What we missed at the 2010 FIFA world cup in South Africa

Yes, we are busy or exhausted after a gruelling 4 weeks in South Africa, but if you are not taking time to watch some of the games at the 2010 FIFA U-20 world cup in Germany, you are missing a special treat of good football. A distinct variety that is raw and pure, unadulterated with the crafty antics of con artist that we grandly ordain with sophistry by calling them professional footballers or even football stars.

Being mostly teenagers, it is understandable that the beautiful girls from the 16 participating countries show a tactical indiscipline that thrills. Their movement is spontaneous. They ride tackles with competitive zest, alien to men's game at all levels.

Female football is gradually becoming the only platform where football is football. Please just see the games.

FIFA 2010 world cup: A chapter that should never close

On Monday we will do what we have always done. Close a chapter and shift attention to other things, but the FIFA world cup in South Africa will remain a nice niche for events that have brought to the beautiful game the need for better self inspection. It has been one of the most interesting in recent memory. The upsets were astounding and the bridge between the big boys and the smaller teams was thoroughly sabotaged. From now onwards the contest will be fiercer and the tag of favourite should continue to diminish is substance.

As a stage where legends are ordained, the hallowed football pitches in South Africa produced a rude awakening or a couple of shocking realities. The stars that adorn massive bill board world wide and have turned club side merchandising into multi-million dollar empire flopped. Christiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Richardo Kaka and Lionel Messi are the undeniable icons of the modern game. What is a world cup worth if the stars of the game can not shine. Cagey tactics and negative antics flourished as a legitimate game plan for which firmer and consistent rules are veritable antidote.

And then the officiating. The officiating errors were jaw dropping. It is true that football is a human game, but a referee encased in the peculiar human flaw is not the best arbiter in the modern game. The soundest argument in favour of this is the rounded tool knocked around by the players, the jabulani ball designed by Adidas, with its tinniest entrails dabbed in technology. Why deny the referees the enormous advantage of having access to video technology in a game that has become so pacey.

By Monday, we should not close this chapter. The FIFA 2010 world cup has shown that the game needs fundamental changes in the rules (off side and the penalty for repeat yellow cards in two games) and the introduction of video technology in football. If we forget, it won't happen and the accusations of a systematic bias will trail football from now onwards, which is hardly good for the beautiful game.

Bridging the widest gap in modern football

The game between England and German brought back memories of 1966 for the goal that never was, a looping Lampard effort that struck the bar and landed well beyond the goal line. These dicey couple of seconds highlighted an uncomfortable truth, that in more than four decades, the beautiful game has not changed a bit in the kind of controversy it courts. But as video technology advances, the gap between what the viewers see at home and the referee on the the pitch is widening at an alarming pace, to such as extent that Video replays at the stadia is no longer a luxury at the on-going FIFA 2010 world cup in South Africa, as the football governing body attempts to drag a dark wool over the frequent gaffes by the men in black.

While goal line technology has been at the fore front of those advocating the introduction of technology, the use of video replays tackle almost all the issues, including Tevez's goal against Mexico. And the fear that the flow of the game will be disrupted is in practice insignificant. As long as only the referee reserves the right to seek clarification from the fourth official, who would have a "sony" HD tube in front of him, play would only be delayed for seconds. This enhanced referee's perception, hawk eye you might want to call it, will erase most of the avoidable gaffes.

In addition, professional falls employed by football players to con the officials would gradually fade from the game as the players become increasingly aware that the fourth official possesses a technology to expose these fraudulent devices, which should serve as a deter-ant. High stake games have suffered enough, particularly from the antics of deceitful players. Video technology is so integral to the enjoyment of football and there is no reason why the referee should be left out. Natural in a modern sense implies the use of technology in one form or the other.

African football teams searching for its missing link in South Africa

The game between Brazil and Ivory Coast at the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg was billed as a true test of Brazil's strength after the Korean game, but in the end it was a casual stroll in the park for the Selecao, as a Fabiano brace propelled Dunga's team to a comfortable 3 - 1 win. With Cameroon already eliminated, Nigeria and South Africa precariously poised for ouster, only Ghana has gotten results worth celebrating across the continent. This in itself is disappointing because the Black stars have struggled to a large extent to create goals.

Ghana has played more than 90 minutes of football with a player advantage in South Africa against Serbia and Australia, two teams with less than an average pedigree at this level and their two goals have been spot kick. Nothing else from open play! A lose against the Germans, a plausible possibility, creates a back door opportunity for Serbia or Australia to leap frog them into the next round. It is really that bad for African teams with the possibility of all teams being knocked out after the first round. Nigeria had no shot on goal against Argentina after 60 minutes of football.

African players are often light weighted in technical abilities, but the missing link for African teams in 2010 FIFA world cup appear to be the absence of competence from the bench. The performance of the hurriedly hired coaches have been abysmal. The tendency to mould African teams after European style is failing grandly. An important reason is the short window to groom the players, but equally is the fact that you can't teach a senile dog new tricks. African players lack tactical discipline and are mentally unprepared to play complex formations, but they make up for this by their vibrancy, which is hardly in display nowadays. At the world cup, playing to your strength in a native system is the best tactics for African teams. Play simple, robust and fast paced football.

Argentina is looking good for the FIFA world cup, but ......

After a dominant attacking display against Nigeria and South Korea, Argentina is firmly on top as one of the favourites for the FIFA 2010 World cup in South Africa. Up front, the talent is awesome with Tevez, Higuain, Di Maria and Messi flooding forward in recurring waves of attacking forays. The first hat trick highlight the threat, but the crunch times lie ahead, a stage where the different sections of the team will be tested by opponents with tougher pedigree.

It will be interesting to see how Argentine team maintain shape when they are predominantly on the receiving end and the style of the teams in group B has not helped in this regard. The tactical abilities of the previous opponents where never fashioned to test the weakness of Maradona's team. An area that needs patching is the left side with Di Maria and Heinze seemingly always together in advance positions with only a few yards between them. The width of space behind them can easily be exploited by world cup teams who appreciate this loophole. In addition, how does the static central defence formation cope when teams have assess to their bye-line. The mobility between Walter Samuel and Demichelis has been narrow so far.

Maradona's team have shown enough ability to be rated among the teams to get to the last four. Although there is a lot of football to be played, it is already looking like a great tournament.

FIFA 2010 World Cup: What a start!

