Quarter Final

Portugal v Germany

Preview – Germany was my pre-tournament pick to win it all. Apart from a solid and sometimes impressive performance against Poland in their opening game this German team has failed to reach nights of the team of two summers ago.

Even though German coach Joachim Löw will be able to watch today’s game from the good seats he has more to worry about than the seating arrangements.

His team has a number of doubts with the injury to Torsten Frings the most pressing concern. Without Frings the German midfield will need to be shuffled with Ballack perhaps being asked to play deeper than usual. Either way the Germans need to find and execute a plan to contain Deco.

The biggest concern to Portugal might be Germany’s threat at set pieces. Carvalho and Pepe have been strangely hesitant on some cross balls in earlier games and that might be something Germany can exploit.

I’m not going to switch horses (better to be wrong once than wrong twice!) at this stage but would willingly concede that if Germany beat Portugal today it will run counter to the form book.

Misses next match if booked:

Portugal - Jose Bosingwa, Miguel, Jorge Ribeiro, Paulo Ferreira and Fernando Meira.

Germany - Michael Ballack and Jens Lehmann.

Referee: Peter Frojdfeldt, linesmen: Stefan Wittberg, Henrik Andren (all Sweden), fourth official: Kyros Vassaras (Greece)


Match Report
Portugal 2-3 Germany

If you’re looking for an example of why group form doesn’t mean very much when it gets down to the knockouts stage here was a great example.  Germany overcame an indifferent start to the tournament and knocked out a Portuguese side that was favored to move into the last four.

Joachim Low overcame the loss of Torsten Frings to injury by matching Portugal’s 4-2-3-1 formation. Hitzlsperger and the thoroughly impressive Rolfes took care of the defensive midfield duties which allowed Michael Ballack to support the lone striker Miroslav Klose while playing between Schweinsteiger on the right and Podolski on the left.

The move by the German coach seemed to take Portugal by surprise as they struggled in the early going to control Ballock.

The first of the five goals came after a surging run from Podolski. He held off Bosingwa (great going forward but looks very dodgy defending) and he created enough space to slide a cross to the onrushing Schweinsteiger who had lost his marker Ferreira.

Within minutes Germany was two goals to the good when Portugal got their marking all wrong at a free kick. While Portuguese markers focused on Ballack and were then distracted by a great dummy run from Rolfes, Klose was left all alone to hit home. But even then there were few signs that the scoring had finished.

Portugal was finding it far too easy to find teammates with passes and they had lots of space to operate in. More goals just had to come and another did just before of half time. Ronaldo found space behind the German back four and although Lehmann made a good save Nuno Gomes knocked a loose ball into the net.

As the second half got underway it seemed to be only a matter of time before Portugal would equalize and perhaps even to go on and win the game. But too often the final ball into the penalty box or the shot on goal was poor.

Ultimately it was another free kick that was to be Portugal’s undoing.  It was almost identical to Germany’s second goal and again the Portuguese defense was culpable in their marking… or lack of. This time the cross reached Ballack and goalkeeper Ricardo was caught in no man’s land as the ball rolled into the net.

However, it was not to be a worry free last 30 minutes for German fans (and for those of us who have picked Germany in prediction pools!!). Between while dying a thousand deaths on the bench, Scolari managed to throw on substitutes Nani and Postiga and it was the two subs that combined for the last goal of the game with three minutes left.

A massive disappointment for Portugal and Germany becomes the first team into the last four. Five goals, lots of action, some sloppy defending and some excellent entertainment. Here’s hoping that it continues.



Comment of the Day

"No17 Germany – 1m98, No13 – 1m88, Klose – 1m82, No21 – 195. I have to worry about that – and that my players are 115cm, 120cm." - Luiz Felipe Scolari.


Prediction Update

Nearly 20% of posters (too many to list) got the finishing positions of countries in group D spot on. It tightened things up at the top and Sounderfan has dropped down to second place. According to my calculations here is everyone currently with 20 points or more.The highest possible total after the group stage was 32 points.

24 – Sangria.

23 – Sounderfab, stonefacesurf.

22 – willisman, Jekka, mucsco1.

21 – dmseaman, 1ShotNLife.

20 – JstLouis, gunner4ever, naklenazar, masmaz, amjadfootball*.

*Submitted just after the deadline.

One person who did not post his predictions on the blog but if he had he would be leading by a solid margin would be FSR anchor Carlos Machado. Carlos’ only missteps to date were switching the finishing order or Germany/ Croatia and Austria/Poland in Group B.

If he had posted his predictions he would be sitting on 28 points at the moment. Quite an impressive performance from Carlos who also took out time out to complete the Manitoba Marathon last Sunday in a little under four hours.


