So, I was watching the Liverpool vs. Tottenham match and then a cat came onto the pitch! The crowd got a kick out of it and so did the players. With many players being superstitious, I wonder what they were thinking when the cat ran by. Anyhow the match ended in a 0-0 draw, so I […]
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Sepp Blatter now sees goal-line technology is ‘a necessity,’ I say it’s about time!
After years of tip-toeing around the issue, FIFA president Sepp Blatter has finally admitted that goal-line technology is a necessity in modern football. Ironically or not, what caused Blatter to say this was an overlooked goal that went in favor of England.
This overlooked goal that went in favor of England was part of a 1-0 win for England against Ukraine in their final group stage match. This match has been overshadowed by Ukraine shot which crossed the line and would’ve tied the match 1-1. (Note: prior to the shot going over the line Ukraine should have been called for offside.)
Now it’s time for Goal Line Technology! (Getty)
Maybe it took two years for goal-line technology to truly be reassessed so England could benefit from the lack of goal-line technology in a major tournament. (Note: A Frank Lampard clearly crossed over the line in 2010 World Cup quarterfinal match against Germany.)
A final decision is already set to be made at International Football Association Board‘s meeting on July 2, let’s hope they make the right decision!
Matchpack: Sweden v France
Reposted from Yahoo! Sport UK & Ireland
Team news
Midfielder Emir Bajrami has been included in Sweden’s starting line-up against France in place of the ill Rasmus Elm. Coach Erik Hamren made two changes from the team who lost 3-2 against England and are already eliminated from the tournament, with Ola Toivonen replacing the injured Johan Elmander up front. Hamren said on Monday that Elm was ill and a decision on his participation would be made on Tuesday, while he had already announced that Elmander would be rested so he could continue his recovery from a broken foot.
Sweden team: Andreas Isaksson; Andreas Granqvist, Olof Mellberg, Jonas Olsson, Martin Olsson; Anders Svensson, Kim Kallstrom; Sebastian Larsson, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Emir Bajrami; Ola Toivonen.
With Yohan Cabaye training separately from the rest of the France squad as he carries a knock sustained in the 2-0 win over Ukraine, Yann M’Vila may come into the midfield for his first start of the tournament. Striker Karim Benzema faces competition from Olivier Giroud for the role of lone striker after failing to score in his previous two games. Arsenal defender Laurent Kocielny could also be in line for a first competitive start ahead of Adil Rami.
Qualifying chances
France and England both need a draw to be sure to go through, Ukraine need to win and Sweden are out. Of course, it is never quite that easy.
France can afford to lose and still advance if Ukraine do not beat England. Even then a single goal defeat by Sweden would still see the French through on goal difference.
In exceptional circumstances, England could also lose and still qualify.
If Sweden beat France, it would come down to goal difference between England and the French as they drew their direct encounter.
As it stands France hold a one-goal advantage but if Sweden win by two goals or more and England fare less badly against Ukraine, they could still make it.
Manager quotes
Erik Hamren: “We feel sad to be leaving Kyiv and Ukraine. We have had a fantastic time here – we could happily have stayed in our hotel a lot longer. When we lost against England, the squad were very down, and if we had been in a bad place they would have really felt that, but we had a great day on Sunday. We trained earlier so they could have a relaxed afternoon and evening. We’re sad to be going.”
Laurent Blanc: “There’s always the danger that you may take your eye off the ball. So it is up to us to prepare seriously. We also need to be very aware of what we want to achieve. We were very happy following the Ukraine game, rightly so, but as I said to the players, we now need to prepare for the next game, as a game like this against Sweden demands it.”
Match facts
England have won three and lost one of their four previous meetings with Ukraine, though Ukraine did win the last game 1-0 in World Cup 2010 qualifying.
The Three Lions have only conceded two goals in four previous games against Ukraine.
England are winless against EURO hosts in the history of the finals with two defeats (against Italy in 1980 and Sweden in 1992) and a draw (against Portugal in 2004).
