Wow, what a week!
Juggling a new job, the World Cup and other commitments is making my head spin. But hey, its once every four years right (the World Cup, not the job). So grin and bear it. At least the vcr is getting a good workout and I'm managing to squeeze in as much soccer as possible in between normal TV programming.
So what has happened since the last post? A lot but I'll start with the team that are second on my list of teams to win the tournament, Argentina (England being my first choice - more on them later). They won big on the weekend, hammering Serbia and Montenegro six goals to nil. The Europeans were a weakened and demoralised side to begin with, what with injuries to key defenders (Nemanja Vidic) and a first up loss to a less than brilliant Netherlands.
But it wasn't the number of goals Argentina scored but how they scored them. Every goal was a work of art that makes football the beautiful game. It also showed the type of teamwork and unity that Brazil lacked in their less than convincing win over Croatia. All the goals were scored from inside the box and the defence was taken apart in clinical fashion each time. There was only one piece of individuality, courtesy of Carlos Tevez late in the game.
Argentina have demonstrated that they have a mix of both teamwork and individual skills to open teams up and so go to the top of my World Cup favourites. England laboured to a 2-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago who looked more than likely to steal a point off their more fancied opponents. Captain Fantastic at Liverpool, Steven Gerrard got the late second goal while Peter "he's got a good first touch for such a tall lad" Crouch got the opener.
It was good to see Rooney get a run and his introduction along with Aaron Lennon gave England a sense of urgency which was missing in the game against Paraguay and for most of the T&T match. Sweden finally got going with a drab 1-0 win over Paraguay but the talking point is that Trinidad and Tobago can still make the second round if Sweden lose or draw with England.
Another debutant that still has a chance is Ghana, who I was very impressed with in their win against the second ranked team in the world, the Czech Republic. The first upset of the tournament was a thumpingly good match with Ghana taking the lead within the first minute then dominating the match until the second goal which was ripper from Sulley Muntari, who up to that point, I only knew from playing Pro Evolution Soccer 5 on my PS2. I'm happy to report that the real version is as good if not better than the pixelated version.
The Czech Republic were plain outplayed and didn't look passionate enough to get a result. Apparently they have a problem with their strikers being injured, which may affect their progress later on. Meanwhile the USA and Italy cancelled each other out in a 1-1 stalemate which looked more like a bad day in Baghdad than a soccer match. Claret everywhere, the liquid and plastic variety. That leaves Group E wide open and I hope Ghana can beat the USA in the next game to go through.
Bring it on
And so finally the game tonight, which I won't be staying up for, Australia v Brazil. It's time to make a mark on the world stage and lets hope Guus has a brilliant gameplan on hand to stop the Samba Kings, who like Argentina, are due a big match. I'm sure the Brazil team will want to put an exclamation point with the victory and it's important the Aussies hang on. This myth that Brazil have defensive problems, must be ignored. Teams with defensive problems don't win five World Cups.
I'm hoping for an Aussie win, not only because that will guarantee our passage into the second but also guarantee that football will be the most watched sport in Australia (I guess the Wallaby's farcical rugby union win over England has jaded me a little).
Whatever happens (hope for a win, pray for a draw), the Socceroos and soccer ...football, will be the winner on the day. I'll be back with a wrap after the coming weeks games.
Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!
Oi! Oi! Oi!
- The Psynic
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Australia create history at World Cup...but is it enough?
Maybe its a lack of sleep because the wave of euphoria sweeping the nation is contagious and all I want to write about is how great the Aussies were and how we can reach the finals... but I won't.
Fighting off such euphoria is a little easier when one is as psynical as I am. If you want to read a glowing account of how Australia beat Japan 3 - 1 go here. You'll also find a good serving of over-the-top optimism and enthusiasm, which I wouldn't have a problem with unless it came sprinkled with copious amounts of unrealistic pride.
The match, spectacular as it was, exposed Australia's frailties up front where Viduka had a few good touches but hardly made an impact. Kewell looked tired and uninspired and there was a general lack of creativity. The fact that it took 84 minutes to get a goal should worry the coaching staff because the other teams in the group (Brazil and Croatia) will
a) score more goals within that timeframe or
b) defend better to hold on to their lead.
