Cup Crazy - 25 June

On Day 17 we saw a coach get it all wrong and get away with it and a referee get it all wrong and ruin a good football match. Brian tries to get it right, but we'll let you be the judge...

Thanks, Sven
England, once again looking completely lost at times, were lucky to squeak by Ecuador today with a 1-0 victory in the Round of 16. What handicapped England more than anything was a bizarre switch to a 4-5-1 formation that saw the inclusion of Michael Carrick as a holding midfielder and Wayne Rooney as the lone striker. As I predicted yesterday, this is the worst way to use Rooney, who was completely neutralized save a good 5 minute spell late in the second half. Rooney is a marvelous footballer, but he is wasted as a lone forward. Rooney needs to get the ball early and have support up front. The answer would have been to drop either Gerrard or Lampard in favor of Carrick and keep two up top, but Sven hasn't the stones to drop one of his stars. So instead, England played 45 minutes of terrible football, followed by a half of hoping to get a set piece that it could convert on and get bailed out. That's what happened, when Beckham scored on a trademark bender in the 60th minute. So, Becks bailed out Sven this time. But that's not going to happen against better competition. There is no speed in the starting XI. There's no speed or skill down the right flank. Gerrard and Lampard can't dribble, so England can't create anything up the middle. It's all sad, really. The 4-5-1 can only work if you have two very fast and skillful wingers. Sven starts one on the left in Joe Cole, but the gentleman taking up space on the right flank doesn't fit the bill. Before the tournament, I said that with Sven in charge, the quarterfinals were as far as England could go. In the "Prediction Spectacular," my sentimentality led me to picking a semifinal finish. I hope that's the case. But due to Sven's cluelessness, it looks like my original prediction might come true.

Red Card the Ref
I love England, but they are terrible for me to watch. They always make me nervous, and the unpleasant football doesn't help things. So all day I was looking forward to watching Portugal and Holland lock horns so I could see a real football match. Unfortunately, my plans were ruined thanks to referee Valentin Ivanov, who decided that today would be the day that he made himself the center of attention by handing out 16 yellow cards and expelling four players. Ivanov's performance was disgraceful, particularly when you consider the importance of this game. Knockout round games between two powers like Portugal and Holland will always be combative. The ref needs to be strict, but not turn the game into a farce. Unfortunately, Ivanov lost the plot and the game was a shambles. It's too bad because the game started brightly, with Maniche scoring on a beautiful strike in the 23rd minute. Both teams would have their chances, but then Ivanov's power play ruined the second half. The Dutch had a lot of possession, particularly when they were up a man, but had few good scoring chances. Notable in this game was that Ruud van Nistelrooy did not start nor did he come on as a sub in a game that was crying out for his dominance in the six-yard box. Ruud had been criticized for his poor play in the group stage, but was this a time to make a point? Heavens no. Unless we find out he was mysteriously injured. Dutch coach Marco van Basten made a serious miscalculation in benching van Nistelrooy. The Portuguese will be moving on, but at a cost. Deco and Costinha will not be available in the quarterfinal against England due to the red cards they picked up today, and Cristiano Ronaldo is a doubt after coming off in the first half in with a thigh injury. Advantage: England? We shall see.

Tomorrow's Predictions
Two for two again today. Let's see if I can keep it up:

Italy 1, Australia 0
Switzerland 2, Ukraine 2 (Switzerland wins on penalties)

Goodnight now.

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