OLYMPICS FOOTBALL: Spain favourites again?

After claiming three relevant titles in succession, the out-of-this-world Spain team will be looking to extend their world reign even further when the Olympics games begin. I have to remind myself that am not a fan of theirs every time I find myself attracted to the poetry-in-motion kind of football that they play.

Forget the fact that a good number of them are from Barcelona, think about how much they have matured as a team.
Torres... rose through the ranks at Atletico Madrid, then joined Liverpool, and then became the most expensive commodity in English football when he joined Chelsea. Lets face it, you do not move to clubs of that calibre if you're not good. And he did repay his manager's faith well. Scored 3 goals when it was apparent that Spain would suffer without Villa
Fabregas... I can only say one word for this lad.... MATURITY. Leaves Barca, joins Arsenal, becomes very integral there, gets loved by the fans, then rejoins his boyhood team. He doesn't really pose that athletic figure of CR7, Torres, Balotelli etc. He's just a humble kid who plays some real good football. Plays a number of positions, CMF, DMF, Striker, Number 10 and he has delivered in all of them.
Silva... He was just another guy in the Spain squad, mostly starting on the bench. Now look what his move to Manchester City has turned him into... a star.
Alba... His left-back spot used to Capdevila's, if you remember, and now he has taken that spot from him. Plus he has just signed for Barcelona. Could life be any better for him??

The only person I don't see making it back into the squad is Puyol. As I mentioned earlier, it looked like Spain would struggle without Villa and Puyol, and well... they scored the most goals in the tournament, and conceded the least. In fact if I'm not wrong, the only goal they conceded was against Italy in the group stage. See how much better they get? Villa could still make it back... he is a goal scoring machine, everyone knows that.

In other news, a few days after Van Persie announced that he wouldn't be renewing his Arsenal contract, Marouane Chamakh is also looking for a move away from the Gunners. He wont hurt them much, that I know. Another player that is hot property right now is Modric. real Madrid want the kid so much... but if you ask me, that's the wrong career move. who is he going to bench at Madrid? Khedira? Alonso? The onlt way he can fit in is if Mourinho changes his formation and have him play as a Number 10. Inter Milan have released Lucio and Forlan, and the former immediately joined Juventus while the latter went to Brazil.

Back to Kenyan football, it looks like Gor Mahia are starting to get their form back and are going up the table again. They beat KCB 3-1 at city stadium. Midweek fixtures this week:

Wednesday 11 July 2012

Mathare United

v

Sofapaka

Nyayo

19:00

Friday 13 July 2012

AFC Leopards

v

City Stars

Nyayo

19:30

EURO & KPL standings

Let me start by saying that I feel so disappointed by England's exit...although they didn't really play like semi final material, did they? Seriously... at that level, any team that wishes to be associated to being champions of Europe cannot be playing like that. Basic football like keeping the ball cannot be overlooked. And speaking of basic football... look where that has gotten the Germans... far. Simple football. Basic passing. As for England, they wanted to rely on long-ball tactics, and we all know how that went. They also needed Chamberlain(I accept, Ashley young was poor). I don't see how Germany wouldn't have deflowered them, just like they did in the World Cup, in the semis if they had made it. And so... despite supporting England, am actually happy they were spared humiliation at the hands... or feet of Germany.

Can we talk about racism? All along the English fans have been commended for behaving well during the Euros... well, up until they were eliminated last night. And then.. all of a sudden, black people cant shoot penalties. If you have been following your timelines, well then you will notice that something of the same sort has been happening. Ashley Young and Cole have been criticized for missing their penalties in their loss to Italy. Before the football began, it was there... now that its over, for some teams.. its back. I rest my case.

