Thursday 5 July 2012

WCRR's European Championships 2012 Awards


Best Goalkeeper: 
Iker Casillas - Again Saint Iker has pulled out all the stops when his country has needed him the most. Buffon could have received this award but the whole Italian team's performance in the final was too poor to remove from my memory.

Best Defender: Pepe - Pepe played as well as any centre-back has in any tournament that I have seen. Consistently excellent from the first game to Portugal's semi-final exit.

Best Midfielder: Mesut Özil  - His attacking play was simply breathtaking. His naturally fluid style of dribbling combined with his eagle eyed vision and pin point passing, Özil was the most entertaining player to watch throughout the tournament but especially in the knock-out stages.

Best Striker: Zlatan Ibrahimovic - Ibra raises the ability of all those around him whilst his physical presence affords him the time and space that every striker desires on the ball. He has the best first touch in world football and his every move was to be admired throughout his short stint at the tournament. 

Best Match: Sweden 2 - 3 England - A stirring comeback from "Roy's Boys" after going down to a rather good Sweden side but with great goals from Carroll and Welbeck, this game was hard to take your eyes off.

Worst Match: Italy 2 - 0 Ireland - This match felt like a dead rubber and played out in a very monotonous and predictable manner.

Surprise Player: Alan Dzagoev - I had heard great things about Dzagoev but the way Russia started the tournament you would have made them favourites straight away. Unfortunately for the young man, Russia exited in the group stages and he was unable to build upon his goal tally of three.

Best Manager: Paulo Bento - I was going to award this to Prandelli but his tactical mistake in the final of switching to four at the back against Spain meant that I had to give this to Bento. He did a masterful job with Portugal and probably deserved to make the final. Unlucky to go out on penalties, Portugal and Bento might be a team to watch at the World Cup, especially if Ronaldo can play to his absolute best.

Team of the Tournament:
---------------------- Casillas -----------------------
Arbeloa-------Pepe--------- Hummels ---- Coentrão
Dzagoev---------Özil---------Xavi----------Arshavin
---------------Ibrahimovic-------Mandzukic-----------------

Honourable Mentions - Buffon, Gabre Selassie, Agger, Alba, Iniesta, Pirlo, De Rossi, Sneijder, Gomez, Balotelli

Player of the Tournament: Mesut Özil - Özil was an absolute joy to watch throughout the tournament but his defensive teammates just couldn't handle the likes of Balotelli and Cassano. In my opinion, Özil is the best out and out central attacking midfielder in the world and he will only continue to improve.

Surprise Team: Greece - They weren't able to replicate the country's 2004 success but they did manage to qualify from their group stage where they were probably favoured to finish last. Karagounis' performance in their third game was arguably the performance of the tournament.

Overperformers: Portugal - Drawn in the 'Group of Death' but still able to qualify by nullifying the likes of Sneijder in the last game. Should have been in the final after a great performance against Spain but were knocked out on penalties.

Underperformers: Russia - Netherlands were knocked out by Germany and Portugal but Russia couldn't qualify from a group consisting of Poland, Czech Republic and Greece. That is not good enough for a side that has two players in my Team of the Tournament. They should have been aiming for a good performance in the quarter finals but unfortunately one of the more exciting teams were knocked out early.

Monday 2 July 2012

A Spanish Armada

Best Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas - Wins by default given the amount of goals Italy conceded.

Best Defender: Jordi Alba - His goal alone was enough to win this award but he also provided Spain with an outlet at every opportunity and seemed to be on the ball as much as Xavi or Xabi Alonso!

Best Midfielder: Xavi Hernandez - At his tiki-taka best, Xavi was a joy to behold. Dominating the game with his metronomic passing, dictating the tempo of the game and strangling the life out of any Italian hope. He picked up two assists but his contribution was immeasurable.

Best Striker: Fernando Torres - The game was over when Torres scored and picked up his assist but he made a fantastic contribution after coming off the bench and actually picked up the Golden Boot courtesy of his pass to Mata.

Surprise Player: Jordi Alba - Yes he was made to look like Usain Bolt by the statuesque Italian defence but his performance was astonishing and he might be able to establish himself as the best left back in the world.


Underachieving Player: Daniele De Rossi - One of Italy's strongest players but he made an error leading to a goal as well as just playing poorly. He was unable to break apart the Spanish possession game but so did every player in blue.

Best Manager: Paulo Bento - Portugal were tactically too strong for Spain and countered superbly. Unfortunately for them, as mentioned before, their talismanic winger and captain just didn't finish well today. His only bad decision was leaving Ronaldo until the fifth penalty in the shootout meaning that he didn't even get the opportunity to score.

Team of the Round:
--------------------------Casillas-------------------------
Arbeloa-------Piqué---------Ramos-------Alba
Silva--------Xavi----------Alonso--------Busquets
--------------------------Fabregas--------------------
---------------------------Torres----------------------
Honourable Mentions - Iniesta, Mata, Pedro

Official Awards
Golden Boot: Fernando Torres - I'll be honest, I did not see this one coming but I still don't think that Torres is back to his best.

