SWOT Analysis of England Football Team, FIFA WC Brazil – 2014

Courtesy: www.telegraph.co.uk

SQUAD: GKs- Joe Hart, Fraser Forster, Ben Foster

  DFs- Glen Johnson, Leighton Baines, Luke Shaw, Gary Cahill, Phil Jagielka, Chris Smalling, Phil     Jones

 MFs- Steven Gerrard(C), Frank Lampard, Jack Wilshere, Jordan Henderson, Ross Barkley,  Raheem Sterling, Adam Lallana, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner

 FWs- Wayne Rooney, Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck, Rickie Lambert

MANAGER: Roy Hodgson

STRENGTH (S): English teams are filled with incredible individual talents. True that. For decades now, that’s the one thing that has always been said about England and this time also it’s true. England has some of the best young talents in this year’s World Cup along with some really good seasoned campaigners like Hart, Gerrard, Lampard and Rooney. If Roy Hodgson is willing to take some risks and start with the likes of Jones, Shaw, Sterling and Barkley, this English side could be a treat to watch. England’s obvious strength lies in their attack. With Rooney and Sturridge up-front, they have two players who can make any defence look silly. The interesting thing will be to see who plays on the flanks. With Oxlade-Chamberlain injured, it looks likely that we will see Lallana and Sterling in the flanks which guarantees pace, creativity and excitement and yes goals as well. If English attack clicks, they are sure to go a long way in this tournament.

WEAKNESS (W): Defence. Yes, it still looks a bit raw. Hodgson decided to ditch experienced defenders like Terry and Ferdinand for youngsters like Jones and Smalling. Will the gamble pay off, the next few weeks will tell us that. But for now, it’s a glaring weakness which opponents will surely look to cash upon. The other thing is, no one really know what’s England’s best XI. A lot will depend on the individuals who are selected on the given day. The players come from a variety of clubs with each club having a different philosophy and style and that has been England’s scourge for years now. How will they gel as a team on the world’s biggest stage still remains a mystery!!

OPPORTUNITY (O): This is perhaps for the first time that the expectations from the England football team aren’t sky high. Being in the ‘Group of Death’, there are many observers who believe that England won’t even get past the group stages. And perhaps this lack of expectation is a boon in disguise. Over the years English players have had to deal with lots of pressure and expectations and perhaps the lack of it this time might bring the best out of them. If they manage to get out of the group stage unscathed it might go a long way in boosting their morale. With momentum on their side and the confidence of getting out of such a tough group might do wonders for the player’s psyche. And then who knows what will follow. Fingers crossed. This might also be Steven Gerrard’s last hurrah at the world stage and for a player who has given so much back to the game, he has got really meagre returns. It’s an opportunity for him as well to end his career on a high and he would be itching to lift the coveted trophy. Maybe this time, it will be the Captain’s Day Out.

THREATS (T): Italy, Uruguay, Costa Rica and England. It is literally the ‘Group of Death’. England’s biggest challenge will be to get through to the 2^nd round. And they would need a lot of luck for that. Thesedays, a quiet popular joke on internet is that England don’t need to fear penalty shoot-out this time. They will be out of the tournament well before that. Injuries are another big threat for England. It looks like Oxlade-Chamberlain is out of the tournament even before it begins and with no wide player on the standby, the wings already feel lighter. Jack Wilshere and Phil Jagielka are also quiet injury prone and if they get injured that might prove fatal for England’s plans as well.

Finally, if England hopes to do well in the tournament a lot will depend on the performance of two individuals, Wayne Rooney and Joe Hart. If they bring their A-game, every other team needs to fear England. If not, it will go on the expected lines, England will be out of the tournament even before it actually begins.

PREDICTED XI: Hart(GK), Johnson, Baines, Cahill, Jagielka, Gerrard(C), Lampard, Milner, Lallana, Sturridge, Rooney.  

From The Red Booth

Top 5 Sportsperson of the Year

The year 2012 was another great year for sports. The Olympics returned to the sports capital of the world and Spain won another football championship. It was a year that saw some extraordinary performances which begged the question to be asked again, “Is there anything impossible for a human to achieve?” Here’s my list of the Top 5 Sportsperson of the year. Share your views as well.

