Jun 19
Discuss:
79 Responses to “World Cup JUNE 19-20:”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Arsenal America
Official United States Supporters Club of Arsenal FC
Arsenal America Events
Arsenal America Dinner
In Honor of Danny Karbassiyoon
January 25, 2008
Washington DC
See photos Here!
June 19th, 2006 at 9:43 am
Well Senderos is having an absolute shocker. He cannot pass to save his life.
June 19th, 2006 at 11:48 am
Well, we’ve only got SOL (who looks to be leaving) and Senderos…
So we better be bringing in someone soon!
They posted a shut-out win… so he couldn’t have been that bad.
June 19th, 2006 at 12:12 pm
Where is Sol going? Sorry but I have not read or followed club related stories that much?
What about Lauren?
June 19th, 2006 at 12:14 pm
I assume this is the same story about Sol going to Turkey that broke out before the world cup then?
June 19th, 2006 at 12:26 pm
I didn’t watch the game today but I know Senderos had an excellent first game against France. I did see on live commentary though that Adebayor received a yellow card for a foul on Senderos.
June 19th, 2006 at 12:30 pm
Sol going to Turkey… and Portsmouth are hot on his trail as well…
He looks to be on his way out.
June 19th, 2006 at 12:30 pm
Let’s not forget how young this kid is and how much he’s done already. The fact that he’s everywhere highlights his growing pains moreso than other young CBs.
June 19th, 2006 at 12:42 pm
To be fair he improved in the second half. However he’s really got to wake up and start games more alert. He always has dozy moments and just because those haven’t been punished it doesn’t mean they can be glossed over.
He could be another Tony Adams and iron out his deficiencies but these mistakes really are elementary.
June 19th, 2006 at 12:49 pm
I think Sendy is just fine… will only get better.
He gets ripped by some… I don’t think he’s played poorly at all.
Drogba gives him fits!
but he’ll get better with more and more experience. What bigger stage is there than this one?
June 19th, 2006 at 1:45 pm
Senderos made a horrendous mistake against France too, but Ribery messed up a simple pass to Henry for 1-0.
He did improve last year, but can Wenger afford to play him all next season? He keeps falling asleep and his mistakes could get us knocked out of everything in the end.
June 19th, 2006 at 2:13 pm
Senderos needs to stay awake. I remember Lehmann saying he needs to shout often to keep his backline awake. Maybe he meant Senderos. Senderos would be great if he kept his concentration level high through out. This guy needs more games at top level. He’ll keep learning and gain more experience playing at this level.
======
I thought Adebayor was great in the first half. He was everywhere for Togo. Midfield, wings and up front. Toned down a little after the break (most probably tired out) but definitely one of Togo’s best performers.
June 19th, 2006 at 3:10 pm
Bad players do not play for top flight teams like the Arsenal AND National Teams in the World Cup.
Senderos is young and talented. I believe the Swiss had a solid run of clean sheets with him in there, and we all know about the run of clean sheets with Senderos in there in the CL…
He makes mistakes. Gee, thats a revelation. So do ALL the players. He’s only going to get better with age. He’s played in the CL and World Cup… the biggest stages in the sport, and he’ll be much much better and wiser for the experience.
He will be a fixture in our line-up next year, barring an injury to him… so get used to seeing him.
June 19th, 2006 at 4:37 pm
My God, Fabregas is making me salivate. He’s come on against Tunisia and turned the game upside down, 2 assists, 3 excellent strikes, every single pass finding a player. Best substitution of the tournament by a mile.
By the look of him, next season he will go up another gear and he’ll be running the show.
June 19th, 2006 at 5:46 pm
aw jeez, that just means that Cesc is going to be in the Sp*nish Pr*ss every 90 minutes
June 19th, 2006 at 5:49 pm
I thought he played fine. Sure, he’s not the smoothest passer, but that’s not what he’s in there for–he’s a defensive achor.
June 19th, 2006 at 6:45 pm
Senderos, yes he makes mistakes, so do all players, he is young and still learning, he picks himself up and gets on with it, he doesn’t let it get to him which is the most important thing he learned in the season just gone. Mentally he is much stronger than he was.
Campbell, yes he makes mistakes, so do all players, but he seems less able to cope with that than before, the West Ham game being an example. He said afterwards that he had no personal problems. Taking him at his word means he was unable to cope with his mistakes and walked away.
This is an old discussion but I would have Senderos ahead of Campbell anytime.
Fabregas was brilliant tonight. Will only make the Spanish teams more interested. Terrific pass for Torres first goal. Bring him to Arsenal to keep Fabregas.
June 19th, 2006 at 6:53 pm
Watched the USA Italy game on Irish television. Liam Brady was one of the analysts. He described the USA approach to the game as brutal. He highlighted several dangerous fouls in the opening minutes which could have been more severely punished. Pope could have had a straight red for his first yellow as he was the last man.
The attitude of the USA coach was also highlighted. When the goal, clearly offside, was disallowed, he lost it on the sideline. Made Wenger, Mourinho and Ferguson look like dispassionate neutrals.
Brady also said that the Italian should receive a ban that would keep him out of the rest of the tournament no matter how far the Italians went.
