World Cup 2010 4-2-3-1

My First World Cup Blog.
Let me make one thing very clear in the very beginning. I am a German fan and I hate Brazil.
You must have had this feeling sometime in your life- your worst enemy, the person you hate the most has all the success. So what do you do?? You don’t obviously join the bandwagon in praising them too. You try to find their faults and pass of all their successes as “flukes”. And predict and wish that the next hurdle shall topple them. It is very much the same case with me and Brazil. I was very happy to know that this Brazil is nothing like the teams of the previous World Cups (WCs). It is a defensive Brazil playing with a minimum of 2 to even 3 holding players in the form of Gilberto Silva, Felipe Melo and Ramires. Let me point out that the Brazilian team in the first match against North Korea was the most attacking team Dunga will ever put out on the field- Elano playing right midfield instead of Ramires (who normally covers up for Maicon at the back). And we saw how difficult it was for Brazil to score when the opponent is right back on their goal. Let me point out here before people start shouting that no other team could break down such a defense- Spain, Germany and probably Argentina could. Actually Argentina did the same thing against a much more experienced defense- Greece. Now again the argument arises that even Argentina took probably 75 minutes to register their first goal against Greece, Brazil did the same earlier. But Argentina played much better football against a defensive team, while Brazil almost looked flustered due to their lack of creativity (and NO, Kaka hasn’t improved in the course of the tournament). Brazil have 2 positives barring their obvious discipline in defense- marauding full backs and a brilliant pace on their counters.
So, are Brazil going to win the WC?? I don’t think so. I hope not. How can they be stopped?? Who can stop them?? We shall come to those answers a bit later.
Let us look at the European teams. The less that is said about France the better. I don’t think they had any ideas as such. Just send some players on to the field, tell them to maintain a certain formation (4-2-3-1) and sit and chuckle near the touchline- this was Domenech’s idea!! I feel Maradona has the same idea too. His formation remains the same, but he chooses his players according to the match (Except the front 3 and back 2 that is). And he is successful due to the simple fact that he has a Messi in his team (1 defender.2 defender..3 defender..shot..goal!!) , a Tevez in his team (run run run run run ……run run run …) and a Higuain (one word for him..Poacher!!) in his team!!! Even if Milito or Aguero had played, I would have written – he has a Milito (cool finisher)in his team, and an Aguero (jamaibabu zindabad) is his team!! They are scoring the goals and making Maradona smile, run and kiss the person nearest to him!! I have no idea how the Germany- Argentina match will unfold!!
Coming back to the European teams, the preferred formation is 4-2-3-1 – the topic of discussion. Germany and Netherlands-the 2 European teams in the quarters are employing the above formation quite effectively. 2 players holding the line in front of the back 4, 2 wide wingers and a central striker with a playmaker behind him. The holding players link up with the wide players if required. Well, Germany are much better team in this formation primarily because the main difference between them and Holland is in the holding duo. Van Bommel and De Jong are both defense minded, whereas Schweinsteiger and Khedira are actually both attack minded (at least comparatively). So we find Khedira making those sprinting runs into the box and Schweini coupling up in a lovely manner with Podolski. Here the Netherlands duo concentrate more on defending and winning back balls (which they do quite well) rather than move forward. Robben is a much better winger than Muller, but Oezil has just stamped his class on the playmaker’s position with his lovely balls into the box.
Now, back to the question- who can stop Brazl?? This above formation of 4-2-3-1 can!!! It is effective to block out both elements of Brazil- full backs and a counter attack (if applied effectively). Brazil cannot win against a quality side if they go down by a goal- I am quite sure about that. They won’t be able to break down a defense. A holding duo ensures that even if one player runs up the other shall retain his position and negate the possibility of a Brazilian front 3 attack against just the back 2. I would have recommended another formation of a 4-1-4-1, or rather a 4-1-2-2-1 with two players behind the striker with two wingers and a holding player like Yaya Toure. The Brazilian defense + holding will not be able to hold against a 2 wingers and 2 no 10s. Let us hope that Netherlands are strong enough to hold out against Brazil and Robben pulls of something to help them win by 1-0. But a penalty shootout seems a more likely possibility.
A small summary of the other teams before I come to my own team. Portugal played brilliant football in the second half against North Korea. But they tend to go on the defensive depending on the credentials of their opponent. Ronaldo hasn’t mastered the Jabulani yet. Wonder how many hours he is practicing now!! Spain have just lost 2 matches in their previous 50. But Torres and Busquets might just ensure they choke once again!! Though Villa is trying his best to take them forward. Chile played nice football but their lack of finishing just like Mexico couldn’t see them go any further against the major teams. Uruguay are playing much like a traditional Italian team. If there hadn’t been the tag of a “Four time World Cup winner” against Italy before coming into a WC, we would have remarked “a bogus team who tried to put up a fight”. I do not wish to say anything about England except put forth a small stat (courtesy Sagnik)- Rene Higuita – Colombia Goalkeeper – 68 appearances, 8 goals Jose Luis Chilavert – Paraguay Goalkeeper – 74 appearances, 8 goals Emile Heskey – England Centre Forward – 60 appearances, 7 goals!!!
Now coming to Germany. A team which lost their leader and captain Michael Ballack as well as a host of other players. A team with an average age less than 25. Ballack’s injury may be a blessing in disguise, but he would surely have played better than Khedira because Schweini would have had more freedom going forward. But it has worked out quite nicely. We would surely have liked Westermann in the team to provide some security to the defense. Also Adler is our first choice goalie anyday. But that is now in the past. We have a vibrant team playing brilliantly even with 10 men. Two out of form strikers in Podolski and Klose have transformed back to a decent standard as is expected when they put on the Germany jersey! Oezil is brilliant albeit a bad finisher like Gairik in school. I believe Muller should be moulded into a clinical striker that Germany have consistently produced over the years- Gerd Muller, Voller, Klinsmann. He has the build, the shot and the temperament for one. And also the name!!! The defense is obviously the weak point with a right back being used as a centre back and a centre back as a right back. But it has worked out well till now. Against Argentina the holding duo have to play a much bigger role to protect their back 2 against the Argentinian attack. It will be a matter of who can score more goals..simply!!! Germany like to keep the ball at their feet in the initial stages and then build up great momentum till they score. If they can do the same thing against Argentina, then I Germany will surely win.
A very important point that Saurav has said is the fact that a national team obviously doesn’t practice all year round like a club team. A national team manager is much much different fron a club manager. What a national team manager has to do is maximize the potential of his team by choosing a formation and placing the right people in the right positions. That is why Scolari is a good national team manager but a bad club team manager. So, whichever team does the above effectively wins the World Cup. Enjoy the spectacle!!!!

