Pride of place has to go to Barcelona and their 6-1 dismantling of Atletico Madrid. Atletico had a number of starters missing but I doubt it would have made much of a difference. Barcelona’s performance was clinical and totally overpowered the Madrid side.
St. Mirren beat Rangers and in the process both the top and bottom of the SPL changed. The 1-0 win moved St. Mirren of the last rung and up to tenth spot with Falkirk and Aberdeen dropping below them. Rangers loss combined with Celtic’s 4-0 win over Hamilton meant that the Celts now lead Rangers at the top on goal difference. The game marked Rangers last league visit to Love Street which has been the Buddies home since 1894. Come next season St. Mirren will be moving to new digs.
Sporting Gijon travelled to Mallorca and recorded a 2-0 win, their first win and first points of the season. The newly promoted side has undergone a baptism of fire over the first five games. The opening spell has included letting in seven goals to Real Madrid, six to Barcelona and four to Sevilla. This was also Gijon’s first clean sheet.
Aston Villa arrived at Stamford Bridge with pretensions of bringing Chelsea’s unbeaten streak of 85 games at Stamford Bridge to an end. Instead they were handed a lesson as Chelsea set about them with a display that Villa just could not match. Villa’s most potent attacking weapons of Carew, Young and Agbonlahor were neutralized as Chelsea dominated the midfield and final score line of 2-0 flattered Villa.
Best forgotten…..
With their play-off hopes hanging by a gossamer thin thread Los Angeles Galaxy picked a bad time to produce a display that was as toothless as a Wednesday night bingo audience. The Crew picked up the three points with the game’s only goal and hardly broke sweat doing it.
In May 2007 Atletico Madrid lost 6-0 at the Vicente Calderon Stadium to Barcelona. Nearly eighteen months on at least they scored a goal this time.
Best goals….
It could not be considered a crucial goal considering it was Barcelona’s sixth in their 6-1 thumping of Atletico Madrid. But nonetheless Thierry Henry’s strike was a cracker. The Frenchman started the move and then drilled home a shot from just outside the penalty box after an exchange of first time passes.
If it is not one of the goals of the season it will certainly be one of the cheekiest. A cross from Inter’s Adriano on the left was back-heeled into the Bologna goal by Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Christian Träsch will never forget his first goal for Stuttgart and what is more it is highly unlikely that he will ever score a more spectacular one. The volley from outside the penalty box by the 21-year-old German was struck with incredible power and accuracy and whizzed past Bremen keeper Tim Wiese and into the Werder Bremen net.
On a terrible evening for Atletico Madrid, a powerful, bending shot from Maxi Rodriguez that found the back of the Barcelona net from 25 yards out was about the only high spot.
Best Players….
Eric Cantona once described Mickaël Pagis as the player who most closely resembled him in modern-day French football. On Sunday the thirty-five year old provided a glimpse of what Cantona meant in scoring all three goals in Rennes win over “perennial” French champions Lyon.
Frank Lampard was at the centre of Chelsea’s dominant display against Aston Villa. He helped set up both of the first half goals and was a constant threat throughout the match.
A Fernando Torres double made the difference in the Merseyside derby a week past Saturday. On Sunday another brace led Liverpool back from a two goal deficit at Eastlands and an eventual 3-2 win.
Goal feast……
Six goals in the first twenty-eight minutes of a match are pretty difficult to beat. The remainder of the game brought only one more goal in Barcelona’s 6-1 win over Atletico Madrid.
North Americans in Europe….
US international Clint Dempsey made his first Premiership start of the season for Fulham on Saturday. After a bright start during which Dempsey was repeatedly a source of problems for West Brom, the Baggies came to grips Dempsey and his influence faded as West Brom shaded Fulham by the only goal of the game.
Biggest Howlers……
Dimitar Berbatov has to thank Aalborg captain Thomas Augustinussen for his first goal for Manchester United. Augustinussen had dropped into the centre of the Aalborg defence after Australian central defender Michael Beauchamp was forced out of the game and misplaced a pass that had been squared to him. The result was a gift wrapped chance from the edge of the box that the Bulgarian striker promptly dispatched.
Juventus’ Mohamed Sissoko picked up two yellow cards in the first half against Palermo and conceded a free kick from which Palermo opened scoring on Sunday.
Brutal errors by two MLS goalkeepers cost their sides dearly on the opening goals. Against Chivas, DC United’s keeper Louis Crayton badly misplayed a pass back and the loose ball was picked by Dejair. Dejair found Alecko Eskandarian who slipped the ball into an empty net from 20 plus yards.
Colorado Rapid’s Preston Burpo was the goat when his attempted clearance rolled to Brian Ching early in the game against Houston Dynamo. Ching was able to gather the ball and chip it over the advancing keeper.
Stat facts…..
Last season after seven games Derby County had accumulated four of the total eleven points they were to collect over the entire season – at the same stage this season Tottenham Hotspur have two points.
Spurs and Grimsby are the only two teams without a win to date in the four English divisions.
Rangers’ loss to St. Mirren was their first to the Buddies for 17 years and their first at Love Street in 22 years.
Four clubs lost unbeaten league records this weekend. In Serie A the last two undefeated teams Juventus and Napoli capitulated, in Scotland Rangers’ streak ended after a run of seven games without as did Lyon’s in Ligue Une.
Serie A referees were handing out cards quicker than an overworked Vegas dealer this weekend. In ten games there were nine red and sixty yellow cards issued.
Before Saturday’s match against Hull, Spurs had made their worst start to a season since 55/56. David Lacey looks back to the changes that were made and the path to the the 1961 domestic Double.
Guy Adams produces a well researched and objective article on David Beckham’s move to MLS.
Patrick Barclay believes that the guardians of English football have failed to control spending and so it is time for the Government to step in.
Coming up this week…..
With a weekend of World Cup qualifiers set for next weekend about all that we have to look forward to are squads being named and players withdrawing because of injury.
Juventus are one of only two teams in Serie A (the other Napoli) that remain unbeaten after only five rounds of play. For the Turin club it has been a case of making a little go a long way. Four one goal games and a scoreless draw has been enough to generate nine points but if goals don’t start coming with more regularity then it is only a matter of time before that undefeated record is struck down.