I found it hard to disagree with the analysis. One of the tackles for which the US received a red card took was a sliding two-footed dangerous tackle that took away the standing leg of his opponent - not too dissimilar to the tackle that put Diaby in hospital. It could have caused serious injury.
The above views are not going to be popular here but most of them come from a respected Gunner.
June 19th, 2006 at 7:01 pm
No doubt the Spanish press will be going ga-ga over Cesc. I just hope the rumours don’t start with him this coming season. Madrid I am sure will want to add their name, even though their team has quite a few other problems. And then there is the Barca link-up, with Cesc being the hometown boy, and his childhood friend Messi playing already for the Catalans.
I forget who it was but someone on this site mentioned this last year that wait till Cesc grows up, the Spanish press will be all over him. It seems that time might be coming sooner than expected. But Cesc (I hope) is smarter than all this nonsense and won’t get caught up in all the hype.
June 19th, 2006 at 7:02 pm
Seems I repeated your last comment about Cesc just below…I just hope his good performance is missed in their papers, if such a thing can happen
June 19th, 2006 at 7:04 pm
Wow that is saying something. I thought Messi’s sub role against Serbia was perfect but I have not seen today’s game yet but will watch it later tonight.
June 19th, 2006 at 7:11 pm
Exactly. There are certain types of players that screw him up. Drogba being one, and tall in the air types. But there isn’t another player in Germany that can boast his clean sheet record in the CL except Kolo and Eboue.
June 19th, 2006 at 7:29 pm
Sometimes you have to retaliate.
Sometimes you can’t turn the other cheek, no pun intended.
Italy probably felt they could come out and intimidate the US.
Ain’t gonna happen.
I have no problem with the cards. They were all legit. Bloodied not bowed.
We’ll take the draw, and the chance to get to the next round.
June 19th, 2006 at 7:33 pm
Cesc playing well in front of the whole world will only serve to speed up the Spanish press and the Spanish giants (Barca and Madrid) to be all over him.
If he plays a few more matches like that… it will be a feeding frenzy. He is going to go back to Spain to play football. There are no two ways about it.
The only question is… when.
Will be able to keep him for a year longer? 2 or 3? Not sure how long he’ll want to stay. But lets hope its at least 2-3 years…
He’ll command a big fee… thats the only positive if he goes…
June 19th, 2006 at 7:44 pm
“Wenger, Mourinho and Ferguson” in the same line just doesn’t make any sense to me.
Ferguson is a XXXX disturber (rhymes with tit), and Mourinho thinks the sun and moon rise out his arse where the “special” sh*t comes from. If you ask me Wenger kinda stands apart from these guys, except for of course some of the lines he comes up with to excuse his players of bad behaviour.
June 19th, 2006 at 9:26 pm
Senderos helped save Arsenals arse this season; as well, he assisted in setting a new CL record for clean sheets. As for me, he has my respect even if he can?t keep pace with Drogba as many others can?t keep pace with him. Drogba is a team chore not just one player?s. It?s the same at the other end of the pitch for players trying to defend against Henry. None of his mistakes in the WC have come back to bite him in his arse and the Swiss are having a great campaign.
Henry in the WC is still one of the greatest players to pull a French jersey over his Arsenal one. France?s disappointing show so far should be attributed to their coach. That?s the funny thing about coaching your either a genius or a fool or tolerated for a while. It?s a black and white world up there in that rarified air and choosing team members by their stars is not about to start a new method of coaching ? for now he?s a fool. We all know Henry?s strength at Arsenal. He makes me proud to be a gooner no matter what his showing in this tournament.
Speaking of Cesc and the Spanish Press are like talking about virginity at a Madrid brothel. The Spanish press are all whores. That is what they do to fill their papers, just like a bear sh*ts in the woods; it?s what they do. It?s a lot like asking if the Popes Catholic. Are the Spanish press going to talk about Cesc ?ad nauseam?? Truth is he deserves the accolades as he changed the face of that game today.
As for Cesc and Arsenal, I think he?ll stay as long as he?s getting what he?s searching for in the game or life. If his priorities change to opening, a national chain of ?Fish & Chip? shops in Spain it might be prudent for him to play in his hometown. That way he could dangle those soggy bits of Cod or Haddock in front of the TV cameras for commercials.
Right now, he?s getting to play with some of the greats of this game DB10, TH14 this Spanish squad. He has done that now in the EPL, CL and the WC. What pleasure it must be for him to see the fruits of his talent pay off.
Who knows maybe he?ll be like Henry, if playing at Arsenal keeps its interest for him. As a Gunner, I can?t think of what would be more satisfying, except for more money or silverware (but silverware is never guaranteed ? look at Chelsea or Real Madrid).
I think our lads have made a great showing in this WC and as it still in its early day?s there is much more to establish in the following 20 days. You all know where I stand I am hoping RVP wins the golden boot and hoists the trophy with his teammates.
Hup Holland Hup!