Questions

These two questions were posted yesterday.

1. So far, is this a better tournament than Euro 2004?

2. Without checking the statistics do you think Euro 2008 has produced more, about the same or less goals than Euro 2004?


My sense is that this is a better tournament than we saw four years ago. The pace is quicker, more teams are committed to going forward and attacking and there have been a number of more memorable performances to date.

I was surprised that there have been fewer goals in the group stage than there was in 2004. Perhaps my memory is clouded by day scarcity of goals in the knockout stage in Portugal. And who knows, there is a strong chance that goals will again be hard to come by once more in the knockout stage.

The cooler temperatures (slightly warmer temperatures in Austria – 26 goals, cooler in Switzerland –31 goals) are likely encouraging a faster pace game and rewarding the countries that are willing to go out and take the game to the opposition.

The Netherlands, Spain, Russia, Portugal, Turkey (second-half anyway), Croatia and, despite what many knee-jerk stereotype dependant critics will tell you, Italy all benefited by adopting an aggressive approach.

The “what we have we hold brigade” (France, Romania, Poland, Greece and Sweden) are all on the way home. To date only Germany of the sides who have approached the tournament with containment in mind (to be fair it may be a case with Germany that they have just misfired badly) has made it to the knockout stage.


Total Football Revisited

On day eight I posted a comment about commentators who described the Dutch style of 2008 as a total football. I suggested that you should distrust any such description. Gabriele Marcotti suggests that you go a step further and punch them in the mouth!

Not surprisingly Monday’s furour about the Luzhniki Stadium pitch appears to have died away as we now hear that it is going to be just fine. From the equivalent of a neglected public park pitch to no problem in 48 hours – a miracle indeed.

Perhaps the field condition was more a product of a journalist or two who found themselves in Moscow on Monday with nothing to write about until the teams arrived later in the day.

Now comfortable in the knowledge that billions of dollars of talent will not disappear down a sink hole in Moscow I can now safely turn my attention to the game this afternoon.

The problem is that with less than five hours to kick off and I am no closer to deciding who I think is the going to be the 2008 Champions of Europe. I have had a sneaking su####ion about Chelsea since the draw for the last sixteen was made but on the other hand I treat Manchester United in a final as I do the Old Firm – never bet against them.

So in an attempt to come to a decision of Chelsea or Manchester United here are the advantages that each side brings with them to the battle.

Chelsea
1. Didier Drogba – even more so than Ronaldo, Drogba has an unerring ability to lay low for most of a match but to still step up and decide the outcome. His strength and pace makes it impossible to ignore him.

2. Michael Ballack – Player of the Year in England if it was based on the last eight weeks. His positional play has been excellent and when not arguing with Drogba over free kicks the timing of his runs into the penalty box are reminiscent of former United great Bryan Robson.

3. Frank Lampard – criticized for the apparent high number of deflected goals he should be praised for adhering to old adage that if you don’t shoot you don’t score. What’s more when Lampard gets within 30 yards of goal watch how many defenders try to shut him down – no wonder he gets goals from deflections as well as creating gaps for the other Chelsea players to take advantage of.

4. Aerial power – Ballack, Carvalho, Drogba, Terry are all excellent in the air and every set piece for Chelsea will present and real and present danger to United.

5. No other English team has enjoyed a better record against Manchester United than Chelsea and that holds true even before the arrival of Roman Abramovich’s interest free loan.

Manchester United
1. Ronaldo – if United can get him the ball early in the game and he can settle into a rhythm then he can be the match-winner. Cole has played well against him in the past so it will be interesting to see which wing Fergie starts him on.

2. Rio Ferdinand – simply the best defender in England over the last season.

3. Patrice Evra – With a license to get forward that Chelsea appears to be unwilling to give to their full backs the Frenchman can exploit the spaces that the normally narrow Chelsea formation provides.

4. Edwin van der Saar – the Dutchman’s kicking skills have been identified as a weakness by many but it is his ability to find players with quick long throws that might be more pivotal.

5. Mobility – The constant movement used by United means that an opposition defense cannot drop concentration for a moment.

Line Ups
Michael Essien at right back appears to be the way that Chelsea will go with Malouda or Kalou a tactical decision and Cole or Bridge a fitness decision.

The speculation on the United line up is whether or not Ferguson buttresses his midfield with Owen Hargreaves. Bringing Hargreaves in would in my opinion be a clear signal that Ferguson would be happy to accept a saw-off in midfield and rely on his wide players and Rooney to win it for him.

A more aggressive strategy - and gamble - would be to start Tevez and Rooney in attack with Tevez being asked to hassle and upset Makelele as he sits just in front of the Chelsea back four. The downside of starting Tevez is that it takes away an option to change the game by way of the substitutes bench.

