World Cup 2010 - Defoe rescues England

After a week that had become a bit like watching someone spew their guts out for a full 11 days, Team England finally rallied to defeat Slovenia at Port Elizabeth.

A clearly pumped up England, wearing their world cup winning red shirts (cliche number one) looked a different side from previous games, with Milner, Upson and Defoe all starting.  

Defoe had been largely, if not completely, anonymous for he first 20 minutes before doing what great strikers do best and popping to score following a delicious cross from Aston Villa's James Milner.  England were doing what they do best in the second half, really coming out fighting and with tails clearly up, going for a second, however a combination of the woodwork and some fantastic goalkeeping from Handanovic in the Slovenian goal kept the marauding English forward line at bay.  

However Slovenia continued to look dangerous counter attacking on a sand box of a pitch, with England pushing forward in numbers, somewhat unnecessarily in the eyes of this correspondent.....but it wouldn't be England had they not made it nervy.  With the back four and Milner all outstanding England hung on though.  1-0.  Phew, said a whole nation....after the usual nail biting.

In amongst all that fun and frivolity, the USA, who had put a good shift in during this tournament so far, went through as group winners....in the last seconds against Algeria.  Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes group C.....the EASY group, so they say......

Argentina through, France out, Greece never at the races

Enjoy it?

Business end of the World Cup began today with France, as inevitably as is possible, packing their bags and heading home........although there is an argument to say they never actually turned up at South Africa.  

IBWM along with the French government (not together mind) will wade in with its two penneth on that one in the coming days, but today the French, down to 10 men, stumbled to a 2-1 defeat to hosts South Africa.  In failing to do so, Bafana Bafana became the first host nation to fail making it over the qualification line in 80 years.  How they must rue that woodwork worrying against Mexico in the opening game.  Uruguay, unsportingly taking advantage in IBWM's drunken state that saw a hefty wager on a draw with Mexico, beat the Mexicans 1-0 to top Group A, with their opponents also going through.

Group B threw up an entertaining clash between South Korea and Nigeria, which ended 2-2 and included one of THE all time bad misses from Yakubu, enough for the Koreans to progress, finishing second to El Diego's Argentina.  

I should mention here that IBWM has taken the decision not to put all its eggs into Diego's basket and focus totally on Argentina (HEGS, Mundo Albiceleste and the lads at southamericanfootball.co.uk all do a much better job of that) in order to begin it's ultimate quest to concentrate on World Football in all it's glory, from all regions....... but we still love El Diego.  And so do his players, it seems.  

Sending out what could almost be described as a reserve side, sort of, through very squinted eyes, Argentina comfortably won 2-0 against the Greeks.  In truth, just the two flattered Greece, they were never in it.  Deciding that parking the bus was the way to go, the Greeks were comprehensively outplayed as Diego not only oversaw a win, but did a lot to keep morale high amongst his second string.  Captain for the night Leo Messi was again outstanding, but still failed to score, DiMichelis and Palermo doing the damage this time. 

Roll on the last 16.

Comments welcome.

South America to Sunderland; Bruce set to move again

Harry Redknapp of Spurs, continuing his ongoing dialogue regarding all things England, this week gave his verdict on Wayne Rooney's showing for the Three Lions against Algeria; "If he'd have been available for £1.5m, on that showing, I'd have said no'.  

Of course there is no chance of Rooney becoming available for that amount, so it's all hypothetical, but as you will have already sussed, Redknapp has made an astute point.  Rooney was awful.  If a scout had recommended that you go and take a look at the England striker, not being aware of his work, you'd have probably ducked out after half time and went home.  Not worth it, the verdict.

Which is why clubs need scouts.  Building up a profile and having players watched regularly before passing a final judgement; something that Steve Bruce at English Premier League side Sunderland has done to very good effect.

Riveros; he's in there, somewhere

In May, Bruce moved to secure the services of Cristian Riveros from Cruz Azul in Mexico.  Having tracked the player during his time as manager of Wigan Athletic, the Sunderland manager continued to monitor Riveros' progress and availability.  Originally put off by Cruz Azul's prohibitive price tag, which estimates suggested were near the £12m mark, Bruce could easily have choked on his cornflakes after learning of Riveros' eventual availability......on a free transfer.

“We have been monitoring Cristian for a while now so I’m delighted to have concluded a deal which will bring him to Sunderland and the Premier League" said Bruce, following the capture of the Paraguay international.

“He is a very creative midfielder and a player that will enhance our attacking options from wide positions.”  added the Newcastle born Sunderland manager, and this is something that Riveros has demonstrated already in Paraguay's World Cup campaign at South Africa.  Indeed Sunderland fans will have been pleased not only to see Riveros turn out for his national side, but to play particularly well at the heart of their engine room, capping his displays with a fine goal in the 2-0 win over Slovakia.

