The U-20 Seleção won the World Cup yesterday beating Portugal 3-2 during the overtime with a stellar performance by Oscar. The players of U-20 teams don’t always carry through with the promises that they show at this stage but who knows if some of these will be future World Cup stars. In any case, this young Brazilian team is full of hope and sets the new trend. New trend? Isn’t that the literal definition of Bossa Nova? I couldn’t resist the comparison so please enjoy a must-have moment of Bossa Nova with Elis Regina and Tom Jobim.
Maracanazos are always auriverde somewhere in their hearts.
Best news of the day! Scheduled for the next friendly game of the Auriverdes against Ghana in London on September 5. Ronaldinho was for a while the top scorer in the Brazilian league this year and can still be decisive against any team. Let’s see if Ronaldinho can make his dream come true of participating in the next World Cup. I wish him all the best!
The preliminary draw has finally marked the beginning of the long journey to the next World Cup. Some groups look very tough – like Ivory Coast and Morocco in African Group C or Spain and France in European Group I. 203 countries are competing for the 32 qualifying seats, a record so far in World Cup history. How many underdogs will make it this time?
Here are 3 of the less obvious reasons for which a team qualifies for a World Cup:
How well the national federation has negotiated the availability of key players with the clubs. In these times where clubs have enormous bargaining power, this factor can become key in maximizing the chances of qualifying.
The backing of the press. Of course, media must play a critical role but do this constructively. When the press comes down on a team, the more so when its players are inexperienced, the damage can be tremendous.
The presence of a charismatic captain is extremely important. When things get tough, and they often do during the cut-throat qualifying matches, the role of the captain is key in cementing the team together and in the communication with the coach.
La Celeste has done it for the 15th time, smashing Paraguay 3 – 0 in a brilliant demonstration of team work and star individualities. What a game by Luis Suarez & Diego Forlan & Arevalo Rios! Uruguay played its best game during the final, it’s 15th win in 21 Copa America finals….talk about a successful track record in winning the games that count. The 3rd goal is absolutely fantastic with a triple combination between Cavani, Suarez and Forlan. If this team keeps its coach and most of the existing players, can we expect a Maracanazo III in 2014? What a better video of the highlights of the final than the one commented by the unique, the only, the real Victor Hugo Morales. Or do you prefer how Carlos Munoz shouts them?
Now the press has been all over with the Maracanazo of Sante Fe! Imagine, 61 years after Maracanazo I, the Celeste writes another extraordinary episode of world football by wiping Argentina out of its beloved Copa America! Uruguay played 48 minutes at 10 against 11 and still did it. The recipe? Some brilliant players + the legendary garra + a coach who embodies la force tranquille.
What does race have to do with it? Nothing. The French national teams have seen Polish immigrants in the great 1958 team, Italian and Spanish in the dream team of the 1980s and the black-blanc-beur world champion team of 1998. The debate is only about how to put back the technical aspects in front of the physical ones, point à la ligne.
That is what French football has become. Dogmatic in its assertive arrogance that the physical dimension of the game supersedes technical and tactical skills. The French Premier League has become the symbol of a football dominated by the physical aptitudes of players but so scarce in technical talent. Unfortunately for French teams, their technical weaknesses show up blatantly when opposed to their European counterparts.
Take the Champions League game yesterday between Marseille and Manchester United. Even though Man Utd played a very average game, they were still miles ahead of the Olympians when it came to the quality of passes and dribbles. Marseille looked like a squad of bullies pushing the ball with a total lack of fluidity.
The French Football Federation should urgently re-think how football should be taught, starting at the youngest age. Platini, the best French player of all times, was certainly not a model of fitness, but he had the technical vista that went far above his physical limitations. French national team coach Laurent Blanc, who was a technical ace, understands this I am sure but without the backing of the French football family, the Euro 2012 and World Cup 2014 (if France qualifies) will not be so different to World Cup 2010.
What a debut Suarez has had with Liverpool! The best part so far is his dribbling of 4 Man Utd players in this Sunday’s Premier League game. Kuyt could have left the ball roll in…. With El Matador and the great Forlan, Uruguay could well do better than 4th in World Cup 2014!
Maracanazos are already looking ahead to World Cup 2014!
Brilliant move last Friday by new French coach Laurent Blanc. The “President” as Blanc is called since his days playing with France, outsmarted all those that wanted to have the entire French squad banned forever. Blanc kicked out the team that had ashamed the whole of France for the first friendly againt Norway on August 11. Hmmm the real punishment would have been to send them all play that game! Blanc knows his stuff and most of all that this 2 year contract with the French Football Federation will demand to the minimum that the tricolores qualify for the 2012 Euro. Since there is shortage of real talent right now, Blanc can’t afford to kick himself in the foot and not count on the likes of say Lloris, Toulalan, Diaby, and Malouda. With this smart move, Blanc can then start with a clean sheet and build the team best fit to qualify for the Euro. And that will certainly mean keeping some of the 23 “black sheep”!