June 19th, 2006 at 9:35 pm
Yes. Cesc was great. Played the simple passes when he needed to. Did not lose possession much. Made the killer passes when the chance arose. Made himself available all over the field. Funny seeing his small frame in an oversized shorts. Spain basically dictated the pace of the game. I really believe he will be more successful in Spain or Italy where he will have more time on the ball compared to the crazy pace of the EPL. Putting some bulk will go a long way for him in the EPL.
Torres had a superb game as well with plenty of running and good dribbling but I will stick with RvP any day. RvP will return to Arsenal after the WC a much better player.
June 19th, 2006 at 10:32 pm
Is it me or is Tommy Smyth the most irritating commentator…All he could do was praise Joaquin while Cesc was winning the game…Half the time the 2 clueless commentators could not even call the players they were watching correctly…All I can say ESPN commentators are a joke..Not one of them have anything worthwhile to add to any of the matches…They keep associating players with wrong clubs etc.
I just hope Cesc gains a few pounds this summer and hold his own in midfield…There is no question about the vision of this player, he is unmatched. Saw him make a sprint on the left side and I think his speed is getting better.
Watched Rosicky against Ghana and I think he is an incredible threat going forward…Give him 2 good forwards that the czech’s currently lack and he will make an even greater impact…Just didn’t realize how fast he was running with the ball…Also, you could never anticipate when he would release a pass. Only weakness, no defense..I think Pires played more defense than him:)..But he is definitely a great addition to Arsenal and I can’t wait for his link up with Henry and Wolcott. Man, are we talking about scorching speed on counterattacks.
June 19th, 2006 at 10:34 pm
If anyone had seen Tony Admas played at the same age as Senderos, he would tell u the young Adams was not that much better than Senderos on his floor game. Adams’ passing was weak, and from time to time i saw him passed the ball straight to opposite attackers. And his balance was weak as well, often lost the ball under pressure.
The only difference between Adams and Senderos is back then there weren’t that many TV coverage, allowing u to see Adams’ mistake again and again from many different TV angles.
The important thing is George Graham never lost faith in Adams, just like Wenger on Senderos. They understand they are tall central halfs, they are not supposed to be good with the ball on their feet, otherwise they would have played as a striker or midfielder wouldn’t they? But they saw their strength in the air, and their determined attitudes. And as they grow older, play more matches, their awareness and experience will improve.
I can tell u, having followed Adams’ entire career, Tony was 10 times better a central half, and ball player than when he first emerged into scene. Yet in order to let this happen to Senderos too, you gotta keep faith in him.
June 20th, 2006 at 12:01 am
Yeah, the US strategy was not as tactical or as beautiful as say an elbow to the face or flopping to the ground under any sort of contact.
And what is Arena supposed to do on the goal waved off? Invite the linesman over for for some milk & cookies & a handshake? If anything you give the business to the officials so as to hopefully start winning more calls in your favor. There’s no way in Hell you can tell me the US played that much more physical against the Italians when late in the game (believe it was around the 70 minute mark) the fouls committed were US 20, Italy 7. No way Italy was that ‘innocent.’
And whooptie do the opinions come from Liam Brady. Hooray. Part of the same press corps that don’t give the Yanks their due credit on the world stage.
Agree with Stag on this one, bottom line is that teams around the world think they can come in & intimidate the US b/c of achievements years ago. When those countries get it back, they moan & complain.
Danny T can say all he wants but until Mastroeni was sent off, a Yank midfield of Reyna, Mastroeni, Convey, Dempsey & Donovan DOMINATED the middle of the park against Totti (& then Gattuso), De Rossi, Pirlo & Perrotta. US gets run off the park b/c they don’t show up & play shell-shocked, they’re crap. They come in & push an alleged soccer power in Italy around physically (oh, it’s a physical game until the Americans win the physical battles isn’t it, Euros?) & all of a sudden it’s “oh, Italy are crap.” Oh well, they weren’t crap when they beat Ghana were they? So which is it in this group? Czechs are crap b/c they lost to Ghana, Ghana is crap b/c they lost to Italy, Italy is crap b/c they drew with the US, the US is crap b/c they lost to the Czechs?
USA-Ghana on thursday will be one of the matches of the tournament, you can book that. Esp. if Arena puts Beasley on the left for Convey & keeps Dempsey in on the right.
June 20th, 2006 at 12:05 am
Exactly, Andez. He’s still only what? 21, 22? 23 at the most? He’s not even anywhere near his prime for a center half yet. And unlike some people around here, I can live if he costs a competition here & there b/c he has the potential to become one of the best centerhalfs in the world.
And exactly how many center halfs are good with their feet?
June 20th, 2006 at 12:28 am
I am so thankful that in Canada we don’t get commentators like Tommy Smyth. Every year, I can’t stand listening to him in the CL games. Once he picks a topic, he doesn’t let go, and keeps going on and on…argh..At times I have had to turn the volume off from my CL games so as not to be annoyed with him.
The funny thing is the Brit commentators we get for the world cup still get players names wrong. Especially for Eastern European countries. Example from a few world cups ago — Mijatovic used to become Mihajlovic and vice versa. Stankovic was made into Dragan Stojkovic…but at the end of the day, atleast they get the match flow commentary right.
