To say that Rome wasn’t built in a day would be much too obvious. As streams of black and white clad supporters jubilantly exited Juventus’ shiny, new, packed to the rafters stadium, a wave of doom engulfed the capital.
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INTELLIGENT FOOTBALL COMMENTARY
Yearly Archives: 2011
Fickle England Continue To Confuse
As the goals flew by in Sofia, something happened. A drop, a loss, a departure. Memories wiped blank, evaluations reset and hopes freshly kindled. With Ukraine emerging into view, Bloemfontein faded – unhappy recollections usurped by a new wave of optimism.And then the hit, the check, the end. Had one of the ninety nine times out of a hundred that Rob Earnshaw tucks balls into open nets come up, then a disastrous night would merely have been underlined.But this is why we love England. The groans a melodious complement to Lightning Seeds albums, songs of eventual English demise sung with pride, then dismay, then desperation. Quick rises and drops both in the big picture and the small – Owen’s masterpiece, offset by Beckham’s nadir; the joy of Munich, a misleading preface to failure in South
Korea.
INFTH Book Review: Behind The Curtain
Author of the universally acclaimed Inverting the Pryamid, Jonathan Wilson’s lesser known debut book details the history, culture and idiosyncrasies of thirteen nations’ footballing landscapes.Treks through the forgotten streets of Sarajevo, cups of coffee in Belgrade and late nights in Sofia, at times Wilson’s account of Eastern Europe can take on a sort of action adventure personality. For the writer though, this was part of the appeal.
“Something in me warms to eastern Europe, and I rather suspect it’s related to my affection for the classic thrillers of post-war espionage,” Wilson writes in the introduction. The statement is indicative of the book’s attitude towards eastern Europe, one both loving and curious, melancholy and honest. Continue reading
Fantasy Guide: Third Edition- International Break Review, Part One
A Few Fantasy Premier League Notes:
Gary Cahill the goalscorer- On the occasion of his first competitive start, Gary Cahill opened the scoring for England with an effort from close range. Interestingly, that goal was actually atypical of Cahill, more often than not his strikes are from long range, that opening day sucker punch against QPR an obvious example.
Rooney’s continues to pick up momentum- Wayne Rooney is fast becoming a must have fantasy player. With five goals in three Premier League games, he is the league’s second top goalscorer and is showing no sign of a drop off. Two against Bulgaria merely served to underline his classy displays of late – only a fool would leave him out.
Van Persie scores four- It’s difficult to know how much to read into this given that the opponent was San Marino and the final result 11-0. However, Van Persie will nevertheless savor his four goal haul; the striker has struggled for consistency over the league’s opening weeks. With the transfer window concluded, the sense is that Arsenal are ready to move on from August’s horror show, and maybe even start churning out a few wins. Any pick up in form is likely to be a function of Robin Van Persie goals, especially if new signings Benayoun and Arteta bed in well.
Park Chu Young scores three- Arsenal fans desperate for encouragement will have been relieved by Young’s performance here. Three goals in what is technically “The World Cup” is not to be scoffed at, even though the opposition was Lebanon. Young represents a fascinating, if perhaps risky, option up front.
Part Two coming after the second round of international fixtures.
In the mean time, enjoy the rest of our fantasy coverage.
Links Of The Day: September 2, 2011
Eduardo Alvarez on El Classico and it’s impact on the Spanish National Side.
Brilliant article by Andy Brassell about Lisandro Lopez, Argentina’s forgotten striker.
James Appel is typically informative in his analysis of Igor Akinfeev’s injury.
Jim White talks Peter Crouch and Stoke City.
Ashley Young, England and bucking the trend set by under performing wingers.
Rory Smith analyzes revolution at Anfield.
A brutal summation of the situation at Goodison Park.
Kevin McCarra commends England for their away form.
Martin Samuel on the importance of today’s England-Bulgaria match.
Time For England To Forget Messiahs
To ask English football to learn, is usually to ask too much. In the cycle of perpetual misfortune, England have carved themselves a comfortable little place – one festooned with cushions, lights and running water by the very men and women who pray for better everyday.Wayne Rooney and Jesus Christ have a lot in common. Both are featured in best selling books – Rooney’s albeit, of a more recent publication – both have faced trials and tribulations, births and resurrections and both at one point or another have offered hope to a group of disciples, disillusioned with the current state of things.