Though the favourite Spain is yet to take to the pitch, the nervy start to this year's FIFA world cup in South Africa is a good sign of what to expect in the later stages. Apart from the Germans, England, Brazil and Italy have all had tamed performances as result of resilient opponents, which is exciting for the game. The nerves appear to be a fine testament to the desire to do well in this competition. And the men in black should be commended. After the first games, the referees should have a thumbs up for their determination to return "contact" back to the beautiful game which after-all a contact game. Their haste to overlook professional fouls has given the play a better flow.

It is true that the results have not been decisive, but this ensure the prospect of a mouth watering second round of games in all the groups. And shape, which invariably defines balance is poised to become the most important factor and in this regard, Brazil and Germany stand shoulder high above the rest (apart from Spain!). England lack a good goal keeper and the central defence is suspect. Argentina's weak back-line was exposed by Nigeria and Germany's inexperience is sure to be striped bare in the later stages. Spain's main headache is contending with a cautious Brazil.

FIFA 2010 World cup in South Africa is exhibiting a tilt that is slanting towards Brazil to make it their sixth title.

England: How not to prepare for the FIFA world cup

Rooney or Gerard gets a knock and an anxiety frenzy sets in or will Barry be fit for the world cup? While England’s lack of depth is obvious, their approach to this year’s world cup preparation is self defeatist in a mental sense, an attitude which somehow also explains the poor record in penalty shot outs. Capello is a good coach with a group of nice players to tutor for a great football fiesta, a job in did perfectly during the qualifiers, but there is this feeling now that England is preparing for a cup final, a one match event where you need all your best players to start the game. Any indication a player won’t be fully fit spreads this uncomfortable suggestion that the team will be missing something special. Capello may have a solid team of psychologist, but that is hardly an invitation to accumulate stressors.

The road to the finals is paved by tenuous pillars in the frame of six tough matches, of which the first three is likely to be routine is ease, but beyond that England must prove their mettle. The best way to achieve this is to develop a belief and confidence in those players that may start from the bench. This works both ways. A Rooney or a Gerard is more likely to play to his full potential if he knows that his absence would not necessarily derail the overall ambition of the team. This is the extra edge winning teams tend to have. Dunga went ahead to name is 23-man team and excluded those he wanted to from the outset. It may not be a perfect team, but in players like Ramires, Nilmar and Grafite, there is belief that if they are called upon, which they may not, they will deliver. That sense of completeness, even if artificial is a propellant of immerse value. 

This one match mentality has often perpetuated the duplicity of Gerard and Lampard playing together in the same football match in similar positions with only cosmetic differences because everyone should be accommodated. Compare England with Brazil where effective roles are created for Alves and Maicon. The three lions are in for a turbulent world cup with this rigid obsession with a team of static eleven players because in the second round, there are bound to face Serbia or Germany, two rugged teams with tactical discipline and beyond that stage, is Brazil in the quarters.

FIFA 2010 World Cup | I lost the friendly match, and so what?

Portugal’s goalless draw with lowly Cape Verde in a recent friendly match has send scorching headlines across the footballing world, as the likes of Ronaldo and Nani were unable to score in 90 minutes. For a minute I never believed the upheaval had anything to do with the true strength of the Portuguese. Friendlies say very little about teams, but our response to these results may reflect our deeper opinions regarding the chances of the teams at the FIFA 2010 world cup. Preparing for the world cup is much simply in a technical sense than you would expect.

While it brings a lot of excitement, the depth of the intrigue is shallower. A lot of the teams that come out of the group stages are obvious with the exception of a few surprises and very few indeed. The seeding format and fixtures give the top teams an edge, which in financial terms is good for the game. With no room for a third place qualifier, the mathematics of qualifying is simplified, as the seeded team start against the lowly team, which is often a warm-up match across the groups.  

The semi-finalists are fairly predictable as well using the FIFA/Coca Cola ranking. It is always risky to bet against 4 of the top 8 teams reaching the last four i.e. 25% of the 32 teams have more than a 90% chance of reaching the last weekend, hardly any brain storming here. In a way, teams like Portugal already know what the need to do go far, a huge source of distraction for Ronaldo and co. With a final game against Brazil, getting the three points against a Drogba led Ivory Coast is daunting task for a team that is not balanced. Friendly matches for what they really are, is a test drive that hardly ever reproduce what we should expect when the competition keys off.

They can be used for various reasons. Dunga already has a good idea of the structure of the Brazilian team and has planned two soft games against African opposition in June. Maradona needed a morale boosting match in front of his home crowd, which Canada delivered by conceding 5 goals, but that does not mean they would not struggle when it matters. I can vividly remember the wave of amazing headline prior to USA 94, when Brazil draw with 1 – 1 with poorly fancied Canada, but they got to the finals and won. The general impression then was to dismiss the result. It still holds true.

Football transfers: The 5 top stories of the summer

This summer’s transfer window is set to generate an enthralling frenzy because a number of top guns missed the bull’s eye by a mile. The returns were just too pantry to fend off the tag of failure for teams like Real Madrid and Manchester City, who spent well over £200 million on players for their respective campaigns. But the game has changed drastically. Driven by the huge financial remunerations from competing in premium competitions like the champion’s league and sales of club memorabilia, football is big business and the desire for immediate gratification has never been so consuming.

1.    Fernando Torres
Liverpool is riding a debt crisis with a trajectory that appears to be on a collision course with a stone slab. In all honesty, the Kops have the ability to overcome their financial woes, but as the search for a new buyer drags on, the likelihood of a Torres exit simply becomes inevitable. In the financial economics of the modern game, a player in the frame of Torres should not be competing in the Europa cup or partake in dire struggle for Champions league qualification with the advent of the likes of Tottenham, Manchester City and Aston Villa, if as expected Liverpool wouldn’t  have the funds to strengthen their team. A potential transfer headline is bound to be the tussle for Torres by Stamford Bridge or the City of Manchester.

2.    Kaka
He has had a poor season by any standard and by his own, a disastrous performance as a prelude to a world cup. Comprehensively out-played and overshadowed by the brilliance of Christiano Ronaldo, his groin injury has been unable to hide his poor performance on the pitch. At a stage, the story was that of his commitment to Real Madrid. A Kaka transfer from the Bernabeu is very likely. Financially, it could help limit the potential loss from the team’s huge investment. On the field of player, the Madrid style with so many mid-fielders stumbling over each other is tragic for Kaka’s free roving role. He likes to dictate play, but with Alonso in the mix, this has been impossible. I have to bet on Kaka leaving, but to where? Manchester United or Chelsea I suspect.