Decision – still unknown!

Henry14 - Q1 if you were Wenger would you buy Baptista for $20m for what he has done this season?

Q2 -  What do you make of Southgate playing a week side because personally l never fancy them at Old Trafford and they are not safe from Charlton

Q3 - l see Bendtner going ahead of Adebayor in the ranks because he is by far a better player than Adebayor. He has been likened to Ibrahimovic but my question to you is Ibrahimovic probably the best player in Serie A.

Q 4 - What do you think about Alessandro Rossina of Torino?

Bobby – Q1 – I would not. Even though I believe players need time to settle down I don't think Baptista hasn’t shown enough to be worth that kind of money.

Q2 – I think Southgate did the right thing. Charlton will not catch them and even if they did three clubs will still finish below Boro. They have been playing well and they have to play West Ham, Watford, Villa, Wigan and Fulham out of the 8 games left. They only have to get two more wins and they will be safe. There are a lot of potential six pointers between teams in the bottom half and they will take points off each other.

Q3 – How many goals to you think Adebayor would have scored in the Championship this season? More than Bendtner I would wager. Adebayor has proven himself in the Premiership; something that Bendtner has yet to do. I wouldn’t consider Ibrahimovic the best player in Serie A until he manages to play consistently well two seasons in a row.

Q4 – In the Torino games I have watched this season (only a couple) he has not stood out.

Verbal97 - Rafa Benitez thinks that the larger teams should be able to have a reserve team play competitvely in the Championship so that the younger players can get first team experience (like they do in Spain). Do you think this is a good idea? Do you think there is any chance that this will ever be implemented?

Bobby – It would require a major shift of opinion in England and I don’t think it has a hope in hell of happening. You can look to the continent but it is not a fair comparison. No other second flight league on the continent attracts the size of crowds that we see in the Championship. Such a move would complete devalue the Championship – which of course might be what the Premiership is interested in doing!

Venti_Vidi_Vici - I find the refereeing in England to be very inconsistent. As this particular incident clearly illustrates, if a defender makes a sliding tackle in the penalty area, he absolutely has to get the ball. If he misses, which Woodgate and Carvalho both did yesterday, it’s going to be a penalty whether there is much contact or not, because the striker is going to go down – it is just how football is played. I don’t understand why neither was booked for taking down a player who was through on goal.
I make a distinction between diving and accentuating. Ronaldo basically accentuated minor contact; in other words, took advantage of a mistimed amateurish tackle by Woodgate. I don’t blame Ronaldo; he did what any other striker should do in that situation. In both cases IMO penalties were correctly awarded.

Buffytvs - Why is it that suddenly every penalty call is labeled 'controversial'? Woodgate fouled Ronaldo in the area -- penalty. Tevez was brought down in the area -- penalty. Boateng handled in the area -- penalty. What the *&%$ is controversial about any of these decisions? I've seen far more clear penalties NOT called this season than soft ones given (although no-one seems to be calling the call against Vidic on Saturday 'controversial', I still don't know what he's supposed to have done).

MasMaz - I love Ronaldo, but he starts and stops in his run-up taking penalties and more takers are doing it, unfair for keepers and they should crack down on this, and they will when some minnow does it against one of the big four.

Venti_Vidi_Vici - The rule of the law with regards to taking a penalty is once the ref blows the whistle, and the player starts his run to the ball, he may not stop. Some try to stutter step or slow down, to try and get the goal to commit one way. I've only ever seen a ref order a retake once, but I really did think the Ronaldo penalty should've been retaken because he did stop and start.

Gongatore - I find all this nonsense about "the rule of law" quite amusing. Keepers aren't supposed to do jumping jacks on the goal line whilst awaiting a PK yet a lot of them do including PC yesterday. CR does what many PK takers do. Enough with the rule of law rubbish. What I believe this is ultimately all about is what several posters already stated, a hatred of CR and perhaps even Manu and just sour grapes. And for all you whinging England fans Wayne Rooney alone is responsible for his red card in WC 2006.

In the end, hate is such a powerful and useless word and emotion. Reserve it for really evil things in life or people that truly deserve it not athletes of any creed or color. Let's stick to respectful debate with humor and reason.

Bobby – As you can see a ton of comments on penalty kicks this week. I agree with Buffytvs – anytime a penalty is given  it seems to become a controversial decision. Both penalties on Monday were dead certs as was the one given against Boateng a week past Saturday. I thought the only element of controversy was the fact that Ricardo Carvalho was not sent off.

