Monday, November 19, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
WHAT WE HAVE LEARNT FROM THE AFCON 2012 SO FAR
1-Motivation+Belief=Success
Quite an interesting mathematical statement but it is one that works perfectly especially in football and after matchday 1 of the ongoing AFCON 2012. The unknown quantity that is Equatorial Guinea gave a game of their lives against the Mediterranean Knights of Libya on Saturday buoyed by belief,support and $1 million dollars.Of course,the hosts would have wanted to win anyway even if their overall quality won't really leave fans and players puzzled in fear but as the game wore on,their desire to grab a landmark victory was very evident. And with one million dollars smiling and staring,they couldn't go wrong and they grabbed a lovely goal on the break through former Real Madrid player,Abel Balboa. It tells us what the right motivation can do and with three points already in the bag,you can imagine how much more belief their fans will have.As for the players,they'll be looking at the motivation and wonder if will get bigger and bigger.
2-Too many strikers will fetch nothing
Demba Ba,Papiss Cisse,Moussa Sow and Mamadou Niang should leave any gaffer smiling and in a dreamy state where images of splendid goals and embarrased defences will freely flow.However for Amara Toure,having these hitmen was a more like a nightmare.His team failed to glitter against a Zambian side that kept it so simple,you actually wondered if the real Teranga Lions were playing.Starting 3 strikers is not a novelty in football but when they are deployed without role descriptions,the amount will certainly be zero.
Overhype?Overconfidence?Whatever it is,Monsieur Traore,get your team sorted out.The African Cup is not won with disorder in tactics.
3-Take your chances
Football may have undergone evolution over the years but the essence has remained the same:goals.Goals,goles,buts.In any language,they mean the same thing but some teams at the ongoing competition haven't understood this principle.Morroco spurned a million chances only to be slapped in the face by 2 Tunisia goals in either half.Quite reminiscent of a boxing bout where one boxer looks like winning only to knocked out by two punches.Guinea also displayed the same sense of ''generosity'' against Mali even when they were seeking an equaliser.
Chances are there to be taken so teams must only do the natural.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
LESSON NOTES FROM THE UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2011/12 MATCHDAY 2:
1) The “Tinker Man” still lives on
Dial R for Ranieri seems to be the advice for teams that experiencing a serious wobble and if you want proof of his “miracles”, you can ask Valencia, Chelsea, Juventus and Parma and it seems someone told this to Massimo Moratti who believed it and employed Ranieri after Giampiero Gasperini was shown the exit last week. True to his nature, Ranieri quickly went to work with a win away to Bologna in the Serie A before getting a tough 3-2 away win in cold Moscow against CSKA. It may have not been classic but Inter showed more courage and bite for the first time this season and I bet we all know why. As to whether Ranieri can lead Inter for the long haul, we’ll have to wait and see but he’s certainly put his mark on the Nerrazzurri.
2) Star-crossed Manchester
This season, Manchester’s finest have been going at it hammer and tongs. They challenge each other for the “I can score more than you can” title each weekend in the EPL. You will not be wrong to think they even share an unseen bond and how right they proved it this week by giving us two horrible performances. Man United were harassed by Basel at Old Trafford to a 3-3 draw that felt like a defeat to the Red Devil family while Roberto Mancini’s side were put away with ease by Bayern Munich. To cap their woeful evening, Dimitar Berbatov came off the bench with 10 minutes left on the clock to no effect while his former team-mate, Carlos Tevez “refused” to come on at all. It was as if the two teams were Siamese twins using the same brain and were operating on the same wavelength. Maybe the two managers might want their sides to be independent next time but that will only happen when they both improve greatly.
3) First goal galore
Fate, destiny, luck or technical brilliance might be an explanation but matchday 2 has seen a number of players score their first Champions League goals for their various clubs.
Ashley Young’s goal was his first in the UEFA Champions League but it was a massive goal for Manchester United as it pulled them level to Basel at Old Trafford in a 3-3 draw. In London, two boys new to the big time, Andre Santos and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, scored for Arsenal in their 2-1 win over Olympiakos.