3.    Cesc Fabrecas
After an injury blighted season, which dented severely Arsenal’s trophy aspirations, the FIFA World cup might still present a respite for one of the best attacking mid-fielders of his generation. Will he remain at the Emirates in North London? Xavi and the Messi have dropped the best hint of his next destination if decides to leave and I think he would. They both said he has the Barcelona DNA in his blood stream, whatever that might look like, but sincerely who won’t want to play for the Catalan giant. Cesc simply needs to do the maths and if he arrives at anything near the fair conclusion that the Premier league and Champion’s league are perhaps two huge aspirations for the gunners next season, he will jump ship this summer. 

4.    Luis Fabiano
Fabiano is just too hot a property to remain with Sevilla this summer, except they offer him something special, which is unlikely. He has never denied his intention to move on when the right offer appears. but I guess his appeal might have been deadened as a result of the erratic showing, but the Bernabeu remains his unlikely, but realistic destination, a possibility that could strengthen once Pelligrini leaves and is replaced by Mourinho as widely expected. A player comfortable with tactical discipline rather showmanship is a Mourinho delight. My guess is that if Benzema is leaving as speculated, then Fabiano is a perfect replacement.  

5.    Jose Mourinho
For a coach who has never denied his disgust for the Italian game, it is inconceivable he would remain in Milan in the summer because that would ridicule is persistent outburst against the Calcio. And if he is after the money (who won’t), Real Madrid, Manchester United and Manchester City are capable of meeting his price, as well  as providing good funds to buy the players he wants. He seemed destined for the Bernabeu which has all the entrails of a soap opera with engulfing twist ahead as his style comprehensively contrasts with the free flowing attractive football expected by the Real Madrid faithful.

All hail Chelsea, but what a season for the Gunners

In the end, the emphatic thrashing of Wigan was all an en-thrilling league contest, filled with thrills and turns, needed to separate the teams and the blues more than deserve their win. For a football team almost marred by Terry-gate, they recovered superbly and literally went on a rampage in the last 8 weeks. And Chelsea offers a frightening prospect in the coming seasons. No one can deny Ancelotti's tactical astuteness and his eye for talented players, which buoyed by the ravishing wealth of a certain Russian, create an alchemy that should deliver a stronger Chelsea. Pato (and troubled Kaka) can't be ruled out of a Bridge switch.  

But this season can so easily be remembered for the unedifying fortunes of Arsenal FC. Mortally dented by injury woes, the gunners had a bad season based on their potentials. At the start, they looked liked a dream team and I hope next season should provide a better opportunity for the beautiful game to flourish at the Emirates, but grit, experience and dexterity at the back would be essential. The summer signing should give a fair preview.

It is quite interesting that as of now, the gunners should ideally be looking to caught up with Manchester United and Chelsea, but are rather keeping their sight behind, at Tottenham and Manchester City, maybe Aston Villa. Tottenham is sure to get stronger and City might just. Right now, the overwhelming pre-occupation is the world cup. See you there.

Jose Mourinho as an Avatar for the beautiful game

In a way, the special one has come to symbolize the future of the beautiful game in proportions often underrated. Winning is everything and as a natural winner, endowed with the tactics and antics to produce results with such an enviable degree of certainty for the football teams he has coached. Jose stands out brightly as a competent avatar for the future of the game, a poster boy for the very ideals most team will have to abide by in other to be successful.

Granted that in football, winning has always been essential, in the past successes where achieved with revered decency and sportsmanship, a quality that allowed teams and players with exciting technique and artistry to flourish. When the Germans play the Brazilians, it was quite easy to appreciate the contrasting styles because as a contact sport, players rode tackles with game fullness and the motivation to gain dubious advantages by feigning infringement was wholly despised. Nobody can deny the role played by this sporty philosophy in showcasing the game in such rarefied percept, a key ingredient that enticed a global audience. Remove Barcelona and Arsenal and you will perhaps need a microscope to scan for any other team in top flight European club football who still cherishes the need to play football in a way that is fair and pleasing to the eye.

A trick which is being enacted with impunity is to ensure football is played for a less amount of time. At the slightest contact, a modern football player goes to the ground often with the added intent to get the opposing player booked, a practice that is so well rehearsed as his mates encircle the referee as well. Once the card is awarded, a football player who was wriggling in so much pain springs up from the turf with excellent agility. Top teams take it further by using these situations to dent the composure of the referees. In the recent champions league game between Barcelona and Inter Milan, the referee was completely ruffled by play acting from both sides that he went on a mishap spree, giving an unfair red card, missing clear fouls and giving infringement against the offended. In this realm, Mourinho is king. Once the referee is taken out, the negative antics simply flourish. Welcome to the future of football.

MADRID 2010 FINALS: The Fink Tank Index previews an exciting world of football prediction

A distinctive aspect of Nature’s design is the penchant for precise proportions. As such mathematical trends are never far away from our considerations. In Football, the Castriol Index which rates the performance of individual football players maybe more popular, but the Fink Tank is not far behind. Developed by the Warwick University as the Decision Technology (Dectech) Predictor, it is now simply referred to as the Fink Tank Index.

Using complex statistics, they look back at two years of goals scored by respective teams as well as their shots on goal, then weight them in such a way that the more recent results count more heavily. Football teams are then ranked according to their performance and can be compared against each other. In the ranking for the Champions league final on May 22nd, Inter Milan is rated ahead of Bayern Munich with a 39.6% chance of winning compared to Bayern’s 34%. Significantly, there is a sizable 26.4% chance for a stalemate. Drama is in the air!

Jose Mourinho and Loius Van Gaal: Can football separate a Siamese twin?

I have a crystal ball which has been simply magical for years. Just a faint glance, I knew Manchester United will beat Chelsea at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome and after an uncomfortable 5 minute stare last year, Barcelona 3, United 1 popped up. Okay the Moscow match ended 2 – 0 in favor of the Catalonia football team. This season I had trusted it, but silently convinced it was becoming faulty. Madrid over Lyon was going to be a walk in the park it said, but in the end, the £250 million real estate collapsed emitting a cloud akin to the Icelandic Eyjafjallajoekull volcanic ash. When Robben’s beautifully struck half volley pierced the aspirations of United, I was perhaps still in denial, reluctant to accept the obvious fact that two huge mistakes was too much for anything described as “magical”. Last night it went dim following Barcelona’s ouster.