As for the stutter step – it is completely legal from what I understand. I cannot see anything in the rules that outlaws it - or stopping for that matter. Goalkeepers are entitled to do anything on and along their goal line as long as they are facing the kicker – so mooning is definitely illegal.

As a final note on Ronaldo - Rooney situation. As Jeremy pointed out on Monday who was the first player over to confront Morrison after he whacked Ronaldo on Monday? It was Wayne Rooney.

Henry14 - You get the feeling that the new date for Chelsea and Man Utd on May 9 there is a high chance that Chelsea will start with a guard of honour against Man. U. because if the gape is still six points and the goal difference then United can afford to play a second string. Chelsea will need to go to the Emirates on a Saturday and if they do not win united are already popping the champagne. Do you think this is a physiological blow for Chelsea since Mourinho is always saying it’s a pity they do not play now?

Bobby – A potentially killer blow I would say. Chelsea wants to get at United ASAP in the hope that they can beat them, reduce the gap to three (really four because of goal difference) and hope that United folds.

Henry14 - What do you make of David Navarro 7 month ban from all football? l feel it a ridiculous ban, because there is no parity. You look at the Betis and Seville fight and it was not given such a harsh ban, Kolo 's fight , the Schalke guy who punched Schneider, do you think that UEFA and FIFA run some weird dictatorship on the way they had bans because it is unnecessary.

Bobby – Navarro is lucky that he will be allowed to play before 2009. I can’t see how the Navarro incident can be compared to the others. He was a substitute who didn’t even play. Of course that doesn’t mean that UEFA and FIFA are not some weird dictatorship!

realmadridccfan - Q1. Out of all the big European teams in Euro 2008 qualifying that are in trouble (Italy, Spain, England, Portugal), which do you think will be under the gun to get results as well as which do you see gaining/losing the most in this round of qualifiers?

Q2. While I like Inter Milan's incredible form in the Italian Serie A, as they will likely win the title, when they eventually win the title, how legitimate of a title win will this be for Inter? Would you but a big asterisk beside this one considering the match fixing scandal from last season affected this season's play?

Q3. What do you think needs to be done to fix the constant "crises" at Real Madrid? Is it time that Real Madrid stopped the idea of buying a "galaticos" per season and focused on their youth academy to build their team?

Bobby – Q1 – All are under great pressure. It would say Spain is in the worst position. I still see Italy qualifying as well as England and Portugal.
Q2 – Inter’s forthcoming scudetto will be well earned. Even after accounting for points deducted they will finish comfortably ahead of anyone else.
Q3 – The era of buying "galaticos" was gone the moment that Capello took over. The plan this season was to shore up the side with signings such as Cannavaro, Emerson and Van Nistelrooy – the short term plan. The longer term plan you can see with the likes of Gago and Higuain. The mess that Perez created is not going to fixed in a season or perhaps even two.

Gongatore - Do you think it's time that FIFA really starts to assess the amount of matches clubs play as I believe the sport is suffering (primarily in Europe) as a result of too many competitions? Or will FIFA just run to the bank and disregard the integrity of the game?

Bobby – I think you have to consider that it has been Sepp Blatter and FIFA that have been pushing for 16 team leagues – although on the other hand they have also “created” the FIFA Club World Cup. If the ruling bodies and the clubs were serious about reducing the number of games then I think it could be easily done. Sixteen team leagues, a straight knock out format for the Champions League/UEFA Cup along with smaller European and World Cup qualifying groups could knock 12-15 games a season off the schedule for top teams. Unfortunately both sides (FIFA/UEFA on one side – the clubs on the other) have insatiable appetites for cash and they expect the other side to reduce the games under their control. Bottom line is don’t expect changes anytime soon. 

djnima - Was wondering if you have any lesser known young talent that you see making an impact next season. Are there any South American or European young players you see making a big impact on FSC?

Also, though there has been speculation that Henry would leave Arsenal soon, you have stated that you don't see Henry leaving anytime soon. With the amount of money Arsenal are shelling out for his contract, when do you see him finally leaving Arsenal?

Bobby – I’m looking forward to the Under-20 World Championship in Canada this summer. The last edition gave us our first good look at Lionel Messi and it has over the years provided a stage for some great players to emerge. As far as the EPL is concerned there is a player called Giles Barnes at Derby County (they have a great chance to move up from the Championship) who has been garnering rave reviews. I have seen very little of him but I have heard from a mate in the UK that he is going to be a star.

If Henry is to leave Arsenal it will be with a year left on his existing deal which is up I believe in 2010.

First of all my aplogies to anyone who logged on earlier expecting to share half time and full time thoughts. My Internet service provider became my internet no-service provider this morning. Normal service has just been resumed.