Amauri was signed from Palermo during the summer to add a cutting edge to the Juventus attack and three goals in four league matches would be a sign that the Brazilian is at least delivering on his part of the bargain.
Palermo are Sunday’s opponents and can boast of a player who has scored as many goals as Juventus have done in Serie A this season. And as with Juventus it is a case of a little going a long way but in this case the “little” refers to diminutive striker Fabrizio Miccoli. Miccoli spent a frustrating 2004 season with Juventus before being shipped out on loan to Fiorentina for a season followed by a two years in Portugal with Benfica.
Last season he returned to the Italian top flight with Palermo and although hampered by a series of injuries he still managed to score 8 goals and show the talent that first flourished with Perugia. If Miccoli can avoid injury there is no reason why he can’t hit double figures and also, in the process, work his way back into Marcello Lippi’s international plans.
Genoa vs. Napoli
Napoli unbeaten in Serie A and currently second behind Lazio will look to bounce back from being knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Benfica in midweek. Although Napoli have been limited to only six goals you get the sense that it will not need much for one of their games to turn into a shootout .
They face a Genoa side that has one both their home games so far while losing all three on the road. The home wins have come against Milan and Roma and there is no reason why Napoli should not become a third high profile victim.
LA LIGA Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid
This game is being billed as Lionel Messi vs. Sergio Aguero which should not come as much of a surprise. While Messi led Argentina to an FIFA Under-20 World Cup in the Netherlands in 2005, Aguero (he was also part of the 2005 squad but saw limited playing time) matched the feat last summer in Canada.
Both players could be considered as child protégés. Messi was whisked off to Spain and made his Barcelona debut as a 16-year-old; Aguero made his debut in Argentina for Independiente before he turned 16.
The emergence of Messi at Barcelona marginalized the former idol of the Nou Camp Ronaldinho while Aguero took full advantage of Fernando Torres’ move from Atletico to Anfield and is new hero of the Vicente Calderon.
For years Atletico held an uncanny hold over Barca – Torres especially tormented Barcelona – but that came to an end when Barca whipped Atletico 6-0 in the later stages of the 2007 season. Barcelona currently holds a one point advantage on Atletico with league leaders Valencia (yes Valencia) three points ahead of the Catalan club.
Premiership Chelsea v Aston Villa
Early last season Aston Villa caught Chelsea at the right time and their 2-0 win at Villa Park helped point Mourinho to the exit door at Stamford Bridge. A little over three months later in a barnstormer o####ame Villa showed that the earlier result was no fluke by sharing eight goals at the Bridge.
On Sunday Villa have an opportunity to send a large and powerful warning shot across the bows of any clubs with pretensions of a top four finish. Currently sitting third Villa have already played Liverpool to a stalemate at Villa Park and Martin O’Neill is likely to keep with faith with the same eleven that have started each of the club’s six Premiership games so far.
That would mean another start for the striking duo of John Carew and Gabriel Agbonlahor. Last season they combined for 24 league goals and have already notched four each this season. Creator-in-chief Ashley Young is another potential tormentor of Chelsea.
A settled side is something that Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari doesn’t have the luxury of with a number of starters out through injury. Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Ricardo Carvalho and Deco are all missing. Chelsea are now unbeaten in 85 home matches stretching back over 4 years – could this be the week when we stop counting?
MLS DC United vs. Chivas
The end of the regular MLS season is in sight although the play-off prospects of the vast majority of clubs are still blurry. With only the top three teams from each conference guaranteed post season play the two remaining spots are assigned to the sides with the best records overall.
For months the eastern circuit has held a clear advantage over their western cousins and the fourth and fifth placed teams in the east have been odds-on favourites to fill the last two spots.
But over the last couple of weeks the western conference has made inroads based on improved results and deterioration in form from the likes of the New York Red Bulls and DC United. Now with four rounds of play left to complete the race is now too close to call.
The match-up between DC United (5th in the east and 33 points) and Chivas (2nd in the west and 36 points) is one of a number of critical fixtures during the run-in. Currently sitting second with a top three finish needed would seem to put Chivas in a fairly comfortable position.
But with the surging Colorado Rapids, Real Salt Lake and FC Dallas just two points behind a loss could leave the other team from LA looking at the rest of the conference from a very different vantage point.
Injuries have decimated Chivas all season and just when Coach Preki could look forward to the return of a number of starters key striker Ante Razov has gone down injured.
Over the last few weeks DC United have been attempting to put an end to a horrendous and poorly timed slump. The season as a whole has been one of fits and starts for United but the last four weeks have been particularly rocky with six losses and a draw since lifting the U.S. Cup at the start of September.
After this match DC United has to play the two conference leaders (Columbus Crew and Houston) away and New England Revolution at home.
Austria found a way to build on a better than expected European Championship (competitive without being threatening) by beating France 3-1. Ironically their next match is on Wednesday against Lithuania who also pulled of a fantastic result by beating Romani 3-0 in Bucharest.
Lithuania had lost the previous seven international matches versus Romania and this win is arguably the biggest in the country’s history. Lithuania have one won away from home on numerous occasions but none of the wins have come against a country of Romania’s calibre.
A huge 1-0 away win for Uruguay against Colombia. The Villarreal midfielder Sebastian Eguren scored in first 15 minutes as Uruguay leapfrogged Colombia. The win put Uruguay third on Saturday evening pending the Sunday match between Chile and Brazil.
Andy Murray’s four set win over Rafael Nadal at the USA Open. A fantastic match and I am in total awe of how hard these players hit the ball and how well they get around the court. Tennis is a game in which if you are not mentally strong you are nothing. It puts into perspective some of John Terry's comments about England's millionaires lacking confidence. Confidence comes from knowing that you can execute under pressure and that comes from exceptional technical skills that have been honed over time and perfected.
Way back in my teenage years tennis was one of my summer sports and I played poorly in a number of junior tournaments around Scotland. It wasn't until a few months ago that I found out that Andy Murray's mum is Judy (then) Erskine whose name I remember from that time as she played in a number of the same competitions.
Best forgotten…..
Yes it was a win but by any criteria it was a labored and uninspired performance by England that needed two second half goals from Joe Cole to see off Andorra 2-0 in Barcelona.
