It only comes about once every four years, but when it does, a football feast and fan frenzy obviously ensues. The World Cup has, over the years, provided its fair share of frills, spills, drama and excitement, and the South African edition of this seems to be no different - not for the abundance (read: 'lack') of goals that its producing, as a general rule, but because of the various storylines developing both on and off the field.
Of course, while the French continue to hog the headlines for being the most dysfunctional team of the whole tournament (judging by the way things are going at the moment, coach Raymond Domenech won't have any players at his disposal for the match against South Africa and have to play himself in the match!), English and Italian supporters have also had their fair share of heart attacks till now, and if recent form is anything to go by, then they might be going back home quicker than they expected. Both sides were expected to stroll through their groups, but both sides are massively struggling and can't hit the back of the net to save their lives. England, for all the hype surrounding Wayne Rooney's fantastic season, haven't seen their strikers hit the target yet; while Italy have fared precious little better - they've scored two goals in total, one of which was a penalty (and no matter how soft it was, it indeed WAS a penalty, just as much as New Zealand's goal was offside - stop whining about it!!)
While the English have looked toothless all over the pitch, as well as relatively uninterested in troubling the opposition; the Italians have at least attacked with some intent but have the worst bunch of strikers ever taken by their national team in World Cup history, which obviously doesn't help their cause one bit. Indeed, something positive to draw from the Italian performances is that they've showed some form of resilience in both of their games so far in order to come back from losing positions. The English, on the other hand, relied on a customary goalkeeper howler to let the USA back into their first match, and parked the bus in front of the Algerian assault on goal. Perhaps Don Fabio wasn't exactly the saviour that the English were hoping for - so far. In any event, both teams still know that in reality, due to the equally appalling performances of the other teams in their groups, they still have their fate in their own hands - win their matches and they get through to the last 16. But that too might be too much of an ask for these nations in their current form. And that's obviously not to speak of Capello's confident admission that England would reach the final of the tournament.
Having however seen some big nations falter, it's been the World Cup of the underdog so far. Shock results have been recorded pretty much across the board - Italy's draw with New Zealand, England's draw with Algeria, Germany's loss to Serbia and Spain's loss to Switzerland have all been unexpected, to say the least. That's not to say that each of these nations will now go on to win the World Cup - on a personal level, I still believe that the Spanish suffered a minor setback in that game against the Swiss and have the talent and the overall team to win the title - but at least, we're seeing that the minor nations of the tournament have managed to really close the gap on these superpowers. A group comprising England, the USA, Slovenia and Algeria definitely does not send any shivers down one's spine, but look at the position England are in at the moment, despite being predicted to steamroller one of the weakest groups, on paper, of the tournament.
The problem is that the superpowers have also underestimated their opponents. It's clear that a laissez-faire attitude is unacceptable in tournaments like these, where anything can pretty much happen. It also means that teams must be willing to go out there, fight for every ball and not enter each match thinking that they've won it from the start. Teams have become plucky over the years and are no longer willing to just roll over because the likes of Italy, Argentina, Brazil, France and England have come to town. Actually, for them, it's an opportunity to create a shockwave that the rest of the world will get to know about and even justify their places at the tournament. Perhaps it is for this reason, for the sheer unpredictability of it all, that this World Cup could be classed among the greatest at the moment.
God Bless You all!
Matti
Showing posts with label Italy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Italy. Show all posts
Monday, June 21, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
It is Done
Incredible, just incredible. Words could not describe the sensations felt at the final whistle, or even when Inter scored the goals that secured the Champions League for the third time in its history.
It just goes to prove that Italian football is anything BUT dead and buried. It just goes to prove that Inter have managed to get the European monkey off their back and bury 45 years of hurt right in the sand. It goes to prove that when you're hungry for success, goals can be achieved if you're willing to sacrifice yourselves for the greater good.
It just goes to prove that Italian football is anything BUT dead and buried. It just goes to prove that Inter have managed to get the European monkey off their back and bury 45 years of hurt right in the sand. It goes to prove that when you're hungry for success, goals can be achieved if you're willing to sacrifice yourselves for the greater good.