And to the game. I enjoyed the game and the time flew past. There was always the threat o####oal or a controversial incident to keep me glued to the set. A share of the points I thought was fair over the ninety minutes with United no doubt regretting their failure to put Chelsea away in the first half.

United were terrific in the first half. The back fire was water tight and the midfield was much brighter and quicker in thought and deed than their Chelsea counterparts. With Giggs being given the freedom to room the United game plan seemed to consist of getting the ball to Ronaldo and allowing him to run free or alternatively, to move the ball quickly through the midfield and isolate Makelele.

The United goal started with Giggs popping up deep on the right side and the ball was quickly relayed to Saha. Saha showed the deftness of a pickpocket as he almost passed the ball into the net.

Mourinho’s key move was taking off Geremi (a lovely passer but not the most mobile of players) and slotting Essien in as a right wing back. We saw Essien’s versatility a couple of weeks ago against Tottenham as Chelsea tried to salvage the game. This time Essien did turn the game. He did a fine defensive job but he also provided Chelsea with much needed width on the right side and an extra man in midfield. I am pretty certain it was Essien who was up in the United penalty box and who forced the corner from which Carvalho scored.

I don’t think SAF will be disappointed in any of the performances from his players although Jose Mourinho is unlikely to feel the same way. It looks to me as if Claude Makelele is beginning to show his age against teams that move the ball quickly. Ballack and Shevchenko both disappointed and not for the first time this season.

Up to this season Mourinho’s teams have exceeded the sum of their parts - that is not the case this season. Chelsea is far from firing on all-cylinders. 

Finally a word about the referee Howard Webb who did a fine job.

 

Only1cab - What are Corinthians comments on this business (Tezez and Mascherano)? I haven't read or heard anything, so I guess they could have been gagged by MSI.

 

Bobby – It was widely reported that the Corinthians’ President was in England and was actively “shopping” the players to English clubs. One of the clubs was reported to be Manchester United. Given that MSI held the players’ registrations at that stage, it is not clear what authority the President actually had. He was quoted as saying that he regretted “leasing” Corinthians to MSI. The original deal involved MSI paying off club debts, committing to a substantial transfer kitty and covering operating expenses. In return, MSI was to have a free hand in running Corinthians for a period – 10 years I believe. The deal came to a very premature end as the club rapidly descended into chaos. 

 

 

Porscheman - Can you expand a little more on why you thought Arsenal got the better of the Cole / Gallas deal last week?

 

Bobby – I will try to quantify my “logic”. The money is largely irrelevant to Chelsea so I discounted the $10M that Arsenal collected. Cole will replace Wayne Bridge – Bridge is a very good player but Cole is better. It improves Chelsea but if Bridge is a 7 – then Cole is an 8. However, Chelsea loses Gallas and he is at least an 8 – Carvalho gets more playing time and he is a 7. Chelsea is in a breakeven position. (Carvalho is not likely to improve – there again, he has a good few years before the decline sets in.) Cole leaves Arsenal (-8) and is – I assume - replaced by Clichy when he is fit. Clichy would rate a 5.5 but with a big upside if he gets more playing time. Gallas (8) comes in for Senderos (5). Net difference Arsenal +0.5.

It obviously comes down to how you rate the individual players but I would give Arsenal a slight edge and it gives Clichy more playing time. However, this is based on Gallas hanging around and committing to Arsenal beyond year. I doubt Arsenal would have signed him if that was not the case but you never know. One additional thought – Wenger might take the opportunity to play Gallas and Senderos together from time to time and it would allow him to take advantage of Toure’s versatility. Just do not mention left back to Gallas though.

                                               
                                                  
                                 

Dmanufan07 - I was trying to imagine why United would want Hargreaves instead of Mascherano and I came up with a few ideas.
1) Mascherano is not a box-to-box player. When you are in Man Utd's position you can afford to pick and choose which players you want to fit you system, if you don’t, you become Real Madrid. Hargreaves does make an extraordinary amount of runs into the opponent’s box.
2) Ferguson has an ideal of midfielders being able to cover the entire field. Even Carrick, who is a deep lying player does push up the field and get involved in the action.
3) Mascherano strikes me as an A-B passer not someone who can creatively pick apart a packed in Bolton defense in February. Hargreaves' runs make him more of an offensive danger than Mascherano.
The whole Hargreaves thing does not make a lot of sense for the money being talked about, but that is what I came up strictly for on field reasons.