Australia will have to play tighter against Brazil because they will not waste the half chances we presented to the Japanese on one too many occasions. With the amount of creative talent in the Brazilian team, they probably wouldn't need half chances as they can create something from nothing. The objective will be to get a draw (an optimistic best case scenario) or keep the goals against stat down, so we can go hell for leather in the final game against the Croatians.
Japan were good at times but this defeat signals their exit. It would take a miracle for them to win against either Brazil or Croatia but then it is a World Cup and anything can happen. The ref played a part as well but was consistent in not giving the Japanese a (justifiable) penalty later on. Japan can only hope for a mix of luck and courage, maybe a sympathetic referee and a couple of bizarre own goals by the defenders of the teams they play against. I reckon its karma for all the whale hunting.
All of Australia will watch the Brazil v Croatia game with piqued interest. Can the Socceroos continue to make history at Germany? Can we get our attack into top gear to cause either of these teams any problems? With the round of 16 beckoning, one more win will send us through. Suddenly a team no one wanted to know, has the entire nation behind it. The naysayers are there too, waiting for the fall so they can go back to endlessly discussing rugby, AFL, cricket, whatever, without the distraction of a truly international sport.
As a soccer fan, I hope for a win but as a realist I know I should enjoy this while it lasts. Brazil will be tough, correction, nigh on unbeatable and Croatia aren't going down without a fight. The fact is, the toughest games are yet to come. The question in my mind isn't whether we can make the second round but rather will aussies sustain their love for soccer after all is said and done?
Man of the Match
Special mention and hats off to Tim Cahill. I couldn't understand why he started off the bench when Kewell looked tired from the opening whistle but Guus Hiddink has his reasons and the end justified the means.
I have been harping on about the importance of Cahill to anyone who would listen (and their dog) and feel justified that he came through. He brings enthusiasm and killer instinct to the team and becoming a part of Australian history is well deserved. Wonder if the people of Samoa know that they have a new sports icon to idolize. Check out an article on the meteoric rise of Tim Cahill.
History is made
(Photo courtesy BBC.co.uk)Tim Cahill's equaliser was Australia's first ever World Cup goal. Cahill is the fourth player next to Miroslav Klose (Germany), Omar Bravo (Mexico) and Paulo
Wanchope (Costa Rica) to score twice at the 2006 World Cup.
Australia is the first team at this tournament, to come back after being 1-0 down, and Cahill (twice) and John Aloisi became the second and third substitute to score at the 2006 World Cup. No other team has scored three goals in the last seven minutes in World Cup history.
Japan, who put out their oldest ever starting line-up at a World Cup, are yet to win their opening match of the tournament. In 1998 they were beaten (1-0) by Argentina. Four years later they were held to a 2-2 draw by Belgium.
(source: BBC Sports website)
- The Psynic
Fighting off such euphoria is a little easier when one is as psynical as I am. If you want to read a glowing account of how Australia beat Japan 3 - 1 go here. You'll also find a good serving of over-the-top optimism and enthusiasm, which I wouldn't have a problem with unless it came sprinkled with copious amounts of unrealistic pride.
The match, spectacular as it was, exposed Australia's frailties up front where Viduka had a few good touches but hardly made an impact. Kewell looked tired and uninspired and there was a general lack of creativity. The fact that it took 84 minutes to get a goal should worry the coaching staff because the other teams in the group (Brazil and Croatia) will
a) score more goals within that timeframe or
b) defend better to hold on to their lead.
Australia will have to play tighter against Brazil because they will not waste the half chances we presented to the Japanese on one too many occasions. With the amount of creative talent in the Brazilian team, they probably wouldn't need half chances as they can create something from nothing. The objective will be to get a draw (an optimistic best case scenario) or keep the goals against stat down, so we can go hell for leather in the final game against the Croatians.