Right now I am in a huge mess. I am left bare with only my pure analytic skills, fluid at best, to fall on in predicting the winner between Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, two teams that has shown an uncanny ability to bring out the best with their backs against the wall. In Louis Van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, we have two coaches that have seen success at this level and as such unlikely to be overwhelmed by the magnitude of the occasion. They are also quite hungry to prove a point or two to their respective boards, one having started the season badly, while the other has publicly aired his desire to leave.

For those of us expecting any football on the 22nd of next month, we are in for a disappointing 90 minutes. While Jose is generally considered as negative in his style, putting victory, at all cost, above every other thing, Van Gal is presently not far off. He came into prominence with an Ajax team that played a breath taking attacking football, mesmerizing the likes of Real Madrid even at the Bernabeu in the mid nineties. Interestingly, Louis has shed a lot of his beautiful play, settling for efficiency laced with negative antics. So both coaches can come up with the kind of tactics to nullify any taint of decent play, Inter Milan is perhaps ahead of Bayern Munich based on a pound for pound profile of individual football players but surely this match may offer a glimpse into the future of football, where game fullness is striped off and replaced with all manner of tricks and con tactics. Welcome to Mourinho’s world.

A perfect match for Jose Mourinho at Nou Camp

A lot of lads would give a lot to be called the special one, but for Jose Mourinho that tag comes naturally, which is easily linked to his achievements on the pitch. The maverick of rare and distinctive hue is too often portrayed as cagey in his tactics and in some quarters, just blatantly negative. Interestingly, it is quite easy to accept these conclusions whenever you watch a football team guided by Jose Mourinho, because the singular trait that shines through is their determination to excel. They contest for ball with such bullish vigor and launch attacking forays unperturbed by collateral damage that we lose sight of the fact that Mourinho is surely more that brute.

He is indeed a perfect game reader, an ability he now has a perfect opportunity to exhibit in front of the Nou Camp faithfuls, with the added bonus of dismissing his global skeptics who have been praying fervently for a Messi revival. This game is a perfect challenge for the special one. With the contest tilted in Inter favor at 3 – 1 from the first leg, Jose is ready once more to startle everyone with his tactics and team selection. At Stanford Bridge Inter showed a glimpse of the true tactician in the Portuguese when he started with 4-4-2 formation, attacking in every sense with Millito and Eto’o at the forefront. A formation that was surprisingly similar to that of Ancelotti. Only a Mourinho could start a match of that texture with such an offensive line up of soccer players and one which was thoroughly unwilling, even for a moment, to hold on to a slender one goal advantage, buoyed by their own capacity to score away from home.

I foresee an Inter team going all out to get away goals because Mourinho would want to accept the fact that Barcelona can score goals, good goals, especially at home. The key factor would then be how many goals each side can produce which I guess favours the Italians. Such an open game is bound to frighten Guardiola because just one away goal means Barcelona most score three against an Inter side good defensively to take the match beyond regulation time. What a mouth watering prospect.

The game of soccer without referees

Yea, they no longer wear black, but you can tell that to my bigoted memory of what they use to look like when I was a child. I just can't see a different color and that is not even my grudge. The men in black are by a galactic distance the new show in town. With the likes of Lionel Messi, Christiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney reaching into their huge hats of tricks and pure soccer artistry weekly, we, I mean everyone of you out there, could be forgiven for assuming for so long, almost an eternity, that the referees never really mattered, at least not in the "attention contest". Not anymore. In the modern game, they are rapidly becoming the star attraction, though unattractive, but, lethally decisive. Just ask the Birmingham manager Alex McLeish after the Sunday's football game against Villa. 

Nowadays, when your precious football team is on the turf enacting the beautiful game, your heart aches in anticipation of the next "big decision" by the referee that could turn a victory into an instant sticky pie. Even when your team is hoist for barbecue, it could quickly become a baking spree, especially if you were Stoke City. Salomon Kalou's two footed challenge on Sorensen for the Mahican's second goal on Sunday, anywhere else on the soccer pitch would have been an instant red card, but the resulting goal stood while the bemused keeper suffered a dislocated shoulder, which may  exempt him from a trip to the beautiful South Africa. No Hakuna Matata| 

In my parlance, maybe miniature in its cognitive reach compared to the global opinion bank, I am terminally disappointed in this taint that is clouding the game of football. Precisely, I have come to the bitter conclusion that the referees should go the way of the Dinosaurs like T-Rex, extinct! There should be a computer program out there integrated into a Sony or LG video technology by a Whizkid that can render a fair and interactive feel enabled to disable this weekly dose of heart aches. Come on guys, we can it or maybe just carry a placard with the inscription "Football Without Referees"

Blue or Red: Barclay’s battle of the primary colors

Chelsea’s 7 – 0 thrashing of miserable Stoke City has added to the juicy cliff hanger that has been in prospect for weeks. The blues’ virtuoso performance dimed any hint of nerves just 24 hours after Manchester United climbed to the top of the English premier league for the eighth time. They were clinical in style and mechanically efficient. Kalou’s hat trick, a brace from the Lampard (twentieth of the season!) and singletons from both Sturridge and Malouda ensured a comprehensive victory that tilts the hue of the premiership in favour of the London based football team.

Tilt is the right word because the pundits are stuttering, faced with the most mazy of contest. I started the season with Chelsea as my favourite, at the moment, to be sincere, only pride and mathematical possibility straps me to my earlier prediction, because Manchester United are damn hot, dispatching the highly rated Tottenham with relative ease. Chelsea’s title hopes now hang thinly on solid performance at Anfield next week. Ancelotti and his mob are in for a torrid time which should decide the title. And Liverpool has been given a huge tonic by the floundering pair of Tottenham and Manchester City who both dropped points at the weekend.

Remove the inconsistent officiating and the devastating reel of injuries, this season by far has been the best for a long time with the top English soccer team providing dramatic turns that has kept everyone thrilled and guessing. Who wins the battle of the primary colors? Blue or Red? The battle unfolds.