Player of the Tournament: Andres Iniesta - I wouldn't have given it to Iniesta as you will see later and this seems like a nostalgic award by the voters.

Final Thoughts - This Spanish team is one of the most successful international teams to ever live and I wonder if this will be enough for them to be remembered as the greatest team of all time. We will see in a few decades but I think they might just have ripped that crown from the 1970 Brazil team's head.

Friday 29 June 2012

A Tale of Tradition

Best Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Buffon - Was perhaps kept the busiest out of all the goalkeepers but it was a close run affair between Buffon and Patricio.

Best Defender: Pepe - Has been the best defender in the competition so far but his run comes to an end as Portugal go out on penalties. Showed his experience of the Spanish game with a very good display that kept the Spanish out of his net. His Madrid counterpart, Sergio Ramos, could have also won this award as well as Leo Bonucci.

Best Midfielder: Mesut Özil - Despite his team being knocked out, the German magician created many chances for his teammates as well as cooly slotting home from the penalty spot but it came far too late to affect the match's outcome. His passing was superb as was his dribbling and, perhaps more surprisingly, his defending. There were many great performances from midfield with Moutinho, Pirlo and Montolivo all playing well.

Best Striker: Mario Balotelli - Will there be a more defining image from this tournament than Super Mario standing strong after scoring a marvellous goal? He's a mercurial talent and the German defence just couldn't handle his pace and power. This could spur him on to greatness within the game.

Best Match: Germany 1 - 2 Italy - A game with a great goal from a fantastic player. Italy's midfield really outplayed Germany and they made Gomez look extremely ordinary. Both matches were of a similar standard so this was quite a difficult decision. 

Worst Match: Portugal 0 - 0 (p) Spain - Portugal definitely deserved to go through but the Spanish machine just keeps on rolling. They consistently perform to a level good enough to win tournaments and this match was no exception.

Surprise Player: Joao Moutinho - It's not the fact that Moutinho is an unknown player because he is a very efficient and consistent midfielder but the fact he put in his best performance of the tournament against the Spaniards was a little bit of a surprise to me.

Underachieving Player: Cristiano Ronaldo - He played well until he had to shoot. Had his finishing been stronger yesterday, Portugal would be through and Spain would be going home early from a tournament for the first time since Germany in 2006.

Best Manager: Paulo Bento - Portugal were tactically too strong for Spain and countered superbly. Unfortunately for them, as mentioned before, their talismanic winger and captain just didn't finish well today. His only bad decision was leaving Ronaldo until the fifth penalty in the shootout meaning that he didn't even get the opportunity to score.

Team of the Round:
--------------------------Buffon-------------------------
Arbeloa-------Ramos---------Pepe-------Coentrão
Moutinho--------Pirlo----------Montolivo--------Özil
--------------------------Cassano--------------------
----------------------------Balotelli----------------------
Honourable Mentions - Patricio, Pereira, Piqué, Bonucci, Alba, Busquets, De Rossi, Kroos

Predictions
Golden Boot: Mario Balotelli (Previously Mario Gomez) - I'm not really sure who will get the Golden Boot at this rate but I plumped for Balotelli as he still has the final to come but in truth it could be anyone. There hasn't been a phenomenal goal scorer at the tournament so far.

Player of the Tournament: Andrea Pirlo (Previously Mesut Özil) - For me Özil has probably been the best player but seeing as he has been knocked out of the competition, Pirlo could win it despite the fact that Spain will probably win the trophy at the end of it all. He's been instrumental in Italy's wonderful cup run and is a bit of a media darling.

Winners: Spain (Unchanged) - Italy could pull a surprise if they use the same tactics as they did in their first game against the champions (where they played three at the back including De Rossi) but I have a feeling that Prandelli will play four at the back in which case Spain will comfortably win the final.

Surprise Team: Portugal (Previously Greece) - Portugal played extremely well which was surprsing as I hadn't really given them a chance against Spain though if they played as well as could be hoped for and still got knocked out maybe they really didn't have a chance!

Final Thoughts - Mario Balotelli is on his way to superstardom if he hasn't reached that peak already but the Italians should use this momentum, even if they do not win the final, to build another World Cup winning side. They have a lot of talent but they also have a fantastic manager, maybe even the best manager in the competition.

Monday 25 June 2012

No Surprises


Best Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Buffon - Made one great save against a clever Glen Johnson shot as well as saving a penalty. Again not a particularly great round for goalkeepers. Thought about giving it to Hart, but he made a couple of mistakes that could have cost England.

Best Defender: Glen Johnson - He has been a revelation this tournament, especially after such a poor World Cup in South Africa. Probably not first choice for the starting line up but having ridden his good luck in future star Kyle Walker's injury, Johnson has had a remarkable championships. Today he was by far the most solid in defence, constantly covering sweeping runs and making Cassano look very average as well as being England's best attacking outlet. I was close to giving this to Coentrao or Alba.

Best Midfielder: Mesut Ozil - Really shone against a shabby Greek team whom Germany must be upset at allowing to score twice. Ozil ran the show this week with his slick passing and close dribbling skills proving too much for the dogged Greeks who put in a Herculean effort to keep Germany to four goals.  