Quite impressive for these newcomers and you can be assured they will seek to swell their goal accounts for as long as their teams stay in the competition.
4) Heavy African influence
Since the European Cup was rechristened the Champions League, players from Africa have always had a say in the on-the-field workings of the competition and this season, the story has not been different.
Moussa Sow (Senegal) scored again for Lille away to Trabzonspor on Tuesday and Jacques Zoua (Cameroon) acquitted himself well at Old Trafford for Basel. On Wednesday, John Obi Mikel (Nigeria) was on duty for Chelsea while Andre Dede Ayew (Ghana) scored twice for Marseille in their 3-0 home win over Dortmund giving Didier Deschamps something to smile about at least until the weekend because the French Ligue 1 has been akin to a never-ending horror movie for the 2009/10 league winners.
However, since the sweet always comes with the bitter, there were a few Africans who gave critics a meal to munch on and digest and it seems they were both waiting on their team’s bench like ticking time bombs. Salomon Kalou (Cote d’Ivoire) appeared in Chelsea’s away game at the Mestalla and clearly, he was to aid the team in keeping their lead. However, he handed (both literally and denotatively) the point to Valencia as he touched the ball in the penalty area from a corner. Soldado was so grateful he scored the ensuing penalty.
In France, Jordan Ayew also caught the cameras but not for goals as his elder brother had done during the game, but for two needless yellow cards that earned him an expulsion. The first was for a tackle and the second for simulation. However, his “sin” went unpunished as Dortmund had looked bereft of some of the title-winning ideas from last season throughout the game.
A clear case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, isn’t it?
Dial R for Ranieri seems to be the advice for teams that experiencing a serious wobble and if you want proof of his “miracles”, you can ask Valencia, Chelsea, Juventus and Parma and it seems someone told this to Massimo Moratti who believed it and employed Ranieri after Giampiero Gasperini was shown the exit last week. True to his nature, Ranieri quickly went to work with a win away to Bologna in the Serie A before getting a tough 3-2 away win in cold Moscow against CSKA. It may have not been classic but Inter showed more courage and bite for the first time this season and I bet we all know why. As to whether Ranieri can lead Inter for the long haul, we’ll have to wait and see but he’s certainly put his mark on the Nerrazzurri.
2) Star-crossed Manchester
This season, Manchester’s finest have been going at it hammer and tongs. They challenge each other for the “I can score more than you can” title each weekend in the EPL. You will not be wrong to think they even share an unseen bond and how right they proved it this week by giving us two horrible performances. Man United were harassed by Basel at Old Trafford to a 3-3 draw that felt like a defeat to the Red Devil family while Roberto Mancini’s side were put away with ease by Bayern Munich. To cap their woeful evening, Dimitar Berbatov came off the bench with 10 minutes left on the clock to no effect while his former team-mate, Carlos Tevez “refused” to come on at all. It was as if the two teams were Siamese twins using the same brain and were operating on the same wavelength. Maybe the two managers might want their sides to be independent next time but that will only happen when they both improve greatly.
3) First goal galore
Fate, destiny, luck or technical brilliance might be an explanation but matchday 2 has seen a number of players score their first Champions League goals for their various clubs.
Ashley Young’s goal was his first in the UEFA Champions League but it was a massive goal for Manchester United as it pulled them level to Basel at Old Trafford in a 3-3 draw. In London, two boys new to the big time, Andre Santos and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, scored for Arsenal in their 2-1 win over Olympiakos.
Quite impressive for these newcomers and you can be assured they will seek to swell their goal accounts for as long as their teams stay in the competition.
4) Heavy African influence
Since the European Cup was rechristened the Champions League, players from Africa have always had a say in the on-the-field workings of the competition and this season, the story has not been different.