SPAIN vs PORTUGAL: I'll still stand my ground. The only way to beat Barcelona, sorry Spain, is to pack the midfield. Have enough men in the midfield to neutralize, frustrate and attack. Change the formation if you have to for that game, like Italy did in their opening game against them. Play 3-5-2 if you have to. Speaking of which, I think France failed in their tactics, playing two right backs and Malouda when they faced Spain. Obviously those are wingers, and you're not going to beat Barca like that. Nasri and Alou Diarra would have helped the invisible M'Vila in that game. That said, I think Portugal already have a strategy to beat Spain

GERMANY vs ITALY:
I think Italy will make a worthy opponent against the Germans. They haven't had real competitors all this time. The only image of a threat they faced was a disoriented Dutch team. Italy... they're no push overs. Croatia and Spain will tell you that. Germans... we've all seen them. They were too strong for Portugal, overpowered the Dutch and were too good for the Danes. It looks like a promising encounter.

Elsewhere, the Kenyan Premier League second leg is underway. Tusker, Gor Mahia, City Stars and Ulinzi Stars got off to winning restarts and Tusker are back on top of the table. This is how the top half looks like...

	Team	P	W	D	L	Pts
1	Tusker	16	9	5	2	32
2	Sofapaka	15	10	2	3	32
3	AFC Leopards	15	8	4	3	28
4	Ulinzi Stars	16	8	3	5	27
5	Thika United	16	7	5	4	26
6	Gor Mahia	16	6	5	5	23
7	Western Stima	16	6	4	6	22
8	Karuturi Sports	16	5	7	4	22													More football another time people. Have a nice time

GREAT PLAYERS WIN, GOOD PLAYERS AFFECT GAMES

Lets talk about Cristiano Ronaldo.
Did anyone see his celebration? I think the boy was fondling a pair of imaginary boobs, or telling people that he is a monster. Sublime performance by the guy last night to put his team in the semi finals. That was a brilliant header. And I think he intended to score like that. Remember Croatia versus Spain in their final group game? They had two chances to score with headers but ended up heading straight at Casillas. My point... Ronaldo is a genius. Lets just put Messi out of the picture for a second here. He is class but Ronaldo is class too. How many players can do that? Not many. And that goal was the difference. I read a lot of BBC Sport articles everyday, and one of them had Czech republic manager saying that his team failed in stopping Ronaldo. Yes... this man is hard to keep a mark on. He runs, he jumps, he shoots... sometimes dives but very few can argue about his talent. My friend @DingoKG wanted me to do a piece that recognizes this man's skill... he does. I could say much more to convince, but I know even his haters know too much of him, even Barca players if asked will admit that marking him is hard. Let's not forget he is now joint top scorer in the Euros with 3 goals alongside Gomez(Germany), Mandzukic(Croatia) and Dzagoev(Russia). He led his team well beyond the Dutch with a double and his header against the Czech.

Elsewhere, Germany face Greece. This is supposed to be a great match for Greece. For the rest of us neutrals, Germany is gonna have an easy day on the field. But for the Greek, who are seeking funds for an economic bail out from germany, I hear its a big thing. Loved the cartoon depicting the Greek players wearing German jerseys on (just because the Germans funded them)BBC SPORTS earlier today. I predict a low score. Germany could win this with a one-goal margin.

I personally think the Spain vs France match will be a good match. Both teams can pass the ball around. Spain have a reputation to maintain while the French want redemption from their recent shortcomings.Of course Spain have gelled seeing as most of them play in the same league, so they know each other. France... well, you saw how they played against England and Ukraine. They are not too bad. I foresee a 2-1 win for Spain

England versus Italy. This could be a boring affair. But then again, the midfield battles look promising. Since both teams are practically not flare-playing teams, and they both defend, I see a midfield duel will win or help to win this match.
ENGLAND: Gerrard and Parker. 
ITALY: De Rossi and Pirlo.
Gerrard/Pirlo is the genius who does the fancy delivery. De Rossi/Parker tough tackler who breaks up the beautiful play.
And then they both rely on their wings for speed. I won't predict the score for this one

Before I sign off, a few words about the maestro that is Cristiano Ronaldo aka CR7:

Czech Rep. manager, Michal Bilek: We really prepared hard to cope with Ronaldo, but he is a player of the greatest class
"There have been a few good players but, if we are talking great players, then ronaldo is a great player. Great players can WIN a game, good players AFFECT the game." a former England player when asked about any bright players in the EUROs

In other news... Shinji Kagawa is officially a Manchester United player today. Mark the calendars people. Keep enjoying the games people. More football another time.