Best Striker: Miroslav Klose - There was no other striker who played well this week. Salpingidis was the next best striker and he was only good when he was moved to the right wing. His movement off the ball was superb and his build up play with the ball was great. His goal was nothing more than what he deserved from this game.

Best Match: England 0 - 0 Italy(p) - The first half of this game was the best half of football that I have seen in a long time without producing a goal. It was end to end, with both teams showcasing the quality players who are at their disposal. The game did turn into a one-sided affair after the break but after Chelsea's triumph in the Champion's League, you could never tell which team was going to go through. Italy thoroughly deserved to go through against a poor England team.

Worst Match: Spain 2 - 0 France - Is their anything to say about this match? I am definitely glad I went to a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert and recorded the game to watch the following day. Spain are a boring side but it is because the opposition feel the need to drop deep and Spain's game is based upon control of possession.

Surprise Player: Marco Reus - I was raving about Reus before the tournament but he seems unable to break into the German starting XI. However Low decided to alter his side to accomodate for the deep defending of the Greeks, giving Reus to showcase the talents which should stand Dortmund in good stead for a while longer. Hopefully he will continue to full fill his potential and break into the starting lineup where he deserves to be ahead of Muller.

Underachieving Player: Ashley Young - An awful performance from a player who is a coward in the face of the pressure of big games. Often found wanting, he has had an awful tournament which has exposed him for the strictly average player that he is. He hasn't got blistering pace and his dribbling skills are not particularly good. He has one asset which is his cross and for that he should have had an assist against Ukraine but it was not to be. Rooney or Cassano could also have been awarded this.

Best Manager: Paulo Bento - The Czech team never looked like they were going to break down this strong Portugese side. Bento played it just right even to the point of replacing Postiga with Almeida rather than Oliveira. Almeida did not play that well but it kept the shape exactly the same allowing Ronaldo to expose what is a weak Czech team.

Team of the Round:
--------------------------Buffon-------------------------
Johnson-------Ramos---------Alves-------Alba
Ronaldo--------Pirlo-----------Alonso--------Ozil
--------------------------Moutinho--------------------
----------------------------Klose-----------------------
Honourable Mentions - Lahm, Koscielny, Coentrao, Reus, Montolivo, De Rossi, Samaras, Salpingidis

Predictions
Golden Boot: Mario Gomez (Unchanged) - I was very annoyed that Gomez did not play against the Greeks as he was a waste in my fantasy team but he should be fresh and sharp against an Italian defence who did not have to deal with much against the English. If Chiellini is still injured, I think the Italians will find it very difficult to stop the mercurial striker from scoring again.

Player of the Tournament: Mesut Ozil (Previously Bastian Schweinsteiger) - He has been phenomenal once more and is playing incredibly well. If Germany are to win this tournament, this is the man to bring the trophy home. Schweinsteiger is playing deeper than I have ever seen him play, with Khedira even venturing further forward than him so Ozil will probably win this award. I think Iniesta or Pirlo are probably his biggest rivals for the award right now. If Hummels has a very good two games, he could be a dark horse for the trophy.

Winners: Spain (Unchanged) - Nothing (apart from Spain being knocked out) will sway me from this opinion. Germany are a fantastic football team and can still grow before the World Cup in Brazil but right now, Spain are the best team in the world by quite a bit.

Surprise Team: Greece (Unchanged) - No team surprised me in this round but the Greeks, after Samaras scored, had the Germans level and looked dangerous on occasion. Maybe the romantic in me wanted the Greeks to go through.

Overperformers: Greece (Unchanged) - Ditto (Unchanged)

Underperformers: England (Previously France) - France played badly once more, but they played badly against a team whom everybody plays badly against. England had a great opportunity to qualify as they were playing an Italian team who was missing their leader at the back in Chiellini and their biggest attacking threat in Giuseppe Rossi. They played overly defensive, looked physically unfit and Roy Hodgson got it wrong again on the big stage. His refusal to play three men in central midfield is ridiculous. It cost Fulham their one chance at glory but he did so well to get them to the final nobody complained which is fair enough. He did not play it at Liverpool and he got sacked as they could not perform to expectations. I am not looking forward to watching England play in the future as they are simply boring and poor.

Final Thoughts - Carrying on my point from above, I believe it is only a matter of time before Brendan Rogers gets handed the job. Instead of Hodgson, I would have preferred Martin O'Neill to take the reins or even someone like David Moyes. In my opinion Hodgson gave us no chance of winning and will continue to give us no chance of winning a trophy at international level as long as they continue to use this abomination of a system which relies on luck to be successful. England have not defended well in this tournament as they have given up chance after chance. The one match where they played well defensively was against France but in hindsight that was not as tough a game as it was thought to be. The Swedes and Spanish showed up France. England were shown up by a non-athletic but intelligent 33 year old superstar. 

Thursday 21 June 2012

European Championships 2012 Group Stage XI

Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas - Has been very good in goal for Spain limiting their opponents to one goal despite there being quite a few openings in the Spanish defence. May have kept his team in the tournament against Croatia with a save from Rakitic's header.



