Euro 2008
Germany and Portugal looked good, maybe even too good. Portugal made turkeys of the Turks, playing some wonderful football as they hammered in two goals and bit the bar three times. The Germans didn’t look aesthetically as good but they were typically efficient in deposing of Poland by the same scoreline.
This morning, Holland caused shock not so much by their victory but by the margin of their 3-0 hammering of World Cup holders, Italy. The Italian performance was probably the worst I have ever seen from the Azzurri. Van Nistelrooy’s goal was clearly offside so they were unlikely to go behind. Still, I have never seen the Italian defence in such shambles before. They were hit twice on the counter attack after their corners were cleared.
The Italian lineup was also highly defensive, using two defensive midfielders in a central all-Milan trio of Gattuso, Pirlo and Ambrosini. Toni was supported by the ineffectual Camoranesi and rather quiet Di Natale. The in-form players of the Serie-A, Del Piero, Cassano and Quagliarella , were all left on the bench (Del Piero came off the bench and really ignited the lethargic Azzurri) and so was De Rossi who is a much better player than Ambrosini. Donadoni has built himself a mountain to climb. As for the Dutch, they looked very solid at the back and you can understand why they only conceded five goals in qualifying. The scoreline somewhat flattered the quality of their attack which is still missing Robben and Van Persie (the later came on as a substitute). Despite the scoreline and the opponent they were playing, the performance was not nearly as impressive as the Portuguese but perhaps that is a blessing in disguise as the winners in these tournaments usually do not come out all guns blazing.
The Honeymoon Is Over
The press is really starting to get on Verbeek’s back after the loss to Iraq. In terms of results, the Dutch coach probably has a right to feel a bit bemused after only losing one game and conceding the first goal of his reign. In terms of recent performances, I don’t think he has too much to complain about. There is a general feeling that this result was coming and that our luck would finally run out. The good news for Verbeek is that he is really only 90 minutes away from easing everyone’s fears and one good performance away from silencing his critics, for the time being at least.
Carle, Where Art Thou?
With Neill still unavailable and Grella being suspended for the crunch game against Qatar, the Socceroos still look very inexperienced in the centre of the park. The drums beating for Nick Carle to be given a chance will no doubt be beating louder than ever with the excellent Grella unavailable. I don’t think that all these calls for the inclusion of Carle are actually helping his cause. It’s just putting more pressure on him to produce a blinding performance when, or if, he is given his chance. In any case, with Grella out, you would seriously fear for Carle’s ability to break into the national team under Verbeek if he doesn’t get a run against Qatar. If Verbeek doesn’t rate him and use him in this group stage, what are the chances that Carle will be given a go if we make the next group stage, let alone the World Cup itself?
You’d hate to see Carle become the never-ever man of the national team but he won’t be the first, and certainly won’t be the last talented player to be hung-out to dry by his manager. David Ginola never won that many caps for France despite his immense talent. Carlos Tevez was left on the bench until the end of the season by Curbishley. Despite his renaissance this season, Raul has been left out of the Spanish squad for European Championships. With only 7 caps so far, let’s hope that fan favourite Carle can rack up at least half a century of caps during his career. His talent deserves it.
Brett Bashing
On the other end of the spectrum, Brett Holman has a right to wonder why there is so much hostility towards him, particularly on some of the forums I have visited. For me, this hostility is unwarranted and some of the comments have been downright stupid. I wasn’t at all surprised that he didn’t get too many chances against Iraq. He is 1.77m and is hardly going to take advantage of the numerous poor crosses we put into the box. Some argued that he should be getting onto the second balls. McDonald, a born poacher, struggled to do this. Then there is the ‘he can’t finish’ and ‘all he’s got is pace’ argument. What chances did he have against Iraq when the whole team couldn’t create anything clear-cut? His one-two with Kewell was a chance he forged for himself and it was a much better chance than what other players created, or failed to create. That chance showed what his game is all about, picking the ball up between the midfield and defensive lines and running at the defenders. If we played a style of football that actually keeps the ball on the ground in the final third, Holman would look much better.
4 Comments
June 10, 2008 at 1:13 pm
unfortunately for carle, the “carle for socceroos” debate is bigger than him. its really about where aussie football is now, and where its going. carle`s problem is that he isn`t a typical aussie player – hard running, hard tackling etc etc
whether kaz patafta got a fair chance at melbourne is the same discussion, just with different names.
holman doesn`t suck, but he does frustrate. all the bashers are quick to point out his misses. (yes, they are frustrating). but even more frustrating is the fact that he is the only player making these nice runs, getting into position to take these shots.
June 10, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Absolutely agree, the Carle debate is now very much one in relation to the type of player Australia wants to see in the Green and Gold. Unfortunately, the national coach is kind of isolated in his assessment, well he might have the support of Graham Arnold but I’m rather glad I’m on the other side of the ledger to Arnie.
June 10, 2008 at 5:39 pm
holman has been in the right place at the right time, but seems to be having trouble getting a goal. yes, you can blame the passing and poor balls, but look at what kewell did with that rather poor ball in the 66th minute against iraq in brisbane — he controlled it and nearly scored. i think that people see a great player developing in holman and just really really want him to be the next cahill or kewell. this makes it very disappointing when he has a moment of vision followed by a shot straight to the keeper (which is why he is catching the flak). i think that he needs to really get a level of concentration in his playing and throw out the nerves (how many caps has he even had?). once he does that, he will surely not disappoint.
i think that pim needs to put djite in the game if he wants mcdonald to make an impact. carle i would like to see get the chance to prove himself, but, being an american, i am not familiar with his brilliance on the pitch for his club. so i really am not sure and must go with verbeek on that decision, more out of ignorance than anything else.
i watched the netherlands game and was delighted to see the italians lose largely due to being babies and crying on the pitch (which is why the netherlands player was onsides. GET UP AND PLAY THE %*#&ING GAME ITALY). maybe theyve learned their lesson. if only the rest of football would learn it…
June 10, 2008 at 6:36 pm
sorry to spam this and leave another comment, but i just “informed” myself about nicky carle a little bit… why has he not been played? its insane. i saw the highlights against nigeria and some other stuff and read a bit… super creative, threat from outside the box, great ball control. to me, he seems perfect. not because he fits with the overall play of the socceroos, because he most certainly has a different style and does not, but because that is exactly what the socceroos need — a player (cahill is a great example) that is a threat no matter where he is on the pitch. it not only increases the creativity of the offense, but it also is intimidating enough to draw iraqi players out of position to deal with the looming threat. after all if they dont try and shut him down, he can score. if they do, he can outplay them and set up a strike. what is there not to like?
in my opinion, pim really really needs to quit playing defensively and conservatively and start to branch out. that is what is so great about hiddink — no player, team, or circumstance intimidates him. im fine with a defensive lineup, but you need to have some attacking options. i think carle and djite are those attacking options and should be put on the pitch. maybe i am wrong, but i think they put something else on the field that isnt just crossing the ball into the box (which i will GLADLY welcome).