All posts by markfiorenti

From the colony to the colonised….Football’s not coming home but to new frontiers….and without a dose of “Fair Play” (Part 1)

“And the host of the 2018 World Cup is….Russia…

And the host of the 2022 World Cup is….Qatar”

 When the abovementioned hosts were announced just after 2am last Friday morning, I no longer needed my shot of espresso to wake me up. Rather, I needed something to drown my sorrows.

If that wasn’t enough, I became nauseous when I learnt:

  1. England was out in straight sets and finished dead last in the voting for 2018;
  2. Australia was out in straight sets and finished dead last in the voting for 2022; and
  3. The icing on the cake….the results was allegedly known approximately one hour before the tournament.  So much for a secret ballot….

I can read the headlines already…. FIFA president Sepp, or should I say Gall, Blatter is remembered as the man who took the World Cup to Eastern Europe and the Middle East (along with Africa). 

What won’t be widely reported is that Qatar’s victory gives him a reprieve, for had the World Cup not gone to Qatar, Asian Football Confederation chief Mohamed bin Hammam (Qatar’s bid chief, no less) would have allegedly challenged Blatter for the FIFA presidency.  Blatter will now serve a fourth term as FIFA president.

So Hamman gets the glory of winning the World Cup for Qatar (a nice ego check) and Blatter gets to keep his job (and leave a “legacy” behind).

Nice wok guys – ego and political aspirations first, most logical choice and delivering fans a better footballing experience, a distant second.

To 2018….

Russia won the vote in a landslide victory in as early of the second round of voting, whilst England, a favourite, was miraculously sent packing after securing only two votes!

Nevertheless, in the weeks leading up to the vote, Blatter himself stated, “England can organize the World Cup tomorrow” boasting of its numerous world class stadia and the necessary infrastructure to deliver the world’s biggest sporting event.

And what of Russia…? FIFA’s own inspectors graded the bid as a “medium” operational risk and did not appear concerned by:

  1. Travelling distances between host cities;
  2. The need for extensive investment in infrastructure; and
  3. The problem of racism amongst Russian fans (read – the banner erected by Lokomotiv Moscow supporters that abused Peter Odemwingie when he moved to West Bromwich Albion).

I can only guess FIFA didn’t appreciate England’s media recently uncovering new evidence about bribery claims regarding four of the men who voted last Friday morning.  Three of those men, Cameroon’s Issa Hayatou, Brazil’s Ricardo Teixera and Paraguay’s Nicolas Leoz were accused of accepting bribes in the 1990’s and the fourth, CONCACAF President, Jack Warner was treated to a renewal of old allegations from earlier this year when he allegedly sold thousands of World Cup tickets on the black market for personal gain….but more on the issue of bribery and these shady characters, namely Hayatou, in Part 2….

It’s a travesty to think that the country which gave the world the beautiful game and continues to give so much to the world through its highly successful league – the most widely followed in the world, no less, scored so miserably in the voting last Friday. 

England must now wait in excess of 60 years before football comes home.

I’m all in favour of FIFA’s legacy argument and desire to sail into unchartered waters, but in order to move forward one must also acknowledge and pay respect to our past.  Further, a nation should be awarded the World Cup on its respective merits.

England would have been a logical, fair and timely choice.

It appears reputation means nothing in FIFA’s murky corridors of power. 

Mark “The F Word” Fiorenti

Pim’s on Ice – now for a real coach

The autopsy has been conducted, the eulogy delivered and the culprits drawn and courted so now it’s time for Football Federation Australia to move on and recruit our next national team coach.

The likely replacements include Paul LeGuen, Sven Goran Eriksson, Carlos Alberto Parreira and Marcelo “EL Loco” Bielsa.

Prior to assessing the credentials of these candidates, I should say that the Socceroos prefer to play a confident, attacking, proactive style of football – one that reflects our true sporting culture. We witnessed the benefits of this style of play under Guss Hiddink at the 2006 World Cup.  These playing characteristics obviously affect the selection of coach. Further, the coach must instil the players with technical qualities and believe in the youth of our proud nation.

Now for the candidates…..

Paul Le Guen

Le Guen had successful coaching stints at French clubs Lyon and PSG and Scottish giants Rangers. He recently resigned from his post as the national team coach of Cameroon following his side’s inglorious exit from the World Cup after losing all three of its group matches. Further, and despite boasting the talents of players such as Samuel Eto’o and Alex Song, Cameroon were the first team officially knocked out of the 2010 World Cup.  The abovementioned results speak for themselves….