Moussa Sow (Senegal) scored again for Lille away to Trabzonspor on Tuesday and Jacques Zoua (Cameroon) acquitted himself well at Old Trafford for Basel. On Wednesday, John Obi Mikel (Nigeria) was on duty for Chelsea while Andre Dede Ayew (Ghana) scored twice for Marseille in their 3-0 home win over Dortmund giving Didier Deschamps something to smile about at least until the weekend because the French Ligue 1 has been akin to a never-ending horror movie for the 2009/10 league winners.
However, since the sweet always comes with the bitter, there were a few Africans who gave critics a meal to munch on and digest and it seems they were both waiting on their team’s bench like ticking time bombs. Salomon Kalou (Cote d’Ivoire) appeared in Chelsea’s away game at the Mestalla and clearly, he was to aid the team in keeping their lead. However, he handed (both literally and denotatively) the point to Valencia as he touched the ball in the penalty area from a corner. Soldado was so grateful he scored the ensuing penalty.
In France, Jordan Ayew also caught the cameras but not for goals as his elder brother had done during the game, but for two needless yellow cards that earned him an expulsion. The first was for a tackle and the second for simulation. However, his “sin” went unpunished as Dortmund had looked bereft of some of the title-winning ideas from last season throughout the game.
A clear case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, isn’t it?
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Repairing the factories
''Ghana is a football mad country'' is a trite you often hear people mutter and that is very true.Everyday of the week presents a new angle to the ever-exciting subject and weekends belong to the gods of the beautiful game as pubs become extensions of Europe's most popular grounds and the local stadia get their ''fair'' share of patrons too.So in every sense of the phrase,we do love our football but how much are we doing to keep the player production line working? Very little,I must say and it is very worrying.
Yesterday,the ''money bags'' of football,Manchester City announced a plan to put up a state-of-the-art footballing project named the Etihad campus that will seek to develop local English talent primarily in the Manchester area and they mean it too by getting an 80-acre area that will house 15 full-size pitches,a 7,000 seater mini-stadium,staff offices,a media centre,an educational centre that will cater to 200 young players.This project should train 400 players and will house 32 first-team and 40 youth-team players.To top it off,there will be a pedestrian bridge connecting the campus to the Etihad stadium.Quite stunning and maybe too farfetched for a developing country like Ghana,some might say but when the number of local talent in the Black Stars is constantly below 5,you begin to see the wisdom in Manchester City's project.It becomes even more apparent when you consider the fact that in Kevin-Prince Boateng,Adam Kwarasey,Albert Adomaa and possibly Emmanuel Frimpong (if the situation clears up) and even Andre Ayew,we have players who were moulded,baked and packaged in Europe but fortunately,they chose the red,yellow and green over the European options.This leaves us wondering whether the local production line is still working effectively as it should. The Ghanaman Soccer School of Excellence should have been our response to Clairefontaine in France but it only rivals the French establishment as the national team camp but not in the daily grooming of players as the French have done for years with Thierry Henry,Nicholas Anelka and Louis Saha among their illustrious alumni.Our local clubs should also play their parts effectively but it's not chalk cheese.A massive amount of funds would have to be spent but taking the initiative is the first step to an ultimate end in national success because history has given us examples of Ajax in the 70s and now,Barcelona's La Masia to learn from.
Talent,just like all raw materials,need processing but if the factories are non-existant,they will remain untapped and very unused.
Let's get to work now.