This cannot be proven more than by the way Inter's talismanic captain Javier Zanetti has played throughout the years. Be it at right-back, left-back or in midfield, the 37-year-old Argentine has defied the years and often played as if he's 10 years his junior. He is a true embodiment of there not being an 'I' in 'team', and putting the notion of the collective good ahead of individual honours.
This is however a team that, strictly speaking, is composed of a bunch of rejects. Samuel Eto'o left Barcelona an unwanted figure, despite being hugely popular with the fans. Wesley Sneijder was forced out of Real Madrid. Esteban Cambiasso was discarded as someone talentless some six years ago. Tonight's goalscorer, Milito, hadn't played for a top European club until this year. Goran Pandev left Lazio amid much legal wrangling. Lucio was thrown out by Bayern Munich for turning up late to training. Walter Samuel is another Real Madrid reject. And the list goes on. Tonight, this team of rejects played to prove to the world that it could achieve the greatest prize in club football, and prove it... it sure did.
Jose Mourinho has managed to achieve something that no other manager has achieved in Inter's history. He has managed to win the League, the national cup and Champions League in one season. He has won the treble.
He's almost certain to leave, but unlike his departure from Chelsea, this time he leaves on his own terms. He leaves the club a winner and not a discarded figure (too), he leaves the club having managed to win it all within the space of two years. Granted, there is the matter of the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup as well, but those trophies aren't important to him. What is important are those records that look destined to be broken sometime in the future. But again, unlike how he left Chelsea, this time Mourinho leaves with a star placed firmly above his head.
Good luck at Real Madrid Jose, your biggest challenge yet. Us interisti will miss you, but you'll remain in our hearts forever.
FC Internazionale Milano: 2009-2010 UEFA Champions League winning squad: 1. Francesco Toldo; 2. Ivan Ramiro Cordoba; 4. Javier Zanetti (C); 5. Dejan Stankovic; 6. Lucimar Ferreira da Silva; 7. Ricardo Quaresma; 8. Thiago Motta; 9. Samuel Eto'o; 10. Wesley Sneijder; 11. Sulley Ali Muntari; 12. Julio Cesar Soares de Espindola; 13. Maicon Douglas Sisenando; 15. Rene Krhin; 17. MacDonald Mariga; 19. Esteban Cambiasso; 21. Paolo Orlandoni; 22. Diego Milito; 23. Marco Materazzi; 27. Goran Pandev; 39. Davide Santon; 45. Mario Balotelli; 89. Marko Arnatauovic; Coach: Jose Mourinho
God Bless You all!
Matti
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Crucifixion of the Highest (Legal) Order
This evening, I read with great shock the news that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled against Italy in a case regarding the placement of crucifixes in school classrooms. Without going into the merits of the case and how the final judgement was reached, I found this to be a particularly shocking conclusion from the Court, especially considering that Italy is predominantly a Catholic country with Christian values. Furthermore, it also sets a precedent for other countries that subscribe to the European Charter of Fundamental Human Rights, i.e. any citizen who should appeal against the presence of the crucifix in a class or, indeed, in a public place, will have such a prior judgement to fall back upon and strengthen his or her argument. However, in what position does this leave us as European citizens?
Almost undoubtedly, the notion of having secular member states of the European Union is the first thing that comes to mind. It is clear that religion no longer has a strong foothold in society as it did in the past; this can be seen through the liberal way how people think and people act in this day and age. Half a century ago, for instance, it would potentially be considered a grave sin to have sex before marriage, while nowadays it's pretty much the opposite - it is a grave sin if you don't have sex before marriage. People have moved with the times and do not want to be 'controlled by the Church', to use the commonly coined phrase. And fair enough - after all, everyone is entitled to live their lives in the way that they wish. However, this judgement seems to imply that not even young students may allow Christianity to form part of their morals and culture now, because otherwise we might offend minority groups in society that don't really give two hoots about the religion that the majority follow. Hence, the judgement automatically implies that although religion, and the crucifix in particular, currently forms an intrinsic part of Italian morals and culture, such a part of the Italian way of life must be eliminated with immediate effect.
