Power of Sports

The social media rumors coming out a week ago have now been confirmed: Muhammad Saqib has completed his transfer to 3Hunna, barring a physical.

Saqib is known for his poaching ability and playing off the ball. He scored 8 goals last season and has overcome his fitness issues. “I used to not worry about what I was eating, and that really hurt my fitness levels. I would eat Chipotle right before a match, and now I know I should eat it for lunch instead of dinner when we have a match.”

Captain Peter Alemis expressed his pleasure of capturing the man he always wanted to spearhead his team. “I mean, with Saqib up top we are allowed to play on the counter. We now have a front three of myself, Michael and Muhammad through the middle. I’m really excited for the match tomorrow. Should be goals galore.”

Saqib shared about how he feels about joining his dream club. “You know, I used to own the 3Hunna kit when I was younger and always prayed that I would one day seal a move to my dream club. I thought we weren’t going to get a deal done because of my wages, but we were able to strike a deal. Can’t wait to put on the number 9 jersey and kiss the badge after we score goals tonight. It’s a blessing, and I’m humbled by this.”

The Sweet Life.

Casillas: Gave up one goal the entire tournament. His saves against Rakitic of Croatia and di Natale in the final were two of the best of the tournament.

Hummels: Didn’t have his best match against Italy, but he was easily Germany’s best defender in the Euros.

Ramos: Finally got to play in the center for Spain. He was a rock in front of Casillas. His penalty topped off his tournament.

Alba: My pick for player of the tournament- not only because of his goal in the final. He’s a defender and only gave up one goal the entire tournament. Assist on Alonso’s first goal against France, and he was Spain’s biggest threat against Portugal.

Moutinho: Tireless work in Portugal’s midfield. Helped setup Ronaldo’s second goal against Netherlands and Czech Republic (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnB5bGeuxmk), and he interrupted Spain’s rhythm in the semis.

Pirlo: Ran the tournament from his deep midfield position. Was the reason why Italy made it to the final. Basically created every Italy chance in the tournament. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMMD3sBqeac&feature=related).

Khedira: Always thought he was overrated. Proved me wrong by showing he can play box-to-box in the Euros.

Fabregas: Played as Spain’s striker. Setup Silva’s opening goal in the final, and scored a couple himself. Also had winning penalty in semis. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFVBewdx1pE)

Iniesta: Didn’t score this tournament, but he creates so much magic. Such an unselfish player.

Ronaldo: Didn’t take a penalty against Spain, but Portugal wouldn’t be there without him (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmxJjQ8YA-A&feature=related)

-Can’t believe I’m excited that this underwhelming tournament is ending.

-Take a look at the picture. Spain’s our modern day version of the Dream Team. This will make it two Euro Cups and a World
Cup since 2008. We will witness history.

-I’m a Portugal fan, but I don’t know how good we really are. It has been the same story since 2006. They look great, then they are due for a for a poor match just when you think they’ve come around. In 2006, it was against France, 2008 against Germany, 2010 against Spain. Didn’t score against Germany in the opening match, barely got by Denmark, beat an all-out attacking Holland, and beat a Czech Republic side who had no business being in the knockout stage.

-The difference could be Ronaldo’s attitude and play. He has never played this well with Portugal and never gotten on with his teammates like he has the past few matches. He is going against his club teammates (Casillas, Arbeloa, who will be marking him, Ramos, and Alonso). Will it be they know how to stop Ronaldo, or he knows how to get by them? Will be fun to watch this matchup.

-Spain picked on Clichy last match, France’s left back. Coentrao can hold his own for Portugal in the same position, but Ronaldo won’t come back to help defend. He could be exposed. However, right back Joao Pereira will be their main target. Spain drift around, but Iniesta usually finds himself in that area. He has had a solid tournament, and he could really make an impact by picking on him. Also, Bruno Alves isn’t the quickest center back. If Torres comes on at some point, he could make all kinds of runs off of Alves.

-Portugal will hardly get to see the ball, so it’s up to the midfield trio to work hard. I expect Veloso to continue his stellar tournament (he is almost in my Euro XI) by covering for Pereira and Ceontrao, Moutinho will have to play more of a defensive role rather than attacking, and I expect Meireles to be the most active of the three. He should be playing box-to-box and help with counter attacks. His passes were nicely weighted last match. He will be supplying service to the front three. All three work really hard but can’t switch off at any time.

-No Postiga is good news for Portugal. Almeida is a big body who has the ability to hold the ball up to let Ronaldo and Nani join the attack.

-I’ll take Spain, 1-0.

-Pirlo. Controlled the match again. He is making a strong case of Player of the Tournament. He picked his passes over the top of England’s center backs so well. Then his penalty just summed up his performance: calm and clever.

-Pradndelli got it right again. Starting Balotelli was something I did not like. He was poor yet again. So he brought Diamanti on… Still didn’t take Mario off. I just realized why he didn’t: Balotelli’s record from the penalty spot. Also, Diamanti came on and put a cross on the other sub’s head, Nocerino. Barely offside, but they made a huge impact. Diamanti and Nocerino also converted from the penalty spot. Prandelli has easily been the best manager this tournament. His substitutions have been the main reason, besides Pirlo, why they are in the semis.