Japan were good at times but this defeat signals their exit. It would take a miracle for them to win against either Brazil or Croatia but then it is a World Cup and anything can happen. The ref played a part as well but was consistent in not giving the Japanese a (justifiable) penalty later on. Japan can only hope for a mix of luck and courage, maybe a sympathetic referee and a couple of bizarre own goals by the defenders of the teams they play against. I reckon its karma for all the whale hunting.
All of Australia will watch the Brazil v Croatia game with piqued interest. Can the Socceroos continue to make history at Germany? Can we get our attack into top gear to cause either of these teams any problems? With the round of 16 beckoning, one more win will send us through. Suddenly a team no one wanted to know, has the entire nation behind it. The naysayers are there too, waiting for the fall so they can go back to endlessly discussing rugby, AFL, cricket, whatever, without the distraction of a truly international sport.
As a soccer fan, I hope for a win but as a realist I know I should enjoy this while it lasts. Brazil will be tough, correction, nigh on unbeatable and Croatia aren't going down without a fight. The fact is, the toughest games are yet to come. The question in my mind isn't whether we can make the second round but rather will aussies sustain their love for soccer after all is said and done?
Man of the Match
Special mention and hats off to Tim Cahill. I couldn't understand why he started off the bench when Kewell looked tired from the opening whistle but Guus Hiddink has his reasons and the end justified the means.
I have been harping on about the importance of Cahill to anyone who would listen (and their dog) and feel justified that he came through. He brings enthusiasm and killer instinct to the team and becoming a part of Australian history is well deserved. Wonder if the people of Samoa know that they have a new sports icon to idolize. Check out an article on the meteoric rise of Tim Cahill.
History is made
(Photo courtesy BBC.co.uk)Tim Cahill's equaliser was Australia's first ever World Cup goal. Cahill is the fourth player next to Miroslav Klose (Germany), Omar Bravo (Mexico) and Paulo
Wanchope (Costa Rica) to score twice at the 2006 World Cup.Australia is the first team at this tournament, to come back after being 1-0 down, and Cahill (twice) and John Aloisi became the second and third substitute to score at the 2006 World Cup. No other team has scored three goals in the last seven minutes in World Cup history.
Japan, who put out their oldest ever starting line-up at a World Cup, are yet to win their opening match of the tournament. In 1998 they were beaten (1-0) by Argentina. Four years later they were held to a 2-2 draw by Belgium.
(source: BBC Sports website)
- The Psynic
Monday, June 12, 2006
No fairy tales as World Cup rolls on
It's good to see the Netherlands back in the World Cup and they didn't disappoint against Serbia & Montenegro. They scored a great goal through Arjen Robben (who I can't seem to like, not only because he plays for Chelsea in the English Premier league or because he joined Chelsea after rejecting a move to Man Utd) and gave the Montenegran defence a lot to think about. Given that Serbia &Montenegro were undefeated in qualifying with only one goal scored against them, the Dutch look the goods to qualify from group C.
I was disappointed by the lack of attacking power from the Balkan team. Mateja Kezman looked out of sorts and the introduction of Zigic didn't help either. With Argentina winning their match against the Ivory Coast (2-1), who played well overall, Serbia & Montenegro look like being the first casualty in the "group of death".
I say this because the Ivory Coast team have firepower up front and I envisage them scoring more goals. The only difference between them and Argentina was Juan Riquelme, who orchestrated both goals and is the key to their third trip to the podium. Argentina is one of my favourites to win it this year and their clinical display only reinforces that theory even though the Argentinean press gave their performance a lukewarm reception.
In other matches, Angola went down to Portugal through an early goal by Pauleta. Luis Figo, thought by some to be too old and past his best, turned on a burst of speed to surprise the still settling Angolan defence, centred the ball in the box and Pauleta comfortably collected his first goal of the World Cup. Honorable mentions for Cristiano Ronaldo who saw a header come back off the cross bar and a powerful shot blocked by goalkeeper Joao Ricardo. The fairy tale would have seen Angola, under Portuguese rule until 1975, beat their colonial masters but alas for yours truly, there won't be a discussion on the merits of football as a statement of empowerment for the post-colonial state...yet.