Honourable Mentions - Stipe Pletikosa, Gigi Buffon

Right Back:  Theodor Gabre Selassie - Never afraid to overlap down the right, giving the Czechs a great outlet and allowing Jiracek to cut inside and cause problems. The unsung hero of the Czech team. I could have gone for Srna but he played in midfield against Spain, so I opted for Selassie.



Honourable Mentions - Dario Srna

Centre Back: Mats Hummels - Confident in possession and excellent in the tackle. What more could you want from a defender. He is the complete centre back, Pique with a German attitude and defensive ability. I think it will only be a matter of time before he is recognised as the world's best centre back. Bayern Munich must be kicking themselves for letting such a player leave to their biggest rivals for a mere £7 million.



Centre Back: Pepe - If he had played like this for Real Madrid, I think Madrid would have won the treble. He has had a magnificent tournament so far and if he carries on in this fashion, I would not rule Portugal out as a potential winner. Had a shot bounce back off the crossbar and goal line in the first game but got his goal in the second. He has been a warrior at the back too, with a last ditch tackle against the Dutch when the Portuguese needed him the most.



Honourable Mentions - Daniel Agger, John 'Braveheart' Terry (It pains me to put him in here), Olaf Mellberg

Left Back: Fabio Coentrao - Unbelievable in attack, almost a European and left back version of Dani Alves without the blistering pace. So not particularly like him but you get the idea. Bombs down the flank allowing Cristiano Ronaldo to do his thing. These performances might give Marcelo some worries, especially as Mourniho has been in Poland watching the games with his son.



Honourable Mentions - Sebastian Boenisch

Right Midfield: Alan Dzagoev - He has come of age in a tournament where his nation have been eliminated at the first hurdle. Such a shame for a goalscoring winger with great potential. Could one day make an impact on the continental stage with a big club.



Honourable Mentions - Nani, David Silva

Central Midfield: Steven Gerrard - Finally he has stepped up big time at a tournament. Maybe he can only play on teams with limited talent (see Champions League Final 2005), but his crossing has been a delight plus he has remained tactically aware throughout except for the Samir Nasri goal. It is looking good for England as long as Rooney hits a bit of form.



Central Midfield: Andres Iniesta - Hasn't stood out in my opinion in any of the games but has been consistently performing throughout the tournament. Could be a dark horse for Player of the Tournament. This would have gone to Wesley Sneijder but I did not think he played very well down the left against Portugal in the final game of the tournament.



Honourable Mentions - Wesley Sneijder, Andrea Pirlo, Daniele De Rossi (Wasn't really sure whether to put him in the midfielder slot or the defensive slots)

Left Midfield: Andrei Arshavin - Arsene Wenger must be wondering what he has to do to get Arshavin to perform like this in North London. He would improve any team in the world with this kind of form but still it was not enough to get the Russians out of the easiest group in the competition. Could have had something to do with Advocaat already having a job lined up.



Honourable Mentions - Nobody came close to Arshavin in my opinion but Michael Krohn-Dehli would have been my second choice.

Striker: Zlatan Ibrahimovic - In my opinion he has easily been the best player in the tournament so far. Dragged a very average Swedish team to nearly qualify. Scored a phenomenal goal against France and always looked to use the ball well.



Striker: Mario Gomez - Scored three goals in the competition so far and must surely be odds on to receive the Golden Boot. If he had showed this kind of form in the semi finals and final of the Champions' League, Bayern would have won it by a country mile. Drogba must be looking on with glee.



Honourable Mentions - Mario Mandzukic, Nicklas Bendtner

Wednesday 20 June 2012

Surprises Galore!!


Best Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas - Had a very solid game for Spain, and just like in South Africa, he has kept Spain in the game when they play poorly. One of the best goalkeepers to every play the game. I also considered Pletikosa, Isaksson and Cech.

Best Defender: Joao Pereira - Defended well against Sneijder, who didn't look good enough to dribble past Pereira. He was a threat down the right when he ventured forward and provided Ronaldo with a pass that Xavi would be proud of. This could also have gone to Pepe or Papasthathopoulos.

Best Midfielder: Giorgios Karagounis - Perhaps my favourite performance of the whole tournament so far. I should be giving this to Ronaldo, but I feel like Ronaldo should have scored more goals. Karagounis showed the passion that is necessary to lead your country, something I have always been critical of Steven Gerrard. He scored a goal, should have had a penalty and ended up nearly being sent off. The substitution was a wise one but I expect he will play a huge part in Greece's progression throughout the knockouts. Fully deserving of his record-equalling 120th cap.

Best Striker: Zlatan Ibrahimovic - Just a classy striker. Scored a phenomenal goal and played some great touches across the pitch for Sweden on a day when they dominated a very flat and average French team. It is a shame that he is going out because clearly this Sweden team has more drive than their French counterparts. 

Best Match: Portugal 2 - 1 Netherlands - This was a spectacle from the Portugese who did not lose faith when Rafael van der Vaart scored a wondergoal but instead responded with an attacking force which on this day blew the Dutch away. Blistering counters with Coentrao, Ronaldo and Nani killed a defence which was there for the taking especially as van Bommel had been dropped. A very entertaining game.