Nostalgia

Since passing out of skool,i've been there quite a few times..initially we cud play freely in skool as passouts..then came some really weird rules..by virtue of which we were even "thrown" out of skool..(gives the khistis)..dunno what exactly made yesterday's visit more special than other times..maybe..we were allowed to roam about the skool freely after a long time..especially after having been kicked out one previous instance..last time i visited skool was for an MBA exam..it was mainly me and gairik..though there were a few seniors..we met a few teachers..but prolly the fact that there werent too many ppl didnt bring that sweet taste in the mouth (which was very much present yesterday)..

yes..there were 14 of us!!! we entered by the bank gate..the guard refused us entry..i dont think he did it to grudgingly..father was roaming abt quite nearby and he was prolly fearful for his job..anyways..kanti went to do the talking..a few magic minutes later,he returned with that excited look with the required permission!!the first change that we noticed was that the water tank at the bank gate end of the badminton court wasnt thr anymore..it had been shifted to the basketball court (near the games room side)..first stop..assembly hall..changes included ramps leading up to the hall whr the spaces are..(the spaces thru which we ran and entered the hall when we were late after the bell rang!!)..thrs a sorta mural on the side whr father addresses the assembly..but thats a bit old..then we moved onto the wonderful field..thr was grass aplenty coz of the summer vacation..harry remarking that we were talking like old guys .."when we were here" and "these guys nowadays dont play football anymore like we used to" and as usual me and kanti got "chorafied"..i tried to climb across the goalpost..but what happened next is..a heavy pendulum started rocking to and fro and fell to the ground!! :P we stayed near the field for sum time..

next stop..class XII classroom..most of us were in class XII-A..so that was the classroom we hung out in.. when we went up to our last classroom in school XII-A..i was a bit late in going up..the other people were already in class..(me,bappa and panda were checking out the Quiz Club notice board :P)..so when i was walking down the corridor, and was infront of XII-C, the people inside the class were all shouting in excitement..it felt THE exact same way..as if it was between periods..one teacher had left the class and we were making full use of the time till the next teacher came in!! :) it felt as if when i wud enter the class, i wud find everyone back in the same way-in their school uniforms, probably devouring sum1's tiffin!! :D i wud prolly rush in to scrape some leftovers!! THAT WAS THE BEST MOMENT!!! also harry started writing names on the board..mine and sagnik's as usual..and tried writing chaddi's who came up and said he wasnt talking and rubbed his own name off!! then i suddenly shouted "father asche father asche" and harry got really afraid and started coming back to his ..i dunno.."desk" prolly !! there was some weird traffic management sheet for class XII signed by Mrs. Nair.. :O p.s. i jhapafied a penchil!!