The Africans did finish strongly with the Benefica based Mantorras causing the Portuguese defence a few problems. Portugal looked comfortable enough but will need to attack more if they are to beat Mexico, who beat Iran 3 - 1 in the other group D match.
Mexico with 67 goals in 18 qualifying matches, displayed their prowess in the air and on the ground with some well won headers and scintillating dribbling, which invariably led to three goals. Iran did fight back and got a goal back early but could not combat the spirited Mexican attack.
To end, the upcoming group F match between Japan and Australia will ensure half the population will arrive at work with bleary eyes tomorrow. After 32 years, here is the first step towards either a spectacular start or an ignominious exit. Maybe I'm exaggerating the importance of this game but the fact is that nothing more than a victory will do. A draw might suffice but then Brazil and more so Croatia will look forward to playing an Australian team down on confidence.
Japan are no easy beats either, drawing 2 - 2 against hosts Germany in a friendly prior to the World Cup. They are technically gifted, fast and have an element of unpredictability which can cause problems for the best of teams. To ensure a fighting chance Australia must get the three points on offer. To add to the pressure, Australia have never won a game at the World Cup or scored a goal. The last campaign, in 1974, returned two losses and a goal-less draw.
Well, its around four hours to kick off. Lets hope my next entry has some good news.
The Psynic
I was disappointed by the lack of attacking power from the Balkan team. Mateja Kezman looked out of sorts and the introduction of Zigic didn't help either. With Argentina winning their match against the Ivory Coast (2-1), who played well overall, Serbia & Montenegro look like being the first casualty in the "group of death".
I say this because the Ivory Coast team have firepower up front and I envisage them scoring more goals. The only difference between them and Argentina was Juan Riquelme, who orchestrated both goals and is the key to their third trip to the podium. Argentina is one of my favourites to win it this year and their clinical display only reinforces that theory even though the Argentinean press gave their performance a lukewarm reception.
In other matches, Angola went down to Portugal through an early goal by Pauleta. Luis Figo, thought by some to be too old and past his best, turned on a burst of speed to surprise the still settling Angolan defence, centred the ball in the box and Pauleta comfortably collected his first goal of the World Cup. Honorable mentions for Cristiano Ronaldo who saw a header come back off the cross bar and a powerful shot blocked by goalkeeper Joao Ricardo. The fairy tale would have seen Angola, under Portuguese rule until 1975, beat their colonial masters but alas for yours truly, there won't be a discussion on the merits of football as a statement of empowerment for the post-colonial state...yet.
The Africans did finish strongly with the Benefica based Mantorras causing the Portuguese defence a few problems. Portugal looked comfortable enough but will need to attack more if they are to beat Mexico, who beat Iran 3 - 1 in the other group D match.
Mexico with 67 goals in 18 qualifying matches, displayed their prowess in the air and on the ground with some well won headers and scintillating dribbling, which invariably led to three goals. Iran did fight back and got a goal back early but could not combat the spirited Mexican attack.
To end, the upcoming group F match between Japan and Australia will ensure half the population will arrive at work with bleary eyes tomorrow. After 32 years, here is the first step towards either a spectacular start or an ignominious exit. Maybe I'm exaggerating the importance of this game but the fact is that nothing more than a victory will do. A draw might suffice but then Brazil and more so Croatia will look forward to playing an Australian team down on confidence.
Japan are no easy beats either, drawing 2 - 2 against hosts Germany in a friendly prior to the World Cup. They are technically gifted, fast and have an element of unpredictability which can cause problems for the best of teams. To ensure a fighting chance Australia must get the three points on offer. To add to the pressure, Australia have never won a game at the World Cup or scored a goal. The last campaign, in 1974, returned two losses and a goal-less draw.
Well, its around four hours to kick off. Lets hope my next entry has some good news.
The Psynic
Sunday, June 11, 2006
The World Cup is here
Well, after a four-month hiatus, I'm back. Who thought trying to find a job you actually like would take so damn long. For once, my stubborn streak did me some good.