Dutch felled in Group of Death

Last time we spoke about football, Germany needed a point while the Dutch needed a miracle. Sadly they didn't pray hard enough, or maybe Portugal prayed harder. And so Germany sealed their position at the top of Group B, and I have to give credit to Denmark. I had ruled them out completely, even though they still exited the tournament, they had a better record than one of the huge favorites, Netherlands. Honestly for me, the Netherlands were a shock exit. I had predicted Portugal and Denmark would exit. but i still reiterated that a giant had to be sacrificed in the 'group of death'. I read a few good reactions on BBC Sport(If its not on BBC Sport, its gutter) and here are some that I think you might like too.  

Phil McNulty, BBC Sport chief football writer: "Cristiano Ronaldo delivers. Good to see great players gracing major tournaments - and whether you like him or not he is a great player."

Germany captain Philipp Lahm: "Every match in this group was difficult. 

"It would appear the Netherlands took the group of death literally and were utterly lifeless throughout their whole campaign."


Denmark came close to claiming a point against Portugal and certainly did not disgrace themselves in defeat by the Germans.


Seems that Van Persie's been a victim of his own reputation, Ronaldo the beneficiary of his.


Who would have thought Netherlands would be eliminated before England? And without a point to add salt to injury... 

Judging by those few comments, I could tell Euro night was legendary. I missed it, sadly. I was watching a very captivating series but I managed to catch the highlights, and boy were those Ronaldo goals classy!! I wonder if Ronaldo's critics(I don't want to say haters) will still label him 'lack-lustre'. I mean sure he is not upto Messi's level, but his level is no other mortal's, lets be real.

In another group, the 'stubborn hosts' Poland were eliminated along with the Russians they clashed with on the streets. Looks like they kept their eyes off the ball, eh?And then we have Spain Italy and Croatia fighting for their place in the quarter finals. Anyone could get in. Anyone could go home

Elsewhere, Kenya's Harambee Stars lost their Africa Cup/World Cup qualifier in Togo. Thats three matches we've failed to win, and in succession. That's messed up. Simple. I pray for the day we will see an improvement in Kenyan football. And it was this Origi guy that we were waiting for to 'solidify' our team at the back? In brighter news though, the Kenyan transfer window is almost coming to a close, and the market has been alive. Clubs have been on a signing spree, with friendly matches being organized to test the new players. I have a feeling KPL will be a good watch when the league resumes

In other unrelated news... the Soccer & Social tweet up was a success. People showed up, played their soccer and ended up having a good time. We played two long matches that ended 8-7 and 2-1. And since Saturday I haven't seen any 'subaru' on the TL concerning the that day. So am guessing it was a success.Well that was all for the love of the game.

More football after we are certain if England have made it to the quarters(I'm rooting for them). Lets see what effect Wayne Rooney will have on the Three Lions and who will have to step down for him and who among Italy, Spain and Croatia will join them in the quarter finals.

Before the Euros start

So, Euro 2012 is upon us. Finally, we can put behind us all that talk about racism that has been doing rounds. I kid you not... when the football begins, all this racism will go away. People are just missing the soccer action, you'll see. European leagues are over, Kenyan league is on a break.

All the talk just creates a great build up to the tournament. The players themselves are the to play football. so any racism that might be there, could be off the field. But lets not forget that even in our most watched leagues, it is there. It is just controlled. All this talk about racism is being blown out of proportion. Hopefully it does not arise though.

Moving on... Kenya are already down in Namibia for their World Cup qualifiers after their barren draw against Malawi the other day. We sure wasted a host of chances. Hopefully Mr. Kimazi can can get the right combination of players on the pitch and we can get to scoring. We need to feature in a big tournament, don't you think?

That said... do not forget about the #TwitterFC Soccer tweet up on Saturday the 16th of June at Siant Georges in Hurlingham . Its supposed to be a social event and all about love for soccer. Come play and/or cheer. Citizen TV's soccer team, which am a part of, along with some of the soccer-loving tweeps will be there. So no tweefing, subaruing, just soccer. The event is open to anyone and its free of charge. Read about it here

I will let you enjoy your Euros now.