Worst Match: Italy 2 - 0 Ireland - I did not think that any of the matches were boring but this match had the feel of a dead rubber. Hopefully Italy perform this badly against England.

Surprise Player: Lars Bender - I did not know that the defensive midfielder could play at right back so comfortably, but he was able to fill in Jerome Boateng's boots quite easily. He won every single aerial duel and was able to captalise on a rare wayward pass by Mesut Ozil to cap his performance off with a good goal.

Underachieving Player: Robin van Persie - Another awful performance. I think he should seriously consider his international future after confirming that he is a player who just seems as if he will never produce within the pressure of international football.

Best Manager: Slavan Bilic - I think this is the first time that I am giving this award to a losing manager, especially one that is being knocked out after this loss but Croatia played to a high level and perhaps deserved to go through. He was unlucky as a manager after making every single decision correctly, that Iker Casillas put in a great performance and his team were wasteful in front of goal. I hope Bilic does well at Locomotiv Moscow so that he can move to a good team and showcase his talents across Europe.

Team of the Round:
--------------------------Casillas-------------------------
Pereira-------Pepe---------Papasthathopoulos----Selin
Larsson-----Karagounis--------Modric------------Ronaldo
-----------------Ibrahimovic---------Cassano------------------
Honourable Mentions - Isaksson, Bender, Agger, Melberg, Coentrao, Pirlo, Kallstrom, Nani, Samaras

Predictions
Golden Boot: Mario Gomez (Previously Cesc Fabregas) - Gomez is the only player with three goals who remains in the competition and with the likes of Ozil and Schweinsteiger behind him, he looks set to add to his great goalscoring season. Also he is playing Greece next whom Germany should be able to rip apart. Obviously if Ronaldo hits top form he could end up scoring by the bucket load but I think Gomez might run away with it.

Player of the Tournament: Bastian Schweinsteiger (Unchanged) - He did not have the best of games against Denmark but I still think he is a shoe in for this award. If he performs like we all know he is capable of he might be able to lead a losing generation of Germans to victory. Normally the group stages do not affect decisions towards awards of this nature.

Winners: Spain (Unchanged) - It is difficult to see Spain playing worse than they did against Croatia yet they still won and ended up topping the group. This seems to set them up for a relatively easy route to the final, firstly against France and then most likely against Portugal in the semi finals.

Surprise Team: Greece (Previously Croatia) - I am shocked that they were able to defeat a talented Russian team but it was like travelling through a time tunnel all the way back to 2004. Hopefully they will able to produce a similar display against the Germans.

Overperformers: Greece (Previously Poland) - Ditto

Underperformers: France (Previously Ireland) - This was a display that lacked enthusiasm or pride. I cannot believe that they allowed themselves to be overrun by a Swedish side which is quite average. The Dutch were abject at times but played well enough in spurts that I gave this award to the French. In hindsight, they were very lucky to get through the group stages.

Saturday 16 June 2012

Euros 2012 - Round Two of the Group Stage


Another great round of games completed, here our your awards:

Best Goalkeeper: Andriy Pyatov - Made a string of good saves and kept Ukraine in the game for the most part though he was aided by some poor French finishing. Could have given it to Malafeev as well.

Best Defender: Alvaro Arbeloa - Arbeloa is normally not a full back who will maraud down the flanks but against the Irish he was phenomenally good. The Irish were awful and Arbeloa took full advantage, always getting open to recieve passes from the best midfielders in the world. Hummels, Strinic and Selassie played very well too.

Best Midfielder: Bastian Scweinsteiger - Dubbed 'The Brain' by Jogi Low, Schweinsteiger passed the ball as well as I have ever seen him. He made a few good tackles and set up Gomez for both of his goals. The Dutch could not cope with the time and space that Schweinsteiger made for himself, even when they had two holding midfielders on the pitch. Silva was obviously incredible as was every single Spainsh player. Nani, Arshavin, Dzagoev, Obraniak, Walcott and the whole French midfield also played extremely well. This was a tough award to give out this week. Cabaye could have won the award but seemed to let the game pass him by at times, as with most of the French players.

Best Striker: Fernando Torres - As always, he worked extremely hard off the ball which worked out brilliantly for the Spanish as he nipped in front of the lumbering Irish line to collect the ball after Dunne had made a good tackle and slot the ball straight above Given's head. He was always a threat and should have probably scored more but I still think he looked like he was lacking in confidence. Two goals will do him a world of good and hopefully he can start performing again to an elite level. Mario Gomez, Niklas Bendtner and Karim Benzema also played very well, especially Benzema who showed that he can play to a high level even when he does not score as he set up both French goals.

Best Match: Sweden 2 - 3 England - Maybe I am being slightly bias here because I could have so easily gone for the Denmark - Portugal game, but there were too many moments in this game to mention. The comeback from England was immense and to be honest, I did not think they had it in them. Fantastic fighting spirit could mean that the England bandwagon is starting to roll!

Worst Match: Ukraine 0 - 2 France - The weather conditions did not help this match as it was suspended for an hour and then resumed without the players having a warm up. Thus I felt the first half was pretty hard to watch. The French dominated the game and should have won by a more comfortable margin but I think they will be happy with their overall performance. Again, the Euros have produced a very good tournament with no truly bad matches.