next we went roaming past the staffroom and the labs..(sagnik being reminded of a certain teacher!!) ..next stop-the classrooms next to the library..where we sat in those small chairs and felt so proud of ourselves..trying to act like kids..harry was super excited!! the library was open for repairs prolly..first instinct was to jhapafy books..prolly that guilt instinct made me lead them away from the place.."jhamela hote pare" bole..the trip sorta ended with a visit to the bathroom!! :D and a drink from the new coolers installed beside the taps on the bank gate and TT room side..kanti me and gairik kicked about a football for some time (borrowed from some locals who were playing basketball)..kanti was disgusted with himslef whenever he cudnt save a shot..and my aim sucked..though the power is still there!! so..in conclusion it was a memorable day..erally memorable..1 June 2010 will be quite memorable for me and a lot of other ppl..those pictures uploaded yesterday being testimony of the very fact!!

Bayern-Man Utd Preview

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I R O O N E Y

I NANI VALNC

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I CARRICK FLETCHER

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I SCHOLES

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I EVRA VIDIC FERDI NEVILLE

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I VAN DER SAAR

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I GOMEZ

I /KLOSE

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I RIBERY OLIC

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I TYMOSCHUK MULLER

I /PRANJIC

I VAN BOMMEL

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I CONTENTO DEMICHELIS VAN BUYTEN LAHM

I /BADSTUBER

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I BUTT

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The team of Man Utd..its quite obvs they use a wide duo- Nani and Valencia with Rooney patrolling the entire front line..

a strong holding midfield comprising of Fletcher and Carrick..who move up pretty often to head in the beautiful crosses..or even take a few shots of their own..

the best part is probably the sweet passing..and lofted passing..have to admit Man Utd have the best pinpoint long passing at the moment..

So how do u stop them??

use their midfield..Bayern have this tendency to pass along the ground..say from Van Bommel to Muller or even from the defence to Muller and wider to Olic or Ribery..

or they even play through above the defender straight to the wide wingers..I presume that if Robben is not fit they will playin Olic in his place

Its not Schweni who will be missed..but Robben..coz he's been in terrific form recently..

Here i wud like to note the fact that Bayern have lost both of their weekend matches the previous two weeks..one at home to Stuttgart..and they scraped through to the final of the German FA Cup

..so based on form I wud say Bayern will draw 1-1 or even lose 1-2..but what they need to put sufficient pressure on Man Utd in the 2nd leg..is a 3-1 victory or

a 2-0 victory..assuming they cannot stop Rooney from scoring..they need to score thrice..here's the problem..

Man U seem to find the goals..all the time..and Bayern-unless they are in top form..they seem to find it tough finding the back of the net..

a basic problem is Bayern's defence..its too supple..I dont think the central defenders can stop Rooney..though I can vouch this much..it wont be a repeat show of the 0-4 drubbing at Barca..

Bayern drew with a better team 1-1 at home last year..but i think Barca didnt care too much..

Strategy..Ferguson will obvsly play on the counter away from home..even though Bayen are outta form.. so Carrick Fletcher and Scholes will be staying back a bit..

and they will depend on the long passes and crosses to Rooney..and their aerial passes above the central defenders with Rooney making a diagonal run..

Bayern's tall defenders night prove useful here..and lets put it this way..it wud have been betta if Tymoschuk and Van Bommel play a bit wide from the center..and prevent runs

of Evra on the wing..and basically parch out the feed to Nani and Valencia..

Schweni wont be missed so much,..coz in the last few months..he has been reduced to a central holding medio..and Tymoschuk might do a betta job..

esp if its defending to be done..

I have written the above words keeping in mind Bayern's normal fashion of play..but two central wide holding medios..and a three pronged attacking medio headed by Gomez or Klose wud be much betta

Neville will be the weak point against Ribery..and Alex dadu might even play Rafael on that side..Evra can be contained by Lahm..

Let me remind ppl of the team that played agnst Barca last season..

Butt

Breno Demichelis Oddo Lell

Van Bommel Schweni Ze Roberto Ribery(half fit) Altintop

Toni

anyone will agree ..we have a much betta squad this year..so last year will SURELY not be repeated..now we need to win..and for that we need goals to put the pressure on Man Utd for the 2nd leg

Dada

"NAMES"

