Sunday, 17 November 2013

England vs Germany: A friendly by no means

"They think it's all over...it is now! These were the words expressed by the BBC's Kenneth Wolstenholme as fans made their way to the turf of the Old Wembley Stadium just seconds prior to Geoff Hurst's World Cup-winning goal as England were the victors of the 1966 tournament in a 4-2 victory over West Germany. At that time, England were officially the best national team in the world. Times have changed since. However, the rivalry remains the same.

 The rivalry goes back all the way to the Christmas Day Truce of 1914, when the First World War was in its beginning months. English and German troops called an unofficial truce, exchanging gifts with one another, and playing a match which the Germans won 3-2. Although the truce was a great gesture between the two sides, it didn't last very long. Just days later, the two nations were once again firing bullets and bombarding at each other with no relent. The English were victorious in 1918, when the war ended. The two sides were enemies again in the Second World War too, again seeing the English triumph over the Germans. And what happens on the pitch also adds spice to the rivalry...
Hurst "scores" to put England 3-2 ahead
...In 1966, Geoff Hurst's famous and infamous "Wembley Goal" was at the centre of controversy. Hurst hit the bar and the ball, according to many, failed to cross the line. Among the 400 million viewers who watched the World Cup Final that day, it was inevitable that the English viewers would argue that it did cross the line, with German viewers resenting such a view. Goal-line technology was something which was not invented then and was at the subject of major public discussion when 44 years later, Frank Lampard's supposed equaliser did not count as Germany triumphed 4-1 in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in the 2010 World Cup's Round of 16. This time, TV replays clearly showed that the ball crossed the line, but referee Jorge Larrionda did not award the goal. For most German football fans, this piece of revenge was long awaited and was delivered after 4 long decades. But this will count for nothing on Tuesday night... 
One to watch: Julian Draxler
...The encounter between the two sides will be the first time the sides have met since that humiliating and controversial defeat for England in Bloemfontein. For Roy Hodgson, whose side lost 2-0 to Chile on Friday night thanks to two great goals by Barcelona's Alexis Sanchez, this game will be yet another test as he prepares to draw up his initial list for his 23-man squad that will be on the plane to Brazil for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in June. Captain Steven Gerrard should be back from injury, with Hodgson expected to start Gerrard's Liverpool team mate Daniel Sturridge, as well as Wayne Rooney and potentially Kyle Walker. Germany on the other hand, are without their midfield talisman Bastian Schweinsteiger, who did not feature in the team's 1-1 draw over Italy which also took place on Friday evening. Joachim Low has stated that Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm and Mesut Ozil will not play the match and will instead experiment other players. Julian Draxler, Schalke 04's 20-year-old attacking midfielder, can pose a major threat from the middle of the field and can conjure up an attack from anywhere. He will be competing with Toni Kroos, Thomas Muller and Mario Gotze for a place in Low's starting 11.

Germany are by far the stronger and more talented team and are likely candidates alongside Brazil, Argentina and Spain to be the winners of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Rio de Janeiro on the 13th of July next year. Nevertheless, England will use this match as an experiment to see how they can fare against stronger sides in next year's World Cup. Furthermore, players such as Adam Lallana, Jay Rodriguez, Kieran Gibbs, Ross Barkley and Andros Townsend will have the chance, if played, to show that just like the Germans, the English can still produce talent which has the potential to have world-class status.


 CREDITS:

 Picture of Geoff Hurst's "Wembley Goal":
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/55/Ghost_Goal_World_Cup_1966.jpg

 Picture of Julian Draxler:
http://media.bundesliga.com/media/images/02_international/dfb-team/draxler_ball_692.jpg




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Friday, 1 November 2013

Arsenal vs Liverpool: A Premier League Classic

The 2013-14 Barclays Premier League  season so far has been one which has not disappointed. There have many shocks and surprises, as well as its fair share of controversy. In addition, many exciting games have been played, with another major one taking place on Saturday evening.

Missing me? Liverpool have Coutinho back from injury
Arsenal vs. Liverpool is one of the many Premier League fixtures that never fails to live up to expectations. In fact, it probably succeeds them most of the time. The Gunners play host to the Merseysiders at the Emirates on Saturday, with both teams arguably being the best of the season so far. At the beginning of the season, it was inevitable that not a single critic would place their money on either of the two teams being in their respective league positions. Both sides are unbeaten in the league and have played similar football in many respects too. Without doubt, the standout performers for the Gunners have been Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and the £42 million German playmaker Mesut Ozil, who have formed a formidable trinity in the middle of the park, terrorising defences with incisive and intricate attacking football. On the other hand, the Anfield faithful have witnessed the emergence of the striker-partnership which they dub as the "SAS" - Suarez and Sturridge. Brazilian attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho had also been in brilliant form until picking up a shoulder injury in September forcing him out for 6 weeks; however Brendan Rodgers had confirmed that he is in the squad to face the Gunners on Saturday evening. 

Double trouble: Ozil and Wilshere
In the build-up to Saturday evening's encounter between the first and third placed teams, there are certainly strengths and weaknesses among both sides. Both teams are under threat from one another's attackers, and will need their defenders to be fully motivated and prepared. Arsenal will want to avoid a third consecutive home defeat, with Liverpool hoping that their 4-game unbeaten run does not end in defeat at the Emirates. Arsene Wenger has described his team's 1st place standing has being one which is "no coincidence". Arsenal picked up 35 points from a possible 42 from the final 14 games of last season [1] and have only lost once in the league this season in the infamous 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa on the opening weekend of the season. Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers meanwhile said that striker Luis Suarez has shown improvements in terms of his "football ability and maturity". Suarez was widely chased by Arsenal in the summer, and after the infamous bid of £40,000,001 placed by the north London outfit, the Anfield club's principal owner John W Henry sarcastically but somewhat meaningfully asked on his Twitter account "What do you think they're smoking over there at Emirates?" . Nevertheless, Rodgers denied that the Suarez transfer saga will add spice to the fixture. 

Both managers are under no delusion that this fixture will be a walk in the park and will undoubtedly demand 100% effort and commitment from their players. Whatever the outcome is on Saturday evening, one thing is for sure - it will be game that will keep us on the edge of our seats.

CREDITS:


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