-Damn, Rooney was shit. I don’t know why he couldn’t play the Pirlo/playmaker role as he does for United. He was too far up the pitch, should have switched places with Welbeck. When he did get on the ball, he did nothing with it! I don’t think it was rust because he has been fit the entire time-just poor from a world class player. Failed to make an impact tonight. He should have been England’s biggest threat.

-I figured out what England was missing. Someone so simple like Michael Carrick. He is nothing special, but he is so calm on the ball. England defended well, but they couldn’t relieve pressure for the end of regular time and all of extra time. The ball just kept on coming back into their half of the field. He is someone who can give the defense a break and control the match with short, safe passes. Really disappointed he didn’t join the squad because he was really missed. Really, just an extra body in the midfield would have worked. Barry and Lampard would have walked into the starting XI because two central midfielders just wasn’t enough tonight.

-Couldn’t help but looking ahead to England’s chances at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. On paper, they will have one of the strongest squads (Hart, Walker, Jones, Cahill, Terry, Cole, Gibbs, Ox, Theo, Wazza, Carroll, Welbeck, Wilshere, and Rodwell to name a few). Let’s just hope they don’t have to go to penalties next time.

-Hearing rumors Balotelli will start. Why? Di Natale and Cassano look pretty damn dangerous together. Yeah, Balotelli can create something out of nothing. Apart from his ridiculous goal, he has provided nothing to the team. Don’t change the front two.

-Rooney will be running riot this match. No Chiellini will really help England out. If Welbeck is with Rooney, he is way quicker than Italy’s defense. I hope he gets the start.

-England has to be more organized than against Ukraine. Italy has created the most quality chances in the tournament in my opinion. They are due to take them if they are given.

-Call it bias, but I am taking England. Chiellini is a huge loss, Rooney will shine.

Day 15 of Euro 2012:

-If Spain do win this tournament, this will have to be considered the best midfield of all-time. Played with 6 central midfielders, no wingers, no strikers.

-Still not impressed with Spain. Just doing enough to get results. France’s lineup showed that they respected Spain, but if you watched you could tell they weren’t afraid of them. Italy and Croatia also weren’t scared of them. How did they do against Spain? Oh…

-Really exposed France’s left black, Clichy. They will focus more on Portugal’s right back, Joao Pereira, on Wednesday. Field day for Iniesta. Bruno Alves will also be another target.

-France dominated the match from the 25th to the 65th minute. You can get by their back four, but can you get by Casillas? Almost positive Cabaye’s free kick would have beaten almost any other keeper in the world.

-I loved France’s lineup. Only had one problem with it: Florent Malouda. You could have played Nasri in the hole behind Benzema, Diarra to hold with M’Vila releasing Cabaye further forward, or Benzema in the hole with Giroud a true no. 9. Laurent Blanc got it wrong with one position, and that is why they gave up the first goal.

-Time to admit my mistakes. I called Benzema to be my leading scorer-didn’t even score once! He drifted too much instead of allowing service come to him. Didn’t have that bad of a tournament, but all people will remember is that he didn’t score.

France-Spain Preview

-It’s quite obvious that France’s right flank is their biggest problem. I say move Nasri to the right, bring Cabaye back to play him further forward, M’Vila and Diarra holding behind him, and give Evra his left back spot back.

-I think it will go to extra time, and I have Spain winning. Don’t know if it will go to PKs or if Spain will find a goal in the extra 30 minutes.

Day 14 of Euro 2012:

-That pitch was a complete shithole. Carmi has better soccer fields.

-It’s hard to judge Germany because the front three was changed. Muller, Gomez, and Podolski were replaced by Reus, Klose, and Schurrle. I expected the new attack to be more clinical and shred Greece in the first half. The latter was there, but they left a lot of chances out there. The regular front three will be back for the semis. Schweinsteiger was poor, but Khedira picked up his play. The midfield is still the strongest part of their team.

-I see they are getting results, but I am not that impressed with Germany. I think they are second favorites, behind Spain, to win it all. So no, I am not hating. We have still yet to see them peak. Maybe in the semis?

-Nobody has taken them on and tested their defense out for extended periods of time. You could say Portugal did, and many believe they deserved to score against the Germans. England or Italy will cause more of a regular threat than the Greeks. Boateng and Badstuber can be exposed. Lahm and Hummels are rocks, though.

Day 13 of Euro 2012:

-No idea why Ronaldo wasn’t frustrated when the score was 0-0 with 20 minutes left. Instead he played his best match for his country. Timed his runs so well and was always involved. Didn’t drift around complaining to teammates about bad passes. Don’t think it’s a new Ronaldo, but he showed what he can do when he is provided good service from his teammates. He has scored Portugal’s last three goals. Someone has to help him out when Portugal faces a tougher defense who will focus all of their attention on CR7. Currently my Player of the Tournament.

-No Postiga is a blessing for Portugal. Not many Portuguese players went over to him when he was being taken off. It was more like a sigh of relief that this shit player is coming off. Was surprised Oliveira didn’t come on-Almeida did. Made a decent impact. Could tell he’s stronger in the box and a bigger aerial threat. Even if Positga is healthy, Almeida did enough to keep his spot.

