Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Why I haven’t seen one Champions League semi-final game this year

I work 9-5. The games air in Canada live at 2:30 p.m. TSN, the Canadian network that shows the games, hasn’t replayed them at midnight, like they did for other rounds. (Last year, some of the games were replayed at 8 p.m. Not this year though. Not once.) Also, I can’t figure out how to program my VCR. Not for lack of trying. This is bullshit.

(Also, there are too many English teams.)

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Liverpool v Chelsea: Champions League dreams

Liverpool meet Chelsea tonight in the Reds' most important match of the year. It all feels so familiar to me. Last year, while visiting London, I made a stop in Liverpool for the second leg match against Chelsea and watched in a pub, as Liverpool won on kicks.

Here's what I wrote following that match. Tonight, I will watch at a pub in the United Arab Emirates and hope for similar results, though I doubt we'll be marching through the streets afterwards.


Ohhhhh, Campione, the one and only, we're Liverpool

They say our days are numbered we're not famous anymore
But Scousers rule the country like we've always done before

"That's a new one," Steve tells me as all around us in this First National pub, this converted bank in downtown Liverpool, the chants grow louder.
"Don't worry, by the end of the night, you'll know them all."

*****

I'd arrived in Liverpool just after noon with my knapsack and a desire to get that Liverpool gameday atmosphere.
I had a three-point plan to a successful stay:
1. Get a Liverpool FC jersey and scarf
2. Get on the Magical Mystery Tour.
3. Make some friends to watch the match with.

I stepped off the train and stopped the first guy in a red jersey I saw.
What was the fastest way to Anfield? There was a bus but a cab would cost me about five pounds.
I hopped in a cab and the friendly driver (everyone in Liverpool was extremely friendly), while he delivered me to Anfield, told me I had better find a room and fast.

"You better make that your next priority, mate," he said. "On a match day, people come from Norway to go to games."

Norway, right. I really should have booked a room, shouldn't I? Well, I'll get that jersey first.

I had a four-point plan to a successful stay.
1. Get a Liverpool FC jersey and scarf
2. Find a room. Any room.
3. Get on the Magical Mystery Tour.
4. Make some friends to watch the match with.

A quick pic, a quick inquiry into buying a scalped ticket ("we hear they're going for 400 pounds") and a Liverpool bag and I was back in a cab being driven to the Marriott. The Marriott! Where they had just one room and that had just come available. You don't hesitate, even when it'll cost you $164 pounds. No, you pay for your room with twin beds and be thankful for the choice of left or right. You drop your bag, pull on a Liverpool jersey and start walking toward Albert Dock and the mystery tour because the last bus is leaving in 20 minutes and the Dock is supposed to be a 10-minute walk away.

20-minutes later, you start to lose hope. Guess you'll just visit the Beatle's Story Museum. But then there's the bus pulling up to a stop. Sprint man.

"Hi," I said. "I haven't paid but can I pay you now for this trip?"
"Sure mate, we've got room," said the tall blond guy.
"Great," I said. "It must be a good day. I just got in to watch the match and I just managed to get the last room at the Marriott."
"You got a room today? You're lucky," he said. "If it was a weekend there's no way you'd get a room."
"Well, you fell on your feet today mate," said the tour bus driver. I liked that phrase.

This was my four-point plan to a successful stay, carefully planned the night before.
1. Get a Liverpool FC jersey and scarf.
2. Find a room.
3. Get on the Magical Mystery Tour.
4. Make some friends to watch the match with.

Strawberry Field, Penny Lane and the Cavern Club and now we'd reached the crucial point. In the square downtown there were hordes of red-clad fans. To be honest they'd been there since I arrived but there were more now and you could hear the chants down the street. My tour guide, who says he played John Lennon's mate in an NBC movie, looked like he would cry with pride and I needed some food and a place to watch.

I walked into the square with my camera set to video and captured the moment. Shot video of men and women chanting and clapping. I sized people up. I lost my nerve. I walked back down the street to near the Cavern Club and ate at Subway.

My four-point plan to a successful stay, was really make some friends to watch the match with times four.

Back to the square, inside a pub. I'd buy a beer and chat with some people. What about these two guys. They look decent. They're queing up for a beer. I'll ask them what to order here.