5. Sebastian Vettel:
     

At no.5 is Sebastian Vettel, the youngest men to become three-time Formula one champion. The 2012 F1 season started with a bang and ended likewise. When the first seven races of the championship saw seven different winners including surprise package ‘madman’ Pastor Maldonado winning the Spanish Grand Prix everyone knew that this season the championship will go to the wire and may well see more than 3 drivers fighting for the top position come 25^th November and the Brazilian GP at Interlagos. The championship did go to the wire but only two were in contention, both brilliant drivers, both double world champions and both looking for third title. Alonso was quicker off the blocks and considering the fact that he was driving an under-performing Ferrari, it was highly praiseworthy. The two time defending world champion Sebastian Vettel was way down the pack. And when he finished a lowly 22^nd in the 13^th round at Monza, he was way down at 4^th position in the leader-board. But that was perhaps the turning point because after that he never looked back. He won the next four races at Singapore, Japan, Korea and India and by the time they went to the Yas Marina Circuit on 4^th November he was 13 points clear of his closest rival Alonso in the championship standing. This was a remarkable comeback and one of the best in modern F1 history. A 3^rd place finish at Yas Marina and a 2^nd place finish behind Hamilton in Austin, Texas meant that Vettel went into the final race at Interlagos maintaining a 13 point advantage from Alonso. But then what’s an F1 race without drama. Vettel started from 4^th position on the grid but when he was hit by Bruno Senna in turn 4 of the 1^st lap, the world seemed to have come crashing down for Vettel. He dropped back to 22^nd and suddenly the World Championship looked like a distant dream. But then again this is F1 and this is Interlagos, nothing goes as per script, in-fact there is no script. Rain, accidents, safety cars, drive-through penalty, all conspired against Alonso winning his 3^rd championship and by the time Vettel crossed the chequered flag just ahead of his inspiration Michael Schumacher, he knew he had done it. For all of Alonso’s hard work and perseverance with an under-performing car, it was one again the young German with a “billion-dollar smile” who had done it. People have said that Vettel can only drive from the front, he only knows how to drive the best car, he is useless in pressure situation. Well, this time he did shut-up all his critics, all those who felt he was just a lucky winner. He achieved a feat that no other driver in the world had ever achieved at such a young age and he did it in style and with a certain amount of swagger. And as Christian Horner, the Red Bull team Boss said, “You’re the world champion, you’re the triple world champion! Sebastian Vettel, you are the man.”

4. Lionel Messi:

                91! Yes 91, that’s the number of goals Leo Messi has scored in 2012. According to FIFA statistics, he breaks the long-standing record of 85 goals in a calendar year achieved by Gerd Muller in 1972. Well, the Zambians disagree though. They say it’s 116 goals (or 107, whomever you want to believe) scored by the legendary Zambian Godfrey Chitalu in the same calendar year in which Gerd Muller achieved his phenomenal record of 85 goals, 1972.  Let’s just leave the talks of record for a minute and celebrate the genius of Messi for now. Personally, I have long been a critic of Messi and maybe I will remain so in future as well but that doesn’t take-away anything from the fact that Lionel Messi is one of the greatest sportsperson to have set his feet on earth. When Argentina were humiliated by the Germans in South Africa a couple of years ago, that was my ‘I told you so’ moment. Even today if you ask me, If Leo Messi is the greatest footballer of all-time? My answer will be No. Is he the greatest of his generation? Maybe Yes or perhaps No, I will still like to see more before I pass a definitive judgement. But one thing I am certain of, what Messi has achieved this year is a super-human effort and one that would perhaps require another extraordinarily consistent genius to surpass it. Messi might play for the greatest football team on earth at this moment, he may play with players who are no less talented than he is, he may play in a team that will provide him with infinite goal scoring opportunities but that doesn’t take anything away from the fact that Leo Messi is a genius par excellence, a man born to play football. When Babe Ruth scored 54 home-runs some 90 years ago, he had more HRs than almost every other baseball team in US that year except perhaps one. This is an achievement of that magnitude. Putting things into perspective in today’s world where football has become hyper-competitive and where the footballers are the most athletic bunch of humans in the planet, Messi’s achievement is not just phenomenal but insanely superhuman. Let’s just take away all the goals from him for a moment, what’s Messi’s aura, what’s his genius, what’s his magic? Well, Messi drives people into stadiums, he makes young kids follow football in a country which treats cricket as a religion and that for me is his aura, that’s his genius, that’s his magic. Messi has now won three consecutive Ballon d’or, the greatest individual honour a footballer can dream of. But the hunger and desire is still on. And that’s what makes him so great. The frightening thing is, he is still just 25. He is no Pele, he is no Maradona, he is just Lionel Messi. And in Arsene Wenger’s words, “He’s like a playstation.” [NB: Even in playstation, I haven’t been able to make a player score 91 goals in a year. You can either blame me or praise Messi.]