The first forty five minutes of the home game against Paraguay was a nightmare for Argentina. Carlos Tevez picked up his second red card of World Cup qualifying but this only served to increase Argentina’s problems. Full back Gabriel Heinze had already put through his own goal and injured goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri in the process. The goalie had to be replaced and Heinze was substituted at the break. As it was a second half equalizer from Sergio Aguero salvaged a point.
Best goals….
Jason Garey had just set foot on the park and with his first touch he cushioned the ball and with his second he scored past Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis. It was the Columbus Crew’s third goal of the game in a match that would finish 4-0. It was the simplicity of the goal stood out. Chad Marshall broke up a Revolution attack in his own penalty area and played the ball forward. After a series of quick one touch passes the ball was played to the Crew’s Guillermo Barros Schelotto. As Schelotto attacked the Revolution defence Garey strayed offside forcing the Argentine to hold the ball. Eschewing an obvious pass out to the right Schelotto allowed Garey to get back onside before clipping a reverse pass to him. Garey did the rest.
A beautifully weighted pass from Cesc Fabregas was played through to Spain’s David Villa. His first touch took him wide and beyond the Bosnia goalkeeper but as the Valencia striker reached the ball it looked as if the final angle was too acute. Nevertheless despite being only a matter of inches from the byline Villa stroked the ball into the net to give Spain the win and to make up for a first half penalty that he had missed.
Best Players….
Antonio di Natale had a couple of goals on the opening day of Serie A last weekend and followed up with another pair, this time for Italy in a 2-1 away win to Cyprus. The second goal finished off a neat move involving Gilardino, Del Piero and Camoranesi and came in the 90th minute.
The Ramon Nunez playing for Honduras against Canada was unrecognizable as the player that formerly lined up for FC Dallas and Chivas USA in MLS. During the first hour Nunez was a bundle of energy, creativity and finishing. He was a source of discomfort to the Canadian midfield and scored twice in a ten minute period at the start of the second after Canada had led 1-0 at the break. The first goal he created from first running at the Canadian defence and moving the ball out to the left side. He then drifted towards the far post and unmarked gathered the return pass and slotted the ball home.
Austrian captain Andreas Ivanschitz set up the first two goals for his country through well delivered free kicks and he finished the job by scoring from the penalty spot to give Austria a 3-1 win over France.
Goal feast……
There were a total of twelve goals in the two CONCACAF Group 3 qualifying matches. Costa Rica thumped Suriname 7- 0 while El Salvador went nap on Haiti winning 5-0.
Biggest Howlers……
This one was not an on-field howler but well worth mentioning. Chivas goalkeeper Zack Thornton went down injured after a collision with Toronto FC’s Danny Dichio in the second half of Saturday’s MLS game. The referee called for the stretcher crew who then had to lift the 6’ 3” goalkeeper weighing a conservative 235 lbs. on to the carrier.
As the stretcher bearers turned at the corner flag it was patently obvious that Thornton’s attendants were struggling with their cargo. The camera then moved back to the action but only a few moments later CBC colour commentator and former Canadian captain Jas de Vos could not hold it in a moment longer.
Apparently the load had proved too much and the four man crew had dropped the Chivas keeper as they passed the bench area and it forced him to continue his trip to the dressing room under his own steam.
It was a miserable day for French central defender Philippe Mexes against Austria. France conceded two goals from free kicks played high into the penalty box and down the middle. The other came from a penalty conceded by Mexes as he dragged down Janko in full view of the referee. It was France’s first loss to Austria in nearly four decades.
New York Red Bulls’ Diego Jimenez sliced a clearance square across his own penalty area to a waiting Stephen King who scored the only goal of the game for Chicago Fire. I’m not sure what was more memorable – the awful clearance or match commentator Max Bretos who managed to work both “horror show” and “Stephen King” into the goal description.
Stat facts
Israel and Switzerland drew for the third straight game in World Cup qualifying. This time it was 2- 2 with Israel coming back from two goals down with 17 minutes to go. The Israeli fight back should have come as no surprise to the Swiss as four years ago Israel had to come from 2-1 down to draw. The Swiss also led 1-0 in the return game before giving up an equalizer.
It was France’s first loss to Austria in nearly 38 years.
WSC comments on this week's problems and departures at Newcastle and West Ham.
Simon Barnes tests his law – “anyone who buys a football club will end up looking an #### within a year and a bloody fool within two”.
Ian Plenderleithlooks at the opening of the NFL regular season and draws potential parallels with the Premiership.
Coming up this week…..
World Cup qualifiers continue with a more interesting schedule in Europe. Some of matches that catch the eye include: Portugal vs. Denmark; Russia vs. Wales (replay of Euro 2004 play off won by Russia); Turkey vs. Belgium; Croatia vs. England; France vs. Serbia; and surprisingly Lithuania vs. Austria.
In CONCACAF qualifying Mexico and the USA have a chance to all but wrap up a spot in the final round with Canada and Trinidad and Tobago providing the visiting opposition.
The most crucial game in South America might be Chile vs. Colombia.
A first response to the news that Liverpool had signed Robbie Keane from Tottenham was what a good signing for the Reds. Regular viewers of the Fox Soccer Report will know that Keane is a long time favourite of mine. He is an exciting player that can create goals and score goals - many of them the memorable variety. What’s more he is a player that makes those around him better.
Teaming Keane with Torres in a Liverpool 4-4-2 seems logical but he does have the flexibility to play just behind the main striker on his own or in an attacking bank of three in a 4-2-3-1. (The contention that bringing Keane to Anfield somehow forces Gerrard to play wide right had me shaking my head - very different players playing normally in very different positions.)
Reaction number two was that Liverpool had agreed to pay Spurs a great deal of money to land Keane. The reported amount varies according to the source but it seems almost certain that it was north of $35M. Add on Keane’s wages and the total outlay will double over the next four years. That is serious money even though transfer fees paid by English clubs are a product of the cash that oozes through the Premiership rather than a true reflection of the quality of players – call it the Premiership Premium.
Any assessment of a transfer is going to be purely subjective and perhaps the best we can do is to compare to other moves under the same market conditions. So when you read that Fulham is ready to pay close to $23M for Andy Johnson then Keane’s valuation may not be that far out of line. Johnson (17 goals in 52 Premiership starts for Everton) is six months younger than Keane with three seasons of Premiership experience. Keane is going into his 11th Premiership season and has 105 Premiership goals (13 as a substitute) in 274 appearances (58 as a substitute).