"Scuse me guys, I'm visiting from Toronto and wonder what's a good beer to get at this pub?"
"If you want a good draft beer, get Sam Miguel," one said.
"From Toronto, did you say?" said the other.
"Ya, I'm a Liverpool fan from Toronto and thought I'd come here today for the atmosphere."
"Ha, Mark, now that's commitment, he came all the way from Toronto just for the atmosphere."
"Well, I'm staying with family in London."
"We took a 20-minute train ride to come here."
"How much is the beer?"
"Oh, don't worry, that's on me mate."

We chatted about the NFL and other things Toronto. They told me where they'd watch. I was welcome to join. We moved there, bought two beers each because the lineups were going to be murder later and you don't even want to see this place if it's an away game.

Then the chanting started. And the boos when they showed Jose Mourinho. And wild cheers when they showed Steven Gerrard.

"Don't worry, by the end of the night, you'll know them all," Steve tells me. They're school teachers who'll be teaching with sore throats tomorrow.

They're mates Mike and Matt arrive and the game is on and we're on beers five and six and you can line up for the bathroom, if you can get through the crowd but it'll take you at least 20 minutes and who wants to move when all around you they're chanting:

oh when the Reds, go marching in, oh when the Reds go marching in. I want to be in that number, when the Reds go marching in.
Then shouting:
Oh when the reds (oh when the reds) go marching in (go marching in).

Sometime in the first half Liverpool scores on the set piece and the place explodes. Beer is everywhere and I'm in a bear hug. Steve plants a kiss on my forehead. This might have been awkward in any other setting.

We're going to win now, I can feel it. I never doubted it though did I? They couldn't lose with me here. And with the other four points of my five-point plan to a successful stay working out beautifully, how could I be denied a Liverpool victory.

In the second half a Chelsea striker with an empty net in front of him and the ball at his feet knocks it clear over the cross bar.

Mark gives me a look. That was close.

"Come on lads!" Mike shouts.

In extra time Liverpool scores. We win. This time I leap up and grab my friends in a bear hug.
"Wait, they've disallowed it."
An offside call when clearly Liverpool's Dirk Kuyt is onside. I sag in my seat and put my head in my hands. This is more than I can bear. I don't think I can finish that sixth John Adams.

"Have you ever cared about anything so much in your life?" Mike asks me. The answer is no. They simply must win. But they'll have to do it in kicks.

My mind flits, no it stumbles, back to when we first entered the pub and I'd said, I hope it doesn't come down to kicks and Mark had said, if it does Liverpool will win for sure.

Now we're standing in a row, arms around each other and the place erupts on every goal, every save. It was over before the first man placed the ball on the spot. Liverpool's keeper, Reina, is simply unbelievable on spot kicks. And when I thought it couldn't get any louder, it reaches fever pitch in here. I take pictures. I get hugged by a lot of sweaty men. I hug a woman when it starts feeling weird. Mark takes off his shirt and text messages a friend.

We all sing:

And you'll never! walk! alone! You'll never, walk, alone.

We spill to the streets. I climb up the steps in the square. People take pictures of me chanting and clapping. We march down the street. I don't know where we are or where we're going but I realize I probably didn't need that hotel room because my new mates would gladly have put me up.

I take pictures of them carrying Mark's banner, with lyrics from a time when the club made a hip hop video. They tell me it's my turn to carry the banner. I wrap myself in it and know that if I don't do another thing on this trip, I'll go back to Canada a happy man.

Derby match: Al Wahda v Al Jazira

I'm supporting Al Wahda surrounded by a rowdy pack of Al Jazira fans.

It's Monday night and the Al Nahyan stadium (aka the stadium behind the mall), usually only half-filled, is tonight brimming with supporters as these two cross-town rivals, at opposite ends of the standings late in the season, play for bragging rights.

For a couple of months I've had this date circled on my calendar. You may remember, when last I told you about Al Wahda, I was undecided on whether to throw my support behind them or Al Jazira, with their nice gym facilities.

