Well, out from behind a rock I come. Like Batman responding to the spotlight over Gotham, the sight of Alexi Lalas relaxing on ESPN's swanky new World Cup set spouting 'knowledge' of the beautiful game immediately triggered me into action.
A personal excitement for me is the returning punditry on this side of the pond of one Roberto Martinez. 4 years ago, I listened to this polite young man with light enthusiasm....now I find myself hanging onto every word from Bobby Brown Shoes. A supremely classy guy, just hoping for the "and Neymar is close to signing, which is phenonemal (Bobby's most used word - quite impressive for a Spanish native) "
Sooo, what have I missed so far (Brazil own goal aside)....
- Roy Hodgson in old man sunglasses
- An amazing lack of planning from team England organizing a friendly in Florida at 5pm in June and being surprised as a thunderstorm
- Scapegoating of a key England player (Rooney) before a ball is kicked in anger
- Overplayed bellowing for potential young player to start (Barkley)
Oh my, Neymar just scuffed a shot into the corner - 2 goals inside the first 30 minutes. That's my big hope for this summer's tournament.... attacking threat and lots of goals. That, and lots of goals for Mr Messi. There's a decent amount of pressure on him already, and I was happy to add to that with the weight of my own financial investment. Don't let me down Lionel.
Ok, let's relax and see if Big Phil's head explodes if Brazil score a second......
Last night's games really lived up to their billing. Brazil and Chile was a great game - both teams going at it, the threat of goals ever-present and the threat of red cards also seemingly high. Chile looked the better team on balance, but the home advantage seemed to lift Brazil and they always carried a threat. The theme of course; one which is endemic across the tournament, is that neither defence looked very strong. In the end, the width of the post denied Chile in the shoot-out, as had the crossbar in the final minute of extra time. A really crappy way to go out of the tournament, but they can be proud of their efforts. Few will be disappointed to see Brazil still in the tournament, as things always go a bit flat once the hosts bow out. I'll also enjoy those anthems carrying on. If anything sums up England's utter failure in big competitions of late, it is the passionless mumblings we do in the anthems, which sets the tone for the game afterwards. The second game o
Welcome back Stevey C!
ReplyDeleteStevie, sack the work and life admin. This is the World Cup and the next 4 weeks are your first priority. Everything else takes back seat. Good to have you two back opining. Cheers Ed
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