Thursday, November 28, 2013
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
France's qualifying woes actually reflects well on FIFA - sort of
Today's UEFA World Cup playoffs
will see France attempt to overturn a 0-2 deficit in hopes of qualifying for
next year's football fiesta. Apparently local hopes aren't high, with one poll
stating 84
percent of French citizens think the task will be too great for Les Bleus.
Ask the French Football
Federation, and they'll intimate that the team shouldn't be in this position in
the first place. This is because playoff seeding weights
group-stage matches more heavily than friendlies. Because France drew
a qualification group with four teams instead of five, Les Bleus were
unable to achieve enough FIFA rankings points to demand a seed. Thus, Franck
Ribery et al are now underdogs in a two-legged playoff against a quality
Ukraine team who might boast one of the best home field advantages this
side of Iceland. (And the
US.)
France always contribute to
the World Cup, whether because of sparkling football, a
soliloquising coach or just because of their general combustibility
factor (see: Anelka, Nicolas and Zidane, Zinedine). The Cup will miss them - as
it will Zlatan
Ibrahimovic or Cristiano Ronaldo, whichever player should not qualify.
Plenty of teams are unlucky during the qualification process and thereby miss
the Cup; four years ago, France got lucky when Thierry Henry's handball was
instrumental in the Republic of Ireland missing out on a trip to South Africa.
FIFA are certain to want
France to qualify for the sake of marketability and improved TV ratings, but
may benefit indirectly by the absence of such a major nation. For many years -
and especially since the farrago that the winning Qatar World Cup bid has been
- the game's governing body has been seen as a laughable entity defined by
factional and personal self-interest. Not "rigging the draw" to
ensure all of Ibrahimovic, Ronaldo, Mexico and France's qualification is the
first principled stand FIFA have made in years.
We can now celebrate Sepp
Blatter and co. actually getting something right! Unfortunately, as recent
events have come
to light -
predominantly surrounding football's newest/tiniest
powerbroker, Qatar - this stand is comparatively small.
As will be the comfort taken by
French football fans should Didier Deschamps’ men not triumph handsomely at the
Stade de France this evening.
Saturday, November 16, 2013
World Cup 2014 deserves Iceland, not Ronaldo or Ibrahimovic
The argument that the World Cup
would be immeasurably damaged by the absence of either Zlatan Ibrahimovic or
Cristiano Ronaldo is understandable, but bobbins. While the sublime skills of
these players would be missed – but perhaps not as much as their personalities
– one wonders if the presence of the
best players in the world is actually what makes the World Cup great.
One of the greatest players in
history, Georgie Best, never played at a World Cup Finals, yet the tournament
during his career moved to the forefront of football’s imagination. Some more
modern greats have appeared at the Big Dance on multiple occasions, only to continually
disappoint. (I’m looking at you, Wayne Rooney. And you, Ronaldinho).
Throughout the qualifying process
both Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (and the French
national team) have trod many stages upon which they might shine. Either or
both may still do so – probably to the other’s detriment. But the biggest
platform doesn’t necessarily require the biggest stars; the World Cup is more
about the sport’s unifying force than the paragon of the sport’s performance.
Seeding
the Qualification and playoff draw may help ensure that the best players
and most popular teams make it through to the World Cup finals, thereby protecting
television rankings in major markets like France. But it does so at the expense
of smaller nations who have achieved just as much (and, if relative populations
are taken into account, more) to make the final phase of qualification.
If skill begets achievement and achievement deserves its place
at the Cup, look no further than the minnows.
Put frankly, the 2014 World Cup
would be greater for having Iceland – population
320,000 – enter the Big Dance for the first time in place of Cristiano or
Zlatan doing so again. While moments of tremendous skill – often, but
not always, perpetrated by the game’s greats – help improve the perceived
quality of a tournament, this isn’t the reason why people watch the World Cup.
The Cup’s enduring appeal is a
result of the multicultural and festive atmosphere that surrounds it, a product
of nation playing nation at an event that occurs only every four years. The
greatest and most dramatic moments from the last World Cup – which while perhaps
not a great tournament technically, but absolutely engaging – were rarely a
solo act of brilliance but the product of team play or the high stakes involved.
