Wednesday, May 17, 2006 

A French treat

The French are well known for the gastronomical extravaganzas they serve up. Tonight however they will lay out a mouth-watering treat of a different kind, as Paris gets set to host Arsenal against Barcelona at the Champions League final.

This is perhaps a dream final - to have two well established powerhouses replete with international stars, and whose sole mandates are to play attacking, entertaining football. Although at face value it does seem so for tonight's match, on sounder consideration, one realizes that both teams also bring with them water tight defenses, with Arsenal now famously holding the record for ten straight shut outs in this tournament.

On paper, and going by achievements this season, Barcelona seems slight favorites for this encounter. On TV yesterday most English sports journalists were found saying that their hearts wanted Arsenal to win, but their minds chided them otherwise.

For us to decide, lets get down to analyzing the teams piecemeal.

In goal we have two solid, unglamorous goalkeepers, who are also capable of the occasional ludicrous gaffe. Lehman demonstrated that in the free kick goal conceded against Wigan, and Valdez had done so at least twice during the league season.

I would rate the Arsenal defense a bit better than Barcelona’s simply because there are no old legs there but for Sol Campbell. Campbell despite being over thirty is always a monstrous, menacing, subduing presence in his half of the field and an intimidating physical embodiment in the opponent’s penalty area. If Cole plays at left back it remains to be seen how well he copes up with playing a big game after being sidelined for much of this season with injury. I am not too sure how Old Balletti and Marquez are, but I get the feeling that I have been seeing Puyol on TV forever; so all in all not the youngest and most fleet footed of defencive setups. Barcelona have looked tight and composed at the back in their recent games, but I would put it down to good strategy and teamwork rather than individual brilliance.

The Barcelona midfield seems more creative than Arsenal's with Deco, Iniesta and Ronaldinho pulling strings, and very frequently white rabbits from their hats. The Arsenal midfield is more of a quick paced, well-drilled unit. Wenger has denied that Ronaldinho will be given special attention, but I probably think either Gilberto or Fabregas will shadow him all over the pitch.

Going upfront, Henry’s solo brilliance is not completely matched by Eto'o. Henry is more creative, pacier and better at free kicks. Eto'o though is probably a more complete striker as he can head well too. Eto'o is luckier though to have a more potent strike partner in Larsson. Somehow Robin van Persie’s contributions have dried up as the season has progressed, leaving Henry to shoulder most of the goal-scoring burden.

To sum it all up, I think Arsenal will pip Barcelona to the title. The Arsenal defense should prevent conceding too many, and Henry is sure to give Marquez and Puyol hell. To stick my neck out further, I see them winning 2-1, with Henry scoring twice, and Eto'o getting the consolatory goal for Barca. While Barca might already be partially satiated by winning the Primeira Liga, Arsenal seem hungrier and would be less pressured to win. Henry would love to leave an emphatic and emotional mark on this, possibly his last game for Arsenal. Ironically he might shift to the team they face tonight! This season has been just that - full of such quirky occurences. Sample another - it's been an English team against a Spanish team in the finals of both the Champions league and the UEFA cup!

For most football fans on the subcontinent, the champions league final is the culmination of the football season, the one last time you can brew up a hot cup of coffee and wait for the clock to strike midnight! Stay up and get ready to be treated.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006 | |

Monday, May 08, 2006 

Au revoir Highbury

On the seventh of May 2006, a bit of English football heritage died. It was the day on which Arsenal played their last match at Highbury – their home for the last ninety three years (1913 – 2006). They start next season in their swanky new stadium at Ashburton Groove, just a couple of blocks away from Highbury. Aerial pictures showing the two stadiums in proximity appear very poignant; Highbury’s ancient looking edifice pales in comparison with the gleaming all steel construction of the Emirates stadium. But as the fans trooped out of Higbury that evening for one last time, they knew that they had left a piece of themselves behind, a void that they may never be able to fill.

