Liverpool employed it throughout much of Rafa Benitez’s reign at the club and Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan won the Champions League with it. Now, World Cup teams are finding success by employing 2 holding midfielders in a 4-5-1 / 4-3-3 formation, or variations of it such as 4-2-3-1.
Spain, Holland, Germany, Ghana, Argentina and Brazil to name a few – are all teams that have made it through to the late stages of the World Cup, with similar line-ups.
Looks like the days of 4-4-2 are numbered… maybe that’s why we no longer find glorious “strike partnerships” of the past such as Romario-Bebeto, Sutton-Shearer and Cole-Yorke?
Posted on Saturday, July 10th, 2010 with 0 Comments »
Lim Teong Kim, former Malaysian footballer and current assistant coach of Bayern Munich Under-19. Image via The Star.
As 20-year old Thomas Muller ran riot in Germany’s matches against England and Argentina at the World Cup, not many know that it was a Malaysian who had a hand in his rapid rise to stardom.
Enter Lim Teong Kim, former Malaysian international and currently an assistant coach at Bayern Munich’s Under-19 team. Lim was Malaysia’s first footballer to ply his trade in Europe for Hertha Berlin in 1987.
During his playing days, Lim also helped Malaysia to winning the SEA Games gold in 1989 (Malaysia then took another 20 years to win it again, in 2009).
Lim’s take on Thomas Muller and Holger Badstuber, another graduate of Bayern’s youth system that saw success in South Africa:
“Muller was not as gifted as some of his teammates in the youth teams but he made it big because of his dedication to training and matches. This is the same case with Badstuber.”
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Earlier this year, the New Straits Times had also done an interview with Lim Teong Kim, picking his thoughts on developing Malaysian football in general. Worth a read, the opinions of a man who’s career is at the top of the footballing pyramid.
Here’s another one from the Star, back in 2007 but sadly, nothing much has changed in Malaysian football.
When football is still the same here after so many years, how can we expect to see any changes to the game or standard? Why criticise the present batch of players and keep banging them on their heads for failures when no one cares for the development of the game?
Posted on Wednesday, July 7th, 2010 with 0 Comments »
Cristiano Ronaldo in Nike's "Write the Future" ad. Image via Nike Football.
They were supposed to have been heroes – honoured with knighthood, immortalized in statues, and have babies named after them.
Unfortunately for the players that starred in Nike’s “Write the Future” ad, they will all be heading home from South Africa on an early flight – if they made it there in the first place.
Notable names in the ad which had “field action” include Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba, Italy’s Fabio Cannavaro, England’s Wayne Rooney and Theo Walcott, France’s Franck Ribery, Brazil’s Ronaldinho, and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo.
They either got injured prior to the World Cup, failed to maketheir squads, or were booted out early. England was trashed 4-1 by Germany in the 2nd round. Italy could not get their gears running, while France imploded spectacularly. Both failed to make it out of their relatively easy groups.
Even Roger Federer, shown chasing ping pong balls against Rooney, ran out of luck in Wimbledon, getting knocked out in the quarter-finals.
About the only “successful” star is basketball player Kobe Bryant. Kobe recently won his fifth NBA title.
Update 03 July 2010: On Tuesday, Nike released another “Write the Future” version, this time featuring a stand-alone Robinho. Barely days later, Robinho scored for Brazil against Holland, but they were knocked out 2-1.
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The adidas ad, on the other hand, although with less fanfare than Nike’s, seem to be kinder to its players. Both Leo Messi (Argentina) and David Villa (Spain) have played starring roles for their teams so far, and they still have a chance of lifting the World Cup.
Posted on Friday, July 2nd, 2010 with 2 Comments »
Here’s a surprising truth: neither Sepp Blatter nor FIFA hold full power in setting the games’ regulations. Instead, any decisions to amend the rules, such as backpasses, yellow cards and penalties are voted on by FIFA together with its partner, the International FA Board (IFAB), in a long-standing tradition that has lasted since 1904.
What’s IFAB, you ask?
The IFAB is a separate entity (formed even before FIFA) that consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Yup, you read that right. A country that was comprehensively booted out of South Africa, and three that could not even qualify for the Euros, let alone the World Cup, have the powers to set the Laws of the Game that affect the entire footballing world, including the likes of Brazil, Argentina, Germany and Italy.
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Why Football Is The Number One Sport In The World
On the other side of the coin, it is worth remembering that FIFA’s seemingly archaic style has also played a very important role in maintaining football as the world’s most played and loved sport.
That means weekend heroes like you and me, and the 10 year old kids playing for their schools, can all play the same game as the pros do – measured by the same rules.
There is no need for countdown timers (NBA basketball), special equipment (hockey, badminton) or additional referees (American football) to play the sport.
Introducing goal line technology would mean a separate set of rules for those who can afford it (wealthier leagues like BPL or Serie A), and everyone else. Surely, that will be against the spirit of the game?
Furthermore – where do you draw the line once it’s implemented? Use it for offsides? Handballs? Can the videos be tampered with? What happens if the technology is – gasp – faulty?
As it is, I get twitchy waiting for the football to resume every time players get fouled. I cannot imagine waiting an eternity of 2-minute pauses for every ten played – as referees walk to the cameraman, watches the replay, and considers a decision. I’d have more entertainment watching Twilight reruns!