Moments
of incredible technical prowess don’t make a World Cup. They help, certainly,
but the reason the World Cup is the globe’s greatest sporting event isn’t
necessarily soft-shoed talent – for that, look to the UEFA Champions League or
any match featuring Lionel Messi – but the celebration of national pride and
the unlikely stories behind the unfolding events.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Manchester United 2013-14 player use trends
The chart below maps the player usage trends of David Moyes at Manchester United. It's hardly revelationary, but it is interesting to get to grips with his concept of "squad rotation" (especially considering it's impossible not to hear how rarely he was afforded that chance at Everton).
If one certainty has emerged from this week, it is that this pattern will change, with Michael Carrick ruled out for up to six weeks with an Achilles injury. As you can see below, it is likley his minutes will be divided between Ryan Giggs, Phil Jones, Tom Cleverley and Marouane Fellaini (because let's not talk about Anderson ... please).
Interesting trends include the deployment of Jones, Smalling, Evra and Rafael as prominent defenders during the club's recent nine-game unbeaten streak, as well as a forward reliance on Wayne Rooney and (recently) ... Shinji Kagawa.
Key: X = started match, I = made substitute appearance, 0 = unused substitute. Blank spaces = player left out of the matchday squad.
Friday, November 8, 2013
Farewell, Mark Schwarzer, and thanks.
I still get goosebumps.
It’s been nearly eight years since the greatest moment
in Australian football, and whenever that
shining, glorious shootout against Uruguay crosses my mind, I allow my mind to
wander fondly around the memories.
Last night I watched that video
again.
First came the goosebumps,
prickling as if to reinforce the
importance of what I was witnessing. Then, even though I’ve watched that
film ten times or more, my temperature rose and my heart began thumping louder
and faster.
As Marcelo Zalayeta strode to the
spot, my eyes began to water.
Again.
No sporting event has left such
an imprint on me as that shootout. It might be the most important Australian
sporting moment this century, fuelling an Australian interest in soccer only
Jonny Warren thought possible. The strength
of the A-League and the Socceroos’ prominence in the Asian Confederation are
thanks to that one Australian team and the feats of Marc Bresciano, John Aloisi
and Mark Schwarzer.
When the maudlin mood takes me, the
first and defining image I come to isn’t of Aloisi’s bare-chested sprint around
the Sydney Olympic Stadium but Schwarzer, eyes closed, torso extended and fists
pumping, howling
in inarticulate elation.
Looking back, these seven minutes
of footage completely represent the Socceroos involved. Tony Vidmar, rock solid
and no fuss, perhaps the guy most integral to Australia’s 2006 qualification,
did precisely what was required but fades into the background (he
never played for the Socceroos again). Mark Viduka’s career is summed up by
his near miss. Harry Kewell returned from an overstated injury to provide an
element of sublime talent that Uruguayan goalkeeper Fabian Carini barely saw. Lucas
Neill doesn’t care what anyone thinks. Aloisi, always the last forward used but
forever effective, delivered the final blow as he would seven months later against
Japan.
And Schwarzer, the man on whom
that ultimate triumph was built. Longtime rival for the gloves Mark Bosnich
might have saved one of those two penalties; contemporary Zeljko Kalac would
have been lucky just to get near one. But Schwarzer, ever unflappable, ever
uncompromising, simply outwilled his Uruguayan opponents.
That magical night cemented Mark
Schwarzer as my favourite Socceroo; chances are he will never be replaced. And
now, in the shadows of his third World Cup, he’s gone.
While too much is made of Australia’s
Golden Generation, it is true that the nation has never had more talented
teams than those in which Mark Schwarzer played. It is testament to the man
that for the majority of his career, he was the first player picked; the player around whom his country's best were assembled. No matter how intimidating the opposition, there was a certain
surety Australians felt with the big guy between the posts. More importantly, his
teammates felt the same way.