Clash of the Titans

This season's English premier league mimics the big screen movie, Clash of the Titans, in a unique manner. With the twist and nervous climax, the gods of soccer seem have adopted this football league for their prime time amusement. Coincidentally Ancelotti has suggested seeing the same movie rather than watch the lunch time kickoff between Manchester United and Tottenham. Alex simply laid his gauntlet by insisting that he is not quitting Old Trafford soon, an indication of his thirst for more glories. As the clashes forge ahead, the battle for the Barkley's premiership between the two titans of the English game is down to mental and psychological firmness.

While the stare of Medusa zaps through the turf, Ancelotti's consolation is rather predictable and probably the case for most coaches. "Stress is the engine of life for me. You have to cope with the pressure, the stress. There are some fantastic films at out the moment, so we will watch a film. Maybe Clash of the Titans." he said in an interview today. But his other, "We are not worried about playing after Manchester United this weekend" is misleading if there is any element of truth because he should be worried. Manchester United appear to have settled into a devastating form and their showing against Tottenham should be an appropriate reminder of the huge task ahead because as things stand, Chelsea's key game is at An-field next week.

Tottenham may have beaten London rivals, Arsenal and Chelsea, but in United, my gut feeling is that the bridge is just too far, but they are still better placed to clinch the 4h spot with City's inconsistent turns. The nature of the twists yet to unfold is anyone's imagination

Portsmouth previews the the future of the beautiful game

Portsmouth's exclusion from the Europa is a blessing in disguise, although the current managers of club might want to infer otherwise. Combining the fierce battle of the Championship with a European competition is the most potent recipe for disaster, particularly when there are no guarantees that they can keep any of their good players, who are already being offloaded. This drive for a European place could only have attractive and probably proffered by those behind the financial excesses that have brought a decent club to the brink of bankruptcy. It is still to be seen whether they wont go the way of Leeds United.

The FA and the Premier league has taken a decision that suit them perfectly because letting the team that ends up in 7th place to represent England in the Europa cup, creates adequate room for both Liverpool and Everton to jostle for these places. But the mess at Portsmouth highlights the recklessness that underlie club finances in modern football with greedy penchant for buying and selling costly players at will. These huge salaries and bonuses are hardly redeemed by the players' performance on the pitch. Sadly these practices are often done with borrowed money laced with high interest rates that benefits those whose primary interest is remote from the beautiful game.

It is true that the bigger teams appear to be immune at the moment, but in the coming months and years it is almost a physiological certainty that more of the big clubs are bound to be exposed to the damaging effects of unchecked expenses. We are entering a period where the survival of clubs is no longer based on tradition or value but on the whims and caprices of the money men.

Football referees face extinction for the good of the game

In Charles Robert Darwin’s milieu of natural selection, the fittest is endowed with a survival advantage which is rendered to their progenies preserving species that are increasingly competent in the act of survival, while weak links are severed off. The referees in modern football are easily the weak links, illustrated clearly by the increasing number of omissions and outright gaffes, some bitterly costly like Thierry Henry’s handball in last year’s crucial FIFA 2010 world cup qualifier in Paris. The present disparity in the physical abilities between referees and professional players is perhaps the widest the game has ever seen. Unaided, the men in black are poised for extinction, if football is to preserve its sense of fairness. Twenty players slugging it out on their own is approaching a more attractive alternative, because it is simply unfair to have a seemingly unbiased arbitrator who in critical instances promotes unfair decisions.

From the inception of professional football, referees have been disadvantaged, but this has become more obvious and costly due to the rapid increase in the fitness of professional players who have enjoyed beneficial inputs from the scientific environment in nutrition and training techniques. It cannot be overstated that the physical effort put in by referees is comparable to that of the players as they cover on the average a distance of approximately 10 km, but significantly they are 15 – 20 years older and naturally cannot be substituted in a game, except in rare instances. The faster pace of the game coupled with highly prevalent antics employed by players to con referees puts a damaging strain on their cognitive and decision making abilities throughout the duration of the match. You have probably observed the lines man missing an offside position because he is struggling to keep pace with the players’ movements.

Since the referee’s role is centred round making decisions, credible ones that endear the game to everyone as a competitive sport that is fair and which enhance the flow and feel of the beautiful game, there is an urgent need to address the inherent shortcomings in football officiating. There appears to be an evolutionary pressure, age related though, which cannot be bridged by encouraging younger referees, as they are still classed as semi-professionals worldwide. A decent option would be for the referees to cover the same distance they already do, but have a broader view of the unfolding game. This is achievable by introducing video technology, which is perhaps more urgent than is general accepted in the corridors of football’s power houses. A repeat of Henry’s handball antics at the world cup would invariably elicit an endearing feeling of an orchestrated bias by the football governing bodies in favour of pre-determined choices. This suggestion has been on for ages, but denying the use of a technology that enhances fairness only accentuates the discontent.

Play football for fun and fitness: The facts

The slogan reads “Play it softly, but play it for your heart” and it is true. Football is a lot like romance and work, BUT ends well leaving a body with vim and a heart that cuddles affectionately. Just unpack the huge rhetoric, then dismiss the overwhelming hype around exercise regimes and what do you have, THE PLAIN TRUTH about RECREATIONAL FOOTBALL. SCIENCE is urging the fans of the beautiful game to spread this pastime not because of our but for the embarrassing wealth of medical evidence in support of it.

Football has a dynamics that exercises the body like no other sport. Its seamless blend of sprinting, acceleration, deceleration and jumping creates a mechanical windmill that drives a steam of changes in the body’s physiological systems. The End result is improved function of the heart, stronger bones and muscles, better posture and balance as well as a reduction in fat levels.

FACTS
ONE | BLOOD PRESSURE - Studies have demonstrated that after “twelve weeks of regular recreational football training of 2 – 3 times a week for 1 hour lead to lowered BLOOD PRESSURE [resting systolic and Diastolic blood pressure of 8 and 5 mmHg]”.

TWO | METABOLIC FITNESS
Fat metabolism is affected in manner that benefits us. “After twelve weeks of football training, the fat mass was lowered by 2.7Kg, reduced LDL and raised HDL”. HDL is the good cholesterol and higher levels are preferred. Incredible, but perhaps understated in the past! Shout is loud.

THREE| MUSCULO-SKELETAL FITNESS
There is an increase in muscle fibre area and these important piece of our frame exchange signals efficiently. The large number of forceful accelerations and rapid decelerations performed during football training is thought to provide a high-force stimulus to the muscle fibres.