England only need a draw to ensure progress to the quarter finals whilst Ukraine need to win to make it past the group stages.
Roy Hodgson and Oleh Blokhin are the two most recently appointed managers at EURO 2012: Hodgson took charge of England in May 2012 whilst Blokhin was named as Ukraine boss in April 2011.
England are unbeaten under Roy Hodgson, winning three games and drawing one.
After England (23 out of 23), Ukraine have the most players currently plying their trade in their domestic league (21 out 23) among teams taking part in EURO 2012.
England have converted 4 of their 21 shots (including blocked shots) at EURO 2012 (19%), the best ratio of the tournament after two rounds.
Ukraine’s shooting accuracy is the lowest at EURO 2012: they’ve tested the opposition goalkeeper with 21% of shots.
Three of England’s four goals at EURO 2012 have come from a cross.
Ukraine have made the most tackles at EURO 2012 after the first two rounds of matches (50).
England’s outfield players have blocked the most shots at EURO 2012 after two rounds of games (14).
England have conceded the fewest fouls after two rounds of matches at EURO 2012: 17.
Only Greece had fewer shots on target (3) than Ukraine (4) after two rounds of games at EURO 2012. Three of the four shots were by Andriy Shevchenko.
Wayne Rooney will take part in his first EURO 2012 game. He scored four goals in four games in his only previous participation at the European Championships, back in 2004.
Theo Walcott has scored a goal, delivered an assist and completed all his passes (eight out of eight) in only 30 minutes of action at EURO 2012.
Andriy Shevchenko has scored four of Ukraine’s seven goals at major international tournaments.
Match odds
Sweden 9/2, France 4/6, Draw 11/4
Article link:
Matchpack: England v Ukraine
Reposted from Yahoo! Sport UK & Ireland
Team news
Theo Walcott has been passed fit for England’s final Euro 2012 group game against Ukraine. The Arsenal winger had been nursing a hamstring injury after making a match-winning substitute appearance in the 3-2 win over Sweden. He is in contention to replace James Milner, who has been largely disappointing in England’s opening two matches. Hodgson confirmed that Wayne Rooney would start after serving his two-match suspension, and must decide whether the Manchester United starts alongside Danny Welbeck or Andy Carroll.
Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko has been given only a 50-50 chance of being fit for Tuesday’s Euro 2012 Group D clash with England by his coach Oleh Blokhin. The 35-year-old striker is continuing to have treatment for the knee injury suffered initially against Sweden which he then aggravated against France, though he did take part in training on Monday night.
Qualifying chances
France and England both need a draw to be sure to go through, Ukraine need to win and Sweden are out. Of course, it is never quite that easy.
France can afford to lose and still advance if Ukraine do not beat England. Even then a single goal defeat by Sweden would still see the French through on goal difference.
In exceptional circumstances, England could also lose and still qualify.
If Sweden beat France, it would come down to goal difference between England and the French as they drew their direct encounter.
As it stands France hold a one-goal advantage but if Sweden win by two goals or more and England fare less badly against Ukraine, they could still make it.
Manager quotes
Roy Hodgson: “It’s not just England who haven’t always performed when the expectations were heightened. There’s quite a few teams that have failed. It’s a fact of life. We’ve come here with the England national team. We believe in ourselves and we want to do well. In some ways it’s rather nice that people back home are hoping and even believing we can do well, and we’re giving them something to dream about and cling onto.”
Oleg Blokhin: “We should consider England as leaders in the European Championships. They also have problems because if they lose it will be unexpected. There will be big problems for them, but it’s not the same for us. The England team will be more nervous. We have nothing to lose. They are one of the favourites and are expected to play in the final. Nobody expects that we will fly to the moon. It would be fantastic, but that’s another thing. The fans should expect good play, but we shouldn’t say to our nation ‘we’ll win the Euros’. They shouldn’t shoot at us if we lose.”
Match facts
England have won three and lost one of their four previous meetings with Ukraine, though Ukraine did win the last game 1-0 in World Cup 2010 qualifying.