The second point that therefore comes to mind is the respect for minority rights. Undoubtedly, society cannot afford to exclude minority groups as that would infringe the basic principles of democracy and, indeed, a basic fundamental Human Right. However, is it fair to say that on the basis of this judgement, the minority is essentially ruling against the majority? After all, in such a case, aren't Muslims the ones who are supposed to integrate into Italian culture, and not make it entirely their own? What in the world happened to the well-known idiom "When in Rome, do what the Romans do"? In defence, it is evident that some Muslims do not really care about the presence of the crucifix in a classroom; it does not perturb them. To quote from the aforementioned article that broke the news about this judgement, "If the crucifix is there and I am a Muslim I will continue to respect my religion. Jesus in the classroom doesn't bother me." This was stated by an Egyptian 14-year-old. Shouldn't that be the approach of the minority groups that the Muslims form within countries such as Italy?
Over and above that, it seems as if the ECHR has admitted, hands up and all, that we live in a Europe so diverse now that all forms of culture must be accepted and not discriminated against at whatever cost. Fair enough, but isn't that contradictory in itself; in the sense that if all forms of culture must be accepted, then the Court is automatically eliminating a form of culture, at least in Italian eyes, by removing the crucifix from classrooms? Although technically the wrong approach to this argument, I would not have been shocked had this judgement been against France, for instance, where it is known that a large amount of the population are practicing Muslims. However, for the judgement to emanate against a member state where 85% of its citizens are practicing Roman Catholics (and hence, Christians) is just absurd. Such a judgement also threatens countries with an even higher percentage of practicing Christians - remember, Malta is hovering around the 96% mark. What will happen if a Muslim citizen living in Malta issues such a complaint against the ECHR? Surely, as mentioned before, the notion of precedent would set in and Malta would have to follow in Italy's suit...
One of the comforting aspects of the judgement, however, is that it has put Italy's politicians on red alert and caused a major outrage throughout the country. Indeed, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini has labelled the judgement as "mortal blow to a Europe of values and rights." Italy has already confirmed that it will seek to appeal the judgement via the European Court of Justice (ECJ); whether the ECJ appeal will be successful or not though is another story altogether. On the other hand, however, there is another (potentially final) worrying aspect to the entire judgement - the reaction of the Maltese people. On timesofmalta.com, comments have already started to emerge in praise of the judgement. One such author wrote that "Religion is a private matter and that's how it should be. It has no place in our classrooms", while another argued that it is a "Good decision when considering schools need to encourage high IQ attitudes." Such comments, unfortunately, only reflect the ignorant nature of certain people and, indeed, can only be condemned.
And while it is evident from this post that I am completely against this judgement and the notion on which it was decided; and in particular the country which it was decided against, we can only wait for the ECJ judgement in this regard... and see. Having said that, however, there could really be worrying times ahead in this regard, especially if the ECHR's judgement is confirmed.
God Bless You all!
Matti
N.B. Fortunately, since the time of writing, more comments have appeared on the Times' website, most of which seem to be against the judgement. Definitely a positive step.
Almost undoubtedly, the notion of having secular member states of the European Union is the first thing that comes to mind. It is clear that religion no longer has a strong foothold in society as it did in the past; this can be seen through the liberal way how people think and people act in this day and age. Half a century ago, for instance, it would potentially be considered a grave sin to have sex before marriage, while nowadays it's pretty much the opposite - it is a grave sin if you don't have sex before marriage. People have moved with the times and do not want to be 'controlled by the Church', to use the commonly coined phrase. And fair enough - after all, everyone is entitled to live their lives in the way that they wish. However, this judgement seems to imply that not even young students may allow Christianity to form part of their morals and culture now, because otherwise we might offend minority groups in society that don't really give two hoots about the religion that the majority follow. Hence, the judgement automatically implies that although religion, and the crucifix in particular, currently forms an intrinsic part of Italian morals and culture, such a part of the Italian way of life must be eliminated with immediate effect.
The second point that therefore comes to mind is the respect for minority rights. Undoubtedly, society cannot afford to exclude minority groups as that would infringe the basic principles of democracy and, indeed, a basic fundamental Human Right. However, is it fair to say that on the basis of this judgement, the minority is essentially ruling against the majority? After all, in such a case, aren't Muslims the ones who are supposed to integrate into Italian culture, and not make it entirely their own? What in the world happened to the well-known idiom "When in Rome, do what the Romans do"? In defence, it is evident that some Muslims do not really care about the presence of the crucifix in a classroom; it does not perturb them. To quote from the aforementioned article that broke the news about this judgement, "If the crucifix is there and I am a Muslim I will continue to respect my religion. Jesus in the classroom doesn't bother me." This was stated by an Egyptian 14-year-old. Shouldn't that be the approach of the minority groups that the Muslims form within countries such as Italy?