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The Beauty of Controversy
Let’s face it – Maradona would not be as legendary without his Hand of God in 1986. The England-Germany rivalry would not be as intense without 1966′s “did it go in or not” incident.
50 years from now, most will not remember that Matthew Upson was the scorer of England’s solitary goal in their 4-1 defeat to Germany. Many will not even remember that Thomas Muller, all of 20 years old, contributed 2 for the Germans.
In 2060, what will people remember and still talk about? Frank Lampard’s disallowed goal.
Because it’s the beauty of controversy.
Posted on Tuesday, June 29th, 2010 with 0 Comments »
Update 19 July 2010: Congratulations to Spain, worthy winners of the World Cup in an underwhelming Final!
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As quickly as it arrived, the World Cup group games are all over. Here’s the updated schedule for all the knock-out matches, in Malaysian time.
Round of 16
June 26, Saturday
URU v KOR (2-1)
June 27, Sunday
USA v GHA (1-2)
GER v ENG (4-1)
June 28, Monday
ARG v MEX (3-1)
NED v SVK (2-1)
June 29, Tuesday
BRA v CHI (3-0)
PAR v JPN (0-0, 5-3 pen)
June 30, Wednesday
ESP v POR (1-0)
Quarter-finals
July 02, Friday NED v BRA (2-1)
July 03, Saturday URU v GHA (1-1, 4-2 pen)
ARG v GER (0-4 wtf!)
July 04, Sunday PAR v ESP (0-1)
Semi-finals
July 07, Wednesday URU v NED (2-3)
July 08, Thursday GER v ESP (0-1)
Third/Fourth
GER v URU (3-2)
Grand Final
NED v ESP (0-1)
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The full games schedules, also in Malaysian timing, is also available as an Excel file download from Gvishnu.com.
Note:
* All dates and times are correct according to sources from FIFA, SoccerNet and Astro. The author will take no responsibility over incorrect times, missed games, and moneys lost. If you are unsure, check with your bookie!
* By Malaysian timing, it does not mean that the games will start 45 minutes later!
England looked dead certs last night to roar into the World Cup knockout stages after landing their easiest ever group. Their unfancied opponents helped to spell out England’s “EASY” task – Algeria, Slovenia and the Yanks.
Why are the last matches in the World Cup groups played at the same time, you wonder?
To avoid games like the ones below, considered amongst the most disgraceful soccer matches to have taken place when teams already knew in advance of the results required.
1. West Germany vs Austria, 1982 World Cup
It was the last game of the group, and a 1-0 or 2-0 win for West Germany in their game against Austria would see both teams qualify to the next round. After West Germany took the lead, both teams started passing the ball around aimlessly for the next 80 minutes.
Algeria was the unfortunate victim, getting knocked out on goal difference despite having beaten West Germany in an earlier group game.
German ARD commentator Eberhard Stanjek at one point refused to comment on the game any longer. Austrian commentator Robert Seeger bemoaned the spectacle and actually requested that the viewers should switch off their television sets. Likewise, many spectators were not impressed and voiced their disgust with the players. Chants of “Fuera, fuera” (“Out, out”) were screamed by the appalled Spanish crowd, while angry Algerian supporters waved banknotes at the players. The match was criticized even by the German and Austrian fans who had hoped for a hot rematch of the 1978 World Cup match, in which Austria had beaten West Germany; one German fan burned the national flag in protest.
This game is believed to have prompted FIFA to change the rules in the fixtures of all future World Cup tournaments.
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2. Indonesia vs Thailand, 1998 Tiger Cup
Closer to home, Indonesia and Thailand have already qualified for the Tiger Cup semi-finals, coming into their last group game. Controversy ensued as both wanted to avoid victory which would pit them against hosts Vietnam.
As the score stood at 2-2 entering injury time, Indonesian defender Mursyid Effendi fires home an own goal from close range despite the Thai players’ attempts at defending Indonesia’s goal!
Justice was swiftly served as neither team managed to make it into the finals. Thailand lost to Vietnam, and Indonesia lost to eventual winners Singapore in the semi-finals.
Effendi was subsequently banned from football for life, and both teams were fined US$40,000 for “violating the spirit of the game”.
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3. Barbados vs Grenada, 1994 Shell Caribbean Cup
And while we’re on the subject of disgraceful football games, this one should take the cake, due in part to the strange “score one get two” tournament rule for goals scored in extra time.
Shell Caribbean Cup final group game, and Barbabos needed to win by 2 clear goals against Grenada to enter the final. Bizarrely enough, the tournament organizers decided on a no-draw policy in the matches, and draws would lead into extra time, where a goal scored was worth double.
Barbados was leading 2-1 late into the game and running out of time to score a third, so they decided to score an own goal to bring the game to a 2-2 draw. Thus, extra time where a goal means they win 4-2, and they would go thru!
Realizing this ploy, Grenada rallied to score a goal before the 90 minutes was up – at any end! Comedy ensues as players got confused over whether to attack or defend.
3. Researchers warn that fans risk permanent damage to their hearing due to the high decibels produced by the instrument which is higher than those of drums and chainsaws.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa will go down in history as the most Facebooked and Twittered on the social media. If you are one of the few unfortunate souls who have no love for football, you have my condolences trying to stay away from it all.