South America continues to be a happy hunting ground for Bruce, and his forays into the murky waters of transfer markets in that part of the world have been particularly effective.  Targeting players not always from the cost inflated Argentinean or Brazilian stables, but focusing on the rest of Latin and Central America, Bruce already has a good record.  

While Antonio Valencia of Ecuador was signed by Paul Jewell and Honduras international Wilson Palacios' recommendation come straight from Arsene Wenger, Bruce was certainly responsible for the development of both during his time with Wigan.  As both players were then sold on for huge transfer fees to Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur respectively, Bruce demonstrated the opportunities that arise by purchasing from the Americas.

Over the last year Wigan have seen the potential resale value of a second Honduras international, Maynor Figueroa as well as Columbian striker Hugo Rodallega rocket, with several of Europe's top sides closely monitoring both.

So what is Bruce's secret?  In a nutshell, a good scouting team........that includes John Benson.  Not a hugely well known man, despite holding just about every role - including manager -  at Wigan over the last 15 years, Benson recently joined his former boss at Sunderland.
 
And this as a partnership that again looks potentially fruitful.  Bruce has already added Riveros' international team mate Paulo da Silva and has been linked with moves to increase the Paraguayan contingent at Sunderland by adding Nelson Haedo Valdez, as well as looking at Argentinian duo Mauro Boselli and Marcos Angeleri from Estudiantes.  Chile's 'big boned' hitman Humberto Suazo has also been linked and the excellent Salvador Cabanas was also on the Bruce/Benson radar, prior to the Paraguay strikers 'run-in' with a revolver.

Suazo.  Mid air peanuts; out of shot

South American players have traditionally settled well in the North East of England; Nolberto Solano of Peru more than enjoyed his time at Newcastle, and more recently Argentinean duo Fabricio Coloccini and Jonas Guttierez have fell in love with the Geordies.  At Middlesbrough, Brazilian Juninho became part of the fabric on the banks of the Tees in the 1990's..

Further back, the Chilean Robledo brothers were also trophy winners with Newcastle in the 50's; are Sunderland set to follow with a 2011 vintage?

Viva la mackems.

Comments welcome.

Is Harry Redknapp of Tottenham Hotspur about to take England job?

Another day at the World Cup, another day of South American progression.....and European retreat.  

Brazil qualified, Paraguay in control and Argentina already have their slippers on.  Italy tottering, England likewise and France imploding; spectacularly so.

Each of these European sides are, to put it bluntly and despite one or two exceptions, past their sell by dates.  All three are still largely reliant on the same squads that represented them, well in the case of Italy and France, at the last World Cup.  While there is a similarity there, Italy and France have something in common that England don't.  Coaches.  Raymond Domenech and Marcello Lippi were both here last time, Fabio Capello was not.

In a few weeks time, possibly a few days, Laurent Blanc and Cesare Prandelli will have taken up their new roles as the top dogs for France and Italy respectively.  If we are to follow hastily adjusted contracts, adjusted during something of a power vacuum (again) at the English FA, Fabio Capello will be working on where England go next.  

But should England fail to beat Slovenia this week, where will Capello stand then?

Prandelli; top dog

IBWM would like to add the retainer here that it could still quite easily see Italy in the final, and while France are clearly a lost cause, what of England?  This was never a best chance, in fact for this golden generation, it was hoped to be a final hurrah; but that white shirt certainly looks heavy draped across English shoulders at present.

Should England do the unthinkable and fail to make it past Slovenia, contracts or not, Capello's position would be completely untenable.  He'll walk, albeit with a golden farewell, and the shambles that is left at the FA will be staring into the void.  The collapse of the 2018 World Cup bid will be the least of the problems facing Team England.

Clearly there will need to be a new appointment, and quickly.  Stuart Pearce, having worked with the Under-21's, was once thought next in line, but tarnished as Capello's 'yes' man by the most inept of displays at South Africa, where next?

Roy Hodgson at Fulham has made a case for himself, and has the benefit of international experience with Finland and Switzerland, but will that pacify the locals?  There is clearly only one direction the FA looking at the mother of all backlashes will face; Tottenham Hotspur.

Did I say Tottenham Hotspur?  Or should that have been Sandbanks, Poole?  After all, the media do like to point out how happy 'Arry is with his life and his home overlooking Poole harbour.  He's also just steered Spurs into the Champions League and would surely like a tilt at that?  But do a bit of research; Google the words England and Redknapp together and you'll see how much copy Harry has provided on the subject 'England' recently.  IBWM thinks it's clear what's on his mind, last chance and all that, picking something up off the floor; that's Harry's style.

