England slipped up, quite literally, in their friendly with France on Wednesday night.
It was not just the poor football that would have caused England supporters to question if the players had the right boots on, but the frequency with which they slipped on the Stade de France turf.
England disappointed, after an industrious start in which France were forced to pass the ball back to goalkeeper Coupet three times in the first 10 minutes.
The French players seemed to have no trouble as several times they glided through the England backline before the crucial moment came, striker Nicolas Anelka being tumbled in the area by onrushing goalkeeper David James in a one-on-one. Franck Ribery took a break from his evening's moaning to dispatch a cool penalty.
But by the end stages of the game, it was clear that France were the better side despite only a one-goal lead, and, quite simply, they wanted it more. Florent Malouda and Claude Makelele were both left floored but left grinning after being fouled by a frustrated England side.
There were many frustrated challenges from English players towards the final whistle, yet few bookings. Strangely, German referee Florian Meyer chose not to book David James for the penalty nor a frustrated push by David Bentley on Malouda, yet gave a frankly glorified booking to David Beckham for a simple shirt-tug in the middle of the park.
David Beckham was making a welcome start that would bring him his 100th cap. Whether he continues depends heavily on his fitness and whether he can last the pace of games and one of his main weaknesses is his lack of pace. With so many players on the pitch on Wednesday who can run a lot faster than Beckham but were not, demonstrating their lack of movement, interest and effort, he will not have much trouble attaining more England caps.
England were now the only side passing backwards, Rio Ferdinand often left with little option but to pass sideways or backwards, or a hefty boot forward, in a bid not to lose possession.
Dave Ross made the interesting analogy that England played like a barn door, their passes going to players who are too static. France, however, played as a seemingly continuous and well-working revolving door, passes flowing from one moving player to another.
England's doors are yet to be removed from their rusty hinges.
Friday, 28 March 2008
Monday, 24 March 2008
Formula One gets off to a heated start
The second of race of the new Formula One season took place in Malaysia yesterday and it already looks set to be another exciting and predictable season ahead.
The race in Melbourne, Austalia last week was a week to forget for Ferrari, getting off to their worst start to a season since 1992 and only gaining a point because so many other drivers had retired.
This week it was McLaren's turn to have a bad week, Heikki Kovaleinen and Lewis Hamilton only managing third and fifth respectively, while Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen took first place.
Nick Heidfeld and Fernando Alonso were not happy during Saturday's qualifying as McLaren's cut them up on crucial laps. The McLaren's were duly punished and moved back on the grid.
Felipe Massa had a miserable race too, spinning off in the other Ferrari. A moment which Seyth Miersma says paved the way for BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica to take second place.
After both the expected leading teams, McLaren-Mercedes and Ferrari, have already had good and bad days, the constructors table is taking on a familiar look, with BMW Sauber getting in on the act as well.
Meanwhile, Hamilton, Raikonnen, Nick Heidfeld and Kovaleinen lead the drivers table.
The race in Melbourne, Austalia last week was a week to forget for Ferrari, getting off to their worst start to a season since 1992 and only gaining a point because so many other drivers had retired.
This week it was McLaren's turn to have a bad week, Heikki Kovaleinen and Lewis Hamilton only managing third and fifth respectively, while Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen took first place.
Nick Heidfeld and Fernando Alonso were not happy during Saturday's qualifying as McLaren's cut them up on crucial laps. The McLaren's were duly punished and moved back on the grid.
Felipe Massa had a miserable race too, spinning off in the other Ferrari. A moment which Seyth Miersma says paved the way for BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica to take second place.
After both the expected leading teams, McLaren-Mercedes and Ferrari, have already had good and bad days, the constructors table is taking on a familiar look, with BMW Sauber getting in on the act as well.
Meanwhile, Hamilton, Raikonnen, Nick Heidfeld and Kovaleinen lead the drivers table.
Wednesday, 5 March 2008
Is the era of the seven-goal thriller over?
I cannot think of the last time I saw a team win 4-3 in a high profile match and perhaps it is a dying scoreline. But why is this?
In the 1990s, there were some thrilling 4-3 encounters, most notably Liverpool's sensational 4-3 win over Newcastle, a match that showed the top quality strike partnerships of Newcastle's Peter Beardsley and Les Ferdinand and Liverpool's prolific Robbie Fowler and a Stan Collymore on top of his game compete arguably the most exciting match the Premiership has seen.
Four Four Two magazine editor Hugh Sleight wrote in the March 2008 issue about the decline in the number of strike partnerships in the Premiership, which is undoubtedly a factor behind less high-scoring matches in today's top flight. In the 1990s, the partnerships of Manchester United's Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole, Blackburn's Chris Sutton and Alan Shearer and Liverpool's Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen were just a few thriving partnerships.
But since the beginning of the 2000s, exciting strike partnerships have been in decline as a new era has been entered, of the lone striker and the preferred 4-5-1 formation over the traditional 4-4-2.
