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.
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The Psynic
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