Watching tems play this world cup has really made me appreciate Wenger’s vision with Arsenal. Very few world cup teams have been able to play flowing fast football. Ofcourse, the game is different but just looking at Wenger’s players playing for the different countries makes you admire his choices. Eboue loves to tear up and down as well, Toure is amazing in making up ground, Rosicky is just a delight, Cesc is getting smarter game by game, Henry is still class…I can’t wait to see Walcott play and see if he is indeed faster than Henry!
June 20th, 2006 at 12:38 am
I really feel bad for Henry though. Not his fault that France are bad. Their coach really made a mistake in his tactics — for example, if he wanted width, he should have taken Giuly. On top of that, why he refuses to make Trezequet a target man instead of Henry is beyond me. Henry is not the player you cross the ball to and expect him to score goals with headers. The poor guy is trying but he is left on his own to struggle.
I missed seeing the first half of the dutch against Ivory coast and I was not impressed with their second half. What is going on there? They are still not convincing. Something is missing. I still feel choked that they didn’t win in 1974 and hit the post in the last minute of the 78 world cup before losing. I was in tears when they lost in 1990 because I so wanted to see the Dutch trio left the World Cup. I was looking forward to see what Van Basten could do but I don’t think this team is gelling yet. That being said, I am looking forward to their game against Argentina. It could turn out to very a delicious feast for the eyes. I still keep hoping to see RVP run through the opponents defense and score a solo goal (remember that game against Blackburn this season? ofcourse you do
enjoy the games Gerard! You gotta love the coverage we are getting here in Canada though
Great idea to get both TSN and sportsnet together. Now if they can get the Score panel trio along with these 4 TSN, Sportsnet guys, we would have a real fight on our hands 
June 20th, 2006 at 3:35 am
Fabregas has expressed his commitment to Arsenal. He owes Wenger big. Same like TH14 and a good number of other players. Loyalty to Wenger is something that is keeping our stars at Arsenal. That’s why we need to keep Wenger at all costs.
===
Cesc was incredible against Spain. Sooner or later he’ll be in the first team. Just like at Arsenal.
===
And yes, Senderos needs more time. Its harder to emerge as a defender. As a defender, if you play a perfect match for 89 mins and slip at the last, the fans think you’re useless. For strikers, you could misfire for more than half the time but if you sink one in, the fans worship you. That’s the hard part of being a defender.
June 20th, 2006 at 4:23 am
Did you guys see Juan for Brazil on Sunday? If Sol leaves I think he would be a good replacement. I’ve been watching him and he’s been solid all year for club and country. I’ve been a big Lucio fan since his Bayer Leverkusen days but Juan has been more impressive for me in this world cup.
Leverkusen is a selling team as they’ve sold all their best players (Ballack, Ze Roberto, and Lucio). Surely they would sell Juan if he continues to perform so well for Brazil. We should be first to show an interest. I saw an interview with Juan a few months ago and he’s contemplating leaving the asprin factory in what is the former East Germany. Should we be interested?
June 20th, 2006 at 4:34 am
Senderos?
I think most folks have expressed the situation pretty darn well.
Like Andez I saw Tony Adams from start to finish.
Tony was like a lot of promising lads at high-profile clubs.
Act 1: Huge promise and praise.
Act 2: Speed wobbles?.followed by an absolute canning from the press.
Remember the donkey chants?
Remember the full-size picture of a young Adams with donkey ears on the back page of a paper?
He was roasted.
Act 3: Determination, persistence, self-belief, lotsa on-the-field learning and George Graham?s belief?..and the rest as they say is history.
Act 4: A true legend.
Will Senderos follow the same path?
Well, I?ve always felt the same about him.
I think he has the makings of an outstanding centre-back, defensive leader, rock, and even multi-lingual captain in a multi-national team.
He?s the closest thing we have to a defensive lynchpin.
And he and Toure have the makings of an excellent partnership.
Senderos holding his position, bossing the defence, and commanding the air.
Toure providing awesome recovery and mobility on the ground.
Gerard ?.I like your thoughts on Cesc.
Potentially he has another 15 years in the game?.if we get half that time that will represent an outstanding return ? and that?s not even factoring in the probable high transfer fee.
??.so friends let?s enjoy him, and don?t let the maybe?s rob us of what he?s doing for Arsenal now.
June 20th, 2006 at 5:09 am
Man this tourney has been on fire since day one, and i’m really happy with how our boys are performing, exactly what i was hoping for.
We all know what Cesc is capable of, we saw it last season and he looks to be getting better and better, i really hope he stays around Emirates Stadium for quite a while.
I have no doubts that Senderos once he gets into a string of games is better than Sol, more consistent and does seem to have a freat relationship with Kolo, i agree with the person who said that Wenger is helping us keep our stars here, I also read that Real Madrid has announced that they have opened negotiations with Wenger, anybody know what’s up with that?…
I hope Reyes gets a chance to debut at the WC, i thought we’d see him against Tunisia but Joaquin got the chance even though i think most of you would agree to disagree with that call.
And well i can’t help but to refer to domenech’s tactics once more, it’s really sad to see Henry get no service because i really think he would light this WC on fire given his current form, so here it go for him and the best of wishes to the entirety of our squad……
June 20th, 2006 at 5:50 am
Wow, he was great.