However all was not gloomy at Highbury a few hours before that. Arsenal put on a champagne performance in front of their home fans to beat Wigan – the fairy tale team of this season. And once Tottenham Hotspurs 2-1 loss at West ham United was confirmed, it was time for the Highbury faithful to start celebrating. This turn of events meant that Arsenal would participate in the Champions league next season irrespective of how they fare against Barcelona in the Champions league final later this month. For Spurs it seemed like a cruel twist of fate, and condemned them to the UEFA cup next season. This may actually prove to be a blessing, as doing well in the second string event may prepare them better for a decent shot in the Champions league the following year. Just look at how well Middlesbrough has done in the UEFA cup this season. They might not have lasted long had they been in with the big boys of the Champions league this season itself.

For Arsenal though, the events of the evening did not unfold so favourably right from go. Wigan made a real fuss and came to the match without reading the script. The result – they were leading 2-1 about half an hour into the match and were making a serious case of damping all celebrations at Highbury. But when the chips are down for Arsenal, they always look up to to one man to bail them out. And Henry honoured them yet again. His hattrick thereafter silenced a recalcitrant Wigan team and yet again confirmed his status as the greatest Arsenal import, and probably the best ever to have graced the grounds of Highbury. Even Henry appeared so awed by the occasion that he knelt down to kiss the turf after this third goal.

This climactic last day brought the curtains down on yet another fascinating season in the world’s most popular football league. How things may turn out for Arsenal next season is not yet clear. Will they be able to convince Henry to stay on for longer? Or will Henry decide to follow in the footsteps of teammates Wiltord and Vierra and return to the continent. Even if he does so, no one can question the commitment he has shown by dedicating his prime years to the club’s service. There is no doubt that Arsenal and in particular Arsen Wenger have transformed Henry into the potent striker that he is today. But he has repaid all that and more many times over during his stay with the North London club.

The evening was nonetheless more than about Henry. It was drenched in the melancholy of saying goodbye to an institution of English football. There are so many fond memories that I personally have of Highbury even though I don't consider myself a true Arsenal fan: the low camera angle that brought you that much closer to the game, the sea of red and white cheering fans, and more recently the giant squirrel who popped up when Villareal were visiting and which refused to be shooed away (and which has since become something of an icon at Highbury)! Highbury will in the future no longer physically exist. It will soon be torn down to make way for an apartment complex (one wing of the stadium though being a heritage site will be spared). One banner in the crowd last night aptly summed up the mood - “ Gone forever, but not forgotten.” Where ever they may move, Arsenal will forever remain synonymous with Highbury.

Updates:

1. It gladdened me in some way to learn that season ticket holders would be able to buy the Highbury seats they occupied in the just completed season. That would be quite a nostalgic memorabilia to hang on to.

2. The fate of the invading squirrel is unknown. If you google up on "Arsenal Squirrel", you will be amazed to see the following this story has! In this news item courtesy Yahoo news, Arsene Wenger seemed impressed with the squirrel's performance and commented, "He was quite fast -- and dribbling."

(courtesy: Yahoo news)

Monday, May 08, 2006 | |

Thursday, May 04, 2006 

A bane of a bone

The dreaded “fragmented metatarsal“ claims another English victim. Till now the list of English internationals suffering metatarsal injuries in the recent past included Beckham, Gerrard, Ledley King. Last weekend against Chelsea, we saw how Wayne Rooney got pissed, got wild and came under the knife (sorry...had to copy the style! and to be politically correct, it would be 'will come under the knife'). Rooney unluckily gets his name on that infamous list for the second time (the previous injury being suffered in Euro 2004). Very optimistic opinions suggest that he may recover in eight weeks (assuming England progress that far), but even if he does so, I think he will not be as potent as he was of late. You can well imagine the anxiety one would face in stressing a fragile, hardly healed foot. He is sure to be circumspect and play within himself.