Redknapp; now or never

We could get all hung up on the innuendo, rumour and potential 'stories' that have been attached to Redknapp, but there can be no worse bad press than the bad press that England and the FA could be facing soon.  

Tottenham; that looks like our stop.

Comments welcome.

Will Manchester City or Real Madrid get Argentina's Angel Di Maria?

I dare say there will be a fair few rumours about who is going where over the coming weeks should topics of conversation ever move away from Vuvuzelas and Jabulani's....or how crap England are.

99% will be mere speculation and most of these will involve Manchester City, as is always the case with these things, but some just look inevitable. Especially where the shrinking violets that are Real Madrid are concerned. 

 

Di Maria; Bernabeu bound?

Currently in the Madridistas sites, (and I’ll include the word ‘allegedly’ here) allegedly, is Argentina’s fleet of foot young left winger, Angel Di Maria, who looked a little more into his stride against South Korea this week....but Manchester City have also been linked

"I have not been called about anything new, I hope it is true that my transfer goes ahead, because it will be a great option," stated Di Maria, speaking to Spanish sports daily Marca this week.

"I have not spoken to anyone about my move to Real Madrid, because right now I am solely focused on the World Cup", added young Angel. The fee is suggested to be somewhere in the region of £30m, which certainly sounds like a Real Madrid type amount of dosh to this correspondent. There have already been reports of medicals being carried out for the player.

Of course I should add a word of warning here, as the majority of quotes do seem to be emanating from the player, rather than the club, and we all know how Real Madrid like to keep these things quiet. (Ahem).

Quite exactly where Di Maria would fit in considering that Cristiano Ronaldo is already in situ at the Bernabeu is one issue; another is whether new Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho quite fancies the player.   All encouraging for Roberto Mancini at Manchester City.

The enigmatic Jose may well prefer to send his large amounts of cash in the direction of his former employers at Milan, with Inter reluctantly sticking the likes of Maicon, Milito or even Samuel and Cambiasso onto a train bound for the Spanish capital.

No doubt there will be more to come.

Comments welcome.

World Cup 2010 - Cameroon : The loneliness of the long distance Samuel Eto'o

There are few things in football as sad as the out of position player.

 

While some are happy enough just to lace up their boots and fight for the greater good, others just end up going through the motions.  Dejected, heads down and ineffective.  Pitiful really.

Of course many players end up like this when they are played in their favoured position by their club; “I’m ready to move on when this shambles gets itself relegated, my agent can get me a move to Italy…..once the loyalty bonus has kicked in of course”  Just insert relevant name here, we’ve all seen ‘em.

But at international level things are different, well sometimes anyway.  I watched Japan beat Cameroon (do I need to have an s on the end of that? should Hartlepool still be Hartlepools?) in what was one of several uninspiring first round games at the South Africa World Cup.  Japan worked hard and deserved their victory.  Cameroon, once the darlings of World Cup football, were toothless and insipid.  In their own continent, and with a new batch of players, Paul Le Guen’s side, while not expected to pull up trees at South Africa, could surely be expected to put on a decent show.  But no. 

Paul Le Guen

The main reason for Cameroons ineptitude stemmed, as far as I could see, from their coach, Paul Le Guen.  Le Guen has an extensive, if somewhat mixed CV.  He was lauded as a genius in France after a spell with Lyon, winning the championship three times while in situ, but labelled a clown in Scotland following his time at Rangers.  I read a comment yesterday from Oliver Kay of the Times, who questioned whether Le Guen’s time at Rangers had been a blip.  He concluded, after watching the Japan game, that it was Le Guen’s time at Lyon that was the blip.

Whilst they huffed and puffed, Le Guen’s side looked lost.  Bereft of ideas, the African side resorted to the most basic of long ball tactics, with no positive outcome.  Whilst they were never Brazil, Cameroon were always easy on the eye, if not the ankle, as Claudio Canigga will probably concur. 

 

What I found to be particularly sad though, was the site of striker Samuel Eto’o, cut adrift on the right flank and left helpless, like a lost child in a supermarket.  Of course top players should be able to roll up their sleeves, get stuck in get on the front foot for their country, especially if they’ve been made captain.  But I have sympathy with Eto’o; he doesn’t give the impression of being a shrinking violet, but deep down he looks the type that probably needs the velvet glove treatment.  Eto’o clearly needs to be loved.  And played up front. 

