Red Rooney Overshadows England Woes
UEFA came to a decision Thursday and banned Wayne Rooney for three matches for the red card he received in Montenegro. Unfortunately for England the governing body came down hard with their decision, leaving them without his services for all matches in the group stage of Euro 2012. Leaving Fabio Capello will the difficult task of finding a replacement to fill the spot, which is almost an impossible task because Rooney is not your average striker.
All the talk about whether Wayne Rooney is a liability on the pitch when it comes to his temperament, enough to exclude him from the squad is a bunch of malarkey. This is an intense sport played at great speed, decisions have to be made in an instant, and you will find no argument from anyone that what Rooney did in Montenegro was stupid , but talk of leaving out England's best player is pathetic and only becomes a smoke screen to the bigger question on everyone's mind. Does this team have what it takes to compete for the cup?
Fabio Capello spoke about keeping Rooney out of England's remaining friendlies, a notion I find extremely difficult to comprehend. It has been made worse by the media backlash that has followed the incident. Let's take it for what it was, frustration from a player in a match. Rooney has a history of brash behavior but to try and take that out of his game is ridiculous. Lapses in judgment happen to the best of players, but on those rare occasions of madness, Rooney produces many more moments of absolute magic that can elevate his team to victory. Possessing the capability of switching the momentum of the game, that is the type of quality you need at any major tournament.
The questions should be directed at Capello and the unimpressive performance in qualification. The atmosphere following the draw in Podgorica was that of a loss, because it certainly felt like one. England failed to keep up their blistering pace after scoring and completely fell apart as the match wore on. The ultimate goal of qualification was achieved but moving forward there are few positives to build on based on results. The pressure is immense, as are the expectations by a football mad county that is starving for success on the international stage. Although neither can be used as an excuse, results need to improve to be considered credible contenders.
The discussions for excluding Rooney from the squad at Euro 2012 are ludicrous. His spot should not be in question, England has to show some confidence and play to their potential. Having a well-rested Rooney coming off the bench in the knockout stages could be a blessing in disguise. People could argue about disrupting the player’s chemistry if it gets to that point, but a team can only be made stronger with his inclusion in the squad. I think Capello is smart enough to realize who his best player is. You never go into battle without your best weapon.
Santos Leading Greek Revolution
Fernando Santos had a tough job taking over from Otto Rehhagel after the World Cup in 2010. The German is held in such high regard following the miracle cup run of 2004 that made Greece champions of Europe. He was even offered honorary citizenship and has been referred to as King Otto. The appointment of Santos as manager was received positively, well known in the Greek Super League spending time at AEK, Panathinaikos and PAOK has helped his transition. Greece needed a fresh new outlook moving forward, the old guard was way past their due date and tactics became stagnate. The squad was in desperate need of new blood and Santos was the perfect choice to take the reins, having a reputation of building through youth and allowing the next generation of Greek talent the chance to break into the squad.
Since the change in leadership, Greece has been undefeated in sixteen matches and has topped their group to qualify for the Euro 2012. They have coasted under the radar, silently gaining momentum after each positive result. Difficult to break down defensively and having the reputation to play on the counter offensively, Greece will be tough competition this year. This is not the same team that crashed out of the World Cup. The squad is younger with solid depth in every position, eager to prove their worth to the manager. Greece will be a tough nut to crack, opponents beware.
Blueshirts Talk of Tallinn
Normally playing the part of whipping boys internationally and never coming close to qualifying for any major tournament in their history. Estonia somehow managed to overcome Serbia and finish second behind Italy to clinch a spot in the playoffs, keeping their Euro dreams alive. Whatever the outcome this was a remarkable accomplishment for Estonian football. Coming from behind on the final day and getting the victory away to Northern Ireland, and watched Serbia lose four days later which clinched their spot in the next round.
The Republic of Ireland will be standing in their way but have a terrible record at this stage of qualification, and have lost four of their last five play-off rounds. The Blueshirts are grateful for even making it this far, Tallinn will play host to the first leg and if the home side can edge out a win or even keep a clean sheet, the return leg will pile the pressure on the Irish. Remember the Estonian's took four of a possible six points from Serbia, who is eight places above Ireland in the FIFA rankings. Anything can happen over two legs, the Green Army is familiar with failure and disappointment, a loss to Estonia would be devastating. It might be Improbable, but never impossible.
France Survive Scare
Despite going unbeaten in their last nine matches in qualifying France was twelve minutes away from an embarrassing loss at the Stade de France. Bosnia-Herzegovina took the lead from a sublime Edin Dzeko strike and did well to withstand the pressure. The French looked out of idea's until Samir Nasri produced a moment of brilliance to get past Emir Spahic, going down in the box as their legs got tangled. Craig Thomson was perfectly positioned to make the call and pointed to the penalty spot. However the foul looked to happen on the edge of the box. Nasri calmly scored from the spot to even the score and earn France the precious point needed to top the group.
It was astonishing Les Bleus actually needed a result on the final day to guarantee their place in Poland and the Ukraine. Six clean sheets from ten matches, undefeated on the road and with only one loss, it would have been unfortunate to miss out on the automatic place. This French team is definitely on a resurgence of sorts. Defensively Larent Blanc has transformed the team and boasts one of the lowest goals against totals in qualifying. Offensively you just have to look no further than Loic Remy. The striker looks like Thierry Henry reborn and has massive potential to become the next big French import. Scoring at will for Marseille in Ligue 1, pick him for the golden boot at Euro 2012. He will be next summer's big transfer target for Europe's elite clubs.
Great Danes Deny Portugal
Portugal has always had a reputation of underachieving, falling short at the final hurdle. The squad is full of high profile talent and should have been able to top the group with relative ease. Dropping points to Cyprus at home and losing on the road to Norway left Portugal needing a result against Denmark. Both were tied on points but the Portuguese only needed a single point in Copenhagen to clinch automatic qualification.
Once more the Portuguese fell short, their stars losing in convincing fashion and will now have to go into the playoff round in order to earn a spot at the Euros in June. Christian Erikson got things going for the Danes, setting up Michael Krohn-Delhi to score and snatch the early lead. Thomas Sorensen produced timely saves when called upon and Nicklas Bendtner doubled the lead just after the hour mark. Cristiano Ronaldo was able to pull one back in injury time, completely fooling Sorensen with a marvelous free kick that will be on all the highlight reels worldwide.
The result was a bitter pill to swallow for Portugal, made even more difficult upon finding out they will play Bosnia-Herzegovina in the play-offs. The first leg will be played in Zenica, Bosnia boast a tremendous home record, losing only to France and conceding a mere three goals in all of qualifying. I'm predicting a huge upset in this fixture, Portugal will have problems scoring and Bosnia will do enough to edge out a win at home and then close up shop in the return leg. This will be the start of a re-building process for the Portuguese.
Euro 2012 Play-off Predictions
Ireland over Estonia (3-1 on aggregate)
Bosnia-Herzegovina over Portugal (2-1 on aggregate)
Turkey over Croatia (3-1 on aggregate)
Montenegro over Czech Republic (1-0 on aggregate)
Check back next week for a new edition of The Unfit Referee
No comments:
Post a Comment