{N.B. Messi isn’t 4^th on the list because of any biasness I have against him. But it’s because I believe that he can himself overshadow this achievement of his, there is still lot more to come from him. As for the top three, some of the feats may actually go unmatched for generations to come. Again, I have nothing but utmost respect for Lionel Messi and his achievements.}

  

3. Team Europe – Ryder Cup

                "Football isn't a matter of life and death – it’s much more important than that!" Bill Shankly once famously remarked. Well, I would like to extend it a bit further. Sports isn’t a matter of life and death, I assure you it’s much more important than that. Only sports can provide us with unadulterated excitement with its unscripted drama. It brings out all the human emotions to the forefront and that’s why we love it. For a sports addict, the win of an underdog or the sight of improbable comeback becoming true is the ultimate high. And this year’s Ryder cup provided one such moment, a moment to cherish for life-time. When Jose Maria Olazabal’s Team Europe lifted the famous Ryder cup, there was a sense of disbelief and a sense of pure and unadulterated joy to go alongside it in the Medinah Country Club. To understand these emotions and excitement we have to go to the start of the day. It was Sunday, the 31^st of September 2012, the final day of the 39^th Ryder Cup in the greens of Medinah Country Club, Illinois. The Europeans were trailing by 10-6, the Americans required just four and half out of the possible 12 points available that day to complete a routine victory. Never in the 85 years of Ryder cup history has a lead so large been blown away. But everything was about to change in the most dramatic of fashions. First there was the Rory McIlroy story. McIlroy was running late and if not for the Illinois state police, he would certainly have missed the start of the day. The police used their siren to get the world no.1 through the Medinah traffic and drop him at the venue with 10 minutes to spare. He hardly hit any practice shot. But when he defeated Keegan Bradley 2-1, the Europeans were just trailing by 10-9 with Luke Donald and Paul Lawrie already having cut the American lead to just two points. And when Ian Poulter went 2-0 up against Webb Simpson, the Europeans were all but there, the magical comeback was well on its way. Poulter hadn’t won a tournament since May of last year but being the Captain’s pick, he amply justified his selection. But little did he know that this was going to be one of the greatest days in his life. Poulter’s win wasn’t the end though, the Americans came back strongly taking the next point when Dustin Johnson beat the Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts 3-2. The twists and turns didn’t end just there. The European hit back at once when Justin Rose hit a couple of audacious putts to defeat the former world no.1 Phil Mickelson. The tales of leads and comebacks continued till the German Martin Kaymer took on Steve Stricker in the penultimate round of the day. The two teams were locked on 13 points but the pressure on each guy was immeasurable. Kaymer had been out of form all summer and may well have proved a liability but as they say, trust a German to deliver when you need it the most and deliver, he did. When Kaymer sank a 5-ft putt in the 18^th green, the Europeans knew in their hearts that the trophy was theirs again. By hitting that shot Kaymer not only gave the Europeans a decisive 14-13 lead but perhaps also laid the ghosts of compatriot Bernhard Langer’s miss some 21 years ago to rest. It wasn’t the end though, Tiger was still to play. All the Americans hope now lied with their once favourite son. The great Tiger Woods took on the not so great Italian Francesco Molinari. Molinari must have been nervous like hell but he stayed with Tiger throughout till the final green when the great Tiger Woods did succumb to pressure hitting a bogey. That was the moment for the Europeans, Tiger and Molinari shared spoils but the Europeans had completed one of the most incredible comebacks in sports history. These 12 men had not only made a whole continent proud, but also the soul of Seve Ballesteros. As Olazabal said, “Seve will always be present with this team.” And that is perhaps the greatness of legends, they not only inspire you when they are alive but they can inspire you long after they have gone as well.

                I was never an avid fan of golf until I actually saw the great Tiger Woods in action against Rocco Mediate in US Open 2008. Somewhere the sports-addict inside me said, Golf is worth watching and I am thankful that I listened to my inner voiceJ.