In seven of the seasons the Irishman has hit double figures in England’s top flight. Consider also that Everton paid around $17M and are looking to pocket a 33% for a striker who has generally been a disappointment in his stint at Goodison.
However, there was something else that crossed my mind and ultimately it had me questioning an element that has for years, been factored in to how we judge transfers – the age of the player.
The thought was that Liverpool paid a lot of money for a player that is 28-years-old. Paying a transfer fee not that dissimilar last summer for 23-year-old Fernando Torres made sense - Liverpool could expect to get eight or nine years out of Torres. In the case of Keane however, four years and maybe just a little bit more.
And sure enough in the papers and on websites there were a number of pundits making the same point – at Keane’s age the sell-on fee - should he move - would be next to nothing. For decades that has been the received wisdom – the age of the player impacts the transfer fee because you are buying an asset that becomes available for resale should the club so desire. The younger the player the higher the premium because the resale value will be higher than for a player the wrong side of 27 or 28.
But is this still true or are we failing to take into consideration that the football world is operating under very different rules than it was decades ago. Newcastle player George Eastham put a stake through the heart of the “retain and transfer system” in the early sixties although it took another 15 years before more liberal freedom-of-contract provisions kicked in.
Even then it took until the 1995 Bosman ruling to truly allow players to sell their skills to the highest bidder and to benefit exclusively once a contract had been fulfilled. Since then the “Webster ruling” has expanded player’s rights further by allowing players under contract to give notice and to buy out the remainder of the contract after serving a fixed period based upon age.
The bottom line is that if a 24-year-old signs a four year contract and a 28-year-old does the same thing then both players are free and clear at the conclusion of their deals. Serve out the contracted period and the club has no transfer coming to them whatsoever. Both are even free to buy-out their contracts before the end of the contracted period.
What it adds up to is that if any of the top clubs are factoring in a premium based on a perceived sell-on value they are kidding themselves. Eventually the clubs, the players and the agents are going to realize that the Transfer Emperor is stark naked and that players are operating costs not assets.
The fact that no one to date has aggressively exploited the leeway granted by rulings and changes to regulations over the last decade and a half is more an indication of how inherently conservative the football industry actually is.
“Retain and Transfer” A system finally found to be illegal in 1963 after George Eastham and the PFA took the owners to court. Under “retain and transfer” a club could retain a player’s registration as long as the club offered to maintain his wages at the previously contracted level. A player who disputed the wages on offer or who wanted a transfer had no option than to sign on as unemployed or pursue another career. The courts finally found the system to be a restraint of trade.
“Freedom of Contract” In the late seventies players were finally allowed to leave a club at the end of their contract. But as long as the present club offered wages the same as the previous contract them the club was entitled to a transfer fee. If the clubs could not agree then a tribunal stepped in and set a transfer fee based on the market.
“Bosman ruling” A Belgian player, Jean-Marc Bosman, was transferred listed at the conclusion of his contract and an excessive fee was asked by the club. Bosman took his case to the European Court of Justice and the court ruled in Bosman’s favour. The ruling granted players complete freedom of movement at the conclusion of their contract with the no transfer fee payable to the former club. “Webster ruling” Andy Webster of Hearts became the first player to use a then little known provision in FIFA transfer regulations that allowed players to give notice of termination after serving a set period of time with their contracted club. The notice comes with a damages provision payable by the player and can be exercised by a player under-28 after serving three years of a contract and for players 28 and over the time served is reduced to two years.
Amid all this summer’s transfer talk one of the few big money moves to actually happen has been the $20M+ transfer of Peter Crouch from Liverpool to FA Cup holders Portsmouth. Taken at face value the intent would seem to be to play Crouch in attack alongside former West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur striker Jermain Defoe.
The press has been quick to label the pair as a “little and large” combination. The little and large arrangement appeals to a number of sensibilities as it seems to match the best of two of the most common type forwards – the big fellow who is good in the air and the wee speedy striker with a nose for knock downs and an eye for a half chance.
But such combos appear to have fallen out of favour and instead many of the most successful Premiership scoring partnerships over the last few seasons have been made up of a striker and a midfielder - Van Nistelrooy and Scholes; Henry and Pires; Torres and Gerrard; Drogba and Lampard.
Nevertheless strike partnerships such as Quinn/Phillips (Sunderland), Heskey/Owen (Liverpool) and Dublin/Vassell (Aston Villa) have shown that a pairing of a big man and wee man along with the right supporting cast can sometimes deliver goals.
But when it comes down to ranking big and small pairings no combo has yet bettered the Kevin Keegan and John Toshack partnership from the Liverpool team of the seventies. Keegan and Toshack is still regarded as the consummate “little and large” strike partnership although as the years have gone by there has been a tendency to think only in terms of long balls pumped forward for the big strong Toshack to knock on for the speedy and nimble Keegan.
There was a lot more to the duo than balls thumped forward looking for Toshack to make contact. Keegan’s prodigious work rate and unselfish running created all sorts of problems for defenders who had become use to marking relatively static target men while Toshack was an intelligent reader of the game who was rarely given sufficient credit for his anticipation and touch.
Encouraging for Portsmouth fans is the fact that Peter Crouch’s only double figure scoring season in the Premiership (12 goals) was in 04/05 when he combined with “little” Kevin Phillips. It also marked Phillips last good Premiership season (10) although Southampton was relegated.
Both Crouch and Defoe have had trouble holding down regular staring spots at their previous clubs with over a third of their Premiership appearances coming as substitutes. Defoe has been the most productive scorer of the two and has also racked up 50% more Premiership appearances than Crouch despite being a year younger – 26 to Crouch’s 27.
Sixteen of Defoe’s 69 Premiership goals in 225 appearances have come off the bench and his 33 helpers reinforce his reputation as a striker who who is sometimes overly focused on his own exploits. Defoe’s best Premiership season for goals came in 2006/07 when he notched a dozen but he has finished two other seasons in double figures.
Crouch has 38 Premiership goals to his credit in 149 appearances although his 5 goals as a substitute seem to contradict the widely held opinion of him as a goalscoring “super-sub”.