The Three Lions have only conceded two goals in four previous games against Ukraine.
England are winless against EURO hosts in the history of the finals with two defeats (against Italy in 1980 and Sweden in 1992) and a draw (against Portugal in 2004).
England only need a draw to ensure progress to the quarter finals whilst Ukraine need to win to make it past the group stages.
Roy Hodgson and Oleh Blokhin are the two most recently appointed managers at EURO 2012: Hodgson took charge of England in May 2012 whilst Blokhin was named as Ukraine boss in April 2011.
England are unbeaten under Roy Hodgson, winning three games and drawing one.
After England (23 out of 23), Ukraine have the most players currently plying their trade in their domestic league (21 out 23) among teams taking part in EURO 2012.
England have converted 4 of their 21 shots (including blocked shots) at EURO 2012 (19%), the best ratio of the tournament after two rounds.
Ukraine’s shooting accuracy is the lowest at EURO 2012: they’ve tested the opposition goalkeeper with 21% of shots.
Three of England’s four goals at EURO 2012 have come from a cross.
Ukraine have made the most tackles at EURO 2012 after the first two rounds of matches (50).
England’s outfield players have blocked the most shots at EURO 2012 after two rounds of games (14).
England have conceded the fewest fouls after two rounds of matches at EURO 2012: 17.
Only Greece had fewer shots on target (3) than Ukraine (4) after two rounds of games at EURO 2012. Three of the four shots were by Andriy Shevchenko.
Wayne Rooney will take part in his first EURO 2012 game. He scored four goals in four games in his only previous participation at the European Championships, back in 2004.
Theo Walcott has scored a goal, delivered an assist and completed all his passes (eight out of eight) in only 30 minutes of action at EURO 2012.
Andriy Shevchenko has scored four of Ukraine’s seven goals at major international tournaments.
Match odds
England 11/10, Ukraine 11/4, Draw 23/10
Article link: http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/match-facts-england-v-ukraine-093735397.html
My EURO 2012 predictions
In lieu of the EUROs starting tomorrow, I thought this would be as good of time as any to post my predictions for the tournament.
Group A
1. Russia
2. Poland
3. Greece
4. Czech Republic
I see Russia as clearly the best team in this group. Poland will surprise as hosts and make it to the quarterfinals. The Czechs are not the team they used to be and Greece will fall short again in another major tournament after their EURO 2004 success.
Group B
1. Germany
2. Netherlands
3. Denmark
4. Portugal (They will implode)
I feel sorry for Denmark being drawn in this group. The Germany/Netherlands matchup in the second round of matchups on 13 June will likely decide the group winner. Portugal has a history of disappointing, they will either do very well or fall flat on their faces- with the Germans and the Dutch in their group I see failure for the fighting Ronaldos.
Group C
1. Spain
2. Croatia
3. Italy
4. Ireland
This group I envision having a lot of 1-0 results with Italy and Ireland both being defensive stalwarts. How Italy reacts to the corruption scandal is a wildcard for this group. Spain is in great shape here to advance as group winners. Croatia has a lot of creative players who will be fun to watch.
Group D
1. France
2. Sweden
3. England
4. Ukraine
Wayne Rooney missing the first two games for England is big, at least the way their starting XI will look. I see England playing defensive football and looking for 1-0 results. France has been very good since Laurent Blanc has taken over. France should win this group especially if they beat England in their opening group match. Sweden has a great record against England in competitive internationals, so I have them ahead of England in this group. Ukraine simply isn’t good enough here.
Quarterfinals
Netherlands (Group B runner-up) over Russia (Group A winner)
Spain (Group C winner) over Sweden (Group D runner-up)
Germany (Group B winner) over Poland (Group A runner-up)
France (Group D winner) over Croatia (runner-up)
Netherlands/Russia is a mouth-watering quarterfinal clash with the Russians being led by their Dutch manager, Dick Advocaat. I see the Dutch prevailing in a fantastic match. Spain will prevail over Ibra’s Sweden because Sweden hasn’t won a knockout stage match in probably 20 years. This will set up a rematch of the 2010 World Cup final between the Dutch and the Spanish.