FOUR | BONE MASS CONTENT AND BONE MASS DENSITY (MINERALIZATION)
Football training provides a good deal of stimulus for bone to trap Calcium because it is a highly intermittent sport, and the activity pattern in small-sided games is characterized by multiple turns, jump, several short sprints with accelerations and decelerations which is about right for your bones.

Just LACE your boots 4 FUN & FITNESS

Is Liverpool really worth over half a billion pounds?

Is Liverpool really worth £654 million? Tom Hicks thinks so. He reportedly told the Sunday Mirror, “"Liverpool Football Club has been a great investment. It has probably tripled in value.”  And I agree with him, but only in a muted extent. Liverpool FC is worth more than that, maybe immeasurable when you explore the opinions of the Kop fans scattered round the world. The real danger to the beautiful game is the tendency to transform the ownership of European football teams to the American style Franchise. It is not. You borrow money from one source and buy a club in dire need of some monetary tonic, while making flamboyant promises on your stride. Close to when a critical loan repayment is due, put it up for sale to re-route the eddy current of diminishing returns on the pitch into a large arc of expectation for the teeming followers, which may never be attained. 

When you a club with such a tradition and the quality of players as Liverpool, the value always appreciates because of it potential. Liverpool will perhaps get a buyer at a very good price because of its true worth, but that is not going to wipe away its debts, estimated to be over £300 million nor will it make it more attractive for soccer stars in the absence of Champions league football. It is on the pitch that the real danger of declining fortune will honestly play itself out and it surely will if that fourth spot eludes them. The two teams that are likely to benefit from their misfortune won’t fold their hands in the transfer market, particularly Manchester City with their massive pocket. A European spot for the blues of Manchester is going to fling the vault open with such a brute intensity. It will be near impossible to compete domestically with them 

The dangers that face Liverpool are real if the focus is not removed from “share” appreciation to isolating the key areas where mistakes were made and to forge diligent answers to them. A team like Liverpool need to compete among European elite to maintain a value in consonant with what their tradition purports, so it can attract the kind of investment that keeps a club’s debt revolving endlessly. The dynamics of the next transfer window as it unfolds is going to determine how well they cope with this storm. The prospect of losing Steven Gerard and Fernando Torres is still real because the innate hunger for trophies provides a good degree of motivational steam for players to switch clubs. I don’t see that changing.     

Wigan stun Arsenal in an incredible comeback

Report: Wigan Athletic vs Arsenal - English Premier League - ESPN Soccernet

I have hardly had to make a phone call this season just after a football match, but the temptation was too alluring after watching an incredible fight back unfold in just 10 minutes. James, a Chelsea fan still flat from the setback at White Hart lane and uninterested on the Wigan - Arsenal English Premiership game was frozen with shock when I told him that, "if you have never seen a football miracle, don't miss Football First on Sky Sport tonight". His response hinted at a Wigan trashing. The reverse was the case today in spectacular fashion, as a Wigan team undeterred by Arsenal domineering poise and determined to get at least a point overturn a 2 goal deficit.


When Wigan pulled one back on the 80th minute, it appeared more of a consolation, but at 2 - 2 after Titus Bramble flicked the ball past Fabianski, who had characteristically fumbled on the goal line, Arsenal's renewed hope for silverware after Chelsea’s loss to Tottenham was suddenly erased. Just a minute later, Charles N'Zogbia's stinging shot canoed off the right upright into the net to complete an unimaginable comeback and Wenger's disappointment was summed up by his flaccid tone as he sunk into his chair, his nerves dozing off for a while.

This result more or less rules out Arsenal as credible contenders for the Premier league in spite of the ease with which Chelsea and Manchester United have dropped points. This summer is panning out as an untidy one at the Emirates, where board room discussions won’t be far from decisions on how to stem the unending tide of empty trophies.

Real Madrid's town crier sings for Jose Mourinho

The intrigue surrounding transfers in modern football is sensational to say the least. It now has the feel of Hollywood script writing. There is a bleep that sends the signal, then the media blitz, subdued at times and finally the response. The affirmation and denial cycling between Nou camp and the Emirates regarding Cesc Fabregas illustrates the evolution of 21st century pouching. As the fabulous drama endures, the theatrics around Jose Mourinho's potential move to Real Madrid is just starting. And there is perhaps no better personality to announce this unique courtship other than the most effective player at the Bernabeu this season, Christiano Ronaldo.

In an interview released today, Ronaldo lavish encomiums on the special one. The pick was, "I like him a lot, ...... He is very good coach". Nice words from the Bernabeu, but this signal hints at desperation. Mourinho is hardly the kind of coach at ease with the flamboyant style of Real Madrid. His tactics is dominated by the overwhelming desire to win at all cost, often with resort to negative tactics. While his emphasis on commitment is celebrated and admired, his physical style is unlikely to go well with the fans, particularly when compared to their domestic rivals Barcelona, who are seamlessly stretching the boundaries of the beautiful game.

Ronaldo's statement can also be seen in another light. One of the key players likely to be affected by Mourinho style is Christiano, with exuberant excesses that allow him to outshine his colleagues to the detriment of the team in more than a couple of crucial games this season. Are we previewing the onset of a subtle appeal by the Madrid star to the softer side of his future coach? A plausible possibility, but sadly the special one is too overbearing to take into special cognizance such flirtatious antics.       

Half a decade and empty: Will Wenger take the plunge at the Emirates?

Sincerity is easily the earliest to fail when emotions enter the room. At the Emirates, the fluid and exhilarating style of football can ride your emotions thin with praise and applause, but to be fair and I mean truly fair, another season without a trophy must surely elicit some disenchantment. And perhaps a purely “considerate” assessment of Arsene Wenger’s future with Arsenal would pop up in an agenda at the Emirates. In precise terms, the gunners have not won a trophy since the FA cup in 2005, a long time by any standard for a team with a pedigree that places it among the top teams in European football.

Globally acclaimed as one of the top tacticians in the modern game, a submission that has merited the tag Professor, his competence has never been in dispute, but the club’s transfer philosophy relies heavily on grooming young players. It has been disappointing when evaluated against a league that is as rugged as the English premier league. And the test is likely to get sterner in the coming seasons.  With Manchester City and Tottenham adding to the mix, even the traditional top-four finish offers no guarantees any more. A wise Professor should be tempted to weigh his options because the longer the wait for trophies, the more the likelihood that his reputation and ability would become the focus.