In linking Crouch and Defoe Portsmouth boss Harry Rednapp is looking to improve Portsmouth’s goal output knowing that if his club is to improve further then more goals are necessary. In their five Premiership seasons Portsmouth’s scoring has ranged from a low of 37 (miracle escape year) to a high of 48 last season.
The best season return from a single player came from Yakubu with 13 in 04/05 and their two top goal scorers have never broken twenty between them in the five seasons - the best performance was in 2003/04 with Yakubu 11 and Sheringham 9.
Strangely that total was matched last season with Benjani collecting 12 goals and Defoe 8 but these two crossed transfer paths during the January transfer window and never did play together. For Harry Rednapp a change in preferred tactics may also be in order – especially at home.
Although last season Portsmouth finished a best ever 8th in the Premiership Pompey’s home form slipped and four single goal losses and eight draws at home meant a goal here and there might have meant a realistic challenge to fifth place Everton.
Rednapp’s favoured formation was the lone striker and although these tactics worked to Portsmouth’s advantage away from home it often backfired at home. Twenty-four goals in nineteen home games is far from prestigious but it becomes anemic when you consider that 17 goals came in only 4 games (against Reading, Birmingham, Bolton and Derby).
If Portsmouth is become a consistent top six finisher then not only do Crouch and Defoe have to become a dependable source for goals but Rednapp needs to make sure that more goals at one end are not negated at the other. Portsmouth need to find a way to service and support two strikers while keeping the midfield from being overrun and the defense from conceding more goals.
Best goal Russia’s second goal against Sweden scored by Arshavin created by Zhirkov.
Best free kick goal (possibly the only free kick goal) Michael Ballack’s rocket against Austria.
Players of the Tournament 1. Xavi Hernandez, 2. Marcos Senna, 3. David Silva, (All Spain).
Euro 2008 - the Best of (4-1-4-1) Buffon (Italy); Anyukov (Russia), Puyol (Spain), Chiellini (Italy), Zhirkov (Russia); Senna (Spain); Xavi (Spain), Ballack (Germany), van der Vaart (Netherlands), Silva (Spain); Villa (Spain).
Second Team (4-1-3-2) Casillas (Spain); Corluka (Croatia), Tamos (Romania), Simunic (Croatia), Rat (Romania); Aurelio (Turkey); Sneijder (Netherlands), Deco (Portugal), Poldolski (Germany); Arshavin (Russia), Torres (Spain).
Officiating Group stages – fair to good. Knock out rounds – very good to excellent.
Comments of the Day “For whatever reason, Spain excels at producing pint-sized pass-happy pixies: Xavi, David Silva and Andres Iniesta are all in the same mould, creative little fellas who can pass the ball to death. The problem is, you can only fit so many of them in your team.” – Gabriele Marcotti writing back on the eve of the European Championship.
“But the limiting of his participation has not prevented the Arsenal man (Cesc Fabregas) from confirming that he is not simply the most creative architect of penetration available to his country but conceivably the ultimate practitioner of the art in all of football today. And he is as brave as he is talented, constantly displaying not just the physical version of courage but that rarer form so often lauded by Sir Alex Ferguson, the kind that makes a player eager to embrace responsibility, to think always not of what will make him look good but what will benefit the team. As it happens, Fabregas’s innate style almost invariably causes him to look good whatever he does.” – Hugh McIlvanney.
Predictions
Geniusatwork takes the prediction league with 44 points out of a possible 64 points - congratulations.
Thank you to all that participated and the cast of thousands identified by daFootbllas who were apparently responsible for tabulating the results for me.
Blog wisdom and mirror time Pride of place goes to the following posters for their insight and willingness to critique others choices without posting their own predictions.
OCbabelovesepl – “whoever seriously picked SPAIN to win, is retarded. Spain never pulls through, with or without Fernando Torres. That’s the way it is.”
Bman87 – “How funny, in your predictions Germany always beats the Czechs (by the way Czechs beat Germans twice in last three games) or Portugal and Spain are beating everyone else. Unfortunately these two losers will choke again. The final will be Holand (sic) – Czechs, Any m@ron understand that these two teams are playing the most entertaining football.”
No doubt we can look forward to more insight from these two clowns in four years time.
Next up Draws for the first two qualifying rounds of the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League will be held tomorrow, July 1.
Match Report Spain 1-0 Germany It is very rare for a country to make it through a complete tournament final (6 games in the European championships or 7 at the World Cup) playing almost flawless and entertaining football and in the end still lift the trophy. This Spain has done just that and there can be little doubt that they were the best team at Euro 2008.
Spain may have sputtered sporadically in some of the six games but at no time did the overall quality of their play slip below the opposition’s for 90 minutes or anything close to it.
Germany settled into the final match more quickly and for the first 10 minutes looked to be the most dangerous side. An early slip from Ramos allowed Klose half a chance but his control let him down.
Germany targeted the right side of the Spanish defense trying to split right back Ramos and center back Puyol with passes played into the space between them. A similar tactic would eventually bear fruit although it would be Spain that would prosper rather than Germany.
After some early nerves Spain settled in to their familiar pattern of short quick passes and constant movement in midfield. Halfway through the first 45 minutes a Fabregas to Ramos move finished with Fernando Torres leaping high above the German defense only to see his downward header rebound off the base of the post. With no one to take advantage of the rebound the danger was cleared.
As the first half progressed it became obvious that Germany was carrying a number of players who were just not up to the occasion and could not match Spain’s play. Just after the half hour mark Spain scored what would ultimately be the only goal of the game.
A Xavi Hernandez pass split Metzelder and Lahm. Lahm was guilty of worrying too much about Fernando Torres and not making a great enough effort to get to the ball first. Torres brushed the full back aside and clipped the ball over an advancing Jens Lehmann.
The half time introduction of Marcell Jansen after half time was the catalyst for Germany’s best spell of the game. Even then there was little threat that Iker Casillas would be beaten.
The introduction of Alonso for Fabregas swung any territorial advantage back Spain’s way and although Germany threw more players forward Spain was the team most likely to score.
With expectations raised for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa it will be very interesting to see how Spain reacts.
Ratings
Spain Casillas 7 – Lifting the trophy caused him more problems than the German attack.
Ramos 7 – Improved as the game progressed but mental errors are never far away.