Long term rivals Germany and Poland will face off in the quarterfinals with the Germans prevailing yet again over Poland. Germany is just way too strong here. France/Croatia is a tricky quarterfinal tie, but I am a Les Bleus fan so I have to go with the French.
Semifinals
Netherlands over Spain
Germany over France
The Dutch will come through against the team who beat them in the 2010 World Cup Final. This Spanish side isn’t nearly as good as the 2010 side and is worn down from years of extended club competition (Barça, Real Madrid) and international competition. I see this as the time that it all falls apart. The Dutch have two strikers playing extremely well (Robin Van Persie and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar) plus great midfield ingenuity with Robben, Van der Vaart and Sneijder. If the Dutch play more attacking football than they did in the 2010 World Cup Final they’ll win.
The Germans will defeat the French here. These Germans are too deep and too talented for the up and coming French side. The speed and tenacity that the Germans play with will overwhelm the French in a high-spirited semifinal. This will set up another Dutch-German clash.
Finals
Germany over Netherlands
The EURO 2012 champion will be Germany. The speed and power which the Germans play with will give the Dutch fits. The Germans are the best team in Europe and will prove it at these European championships. The Germans will not let this opportunity pass them up after finishing 3rd in the past two world cups and 2nd in the last European championships.
Euro 2012 – Poland/Ukraine say racism claims ‘invented’ by UK
Reposted from Yahoo! Eurosport UK & Ireland
Poland and Ukraine reacted sharply to British press charges of racism and mob violence on their terraces and gave assurances that foreign footballers and fans alike would be safe during the Euro 2012 tournament they will co-host next month.
The neighbours, who will share matches between 16 countries throughout June leading to a July 1 final in the Ukrainian capital, moved to counteract a BBC Panorama investigative programme on soccer violence filmed in their countries.
The programme, aired on Monday, contained footage of fans giving Nazi salutes, taunting black players with monkey noises, anti-Semitic chants and a group of Asian students being attacked at the Metalist Stadium in Kharkiv, one of the four Ukrainian cities which will be hosting group matches.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said: “Nobody who comes to Poland will be in any danger because of his race.”
“This is not our custom, as is not pointing out similar incidents in other countries, although we know they take place. In Poland, they’re a rarity,” he told a news conference in Rome.
In Kiev, Ukraine’s foreign ministry Oleh Voloshyn went further, saying the allegations were a “dreamed up and mythical problem”.
For Ukraine, the racism allegations have only added to a deluge of other bad publicity ahead of Euro 2012, a competition which the former Soviet republic had hoped would showcase it as a modern state eligible to join the European Union.
The jailing of opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko has triggered charges of backsliding on democracy from the EU, some of whose politicians are threatening to boycott Euro 2012.
Reports of high-level corruption, excessive hotel prices, violence against participants of a Gay pride meeting and graphic images of a brawl among law-makers in parliament over a language law have further damaged Ukraine’s international image.
Ukrainian authorities particularly fear the bad publicity could translate into low ticket sales and reduced tourist revenue to the detriment of their indebted economy.
Ukrainian authorities and sports figures were particularly stung by comments by former England international Sol Campbell who, in the Panorama programme, warned England fans not to travel to Euro 2012 because of the threat of racism and violence.
Campbell, who played 73 times for England and appeared at six major tournaments, said: “Stay at home, watch it on TV.
Don’t even risk it … because you could end up coming back in a coffin.”
His comments follow announcements from the families of two black England players who said they would not go to the championship.
Ukrainian players rallied to their country’s defence.
Striker Andriy Shevchenko, who formerly played for the English club Chelsea, said: “We do not have any real problems with racism here. Ukraine is a very peaceful country and people here are very friendly. I know that everything will be done for Euro 2012 to take place at a high level.”
Oleh Luzhny, who formerly played for London’s Arsenal, was quoted by the online publication Korrespondent.net as saying: “No, no and no again. I have never heard any talk about this problem (racism). We have Nigerian football players here and I have never heard about outbreaks of racism.”