However the thing that got me was that he was an impact player, he came off the bench and changed the game.
We need to make sure he does not play too many games, and this could be the answer.
Being a super sub, at times, not all of the time, will mean he will be able to rest, but if required he can come off the bench to change the game.
This will also give the likes of Hleb, Reyes, Freddie and Rosicky time in the team as well.
June 20th, 2006 at 5:51 am
2 words - presidential campaigning
June 20th, 2006 at 6:54 am
I’m not asking Senderos to come out with the ball and reel off stepovers and cruyff turns but it is a fundamental pre-requisite of a footballer to be able to pass the ball accurately to a team mate.
You can talk about him being young and all that but there is no guarantee that there going to be Tony Adam’s like improvement. There are defenders, like Michael Duberry, who were great at an early age and just stalled and gradually declined.
Senderos is a limited defender who good at what he does, but lets remember those clean sheets came with him playing extremely deep and with a five man midfield in front of him. He did very well but he played deep so his lack of pace and mobility was not exposed.
I can guarantee that when, not if, he makes a calamatous error against Man United, Chelsea, or Bolton and they score, he will be slated left right and centre by Arsenal fans and you won’t be in such a molly-cuddlling mood. He should be in the squad but not first choice because if he is we will start the season with another glaring weakness that everyone apart from Wenger will see.
And this stuff about being on world stage at 21 is rubbish as well. Roque Junior played at a world cup and was crap for leeds, Danny Mills career went south after world cup 2002. Just because Senderos is playing at the world cup aged 21 doesn’t mean he’s going to magically become Frranz Beckenbauer.
June 20th, 2006 at 7:54 am
I’m a huge Brady fan, irish, but I think brutal was a little over the top considering. If he didn’t say anything about the Italians diving all over the place, he’s either resigned himself to the fact that that’s how the game is played today, or he was looking forward to having a dig at the Yanks. Not unusual.
In fact, I’ve heard a number of positive things about how we played that game from all and sundry around the globe. We showed poise and class, and to be honest, I think Arena is getting frustrated with the refereeing as he may not be accustomed to seeing such crap. No excuse to lose one’s composure, but he’s by far not the same sort of character as Fergi and Jose. Wenger maybe, if he’s lucky. That was said to be sensational, I reckon.
And that two-footed tackle was dangerous enough for a yellow perhaps, as it wasn’t malicious and it was an effort - albeit a bit overanxious one - to win the ball. Smith’s tackle was intended to punish and he only got a yellow, which is the real offense here. Its like when people compare Diaby’s tackle on Campo. Take a look at the circumstances and the tackles again. Not even close.
Appreciate your candid remarks.
June 20th, 2006 at 8:21 am
Cesc ain’t going anywhere for at least a few years. He said recently how much he owes Wenger for giving him his chance and he seems to be a man of his word.
Looking at Vieira the other night, he played ok, but it seems like he is working his ass off just to maintian a decent standard. Fabregas is bossing games without breaking sweat.
I told you he was the man, I told ya!
June 20th, 2006 at 9:18 am
I agree, we need another first choice CB.
Curtis Davies is the one I want, but I am sure AW will be able to find a gem..
June 20th, 2006 at 9:33 am
Wanna add something: there is also one thing difference faced Adams and Senderos.
George Graham was reknown for his defensive tactic. Back then his 4-men midfield basically formed a shield in front of the back 4. That gave Adams and Bouldy the likes a lot of protection than Kolo and Senderos today.
Arsene’s Arsenal play attacking football. With both full backs pushing up high. That makes us vulnerable to oppostion’s counter attack, particular when they have quick strikers. I believe that’s part of the reason which made our central back, be it Senderos, Campbell or Cygan looks bad. Kolo stands out from that because of his pace. But there aren’t really that many central half like Kolo.
You can buy a John Terry or Rio Ferdinand and put them in the middle of our defence, I bet they would give u the same feel as Senderos/Campbell/Cygan. Take John Terry for example, why he appeared to be so outstanding playing for Chelsea the past few seasons? Because Chelsea’s tactic was sitting back. Terry and his back 4 partners had the midfield shielding in front of them a lot of times.
So sometimes u must take into consideration of the team tactic as well. Why we conceded more goals in the league than CL? As we known, we played a entirely different formation there. NINE clean sheet in a row in the CL is not a fluke. And everyone of our back 5 deserve their credit. Let’s face it, if Senderos is really that limited a defender, the NINE clean sheet record would never had happened, not even by luck. When u consider 4 of our 5 men midfield were attacking minded players, that makes the record even more remarkable.
June 20th, 2006 at 9:49 am
Mazza, imagine the following secniro:
A young, tall central half, standing on the left side of his own penalty box, 10 yard away from his own goal, trying to clear a long ball, yet someone managed to lop the ball over his own ‘keeper and into the net… What would u call him?
DONKEY, that’s how the English press called him. But guess what? From then on he went on to win 10 major medals with his club, and captained England.
