and brought the match level, but Fandel waved away the appeals, and Ooijer rode his luck. It should be about time that referees become more alert to such situations, especially given the high stakes involved. How he (Fandel) could have missed Ooijer flinging his arms at the ball is beyond me. Whether it be a soft last-minute penalty (Poland-Austria), an incorrectly chalked-off goal (Italy-Romania), or a blatant handball, the officials at the Euro must step it up.

Lastly, yet most importantly, is the question regarding Coach Ray. Domenech had promised changes to be made, and while Evra & Henry's inclusions were sensible, what Govou was doing in the starting-11 in the place of Benzema is baffling. Govou is a good player, but not much more than that. Benzema, although relatively less experienced, is a more talented and imposing player who has the ability to take a game by the scruff of the neck and turn it on its head. That neither he nor Nasri even managed a minute against Holland is again proof to Coach Ray's tactical shortcomings. In the 2nd half, Malouda played a spectacular pass to Henry. His reward? Getting subbed-out for the inexperienced Gomis, who, without any clear idea of international football, proceeded to make lead-footed touches and pretty much mess-up whenever he found the ball at his feet. Anelka was the third striker who Domenech sent into the fray, and he is arguably a worse option than Benzema. Nico is the type who loves plowing a lone furrow up front all by himself - he suffers with the help of a strike partner, especially one as incapable as Gomis. The lack of cohesion in attack in the last 20 minutes also makes a case for Lassana Diarra's inclusion in the starting-11. Although dubbed the new "Maka," he is a much more offensive-minded player and can act as a sort of playmaker in Vieira's absence. What the Maka - Toulalan partnership was doing in there (so unsuccessful vs. Romania), is a question that may only be answered by Domenech. Judging from his foolish tactical mistakes and awful man-management, Coach Ray will have many questions to answer should France crash-out prematurely.

Regardless of what happens in the Holland - Romania match, France MUST defeat Italy. For these two wounded giants, it is no longer simply a matter of advancing to the next sage, but a subject of pride. And if Romania fail to take 3 points against Holland, we may very well have a mini-Final in store for us. May the best team win, and good luck.

ALLEZ LES BLEUS!!!!!

Arsenal
Thierry Henry's departure from Arsenal may have left a huge void in Arsenal's attack, but the young Gunners have coped admirably with the loss of the former captain. While it is still too early to tell whether or not this team will have the season-long stamina to compete on all four fronts, an opening 3:0 victory at home over Sevilla in Europe and a 1st place position after five games in the Premier League is not too shabby. The doubts and uncertainties that plagued the off-season have now disappeared and the smoke has cleared.

Indeed, the '07/08 has seen a much more mature and confident Arsenal. Cesc Fabregas has evolved into a more complete midfielder - he is no longer the talented little midfield wizard always looking for the perfect pass, but a tough-tackling, ruthless and dazzling play-maker; the two wide-men, Rosicky and Hleb, now bear a predatory streak reminiscent of the Pires-Ljungberg partnership; Adebayor and Van Persie lead the line in style and display a coolness that has largely been absent seasons past. Although the defense continues to leak goals and looks shaky at times, two of the four goals Arsenal have conceded this season have come from goalkeeper errors, and Kolo Toure has been immense at the back, while Ga

Reflections on a miserable year
    2006/2007 was a season to forget.  In a season plagued by injury to key players and internal unrest, there were certainly more blunders than achievements, more failures than successes, more losses than gains... all in all, the first season at the Emirates showed that unless some sort of change happens, whether it may be on the pitch or within the more delicate confines of club politics, Arsenal will continue to fall behind the likes of United, Chelsea, and Liverpool in the league pecking order.  A perpetual fourth-place finish is not what I, or any other dedicated Arsenal fan, will accept.

    The single most catastrophic event of '06/'07 has been the departure of David Dein.  Henry's future looks uncertain to say the least - a barren season, added to the loss of the club's most influential man, may prove to be the final straw - and Wenger may refuse sign a new contract come the end of '07/'08.  The loss of the manager would mean the mass departure of younger players such as Fabregas, which would in turn destroy everything that Wenger has been working for.  Arsenal's current take-over troubles with Stan Kroenke must be solved as soon as possible.

    Wenger's plan of building a young, talented side for the future was romantic but unrealistic.  Fabregas will inevitably return to Spain sometime before his contract expires in 2014, for Spaniards have not always enjoyed the harsh English weather.  Season after season without success will push others to find more fertile grounds.  Of the first-team players at Arsenal right now, only Gilberto, Toure, and a small handful of others appear 100% dedicated to the club on a long-term basis. 