Both are messiahs. Just as Jesus rose, quickly, stealthily from anonymity, Rooney did too. Rooney scored, Jesus preached. The parallels are there for all to see, the overlap between the lives of two seemingly polar opposite characters.
But then again, it isn’t really a shock that comparisons have been made. Religious undertones are an ever present in modern day football reporting – symptomatic of the way religion has been used to articulate the feelings of fans, players and clubs over the last century.
Fantasy Football: Five Interesting Deadline Day Deals
1. Peter Crouch to Stoke- It seems that Tony Pulis has given up on any kind of reformatory notion. The signing of Tuncay two years ago was supposed to herald the start of a revolution – no longer would Stoke be a long ball team, no longer would every throw-in won be greeted with roars from the vociferous home fans. Now, in 2011, Tuncay plays for Bolton, Delap’s still going strong and the Potters are likely to start both Kenwyne Jones and Peter Crouch in their next match. Effective, yes. Pretty, no. Needless to say, Crouch will thrive in the Stoke system. His ability in the air should produce countless numbers of goals and assists, and available at low, Spurs bench warmer type price, fantasy potential is there.
2. Nicklas Bendtner to Sunderland (loan)- Nobody seems to rate Nicklas Bendtner, but his statistics aren’t really that bad. A career haul of fifty-eight works out to about a goal in four, and considering most of his appearances have been off the bench, that record is quite impressive. At Sunderland, Bendtner is guaranteed more playing time and it will be fascinating to see whether he can develop a relationship with Asamoah Gyan. For Denmark, Bendtner has always been dangerous, so perhaps he is big fish-small pond type player, and will only succeed when it is he who has the highest profile.
3. Yossi Benayoun to Arsenal (loan)- Of Arsenal’s two creative signings, this one presents the most fantasy intrigue. Benayoun has always been a crafty little player, and I can see him fitting in well with the Arsneal way of doing things. At Liverpool, Benayoun was able to develop strong relationships with players like Gerrard, Torres and Kuyt, so if equivalent bonds can be forged, perhaps the Israeli might prove just as useful as the departed Samir Nasri.
4. Shaun Wright-Phillips to QPR- After two excellent seasons in the mid 2000s, Wright Phillips’ professional career has tailored off a bit. A disappointing spell at Chelsea, was followed by failure to adjust in Manchester City’s new financially charged environment leaving the England international cut adrift. At 29 though, he still has plenty to offer. Very tricky down the wing, SWP will have ample targets in the penalty area – both DJ Campbell and Jay Bothroyd are adept converters of crosses. Again, like Peter Crouch, Wright-Phillips is available for a knock down price – certainly one which will rise as the season continues.
5. Royston Drenthe to Everton (loan)- After going the entire summer without once dipping into the transfer market, Everton signed two player on deadline day. Headlining their business was the acquisition of former Real Madrid winger Royston Drenthe, a speedy player with the potential to make a big difference in the Premier League. As of now, Drenthe’s price hasn’t been confirmed, though I’d be shocked if it was any more than six million.
Hargreaves’ Story All Too Familiar For United
So often caught on the wrong side of the moral spectrum, Manchester City will relish this opportunity to make their rivals look just as base.Known for his charitable work, and reportedly willing to play for free, United threw Hargreaves to the wayside, presumably believing that injuries had finally overwhelmed the once great player. A two time Champions League winner, Hargreaves is about as cosmopolitan as an Englishman can be – fluent in German and an expert penalty taker. During his time at Bayern Munich, he gained legitimate respect from more broadly versed European football observers, his talents appreciated as being many varied and translatable to more than just the parochial atmosphere of English football.
At the 2006 World Cup, a series of dynamic performances – culminating in a penalty conversion against Portugal – earned Hargreaves the attention of Sir Alex Ferguson and, eventually, a move to Manchester United in the summer of 2007.