I've suffered greatly for this to'ing and fro'ing. I've been called everything from a glory hound to a traitor. But this was the first time I had to choose between two teams (in my hometown of Toronto, there's just one team for each major sport) and I couldn't pick on a whim.
Yes, there was a period of two or three weeks where I claimed I was supporting Jazira. I had even created a couple of songs for them. But it felt hollow and I realized I was backing them not so much because I was sold on them but to try and create a little bit of office rivalry with my friend, a hard core Al Wahda supporter.

Somewhere over those weeks I realized, as I'd suspected, that my heart was with Al Wahda. I'd seen them play four times to Jazira's one and realizing that my new apartment is in the area known as Al Wahda sealed the deal.

So why am I sitting here in the den of the enemy? A little bit of poor time management is to blame. Who would've known the police would block the entrance to the Al Wahda part of the stadium? It's not the way I imagined I'd be declaring my allegiance but the best I could do was refuse to clap when Jazira, still in with a shot at the league title, had the pressure on Al Wahda, who are near the drop zone.

What a brilliant match it was. Both teams passed the ball around quickly and defence seemed to be an afterthought at times. Jazira lead early, then Al Wahda equalized at the end of the half. A wide-open second half saw Jazira strike the cross bar and have a point blank rebound turned away. The Arabs draped with black scarfs around me groaned.

I occassionally groaned too, every time a player dove or refused to get up after suffering a tackle. I counted six yellow cards in the second half alone and eight golf cart visits.

Al Wahda touched wood from a set-piece as well. Both team's song leaders did their renditions of we will rock you. I sent encouraging text messages to my friend, who had arrived earlier and was sitting in the right section. The brother of a friend who was visiting from the states sat next to me, enjoying the match but really hoping for a goal.

He got his wish in the 91st minute. A beautifully weighted Al Wahda cross found a head. The header across the goal mouth was headed home and the stadium erupted with joy. Except for the men and boys around me, who began filing out the door.

The loss is a set back in Jazira's hopes for a league title this year while it should help keep Al Wahda up for next season, when the Etisalat First Division becomes officially a professional league.

But of course, like any derby match, it was about much more than the standings. For me, it was about declaring my allegiance to the team behind the shopping mall. You can't argue with being able to eat at Fuddrucker's after a match.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Chelsea edge Man Utd to make for a photo finish in the EPL

I know what you're going to say. Man Utd has the goal differential in their favor.
Still, Chelsea is in a good spot to sneak the Championship away from right under Man Utd's noses.
If both teams win their remaining games, Man Utd will have the advantage. But that still means they each must win their remaining games. With Man Utd lining up Barcelona in their sites and Chelsea preparing for what will likely be a grueling game with Liverpool, the job of winning these remaining games can be daunting. Will one of these teams slip?

Aside from the exciting match, two important points stood out. Firstly, who is this Nani guy, and why does he get so much playing time? And the second, how professional can a team really be when two of their stars begin arguing like teenagers on who will take a free kick.

First, Nani. Highly overrated. Fancy skill, but no real creativity and really only creates space for himself. With a bench that is as stacked as Man Utd it's hard to understand why he gets so much playing time. Many will argue that Sir Alex Ferguson is trying to mold Nani in the same way as he did Ronaldo. It was two seasons ago that I used the same criticism for C. Ronaldo. Yet, C. Ronaldo has developed into a potent player, arguably the best in Europe to many people. Does Ferguson think he can turn both these young Portugese stars into World Class players? I admire his tenacity but he should continue to work with Owen Hargreaves who has been showing much more potential and consistency than Nani.

Now to the spat between Drogba and Ballack. Who was supposed to take that free kick? Has Avram Grant not sat down with his players and went over important things like set pieces? I know when there are multiple dead ball experts, especially those that have different techniques or are opposite footed, the position of the dead ball will help determine who will step up. But if there is any doubt, there has to be someone who holds the trump card. And this should be taken care of on the training ground. Furthermore, where was John Terry, this great leader the English keep advocating? From what I saw, it was Ricardo Carvalho trying to talk some sense into the two and Micheal Essien just put his shirt over his head so he didn't have to watch the embarrassing display of unprofessionalism. The scene did dampen the game for me personally. In the end, Drogba took the free kick and got on target. Which he needed to do, or else things between Ballack and himself could have heated up even more. In the end, it was Ballack who converted the dubious handball penalty kick.I don't really blame the players on this. And I do believe Avram Grant has done a good job this season, but dead ball responsibilities is definitely something that needs to be established on the training ground. The damage in the relationship between Ballack and Drogba may be minimal. As how mad can you really be when you have won a game of such high importance. I think this will be an important learning experience for Avram Grant. He better make sure things are in order and running smoothly if he hopes satisfy his ambitious owner.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Is Steven Gerrard still Steven Gerrard without Liverpool?



