ON ENGLAND AT EURO 2012

Welcome back Joga-ers. I'm finally back on the blog having graduating college, moved into a new apartment, and watched some of the best international play I have seen since, well, the last Euro. A couple summers ago, I found myself struggling to make the best of what was, ultimately, a dissapointing World Cup 2010. Now with two long years having passed, I am revelling in the brilliance of Euro 2012. Having arranged my (pathetic) work schedule to allow me the freedom of viewing almost every single game, I must say that I have been thoroughly delighted by this summer's grand spectacle. Rather than devote this post to covering the tournament at large, though, this write-up will instead focus on one of the more striking stories that has emerged in these past few weeks; that being England's (laborous) conquering of Group D, and subsequent demise against the Italians.

THOUGHTS ON EL CLASICO

     As I sat down on my rotten, dilapidated couch to watch La Liga's season defining El Clasico, I did not expect much. To be quite honest, I thought it would transpire as many of the most recent few have; I thought it would be a game riddled by fouls, ruined by diving, and that the game would end in Barcelona's favor 3-1, or 2-1. I sat down expecting to be let down. Instead, I was treated to an absolutely riveting, attention demanding match between perhaps the world's best two sides. When the final whistle blew, I was not simply happy to have devoted two hours of my day to watching the match, but rather I was thoroughly appreciative that I had the pleasure to view such an affair.

WHAT MAKES THEM MEMORABLE

      The game is running out of characters. I've spent the better part of the last two days listening to the Football Ramble's brilliant player profiles, each one a reminder that the beautiful game was once played by men of significance and verve rather than marketed, pampered prima donnas. The profile that my mind keeps returning to is Zizou's. The man who I consider the best to ever play, he was a character of such dynamism and depth that he makes the modern day footballer seem like a pathetic charicature of what they should be; a man of heart, of passion and dignity...

AN INTERNAL DISCUSSION; OR, A MID-VACATION RANT

Wayne Rooney is the greatest footballer of all time. 

Lately, soccernet.com has devoted countless pages to interviews of current and ex-players gushing fervently about Lionel Messi as the greatest player not only of the current era, but of all time. 

They are wrong. Here is why...

MEN AGAINST BOYS

     Arsenal simply do not pass the Eye Test. A friend of mine asked me earlier today what I thought the result of today's Milan v Arsenal Champions League match would be, to which I prophetically stated, "Milan, in a blowout". Low and behold Arsenal were absolutely battered at the San Siro, and find themselves once again (essentially) knocked out of Europe before Spring. What I meant in this blog's opening clause was that if you didn't know anything about the players on show today, and simply compared the teams in a physical sense, logic would tell you that Milan would overpower Arsenal's spritely players. Zlatan and Boateng are physically imposing and brutish; Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey are almost waifish in comparison. Abbiati, Milan's criminally underrated keeper, is massive and commanding; Szczesny is tall but lanky, and young to boot. AC Milan took the field today looking to not only beat Arsenal, but to overwhelm and dominate them with pace and power. Their plan worked to such an extent that some Gunners looked vaguely relieved that they could escape to the dressing room once the final whistle blew...

"I MISS THE GAMES"

     I miss the games. Having dedicated almost the entirety of my time on earth trying to become the best soccer player I could become, I currently find myself completed with my college career, without knowledge of when my next game might be. I imagine the sadness that creeps into my mind every single day due to my competitive career being over is the same sadness that every proper player since the creation of the game has felt as age and circumstance rob them of their talents. Regardless of whether this moment occurs at 21, or 30, or if you're lucky 40, there comes a time where the elements conspire against a footballer to make him abandon his craft, at least at the level they once could play at...

