Spain vs. Scotland; Klinsman Stumbles

Spain pulled out all the stops against Scotland, at least for the first 60 minutes of the game.  With Puyol back and Valdes finally getting a start for la Furia Roja, Spain again had a sharpness not really seen since Euro 2008 and, to a somewhat lesser extent, at the 2010 WC .

Granted, Scotland are not a big fish team. It is still worth recognizing that several of the Scottish players play for top sides throughout Europe, and, in theory, they should be pretty decent. Against Spain, however, they looked more like a disorganized junior varsity high school team from the midwest. They could hardly string five passes together.


I don't think the penalty that Scotland scored should have been allowed.  Yes, it was a penalty kick offense. Valdes was slow to claim a ball into the box and clumsily crashed into the Scottish forward. Goodwillie's run up to the penalty looked to me to be a violation of the no-feinting at the point of the shot rule. It's a shame because Valdes is not a bad penalty stopper, and it would have been nice to see the result of a fair fight. Because of that concession, his track record will be forever blemished. Bad luck, Victor.

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On this side of the pond, Jurgen Klinsman's side lost 1-0 to Ecuador. I agree with this blogger. He's said it best.
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Predictions (hopes) for the weekend:
Betis will draw Madrid in the Bernabeu. Ramos will get a yellow card.
Racing de Santander will go down by one or two goals to Barcelona.

Cesc Fabregas, the Copa America and the WWC

Mr. Wenger, Cesc Fabregas has done all he could do for you. It is time to let him go.

The scouts at Arsenal were astute in spotting Cesc's talent over eight years ago when they initially signed him. Since then, Cesc has been an integral part of the team, helping them to maintain consistent top four status. He has started 266 matches, scored 57 goals and enhanced Arsenal's reputation as a team that plays attractive football. He's put in a good shift for you.

I understand it is Arsenal's job as a business to get the best price for him, but the directors should strongly consider the work he's already done, and allow him to leave as soon as possible.

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Copa America
Thank you for helping me get my football fix this summer, Copa America. Univision and Telefutura here in the US are broadcasting it, and the few games that I have caught have been incredible. Last night's match between Argentina and Columbia was excellent in it's competitiveness.

Both teams were highly motivated. rigorous in their challenges and sharp in their passing. I can't believe many of these players have just finished long seasons in Europe and still play at this level.

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A Word about the Women's World Cup in Germany
My guess is that the US team is expected to do well, we usually do. From what I saw yesterday, in the 2-1 defeat to Sweden, we do not deserve to. The Swedes were much sharper and deserved the win. In the second half, the US attack was pathetic -- Route 1, long ball tactics to chase an equalizing goal. It was painful to watch. We couldn't control the ball at all, or put together 3 passes.

The Final: Spain v. Holland

Hooray! Spain v. Holland in the final is a dream match-up this year. Great that neither of the two finalists have ever won it before, and that that is the case on a continent where the Cup has never been played before.

Brazil, though dear to my heart, has won it five times previously and will win it again in four years at home; Germany has won the cup several times already; France were unworthy, egocentric blowhards; Italy weren't good enough; England were, as always, an entertaining diversion. Uruguay were inspirational, but are happily eliminated. Holland is truly one of the best teams around. Spain is incredible.

In their last game, you could see that the key Dutch players had seemingly resolved whatever differences existed, and were playing to their potential. Van Bommel has really become a commanding presence in the center of the pitch. On their day, there is no stopping the Robben/Schneider/Van Persie combination.

Many are picking Spain to win this Cup. I hope they do -- my missus is half-Catalan; my favorite team is Barcelona; many on the Spanish national team are Barca players. But I want them to win mostly because I admire the way they play -- the way they hold possession and steadily build their attacks though a combination of passing moves and individual technique. I like that there is dynamism in the team -- they are tough in defense, thoughtful in midfield, quick on the wings and skillful in attack. There is also great cohesion in the team. When the attacking-midfielders and forwards are having difficulty breaking through the opposition defense, a defensive midfielder or full-back will move forward to provide another option. In defense, the forwards will drop back to recover possession. Also, everyone in the team defends -- a Barca tactic of late that has translated well to the national side.

Will Kuyt and Van Bommel control the game? Or will it be once again the Xavi and Villa show? My hope is for the latter, but will be entertained in any case by this historic game.

Happy watching!

Semifinals

I don’t know if there is any stopping this German team. Confidence must be soaring. Who will come in for Mueller? It hardly matters I think. Loew and co have outsmarted opponents regardless of the cast (wasn’t everyone thinking they’d be rubbish w/o Ballack?!). It will be an interesting match – del Bosque is no tactical schmuck.

Spain has weaknesses, I think; the holding midfield players (Busquets and Alonso) are more creative than they are defensive. In any given German counter-attack - and they have been so effective in counter-attacks this tournament - expect one or both to be lazily retreating when they should be sprinting. Our captain courageous, Puyol, is wonderfully dedicated to the cause but is also slow and in generally not as good as his German counterparts. Del Bosque took him off in the last match, though; I wonder if he may start someone else for the next game.

Does Germany have a weakness?

Will Holland will beat Uruguay? Perhaps so without Suarez, but I’m not convinced it’s already been decided. Holland in their last game looked a bit uncoordinated. Individuals (Schneider, Robben, V. Persie) did remarkable things, but there didn’t seem to be much cohesion in the team. As much as I like Holland, I am hoping Uruguay makes it to the final (against Spain ;-)

Happy watching indeed!

World Cup 2010 - Group and Round of 16

The Round of 16 has just finished. The States are out, no surprise. I was not surprised that we nearly did not make it out of the group. The playing fields are reasonably level these days. Algeria (although many of their players were born and live in France) produces good futebol players, as does Slovenia. Any 11 decently skilled and fit players, on their day, stand a decent chance of beating any given 11 from anywhere.

We (the US) were nearly beaten by Slovenia in the group phase, and had to claw our way back to tie. the last minute winner against Algeria was good, though.

Ghana beat us fair and square. Poor decision making on Clark's part; he coughed up the ball and the Ghanaian forward took full advantage. Well done to him. In extra time, I thought Bocanegra and DeMerritt (sp) had the long ball covered -- apparently not.