Yesterday,the ''money bags'' of football,Manchester City announced a plan to put up a state-of-the-art footballing project named the Etihad campus that will seek to develop local English talent primarily in the Manchester area and they mean it too by getting an 80-acre area that will house 15 full-size pitches,a 7,000 seater mini-stadium,staff offices,a media centre,an educational centre that will cater to 200 young players.This project should train 400 players and will house 32 first-team and 40 youth-team players.To top it off,there will be a pedestrian bridge connecting the campus to the Etihad stadium.Quite stunning and maybe too farfetched for a developing country like Ghana,some might say but when the number of local talent in the Black Stars is constantly below 5,you begin to see the wisdom in Manchester City's project.It becomes even more apparent when you consider the fact that in Kevin-Prince Boateng,Adam Kwarasey,Albert Adomaa and possibly Emmanuel Frimpong (if the situation clears up) and even Andre Ayew,we have players who were moulded,baked and packaged in Europe but fortunately,they chose the red,yellow and green over the European options.This leaves us wondering whether the local production line is still working effectively as it should. The Ghanaman Soccer School of Excellence should have been our response to Clairefontaine in France but it only rivals the French establishment as the national team camp but not in the daily grooming of players as the French have done for years with Thierry Henry,Nicholas Anelka and Louis Saha among their illustrious alumni.Our local clubs should also play their parts effectively but it's not chalk cheese.A massive amount of funds would have to be spent but taking the initiative is the first step to an ultimate end in national success because history has given us examples of Ajax in the 70s and now,Barcelona's La Masia to learn from.
Talent,just like all raw materials,need processing but if the factories are non-existant,they will remain untapped and very unused.
Let's get to work now.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Lessons from the UEFA Champions League 2011/2012 (Matchday 1)
1-The Italian Job is still effective
Life, they say, is a cycle. It involves births and deaths, ins and outs, and the constant rearrangement of thoughts and ideas. It's the same principle in football where formations and play styles have been created and replaced by better ones. However, last night, the otherwise dead "catenaccio" made a comeback at the Camp Nou in the form of AC Milan as they faced Barcelona.It even had the "grab-the first-goal-and-close-the-door" feel of old. Pato scored in 24 seconds and the Rossoneri held on for 35 minutes until Pedro got the champions back into it but they kept the "piece de resistance" for the last as Thiago Silva headed home a Seedorf corner in injury time. The classic mark of an Italian team. They score when you least expect it. Allegri's team didn't have the rigidity of classic Italian teams but they still showed how tough they can be when it's needed.
2-The right gaffer will leave you smiling
Getting the right man to guide the playing body has always been invaluable to football. Mourinho, Ferguson, Sacchi have over the years made various cases to back this simple piece of football truth and this season, Bayern Munich looks like they have the right man. Of course, it's too early to pass judgement on Jupp Heynckes but if Frank Ribery says he feels at ease playing under him, vindication must be the resulting feeling. He's led Munich to the top spot in the Bundesliga and a masterful win away to Villareal to top a group containing both Manchester City and Napoli. It seems Munich can look forward to a fruitful season.
3-The wrong gaffer will leave you Gasp-ing
If there's one thing Gian Piero Gasperini will have in close proximity,I'm sure it'll be pain killers. No,he's not suffering from a serious health condition. He's only dealing with the accompanying headaches caused by poor results. What's worse is that he's the man they brought in to steady an Inter Milan ship that nearly sunk under Benitez and came alive under but was slow under Leonardo. Gasperson, as the new coach is called, looks like he's sending the Inter Milan vessel down to the icy regions by using the terrible 3-4-3 coordinate on his map. From the Italian Super Cup till date, his players have shown an all-too obvious lack of understanding of the system and this is alarming as Inter are in the frame to challenge for major honours. They may have won off the pitch by milking Anzhi Makachkala in the Eto'o episode and keeping Wesley Sneijder away from Man United's waiting arms but on the pitch, they look like the villain in a horror flick: terrible.
4-Wonderful goals will abound
It may only be matchday 1 but the goals have been simply breathtaking.
Perisic's volley against Arsenal, Villa's freekick against AC Milan, Cardozo's elegant turn and shoot against Man United,Hulk's tracer bullet against Shakhtar,Pato's wonderful blitzing run against Barcelona. These just say one thing: the Champions League is unrivaled in class and quality. Players and teams transcend mortality and go into a realm where only the divine is created when the competition's anthem blares out of stadium's speakers.
I'm just wondering if we can keep track of the wonderful memories we'll have by next May.