    Wenger was too broad-handed in his allowing senior players to leave.  Campbell and Pires have been sorely missed.  Gallas may be experienced and versatile, but he is slow and it appears his best years are behind him.  Rosicky and Hleb are certainly gifted midfielders, but none have the clinical finishing and "magic," whatever it may mean, that Pires had.  The impact that these two players are capable of can be seen at their new clubs.  Campbell was rock-solid in defense for Portsmouth, and at one point helped Pompey claim a Champions League spot; meanwhile, in Spain's Liga, Pires inspired Villareal to 5th place after his return from injury.

    2006/2007 was not entirely gloom and doom.  The Carling Cup run to the final was astonishing, and by far the single greatest highlight of the season.  The double over United was brilliant, and displayed the talent and potential that Arsenal have.  But talent and potential mean nothing until it is translated into success and silverware.  In times of such dire need, it is imperative that the team win something now.

Looking to the future
    I do not think Henry will leave this summer, but should Arsenal go another season trophy-less, the exit of Wenger, Fabregas, Henry, and a few others would not be surprising.  

    Therefore, the approach taken towards the 2007/2008 season should be short-term and not long term.  Sign some older, more experienced players for instant success, and wait on the younger talents.  There is no longer time to allow foreign players to adapt to the league, nor is there time to carve and polish some rough diamond.    

    Arsenal have been, as is customary, linked with a host of players this summer, but it is important to select each signing carefully, and to take everything into consideration.  The African Cup of Nations will be played the following year, meaning the likes of Toure, Eboue, and Adebayor will be out on international duty.  I personally do not trust Philippe Senderos or Justin Hoyte as reliable replacements.  Instead, players such as Micah Richards, who have talent as well as considerable experience in English football, would be of high importance.  Sign Richards, an attacking midfielder such as Ryan Babel, and an exceptional center-back, and off-load some also-rans, and Arsenal could prove to be much more competitive next season.

Euro 2008 Qualifying

10/7/06
                   It was quite disturbing to see France lose in Glasgow. After having watched Henry's freekick shave the upright, both Vieira and Trezeguet called for offsides despite putting the ball in the net, and France completely dominating the Scots for the first 45 minutes of the match, Gary Caldwell's headed goal was truly shocking, if somewhat undeserved. But football, for all its thrills and excitement, can be sadly unfair at times, a fact I have learned the hard way, considering both France and Arsenal reached the finals of a major competition in the last 6 or 7 months, only to fall at the very last hurdle by the tiniest of margins.
                  I am of course not implying that Scotland is a weak side - on the contrary, no weak team scores 9 goals in three games while conceding just one - but that France and Domenech need to fix a problem that seems not to have been cured even by the departure of the eccentric (if somewhat brilliant) Barthez; the last four goals condeded by Les Bleus have all come from set-pieces. It was the horrendous defending on corners and freekicks that cost France maximum points in Glasgow, not to speak of the World Cup Final itself. What to do about this defect?
                A different approach to defending should be taken - Domenech should stress organization in the back, a feature both Switzerland and the notorious Greek side of 2004 excelled at. France currently plays a rather whimsical style of football, mainly relying and hoping that the individual brilliance of each player may fit nicely into a solid, compact team unit. Yet they should learn from the so-called "smaller" teams which clearly lack the same vast pool of talent - that the Henrys, Vieiras and Riberys cannot beat tight organization and clinical finishing. There has been much talk about the failures of the galacticos of Real Madrid, and the star-studded Inter Milan side going into the '06/'07 season without a single Champions League victory...let this conflict of oversized egos and overconfidence not plague the French national team as well.

                Looking back on the other Euro qualifying matches, I must say that Spain is, as Joaquin Sanchez deftly asserted, in a state of "chaos." A Larsson and Ibrahimovic-less Sweden was able to score not one, but two goals unanswered against the Spaniards, and poor Luis Aragones must be feeling the backlash of his stupid decision to omit one of Spain's most influential attacking midfielders from the national team.
                 In Group E, England missed a fabulous opportunity to maintain a stronghold over their group, as a lackluster performance at home against Macedonia continued Wayne Rooney's barren spell. Perhaps the Crouch-Rooney pairing in attack was really the downfall for Sven-Goran Eriksson and his men in Germany?

                  There were some quite shocking outcomes today as well, most notably Cyprus's stunning 5:2 victory against Ireland, highlighting the fact that Ireland are in deeper trouble than I had thought them to be in previously. Their slump in form has most definitely stemmed from Robbie Keane's inability to find the back of the net - once a clinical and reliable finisher, Keane has been wasting chances for both club and country, and his '06/'07 season is sadly heading towards disaster.