-When Almeida came on is when Nani came to life. Maybe it was a fluke, or maybe becuase Almeida’s large frame gives Nani some sort of target to aim at in the box. Defenders have to respect his crosses instead of knowing that he will cut insdie for a shot. Regardless, I don’t care what the reason is. He just needs to be more involved down that right side. The more of the ball he sees, the more Ronaldo can come in from the left and play as a second striker.

-Love the midfield trio right now. Veloso is picking up any space Coentrao or Pereira leave when they go forward. Moutinho’s first touch and delivery setup Ronaldo’s goal. Meireles was hitting through balls which unlocked the Czech defense many times.

-Pepe is the dirtiest/sleaziest defender in the world. Pushes, pulls, trips strikers and always gets away with it. Has obviously learned these tricks from club and country teammate Ricardo Carvalho. Looking really confident and comfortable with Bruno Alves in the back.

Prediction: 2-1, Portugal.

Euro Group Stage XI

Casillas: Only goalkeeper to have two clean sheets in the knockout stage. Huge saves in the second half against Croatia.

Debuchy: Has been really bright going forward and is France’s lone threat on the right flank (attacking and defending). Young talent and will be moving to a bigger club after an impressive showing thus far. Srna from Croatia was in contention. The captain was really impressive.

Pepe: Really played well against Germany in the opening match. Scored the opening goal in their second match, and has been fouled 7 times and only committed one foul.

Hummels: Rock for Germany in the back. So comfortable on the ball, too. The best defender in the group stage this tournament.

Alba: Young left back for Spain has impressed for the defending champions. One of Spain’s biggest concerns was left back, but he has settled that problem. Can make a case for Ceontrao from Portugal or Lahm from Germany for left back, too.

Gerrard: One assist in each match. Has delivered the best balls in the tournament when he has time. Also working hard in front of the back four.

Pirlo: Assist to di Natale in the opening match, sublime free-kick against Croatia, and a corner kick for Cassano. The main reason why Italy advanced. Easily their best player so far.

Dzagoev: Got a brace in the opening match, their lone goal in the second match, and should have gotten another in their last match to get them to the knockout stage. He is not the reason why Russia out of the tournament. Another young European star.

Ronaldo: Missed a sitter against Denmark in the second match, provided Germany with just a few scares in the opening match. However, his performance against Holland in the last match was the best individual performance we have seen in the group stage. Gets in just for that match alone.

Iniesta: Neat flicks to teammates and close control is unreal in the opening matches. Doesn’t have the stats that teammate David Silva has, (3 assists, 1 goal) but he has been Spain’s best attacker. Well-timed run and control to setup Navas with the winner late against Croatia to send them top.

Mandzukic: It was either Mandzukic or Gomez. Went with Mandzukic because he has done more than Gomez outside of the penalty box. Both have scored 3 goals, but Mandzukic has worked really hard in the buildup play for Croatia. It was a toss-up but Mandzukic did just as much with less around him.

Manager: Cesare Prandelli, his tactics against Spain and Croatia (3 at the back) was genius. Really caught teams off guard. Was missing key players and managed that situation well. Took Balotelli off and di Natale came on and scored right away. Didn’t start Balotelli in the last match and worked out well. Has gotten his tactics right.

Day 12 of Euro 2012: -Didn’t think England would top their group, but France handed it to them. Rooney got his goal and will be better next match. He wasn’t rusty, I’d say he was anxious. He got up a little too early for his header in the first half. He needs to link up with Welbeck. Their chemistry is key for England’s attack. Gerrard is back. Easily England’s best player this tourney. That’s an assist in each match for him. Also is defending so well with Scotty Parker. Hopefully those two don’t tire out. Ashley Young looked a little brighter for England. He started putting more crosses in the box. Maybe Rooney and Welbeck will help him get back to his United form. I still hope Milner gets the start next match. Balzaretti showed that he loves attacking, so Glen Johnson will need some help. He needs to be more confident going forward. He doesn’t have that much pace, but his final ball usually causes problems. If he doesn’t, he will lose his starting place. -England did let up too many chances to Ukraine. Maybe because they were fine with a draw and invited pressure. Italy are due for goals after creating so much in the group stage. Don’t sit too far back and let pressure be applied. -Yikes, France. Let’s see, they didn’t lead in their first match, scored two goals against Ukraine early in the second half and didn’t score today. Hoping Spain will be their wake up call. The right wing seems to be a problem. Malouda, Menez, and Ben Arfa each got a start. Menez got a goal, but he wasn’t too impressive. How about shifting Nasri to the right, Cabaye further forward, Diarra and M’Vila sitting behind him? You’ll be able to match Spain’s midfield this way. -Benzema has been terrible. Hasn’t gotten a good look at goal yet. He’s the main reason why France can’t score. My pre-tourney leading goalscorer has to pick it up. -Zlatan is a magician. What a volley. Sweden should be advancing but couldn’t hold their leads. -Tomorrow I’ll do my Euro XI from the group stages and preview Portugal-Czech Republic.