The reported £30 – 40 million available in the summer maybe too meager to prize top players to the Emirates, apart from Bordeaux’s Marouane Chamakh who already has a pre-contract in place worth a healthy £50,000 a week. The reason for is quite obvious. Liverpool is lined up for sale and with a nice buyer, up to £60 million maybe become available for new talents. Then Manchester City, if they quality for the Champions league and Chelsea with aged players are two teams with deep bent on becoming the pace-setters in the next transfer window. And Real Madrid! The task is Herculean and in the end, convincing Arsene Wenger to stay may turn out to be an excruciating task.

Dented Manchester United stand on Carlito's way

Adam Johnson: Sir Alex Ferguson was wrong to let Carlos Tevez go - ESPN Soccernet

The famous line from the 1993 Hollywood movie Carlito's way, "If you can't see the angles no more, you are in trouble" sounds like an advisory poster hung on a wall at Old Trafford to remind everyone of the bitter taste of selling Tevez to their bitter rivals. The hasty and somewhat acrimonious exit has been thoroughly criticized as a poor decision and Fergy’s undervalued Carlito is set to haunt him at the Manchester Derby on Saturday. An image that readily comes to mind is that of a penitent Ferguson ogling his decision to sell Tevez to city rival, in other to make it justifiable, but mere rhetoric is unlikely to work except United leave the City of Manchester stadium un-scalded or even better, with a win.

In tomorrow’ derby, City's Carlito will be hell bent on show-casing his talent at the expense of the more successful Manchester United. Form is on the side of City and beating United would be a huge victory for Mancini, who is still battling to establish himself as a long term venture in City’s coaching department. But this game is perhaps important for another reason. The league table has taken an unfamiliar look in the last two weeks, with just a place between the two Manchester teams, a fact that drives the point right through the heart of any sceptic still disputing the substance in this Manchester City team. This match is therefore more than a derby or a contest meant to assert bragging rights. It is set to serve as some measure of the true strength of both teams. At least, if City wins, the suggestion that they are now rubbing shoulders with each other on the pitch would no longer sterile, though with endless miles to cover in the trophy cabinet.

Carlos Tevez has indeed been given a defining platform to show his class and prove decisively that every penny in his transfer fees is accounted for in footballing worth. A victory, sweet victory over United adds great density to City’s right to the fourth spot, a position that earns them a ticket in next season's champions league. The headline on Sunday is sure to revolve around Carlito and huddles placed on his way by Manchester United.

Please I am sick of being told everything about football

I was sniffing through anything that had “library” close to its meaning, in search of an appropriate term to describe what I felt so clearly but lacked the words to express it. We have all been there, lost for words or at times just between our lips but unable to say it, as the brain fails in its elementary function. Then I remembered the Microsoft Bing search advert on television. The word I wanted was “information overload” and I needed it sadly to describe a feeling related to football, described by many as the beautiful game. I felt ugly.

In modern football, we are hit with so much info that a day’s data reel is easily comparable to what you normally get in weeks, a few years ago. Add this to the hell of data in your environment; work and at home and it is quit muddled, even worse to decipher what was said yesterday from today. Football predictions have suffered gladly. I often feel sapped and skeletal nowadays when I try to make predictions based on what I can skim from the media.  In two issues though, I hope I can say it the way I feel.

The first is the race for the English Premier league. It is true that Chelsea is on the driving seat, but in real terms it is much more than that. They could be crowned champions on the 25th after a win over Stoke City and with two games to spare. That might come as a shock. This weekend, Manchester United face their bitter rivals Manchester City in a game they can lose in the absence of Wayne Rooney's decisiveness, while Arsenal travel to Wigan, a task that could go any way, with a raising injury list. If both games go disastrously for the top teams and Chelsea beat Tottenham, the title will be Blue at the Bridge when Stoke come to London. Why is this near certainty not being highlighted? It probably is, but info overload has battered my cognitive verve. 

You have guessed the second. This summer's transfer window is poised to be dominated by Cesc Fabregas . He is surely bound for Barcelona, but denials dominate the headlines. Xavi and Messi's blood DNA comments imply a surety that is way beyond mere fantasy. It infers access to a concrete fact, maybe overhead discussions to which the public is grandly blinded. Christaino Ronaldo's move to Real Madrid had a similar taste with cross border accusations and denials. In the end the £80 million price wiped our memory clean as a transfer rumour endeared by dismissed rhetoric turned out to be so real.

If you are sick about being told about everything, leave a note.  

Vermaelen adds to an injury ladened season for Arsenal

Premier League - Vermaelen blow for Arsenal - Yahoo! Eurosport

On this night, what really mattered was the points and Arsenal didn't get it, surrendering all three points at White Hart lane to a Tottenham team propelled by a magnificent strike from the 19 year old Danny Rose from 30 yards and three excellent saves from Gomes. But the introduction of Van Persie did highlight the devastating effect of Arsenal huge injury handicaps. He provided the pass that freed Theo Walcott to drive in the cross, tucked in by Bendtner. And had two excellent efforts thwarted by Gomes, a fine shot after controlling the ball with his chest from just out the six yards box and the second, a curling free-kick destined for the top right corner.

As Van Persie was demonstrating the huge array of talents the gunners have missed from injuries, Vermaelen was substituted just after 19 minutes and could for up to three weeks, capping a busy season for the medics at the Emirates. The suggestion that the "soft" approach to the beautiful game is often an open invitation for the oppsoing teams to rain in the hash tackles may have some credibility when one takes a look at the injury list. For the game against Tottenham, up to nine of the first team players where unavailable, including Fabrecas, Asharvin, Eduardo and Song.

Arsene Wenger may not openly accept that the title chase is over, it is quite impossible to see Arsenal outpacing Chelsea or a fumbling Manchester United who is ruing the absence of Wayne Rooney.

Lionel Messi offers an invitation that is worth every penny!

Arsene Wenger warns Barcelona off Cesc Fabregas - ESPN Soccernet

The hint has been around all season, but with Lionel Messi's recent public statement that he expects Fabrecas to join Barcelona, the skillful craft of luring Arsenal's talisman to Nou Camp has moved into its final gear. Who won't want to be wanted by Barcelona FC, the best team currently in club football, playing an exhilarating brand of football that aptly fits the dynamics and intuition of Fabrecas.