I hate “Harry”. I hate all “Harry”s’. He stole my g/f. Not that I had a chance. My nice guy attitude and geeky face were no match against his 6 ft height and dashing looks.  But the point is that – I hate “Harry” and I hate all “Harry”s’.
Whenever I come across a “Harry”, my first feeling is one of hatred. I feel like taking my revenge on that very guy, enacting all my well thought out assassination tactics on him. No matter how affable the gut is. He might be the biggest philanthropist on this planet or the next nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize (p.s. you actually don’t need to promote peace to win this prize nowadays!!! :D ). But I simply do not care. That name is my enemy. I relate it to only one person – that person who messed up my life.
There isn’t always a hate relationship with a name. You can love a name – because its too uncommon or because your best friend has that name – “Ranaq” , “Gairik”. And you do love this name till some one with the same name jacks you someday!! :D
However some names are really too common to stay angry on – “Saptarshi” , “Anirban” , “Pooja” “Kaustav” , etc etc. The feelings are mixed. You know so many people by this name. You do not understand whether you should hate this name or love it. So you basically stay neutral.
Girls also have the name “Neil” albeit spelled differently – “Neel”. So if you know a “Neel” who is a girl, then it might bring giggly thoughts to your mind when you meet me (which shall be dispersed immediately). 
I called up GD (as I usually do whenever I find something interesting) the other day to tell him that I was going through the supplementary list in my college when I saw this name – Newton Basu who had a supple in an exam. Well I shudnt be laughing at his misfortune, but it was extremely funny!!! :D His parents must have named him with high hopes (and probably he shall become something someday) but you gotta chuckle at his result!!! It wouldn’t have mattered probably if his name would have been ..say.. Haripada Basu. By the way, people in India are very religious and names given to you by family “Gurus” are never mocked, even if they be the most hilarious names.
I often have this habit of asking people the meaning of their names. And then look at the person if they do resemble that. Obviously they don’t!!!! Half the guys with “SHU” in their names have nothing good about them!! :P I feel people shouldn’t be named by their parents. They should name themselves when they come of age. It helps one gauge the person better. For example, in some countries people choose their number plates befitting their attitude. So if you are behind someone whose number plate reads “ASSHOLE” you know very well what you gotta do!!! :D
A name has as much significance as the face of the individual. You can’t sleep with the twin sister of your ex g/f (courtesy FRIENDS), just like you can’t have two g/f s orb/f s with the same name. I don’t think the mind permits it. Exceptions are there- you’re trying to “make up” for your past failure or wanna get back at your ex!!! :P
How can I write so much about “Names” without saying something about my own name!!! I am very proud of my name (as is everyone else except probably this guy who prefers the name “Rekhyt Kahn” to his own name”)!!! :P
I feel immensely proud of my name – sharing my first name with Neil Armstrong!!! And also regarding the possible uniqueness of my name!!! (which was destroyed later by Google ) I am even more fiercely protective about the spelling of my first name – which people always mess up. I am actually named after the colour with a westernized spelling. I am not blue in colour, I do not star in porn movies, and I’m not really a sad guy.( But if I were to choose a name, I would still choose the same name – Neil.. which actually means a Celtic Champion!!! )
(p.s. Once I even tried to find a g/f by the name of “Nilima” coz my Bengali teacher once taught in class that that’s the “change of tense” of my name!!! :D)

Friday the Thirteenth

I was walking along talking to myself as usual, you know like I do. My mother feels amazed by it. However now she cries sometimes. I don’t know why. Father used to cuddle me such a lot. Now he doesn’t even look at me. He used to take me on those lovely walks. He used to teach me such a lot of things – birds, nature, English and Maths. Now he doesn’t even call out me like he used to – “Neil, bring your Maths book”. I sit alone, mystified, both by his actions and the tough problems before me. My mother used to cook such wonderful dishes for me. Even my friends don’t play with me now – Raju, Ravi, Sameer and all of them. I watch alone from afar.

It all changed that fateful day (at least I think so). It was Jan 13th Friday. I woke up quite late. About 7:00 a.m. School starts at 7:30. My mother started scolding me. Ramudada was waiting for a long time. I reached school 5 minutes late. I got a scolding from my class teacher. I had to stand through the whole first period as punishment. I had a feeling that it was going to be a bad day. Yet it was Friday the Thirteenth. The next few periods passed quite unfruitfully. Boring History classes. Break time. My bad luck seemed to follow me everywhere. We were playing hand cricket. A shot of mine broke my best friend Raju’s glasses. He came and hit me. I hit him back. We had a big fight. The Principal even got attracted by the commotion. He scolded us both and threatened to call up our parents if we repeated it. We said sorry but a coldness developed between us.

I don’t know why but certain small incidents of my life came back to me those last three periods after break. Small yet significant and happy. Probably God was just giving me a helping of those beautiful seven years since I first let out that innocent wait to prepare me for the whole life of thorns that was to follow before me.

I remembered the pranks I played on my ayah. Her incessant complaining to my mother and my mother just used to laugh them off and come and kiss me on my rosy cheeks. I was an angel. But out of the corner of the eye I would give a devilish wink to my ayah. But I used to love her. The day she went away to her village we both cried a lot. My father used to bring some sort of gift everyday he returned from office. One day he didn’t bring any. I sulked and sulked till he gave me his shaving brush as a gift. (The bristles went off in a few days though). Now he doesn’t even bring me a gift. I sulked for a couple of days. No one paid any attention to me. I remember my first day with Ramudada. He plays fantastic football and teaches me a lot of new things.