Puyol 8 – Strong in the air and along with Marchena (8) presented a formidable barrier.
Capdevilla 7 – Had little to do but what he did do was accomplished with great effectiveness and efficiency.
Senna 9 – Another outstanding display of defensive midfield play but also exhibited great mobility and could have even scored in the last few minutes as he appeared in Germany’s six yard box.
Iniesta 9 – Enjoyed his best performance of the competition. If he put a foot wrong then I missed it. He was at the centre of most of Spain’s moves constantly prompting, passing and supporting.
Xavi Hernandez 8 - Just a smidgen off a 9. Played the through ball that Torres latched onto and scored from.
Cesc Fabregas 7 - Struggled to stamp any authority on the match.
Silva 7 – One of his quietest games of the tournament and was not as influential as we’ve come to expect.
Torres 8 – His pace and power a constant threat to the German defense. But even scoring the winning goal wasn’t enough to stop Aragones from substituting him.
Substitutes Alonso 7 – Helped Spain through the vital last half an hour.
Cazorla 7 – Brought on to replace Silva after he went head-to-head with Podolski. Did what he was supposed without being flashy.
Guiza 7 – With 12 minutes to go he had little time to establish himself but still delivered 100% effort in that time.
Germany
Lehmann 8 – Some may criticize him for the goal that was conceded but I wouldn’t. He never looked comfortable but he still pulled off three very good saves.
Friedrich 7 – Spain rarely attacked down Germany’s right and and for large spells of the game he was hardly noticeable.
Mertesacker 8 – Battled bravely and without him the the destination of the trophy would have been decided long before 90 minutes was up.
Metzelder 5 – The doubts about Metzelder’s readiness for this tournament were widely discussed in the lead up. Any problems he had in the previous games had not proven costly. It was not the case tonight. Nervous, indecisive and off the pace of the game.
Lahm 5 – At fault for the goal he only lasted 45 minutes.
Frings 7 – He fought the good fight and perhaps if he had better support in midfield the outcome might have been different.
Hitzlsperger 5 – Out of his depth. Lucky to last as long as he did.
Schweinsteiger 6 – A big disappointment. His set pieces were very poor and his hesitation to deliver early passes when the opportunity arose stifled a number of promising opportunities.
Ballack 7 – He was too occupied trying to contain the Spanish midfield and had little time to get forward and to support Klose.
Podolski 6 - Accomplished little and was never a threat.
Klose 6 – He never look comfortable, his touch was off and he strayed into off-site positions too often and too easily.
Substitutes Jansen 7 – He showed some of the form that was on display in the first game against Poland. A willingness to get stuck in and win some tackles provided a platform for some early German attacks in the second half.
Kuranyi 5 - He was given over 30 minutes to make an impact and he didn’t.
Gomez 5 – He spent as much time on the field has Guiza and delivered about 80% less.
Final Preview Germany vs. Spain A simplistic view might profess that we have two countries coming at Sunday’s final from two very different perspectives. While Germany will look to embrace their football history, Spain will be fighting to overcome theirs.
But, as with many things, the simple view fails to consider the many subtleties at play. For, if Spain is the great under-achiever of European football, then Germany (and the former West Germany) must be the great over-achiever. That may strike some as a strange comment when a scan of the World Cup and European Championship record books show Germany as a six-times winner; runners-up on another six occasions and beaten semi-finalists four times.
When you include Sunday’s final it all adds up to reaching the final four seventeen times from a possible twenty-seven tournaments. And although there have been some outstanding German sides (1970-76 era being a stand out) there are a number of editions that, if described as average, it would be overly generous. It has been the habit of average German teams making it to the latter stages of major tournaments that fits the description of overachievers.
In Germany a side lacking top class talent in all positions isn’t an excuse for failure at the international level. Build a team around what you have, stay organized, wait for the breaks and always fight to the end even though on occasion it may be a bitter one.
And what Germany has had over the last half century or so has been at least one world class player around whom a competitive side could be built. From Fritz Walter to Uwe Seeler, Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Mueller, Gunter Netzer, Bernd Schuster, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Lothar Mattheus, Jurgen Klinsmann, Mattias Sammer, Steffan Effenberg the mantle was passed until it reached Michael Ballack at the beginning of this decade.
All the German greats with the exception of Uwe Seeler won a major international and/or club trophy during their careers. Sunday may be one of the last chances for Michael Ballack to join them. And nobody is more aware of the need to win a major competition than Ballack. Before the Champions League Final he said, “People remember the trophies you win, not the quarter-finals or the semi-finals.”
He might have added finals as well. In 2002 while with Bayer Leverkusen they lost in the German Cup Final, the Champions League Final and completed a horrible treble by blowing a significant lead in the Bundesliga. Then only a few weeks later Ballack had to undergo the anguish of sitting out the World Cup Final against Brazil after picking up a suspension for bookings. Ironically without Ballack it is doubtful whether a poor German side would have made it to the final match.
After moving to Bayern Munich Ballack never got past the last eight in the Champions League and at the 2006 World Cup Germany lost 2-0 to Italy after the semi final went to extra time. This past season another case of “close but no cigar” with a penalty shoot loss to Manchester United in the Champions League Final in Moscow.
Whether or not Ballack can finally hold aloft a major trophy come the final whistle on Sunday will largely depend on his own performance and that of Torsten Frings. No matter if Joachim Lowe opts to play 4-4-2 with Ballack and Frings centering the midfield four or a 4-2-3-1 (more likely) with Frings offering cover as part of a defensive pairing behind Ballack , Podolski and Schweinsteiger the problem that German must solve is how to disrupt Spain’s rhythm.
Eyebrows may have been raised when Luis Aragones replaced David Villa with Cesc Fabregas (midfielder for a striker) but it turned out to be an inspired tactical change that only served to to solidify Spain’s solid start to the semifinal.
With Marcos Senna providing the defensive cover the midfield foursome of Iniesta, Xavi, Silva and Fabregas were free to dictate the pace and tempo of the game. Russia had no answer. If Germany is to win the final they have to control the midfield and that involves closing down space and shutting down passing lanes. If they don’t it will be a new reign for Spain and their first international trophy for 44 years. If Germany does it will be one more example of why you should never under estimate an over-achiever.