Sven Goran Eriksson

Erikkson enjoyed an extremely successful tenure as a club football manager in the Swedish, Portuguese and Italian leagues from 1978 to 2001, most notably with Italian club, Lazio.  In the period 2001 to 2006 he coached the England national team.  Despite having coached many of England’s “golden generation” of players, Eriksson failed to take England beyond the quarter final stages of both the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and most notably, failed to engineer a win over a ten man Brazil side in the 2002 World Cup quarter final.  Further, Eriksson had a disastrous and short stint as the manager of the Mexican national team – in fact, immediately after he was sacked in April 2009 the Mexican fans’ association held a ‘victory rally’ attended by approximately 30,000 angry supporters! In short, Eriksson has been unable to replicate his club football success on the international stage.  Finally, he would cost a pretty penny.  In my opinion, it would not be money well spent. 

Carlos Alberto Parreira

We’re getting warmer now….

Parreira has enjoyed a distinguished coaching career.  He coached Brazil to victory in the 1994 World Cup, 2004 Copa America and the 2005 Confederations Cup.  Further, he is one of only two coaches that has led five national teams to the World Cup: Kuwait in 1982, United Arab Emirates in 1990, Brazil in 1994 and 2006, Saudi Arabia in 1998 and South Africa in 2010. 

Nevertheless, and somewhat surprisingly, he failed to take Brazil beyond the quarter final stages of the 2006 World Cup.  This, despite having attacking talents such as Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Adriano and Robinho at his disposal.  Further, and like Eriksson, he will not come cheap and frankly, I would prefer seeing Football Federation Australia investing the money in grassroots football and unearthing the next Harry Kewell and Tim Cahill. God knows we need more of them….

So that leaves the madman, Marcelo Bielsa

Bielsa coached the Argentine national team from 1998 to 2004 and enjoyed mixed success.  The team exited the 2002 World Cup at the first round but were runners-up at the 2004 Copa America and won the 2004 Olympic Games.   Bielsa is the current coach of the Chilean national team and it is here that he has truly worked wonders.  Under his guidance the team has undergone many historic firsts, including their first win over Argentina in official matches and beating Paraguay away from home for the first time in nearly thirty years.  Further, Bielsa fast tracked many young talents throughout Chile’s qualification campaign and employs an attacking brand of football – Chile scored the most goals in the South American qualification stages of the World Cup. 

Bielsa’s relationships with the media are also good. 

His interviews are stimulating and he has been known to field every last question from the assembled media at his press conferences.  Further, he once famously stated:

“Every section of the media should get the same attention from me, from the capital’s most prominent TV channel to the smallest newspaper in the provinces”.

A refreshing change from “Pim’s and (very) dry” who, amongst other things, publicly smashed the A-League and later, rather than backing away from his comments reportedly remarked, “I’m Dutch, we’re honest”.

Bielsa is reportedly paid $1.5 million per annum to coach the Chilean national team – a figure less than what Football Federation Australia paid the man who couldn’t get and/or afford a decent haircut.  

There are increasing suggestions Bielsa will leave his post now that Chile has exited the World Cup….

As Deborah Harry once sang, “I want that man”.

Mark “The ‘F’ Word” Fiorenti – discussing all things concerning the World Game.

Australia vs Serbia: The Chevaps tasted good but only if we’d sampled them sooner…along with a side of Sauerkraut

“Don’t bother chasing women or buses…..Chances are, you’ll miss both” – author unknown.

The same arguably applies to World Cup and tournament football.

The Socceroos’ inspiring 2-1 win over Serbia was brilliant but not enough to earn qualification for the second round of the World Cup. A team only gets three bites of the cherry and Australia effectively wasted one of them against Germany. As such, it was always playing catch up football and needed a miracle to progress.

Having said that, the Socceroos earned some redemption and will go home with their heads held high. Pride in the shirt has been restored and Australia’s second ever World Cup win (and first over a European nation and heavyweight, I might add), removed any doubt they deserve a place on the World’s biggest sporting stage.

The Socceroos were (finally) due some luck at this tournament and they certainly rode it against the Serbs, who were close to their best despite the scoreline. A combination of wasteful finishing, particularly by Milos Krasic, and Mark Schwarzer’s brilliance kept Serbia at bay in a one sided first half. But a dominant second half performance by the boys in green and gold secured the points and some well earned respect.
Continue reading Australia vs Serbia: The Chevaps tasted good but only if we’d sampled them sooner…along with a side of Sauerkraut

Australia vs Ghana (Part II): I see Red. Full stop.

A few days ago I reviewed Australia’s gutsy performance and 1-1 draw against Ghana.  That performance gave the Socceroos a glimmer of hope going into their third and final group game against Serbia.