Avram Grant's praise of Steven Gerrard last week has some people wondering if Chelsea are again interested in the Liverpool captain, and if Gerrard - nearly 28 and no closer to a Premier League title than he was three years ago when he rejected a 32 million pound move to Stamford Bridge – would this time accept an offer.

Here's what Grant said, in case you missed it:

"For me, Gerrard is a great player and a great person For me he is the player of the year in England and maybe in Europe because of the influence he has on the team. He's very good, I like him very much as a player and I know him, he is a nice guy, a positive guy and his an example for many people. Unfortunately he plays against me, not with me but he is still my favourite player."

Hmmm…

Of course the interview, given on Friday, can be taken as part of the mind games before the big Champions League showdown tomorrow. Liverpool is perhaps engaging in their own tactics, with Rafa Benitez saying that a neck injury for Gerrard, suffered during training, could keep him out of the first leg.

However, Grant's words certainly renewed past fears for this Liverpool fan, and made me wonder if Gerrard ever wishes he'd taken the deal in 2005.

Hopeless idealist that I am, I badly want to believe that there are some professional athletes that care about things other than money, like representing your hometown club or being the symbol for a city's football. By rejecting the deal to Liverpool's rivals, Steven Gerrard renewed my faith. He must have realised then that winning a title with Chelsea would feel hollow.

However, three years later, with his club once more finishing fourth in the league and boardroom antics threatening to overshadow on-field play, you have to figure even another Champions League title may not be enough to persuade him to stay this time.

He must be asking himself what more can he do? He's led the club to the Champions League semi-finals three times in four years and gave this fan one of the most memorable nights of my life, when I watched in the First National Bank, surrounded by Liverpudians, as he helped the Reds come from behind to defeat Chelsea (perhaps that's a story for another time) in the second-leg of last year's semi-final. I couldn't begrudge him if he left, even if I came of (late) footballing age during the Gerrard generation. But I don't think I could stomach him playing for Chelsea.

Other Liverpool fans I've spoken with here in the UAE feel confident Liverpool will beat Chelsea again this year. In 2005, that went a long way toward Gerrard's decision to stay. When Liverpool beat them again in 2007, it helped salvage another mediocre season and hinted that next year there would be serious efforts at the league title. This year the promise will be the same as last. How long will that be good enough for Gerrard?

Gerrard video: Top 10 Goals

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Is the EPL really as good as we are led to believe?

It must be said that the Premiership has become referred to as the greatest soccer league in the world. With three English sides in the final stages of the Champions League, one could say that the “proof is in the pudding”. I for one will never say that. In fact, I would go as far as to say the winning team of the Champions League does not say a great deal about the league in which it came from. With that rationale, every time a German, Italian, or Spanish club wins the Champions League we would be saying that the respective league is the top league in the world. And that is nowhere near the truth.

Foreign investment has injected an enormous amount of funds into the English Premier League (EPL). It is a reality that greater investment does lead to a greater product in the soccer world. More money results in better stadiums, better coaching and training staff, and of course it draws in the high class players from all over the world.

In Simon Cuper’s article, “English Football takes over the World”, he gives reasons behind the progressive success of the EPL. From cost-effective stadium building that inadvertently created an ideal atmosphere for football, to imperfect football players whose “frequent mistakes produce exciting moments in front of goal”. I agree with the stadiums being a large factor of the excitement of watching an EPL game but are we really going as far as to appreciate errors? Would that not be backwards thinking? Maybe not.

If you view football as art and not as a product, it makes more sense. Throughout history we can identify with music groups that may not be perfect but still draw massive appeal. Artworks that may be confusing and disgusting to look at, yet you can’t look away. So football is art; very few people would disagree. So now comes the question of whether we want art to be owned by multi-billion dollar corporations. Foreign owners with less appreciation to the roots and history of a club who will squeeze as much profit out as possible until it is all used up.