Over and above that, it seems as if the ECHR has admitted, hands up and all, that we live in a Europe so diverse now that all forms of culture must be accepted and not discriminated against at whatever cost. Fair enough, but isn't that contradictory in itself; in the sense that if all forms of culture must be accepted, then the Court is automatically eliminating a form of culture, at least in Italian eyes, by removing the crucifix from classrooms? Although technically the wrong approach to this argument, I would not have been shocked had this judgement been against France, for instance, where it is known that a large amount of the population are practicing Muslims. However, for the judgement to emanate against a member state where 85% of its citizens are practicing Roman Catholics (and hence, Christians) is just absurd. Such a judgement also threatens countries with an even higher percentage of practicing Christians - remember, Malta is hovering around the 96% mark. What will happen if a Muslim citizen living in Malta issues such a complaint against the ECHR? Surely, as mentioned before, the notion of precedent would set in and Malta would have to follow in Italy's suit...
One of the comforting aspects of the judgement, however, is that it has put Italy's politicians on red alert and caused a major outrage throughout the country. Indeed, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini has labelled the judgement as "mortal blow to a Europe of values and rights." Italy has already confirmed that it will seek to appeal the judgement via the European Court of Justice (ECJ); whether the ECJ appeal will be successful or not though is another story altogether. On the other hand, however, there is another (potentially final) worrying aspect to the entire judgement - the reaction of the Maltese people. On timesofmalta.com, comments have already started to emerge in praise of the judgement. One such author wrote that "Religion is a private matter and that's how it should be. It has no place in our classrooms", while another argued that it is a "Good decision when considering schools need to encourage high IQ attitudes." Such comments, unfortunately, only reflect the ignorant nature of certain people and, indeed, can only be condemned.
And while it is evident from this post that I am completely against this judgement and the notion on which it was decided; and in particular the country which it was decided against, we can only wait for the ECJ judgement in this regard... and see. Having said that, however, there could really be worrying times ahead in this regard, especially if the ECHR's judgement is confirmed.
God Bless You all!
Matti
N.B. Fortunately, since the time of writing, more comments have appeared on the Times' website, most of which seem to be against the judgement. Definitely a positive step.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Just Feel Sorry!
In football, we often say that own goals are an unfortunate circumstance. They're things that don't happen extremely often, but when they do, they leave the culprit very much embarrassed, having in no uncertain manner helped the opposing team towards a (more) positive result.
The most sinking feeling, though, is when an own goal leads your opponents to victory. You feel completely at fault for your team's loss, are vilified in the press afterwards and probably grilled by the team coach for being so lacklustre. You know that had you not intervened at that particular moment, then you wouldn't be faced with such problems; although you might be criticised for slackness in defence, letting your marker free etc - all the technical details behind a game of football.
So imagine how Kakhaber Kaladze is currently feeling after scoring not just one, but TWO own goals in Italy's 2-0 win over Georgia. Both were rather aesthetically pleasing goals too, might I add - the first being a bullet header into the roof of the net, while the second was a sliced half-volley which the keeper could not parry due to him in part being crap and in part being stunned at the howler that his team captain was having.
Rumour now has it that AC Milan patron Silvio Berlusconi is thinking of awarding Kaladze with an honorary Italian citizenship for his exploits and telling his coach Leonardo to play him in his preferred position of central defence for the rest of the season. If he continues like this, the next time Inter and Milan meet in the derby, the nerazzurri will probably run out 6-0 winners!
God Bless You all!
Matti
Friday, March 13, 2009
The End of an Era?