There are many movies and cds I have sampled over the past four months and I'll hopefully have the reviews up once I settle into the new job. In the meantime, the World Cup has kicked off in Germany and it will be a month of very little sleep. Australia made the tournament after a 32-year absence and so the country has gone football (or soccer) mad.
Most of the madness is because of the "bandwagon" factor. Media in Australia, entrenched in rugby union, rugby league or AFL (Aussie Rules Football) for so long have finally discovered that the game played by Sheilas, Wogs and Poofters is ratings gold, be it print, radio or television. There is a saturation of World Cup and Socceroos advertising, which I find a little hypocritical given the limited coverage the national soccer team and soccer in general received prior to qualification.
The only exception have been SBS, who through people like the late Johnny Warren, Les Murray and a dedicated team of soccer enthusiasts, have gone against the grain to bring the "world game" to Australian homes. Even though they might have been outbid to broadcast soccer on their free to air tv channel (English Premier league games, highlights etc), SBS continue to bring the World Cup to the non-cable subscribing public. Kudos (and ratings) to SBS for giving all lovers of soccer something to look forward to.
Let the games begin
I'll get off my soapbox now, only because the matches I've seen so far demand comment. The host nation and three-time winner Germany looked shaky against minnows Costa Rica and were lucky to get a 4 - 2 victory in the opening match. But I am not writing off their chances because they are always in the mix regardless of form. The 2002 tourney pays testament to their resilience, making the finals even though they had been written off prior to and during the competition. With a good blend of youth and experience in the team and the parochial home crowd acting as a 12th man, expect Germany to go far.
The other heavyweight, England, looked good in the first 30 minutes of their match against unorthodox South Americans Paraguay. Racing to an early 1 - 0 lead thanks to captain David Beckham's free kick, which deflected off defender Carlos Gamarra, the english dominated proceedings with their much vaunted midfield quartet of Beckham, Lampard, Cole and Gerrard. The odd couple pairing of Peter Crouch (6' 7'') and Michael Owen (5' 8'') looked good initially with a couple of good knock downs from Crouch giving the nippy Owen fodder for his speedy runs.
However, after 30 minutes the weight of expectation seemed to drag the English down. The one-dimensional tactic of the high ball knock down was well covered by the Paraguayans and the midfield battles started to turn into a war of attrition. Full credit to the Paraguayans for making England work for every opportunity.
In my opinion, England lacked attacking options on the flanks. There was an injection of speed and running with the introduction of Stewart Downing but with Owen substituted and Crouch as the lone striker, even the talented threesome of Becks, Lamps and Stevie G seemed bereft of anything creative.
True, there were numerous shots on goal but only a couple forced saves. To beat Sweden and Trinidad and Tobago, England will need to create sustained attacking pressure or to use a sports cliche "keep the foot on the pedal".
With Manchester United star Wayne Rooney on the bench, they might have the ace to change their game. If and when Rooney starts remains to be seen. For viewing sake, lets hope that its soon. I still feel that England can do well at this World Cup, but I will reserve judgement on them actually winning it on the appearance and impact of Rooney.
In the other game, Trinidad and Tobago showed the world that they were not making up numbers by getting a 0 - 0 draw against the much fancied and talented Sweden side. At times the Soca Warriors looked better than a team ranked 51 in the world so much so that one might be mistaken in switching the numbers around, which would ironically be Sweden's ranking (15).
Dwight Yorke, so long a prolific striker, turned in a man of the match performance as a defensive midfielder, inspiring his team mates to what is surely the first upset of the tournament. The other debutants (Angola, Togo, Ivory Coast and Ghana) can take heart from this result and hopefully create a few upsets of their own. At the time of writing, Ivory Coast had gone down to two-time World Cup winner and one of the favourites, Argentina two goals to one.
Well thats my wrap for now. Will be back with more thoughts after watching more games. Hope you enjoy the World Cup of the beautiful game wherever you are. Drop me a comment if you have an opinion.