HOW GARETH BALE AND ANTONIO VALENCIA ARE SAVING THE MODERN GAME

     For the past two months, Antonio Valencia and Gareth Bale have been simply unplayable. Today's fixtures in the Barclay's Premier League played host to two more marvelous performances from these men; Valencia's was against Stoke City, and led to two (converted) penalties for Manchester United as well as one woefully spurned chance by Dimitar Berbatov as the game died out. Gareth Bale put in a fantastic shift for Tottenham, scoring two fine goals against a hapless Wigan side. For the past 12 months, the Welshman in particular has been hailed as the one of the world's most devastating players; a man who, on his day, cannot be contained by even the best outside-backs the Premiership has to offer. Recently, however, there have been suggestions that Valencia, rather than Bale, may be the best out-and-out winger in England when on his favored right flank. In any case, what strikes me about both of these men is how similarly they play when in full flight, and how different their shared approach to the game is from the increasingly numerous, modern-day pseudo-wingers currently playing for top-flight sides (i.e. City's Adam Johnson). This increasingly popular type of outside midfielder embraces playing on the side of the field opposite their strong foot, and attacking towards the center of the pitch with the ball on their dominant side. Such play suffocates open space on the pitch and furthermore eliminates room for creativity. Valencia and Bale, however, embrace the notion that the field is indeed 75 yards in width, and they are willing to use every inch of it to their benefit...

A LONG AWAITED EXPERIENCE: BARCELONA v MANCHESTER UNITED (a review)

     Despite considering myself one of the biggest fans of European football this side of the Atlantic, I have been desperately deprived of viewing a high-level game in the flesh. My spectating of Mexico v Guatemala this summer gave me a taste of what the beautiful game looked like when displayed right before my eyes, but this weekends' events truly gave me a glimpse of football at the peak of it's theatrical value. My girlfriend (and sole reason for attending the event) and I spent the past weekend in Washington DC, and capped off the stay with a swealtering, sardine-esque packed Metro out to Fed Ex field to see Manchester United take on FC Barcelona in perhaps the most highly anticipated game of the 2011-2012 pre-season. Much to my delight, United ran out 2-1 victors.

 

      For me, the experience of the game was utterly satisfying in two ways. For one, I was able to view the team that I have supported most fervently since I was about 8 years old, and I felt that this was an experience I absolutely needed to partake in to be a true fanatic. Secondly, I needed to be at this game to be able to gain a fervent grasp on the ridiculous speed at which modern day, top level games are played at. Luckily for me, I was seated only 11 rows away from the pitch, which provided me a perfect view to be positively amazed by the play before me. I am more amazed now than ever at the abilities of superstar footballers, and even before this game I was one to speak about great players in impassioned hyperbole. Now I would be at a loss for words if asked about the abilities of the Manchester and Barcelona stars, respectively...

COPA AMERICA; PARITY OR FARCE?

     The past two days of the Copa America has seen not just one, but four of its 'top contenders' eliminated in spectacular fashion. Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, and Chile have all been knocked out via a combination of shambolic penalty taking, inability to convert chances, and a general lack of urgency on the pitch in all four matches. At the moment Uruguay, conquerers of Messi and company, have emerged as clear favorites in a tournament where nothing has gone to plan for some of the best and most talented teams on the planet...

CARLOS TEVEZ AND A DISCUSSION ON WORTH

Driving home today from school I found myself in a discussion with my brother about a player who elicits from me a wide range of emotions. Carlos Tevez, Judas to one half of Manchester and Legend to the other half, comes across as a money driven, agent-manipulated modern star who cares only for himself.  For these reasons I maintain a certain disdain for him. This is in stark contrast to my feelings for Carlitos simply as a player; he is perhaps the hardest working superstar in the modern era, and on his day he can be the most technical, ambitious, and driven player on the pitch. He still plays like a hungry boy from the slums of Buenos Aires, which is refreshing to behold in a time where pampered superstars often lose interest in the very craft that made them famous (see: Ronaldinho). That he combines this tenacity with such a standoffish and often disgraceful attitude for his clubs, though, makes him difficult to like...