                                                 
                                                  
                     

Bobby – Hmmm. With due respect to your analysis, I must have been watching a different Owen Hargreaves over the last five seasons. The Owen Hargreaves I have seen is liable to be arrested for loitering when he makes it into the opposition’s penalty area. Five goals (a couple from free kicks?) in what is coming up on 200 games certainly does not make him the reincarnation of Bryan Robson or Roy Keane. Hargreaves runs are generally across the park rather than up and down. When he moves forward, it is generally to take set pieces. Hargreaves was brought in to the England squad to be the holding midfielder, not as a penalty box-to-penalty box player. In the words of Eric Cantona, he is a water carrier, and although I should add that every team needs one, not at $35M. 

 

Realmadridcffan - My question centers around the UEFA Cup. Do you think that the UEFA Cup has lost its luster in recent years and if so, what do you think should be done to help re-establish the pedigree of the UEFA Cup?

 

Bobby – Absolutely. Too many teams and with third place sides from the Champions League it is a tournament that gets no respect and deservedly so. I always liked the Cup Winners-Cup and I would like to see it return. It would reduce the numbers in the UEFA Cup and its niche could be the only straight knockout tournament – no groups just home and home and then a single game final. However, it has as much chance of happening as Seep Blatter deciding to retire after two terms as he promised!

                                               
                                                  
                 

Henry14 - l just also wanted to hear your take on the Chelsea Gallas row. Although l am an Arsenal supporter l feel the way Chelsea have gone about their business is very childish and l feel that it is a shame, Cole's money issues are well documented but there is not even a single day you have seen it on the website, after all Wenger thanked him and l feel that it is very unprofessional. I do not know who should thank who for winning titles. There is an article on their website where they are responding to Thuram and Domenech and l believe that is short if having a good workmanship. What do you think about Chelsea's attitude?

 

Bobby – I do not understand why Chelsea decided to bring up the Gallas issue particularly as the Makelele / Domenech argument was going on. Of course, maybe they decided to start another controversy to take attention away from the original!

The rationale seems to be that they wanted the fans to know what Gallas had threatened to do. It begs the question why did they not tell the fans at the time, given that some of the incidents in question related to last season? I do not know who had the brainwave of issuing the statement but it seems to me that it just adds another unneeded distraction. I would have thought taking the high road in this case would have been a more sensible decision.

                                               
                                                  
                     

Venti vidi vici - What on earth is going on in Portugal? All I know is that Gil Vicente have been denied their 1st division status due to their fielding of an ineligible player last season. Now they are taking their case to civil court, and FIFA is threatening to throw all Portuguese teams out of international competitions unless the FA can resolve the matter internally by next week. Is this just a case of a club trying to hold their FA at ransom, or could this be a real mess?

 

Bobby – The Portuguese authorities have until the middle of next week to sort out this mess. At the centre of the dispute is the “right” of a club to take their case to civil court. FIFA regulations do not allow a club to take such action but unfortunately, the FIFA rule does not trump “natural justice” as practiced in most democratic countries. It is something we will likely see more of and suspending national associations every time it happens does not seem to be a viable long-term solution. Perhaps an answer for EU countries anyway, is to have sport and particularly football acknowledged as having special qualities. It was proposed at the turn of the century but was never passed into law. If it happened there might be the possibility of having the Court of Sport Arbitration acknowledged as the ultimate legal authority for football in the EU. That would take away the civil courts option.

 

Riocharlie - I have always thought that "tapping up" were one of the more silly, among many, British expressions, Bobby, what is the history to this term?

 

Bobby – I have no idea.

 

Alan V - What is your feeling on the Makelele retirement issue? I understand that the French team has the right to call him up under FIFA regulations. Under normal circumstances, I could live with that. But after so many years of putting in his time for the national team, you would think that Domenech (or his bosses) would just say, "Thanks for the Memories, Claude, bon chance" and let him retire to West London. France (Domenech) must be desperate after Germany to be so crass. Do you think that FIFA may take this up and set standards to allow a player to retire from international competition without fear of their club being penalized?

 

 

 

 

 

Bobby – I think Domenech has been very unreasonable in dealing with Claude Makelele. I do not think that when FIFA passed the regulation they thought it would be used to force a player to appear for his country after he had “retired” from international soccer. The ramifications of this could be extensive. What would happen in a situation when a player falls out with an international coach and refuses to play while the coach is in charge? Could the coach continue to name the player knowing that he won’t turn-up but because he is no-show the player would then be suspended for club games? I think the intent of the regulation was to stop managers applying pressure and “forcing” players to call off because of “injury”. I agree with you, FIFA should act and exclude players who have submitted some type of retirement notice to their international federation.