I was brought back to reality by my Geography teacher. She was shouting at me for not paying any attention. I stood up, head bowed down. She asked me to get out of the class. I left silently. I again remembered Friday the Thirteenth. School got over. Ramudada was waiting. We set off for home.

It was about a ten minute walk. I was playing with a crazy ball I had just bought. Ramudada asked me to wait at the crossing while he bought a packet of supari. I bounced my crazy ball in impatience while waiting. It got onto the road. I rushed after it. I heard a loud honk behind me. I raced out the way and tried to catch the ball at the same time. However it slipped out of my hands and went off. I felt extremely light as if I have left something behind. I went back to the pavement. Ramudada came running. It felt so awkward. I tried to call ramudada. He did not even notice. I wanted to go home. There was a big commotion. I stood there unwanted. Even Mummy and Daddy came. They did not even notice me. Out of anger I walked home alone. But since then I have remained unwanted.

While I write all these in my room, my mother opens the room. I call out to her. She seemed to have been crying. But she doesn’t turn to look at me. Once she turned stunned towards me. But she just seems to go through me and keep my things in order. I felt lonely. Unwanted. Can anyone help me? Can anyone tell me what’s the problem? I don’t understand my parents’ indifference. No one listens to me. But only thing I remember is Friday the Thirteenth that fateful day.

A Tiny Flame Called...

I faced Reality and concluded that my very existence in this world is Unreal.
I have been blessed with this divine gift of unrestrained movement. I can go anywhere and everywhere that I wish. However, with passing time I feel as if I am not wanted anywhere at all. The people look upon me with contempt. They practically disbelieve my existence. When I do seek shelter under your roof, you turn me away. It is quite Disheartening (Sorry!!! I should not be using this word, least of all). You still d not believe me, do you? Well, then you should have been at the zamindar’s house that day .Yes, it seemed to be just that day.

The boy of seventeen returned home wet. His parents were waiting for him. The boy tried to sneak upstairs. But the Rai Bahadur stopped him and let fortha volley of insults. “There is no hope for you. You have gone to the gutters. Better go work as a coolie at the station. What shall happen of my name?” The mother looked on forlornly at her drunk child, home from another party. I tried to help the boy and the family. But before I could do anything my fellow friend invoked a sense of Ego in the boy who retorted back at his father. I fled from the house ashamed leaving behind the loud noises behind me.

Nowadays, I barely have much work. I look back at my failures and repent. I do not know what would have happened if the boy had felt my touch that day. Last news I received of him, he was spending his father’s lavish money on the streets- Life ebbing away from his body.

I still trusted myself. Probably I would be allowed to show my mettle elsewhere. I roamed about searching for an Opportunity. Such an Opportunity did present itself before me. But DEATH overtook me.

I heard it on the evening news. Such events were quite common. (Why don’t you ask History?) However the whole nation being bombed for a single man really presented the evil face of ARROGANCE to me. I raced as fast as I could for the sake of the people. But I was too late. The Destruction around me was too Depressing. No wonder the people refused to even notice me. I was Horrified by what I saw round me. MERCY seemed to have fled the scene. Man, woman, child, elders alike were in the firm grip of TERROR. I could see no place for me in such conditions. It was not by nature but by instinct that I held out my hand to some, but they totally disregarded it. They seemed to be quite used to the happenings. My popularity scale had really gone down.

I tarried no further. When I later looked back behind me, the faces of the people had undergone a drastic change. Another battle lost. I held my head in shame.

But wait!!! I hear a small cry. Is it someone calling to me? Yes!!! Indeed !!! A tiny voice calling out to me. I hurried forth. It was a small hut. A child of ten. His hands blown off by some blast. Yet the innocent heart presents a Desire to live. The diseased mother sat beside him. However, she wasn’t on the same plane of thought. She was begging for the end. So that she may find peace. However as per my duty, I tried to help the child. I looked around helplessly. No one was willing to lend a helping hand. Their minds were hardened by what they had been through. The sobs of this child had no effect on them. This child needs treatment immediately. I’m too weak to lift him up myself. Suddenly I feel a sense of foreboding. Someone seems to be creeping up behind me. Is it a robber? Yes, I can see Him. The biggest crook of this universe. But I am helpless. I cannot fight Him. It is Death. He rushes off in a gust with the poor soul leaving behind His horrible laughter.