I’m reminded of when FOX tried to increase the fan base for ice hockey in America by adding a lot of fancy extras to the broadcasting. One of the extras was highlighting the puck with a big black blurry dot. It was done to make the puck easier to follow. Is that really a good thing? Attracting new fans is one thing, but will they go as far as FOX did for ice hockey? (Just for the record, the FOX techno-puck was an absolute disaster) Will the EPL become guilty of employing cheap tricks to increase viewership? I'd like to take this time out and point out C. Ronaldo's ridiculous over use of step overs.

Will teams in the EPL begin to favor the flashy offensive players and error-ridden defensemen to produce a league with high scoring affairs? If so, I will not be alone in questioning the quality of the EPL. I will not be fooled as easily.

David Beckham has become the greatest export in English soccer. Yet I can think of a handful of other English players with more talent. Was his fan base created by his soccer ability, or by his lifestyle? Is the image of David Beckham worth more than the player itself? What is more important to a David Beckham fan, his free kick ability, or the fact that he married a Spice Girl? Is the EPL becoming a fad, like boy bands in popular music? Like the iPods of the digital media world? If it is, there will be a hefty mess to be cleaned once this bubble pops.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Is Gennaro Gattuso the best player in the world?

Soccer fans love flash. Discussions about “the greatest player in the world” invariably end up being about the flashiest player in the world: Is it the graceful and nimble Kaká, dynamic and devastating Cristiano Ronaldo, or speedy and stylish Lionel Messi who is the “greatest”?

It’s not just the fans. In 2007, the Ballon D’Or judges went with Kaká, whose flashiest performances last season took place on the biggest stage (the Champions League). And since 1956, when the award was first given, just four defenders and one keeper have won it.

So fans, experts, pundits, maybe even the managers and coaches are all impressed (blinded?) by beauty.

In a New Yorker book review published last May called The Wages of Wins, Malcolm Gladwell argues that sports fans, analysts and commentators too often use their eyes to measure a player’s worth. “All we learn is to appreciate twisting and turning and writhing,” he writes. “We become dance critics.” In a game like soccer, the dancers are the players who are most involved in putting the ball in the net, and the finest dancers are the ones who do it with flare. So when we talk about the greatest players, we tend to elevate the strikers and trequartistas, and ignore the defensive full-backs and rugged midfielders.

Gladwell argues that statistical analysis can take us closer to the truth about which players are truly “the best.” He writes about a book called The Wages of Wins by economists David J. Berri, Martin B. Schmidt and Stacey L. Brook, which uses stats to calculate the merit of professional basketball players. “Weighing the relative value of fouls, rebounds, shots taken, turnovers, and the like, they’ve created an algorithm that, they argue, comes closer than any previous statistical measure to capturing the true value of a basketball player. The algorithm yields what they call a Win Score, because it expresses a player’s worth as the number of wins that his contributions bring to his team.”

Eduardo Galleano would probably disagree, but isn’t winning what it’s all about in the end? When the tables are counted at the end of the season, after all, the 1-0 grind-outs count for as many points as the 5-0 smashings.

“Berri, Schmidt, and Brook argue that the arbitrary algorithms of basketball experts elevate the number of points a player scores above all other considerations,” Gladwell goes on to note. Soccer experts take it a step further: they elevate the quality and the beauty of goals scored above all other considerations. Messi, Ronaldo, Kaka—it’s not just the fact that these guys score goals and make plays, it’s the fact that the goals they score and the plays they make are pleasing to the eye. We don’t call it “the beautiful game” for nothing.

Are Gladwell, Berri, Schmidt and Brook way off or is there some truth to what they are saying? Are we dance critics?

Biased English Commentators

Watching the Liverpool v. Arsenal game was incredibly frustrating, nearly unbearable with English commentary. I'm not 100% sure who was commentating on the game, possibly Derek Rae. If you do know who was commentating, please post their names.

