World Cup 2010 Blog: “Euro 2012 Qualifying Hath Commenced” plus 1 more

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Euro 2012 Qualifying Hath Commenced Posted: 12 Aug 2010 11:45 AM PDT It feels like just yesterday Spain were dominating possession, peppering balls towards the opposition’s box and keeping the Spanish public on edge right until the very end. Probably because it was just yesterday, but it also feels like the World Cup ended yesterday too. Time to turn the page. International friendlies made their return, but so did something of far greater significance: European qualifying. It feels like 2012’s wannabes should be years away, but the kickoff date has come and gone, with a battle of powerhouses the Faroe Islands & Estonia firmly tucked into the Completed folder. However, the entree portion of the meal will begin on September 3rd, with some intriguing matchups (the battle of youth in Belgium v Germany) and some intriguing public massacres (Liechtenstein v Spain, for example). So mark your calendars where appropriate.

David Beckham’s England Career – Disappointment and Dedication Posted: 12 Aug 2010 07:36 AM PDT David Beckham’s England career, which began way back in 1996 against Moldova (call-up photo with then England manager Glenn Hoddle is to your left) received its notice of termination from Fabio Capello yesterday. Not a huge surprise. Beckham is 35 years old and won’t be any younger by the time Euro 2012 gets here, and the English public, media and just plain old common sense demands an infusion of fresh talent. But seems a little harsh that Beckham wasn’t informed prior to the announcement. Asked whether he had telephoned the midfielder to tell him that he would no longer be selected for competitive games, Capello said: “No. No. But I think I will speak with him. We tried to speak with him. I think David knows that he has no future with the national team because we have to change. Probably someone has rung him now before I called him. We tried to speak with him, but we haven’t managed to. Softening the blow a little, Capello will offer Beckham the chance to play for England at Wembley one more time, in a friendly that basically be Becks’ final farewell to international football. Most likely that will be the England vs France friendly in November. Beckham will retire as England’s second most capped player in history. He has 115 appearances now, and will make that 116 if he plays in the promised friendly. As an England fan I’d argue that Beckham’s international career has been oddly disappointing, since he never really performed at an international tournament. But what I would congratulate Beckham for is a genuine dedication to his national team. At a time when players routinely pull out of friendlies and retire/unretire from international football whenever it suits them (looking at you Zlatan Ibrahimovic), David Beckham has been consistently willing to serve his national team whenever called upon and in whatever capacity.

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World Cup 2010 Blog: “England v The White Line: The Rematch.” plus 1 more

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England v The White Line: The Rematch. Posted: 11 Aug 2010 02:48 PM PDT These friendlies mean nothing, the goals even less and there is certainly no real ‘controversy’, but the nature of the one goal England conceded can only conjure up a laugh the very same day Sepp Blatter confirmed FIFA’s curious eye towards goal-line technology. It certainly looks as though the whole ball never crossed the line entirely, unlike six weeks or so ago. The gods must not be done throwing down a bit of retribution for ‘66. (Though Stevie G was throwing down himself. Twice.) [TV Golo]

Brazil 2-0 USA: Say Hallo to Neymar Posted: 11 Aug 2010 07:20 AM PDT Ladies and gentlemen, meet the new Brazil. After the more pragmatic and less exciting Dunga years (an approach which won the Copa America and Confederations Cup, but failed at World Cup 2010) new coach Mano Menezes seems to have his team playing the way we all – rightly or wrongly – expect Brazil to play. Even better, he’s doing it with kids. This new look Brazil beat the USA 2-0 in New Jersey last night. No more Gilberto Silva playing defensive mid in this team, no more workhorses. Just lots of passing, moving and dribbling. Even established stars like Kaka were not called for this game (though I’m sure he’ll be back). Instead we had the youth and exuberance of international debutant Neymar, who scored the first goal with his head but mostly impressed by playing wide left and terrorizing American defenders. I’ll bet good money that Jonathan Spector had nightmares about little men with mohawks. Alexandre Pato got Brazil’s second, rounding Tim Howard after Ramires had split the US defence with one pass. Ganso did the playmaking, and was unlucky not to score when his shot bounced back off the post towards the end of the game. Robinho wore the captain’s armband, which may have been because Menezes wanted to send a message about what his team will be like, but is more likely because Robinho was the most experienced player on an inexperienced team. But still: Robinho wore the captain’s armband. I’m going to keep typing that until it makes sense. Of course this was only one game, and it was a semi-experimental friendly. But the way Brazil passed the ball, dominated play, and made fools of US defenders means that Brazil will at the very least be fun to watch again under Menenez. Roll on Copa America 2011.

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