2. Michael Phelps

                Samuel Taylor Coleridge in his famous poem ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ writes, “Water, water everywhere; And all the boards did shrink; Water, water everywhere; Nor a drop to drink.” Well, perhaps Coleridge’s sailors weren’t as good swimmers as one Michael Phelps is. By the time Phelps came for his final press conference at London 2012, he was already the most successful Olympian ever with 18 Gold medals and 22 medals in total. He is perhaps the greatest Olympian of all-time but this is the not the place for that debate, this is the place to just salute the genius that Michael Phelps is. When Michael Phelps and Team USA won the gold in 4x100 mts medley relay in Beijing that was it, that was the moment when Phelps won his 8^th Gold in a single Olympics and broke the long-standing record of 7 Golds held by his compatriot Mark Spitz since 1972. It was the ultimate achievement and as spectators every-one of us believed that it may just be the final time we see the great Michael Phelps competing in the Olympics. After-all, where would he find the motivation to jump into the pool again after achieving what can arguably be called the ‘Mount Everest’ of swimming. But Phelps as do most great men knew that it wasn’t over, the chapter was still unfinished. And when he came back to London this year, in his sight was the all-time Olympics record of 18 medals held by the former Soviet Union gymnast Larisa Latynina. For Phelps that was his Mount Everest. With his tally standing at 16 medals (14 Golds, 2 Bronzes), he was agonizingly close to the record but this time even Phelps knew that it wasn’t going to be as easy as in Beijing and trust me when I say, it wasn’t. On 28^th July, 2012 Phelps took on to the pool to swim in his first finals of this year’s event, the 400 mts individual medley, an event where he holds both the Olympic and the World record but there was no happy endings this time around. Not only did he not win Gold, he even missed out on a podium finish. The going was getting tougher. His first medal, and a Silver it was came in the 4x100 mts freestyle relay, the next night. Phelps had opened his account, the record was a mere medal away but he knew that he has to be at his best because this year’s line-up was one of the most competitive ever. 31^st July, 2012 was the D-day, Phelps had made it to the finals in two events and finally the record was in-sight. He equalled it when he won the Silver in the 200 mts butterfly losing Gold to the South African youngster Chad Le Clos by just 0.05 of a second. And finally he broke that long standing record of 18 medals when he and Team USA won the gold in 4x200 mts Freestyle relay. Finally, Phelps was in uncharted territory but one that he and alone he can claim to be his own. Phelps had done it, he was at the top of Mount Everest but the hunger and desire to win was still on. The confidence was back, the smile was back. And he knew that anything he achieves now won’t just be a bonus but another extra mile for the next great athlete who desires to break his record. I don’t know how Phelps felt at that moment but if I were him, I would have felt like the whole world is under my feet. A couple of days later he beat his compatriot and fiercest competitor Ryan Lochte in the 200 mts individual medley and in the process became the first man to win Gold in the same event in three consecutive Olympics. A few more records were also broken in that process. Suddenly it looked like breaking records had become a mundane affair for the Baltimore Bullet. And when he won Gold medals in both the 100 mts butterfly and the 4x100 mts Medley relay, his tally stood at 22 Medals (18 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze). He was now the most decorated Olympian ever. He was in a league of his own. After the wins when Phelps came to the press conference and announced that this was going to be his last Olympics, he wasn’t the only one who had tears in his eyes. The whole sporting fraternity and the sports loving public knew that this was the end of one of the greatest sporting careers, there would never be another Michael Phelps. And at the end of it all here’s a memorable quote from the Russian swimmer Alexander Sukhorukov on Phelps, “He may be a man but he is from a different planet, a different galaxy.” I guess we all think that way.

1. Usain Bolt

                Aldous Huxley once said, “Speed, it seems to me, provides the one genuinely modern pleasure.” Speed, I believe has always intrigued the human mind but at the same time it has also provided us with immeasurable thrill. And watching Usain Bolt run gives you that same immeasurable thrill, it’s just purely orgasmic. When I saw Usain Bolt win that Gold medal in 100 mts at Beijing Olympics, I just said to myself, “Why did he slow down at the end? This is not on. He has no right to make a joke of the other runners in such a fashion. This is the fucking Olympics.” And suddenly when I saw the timing, I just went blank. The next thought was, what he would have achieved had he kept on going with the same pace. It was frightening to see someone perform like that on the Olympics of all the stages. Bolt became a superstar, broke all sorts of records and won all that was there to win. But when he returned back to London to participate in the Olympics, he wasn’t the unbeatable Bolt, the aura of invincibility was gone. Bolt had lost the world championship to compatriot Yohan Blake and he was second in both the 100 mts and 200 mts in the Jamaican trials. Suddenly, he was just like any other athlete trying to win a medal for himself and his country. But great sportsperson never throw the towel, they always strive to reach the end of a dark tunnel, even when we mere mortals are lost in the darkness, because they unlike us can see the light at the end. Bolt in his own words came to London to become a legend, to become the greatest athlete ever. The goal was set and the quest began in earnest. The Men’s 100 meters sprint is always the showcase event of any athletics championship and more so in the Olympics and the winner often achieves immortality. And so there it was, August 5, 2012, the day of the Men’s 100 mts sprint final. Bolt had qualified top in his semi-final heat but his timings well still below that of Justin Gatlin, the man who laid claim to the Olympic Gold before Bolt made it his own and also Yohan Blake, Bolt’s own apprentice and his biggest competitor. The line-up for the Finals was mouth-watering, 3 Jamaicans, 3 Americans, 1 Trinidadian and 1 Dutch and all capable of sub-10 seconds timings. Bolt tried to look the fearless jolly person that he is but the nervousness was palpable. You could see that there was pressure on him, the pressure to win, the pressure to write his name in the annals of sporting history as the greatest athlete of all-time. And the 9.63 seconds that came after the sound of the pistol is now in the folklores of sports. He not just won the race but also set a new Olympics record. Bolt became the first man since Carl Lewis to defend his 100 mts Gold in Olympics. He was halfway there in achieving his desired goal. The 200 mts were up next and nothing short of Gold would be good enough for Bolt. On 9^th of August, 2012 Bolt achieved that feat as well. This time no records were broken but he was way ahead of the pack. He was so confident of winning that he even slowed down towards the end. The only thing that could have given his competitors a semblance of chance that day was if Bolt would have had a bad start but it wasn’t to be and by the end of the turn everyone knew who the winner would be. It was a great day for Jamaica as well as they swept the medals with Blake coming in 2^nd spot and Warren Weir completing the podium positions. Bolt was now officially the greatest athlete, no man had ever defended both the 100 and 200 meters sprint titles and the boy from Jamaica did it. He went on to defend his 4 x 100 mts relay Gold as well with his Jamaican compatriots and in the process becoming the first person to achieve the ‘Double Triple’. London 2012 will always be remembered for two athletes, Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt, one tested the limits of human endurance and the other tested the limits of human abilities and the verdict was, there is no end to human endurance and human abilities, ‘Nothing is Impossible’. As for Bolt, as he himself said “I am the best. I am a legend now. I am the greatest athlete there ever is.”