I was completely disgusted at how Liverpool literally put 10 men behind the ball for the entire second half and commentators were hailing it as a brilliant tactical move; one that is an important trait for European competition. Wow. Really? Ironically, if it was Juventus playing, they would have been chewed apart relentlessly. Most other Italian teams also get the same treatment, even if they are not very defensive. They become stereotyped. I remember when Undinese made the Champions League maybe four or five years ago for the first time in who knows how long. They were drawn in the same group as Barcelona. They were destroyed of course. Prior to the matches, Barcelona players were quoted as saying things along the lines of, 'we don't really know much about them, but all Italian teams are tough defensively and it will take a lot from us to breakdown'. That was totally not the case with Udinese at all. But it has become a pre-recorded response to direct towards Italian teams.

The second half of Liverpool and Arsenal was ridiculously boring. Yet, the commentators were absolutely loving it. Three seasons ago when Juventus played Liverpool I can still recall the sneering comments made about the Juventus defense. Comments such as, 'that's no nonsense defending from Cannavaro, booting the ball way down field'. In my memory I have a contrast of another commentator saying the exact same thing about John Terry; however his voice was filled with pride and awe. How does this work? Please explain how Liverpool can completely close up in their own half and be praised for it? Liverpool's defensive mentality that game was so over the top I feel it dwarfs the defensive performances of Italian teams over the last ten years.

Can anyone recall Liverpool v. Chelsea from three seasons ago? How boring was that?

I know everyone will make a point to bring up a point against the A.C. Milan v. Juventus final of 2003. How it was boring and how it was a shame it had to be decided on penalties. I am not a big fan of deciding important matches on penalties, however, where are the fans that hailed a near flawless performances by both teams. A match were neither side were completely taken off guard or fell victim to error or misjudgments?

There is a long history of world class Italian defenders. Does this mean that Italian teams are completely built of central defenders? Of course not. Italy has produced brilliant offensive players in the form of Andrea Pirlo, Francesco Totti, and Alessandro DelPiero to name a few recent and still active players. Italian encounters may produce fewer goals, but there is less error. Personally, I'd rather see a high quality offensive move result in a goal rather than defensive blunders or goal keeping errors.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C0RtpjDceU

The two goal lead...

After the passed week of Champions League clashes, the Roma v. Manchester United match was heartbreaking to watch as an AS Roma supporter. Roma were at home at the Olimpico where they had beaten Manchester United 2-1 the previous year. Francesco Totti was the most notable absentee, alongside Simone Perrota for the Roman side, while Manchester United fielded the usual suspects. The most notable absentee for United, was Ryan Giggs who had his spot replaced by Park Ji-Sung. Not exactly a damaging change to a side that is the most in-form team in Europe at the moment. Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney led the attack while Mirko Vucinic was charged with the same duties on the other end.

While I do not what to analyze the strength of the two teams by going through player by player; it was evident that neither side were prepared to lose. However, Manchester United did win by 2 two goals to nil. Most pro-English soccer supporters will say it could have been 3 or even possibly 4 nothing for United. But those same people usually turn a blind eye to Christiano Pannucci's open net sinner when the score was one nothing. Again, I don't want to complain and by labeled a sore loser, so the only chances that count are the ones that have to be picked out from the back of the net.

So it was 2-0. It was entertaining. The stronger team walked away up 2 away goals and having conceeded none going into the second leg. It doesn't look good for Roma to say the least. Considering the goals against between the two clubs over the past three years, most people would say it is over. Which brings me to my point; the second Manchester United goal. It was a sloppy and careless goal conceeded by Roma. One that you cannot concede when in the Champions League against a team like Manchester United. That goal gave full control to Manchester United who were under pressure from wave after wave of slick passing by Roma. But of course, slick passes are only the first phase of scoring. Max Tonetto came close and Mancini forced a terrffic save from Edwin Van der sar. The offence had recovered from the early Ronaldo header and looked at the cusp of scoring the equalizer, or being caught on the counter attack. The latter happened. And the second goal completely deflated Roma and the game was no longer worth watching. It was evident that Roma would not score. You could see it in their faces. You could even see it in Luciano Spalletti's eyes (Roma's coach); even though he is a statue.


The difference in quality between United and Roma was in the chances. You cannot beat a top-side like United when you miss open nets. And you definitely won't go anywhere if your defenders and goalkeeper are making a meal out of simple crossed ball. I was more convinced by this 2-0 win by United than I was by the 7-1 win that took place almost a year ago.