                The results from this week-end reflected Arsene Wenger's comments about the state of international football - everything is much too lopsided. Croatia and the Czech Republic scored 7:0 wins today; Slovakia, 5:1; Latvia, 4:0... and in only 6 of the 22 games did both teams find the scoresheet.

Some interesting games on 10/11/06:
Poland vs. Portugal (0:2)
Ukraine vs. Scotland (1:0)
Georgia vs. Italy (1:2)
France vs. Faroe Islands (4:0)
Bosnia-Herzegovina vs. Greece (1:1)
Rep. Ireland vs. Czech Rep. (0:2)
Slovakia vs. Germany (2:2)
Croatia vs. England (1:1) 

Arsenal, Arsenal, Arsenal...

There was a time, not too long ago, when the Gunners were seemingly invincible. The most efficient team in the English game, it was customary for the likes of Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry and Denis Bergkamp to dispatch their opponents in the first 30 minutes of the game and thereby end the match as a contest. Three goals before half-time, three points in the championship, job well done. Arsenal's free-flowing, attacking football thrilled spectators worldwide and won the club a fearsome reputation.

Yet there was also another side to this reputation that began to blossom under the leadership of French manager Arsene Wenger; a mission to seek Europe's most promising young talents and to develop them into world-beating stars. Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Ashley Cole, and most recently, Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie, all fit into this category of players.

Just how important and vital youths are to Arsenal was clearly demonstrated in the '05/'06 season, when the Gunners reached the Champion League Final for the first time in their history. They were unable to bring the trophy home, but an outstanding showing for a number of them at the World Cup proved Wenger's impeccable eye for talent, and his huge accomplishment in nurturing yet another generation of Gunners stars.

As a result of the manager's reliance on young players, inexperience reared its ugly head last season as well. Struggling to win on the road, almost completely unable to compete with physical opponents such as Bolton and Blackburn, and spurning chance after chance, Arsenal did not click until late into the season, much too late to challenge for the EPL title.

And here we are in '06/'07, seeing an almost identical pattern - save the fact that we are losing the home games as well. Some have blamed Emirates Stadium for the poor results. Although it is true that the new stadium does not inject the same feeling of fear into opposing teams, and that the club itself's players don't feel at home, this should not be an excuse for not winning. Arsenal should be able to compete even without Highbury's small pitch and its electrifying atmosphere. Why has Arsenal been performing poorly then?

The answer is the same old problem that plagued the '05/'06 team; inexperience, and an inability to convert chances. While it takes Chelsea, say, five chances to score, Arsenal has to create twice as many. Something is wrong in the striking department.

Arsenal is not necessarily giving poor performances, either. The trademark pace, fluidity, and thrilling ball-work is still there. The Gunners just lack the mean streak, the efficiency of the Vieira days.

What to do?

While William Gallas is slowly but steadily getting used to his new team's style of play, Arsenal needs to find the right striking partnership. Wenger has always kept to a straightforward 4-4-2 formation, with two center-backs, a right-back, left-back, a holding midfielder, a playmaker, two wingers and two strikers. Perhaps it's time to change formations?

One problem is, the most promising Gunners signing of the summer, Tomas Rosicky, is looking uncomfortable playing in the EPL. Just as Hleb took a while to become accustomed to the physical English style, let us give Rosicky some more time. Or maybe try moving him to a different position. The starting defense/midfield line-up should look something like this:

Eboue Toure Gallas Flamini

Gilberto Fabregas

The advantage of playing Flamini with Gallas is that, should Flamini need support, Gallas is quite a capable left-back as well. Besides, they both speak French and communication would be no problem :-)

More important is now trying to find the right winger/striker combination. Here there are too many ways to combine players, considering the wealth of attacking options; Julio Baptista, Alexander Hleb, Freddie Ljungberg, Tomas Rosicky, Jeremie Aliadiere, Theo Walcott, Emmanuel Adebayor, Robin van Persie, Thierry Henry...

I am open to suggestions regarding the attacking line-up. Three probable ones are:

1) classic 4-4-2

                  Gilberto    Fabregas

Ljungberg                          J. Baptista

                  Adebayor    Henry

2) using Rosicky behind three strikers, Theo Walcott playing attack mid. / striker role

                 Gilberto      Fabregas

                           Rosicky

Van Persie          Henry         Walcott

3) 4-5-1

                 Gilberto      Fabregas

Ljungberg                            J. Baptista

                           Rosicky

                             Henry

Suggestions are most welcome!!!