As the first round of matches of the FIFA WORLD CUP,SOUTH AFRICA 2010 enters the final day,I review the games so far and try to evaluate if the teams have played up to the anticipated levels.
SOUTH AFRICA 1-1 MEXICO
A typical first game of the competition. Mexico started well and pushed forward through Dos Santos and slowly the host nation got into the game and fought hard to earn a draw after a second half which went their way.Two players worth mentioning in that game are Dos Santos and Tshabalaba.
URUGUAY 0-0 FRANCE
One game France showed us they do not have much to offer in this WC.Uruguay's Forlan gave a solid performance but did not get all the needed support for Suarez,we must say we expected much more from the Ajax man.Evra did all in his capacity to drive his team forward on a day Arsenal's Diaby was present in the midfield but sadly with an almost absent Gourcuff except for those far wide shots.Maybe someone lied to him that the Jabulani would go right into the net when you shoot from any distance and angle even without precision.
KOREA REPUBLIC 2-0 GREECE
What J.S Park put up in this game is the kind of performance you expect from the big players in a team.He drove the team forward and two good goals assured them maximum points in a game where Greece struggled throughout to find their balance.
ARGENTINA 1-0 NIGERIA
This has grown into a rivalry since 2005 when these two teams mate at the Under-21 level in holland,but Argentina have remained at the advantaged end of the rivalry.Even in 2002 WC,Argentina only managed a 1-0 win against Nigeria and if you recall,Ike Shoronmu put up a goal keeping clinic that day.Lionel Messi was allowed his runs forward but denied registering himself on the score sheet by the magnificent form of Enyeama;great for indeed.While the Nigerian side kept their cool with only a few attacks in that game,Gabriel Heinze's goal seperated both sides.
ENGLAND 1-1 USA
Soccer fans all over the world stayed glued to their TV sets to see their favorite premiership stars bring glamour to the WC. But yet again,the English team did not play to their full potential and this made the tactically disciplined USA side pull a draw,no thanks to a Robert Green error.This was a game where the midfield battle was stiff and Glen Johnson the only full back allowed to stretch forward many times.England sincerely missed Barry and the surprise inclusion of Miner in the starting 11 did not help matters.
ALGERIA 0-1 SLOVENIA
An uneventful match which saw another goal keeping error enough to secure vital 3 points for Slovenia.Algeria had a good game with Ziani doing good work from central to mostly attacking midfield.
I will be back to discuss other matches at the end of today's games.
We expect so much from a team that I say will give a solid performance.Brazil had a good start yesterday,although most people expected more than that from them.Worthy of note was Maicon's super strike. And today,Spain enters into the world cup..Indeed,the world cup has begun.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
THE ENGLAND-USA GAME
USA
The ever-technical Bradley did not fail in his plan to keep England away,but unlucky to record one of those crafted wins.The substitutions were important and this is why I place this man as one of the most brilliant coaches in the game right now.Most times,I think he has a weak bench and that is why he does not get his substitutes to win games for him,but at least,they keep the game in order.
Lining up a solid 4-4-2 against England,USA kept a good defensive wall and gave Dempsey and Donovan the task of handling the English midfield in an attempt to create some space in between the English midfield and defense.Also worth mentioning is the tenacious presence of Micheal Bradley,son of the coach.Also worth mentioning was the brilliant run and eventual strike of Altidore which was denied a goal by Green and the wood work.
ENGLAND
The 4-4-2 of England which to me presented a surprise introduction of Milner into starting from left lacked the cutting-edge to gain victory from the well battled game.And again the need for a Joe Cole or Walcott is called.Wait a minute,what was on Capello's mind when he chose the starting XI?
Lampard started deep until sometime in the second half when Gerrard let him loose and Carragher allowed Terry to tear the game forward.I could bet Milner would have done better if allowed to stay on with some instruction and I really wonder why it was not Joe Cole on for him.Even flying both wings did not provide any more width for Capello's side.The side played for total dominance but lacked the authority of one of the supposed strongest teams in the world.
NOTABLE POINTS FROM THE GAME
*Ashley Cole was kept at 'home',no thanks to Donovan who did a good job while Johnson worked the right side through giving England width.