For all things World Cup, click this.
The Psynic
There are many movies and cds I have sampled over the past four months and I'll hopefully have the reviews up once I settle into the new job. In the meantime, the World Cup has kicked off in Germany and it will be a month of very little sleep. Australia made the tournament after a 32-year absence and so the country has gone football (or soccer) mad.
Most of the madness is because of the "bandwagon" factor. Media in Australia, entrenched in rugby union, rugby league or AFL (Aussie Rules Football) for so long have finally discovered that the game played by Sheilas, Wogs and Poofters is ratings gold, be it print, radio or television. There is a saturation of World Cup and Socceroos advertising, which I find a little hypocritical given the limited coverage the national soccer team and soccer in general received prior to qualification.
The only exception have been SBS, who through people like the late Johnny Warren, Les Murray and a dedicated team of soccer enthusiasts, have gone against the grain to bring the "world game" to Australian homes. Even though they might have been outbid to broadcast soccer on their free to air tv channel (English Premier league games, highlights etc), SBS continue to bring the World Cup to the non-cable subscribing public. Kudos (and ratings) to SBS for giving all lovers of soccer something to look forward to.
Let the games begin
I'll get off my soapbox now, only because the matches I've seen so far demand comment. The host nation and three-time winner Germany looked shaky against minnows Costa Rica and were lucky to get a 4 - 2 victory in the opening match. But I am not writing off their chances because they are always in the mix regardless of form. The 2002 tourney pays testament to their resilience, making the finals even though they had been written off prior to and during the competition. With a good blend of youth and experience in the team and the parochial home crowd acting as a 12th man, expect Germany to go far.
The other heavyweight, England, looked good in the first 30 minutes of their match against unorthodox South Americans Paraguay. Racing to an early 1 - 0 lead thanks to captain David Beckham's free kick, which deflected off defender Carlos Gamarra, the english dominated proceedings with their much vaunted midfield quartet of Beckham, Lampard, Cole and Gerrard. The odd couple pairing of Peter Crouch (6' 7'') and Michael Owen (5' 8'') looked good initially with a couple of good knock downs from Crouch giving the nippy Owen fodder for his speedy runs.
However, after 30 minutes the weight of expectation seemed to drag the English down. The one-dimensional tactic of the high ball knock down was well covered by the Paraguayans and the midfield battles started to turn into a war of attrition. Full credit to the Paraguayans for making England work for every opportunity.
In my opinion, England lacked attacking options on the flanks. There was an injection of speed and running with the introduction of Stewart Downing but with Owen substituted and Crouch as the lone striker, even the talented threesome of Becks, Lamps and Stevie G seemed bereft of anything creative.
True, there were numerous shots on goal but only a couple forced saves. To beat Sweden and Trinidad and Tobago, England will need to create sustained attacking pressure or to use a sports cliche "keep the foot on the pedal".
With Manchester United star Wayne Rooney on the bench, they might have the ace to change their game. If and when Rooney starts remains to be seen. For viewing sake, lets hope that its soon. I still feel that England can do well at this World Cup, but I will reserve judgement on them actually winning it on the appearance and impact of Rooney.
In the other game, Trinidad and Tobago showed the world that they were not making up numbers by getting a 0 - 0 draw against the much fancied and talented Sweden side. At times the Soca Warriors looked better than a team ranked 51 in the world so much so that one might be mistaken in switching the numbers around, which would ironically be Sweden's ranking (15).
Dwight Yorke, so long a prolific striker, turned in a man of the match performance as a defensive midfielder, inspiring his team mates to what is surely the first upset of the tournament. The other debutants (Angola, Togo, Ivory Coast and Ghana) can take heart from this result and hopefully create a few upsets of their own. At the time of writing, Ivory Coast had gone down to two-time World Cup winner and one of the favourites, Argentina two goals to one.
Well thats my wrap for now. Will be back with more thoughts after watching more games. Hope you enjoy the World Cup of the beautiful game wherever you are. Drop me a comment if you have an opinion.
For all things World Cup, click this.
The Psynic
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