This formation allows players like Arsenal's Spanish midfield maestro Cesc Fabregas to shine as he did in last night's famous first victory for an English side in AC Milan's San Siro stadium; it has been a breeding ground for the holding midfield position which in recent season's has been tagged by pundits as the 'Makalele role'; it allows wingers like Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo and Tottenham Hotspur's Aaron Lennon to burst forward more without the need to retreat back and defend.
Has it made Premiership football more exciting, though? The answer is no. It is a formation used to try and win, not to entertain. We have, as Starting Eleven blogs, "entered a period when neither team wants to make a horrible mistake". Therefore, teams are playing more defensively.
Kevin Keegan's attacking nineties 4-4-2 formation has been thrown out in favour of the more defensive 4-5-1, imported from Europe by foreign coaches.
This is a formation that has not particularly suited the England national team very well as Wayne Rooney was left isolated in attack during the team's World Cup 2006 match against Portugal, which was later lost on penalties. The clean sheet, though, did show that the defensive purpose of the formation did work that day.
On reflection, Manchester United did not win the title for two seasons while there was a transition period towards the 4-5-1. Instead, Mourinho's use of less conventional formations helped towards Chelsea's title wins, while Sir Alex Ferguson, so successful in using 4-4-2 in the nineties, recouperated his squad, acquiring the likes of Carlos Tevez, Anderson, Nani and Ronaldo and the side have come back stronger since. And why? Because he used 4-5-1.
The end of decade 2000 is into the latter stages now and it seems unlikely that it will produce many matchs that will equal the excitement and drama of the previous decade. But something else has become apparent. This season, Liverpool have blitzed Derby County and Besiktas 6-0 and 8-0 respectively and Arsenal have thrashed Slavia Prague 7-0. In League Two, Peterborough United have swept aside Accrington Stanley 8-2 and Brentford 7-0, while the week before, Stockport County beat Wycombe Wanderers 6-0.
Could it be that, in an era when attacking formations, prolific strike partnerships and 4-3 scorelines are becoming extinct, that we are more likely to see seven goals when a team hammers another than when it is a closely-fought thriller?
In the 1990s, there were some thrilling 4-3 encounters, most notably Liverpool's sensational 4-3 win over Newcastle, a match that showed the top quality strike partnerships of Newcastle's Peter Beardsley and Les Ferdinand and Liverpool's prolific Robbie Fowler and a Stan Collymore on top of his game compete arguably the most exciting match the Premiership has seen.
Four Four Two magazine editor Hugh Sleight wrote in the March 2008 issue about the decline in the number of strike partnerships in the Premiership, which is undoubtedly a factor behind less high-scoring matches in today's top flight. In the 1990s, the partnerships of Manchester United's Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole, Blackburn's Chris Sutton and Alan Shearer and Liverpool's Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen were just a few thriving partnerships.
But since the beginning of the 2000s, exciting strike partnerships have been in decline as a new era has been entered, of the lone striker and the preferred 4-5-1 formation over the traditional 4-4-2.
This formation allows players like Arsenal's Spanish midfield maestro Cesc Fabregas to shine as he did in last night's famous first victory for an English side in AC Milan's San Siro stadium; it has been a breeding ground for the holding midfield position which in recent season's has been tagged by pundits as the 'Makalele role'; it allows wingers like Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo and Tottenham Hotspur's Aaron Lennon to burst forward more without the need to retreat back and defend.
Has it made Premiership football more exciting, though? The answer is no. It is a formation used to try and win, not to entertain. We have, as Starting Eleven blogs, "entered a period when neither team wants to make a horrible mistake". Therefore, teams are playing more defensively.
Kevin Keegan's attacking nineties 4-4-2 formation has been thrown out in favour of the more defensive 4-5-1, imported from Europe by foreign coaches.
This is a formation that has not particularly suited the England national team very well as Wayne Rooney was left isolated in attack during the team's World Cup 2006 match against Portugal, which was later lost on penalties. The clean sheet, though, did show that the defensive purpose of the formation did work that day.
On reflection, Manchester United did not win the title for two seasons while there was a transition period towards the 4-5-1. Instead, Mourinho's use of less conventional formations helped towards Chelsea's title wins, while Sir Alex Ferguson, so successful in using 4-4-2 in the nineties, recouperated his squad, acquiring the likes of Carlos Tevez, Anderson, Nani and Ronaldo and the side have come back stronger since. And why? Because he used 4-5-1.
The end of decade 2000 is into the latter stages now and it seems unlikely that it will produce many matchs that will equal the excitement and drama of the previous decade. But something else has become apparent. This season, Liverpool have blitzed Derby County and Besiktas 6-0 and 8-0 respectively and Arsenal have thrashed Slavia Prague 7-0. In League Two, Peterborough United have swept aside Accrington Stanley 8-2 and Brentford 7-0, while the week before, Stockport County beat Wycombe Wanderers 6-0.
Could it be that, in an era when attacking formations, prolific strike partnerships and 4-3 scorelines are becoming extinct, that we are more likely to see seven goals when a team hammers another than when it is a closely-fought thriller?
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