Sportsperson of the Year (2012): USAIN BOLT


*Videos Courtesy Youtube 

CHELSEA VS MANCHESTER UNITED – A REVIEW

DATE: 28/10/2012
VENUE: STAMFORD BRIDGE, LONDON

CHELSEA                            2 (Juan Mata 44’, Ramires 53’)
MANCHESTER UNITED  3 (David Luiz ‘4 (og), Robin van Persie ‘12, Javier Hernandez ‘75)

Chelsea finished with 9-men and United won with a controversial goal, not the kind of Sunday evening one would have planned out for. Isn’t it? This is not how Chelsea would have wanted to see their unbeaten run this season to end. And dare I say, this is not how the United fans would have dreamt of ending their winless streak at Stamford Bridge, though all we care about at the end of the day is three points ;). But sports is unpredictable and it comes without any script and maybe that’s why we are all in love with it.

Before the match, a story was doing rounds that an 80-year old United fan wanted Sir Alex to stop playing with the ‘Diamond’ formation and also to stop conceding early goals. Well, it looked like Sir Alex took the concern of the 80-year old lady quite seriously. United shelved the ‘Diamond’ formation and went it with a more conventional approach with Young and Valencia in the wings and Rooney playing off Van Persie. And it paid dividends within 4 minutes of the kick-off. Van Persie’s shot came off the post hit Luiz and went inside Cech’s goal. Not the best way to score a goal but United were ahead and surprise! surprise! they opened the scoring. Chelsea were shocked but United had come out faster off the blocks and they were opening up the Chelsea defence with ease. The pace of Valencia and Young and the overlapping runs of Evra and Rafael were causing the Chelsea defence a hell lot of problems, especially because United were getting into 2 v 1 situations in the wing with ease. And all the pressure that United had created paid dividends again within minutes when Van Persie coolly slotted the ball past Cech’s goal from Valencia’s low-cross. Just 12 minutes into the game and United were already 2-0 up. That was perhaps the best start by a United side in a long long time but they still kept pressing and creating chances. There was a spell near the half hour mark when United created a plethora of chances but were unable to finish. By that time though Chelsea had settled into the game quite well and were now dictating terms. David Luiz’s free-kick was thwarted away by De Gea in an unconventional manner but the next few saves that he made were nothing short of brilliant, especially a header from close range by Torres. Chelsea were now running the show and they upped the ante around the half-time mark. An ill-timed challenge by Rooney on Hazard just a minute before the half-time gave Chelsea a window of opportunity to make a comeback and Mata grabbed it with both hands. A stunning curler from his left-foot meant De Gea had no chance to get anywhere near it. Chelsea had reduced the deficit to just one goal now and had Mata been as good with his right-foot as he is with his left, he could have easily equalised before the half –time from a through pass by Torres. As it is, it ended 2-1 in favour of the visitors at half-time. After the re-start it looked like Chelsea had come out with the sole purpose of breaking the fragile United defence and they looked like a team possessed. They began the half just like they had ended the previous one. De Gae’s post was in constant threat. Just eight minutes into the half, Mata sublimely controlled a long-pass by Oscar, kept the ball in play allowing Oscar to get into the play and Oscar’s cross was headed home by Ramires this time. Chelsea had equalised within minutes into the second half and United were already looking down the barrel as Mata and Oscar took the game by the scruff of the neck. Just as all looked rosy for Chelsea, disaster stuck the team in blue. A brilliant turn by Van Persie and the subsequent through-ball meant Young had a clear goal scoring opportunity but Ivanovic brought him down just outside the box and being the last defender, he was in danger of getting a straight red and that’s just the colour of the card that came out of Clattenburg’s pocket. The resultant free-kick was well taken by Rooney albeit just off the target. But the incident a few minutes later turned the whole atmosphere sour. It looked like Torres was marauding through the United defence when he was brought down by Evans just outside United’s d-box but Mark Clattenburg saw it differently than everyone else in the ground and Torres was booked for simulation. It was his second yellow of the game and he was sent-off. There were a couple of controversies relating to this incident. First of all, it wasn’t a dive, Evans had clipped Torres and therefore he went down, maybe the referee mistook Torres for Suarez :P. If anything, it was a Chelsea free-kick. The second thing, which irked De Matteo and the Chelsea staff the most was that Torres was going to be substituted and Sturridge was already waiting by the lines but Clattenburg hadn’t seen it and had allowed United to take a quick throw-in just prior to the Torres incident. Eventually, Bertrand came in for Mata while United replaced Cleverley who for most of the game was ineffective with the two-goal hero from the mid-week Javier Hernandez in search of a winner. Minutes after coming on Hernandez gave United the lead. Cech did very well to keep out Van Persie’s shot from close range but Chelsea failed to clear the danger and Rafael took a swipe which Hernandez brilliantly deflected into the goal. The replay suggested that Hernandez was off-side but the linesman had failed to spot it and it added to the list of matters which will to be digressed after the match ended. The 9-men of Chelsea held on and saved themselves of further embarrassment while United fans went home singing “Glory Glory Man United”. All in all it was a highly entertaining game for an hour or so but ended on a bad note. Sometimes when the referees try to be the hero, they end up shooting their own leg and this was one of such occasion. 