I commiserate with Rooney. Reportedly, he himself had commented a few days prior to the incident on how getting injured before the world cup could be the worst thing that could happen to a player. Prophetic indeed. But Rooney apart from Gerrard is the only real live wire of the English team, the pulse of the team, the one reason why British bookmakers (in a rather father fetched vein I felt though) were quoting them at second best odds to win (after Brazil). After the disaster in Wayne’s world though the English have slipped to the third place in the odds, with Germany leapfrogging them. I am as surprised as you are about that list. Germany at second (where are the Italians, the Argentines, the French)?? Mind you I was a big German fan at one time, and even now dearly hang on to my faded, patched worldcup’94 German jersey. But I really don’t see enough firepower and creativity in them to proceed beyond the second round. I possibly don’t know about a third of their national squad as they remain confined to playing in the Bundesliga (the German football league), which rarely gets much coverage but from Ten Sports. I only regard Ballack and Schwinsteinger as real quality players in their team. They promised so much in the final last time around, but instead put in a shocking and inept display. Being the home team may spur them on to achieve more than they would have on foreign soils, but they surely can’t reach the last four.

Returning to the sorry fate of Rooney, some analysts were quoting his new shoes to be the cause of his injury. They claim that the studs on his new shoes did not come out of the turf easily as he fell. Rooney however exculpates his shoes and stands by them (pun intended…digressing – I wonder why people write ‘pun unintended’ when very clearly it’s a deliberate attempt at punny phraseology).

Where does Rooney’s injury leave the English team? Hoping I have traced the progress charts correctly, I think England will beat Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago, draw with Sweden, but top the group on better goal difference. They will then face the runners up of group A, whom I predict will be Ecuador. England should beat them to make it through to the quarters (on July 1) to face Holland. This is such a tough match to call, and I give the edge to Holland. Had Rooney been fully fit at this stage, I would (albeit with a slightly heavy heart as my loyalties lie a bit with the Dutch) tilt the balance in the favour of the English. So it looks like yet another QF exit for the English – predictable aren’t they. I am tempted to analyze the strengths and weakness of the English team here, but this post has already turned out much longer than I had envisaged. So that will be later, probably after Sven announces his squad. As of today, the media is abuzz with who will be his successor. The English FA is about to announce this any time now, but from the recent build up to this announcement, Steve McClaren taking over seems like a done deal!

Thursday, May 04, 2006 | |

Tuesday, May 02, 2006 

Reichweite heraus zur Schale - the Cup is within reach

Over the extended weekend (courtesy the off on Labour day), I got to catch a lot of football centric programs on TV, including (hold your breath) one on Discovery channel! It is quite a surprise that an American channel is taking fondly to football. Somehow the lead up to this world cup seems bigger than that to any of the previous editions. This program on Discovery was a profile on the Brazilian teams of the past, covering both masters and duds. Strangely, the program only covered the world cups up till 1970, missing out on a few special occasions, the biggest of which is undoubtedly their win in 2002, when the Brazilians finally got to redeem themselves and shake off the nightmare they endured on that Paris night in 1998 (more on this program in a later post).

I initially took to this Discovery program with subdued enthusiasm despite football being one of my prime passions. An hour later, I was completely awash with emotions (the game can do that to you). Consequently, I spent most the next day (Saturday) seeing other soccer (sounds blasphemous eh.?) programs on ESPN - a few were official FIFA films of different world cups, one a compilation of the top 20 World cup moments (this was amazing), and another, a program on the drama called penalties. My evening was consummated on seeing Chelsea majestically waltz past ManU in their premiership title defense.

Surfeited with so much of the beautiful game, I felt inspired to write about it. Till that moment I had no intention of doing anything of that kind, but as I said, the game does really reach into you, want to make you reach out and talk to others about it. So starting today, I regularly plan to pen the odd word about football here, culminating with the finals in June (I am sure once the tournament is over, I will feel despondent, gloomy and with no visible means to fill the sudden void I would experience; but that’s for later to worry about). At the moment I have some topics in mind to write about; not the usual news update kind of posts, but perhaps more reflective and personal in nature. So hold on, the wait is almost over. Ole ole ole ole…ole…ole….


PS: The Bable Fish translator apart from being a pretty useful tool, is also an ingenuous source of entertainment. All you need to do is translate your text from English to a foreign language and then translate it back - a few laughs are guaranteed. For instance I got the title of this post by converting “Reach out to the cup” into German. When a re-translation of this into English is attempted, you get the very comical– “Range out to the bowl.”

Tuesday, May 02, 2006 | |

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