*Gerrard took the game upon himself but with Lampard not doing much until late in the game,he only could do his best.
*Tim Howard had a decent game and what he had to do,he did with minimal fuss.And when called upon on high points,he was present.
*Onyewu did excellently and had the nerve to hold Rooney to the ground thereby giving the entire USA defense less work to do.
*Dempsey and Donovan did not fail to deliver and showed their presence has professionals with good experience.Such performance is expected of high profile players in their respective countries.
*Bocanegra and Gerrard put up captain performances tonight.
CRITICISMS
Wright-Phillips?Aaron Lennon?James Milner?
Findley made some good runs in the first half which I believe should have torn Altidore space enough to net one goal.
COMIC
Only God knows what curse is on English keepers.Green was some form of comic relief for the goal he conceded.
I leave you with this question:
Gerrard,Dempsey,Johnson,Onyewu..Who of these four (4) was the best player on the field for the USA-ENGLAND game?
The ever-technical Bradley did not fail in his plan to keep England away,but unlucky to record one of those crafted wins.The substitutions were important and this is why I place this man as one of the most brilliant coaches in the game right now.Most times,I think he has a weak bench and that is why he does not get his substitutes to win games for him,but at least,they keep the game in order.
Lining up a solid 4-4-2 against England,USA kept a good defensive wall and gave Dempsey and Donovan the task of handling the English midfield in an attempt to create some space in between the English midfield and defense.Also worth mentioning is the tenacious presence of Micheal Bradley,son of the coach.Also worth mentioning was the brilliant run and eventual strike of Altidore which was denied a goal by Green and the wood work.
ENGLAND
The 4-4-2 of England which to me presented a surprise introduction of Milner into starting from left lacked the cutting-edge to gain victory from the well battled game.And again the need for a Joe Cole or Walcott is called.Wait a minute,what was on Capello's mind when he chose the starting XI?
Lampard started deep until sometime in the second half when Gerrard let him loose and Carragher allowed Terry to tear the game forward.I could bet Milner would have done better if allowed to stay on with some instruction and I really wonder why it was not Joe Cole on for him.Even flying both wings did not provide any more width for Capello's side.The side played for total dominance but lacked the authority of one of the supposed strongest teams in the world.
NOTABLE POINTS FROM THE GAME
*Ashley Cole was kept at 'home',no thanks to Donovan who did a good job while Johnson worked the right side through giving England width.
*Gerrard took the game upon himself but with Lampard not doing much until late in the game,he only could do his best.
*Tim Howard had a decent game and what he had to do,he did with minimal fuss.And when called upon on high points,he was present.
*Onyewu did excellently and had the nerve to hold Rooney to the ground thereby giving the entire USA defense less work to do.
*Dempsey and Donovan did not fail to deliver and showed their presence has professionals with good experience.Such performance is expected of high profile players in their respective countries.
*Bocanegra and Gerrard put up captain performances tonight.
CRITICISMS
Wright-Phillips?Aaron Lennon?James Milner?
Findley made some good runs in the first half which I believe should have torn Altidore space enough to net one goal.
COMIC
Only God knows what curse is on English keepers.Green was some form of comic relief for the goal he conceded.
I leave you with this question:
Gerrard,Dempsey,Johnson,Onyewu..Who of these four (4) was the best player on the field for the USA-ENGLAND game?
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
THE 4-4-2 FORMATION(MODIFIED)
Just when we thought the left and right mid-fielders were going into extinction paving way for Left and Right wing forwards,our ever-intelligent football experts introduce a modified 4-4-2 formation.
DEFENSE(4)
As expected of football these days,the full backs are allowed to run the whole line through to the attack.If both full backs have attacking abilities,then the wing mid-fielder plays centrally. This gives the team a stronger midfield,thereby giving them an advantage of dominance of the game.
When either of the full backs pushes forward,there is always one mid-fielder to cover for him.
MIDFIELD(4)
In this formation,either a left or right wing mid-fielder is featured along with 1 attacking,1 central and 1 defensive mid-fielder.Most times,one of the mid-fielders tends to play on the other wing but only supporting the wing back on that flank.