I flee, Ashamed. I AM HOPE. HOPE. The word has been removed from the face of this damned earth. Who needs me? My body decays with time. An unknown identity. Despair gnaws at my sides. When God created mankind, he gave me to them as a present. A present they played with, for ages. Now they throw me away- useless creature that I have become. I dare not show my face anywhere. Everyone despises me. Curses me. I think my time has come. Farewell mortal world. If a time comes when thee shalt need me, I shalt return. I shalt not fail thee then. But be careful. I fear thou shalt perish at the hands of thy masters- Death, Despair et all. as I have at thy Hands.

How to stop Barca!!!

HOW TO STOP BARCA!!!!
Let me begin by setting out Barca's gameplan...They follow a typical winged system with a grapple over the midfield too..thus the defence being reduced to a wide open centre back system assisted by a holding midfielder in the form of Toure(Yaya)..this is most effective for attack..but is very vulnerable n the counter ..as was displayed by Athletico...so a team of Man Utd's calibre and Alex dadu's wileness wont take much time to break down Barca..the simple formation to be used by dadu would be the 4-1-4-1 formation with rooney and ronaldo on the wings and berbatov effectively holding the ball..however much I would like to see such a duel..but I must concentrate on the matter at hand..that is to stop barca..and thus prevent such a showdown this season!!!
The ideal way to stop Barca is as follows..obviously I am referring to myself as a Bayern supporter...instead of ronaldo and rooney I have at my disposal fleet footed players as schweini and ribery and luca playing the perfect ball holding striker..however he may not be fit for the first leg ..so the obvious replacement would be podolski..the formation would be a very flexible..4-1-4-1 reverting to the following when necessary--- 4-3-2-1 or even 4-3-3-0 no striker formation...the 4 midfielders would start out with two in the middle and two on the wings..however the wingers would have to utilise the space between the central defenders and thus have to come in near the centre more often..as would the two central midfielders have to come back adn wide more often than not to stop barca marshalling the wings..lahm shall provide perfect foil to messi's pace..the only concern is the rashness of the centraql defenders..(what more can u ex[ect from a brazilian and an argentinian..)ze roberto and can bommel shall have to do the job of holding xavi and iniesta at bay (if required not ze roberto but borowski would be a better option!!)..and while the wingers would come in..bayern shall have the obus to attack with their wingbacks..space having been created for them ..and finally a word of caution for the bayern players..please do not see too many cards which shall prevent one from playing in the next leg or the semis!!!!
cheerios!!!