It is fair to suggest that Arsenal should start searching for a replacement, a difficult venture for even the endowed scout. Granted that the petite Spaniard spent some time with the Catalans as a youth player, an earlier comment credited to the indomitable Xavi, that Fabrecas has Barca DNA in his blood, was the start of a process that has more or less gotten to the final stages. This unfolding saga also highlights the increasing resort to indirect means in courting soccer players, as the rules against pouching has tighten.

Can Wenger and the board Czars fend off this priceless invitation from the best player on the planet? My guess is a bold NO. Fabrecas' performance this season has been iconic and filled with more than a handful of determined display. While this can signify a drive to do well for his beloved team, it can easily indicate a farewell performance on a stage that has hoisted his skills for the world to see. It may be time up at the Emirates and time to check out.

The prospect of a Cesc plying his trade in Barca's midfield is appetizing for the fans of the beautiful game. If it does happen, we are in for a fascinating adventure into a new frontier in attacking football. The world is surely watching.

Arsenal's Robin Van Persie Is Back!

Arsenal's Robin Van Persie will return against Tottenham - ESPN Soccernet

Nice to hear that some bite is coming back to Arsenal's attack. With Eduardo and Van Persie tended by the docs, the Gunner's beautiful game lacked that incisive taint within the box. Bendtner's weaknesses were grossly exposed at Nou Camp.

A win against their London rivals tomorrow keeps the title on ice.

Bloodied Zhikov propels Chelsea to a nervy win over Bolton

Chelsea 1 Bolton 0 [Tue 13, Apr '10]: In the end, all that mattered was the three points, but Fergy's mind games almost paid off. Nervy moments were plentiful plus a couple of excellent penalty appeals. Bolton was there to claim a scalp. They were definitely motivated to get something out of the Bridge and could easily have if their chances were made to count.

Anelka may have put the ball between the post for the lone goal, but the night belonged to the Russian, Zhikov. A neat side-ways pass to the left, just out the 18 yard box, freed Drogba who struck a sweet cross, meant emphatically by Anelka's hairless scalp. But the Russian was exemplary in his game. His display tonight was exceptional, a bloodied first class performance filled with forward runs, tenacity and pure grit. And the fans, who can now see two trophies within range, applauded everyone of his moves as a befitting gratitude.

Chelsea's mid-field was uncharacteristically flat and the lads in the middle of the pitch clearly have to be more imaginative against Tottenham to avoid a slippery patch next weekend. As for which team wins the English league between Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal, a cliffhanger is a more likely prospect.

A football prof on a knife edge with his beautiful game

As Arsenal FC file out from the dugout at White Hart lane on Wednesday, the terse stroll across the short stretch of rug leading onto the soccer pitch must surely harbor the aura of a season about to be added onto the record books as another trophy-less endeavor. Worse still, Arsene Wenger, nick-named the Professor, not for his frame and mien but for this tactical astuteness, must be living in a rarefied edge of discomfort that encircles a soccer intellect who finds his knowledge cruelly ridiculed by a persistent failings on the football pitch. Though not in the quality of play, but rather in the share absence of the brute needed to excel in the most keenly followed soccer league in the world.

In Arsenal, a team’s philosophy is unfairly waged against a football style that emphasizes a more direct, fast paced and often underlined by the need to win “at all cost”, quite brutal in the case of Allerdyce’s former Bolton and to some extent, his present Blackburn. A soccer league where self expression is denied talented players, individual artistry is easily perceived as leisurely disregard for team discipline. A player holding on to the ball for long periods disrupts the bustling pace of the team. In spite of the successes of English football teams in recent years, it is still difficult to see beyond the league’s bias for physical and aggressive play, which has unsurprisingly curbed the flair in talented Brazilian imports like Anderson for Manchester United and Liverpool’s Lucas.

How does a Professor rewrite his lecture notes? Difficult to contemplate in most cases, but at the London derby with Tottenham, anything short of three points is bound to elicit a form of inquest from the fans that have cherished the beautiful game at the Emirates but would want some silver ware to embellish it. Wenger appears to be left with limited options. Abandoning the beautiful is out of it, because it has come to symbolize the mental sketch of the gunners. A strategy that may solve the dilemma is to have more experienced players in the back half of his team to serve as a bulwark against the inherent tactical frailty of trying to do too much with the ball when opponents are broadly set to deny you space.

Nevertheless, the huddle against Spurs would be steep. A combative prospect is in store because Tottenham have an excellent chance of upsetting Manchester City for the fourth champions’ league spot, with the Manchester derby to come on Saturday.

A simple reason men fail ladies, honestly!

The appalling rate of relationship dissatisfaction is negating myths previously not touched by suggestions of fallibility, particularly the saying that human friendship ages like wine or at least it gets better with time. This measurable and enormous problem with traditional mating skills, attraction and romance is best illustrated by the predominance of internet dating sites. In a useful context, nature abhors a vacuum and so these smart guys appear to have devised intelligent scales to test individuals and match their profiles in a dream-like environment where the actors can snap out at the slightest hint of derailment.

But why do men fail women? Traditionally and across cultures, guys tend to be dominant and occupy high-status seats which command a great deal of power and authority. These are also the traits that attract women who instinctively seek shelter where comfort and protection for themselves and their children is paramount. On the other hand women are typically seen as subordinate and occupy lower-status roles. As a result, in most societies, men feel valued because of this obvious higher premium on their contribution. By extension, women are portrayed as devalued. This tiny knot represents the gray area that appears to explain the basis for a lot of dissatisfaction.

It is well known in psychology that people are more successful at accepting the perspective of friend who is perceived to be similar to them rather than of a partner with a drastically different experience or value. Devalued members of a group, as in situations of poverty and eating disorders are often noted to show high mood and personal self-esteem after contact with other seemingly stigmatized individuals. This is attributed to the empathy they show towards each other as result of their shared experience. In some sense, nature inherently creates a predictable mismatch in the initial drive as we seek out partners.

It does not in any way explain all, but give a useful insight into our behavior. There are other potential factors that influence significantly the expression of human behavior. Critically, one’s personality such as consciousness can regulate how individuals process their various relationships but it is obvious that the when partners are similar in terms of the value scheme, the better the zeal to accept each other’s perspective.