The peculiarity of this formation is the fact that the attacking mid-fielder is granted freedom to join the strikers in attack while the winger plays centrally.Infact sometimes the winger adapts to a central role just like the case of JAMES MILNER of ASTON VILLA.
ATTACK(2)
Just like in the traditional 4-4-2,the 2 strikers can both play through the middle or from both sides of the field.When playing through the middle,the strikers rarely play side-by-side,instead they play 1 behind the other.
The sound technicality of modern footballers makes them modify the 4-4-2 formation to a 4-3-3 sometimes during the course of the game. This way,one of the strikers(mostly the one with more pace or foot work) drops to one wing,inviting the winged mid-fielder to join the attack on the other wing.This makes the other striker act like a lone striker and the attacking mid-fielder playing just behind him.
TEAMS WITH THIS FORMATION:
Chelsea(4-4-2):
Defenders: Ashley Cole,John Terry,Alex and Ivanovic.
Mid-fielders: Frank Lampard,John Obi Mikel, Micheal Ballack,Florent Malouda.
Strikers: Nicolas Anelka,Didier Drogba.
Tottenham* with Modric,Huddlestone,Palacios and Lennon in midfield
Supposed English team with Barry,Lampard,Gerrard and Lennon/Wright Phillips in Midfield
Spain* with Alonso,Iniesta/Fabregas,Xavi and Silva in Midfield
Many other teams also use this formation.
*It should be noted that Tottenham used this formation before Modric got injured in 2009/2010 season and Spain's formation is subject to many changes based on the decision of the coach.
Feel free to comment and ask questions about this.You can check on this blog regularly for more about football...
e-mail to; lil_lusan@yahoo.com or call: 07030711869,08024740427.
DEFENSE(4)
As expected of football these days,the full backs are allowed to run the whole line through to the attack.If both full backs have attacking abilities,then the wing mid-fielder plays centrally. This gives the team a stronger midfield,thereby giving them an advantage of dominance of the game.
When either of the full backs pushes forward,there is always one mid-fielder to cover for him.
MIDFIELD(4)
In this formation,either a left or right wing mid-fielder is featured along with 1 attacking,1 central and 1 defensive mid-fielder.Most times,one of the mid-fielders tends to play on the other wing but only supporting the wing back on that flank.
The peculiarity of this formation is the fact that the attacking mid-fielder is granted freedom to join the strikers in attack while the winger plays centrally.Infact sometimes the winger adapts to a central role just like the case of JAMES MILNER of ASTON VILLA.
ATTACK(2)
Just like in the traditional 4-4-2,the 2 strikers can both play through the middle or from both sides of the field.When playing through the middle,the strikers rarely play side-by-side,instead they play 1 behind the other.
The sound technicality of modern footballers makes them modify the 4-4-2 formation to a 4-3-3 sometimes during the course of the game. This way,one of the strikers(mostly the one with more pace or foot work) drops to one wing,inviting the winged mid-fielder to join the attack on the other wing.This makes the other striker act like a lone striker and the attacking mid-fielder playing just behind him.
TEAMS WITH THIS FORMATION:
Chelsea(4-4-2):
Defenders: Ashley Cole,John Terry,Alex and Ivanovic.
Mid-fielders: Frank Lampard,John Obi Mikel, Micheal Ballack,Florent Malouda.
Strikers: Nicolas Anelka,Didier Drogba.
Tottenham* with Modric,Huddlestone,Palacios and Lennon in midfield
Supposed English team with Barry,Lampard,Gerrard and Lennon/Wright Phillips in Midfield
Spain* with Alonso,Iniesta/Fabregas,Xavi and Silva in Midfield
Many other teams also use this formation.
*It should be noted that Tottenham used this formation before Modric got injured in 2009/2010 season and Spain's formation is subject to many changes based on the decision of the coach.
Feel free to comment and ask questions about this.You can check on this blog regularly for more about football...
e-mail to; lil_lusan@yahoo.com or call: 07030711869,08024740427.
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