 

                                               
                                                  
                       

Venti vidi vici - I am very interested in the circumstances surrounding the transfer of Andy Webster from Hearts to Wigan. I am sure you will agree that this could have ramifications on the same scale as the Bosman transfer. As I understand it, for a player to be able to invoke the regulation he must a)notify his club 15 days before the end of the season; b) transfer to a club in another country; c) have been at their club 5 years and served 3 years on current contract [conflicting reports on that aspect]. I was reading about Milan’s long-term transfer plans, and club officials are very concerned because Andrea Pirlo and Alessandro Nesta could invoke this rule at the end of this season, despite having longer contracts. I am sure many other clubs have similar concerns. Do you see this as having a major impact on the way contracts will be structured, and will EU regulations eventually erode player contracts and the transfer system, as we know them today?

 

Buffytvs - So... based on the Webster move, when could Hargreaves move to Man U for nothing? We really need to know more about this loophole, since as someone said already, it could change the whole transfer market as we know it (not necessarily a bad thing, IMHO).

 

Bobby – It has been difficult to track down the specifics of the now infamous article 17. I read it but have to admit that I did not find it very clear. Venti – my information was that notice could be given within 15 days of the end of the season, so it might actually be either side of the last game. I was not aware of the provision of at least five years with the same club. The three years of the current contract is in cases when the contract is of a duration longer than three years. The transfer to a club in another country is also correct to the best of my knowledge. It does sound slightly similar to a situation in the late 80’s and 90’s in Scotland (and England I believe) before the Bosman ruling. Pre-Bosman, Scottish clubs signing out of contract players from other Scottish teams had still to pay the former club compensation. However, if the players moved to the continent (France was a favourite destination) then no compensation was payable. Under the regulation invoked by Webster (he has a smart agent or lawyer) the compensation payable to Hearts is equal to one years salary – in this case around $400,000 was the figure I saw quoted. With a contact longer than three years, Hargreaves could give notice to Bayern Munich within 15 days of the final Bayern Munich game at the conclusion of the 2008/09 season. He would then be free to move to a non-German club. The compensation payable to Bayern Munich would be equivalent to his salary for the upcoming season. The ramifications are extensive. Up to the Webster-regulation the magic date to either get a player to commit to a new deal or to sell him, was two years before his contract was set to expire. It was widely felt that anything less than two years and the advantage moved to the player and the possible transfer fee began to erode. Normally a player signing a four-year contract would expect a club to approach him with an extension offer at the halfway point. Now it would appear that to protect themselves, clubs need to look at offering contract extensions when three years remain on a contract. It seems bizarre that one year into a four-year contract a club will have to consider offering a contract extension. Something that would be repeated on an annual basis.

Article 17 was put in place by FIFA in 2005 to placate the EU as the Commission felt that long-term contracts were to restrictive. A rather obvious ramification is that this will only encourage more players to move to foreign leagues. The joint UEFA/EU sport study delivered in May recommended that domestic leagues contain more homegrown players. Left hand not in tune with the right hand perhaps?

Tremelo 3 – I am kind of surprised about Torres signing the new deal. He always seems to be linked to the big name teams. And after a good World Cup, I would have thought he would have moved this summer. Maybe this is just a way that Atletico can make $ off him when they sell? It seems only a matter of time before he moves. And with all the players they have added it seems like they have a good squad this year. But will they disappoint again like always?

Bobby – I think Fernando Torres is out to break Benni McCarthy’s record of “most rumoured transfers”. Without the extension, Atletico faced losing Torres for next to nothing. This should give them some comfort although the Webster-regulation might change that. Atletico does seem to have made some good moves – on paper the defense looks to be very good – but…. Aguirre may turn out to be the most important signing. 

Djnima - How do you think Baptista will do at Arsenal? Wenger wanted him last year. Do you think he will score a lot of goals this season? How about Mascherano? Are they players that will put the ball into the net? Or simply act as stop gaps?

Bobby – I think most folks expect Wenger to play Baptista up front with Henry and it should give Arsenal more of a physical presence in attack. He was originally a defensive midfield player before Sevilla converted to him so he might pop up in another position. If Baptista can score the dozen or so goals that Arsenal normally got out of Robert Pires each season he will be doing well. Mascherano is not a goal scorer – his value is as a holding midfield player who can pass the ball well. In terms of stop gaps – well after the discussion above it would seem that we are a step closer to the time when all signings should be considered stop gaps!