Life, they say, is a cycle. It involves births and deaths, ins and outs, and the constant rearrangement of thoughts and ideas. It's the same principle in football where formations and play styles have been created and replaced by better ones. However, last night, the otherwise dead "catenaccio" made a comeback at the Camp Nou in the form of AC Milan as they faced Barcelona.It even had the "grab-the first-goal-and-close-the-door" feel of old. Pato scored in 24 seconds and the Rossoneri held on for 35 minutes until Pedro got the champions back into it but they kept the "piece de resistance" for the last as Thiago Silva headed home a Seedorf corner in injury time. The classic mark of an Italian team. They score when you least expect it. Allegri's team didn't have the rigidity of classic Italian teams but they still showed how tough they can be when it's needed.
2-The right gaffer will leave you smiling
Getting the right man to guide the playing body has always been invaluable to football. Mourinho, Ferguson, Sacchi have over the years made various cases to back this simple piece of football truth and this season, Bayern Munich looks like they have the right man. Of course, it's too early to pass judgement on Jupp Heynckes but if Frank Ribery says he feels at ease playing under him, vindication must be the resulting feeling. He's led Munich to the top spot in the Bundesliga and a masterful win away to Villareal to top a group containing both Manchester City and Napoli. It seems Munich can look forward to a fruitful season.
3-The wrong gaffer will leave you Gasp-ing
If there's one thing Gian Piero Gasperini will have in close proximity,I'm sure it'll be pain killers. No,he's not suffering from a serious health condition. He's only dealing with the accompanying headaches caused by poor results. What's worse is that he's the man they brought in to steady an Inter Milan ship that nearly sunk under Benitez and came alive under but was slow under Leonardo. Gasperson, as the new coach is called, looks like he's sending the Inter Milan vessel down to the icy regions by using the terrible 3-4-3 coordinate on his map. From the Italian Super Cup till date, his players have shown an all-too obvious lack of understanding of the system and this is alarming as Inter are in the frame to challenge for major honours. They may have won off the pitch by milking Anzhi Makachkala in the Eto'o episode and keeping Wesley Sneijder away from Man United's waiting arms but on the pitch, they look like the villain in a horror flick: terrible.
4-Wonderful goals will abound
It may only be matchday 1 but the goals have been simply breathtaking.
Perisic's volley against Arsenal, Villa's freekick against AC Milan, Cardozo's elegant turn and shoot against Man United,Hulk's tracer bullet against Shakhtar,Pato's wonderful blitzing run against Barcelona. These just say one thing: the Champions League is unrivaled in class and quality. Players and teams transcend mortality and go into a realm where only the divine is created when the competition's anthem blares out of stadium's speakers.
I'm just wondering if we can keep track of the wonderful memories we'll have by next May.
Monday, August 15, 2011
A tribute to Fabregas
"Parting is such sweet sorrow" are Juliet's words to Romeo in Shakespeare's classic drama, Romeo and Juliet. An expression of how difficult it is when time shared with a loved one has to end but it is done in hope that there will be another meeting for the same thrill to be recreated or even surpassed. For Francesc Fabregas Soler, these might have been his last words to Arsenal as the 3-year old soap opera titled " Will he go or stay?" ended.
News from Arsenal insiders say Fabregas' appearance at training last Friday was a valedictory one and I can bet it was emotional too. Seeing one's colleagues for the last time after spending time with them is tough and tougher when the time period in question is 8 years but it's all gone now and the memories are the only things left.
Even from a position of a "foe" (because I'm a Manchester United fan), Fabregas's departure has robbed the EPL of a genius.I don't know how many of my Man United supporting friends will side with me but seeing Fabregas play in England was an honour. Of course, we'll see him in the Barcelona squad but not as captain, command center and choir director all in one.