June 20th, 2006 at 10:03 am
Well, Tony Adams was a slender centre back and very mobile and quick. Senderos is not. I get your point but you could say that about every defender in the world. At some point every young defender makes a mistake and alot of them to turn out to be average. Making stupid mistakes is not always a rite of passage for a future quality defender and I think constantly comparing Senderos to Adams is too simplistic. They are both different players.
I get your point about Terry as well, being allowed to sit deep, but Chelsea often push very high as well with Terry excelling at intercepting balls before they reach the striker. I don’t agree that he gets exposed when he pushes up. This lack of pace argument with him is a myth.
I don’t see Terry or Ferdinand rushing every clearance to an opponent player, letting at least two crosses go between their legs in most matches, and generally getting turned at will. Senderos gets exposed in these areas every time.
We can’t let clean records and statistics cloud our views towards players. Raul was inch from scoring against us, so was Camoranesi and Beckham in Madrid from another Senderos gaffe. We made the same mistake with the 49 game unbeaten record. Everyone thought we were the bees knees when we were quite clearly not.
Johan Djourou on the other hand, I think he has the tools to be a big star. What handicaps him at the moment is the fact he plays right-sided centre back, where a certain Kolo Toure plays. Hopefully he can adjust and partner Toure.
June 20th, 2006 at 10:12 am
Juan plays left CB.
June 20th, 2006 at 10:30 am
He has impressed me, but then so did Roque Junior four years ago as well. You never know, he could be a good choice.
June 20th, 2006 at 10:38 am
I’m happy to give Senderos more time and keep him as first choice full back alongside Toure - there was times last season when he had me tearing my hair out, others when I thought he was excellent.
But he needs someone pushing him, he needs that pressure to prove himself - and it has to be a player with as much if not more potential than he has.
Next season is make or break for Senderos. Adams came out of the donkey days to prove himself, at the moment - Senderos is still a mule.
June 20th, 2006 at 12:11 pm
Even on admitted fouls, the Italians were flopping & embellishing to try & get players carded.
Mastroeni’s tackle was 2-footed but it still wasn’t a 2-footed lunge to obviously take the player out. It was a rough challenge but it was to play the ball & he slid as opposed to lunging or diving in to lessen the impact & even that, he still made good contact with the ball in committing the foul, so how it was a straight red card offense is beyond my ignorant American soccer/football ken. I thought soccer/football was a physical man’s game.
B/c let’s put this another way… somebody like Michael Ballack or David Beckham makes that same foul, does he get sent off? I seriously doubt it, even with a Paraguayan ref (sorry about my Portuguese ref comment a few days ago, ABC said Larrionda was Portuguese.).
June 20th, 2006 at 12:12 pm
Isn’t Juan a little thin though to be a center back in the EPL? Or do I have that wrong?
June 20th, 2006 at 12:14 pm
Good post!
June 20th, 2006 at 12:25 pm
Just saw the German match and the team is really exciting. Attacking wise very fluid and there was great accuracy in their passes and finishes.
But Lehmann look shaky for me. He couldn’t seem to hold on to the ball except those from easy lobs. And the German defense seems to be reluctant in taking instructions from him especially when forming up walls against freekicks. I’m not sure if we’ll see the Jens we saw last season for Arsenal, in the next one.
June 20th, 2006 at 1:28 pm
Cesc Fabregas = “da man”
I thought he was over-rated early on.
He is not over-rated. He is quality. Already.
He’ll only get better.
Wenger could be going to Madrid… so Cesc wouldn’t owe him anything!!
Players don’t owe f-all to managers or teams… and I don’t see him at the Arsenal for more than a few years. He will want to play in Spain. Who wouldn’t.
Thats the way I see it. I hope he stays at the Arsenal forever… just can’t see that happening.
June 20th, 2006 at 6:08 pm
If you had read my post you would have read that the elbow to the face was also condemned.
I am not sure that we watched the same game. Did the US midfield dominate?
I don’t like the way Bolton play the game, I don’t like the way Blackburn play the game. The US played like Bolton on steroids. I don’t like that style. Neither do neutral analysts on Irish TV. They prefer Spain and Argentina. They also prefer Arsenal to Chelsea.
June 20th, 2006 at 6:18 pm
What a chip on your shoulder about referees. You sound like me talking about the Premiership!!! While I am blind when talking about Arsenal, I just can’t get that excited about international football.
The tackle was dangerous and two-footed, little option for the referee. Furthermore, it is not like it was out of character for his play during the rest of the game.
June 20th, 2006 at 6:23 pm
Michale Owen picks up an injury tonight.
Where does that leave Walcott? I hope that he has a positive experience from the World Cup. Coming on and getting blamed for an English defeat would not be good.
Someone once told me that watching England at the World Cup is like watching the coyote in the Road Runner cartoons. No matter how good everything looks, no matter how well everything is going, you still are waiting for it to blow up in his/their face because that’s what always happens.
June 20th, 2006 at 6:36 pm
Mazza, time may prove you correct.
Perhaps there are inherent limitations to Senderos game.
I hope not, and I think it is too soon to tell.
He has demonstrated some key attributes, he seems smart, a good communicator, confident, tough, has shown persistence, doesn?t pout, keen to learn.