It's my first blog in over a month, and in typical me style, it's not going to be a thrilling, happy one to say the least. Actually, it's going to be one that takes a rather morose note, because the end of an era might have truly come - as of a couple of days ago. For Italian football, at least. Never have I witnessed such a disastrous campaign in the Champions League and the UEFA Cup combined, to the extent that Italy's only representative in any European competition is now Udinese, And even they, I believe, will soon witness the end of their (honourable) run in Europe, as they will face Zenit St. Petersburg, who are the defending champions, in the last 16 of the UEFA Cup, despite winning 2-0 yesterday.
When the draws for the Champions League were made in December, Inter boss Jose Mourinho stated that his team deserved the best as a punishment for finishing 2nd in the weakest group of all in the initial stage of the Champions League. And he got what he asked for, for his side drew Manchester United in the last 16. A few years back, I wouldn't have complained one bit because United were never really European challengers, just like Inter, but these last few years it has been a different story - in the last two years, they've reached a semi-final and won the competition. And, just for the record, this is possibly the best United side of all time that Inter had to face. Far from easy, I would say, and in fact, I feared for the worst from the outset. My fears were correct - Inter went on to lose 2-0 overall, although they were unlucky to say the least after playing well at Old Trafford and hitting the woodwork twice.
Juventus also showed that they lacked a certain European pedigree when they lost out to Chelsea. There's no doubt in my mind that injuries almost certainly played a big part in Juve's defeat to the Blues, and that they too were unlucky to not score at Stamford Bridge; but they eventually lost out to a Chelsea side that has looked reinvented under Guus Hiddink. I believe that had Big Phil Scolari still been there, Chelsea might have been sent crashing out of the competition, but alas - it was not to be. The returning Michael Essien's goal was the sucker punch for the Old Lady, as with that goal, they really needed to go out and chase the game down in order to progress. Over and above that, Chiellini's red card was harshly given after he got the ball before the player, something which disadvantaged Juve further. Personally, I thought that Belletti's handling of the ball in the box was more worthy of a booking - be it yellow or red - rather than Chiellini's tackle.
It was then left for Roma to pick up the bits and restore some of Italy's pride, and even though they too didn't manage, they were the closest to progressing from the Italian trio. Managing to score early against Arsenal due to Juan's goal, i Lupi could and should have had more goals to their name, but didn't manage. Extra time - which would have been fatal for the Capital side had it conceded a goal, as then Arsenal would have had the away goal and Roma would have had to score two to win - couldn't separate the two sides, and so it came down to the penalty shootout. Surprisingly, the people who normally score their penalties were the ones who initially missed - Eduardo and Vucinic. The latter in particular needs to be taught something about penalties from youth level, I believe, for his strike was the poorest penalty I have ever seen in my life. Ultimately, Roma lost the tie after Max Tonetto skied the last shot well over the bar, en route to Venus. However, yet again, credit must be given to Roma, who managed to outrun and outshine the Gunners despite having an injury-ravaged squad.
Which brings me to my initial question - is this the end of an era for Italy? I believe that disappointment obviously reigns supreme at the moment, but the Italian era is not yet over. It is a fact that the Premier League trounced Serie A 3-0, but it is also a fact that in each of these games, all Premier League sides were run mightily close by their Italian counterparts. In Inter's case, losing 2-0 to the World, European and Premiership champions isn't shameful in the least, especially after creating a multitude of chances that were begging to be converted. The English media might be saying that United dominated the nerazzurri, but witnessing the game from an Italian perspective certain derives different answers. Juventus and Roma, on the other hand, also firmly give it their all and were ultimately just unlucky at the end of the day - be it with injuries, decisions given against them or not converting their chances. It is clear that these sides just need one or two more quality signings to compete with the best. So yes, it might have been 3-0 to the Premier League, but it could have just as easily been 3-0 to Serie A.
Also, something that might be worth noting is that the Italian culture is slowly changing and evolving, as more and more teams - barring Milan, generally - are employing youthful players on the pitch. Juventus in particular have been advocators of this approach, as can be seen through exciting talents such as De Ceglie, Giovinco and Chiellini; and sides such as Inter - with Santon and Balotelli in particular - and Roma - with established talents from their own youth system, like De Rossi and Aquilani - are following suit. This wasn't the case until a few years ago. On the other hand, the Premier League is now so money-orientated that teams are simply buying the best players or talents from anywhere around the globe in order to try and attain instant success. One doesn't have to look further than Manchester City for such an example. Hence, at the end of the day, such an era might be coming, or has come, to a close; but a new, bright one is almost certainly on the horizon if that's the case.