Patronized Berba Deserves More Than He’s Getting
In the midst of United’s attacking wildfire, one forward was removed from the rest. As in most things, Berbatov was on the outskirts.
He has always been different from the others. Quiet, withdrawn, Berbatov refuses to be sucked into the loud, effervescent public life of Rio Ferdinand, nor the wild, sex driven antics of Wayne Rooney. When United players are asked to describe their Bulgarian teammate, the answers tend to be vague or mumbled. To an outsider, it would seem as though nobody really knows Dimitar Berbatov. He is said to sit far from the rest on away trips, and rarely join in on raucous games of cards in the wee hours during those infamous tours abroad.
Lackadaisical, languid, lazy. Berbatov’s playing style has generated cliches of its own. Wishing to criticize, no wide range of vocabulary is needed, merely a group of synonyms that any would be TV pundit learns in their crash course to being unoriginal.
Even when he achieves, Berbatov’s accomplishments are derided. A golden boot made impure by the distribution of goals – heavily on one or two games against low level opposition – and a second title win in three years, more the work of Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez.
Now the criticism seems to have worked. The Bulgarian Berbatov is further away from first team football than ever, on the outskirts both personally and professionally.
Interest from PSG and Juventus though was rejected, despite his apparent distance from the starting eleven, Berbatov holds some value in Ferguson’s eye. What value though? Has he just been shelved away, kept only to save face, to show that thirty million pounds wasn’t wasted? Berbatov is fast turning into another object, kept only for the sake of stubbornness, cursed by no fault of his own, but by the failure of those around him to understand his footballing importance and by a price tag which many see as at its most useful when tied around the striker’s metaphorical neck.
The 2011 Champions League final looked to be his nadir. Left out of the squad entirely, Berbatov was forced to take a watchers on role while the constantly injured Michael Owen claimed a place on the bench. That season Owen had netted twice in the league. Berbatov was top scorer with twenty.
“There was no more disappointed man that night (Champions League final) than Dimitar, there’s no question about that.” said Ferguson. “I made a decision that I didn’t want to make, putting Michael Owen on the bench, but I felt it was a positive one.”
Sunday’s Fantasy Review
Manchester United 8-2 Arsenal- An absolute obliteration, I couldn’t dream of covering all angles. Assists and goals were in bountiful supply, with Rooney and Young the chief perpetrators.
On the other side of the coin though, villains were everywhere in the Arsenal team – shameful performances from all their defenders, a penalty miss by Robin Van Persie and a red card for Carl Jenkinson.
MOTM: Ashely Young- Two goals, a number of assits and now the game’s most valuable midfielder.
FOTM: Johan Djourou- Many would have thought Jenkison, but he was saved by an assist.
Tottenham 1-5 Manchester City- Another sensational result, attacking point scoreres were once again prevalent. Dzeko netted four and Aguero one, while a hat trick of assists for Samir Nasri earned him is first major fantasy haul of the season.
A goal from defense for Younes Kaboul made his score respectable, with Van Der Vaart’s corner making him Tottenham’s most dangerous attacking player.
MOTM: Edin Dzeko- Need I explain…
FOTM: Benoit Assou Ekotto- Five conceded and a yellow card.
Newcastle 2-1 Fulham- Newcastle get their second consecutive win, but no clean sheet for early front runners Ryan and Steven Taylor. Leon Best was the undoubted attacking hero, scoring two goals.
For Fulham, Clint Dempsey scored his first of the season, while popular defenders like Riise, Hughes and Hangelaand remain stuck on one clean sheet.
MOTM: Leon Best- Two goals, an easy pick.
FOTM: Brede Hangelaand- Could have been any Fulham defender, but he is the most popular.
West Brom 0-1 Stoke- West Brom’s unfortunate start to the season continued with another unlucky loss. Ryan Shotton was the hero, in a game – interestingly – without a single yellow card.
Shotton took advantage of a Ben Foster error, consinging the former Manchester United keeper to a third match without a clean sheet.
MOTM: Ryan Shotton- Scorer of the winning goal.
FOTM: Ben Foster- Not terrible in fantasy terms, but it was his mistake which lost the match.
Enjoy the rest of our fantasy coverage.
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