Chelsea are actually playing some good football this season and the Mata-Hazard-Oscar trio looks frighteningly good. This De Matteo team isn’t just parking the bus as they did last season and quite honestly, they don’t need to with the attacking flair they possess now. On the other hand, United look quite vulnerable in defence and the absence of key figures like Vidic, Smalling and Jones is hurting them. But their attack at this moment looks one of the best in Europe if not the best. Rooney and Van Persie are thriving alongside each other and Hernandez keeps doing what he does best, poach goals. Cleverley looks an improved player and with Young, Nani and Valencia on the wings, they do possess a lot of teeth. If United get their defence sorted, this Premier league season can go right down to the wire. 

Finally, this game was made-out to be a potential 6-pointer, even though it’s still early day and Manchester United have come out on top. It’s a tough week ahead for the red devils but as they say “a good beginning is half the work done.”                                     

adios amigos ;)

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT. GO THREE LIONS!!!!

“This is a very very long piece of article and is strictly recommended to those who follow the football religion. Others who just want to read this so that they can judge my writing skills can do so at their own peril.”

“’66 was a great year for English football”, we United fans jokingly say, “Because, Eric was born.” Well, ’66 was indeed a great year for English football, not because the great rebel who went on to become a king was born in the caves of Marseille, which he of course did and as much joy as he gave to us United fans, he did cause considerable amount of despair to opposing teams. But the fact is that this was the year in which the English could finally claim the right to call themselves ‘Champions of the World’ in a game that they invented, pretty unlike in cricket, even till date. Like football, cricket was also invented in England and holds a special place in English hearts as well. But cricket was always the game of the Lords and serfs, football on the other hand belonged to the working class, the common man of England. Like Jimmy Murphy says to Bobby Charlton once*, “Old Trafford. This pitch sits in the middle of the largest industrial estate in the country. Over there, that's where the cotton boys stand. There's the joiners, the dockers, the millers. Nothing in common until they're here. We are their pride...at the end of the week. We set the world to rights for them.” And that is what football means to them, it’s their biggest love and in some cases perhaps their only love. After working their asses off for a week, on the Saturday afternoon they spend their hard earned money and come to stadiums to watch and support their beloved club. Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Southampton may just be cities for the rest of the world but for the common man of England they are the place that houses their eternal love.

I am a supporter of the ‘Three Lions’ too and it always hurts me to see England’s dismal performances in the major tournaments but I must say that as someone who isn’t from England, I guess I can never quite accurately gauge the measure of despondency and disappointment the fans living in England must be encountering. Since that great year of ’66, England hasn’t won a major championship, their European championship records are as dismal as their World Cup showing if not worse.  Every-time the WCs or Euros are at the door, the English media creates a lot of hoopla, generates a lot of enthusiasm and hope, just to see them come crushing down as soon as the tournament begins. At times we blame the players and sometimes the coaches. But if you were to ask me, I would say the English FA is a hoople, and the way they deal with players and coaches and clubs is disappointing to say the least. Why the world’s best league** hasn’t been able to produce a World cup winning side or even a European Championship winning side? Why have the richest and highest-profit-earning clubs in the world not been able to produce 11 players that can compete with the likes of Germany, Spain and Netherlands? Are the players to blame or have the managers been too stubborn in their approach? Is the FA to be blamed for this whole fiasco? Is the ‘Under-21’ league instead of the ‘Reserve League’ going to be the panacea of English football? There are a lot of questions and some pretty pertinent ones surrounding English football especially after their not so impressive performances (to put it mildly) in the last few World cups and in the Euros. And these need to be addressed as soon as possible.