Surprise Player: Ludovic Obraniak - The Bordeaux player surprised me, not because he played well, but because he played well whilst going up against a good right back in Anyukov. He made Anyukov look very average and clocked an assist in the process. 

Underachieving Player: Petr Cech - A few players could have taken this award but for one of the world's greatest keepers to keep on dropping clangers in the European Championships (see 2008) is unbelievable. Hopefully he will step up his game as with Rosicky injured, he is now Czech Republic's best hope for staying in the Euro's against co-hosts Poland.

Best Manager: Slavan Bilic - Bilic has produced yet another strong Croatian team who stuck by their principles in the wake of a strong Italian team. Having four in midfield (though Mandzukic can drop back when necessary) at the start of the game against the five Italian midfielders was a gamble but it looks to have succeeded in giving them a good chance of sneaking through ahead of the Italians, especially if another 2-2 draw occurs like in 2004.
Team of the Round:
--------------------------Pyatov-------------------------
Selassie----Hummels--------- Pique---------Strinic
Silva-----Schweinsteiger-------Ozil---------Arshavin
-----------------Torres-------------Bendtner--------------
Honourable Mentions - Srna, Mexes, Melberg, Pepe, Coentrao, Cabye, Nani, Benzema, Gomez and Any Spanish Player

Predictions
Golden Boot: Cesc Fabregas (Previously Antonio Di Natale) - I think that my choice of Di Natale last week might have been a romantic one. Cesc could be the top scorer especially as Spain should go far in the competition but he faces stiff competition from Mario Gomez and Alan Dzagoev. If Torres hits top form at the right time, he too could challenge for the Golden Boot.

Player of the Tournament: Bastian Schweinsteiger (Previously Cesc Fabregas) - If Fabregas is reduced to a starring role from the bench then I think this is Schweinsteiger's tournament to grab with both hands though I can see Mesut Ozil winning this award too.

Winners: Spain (Unchanged) - I do not see how any team could have enough of the ball to beat such a talented group of players. Also, with Ramos at centre-back instead of the injured Pujol and Jordi Alba the new left back, they are much more athletic in defence. There are teams that can challenge Spain as shown by their draw against Italy but I still feel as if they weren't playing to their best as they dismantled a very poor Ireland team.

Surprise Team: Croatia (Previously Denmark) - Croatia stand a good chance of qualifying, especially if Spain rest some players in their final group game. Italy are still favourites to qualify but Croatia have given themselves an excellent chance of knocking Italy out of the tournament.

Overperformers: Poland (Previously Ukraine) - I am choosing the other co-host this week after they fought back against Russia to equalise and then push on to go for the win. Unfortunately they were unable to get three points, but they certainly showed that Czech Republic will have a tough game on their hands.

Underperformers: Ireland (Unchanged) - Could have chosen the Dutch again this week, but at least they have a chance of qualifying. This was embarrassing. Ireland did not look as if they had a game plan and even if they did, it unravelled in four minutes with a Torres goal. Spain were not just infinitely more talented, but it looked as if they were more hungry too. Traps has done a good job at Ireland but this tournament will have tarnished his reputation and there may be some big calls for him to step down despite the long contract that he has just signed.

Final Thoughts - This has been a great tournament so far, no boring matches and all the teams, excluding Ireland and maybe Greece, look as if they feel as though they can qualify. There have been some matches with negative tactics but these matches have still been exciting and I cannot wait until the last games of the group stages. Every game seems to have something riding on it and with match ups like Netherlands - Portugal and Spain - Croatia, we could be in for a treat.

Tuesday 12 June 2012

Euros 2012 Kicks Off With A Bang! Awards for the first set of games.


The Euros have been fantastic so far, there have been so many different types of exciting matches. Here are my awards for the first round of matches, in a similar fashion to that of World Cup 2010.

Best Goalkeeper: Stephan Andersen - No goalkeeper really stood out but Andersen made a few saves to keep a clean sheet and give Denmark an improbable win. 

Best Defender: Matts Hummels - After a couple of nervy touches at the start of the match, Hummels showed his true ability showing why he is the best centre-back in the Bundesliga. His on the ball ability is similar to that of Pique (though not quite as good) but his defending is much better than Pique ensuring that Germany can become an even better team in the future. This is his tournament to secure a starting role in the team that will be his for years to come.

Best Midfielder: Andrei Arshavin - It was a tough choice between Arshavin and Dzagoev for this award but I gave to Arshavin as he was a constant threat to the Czechs. His dribbling was mesmerising at times and his creativity really showed in the match.

Best Striker: Zlatan Ibrahimovic - Looked like one man on a pitch of boys. His touch was impeccable especially when he teed Elmander up for a last minuted chance. He took his goal well and should have scored another where he hit the post. Unfortunately for him, it looks as if Sweden will be exiting the tournament.

Best Match: Spain 1 - 1 Italy - Probably the pick of the matches, both teams exuded class both on and off the ball. I actually though that Italy were the better team and that Spain only really started playing properly once Italy had scored.