NYCDA - (1) Chelsea vs. Gallas
Who do you think actually won the battle here? The saga takes me back to the Adrian Mutu affair. When it came down to the end, Mutu was on his way out in addition to the penalty he incurred due to his recreational drug use. It seems that Mourinho's "don't cross swords with me" stance has taken somewhat of a dent. Or was this simply a nice distraction to Chelsea's never-ending campaign to get Ashley Cole (recalling the FA investigation into the tapping up of Cole last year)? Is Mourinho really the winner in all of this or has his invincible mantle suffered a tear?
(2) Zidane vs. Materrazzi
Who is the real villain in this matter after we learned this week what Materazzi really said. The press noted in the days following July 9, 2006, that Materazzi had provoked Zidane, but after reading the context in which Materazzi told Zidane "I'd rather have your sister," is it really provocation or an extension of trash talking?
(3) West Ham United
The talk around this club has focused on the signings of Tevez and Mascherano. But the real question I want to ask is whether West Ham United are priming themselves to be the newest Chelsea in the Premiership? Is this merely a stepping stone in a huge takeover bid that transforms another London club into champions? And if so, has the EPL entered into an era when championships can now be bought through outside money pumped into signings on the level of "fantasy football?"

Bobby – Chelsea and Gallas is covered elsewhere. My thoughts on Materazzi /Zidane have not changed since the World Cup Final. Zidane lost it for whatever reason and it was ridiculous that Materazzi was suspended. As for a West Ham takeover, I do not buy into the view that all you need is a buyer with almost unimaginable wealth to come along buy a team and that they will automatically turn into “champions”. Even if this were the case, surely it would fail as soon as another unimaginably wealthy owner came along to match the first owner in spending power. You would have two owners throwing money around and they both cannot win the Premiership. If all it took was money, then Inter Milan would have been dominating football for the last twenty years. Money talks but it also, in some cases, stutters.

Neophyte - Barcelona to run an academy like relationship with Arsenal of Argentina. "We won't have to take the kids out of the family..." to try them out and watch their progress. This seems to be a logical approach for the super clubs and quite a compliment to the Argentina League. Do you think that this is the future as far as academy/dev. programs go. Will this style of youth development create a bigger gap between the have and have-nots in European soccer?

Bobby – It is not a new idea. Ajax has had a relationship with a club in Cape Town for a number of years. I cannot see how something designed to make sure the best young talent is moved overseas can be considered as a compliment to the Argentine League.  Barcelona is not being benevolent here, they are only doing it so they can stay onside of FIFA regulations and to avoid charges of “trafficking” in young players. Mind you, it has not stopped them up to now.

Baggio - What do you think about Donadoni as Italy's coach? I looked at the starting line up and saw problems right away! I would have not played Barzagli in the France game. I would have played Oddo, Canavarro and Zambrotta as the back three. Pirlo and De Rossi as defensive midfielders. Perrotta as a left wing midfielder and Gatusso on the right. Casano playing behind Inzaghi and Gilardino. As a coach you always need to play to your teams strengths and the available players indicate an attacking style of play. Oddo had a good game last time so Donadoni should have rewarded him with a starting spot -this would also establish some competition in the starting positions. Zambrotta has already been playing in Spain, so he should have been in the left back position over Grosso. As for the rest of the players, they are just experienced players. It was obvious that France was coming out to win the game, so Donadoni should have taken the game a bit more seriously...

Bobby – Donadoni did very well during his time at Livorno – after two games it is a bit early to pass judgment on his spell as the Italian coach. If Donadoni had sat in the dugout with clown feet and a big red nose I might agree with you that had not taken the game with France seriously.

 

 

 

After Saturday's performance I hear that Carvalho is a leading contender for the Golden Ball......although it might turn other colours over the next few days.

The Miguel vs. Robben battle is a well-matched affair. I don’t think I have see a better right back than Miguel at this World Cup so far. It’s interesting how Portugal is defending Robben. It looks as if Miguel is being given free rein to nip in front of Robben when a pass is delivered with Carvalho tucking in behind in case it fails.

Gabriele Marcotti described Pauleta as possessing the mobility of Ayers Rock in an article yesterday – cruel but perhaps more than an element of truth.

The Dutch have gone with three at the back and four in midfield to match the Portuguese midfield.

What a cracking wee player Maniche is. He arrives late in the box and creates a little bit of room for himself then hit a rocket beyond EvdS.

It looks to me as if Big Phil is playing Deco on van Bronkhorst from time to time. I thought Gio was a very decent midfield player but I have never found him to be a convincing full back.

How many countries that can replace someone like Ronaldo with Simao?  What a great run from van Persie about 8 minutes from half time.

Costinha is fortunate to be still on the field – others referees would have cheerfully given him a second yellow card. Re-write this piece. He’s gone this time – he was red card waiting to happen.

A fantastic save by EvdS off Pauleta just on half time. That save kept Holland in with a shot in this game. The chance came from the left side of the Dutch defense again.

With Portugal down to 10 men this game is finely balanced.

It looks like deja vu for Portugal except they haven't got the goal that they did against Angola. It might need someone like Carvalho at a set piece to help Portugal out.

Iran is competent team but kack good movement up front.