Wenger has made the ultimate investment in a young defender - 2 seasons of game time. And I think he is going to back him.
I would question one point you made re Adams being very mobile and quick.
His (many) critics during his developmental stage argued strongly that he was neither.
June 20th, 2006 at 6:51 pm
Saw a bit of Campbell in the England game.
Collectively England looked woeful at corners.
At 1 corner I saw Campbell standing nowhere near the thick of the action.
I thought, hmmm maybe he is watching someone and will run in and mark them?.no, just stood there looking ridiculous.
Why Sol?
You?re a big boy?.if you don?t make your presence felt in the box why are you their???
Forgive me guys, I have a thing about Campbell and his mate Cole and it will come thru.
I think their current attitudes suck.
I can?t recall either of them saying one positive thing about our Club despite letting their employers down badly.
I?ll stop there
Still on centrebacks?..
There?s a lot of talk about buying Curtis Davies?
Why would Wenger do that?
Why buy a 3rd young centreback?
He has Senderos and Djourou both very young for CB?s.
He has Toure entering his footballing prime.
And he has 2 old farts ? Campbell and Cygan who both need replacing.
I would think Wenger needs to ditch C&C and replace them with 1 CB.
Who should that be?
Well, for me it should be someone with experience, who doesn?t mind only playing part of a season, and sees his role as mentor to the young guys.
At 34 Thuram fits the bill ? that?s if his legs can be coaxed thru another couple of seasons part-time.
Wenger never invests much in defence so I?d be very surprised (but pleasantly so) if a quality chap in his prime came along.
June 20th, 2006 at 7:07 pm
Thuram doesn’t look too smart to me, his game has gone the same way as Campbell in my opinion.
England are gutless for sure. Lost their nerve and threw the lead away twice. It appears that the usual problem has sprung up, the players cannot hold their nerve and seem incapable of holding onto the ball for more than 10 seconds.
June 20th, 2006 at 7:20 pm
Danny, fair enough, I won’t defend Thuram, more the concept.
I’d rather have an experienced CB replacement than another young one.
June 20th, 2006 at 8:24 pm
Yes, you can see it on Henry’s face, he’s trying to be a team player but it’s frustrating him. Indeed when I see the crosses going to Henry in the air, I just scream out NO, NO, Henry sucks in the air. Trezequet is indeed the poacher from the air. The whole French thing is painful to watch. All I can say is I’m glad I’m not a Frenchmen.
As for Holland, it’s true, their performance has looked a little lack lustre. It’s like they get the job down by getting the goal and then just stop attacking. Ivory Coast game was 80% defending. Rinus Michels would be disappointed there wasn’t more attack as am I.
I think the problem is that I don’t think they mean to be playing like this and so that’s why they look a little flat. Ivory Coast made them defend and they’re not used to it.
Honestly, SacchineG I’m worried a little about tomorrows game. A draw would be ideal, a win for Holland would show the squad they can win it all. It seems to me, that over the years Holland has usually been beaten by the eventual winner. The Argentine squad has looked sharp, even though they also struggled with Ivory Coast. Their win over SM isn’t the best barometer to gauge their strength though. SM gave up that game, they stopped trying.
Tomorrows game will be important to Holland if only to indicate their strength to the final and if they can make it all the way.
SacchineG, I count it as a blessing that I am able to see every game, at any time, even weeks later, a with using my PVR’s disk space. The coverage is the best ever in this nations history. I am overwhelmed by the cornucopia we all have now. I can’t say I like the commentators between games much though. My son and I joke about it calling them Vic, Dick, the other guy and Shem (the 4th Stooge). In fairness to Forester (the other guy) he’s the only one I can tolerate. I’m just happy they have British announcers during the game, although some of them are half wits as well. NO I’m not a misanthrope, I just like hear an objective critique. The Score guys actually make a little more sense and are more laid back about the games. The hyperbole needs to be turned down and I think a Set with couches, chesterfields, and sofas would maybe bring the whole thing down a notch. Then they could just talk about the games.
In the end though, if it meant not having all these games would I want 8 more of those guys? Yes I’d pick the 8 every time. It’s awesome!
Hey you’ve really raced back up in the “picks game” I had a terrible weekend. Today I picked ENG / SWE to draw then three minutes before the game I changed it thinking ENG was finally going to come out looking strong. NOT - should of stuck with the draw. I picked Angola / Iran to draw tomorrow because Iran looks so strong and they’re pissed about their showing in this WC. It gets easier after these group stages.
June 20th, 2006 at 8:32 pm
No it’s not you! He’s the most biased commentator I have ever heard. He hates Arsenal and heaps praises on ManUre. Someone should shove his proverbial “onion bag” down his throat.
Can’t stand the guy, if I can, I’ll listen to my Ipod and watch the game rather than listening to him.
SacchineG, is right we’ve got it good up here in Canada compared to him.
June 20th, 2006 at 8:41 pm
England hasn’t looked particularly special have they. They’re just scrapping by. I’d be surprised if the make it through the knockout round.