Review of first 2 weeks of EPL

There is always some single event which embodies the entire scenario..like the match between Real Madrid and Barca last season showed the marked difference between the winner and the second best team. Like Man U coming from 2 goals behind to demolish Tottenham by 5 goals to 2. So far this season it has been the Manchester United upset by Burnley.Burnley were the last of the championship teams to qualify and Man U, the holders.Yes,Burnley did beat Fulham,Chelsea and a young Arsenal last season in the Carling Cup but this is much much bigger!!!The transfer season was nothing less than tumultous, Real Madrid acting like a magnet pulling stars from all round and Manchester City sucking up any EPL striker on offer!!! Underline..the seeds were laid..
Its been 2 weeks/3 matchdays and my fantasy team has been performing well.. albeit luckily because of my cheap defenders :P ..yet I feel thats there is something lacking..a Tottenham striker??a Man City player??dunno right now..probably things will clear up in the next few weeks. I'm very sorry to admit that my view of the game (like a number of us) is influenced equally by the fantasy points that the players earn as watching the game itself!!! Why not?? The points sorta bring out the match as any match report in the paper. Yes there are a few cases where they don't like Xabi Alonso for example..his value to the Liverpool squad can't be portrayed by the points he earned last season.
Well, enough of intro..Lets start by taking a look at the table..Tottenham and Chelsea lead the pack..Arsenal are 3rd coz they have a match in hand..then come the Manchester clubs with..surprise surprise..Sunderland and Burnley completing the list of teams with 6 pts and more!!Defoe,by courtesy of his hattrick against Hull,leads the goald scoring pack with Rooney and Drogba keeping pace. Two of the three promoted teams have kept 2 clean sheets with Sorensen, Hart and the gangling Jensen the goalkeepers to bet your money on.
Now lets go over them team by team..Manchester United:looks hollow..if you cast a look at last season,s 10 clean sheet streak..they had two 5-0 victories and eight 1-0 victories..what does that tell you??were they really that formidable?except beating Chelsea 3-0 they didn't have any remarkable result in the other 5 matches against the remaining top 3..yet they won!!!thats coz Liverpool and Chelsea had numerous draws against the lower teams and didn't utilise the opportunities.However this year Man U have no Ronaldo or even Tevez to come off the bench and save them like he did last year against Wigan.Rooney is the pivot this year around but you can see his frustation when he doesn't get the ball the way he desires and by the number of long rangers he has already taken. Take a look at the prices of the Man U defenders..Vidic 8.0 Ferdinand 7.0(initially) Evra 6.5 and the rest 5.5 or below signifying there's no fixed 4th defender(O'Shea is 6.0 but he isn't a regular).They lack the smooth passing of last season and its not coz the team is new(like it is in the case of Real Madrid)..Ferguson has played 2 holding medios in 2 matches..Scholes and Fletcher..they played decent football for 20 min of the Wigan match.Simply put..they aren't playing good football like last year..I predict next week Arsenal are gonna take down Man U to pieces!!
Yes..Arsenal!!!10 goals in 2 matches..smooth clean passing and above all..what was missing last year..clean finishing..but the question arises here!!!Who has been scoring the goals??10 goals and only 1 by a forward..Eduardo..3 of the goals by defenders!!!This isn't good news..especially if they want to win against the big clubs..having supposedly weakened their club by sellling off Adebayor and Toure to Man City, Wenger has come back pretty strongly inspite of Rosicky, Walcott and Nasri not playing!!!Imagine Arsenal at their full strength!!!btw its rumoured that Wenger sold off the duo to break up the African nexus that had formed in the dressing room with Eboue and Song to add!!!Pretty smart move I guess!!!Lets look forward to more beautiful football!!!
Liverpool have continued their distratous form fronm the pre-season into the EPL..what they need is another striker in the class of Torres whereas what they have are a string of wingers who can score goals..Xabi Alonso will be missed badly!!!so...it all comes down to the one man ...Gerrard!!!If he plays Liverpool play ..if he doesn't, bad luck you scousers!!!
Chelsea..the team spoilt for choice brought in a defensive coach in the form of Ancelotti..but have managed 7 goals so far..not bad!!! Just think...Essien ,Deco,Ballack ..such people warm the benchin this team!!!One reason is the same deal as Marcos Senna being preferred over Xabi Alonso in the Spanish squad..Mikel is better suited for the holding role than anybody else..so that reduces the number of midfield players by 1..and Anelka and drogba both getting starts..whjat else can one expect??Chelsea came back pretty srongly in the l2nd half in the first two games..and the third one was a drab..but it all depends whether they can beat the smaller clubs consistently..we will find out next week against Burnley!!!
The team that has come out a cropper(after Liverpool) so far is Everton..no creativity in their game..and no finisher..soo no goals this season too!!!Ferguson said that Burnley have a string of tough matches..so they can eitehr cause a string of upsets or be beaten black and blue..and Coyle's men have stood up to the task formidably..they have nice midfield players who can control the game..Birmingham had a woderful defensive record in the Championship last season while Wolves had a woderful attacking one..Birmingham with their new goalkeeper have stood up pretty well while the Wolves have had mixed results..maybe because their main 2 strikers Ebanks-Blake and Iwelumo as well their record signing Doyle are injured..hope they can buck up soon..
The black horses this season will be Tottenham and Man City who have made a strong start but it is to be seen whether they can hold their act together for the best part of the season..Robbie kEane seems to be relishing his role which is much similar to Rooney's present role for Man U,whereas it is to be seen how long Mark Hughes plan of playing without a holding medio stays successful!!!
Redknapp's head will be twitching more vigorously while ferguson will be chewing his gum even more harder while the season unfolds..its early days..but 1 small fact..Man U had 5 pts from 3 matches last season..this time they have 6..but there wont be no Ronaldo to return from injury this time..lets wait and see!!!

Champions League 2009-10 Round of 16 1st Leg Roundup

Day 1 : AC Milan v Man U.. Becks playin agnst his former club.. I call up Panda just before the match..he's simply excited like a little child who's got his Christmas present!!! I predict a 1-1 draw with Man U scoring first.. but both predictions turn out to be wrong!! Milan score first..a ddeflection..but Rafael's mistake..Milan played the betta football in the first half.. fell asleep after that..cudnt see the second half..but Man U's first goal was a laugh!!! :D Scholes trying to hit with his right and scoring with his left!!! :D However the next two goals were typical Man U goals ...something they've practised a number of times .. Alex dadu has admonished them into perfecting them!!! I mean..the third goal..dunno how many times Fletcher has put in such a ball onto Rooney's head during practice!! and especially with no one charging down Fletcher till late..no chance..btw Rooney was in my fantasy team!! Alex dadu has some calibre..give him one player..and a team..and he can win u matches..but still..Man U are nowhere near winning any league or cup..Chelsea have played much betta football all season!!!
The other match featured Lyon v Real Madrid.. again i saw only 1 half of football..thr were no goals..the goal came just after the restart..in summary Lyon come to the Bernabeau with quite an advantage..having conceded no home goals..all they need is 1 away goal and Real have to score 3 at least..have not seen too many matches of Madrid this..actually havent seen any barring the Champions league ones and El Classico..i dont they have played any such incisive football..maybe its their lack of goal scorers-Higuain,Raul and Benzema..we might see the team which brought in Kaka and Ronaldo going out at the same stage they did last season..unless they pull off a stunner at home..but letus have a look at the Lyon team.Pjancic is quite a Fantasy team favourite...and they have some nice players in Govou,their new signing from Porto-Lisandro and holding medio Cris and a fantastic goalkeeper in Lloris!!! So if they were to go thru to the next stage..it wudnt be really adn upset!!!