But the future actually doesn’t look all that dark and bleak. And that is what I am here to discuss about :P :P.

A few days back I watched the English team take on San Marino and then Poland. And these two games clearly exhibited what’s right and what’s wrong with English football. I know that to judge a team based on its performance against San Marino is a folly but nevertheless I must say that I saw some encouraging signs. The fact that English football has again started producing some great young talents might be music to some ears while most of them would say that it’s nothing out of the ordinary, we have always produced good young players. You see, 10 years ago, on this very day, a 16 year old Everton lad announced his entry into the world of football with a tremendous goal against Arsenal that ended their 30-games unbeaten run. Wayne Rooney was at once labelled as ‘England’s Messiah’, the kid who will take England to the top of the world. And while Wayne Rooney has developed into a great player, the English team hasn’t achieved anything significant. Rooney still remains England’s best player and by quiet a margin. And that is the cause of concern. While Rooney remains the undoubted superstars, players around him just haven’t matched up to his standards. This may seem as harsh statement considering the fact that players like Gerrard and Lampard have been in the team for more than a decade now and they too very much like Rooney are great players. But the fact remains that these two have never been able to strike a great partnership with each other. Lampard’s ability as a goal-scoring midfielder and Gerrard’s ability to lead a team can never be questioned and another fact that can’t be challenged is that they have been England’s two best midfielder in the past decade. But a great team isn’t necessarily formed by 11 great players. While a team needs great player what matters more than an individual’s talent is the team’s cohesion which is what the English teams have lacked over the past few years. And unlike the teams of the past, I believe that this team that we have now can easily be moulded into world-beaters. The thing that attracted my attention was the number of young players that are starting for England thesedays and also the ones who are on the wings waiting for their chance. If Roy Hodgson plays his cards right England can be a serious contender in Brazil in couple of years’ time. Here’s a look at some of them:

Joe Hart: At 25, Hart can actually be termed as a ‘young’ goalkeeper but the Manchester City man is today one of the best goal-keepers in the world. He is not just a good shot-stopper but an excellent distributor of the ball as well and he also commands the D-box better than most in England. A leader in his own rights, Hart is England’s answer to the likes of Casillas and Buffon. If his performance against Dortmund in this years’ Champions league is anything to go by, it won’t be wrong to say that scoring against England might just be the toughest thing, even for the best in Europe.

Phil Jones: This 20 year old defender has been tipped by many as the future England and Manchester United captain. Jones not just brings in a strong character but he also brings in versatility on the park with him as he has shown at Old Trafford. He is equally comfortable as a right back, a centre-half and as a defensive midfielder. Gary Cahill should be an automatic choice for the centre-back position and Jones along with him can actually form a very formidable partnership at the back for the three-lions. But for that to happen Jones needs to be fit and sadly for such a young man he has suffered far too many injuries. As a England fan and certainly as a United fan I hope he remains fit in future.

Kyle Walker: Tottenham’s Kyle Walker won the ‘PFA Young Player of the Year’ award this year, one whose former recipients include the likes of Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen, David Beckham and some of the best footballers in the world. The fact that he beat off competitions from the likes of Aguero, Bale, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Welbeck is even more significant.  He also made it to the PFA team of the year for 2011-12 season. England and English fans certainly have high hopes from this 22-year old pacy right-back from White Hart Lane.

Jack Wilshere: Like Kyle Walker, Wilshere is also a former recipient of the ‘PFA Young Player of the Year’ and like Phil Jones, he is highly injury-prone. When Wilshere plays, it’s difficult at times to believe that he is just a 20 year old kid but that’s how talented he is. Wilshere, when in full flow is highly influential in the middle of the park and has the capacity to run a game, a fact which he clearly exhibited in Arsenal’s champions’ league tie against Barcelona in April of last year. He was just 19 then. If he remains fully fit, not many can deny him a place in the starting XI.

Tom Cleverley: At 23, Tom Cleverley is perhaps the most sought-after English youngster. He has made a handful of appearances for the senior team but whenever he has put on the English shirt, his performances have been highly appreciated. Cleverley performed exceptionally well on his two loan-spells at Watford and Wigan and started last season at United with a strong performance in the community shield but a series of injuries later in the season did hamper his progress to an extent. He has again started this season on a high and if he can stay fit, he is going to be one of the most important cog in the wheel of United and England, whichever shirt he pulls on. A player full of energy and enthusiasm, Cleverley like Wilshere has the ability to control the midfield and distributes the ball better than most. He does like to take occasional shots from outside the box as well and has scored some outrageous goals, none better than the one against Newcastle a few weeks back.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: Earlier this year, Oxlade-Chamberlain became the second youngest player ever to represent England in the European Championships. A product of the Southampton academy Alex now plies his trade at Arsenal under Arsene Wenger. “The OX” is slowly becoming fans’ favourite both at ‘The Emirates’ and when he dons the English shirt as well. He is strong, fast-paced and has an eye for goal and under Wenger, one can be assured of his all-round development. The performances he put on for Arsenal last season was more than what one could have asked from an 18-year old kid and the English fans would hope that he keeps growing and utilizes his full potential, at-least for the sake of England.