God Bless You all!
Matti
When the draws for the Champions League were made in December, Inter boss Jose Mourinho stated that his team deserved the best as a punishment for finishing 2nd in the weakest group of all in the initial stage of the Champions League. And he got what he asked for, for his side drew Manchester United in the last 16. A few years back, I wouldn't have complained one bit because United were never really European challengers, just like Inter, but these last few years it has been a different story - in the last two years, they've reached a semi-final and won the competition. And, just for the record, this is possibly the best United side of all time that Inter had to face. Far from easy, I would say, and in fact, I feared for the worst from the outset. My fears were correct - Inter went on to lose 2-0 overall, although they were unlucky to say the least after playing well at Old Trafford and hitting the woodwork twice.
Juventus also showed that they lacked a certain European pedigree when they lost out to Chelsea. There's no doubt in my mind that injuries almost certainly played a big part in Juve's defeat to the Blues, and that they too were unlucky to not score at Stamford Bridge; but they eventually lost out to a Chelsea side that has looked reinvented under Guus Hiddink. I believe that had Big Phil Scolari still been there, Chelsea might have been sent crashing out of the competition, but alas - it was not to be. The returning Michael Essien's goal was the sucker punch for the Old Lady, as with that goal, they really needed to go out and chase the game down in order to progress. Over and above that, Chiellini's red card was harshly given after he got the ball before the player, something which disadvantaged Juve further. Personally, I thought that Belletti's handling of the ball in the box was more worthy of a booking - be it yellow or red - rather than Chiellini's tackle.
It was then left for Roma to pick up the bits and restore some of Italy's pride, and even though they too didn't manage, they were the closest to progressing from the Italian trio. Managing to score early against Arsenal due to Juan's goal, i Lupi could and should have had more goals to their name, but didn't manage. Extra time - which would have been fatal for the Capital side had it conceded a goal, as then Arsenal would have had the away goal and Roma would have had to score two to win - couldn't separate the two sides, and so it came down to the penalty shootout. Surprisingly, the people who normally score their penalties were the ones who initially missed - Eduardo and Vucinic. The latter in particular needs to be taught something about penalties from youth level, I believe, for his strike was the poorest penalty I have ever seen in my life. Ultimately, Roma lost the tie after Max Tonetto skied the last shot well over the bar, en route to Venus. However, yet again, credit must be given to Roma, who managed to outrun and outshine the Gunners despite having an injury-ravaged squad.
Which brings me to my initial question - is this the end of an era for Italy? I believe that disappointment obviously reigns supreme at the moment, but the Italian era is not yet over. It is a fact that the Premier League trounced Serie A 3-0, but it is also a fact that in each of these games, all Premier League sides were run mightily close by their Italian counterparts. In Inter's case, losing 2-0 to the World, European and Premiership champions isn't shameful in the least, especially after creating a multitude of chances that were begging to be converted. The English media might be saying that United dominated the nerazzurri, but witnessing the game from an Italian perspective certain derives different answers. Juventus and Roma, on the other hand, also firmly give it their all and were ultimately just unlucky at the end of the day - be it with injuries, decisions given against them or not converting their chances. It is clear that these sides just need one or two more quality signings to compete with the best. So yes, it might have been 3-0 to the Premier League, but it could have just as easily been 3-0 to Serie A.
Also, something that might be worth noting is that the Italian culture is slowly changing and evolving, as more and more teams - barring Milan, generally - are employing youthful players on the pitch. Juventus in particular have been advocators of this approach, as can be seen through exciting talents such as De Ceglie, Giovinco and Chiellini; and sides such as Inter - with Santon and Balotelli in particular - and Roma - with established talents from their own youth system, like De Rossi and Aquilani - are following suit. This wasn't the case until a few years ago. On the other hand, the Premier League is now so money-orientated that teams are simply buying the best players or talents from anywhere around the globe in order to try and attain instant success. One doesn't have to look further than Manchester City for such an example. Hence, at the end of the day, such an era might be coming, or has come, to a close; but a new, bright one is almost certainly on the horizon if that's the case.
God Bless You all!
Matti
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)