Day 2: Both my favourite teams played on this matchday..Arsenal and Bayern..both matches had the same result.. 2-1 to the home team namely Porto and Bayern..looking from either point of view..this is the perfect score to take home as well as a fighting score to go and win away..Bayern got their second goal quite late from an unlikely source this season..Miroslav Klose..and from a blatant offside position :P ..yet obvsly Bayern were the betta team thru out the match..and I hope they shall show their dominance when they visit Fiorentina.. with Robben and Ribery playing together on the flanks, I dont think anyone can stop Bayern at the moment.. also to be remembered is Bayern's thrashing of Juventus in the last group match..so if anyone argues it's tough to win away at Italy,they are very much mistaken!!!
Arsenal came in a weakened side..missing Almunia, Arshavin, Diaby among others...and what was worse than Fabianski's performance was Hilario's performance in the EPL match agnst Man City!!! :P Two howlers and two goals conceded..whats important was Sol Campbell scored a goal in his 200th match in an Arsenal shirt!!! one observation abt Campbell is that he played wonderfully in the weekend match agnst Stoke City..which just goes to prove that he will come off a sitting duck agnst teams like Man Utd and others with a lot of pace..but he can hold his own and provide Arsenal the much needed HEIGHT factor agnst teams like Stoke and Birmingham!!!

Day 3: The holders took the field agnst a German club..everyone thot they will steamroll Stuttgart over..but the in frm German club held their own agnst Barca..and if any1 saw the match..STuttgart played the betta football!!! Barca had their full strength team except Daniel Alves..and Henry came on in the second half..realistically the score shud have been abt 4-2 in favour of Stuttgart..they both sides were denied penalties off handballs..though Ibrahamovic controlled the ball from the corner with his hand before shooting.. Cacau was in top form and Hleb had a score to settle with his former club whr he was essentially a benchwarmer!!! Stuttgart played wonderful man-to-man football..covering angles properly and preventing any runs from the wing!!! I know it's a tough proposition and winning away at Barca(or drawing after scoring)..yet i feel thr is hope for the team!!!
The other match was a lesser affair and i didnt even see the match..but one point to be noted is that Bordeaux were expected to win..sorta..and they have conceded just 2 goasl in the tournament so far..1 agnst Bayern and 1 agnst Juventus..and are unbeaten..maybe they might crumble agnst stronger opposition..but they are in quite good form...

Day 4: Inter v Chelsea..Mourinho v Ancellotti..the most significant point of the match is Cech's injury..which shall come back to haunt Chelsea thru out the rest of the season!!! Inter played their typical football..Chelsea were fluid thru out the match after conceding the first goal quite early..quite a good goal from Milito..obvsly Terry's mistake..he shudnt have moved out..he shud have stayed in..luring Milito away from the goal..and then if MIlito had indeed taken a shot it wud have been his left foot..and also..the angle wud have been narrower!!! The next two goals were sorta freak goals..Julio Cesar missing on a routine save probably..he didnt have his goal covered too well..and Cambiasso's perseverence paying off..boom boom..goal!!! :D
The other match was an early start..Sevilla taking a draw and an away goal agnst Sevilla..even without Fabiano..

Well..the nex matchday is really gonna be interesting...!!!! coz only 1 match has been decided so as to speak..(Panda may disagree!!!)...the Man Utd -Milan affair..we may also include the Bordeaux match to have been decided..but even that might turn around thru a heroic performance away by Olympiacos..all other matches are on the edge..there are three 2-1 results in favour of the home team..and the teams visiting this next matchday are capable enough to win away!!! all these three matches are an interesting watch for the next day!!! two matches stuck at 1-1..the team with the away goal advantage is supposed to go thru..but they other team wont surely go down withour a fight!!! and one match between Lyon and Madrid with Lyon having a fair advantage over Madrid..but its Madrid..u never know!!!!

My predictions.. Man Utd, Lyon, Bayern, Arsenal, Barca, Bordeaux, Sevilla, Chelsea go thru..though i wish Stuttgart pulls it off!!!! point to be noted..the possibility is of : 3 english teams..two french teams..2 spanish teams..and 1 German team!!