Comments of the Day "Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win," - former England forward and now BBC presenter Gary Lineker.
“Sure, it’s going to be easy for us; all we have to do is to beat Sweden who historically have better results than us, down Greece who are the reigning champions and then Russia and all that will be easy,” – Luis Aragones before the group stage.
Stat Facts 1. Spain is unbeaten in 21 matches (18 wins and three draws) since losing to Romania in November 2006. The Spanish record is 31 matches. 2. Aragones is the oldest coach to lead a team to a European Championship Final. He is 69 years and 337 days old on Sunday. 3. We have already seen 19 goals in the knock stage, that number blows away the 13 goals we were limited to four years ago. 4. Germany has scored six goals in the quarter and semi final games; all six goals have come from crosses delivered or moves started on the left side.
Semi-Final Preview Spain vs. Russia Asked to comment after Greece’s win at Euro 2004 coach Otto Rehhagel said, “First it was about attitude and discipline; then it was organization; then it was results; then it was about self belief; and then it was about the result, the result and the result.”
If Spain goes on to win this tournament Coach Luis Aragones might express similar sentiments. Long dismissed as bottlers and underachievers, Aragones has worked long and hard to reshape the mindset of the Spanish squad. The acid test came last Sunday against World Champions Italy.
We have become use to Spain starting tournaments at a rate of knots but returning home after the quarterfinals has also been a recurring theme. Toss in the fact that Italy has long been Spain’s bête noire together with the hex of losing penalty shootouts on June 22 you can see why Sunday’s win has brought about a renewed belief that the trophy has Spain’s name on it.
Spain also goes into the semifinal knowing that they have already beaten Russia in their opening game of the tournament. What is more Spain has reached the last four without firing on all cylinders. Casillas, Capdevilla, Senna, Silva and Villa of all played well but there have been other players whose play could be described as patchy at best.
Sergio Ramos underwent a particularly tough time against Russia, Iniesta has played poorly, and Torres has yet to hit top form. In the center of the defense Puyol (at times Albiol) and Marchena have accomplished the task without inspiring confidence.
However, Spain also realize that their semifinal opponent has bounced back after the 4-1 loss and has far exceeded the expectations going into the tournament. Before the Euro finals Guus Hiddink had talked down Russia’s chances preferring to to talk about how this tournament would help his team prepare for the World Cup in 2010.
Whether Hiddink was trying to scoot under the radar or the progress of his young team was more rapid than expected, we don’t really know. What we do to know is that Russia has become one of the great stories of this tournament. The transition from a team that stumbled to a qualifying place to a team that is only 180 minutes from winning the European Championship is amazing.
And Hiddink has engineered the change through evolution rather than revolution. Igor Akinfeev, Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, Andrei Arshavin, Aleksandr Anyukov, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Sergei Semak were all part of the Russian side that played against Slovakia just before Hiddink’s arrival less than three years ago.
But you don’t even have to to go back that far. On September 12, 2007 Russia played England at the new Wembley in a critical Euro qualifier. England won 3-0 and to say that Russia looked ordinary would be an exaggeration.
They looked awful. But eight of the players that were so badly beaten at the new Wembley nine short months ago will most certainly line up against Spain today. Of the other three, goalkeeper Akinfeev was injured and not available, Pavlyuchenko was on the bench while Semak was out of favor and only recently been recalled.
The contrast between that heavy legged team that was beaten by England and the team that out ran and out played the Netherlands last Saturday is nothing short of phenomenal. According to Opta Sportsdata Semak covered 9.3 miles while Zyryanov and Zhirkov were not far behind.
The man responsible for Russia’s fitness is Dutchman Raymond Verheijen. Raymond Verheijen also worked with Hiddink when the Netherlands reached the semifinal of the World Cup in 1998 and with South Korea when they reached the same stage four years later.
Verheijen’s background is academic as well as practical implementation. His book, “Conditioning for Soccer,” was published in 1998 and is still available. He has also contributed to research that studied referees errors (they found that errors were more likely the closer the referee was to the incident), and the positioning of assistant referees in relation to offside calls.
Verheijen is considered to be a critical element in Russia’s success. It was on his recommendation that the date of a pre tournament friendly game against Lithuania was changed to June 4 from June 3.
Keys to the Game Denis Kolodin had torrid time against David Villa in the first team of the tournament but settled down to become a vital part of the Russian defense in the next four games. It would have been interesting to see if he could handle Villa after being burned so badly only a couple weeks ago but we won’t get the chance because he is suspended after picking up two yellow cards.
It looks as if one of the Berezutski twins – Vasily – will partner Sergei Ignashevich in defense. However, both of the Berezutskis are painfully slow and that is certainly something that Villa and Torres will test.
At the other end Spain will need to take care of Arshavin and the much lighter and more mobile Pavlyuchenko. The big striker lost close to 9 pounds in the lead up to the tournament and this has contributed to a marked improvement in his game.
Both he and Arshavin are willing to take up wider and deeper positions and that poses problems for defenders. Go with them and you run the risk of leaving space for other attackers to fill; let them go and they have the opportunity to turn and run at defenders with great pace.
Look for the Russian pair to pull into wide positions or perhaps even start there in order to stretch central defenders Puyol and Marchena and defensive midfielder Marcos Senna.
Comment of the Day “"Marco van Basten used to ask me why we had to win and also be convincing," Arrigo Sacchi remembers."A few years ago France Football made their list of the 10 greatest teams in history. My Milan was right up there. World Soccer did the same: my Milan was fourth, but the first three were national teams - Hungary '54, Brazil '70 and Holland '74. And then us. So I took those magazines and told Marco, 'This is why you need to win and you need to be convincing.' I didn't do it because I wanted to write history. I did it because I wanted to give ninety minutes of joy to people. And I wanted that joy to come not from winning, but from being entertained, from witnessing something special. I did this out of passion."” - Jonathan Wilson writing in the Guardian.
Stat Fact “This (Spain vs. Russia) is the ninth time that two countries have met in the group phase and the knock-out stages of a European Championship or World Cup. The only countries to win the knock-out encounter after first losing in the group phase are West Germany against Hungary at the 1954 World Cup and the Netherlands against the Soviet Union at Euro 1988.” – BBC.