 Eto'o; short of love, it says here

‘Play to your strengths’ is a maxim that works well on the national stage, with current World champions Italy the embodiment of that philosophy.  Eto’o has been in sparkling form this season for Inter, playing just off and just behind Diego Milito, but he was equally devastating at Barca as a main striker.  Quite why Le Guen saw fit to stifle the life out of his best player, the player he made captain, is well beyond my comprehension.  Evan Japan appeared shocked at the selection, and probably couldn’t believe their luck at seeing such a potent force tucked away as ball after ball sailed straight down the throats (not literally you understand) of their centre backs.

I can recall a similar situation at Newcastle United in the mid 1980’s.  Incumbent magpies manager Jack Charlton, decided that it was his way, which was also the high way.  Deploying two burly strikers in George ‘Rambo’ Reilly and Tony Cunningham, with service provided from Chris Waddle on the left, and the deft Peter Beardsley shoved onto the right, Charlton felt that getting the ball lofted into the box by hook or crook gave the best chance to score.  In fact Charlton’s tactics also asked ‘Pedro’, not to get too involved with crossing the halfway line.  Reilly and Cunningham struggled, Beardsley struggled and Newcastle struggled.  Waddle went to Tottenham.  Within 12 months Beardsley was thankfully back in position for club and was a huge star for England in Mexico 86.  Redemption.

Sadly for Eto’o, this will likely be his swansong at international level.  Fiercely criticized by 107 year old Cameroon legend Roger Milla for his lack of international prowess, Eto’o cut the look of dejection perfectly.  There will be no surprise should he announce his international retirement by the time Cameroon pack their bags and head North, which looks like being sooner rather than later under Le Guen’s guidance.

Comments welcome. 

World Cup 2010 - Was Spain defeat really a surprise?

When I read a headline on the interweb this week titled ‘Swiss shock’, I just assumed it was a typo and all I had to do was follow a link to get a free bar of toblerone.  One of the big ones that you get at airport duty free shops (who does buy those by the way?).  However, I was wrong. 

 

On clicking it was indeed a 'Swiss Shock', rather than a choc, and it referred to Switzerland’s opening group game, the 1-0 win over much fancied Spain.

In terms of shocks, this was pretty significant as well.  Spain entered the World Cup as reigning European Champions, have the best set of international players available, a tried and tested system, a respected coach in Vincente Del Bosque and have only lost once in around about 3000 matches, give or take a few.  Heck, even IBWM backed them for glory and you can’t get a more glowing endorsement then that.

Sooooo; Switzerland 1 Spain 0........was it really a shock?

Ok, to be fair to Espana they looked for the most part as invincible as they always do.  The ball looked as if it belonged to the Spanish and the Swiss were little more than traffic cones scattered across the pitch for Xavi et al's passes to avoid.  But to write this result off as a total fluke does a great disservice to a decent Switzerland side.

 Bike parking at Swiss FA headquarters

In qualifying for South Africa, Switzerland topped their group; admittedly this wasn’t the most difficult of groups to steer out of (they lost only once, at home to Luxembourg of all people in 2008), but there has been a growing feeling across Europe that this is a Switzerland side that has been developing at a rapid rate.

Talented players such as Gokhan Inler and Eren Derdiyok have made huge strides over the last two years and are already established in Serie A and the Bundesliga respectively.  Inler with Udinese and Derdiyok with Bayer Leverkusen .  Supplemented with a few old hands this is a Switzerland side with a clear sense of focus.  And that focus has been provided by coach Ottmar Hitzfeld.

If there was one thing that stood out from the Spain game, it was the tactical approach of the Swiss, admittedly ‘stop Spain scoring’ is a fairly straightforward instruction, but the execution of the game plan was no fluke.  Hitzfelds set up was fairly simple, he was more than happy for the Spaniards to play their neat little triangles and maintain a tippy tappy passing game with ole!’s a plenty coming from the crowd (if you could hear them) provided it was all done in front of his Switzerland team. 

 

Stifling space for the Spaniards to make incisive runs down the flanks was also a feature, and anything that went straight down the middle was easy fodder for centre backs Phillipe Senderos and Stéphane Grichting, with the former sadly due to miss the rest of the tournament due to ankle ligament damage.

Hitz; providing focus 

In fact the Swiss were so effective at executing their plan that the Spaniards almost swallowed their collective dentures when Switzerland broke forward.  You just don’t do that to Spain.  Fernandes scored after an excellent run from Derdiyok, and his team could have scored again with another incisive move resulting in a bit of woodwork worrying.  Patience the key, the weight of expectancy looked to hang heavy on Spanish shoulders.

All this just demonstrates the value of a good coach.  In the previous two World Cups we have seen the brilliant work of Guus Hiddink, teaching South Korea and then Australia to punch well above their weight.  

Hitzfeld has already won the champions league twice with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, and so far looks to have the ability to ruffle feathers at South Africa 2010. 

Anyone fancy an Alp?