Mark Schwarzer was the single
most important (and approachable) Socceroo of his generation; honest, hardworking
and, by dint confidence in him, capable of inspiring teammates into greater
performances. He is, without question, the best goalkeeper – and perhaps the
greatest player – Australia has ever produced. Certainly no other shot-stopper
will be boast his resume, nor be remembered as
fondly.
Thank you, Mark Schwarzer.
Australian football wouldn’t be what it is without you.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Lloris injury highlights need for soccer concussion protocols
When Hugo Lloris shrugged off the
Tottenham training staff and put himself back into Sunday’s game against
Everton to save the decisive penalty,
public reaction moved quickly from curiosity to disbelief and then to rampant rationalization.
The shot-stopper had recently
concussed by an
errant knee by Toffee forward Romelu Lukaku and despite his save, we must now
ask whether players should input into such decisions.
Lloris, captain of France and number
one at White Hart Lane, essentially pulled rank on educated medical
professionals and convinced manager Andre Villas-Boas he was fine to continue despite
obviously losing consciousness. It’s a fair bet Lloris couldn’t have named
the President of France, the date or even his name and thus been assessed as having
a (probably mild) head injury.
Plaudits are often paid to those
who play on despite injury. This is not one of those times. Alongside
dizziness, visual dysfunction and sometimes vomiting, one cardinal sign of head
trauma is reduced executive function (decision making).
Automatically, klaxons sound: if a
player with diminished cognitive capacity has
the loudest voice in whether he continues playing, serious consequences are
close at hand. The decision must rest with medical professionals alone, usually
by applying a concussion
assessment tool. Altered executive function may result in the concussed
player’s condition worsening, or him putting himself or other players at
further risk.
British jockeys and NFL players
have strict rules in place for the management of head injuries; if an athlete
can’t pass the famed “concussion
protocols”, they don’t play. The same must apply to football players both
during and after matches – even though there’s less chance of such catastrophic
impact, it can and does
happen.
The reasons are simple. While
manager Villas-Boas stated the final call rested with him, he is only sort-of
right. The final tactical decision may rest with the manager, but had further injury
occurred either to Lloris or another player due to Lloris’ reduced capacity
then liability rests with the medical team. Ergo, the ultimate decision has to
be made by trained healthcare providers rather than a coach or a motivated player
with faculties perhaps already below 100%.
The support staff for a club want
the team to win just as much as players and coaches do. However, they must also
balance this with the wellbeing of the individuals. While one would hope coaches
and players also have player welfare foremost at heart, several past examples
suggest this may not always be the case. With head injuries, especially in
light of the recent spate of Chronic
Traumatic Encephalopathy diagnoses, safer is better than sooner.
Friday, November 1, 2013
Beckham and Miami a perfect fit
News filtered through this week
that David
Beckham has selected Miami as his venue of choice for a new MLS franchise. The
as-yet-unnamed team seems set to become the third visible expansion team after
the Manchester City and New York Yankees’ joint venture, New York City FC and
the record-setting
Iron Lions of Orlando.
Really, selecting Miami was a
no-brainer. The appeal of
the city to athletes is notorious, and although one MLS franchise has already
failed in South Florida, the times have changed in MLS such that Beckham and
his co-investors are making this decision based on expected
strong crowd support. While this hasn’t always been the case in South
Florida – especially during
particularly unsuccessful sporting summers – the city is a major market
with a passionate soccer fan base.
 |
| (c) Author's own collection |
Scanning the list of major US and
Canadian cities without MLS franchises, Miami is the most populated unrepresented
city and has been targeted
by the league as a possible location for some time. Other options it was
believed Beckham was looking at were San Diego, Orlando and … wait for it … Montreal.
Commissioner Don Garber is on
record plugging the merits of a twenty-four team league with a presence in Florida,
Atlanta (please let this potential franchise keep their NASL nickname, The
Silverbacks) and another SoCal team. That he has now leveraged three global
brands into associations with MLS means smaller,
more … optimistic parties should begin doubting their immediate chances.
As the business plans for each
nascent franchise gain clarity, so does the picture of MLS’s mid-term future. Fittingly,
David Beckham is front and center for this new era.
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