Worst Match: France 1 - 1 England - It was a decent game but there have not been any poor games in the tournament so far. This game seemed to die midway through the second half when England fatigued to a level where you would have thought their players to be amateur and both teams seemed to accept the draw as a result.

Surprise Player: Dimitris Salpangidis - He came on as a substitute but seemed to catalyse a Greek offensive in the second half which turned the game upon its head. Scored a goal and won a penalty, which he also celebrated as if he had scored a goal, should have had a winning impact on the game.


Underachieving Player: Robin Van Persie - Couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat; he was awful. He should have scored several times but I think it is time that the Dutch accept that Van Persie is a player who just, for no apparant reason, does not replicate his club form for country. Lionel Messi has been accused of this too, though recently he seems to have turned a new leaf with Argentina. Perhaps it was when El Diego left as manager of the country! 

Best Manager: Morton Olsson - The Danes were fantastic, though on another day, they could have quite easily conceded many goals but they came across Wesly Sneijder in top form. They managed to grab a win against the Dutch and could now be the surprise team to come out of 'The Group of Death'.

Team of the Round:
--------------------------Andersen-------------------------
Debuchy----Hummels--------- Agger---------Zhirkov
Dzagoev-----Sneijder-------De Rossi---------Arshavin
---------------Ibrahimovic------Shevchenko----------------
Honourable Mentions - Selassie, Chiellini, Lescott, Gerrard, Pirlo, Manzukovic, Salpangidis

Predictions
Golden Boot: Di Natale - If Klose is injured and Jogi Loew does not feel comfortable enough to start him then the Golden Boot is probably up for grabs. Kerzhakov, Van Persie and Huntelaar had a torrid time in their first game giving the opportunity to somebody else to grab. Gomez, Fabregas and Dzagoev are all possibilities as are the aforementioned strikers who did not perform to their maximum potential.

Player of the Tournament: Fabregas - Cesc Fabregas has lived in the shadows of both Xavi and Iniesta when representing Spain but I think that this might be the tournament for him to shine in, especially if Spain do not play a striker making him their best goalscorer in their starting XI.

Winners: Spain - Although many teams performed very well, I still feel as if Spain could play a lot better than they did. Italy, Germany and perhaps Russia could challenge but I do not think anybody has the talent levels of Spain.

Surprise Team: Denmark - I knew they had qualified ahead of Portugal but they were drawn in 'The Group of Death' and I did not think they had it in them to finish in the top two. However, after their performance against the Dutch, they must surely be favourites to qualify second after Germany.

Overperformers: Ukraine - They played with attacking vigour, passing the ball around with purpose and dribbling with good direction. However they seem heavily relient on Shevchenko to finish their chances but he isn't a young man any more and could find it tough to keep up all the running over the whole tournament. 

Underperformers: Ireland - I could have picked the Swedes or the Dutch but I was bitterly disappointed to see the Irish let in three sloppy goals against a Croatian team who whilst technically more talented, did not seem to create clear cut goal scoring opportunities. The Swedes were also very poor, if any of their players had performed to half the level of Ibrahimovic, they probably would have beaten an average Ukrainian team. Netherlands will still be a stern test for both Germany and Portugal.

Final Thoughts - This has been a throughly entertaining tournament so far and I hope that it continues in a similar vein. Portugal looked much better after Germany scored and should probably start with Oliviera instead of Postiga. Van Persie was awful but luckily for him, Huntelaar missed several chances when he came on the pitch so I do not think he will be dropped but I wouldn't be surprised to see Huntelaar come into the starting lineup. 

Come on England!!!

Monday 16 April 2012

World Cup Awards, The Highs and Lows


Best Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas - Was phenomenal in the knock outs, not letting in a goal despite Spain's leaky defence giving opposition players more chances than he would have wanted.

Best Defender: Sergio Ramos - Ramos played his heart out, attacking with vigour whilst remaining robust (for the most part) at the back. Was allowed to roam forward due to the effectiveness of both Busquets and Alonso.

Best Midfielder: Bastien Schweinsteiger  - Was the best midfielder in the competition by a country mile. Can he pass the ball like Xavi or Iniesta? No, but his all round play was breath taking. He never stopped working and was Germany's Engine room throughout the tournament.

Best Striker: Diego Forlan - The talent and potential that got him the move to Manchester United all those years ago has finally been realised at this tournament. He has been one of Europe's best marksman for quite some time now, but this tournament is where he has shown himself to be truly world class. Fantastic performance from a man who has been the focal point of his national team for a long time now, and finally has great players around him.

Best Match: Uruguay 1(p) - 1 Ghana - This match was played by two of the more exciting teams in the competition and had contraversial decisions as well as a penalty shootout. World Cup drama was at its peak during this match.

Worst Match: England 0 - 0 Algeria - Like I said previously, this is the worst match of football that I have ever seen. Not much more to say about this match, it bores me just thinking about it.

Surprise Player: Thomas Müller - Everyone could see his talent but to finish with the Golden Boot was astonishing for a player who had only played one season of elite level football. He is one to watch for the future, perhaps a more athletic Miroslav Klose.