UEFA 2012 director Markiyan Lubkivsky, faced with a barrage of questions on racism following the Panorama programme, pleaded to journalists to declare a “moratorium” on negative information about the championship.
“So much mud has been heaped on this championship, and on the process of preparing for it. Ninety per cent of all the information is just not true,” he told a Kiev news conference.
He said UEFA saw no threat to citizens of various nationalities who came to Ukraine for Euro 2012. “There are no threats,” he said.
Directly addressing Campbell’s comments, he said: “These (comments) were for us simply insulting and we do not know what the aim of this statement was.”
Reuters
Arrivederci Fabio!
via the Guardian
Fabio Capello resigned today as the manager of the England national team. To say there are mixed opinions about this Capello situation is an understatement.
One on hand, there are football (soccer) pundits who believe that the FA should have sacked Capello after his comments disapproving of John Terry being stripped of his captaincy. The logic that they used was that the FA and the manager need to be on the same page for the relationship to work. This logic works with the notion if you talk against your employer you’re bound to be fired.
On another hand, there are a few people who believe that Capello is a coward by quitting as the national team manager and should have stayed on at least through the EUROS. The English national team is in a bad spot after the dismissal of Terry as captain and Wayne Rooney being suspended for the first two matches of the EUROS. By quitting it makes it even more difficult because when a new national team manager is appointed, there will be a change in philosophy and not much time to implement that new strategy before the Championships start.
For the ineffectiveness that many England supposed believed that Capello had, Capello had the highest winning percentage of any permanent England manager.
This relationship between the FA and Capello didn’t work out in the end because Capello is a stubborn man. This shouldn’t be a surprise to the FA or English fans because throughout his whole coaching career he’s bumped head everywhere he managed. It’s unfortunate the straw which broke the camels back is this John Terry saga. Terry has been a divisive force since his affair with Wayne Bridge‘s ex-girlfriend. The racist abuse situation has been even more of a divisive issue with many of the English players being Black. The fact that Capello continued to back Terry in the midst of this situation likely caused an even greater disconnect between the players and the ex-manager.
Who will the next England manager be?
Related articles
- Fabio Capello resigns as England manager: live (telegraph.co.uk)
- Capello resigns as England manager (soccerbyives.net)
- Reaction to Capello’s resignation (bbc.co.uk)
- English Soccer’s Latest Chaotic Chapter (blogs.wsj.com)
- The John Terry Saga Continues… (sportsforaddicts.com)
The John Terry Saga Continues…
Fabio Capello and John Terry (Image captured from the Mirror)
Fabio Capello added more fire to the John Terry saga after he publicly stated he disapproved of the FA’s decision to strip John Terry of his captaincy.
I agree with the FA’s decision, but I completely disagree with the timing. John Terry has been in hot water for his alleged racial abuse of Anton Ferdinand since Chelsea played QPR in October. The FA should have stripped Terry of his England captaincy immediately after the racial abuse charges.
Waiting almost four months after Terry was accused to strip him of the captaincy was the wrong decision. The FA should have waited until the trial was over which happens is after the EURO 2012.
There are many people who believe that Terry didn’t deserve to get the armband again after his first transgression, sleeping with Wayne Bridge‘s ex-girlfriend and getting her pregnant. I agree with that sentiment, but you can’t live in the past.
Terry is now likely to retire from the England national team which is probably the best for all involved. But nonetheless the Terry saga will continue until the trial is over. The English love their drama, and this Terry saga has plenty of it.
Related articles
- Exclusive – Wilkins: ‘FA are telling the nation John Terry is guilty’ (talksport.co.uk)
- Capello gives John Terry his backing (footballfancast.com)
- Capello could be in trouble for criticizing FA’s Terry decision (tsn.ca)
- Capello could be in trouble for criticizing Terry decision (theglobeandmail.com)
- Analysis-Capello Lurches Into Another Crisis (nytimes.com)
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