June 20th, 2006 at 9:28 pm
yes, the onion bag:) I guess when I have no choice but to listen to him, I will think about the onion bag down his throat…good one:)
June 20th, 2006 at 10:19 pm
Danny…
please tell us who you are supporting in the World Cup… who looks good… who do you think is going to be there in the end?
I know you don’t like the USA, England are Gutless, the French have Vieira, so they’re out…
June 20th, 2006 at 11:52 pm
Owen’s injury shown that why neither Chelsea, Man U, Arsenal, Liverpool went for him when he’s available for sale.
His talent is without question. Problem is has he ever played a full season without getting injuried? 5 million pounds probably worth a gamble, but at 18 mil, Newcastle once again showed that why they never won anything for God knows how many years. The way they worked the transfer market has been pathetic, not just under Souness. They like to go for NAMES, and paying INFLATED fees to get their men. Unfortunately, they forgot they didn’t have a bank account like Chelsea.
June 21st, 2006 at 1:52 am
Senderos has his strengths and limitations. He could improve over time. What’s best for Arsenal is to have 3 good defenders. I don’t know if Campbell can be the third one. I hope AW does.
Lehmann looked shaky to me too. I think it’s down to nerves. When he has waited so long to be #1, he will be eager to prove himself. Maybe he is trying too hard.
With regard to Owen, AW has again been proved right. So many of his decisions seem baffling at first, but over a period of time have been justified.
June 21st, 2006 at 4:20 am
I don’t dislike USA, I just said after watching their first game that they were the worst team in the tournament, after the second game I revised that to ‘one’ of the worst teams in the tournament. Dislike has nothing to do with it.
I said before the competition started Argentina and Brazil were my favourites, nothing I’ve seen has changed my mind. Outsiders are Germany and Spain. I did think France had a chance but the coach is useless, the squad is thin and nearly all their best players are playing like lame ducks.
June 21st, 2006 at 4:54 am
Isn’t Fabregas a little small to be playing midfield in the EPL?
June 21st, 2006 at 7:42 am
I think the ref acted in very strict accordance with the rules and probably felt he needed to send Mastroeni off. I agree, he was consistent. But I also agree, that they are human and if he felt that the tone of the game was a dangerous one, imflamed in large part by De Rossi’s elbow, he was ready to pounce on the next near offense.
June 21st, 2006 at 8:21 am
Campbell played ok when he came on. He cleared the ball twice and won a couple of tackles. Looked sharper than Rio.
But Cole was poor. He has been poor in the first 3 games for England. Gone is his ball control and attacking prowess on the left. I have no idea what happened to Cole, maybe being out of the whole season affected him. Joe Cole was left to do everything on his own on the left flank and I hate to say it but he had one helluva game. One goal one assist and England’s only spark. Hope he’ll leave Chelsea someday.
June 21st, 2006 at 8:27 am
As I said previously, Cole is no where near his form of three or four years ago. I think Clichy should start ahead of him. Maybe it is rustiness but he was average before the injury.
June 21st, 2006 at 9:56 am
Campbell was a joke for the second goal, he was too ponderous to jump and head the ball away, and turned with the speed and grace of a cruise liner in an attempt to try and clear it.
Cole is obviously rusty, he has only played about 4 competitive games since returning from injury, you’re expecting too much too soon.
June 21st, 2006 at 12:50 pm
I think you must have missed the gazillion overlapping runs Ashley Cole made without Joey putting him in. Everyone may rave about Joe Cole’s performance, but he holds onto the ball too long and basically does 3 stepovers and cuts inside, every time.
Campbell, I agree, I didn’t think he was too bad, Terry made an elementary mistake that was difficult to expect, the ball bouced about 3 yards in front of Sol and he struggled to turn and clear.
June 21st, 2006 at 1:54 pm
Anyone see that Wenger has supposedly agreed to a deal with Real Madrid if that one dude gets elected president? 3.5 million a year he will get. This better not be true.
June 21st, 2006 at 2:53 pm
One thing everyone seems to be missing from the England game: on the second goal, Sol at least TRIED for the ball, half-assed lung that it was. A. Cole ran AWAY from the ball to stand by the post. He should have been doing anything he could to get that ball out of the box.
June 21st, 2006 at 4:48 pm
I wouldn’t lose sleep over it. I don’t think Wenger would ever go to Real Madrid, it’s just more tabloid bullsh*t.
June 21st, 2006 at 5:11 pm
So much for Argentine world domination. The best outcome in the group was for this game to go to a draw (if Holland didn’t win - me being objective and all). I thought it might be a draw knowing both team rested many players but I had to pick Holland to win as I don’t like cheering for my pick instead of my team.
Mesi and Riquelme didn’t impact on the game and it started to look like a final game with both teams playing it very safe. I’m satisfied with the draw as it means we might meet the Argentines in the final. I don’t think Holland will have a problem with Portugal if we can handle Ivory Coast and Argentina.
GO HOLLAND. shame on all you who picked Argentina to win have faith in ORANGE I do!.
June 22nd, 2006 at 11:57 am
Sol tried, bless him. It’s so nice of him to turn up and try.
And if only the full backs could help him out too, England could have had 4 defenders out of position all going for one header.