Best Manager: Bert van Marwijk - Van Marwijk has produced a masterpiece in tactics to get the Dutch, who have some of the most talented attacking players in the world but not a great defence, to another World Cup final. I thought they edged the final but poor finishing and great goalkeeping by Casillas stopped them from reaching the heights that only they would have thought possible before the tournament. They played to their strengths having van Bommel and De Jong breaking up play before passing the ball to the uber-talented Robben, van Persie and Sneijder who duly delivered in offensive passages of play. I think this team will struggle without a good left back and an aging van Bommel.

Team of the Tournament:
---------------------- Casillas -----------------------
Ramos-------Lugano--------- Friedrich ---- Coentrao
Müller--Schweinsteiger-------Xavi------------Iniesta
---------------Forlan----------Villa-------------------

Honourable Mentions - Paston, M. Pereira, Nakazawa, Fucile, Rios, Busquets, Alonso, Özil, Sneijder, Klose, Vittek

Golden Boot: Thomas Müller - Played to an outstanding level this summer and deserves this accolade as much as anyone. I thought that Forlan or Villa would edge him out, but Müller grabbed his opportunities with both hands. What could have been had he not mysteriously missed out on the semi finals.

Player of the Tournament: Diego Forlan - Forlan was phenomenal, he was the creative hub of the team as well as the target man. His long range shooting was a joy to behold as well as his set pieces. He worked hard for Uruguay and helped them to reach the dizzying heights of the semis. Don't be surprised to see him move to one of the big clubs in either Spain or Italy as a short term option.

Surprise Team: Slovakia - No one gave them a chance of qualifying but they came up big against Italy and withstood a lot of pressure towards the end of the game. They also played very well against Holland, this country may be able to qualify for the Euro 2012 and attempt to prove that this was no fluke.

Overperformers: Netherlands - Lacking in a lot of squad depth and also a great defence, they defied the odds and reached the final thanks to great team spirit and immensely talented midfielders (and van Persie).

Underperformers: France - There were three big teams which collapsed during these championships: Italy, England and France. Italy were reigning world champions and came last in a very easy group comprised of Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia. England managed to qualify from their group but came second to USA meaning they would have to face an on-fire German team whom they duly lost to. However France were a team that great things were expected of. They have a very talented squad with great depth and the experience having been in the final just four years ago. However they bickered between themselves and generally looked disinterested in qualifying from the tournament. France still have very talented players and I think they will look to bring in a very strong character to lead this team such as Deschamps or Blanc.

Congratulations Spain, you've done it!!


These awards are for players in the Final and the 3/4 Playoff:

Best Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas - Captain Fantastic led from the front (or back in this case), making many outstanding saves. He was Spain's best player on the day and fully deserves to be a World Cup winning captain, coming big when it mattered the most.

Best Defender: Sergio Ramos - Had Dirk Kuyt in his back pocked the whole match. Never looked like being beaten and made a couple of threatening moves down the right. His best game of the tournament.

Best Midfielder: Arjen Robben - I considered three people for this award (Robben, Fabregas and van Bommel) but decided that Robben's dribbling and runs behind the defence were more effective than any of the other players. Van Bommel played magnificently to keep Xavi locked up, whilst Fabregas was a real difference maker coming off the bench. It could have gone to any of the three. The only knock against Robben was that he should have finished better and definitely should have won Netherlands their first World Cup. He was also clearly impeded by Carlos Puyol when he broke free of the Spanish defence.

Best Striker: Diego Forlan - Secured his place as the best player in this tournament with a magnificent display despite being hampered by a thigh strain. Scored a fantastic volley, whilst teeing up several players without them finishing. Almost equalised with another fantastic free kick at the death.

Best Match: Uruguay 2 - 3 Germany - Normally the 3/4 playoff is an awful match with both teams wishing they were allowed to simply go home, but this year we had two teams who really went at each other. A fun game to watch with some players who may never get a bigger stage to display their talents.

Worst Match: Netherlands 0 - 1 Spain - Netherlands ran Spain very close, and whilst lucky to still have eleven men on the pitch at the start, I think they shaded the game and probably deserved to win on the day. Heitinga was unlucky to be sent off but he had played very well up to that point, stifling all Spanish attacks. Had it not been for a magnificent Casillas, Spain would have lost this game.

Surprise Player: Xavi Hernandez - This is a man that I always expect greatness from, but today on the biggest occassion in his life, he failed to deliver leaving Netherlands wondering what could have been. He was stopped by an amazing Mark van Bommel and often looked out of sorts. His passing was still accurate but he was not able to dictate the tempo of the game and look for incisive through balls like he usually does.

Best Manager: Bert van Marwijk - van Marwijk did a phenomenal job in setting his team up just like Jose Mourinho did against Barcelona. He had his two holding midfielders with Wesley Sneijder just infront. I thought his big mistake was playing Dirk Kuyt, who is a good player but I do not think he is as good as Elia on the break. Netherlands played better than I thought they could ever do and almost did the impossible.

Team of the Round:
---------------------- Casillas --------------------
Ramos------Friedrich--------- Pique ------ Fucile
Robben----van Bommel------Fabregas----Iniesta
---------------Forlan---------Müller------------