Popularly called, "Nokia" in Nigeria because of stunning ability to "connect" to players with his passing, Fabregas has given us memories both pleasurable and painful.His defence-splitting pass to Nasri at the Emirates for the Frenchman to blast it past Van der Sar got me furious but objectively, it told of a master thinker.Further back in 2006, he dispossessed Cristiano Ronaldo only for the Spaniard to feed Adebayor to poke it past Kuzsack in the Man United to clinch a victory for the Gunners. Gutted I was that day but once again, there's nothing you can do when you meet superb players on their game. But Fabregas didn't only create, he scored goals too and I think my favourite was the lovely slalom run and finish against Tottenham at the Emirates. His great knee-slide celebration topped the sequence and it proved how magnificent he was. Yes, I admit he didn't have the inspiring nature as Henry and the boss-like air of Gallas but Fabregas was magnificent and he let his football talk, shout and inspire for him.
However, his 8-year spell at Arsenal had to come to an end in a rather difficult fashion because he got involved in a battle between heart and head. His love for Arsenal was evident but the constant reminder of not having a club honour to his name especially when his friends from his Barcelona B team from 2002/3 had now become winners in all aspects. Pique and Messi had won club and national team honours almost effortlessly and one of their victims on the way to these achievements was Arsenal and Fabregas. Certainly,the young Arsenal captain had to take a decision and it wasn't the easiest thing to do.
Arsenal say they'll cope without him and they'll have to. The unit must show grit to prove doubters wrong but that's Arsene Wenger's job. Fabregas' job is to keep developing as a footballer and help Barcelona extend their reign as European and Spanish champions. However, how he does that with Xavi, Iniesta and now Thiago Alcantara all in the same squad is a question that only time can answer and we'll all be privy to that answer one day.
My job as a fan is to enjoy the football and the magnificent Fabregas made me enjoy it and even though he played for the enemy, he was an enemy I would have loved to have as a friend. Truly fabulous.
News from Arsenal insiders say Fabregas' appearance at training last Friday was a valedictory one and I can bet it was emotional too. Seeing one's colleagues for the last time after spending time with them is tough and tougher when the time period in question is 8 years but it's all gone now and the memories are the only things left.
Even from a position of a "foe" (because I'm a Manchester United fan), Fabregas's departure has robbed the EPL of a genius.I don't know how many of my Man United supporting friends will side with me but seeing Fabregas play in England was an honour. Of course, we'll see him in the Barcelona squad but not as captain, command center and choir director all in one.
Popularly called, "Nokia" in Nigeria because of stunning ability to "connect" to players with his passing, Fabregas has given us memories both pleasurable and painful.His defence-splitting pass to Nasri at the Emirates for the Frenchman to blast it past Van der Sar got me furious but objectively, it told of a master thinker.Further back in 2006, he dispossessed Cristiano Ronaldo only for the Spaniard to feed Adebayor to poke it past Kuzsack in the Man United to clinch a victory for the Gunners. Gutted I was that day but once again, there's nothing you can do when you meet superb players on their game. But Fabregas didn't only create, he scored goals too and I think my favourite was the lovely slalom run and finish against Tottenham at the Emirates. His great knee-slide celebration topped the sequence and it proved how magnificent he was. Yes, I admit he didn't have the inspiring nature as Henry and the boss-like air of Gallas but Fabregas was magnificent and he let his football talk, shout and inspire for him.
However, his 8-year spell at Arsenal had to come to an end in a rather difficult fashion because he got involved in a battle between heart and head. His love for Arsenal was evident but the constant reminder of not having a club honour to his name especially when his friends from his Barcelona B team from 2002/3 had now become winners in all aspects. Pique and Messi had won club and national team honours almost effortlessly and one of their victims on the way to these achievements was Arsenal and Fabregas. Certainly,the young Arsenal captain had to take a decision and it wasn't the easiest thing to do.
Arsenal say they'll cope without him and they'll have to. The unit must show grit to prove doubters wrong but that's Arsene Wenger's job. Fabregas' job is to keep developing as a footballer and help Barcelona extend their reign as European and Spanish champions. However, how he does that with Xavi, Iniesta and now Thiago Alcantara all in the same squad is a question that only time can answer and we'll all be privy to that answer one day.
My job as a fan is to enjoy the football and the magnificent Fabregas made me enjoy it and even though he played for the enemy, he was an enemy I would have loved to have as a friend. Truly fabulous.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