Danny Welbeck: At 21, Welbeck is one of England’s best new and upcoming talents, perhaps the best one in the position he plays. But for us United fans it feels like Welbeck has been playing football for eternity. Well, you can’t actually fault us for thinking like that, he joined the academy when he was just 9. Welbeck isn’t a forward in the mould of say someone like Michael Owen. He is a player who likes to hold the ball, he is comfortable on both feet, can actually play in a variety of positions and can score goals (like Owen) as well. His partnership with Rooney is going to be crucial for England because from what I have seen of Roy Hodgson’s tactics, Welbeck is his first choice man. 

Well, these are some of the best upcoming talents we have and if they can realize their potential there is no reason why England can’t be a serious contender for the World Cup in Brazil in couple of years. But these aren’t the only good and upcoming stars in England. In goalkeeping department, we have the likes of Jack Butland and Ben Amos, and then we have Caulker, Smalling, Shawcross, Kelly, Clyne, Dawson, Bertrand to name a few in defence. The midfield is also brimming with young talents like Sterling, Shelvey, Powell, Ince, McEachran, Rodwell, Barkley, Gardner and add to that the likes of Wickham, Sordell, Carroll, Keane and Kane leading the line. There is no dearth of young talents in England and the clubs have been throwing young talents by dozens, what is required is to keep track of their development because a lot of the times some good young talents especially in big clubs get lost in the shadow of more illustrious team-mates. But the new Under-21’s league also gives me hope that England will keep producing good young talent and the process if anything might get accelerated a bit as well. I can’t speak a lot about the academy of other football clubs but as far as Manchester United are concerned there are some really good young players who are coming up and if they keep working hard they will certainly get their chance in the course of time. Some notable names are Scott Wooton, Larnell Cole, Jesse Lingard, Sam Johnstone, Ryan Tunnicliff, Michael and Will Keane. If Roy Hodgson and English FA wants to see England do well in major tournaments, they have to blood some of the youngsters into the team now, when there is still time.  And Hodgson also need to get his tactics and team selection in sync. In the game against Poland, England were playing a lot of long balls, and they had to because the pitch wasn’t in the best of condition. But for that to have worked Hodgson should have started with Carroll up-front rather than Defoe. These kind of mistakes are the ones which in past have proven to be detrimental for England and unless the manager gets his act right, it may again bite him on the back. It’s also time that Hodgson takes some stern steps and selects players on merit and form rather than on the basis of their weekly wages. In the past we have seen that former managers have carried on with the Gerrard and Lampard partnership when it was quiet clearly not working and the likes of Parker and Carrick were kept on the side-lines despite giving good performances week-in and week-out. Hodgson has in a way closed the door for Rio and I am happy with that. Rio isn’t getting any younger and he is losing pace, his greatest attribute as a defender. The likes of Cahill, Jagielka and Lescott are at their peak and need a chance. And with Jones and Smalling knocking at the doors as well, I have to say Hodgson has taken a good decision. In the midfield, he needs to give the likes of Cleverley, Wilshere and Oxlade-Chamberlain more chances rather than giving long rope to some of the older (but great) members.

My future starting XI (granted all of them are fit) will be:

GK: Hart
RB: Walker
CB: Cahill and Jones

LB: Baines
RM: Oxlade-Chamberlain

CM: Cleverley and Gerrard©
LM: Young
CF: Rooney
ST: Welbeck

Squad Members: Foster, Butland, Lescott, Smalling, Bertrand, Johnson, Walcott, Wilshere, Carrick, Sterling, Carroll, Defoe

The English team had, has and will have a lot of good players, players who know how to win games and therefore, at times it baffles us fans to see how little success they have achieved since ’66. The future seems bright but then it has seemed even brighter many times in the last 46 years. And for some reasons which I can’t fathom, we have hardly been successful. It again seems like a new dawn, so let’s just hope our day isn’t marred by a cover of black cloud.

I know some of you would raise eyebrows on my opinions and at my selection but then, the comment section is all yours :P :P

*: that’s what’s shown in the movie “United” (2011)

**: It is debatable but I firmly believe EPL is world’s best league.

P.S.: To be honest this is not how I had hoped this piece will come out. For a starter it’s far too long while I had intended to write a brief and crispy piece, and I’ll certainly acknowledge that. Maybe I should have presented it in two parts but you know what, let it stay as it is. To quote a friend of mine, “We have got ideas. Brilliant ones. But the rather insipid happenings around us have started having an effect and somehow we are ending up doing something completely opposite to what we had set out to do.”