Match Report Spain 3-0 Russia As a contest it never reached the heights that we had a right to expect. However, it was a Spanish master class of passing and movement when they had the ball and of shutting down the opposition when they didn’t.
From the start Spain showed much more ambition and initiative. Spain refused to allow Russia to settle in to the pattern of play that had worked so well and had been so successful against the Netherlands.
It took until almost the last minute of play for Casillas to make his first save of the match so dominant was the Spanish back four. Puyol and Marchena had their best game of the tournament while Capdevila did not put a foot wrong.
In Sergio Ramos Spain had a full back who was almost flawless in defense and also found time to push forward and was a constant menace to Russia.
David Villa’s injury after less than 30 minutes threatened to disrupt Spanish plans but rather than opting for a like-for-like change Coach Luis Aragones chose to reinforce his midfield and change from a 4-1-3-2 formation to a 4-1-4-1. On came Fabregas and slowly but surely Spain suffocated the life out of Russia.
When Russia gained possession they were instantly closed down and hurried into rash and wayward passes. Even though the game was scoreless on half time it was obvious that Guus Hiddink needed to kick start his Russian team. But you can’t tackle what you can’t catch and that was definitely the case today.
The first Spanish goal was perhaps slightly fortunate given that Iniesta look to have shot rather than have passed. But a pass it turned out to be as Xavi timed his run and deflected the ball past a helpless Akinfeev.
As Russia tried to push forward Spain enjoyed even more freedom and was much more likely to add to their lead. And so it was when a terrific flick from Fabregas found Guiza who beat the offside trap and then the goalkeeper.
Fabregas was the architect of the third and final goal when he delivered an inch perfect pass to the outstanding David Silva. Silva calmly picked his spot and completed a very impressive Spanish win. On the day Russia just could not match Spain in any department.
Based on his performance Spain will likely go into Sunday’s final as favorite. But that has not necessarily been a good thing at this tournament. Great performances seem to be tantamount to painting a large target on your back at Euro 2008.
Thank you to all the posters and readers who take the trouble to read the blog each day. A special thanks to some of the new posters who have come to the blog during the Euros. I hope you can stick around.
Quarter Final Spain vs. Italy Preview – Of all the quarter finals this one is the most beautifully and finely balanced. For each Italian ying, you can find a Spanish yang. Recent history in major tournaments suggests a win for Italy, but current form points towards Spain.
If Gianluigi Buffon is the best goalkeeper in the world then Iker Casillas can’t be far behind. I.D. Luca Toni as the definitive target man and scorer and Spanish fans can counter with the speed and strength of David Villa and Fernando Torres.
Cynics might even point out that the both sets of centre backs are on par – each pairing looks good when the ball is at the other end of the park. Spain is likely to be without Carles Puyol and a central defensive pairing of Valencia’s Raul Albiol and Carlos Marchena can only increase the level of confidence……if you are Italian.
There again, you also get the feeling that Christian Panucci and Giorgio Chiellini constitute a make shift solution to a defence that has lacked the composure normally provided by Fabio Cannavaro.
The full backs are another saw-off. At their best Zambrotta and Grosso (Italy) and Ramos and Capdevilla (Spain) can get forward and effectively support the attack from wide positions.
So where will this one be won and lost? Not surprisingly it will be probably come down to who can most effectively control the midfield. There is a difference in how both sides normally line up. Italy favour a 4-3-2-1, Spain 4-1-3-2. For Spain the first-choice defensive midfielder is Marcos Senna and he will prowl the area in front of the back four looking to control (probably) Cassano and Perrotta.
However, the most intriguing contest will be between Italy and Spain’s defensive and attacking midfield trios. Barring surprises Spain will start Xavi and David Silva with Iniesta (who hasn’t had a particularly good tournament so far) or Fabregas.
All three players are comfortable on the ball and are first rate passers – their problem is if it comes down to heavy lifting can they match Ambrossini and De Rossi? Ambrossini would appear to be the logical replacement for the suspended Gennaro Gattuso while Daniele De Rossi, who has enjoyed a great tournament since being left on the bench for the first game against Netherlands, will join him in the engine room.
The suspension of Andrea Pirlo means that Italy needs to find another playmaker to centre Ambrossini and De Rossi and only option is Roma’s Alberto Aquilani. The responsibility will be a test for Aquilani who at 24 next month is the youngest member of Italy’s squad.
His international experience for country and club is limited and we have become use to him being revered to as a future star. If Italy is to move on to the semi finals it may well be that being a star of the future just won't hack it anymore and the future must start today.
Referee: Herbert Fandel, assistants: Carsten Kadach, Volker Wezel (all Germany), fourth official: Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium)
Spain 0-0 Italy (Spain win 4-2 on penalty kicks) It was a terse, tense and and a largely forgettable one-hundred and twenty minutes with the penalty kick decider providing the only moment of sustained excitement.
While the absence of Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo did not hurt Italy defensively, they certainly missed the playmaking of Pirlo. What he would normally accomplish in one pass was taking two of three today. And when the pass finally arrived at its intended target, Spain had anticipated the danger.
Spain enjoyed the vast majority of possession but with De Rossi and Ambrosini sitting deep their midfield found it difficult to spring Villa and Torres as Italy plugged the passing lanes. And so chances for both sides were extremely limited. Even the substitutions made by both coaches failed to break the predictable pattern.
And so it came down to penalties. De Rossi’s miss gave Spain the upper hand but Buffon’s save from Guiza opened the door for a turnaround. However, Casillas got the better of Di Natale and it was left for Fabregas to sink the fifth and winning penalty for Spain.
Best for Italy on the day were Chiellini and De Rossi while for Spain Silva and Senna worked tirelessly. Spain goes on to play Russia in the semifinal, and for Italy it is Goodnight Vienna.
Comment of the Day “I’ve been reading what foreign journalists say about Holland. There is one recurring story: the Dutch always destroy themselves through infighting, but this time they haven’t yet. This shoddy half-truth misses the point about Dutch football. Holland are good precisely because our players quarrel about football.” – Simon Kuper.
Prediction Update Russia’s win yesterday was more bad news for many of you who posted predictions. Netherlands was a popular pick to make it to at least the semi final stage while those picking Russia to progress that far was limited to two or three. The updated standings will be posted tomorrow at the conclusion of the quarter finals.