In short, I was impressed by the Socceroos’ fighting spirit and tactical set up to earn some redemption in Rustenberg.

All this, whilst playing a majority of the match with “10 men”……

As promised, today “The F Word” gives his thoughts on “that penalty”.
Continue reading Australia vs Ghana (Part II): I see Red. Full stop.

Australia vs Ghana (Part I): I see Red (on and off the field). But shades of green and gold, too.

“90 minutes, 90 emotions” – A –League advertising campaign.

So imagine what a week in football does to a supporter!

And what a week it was in Australian football. The debacle in Durban, the media circus and fallout that followed, a(nother) controversial sending off and finally, some redemption in Rustenburg.

The Socceroos’ World Cup campaign hangs by a thread but Australia’s draw with Ghana was a sharp reminder of what is possible in a green and gold shirt.

Pim Verbeek’s tactics against Germany were negative and nonsensical.  Further, the Socceroos appeared devoid of pace, creativity and passion. The performance against Ghana however, was a drastic improvement and the 10 men who remained on the field at Royal Bafokeng can hold their heads high.
Continue reading Australia vs Ghana (Part I): I see Red (on and off the field). But shades of green and gold, too.

Australia vs Germany: We parked the bus but the tyres were flat. In fact, a couple have been flat for a few years now…..

Schwarzer – Wilkshire, Moore, Neill, Chipperfield – Grella, Valeri – Culina, Garcia, Emerton – Cahill.

4-2-3-1 or 4-6???

On Sunday’s edition of Sportzfan Radio my fellow panellists asked me what tactical approach Pim Verbeek would employ against the Germans. I responded by saying, “Pim will park the bus in front of the German goal”. Put simply, his primary and in fact only objective would be put up to eight or more Socceroos’ players behind the ball and attempt to preclude the Germans from scoring.

Park the bus he did, but the tyres were flat and the engine(room) dead. Further, the driver was confused and frustrated, ultimately seeing red. All this whilst Pim overlooked that he had not one, but a few decent ‘spares’ in the trunk and forgot the newer model at home.

When the abovementioned Australian team was announced just after 4am, I no longer needed my shot of espresso to wake me up. Rather, I needed something to drown my sorrows. I couldn’t help but feel the game was already lost before a ball had even been kicked.

In fact, you could sense it in the build up all week. The players were paying far too much respect to Germany in the press (a very un-Australian trait) and the modus operandi was simple, not to lose.

The abovementioned starting line up confirmed as much. It sent a clear message – we’re here for a draw.

Pim Verbeek’s tactics were downright negative but more worringly, nonsensical.

For two and a half years Pim put his faith in a gameplan which focused on an ability to shut teams down and edge out hard-fought victories. It worked beautifully throughout our qualification campaign – 11 victories, 3 draws and no losses. Need I say more….

But the one time when safety was the highest priority, Pim recklessly sent out a combination of players who played out of position in a system he had never tried before.

Against three time World Cup winner and Euro 2008 finalist, Germany, no less.

Don’t mention the war…..

Well Pim, you just got one. The reasons for:

1. Josh Kennedy had started the previous two games for the Socceroos (scoring in one of them) but was consigned to the bench, with Cahill asked to play as a lone striker and target man. We all along knew a ‘striker’ of Scotty McDonald’s height and physique couldn’t cut it in that position (that’s why the poor fella didn’t make the cut – because he was played out of position far too many times under Verbeek) so why play Cahill, an ‘attacking midfielder’ who is of similar physique up front on his own??? Worse still it rendered Cahill, the driver of the bus and Australia’s most important midfield player, virtually useless. No wonder he saw red!

2. Culina, a holding midfielder under Verbeek’s entire reign, was now a left winger, presumably to stop Philip Lahm’s marauding down Germany’s right flank, but his capacity to launch attacks with his long and short passing game was nullified.

3. The omission of Marco Bresciano (a player who is capable of creating chances and scoring the odd goal) and the selection of Richard Garcia in his place was baffling. Garcia, by all accounts only made the cut because of Rhys Williams’ injury but here he was starting (and yes, you guessed it, playing out of position!) against the Germans.

4. Last week I lamented to my Sportzfan radio colleagues that Vinnie Grella seemed more intent on leaving studmarks on opposing players’ knees than winning the ball in midfield and breaking up opposing plays – a role that is so crucial to the way Verbeek’s side operates and that Verbeek ought to rein him in or drop him. Against the Germans, Grella appeared slow, lost and overawed by the occasion. That showing earned him “the early Shower award”.

I can only hope Pim Verbeek gave him the “hairdryer” treatment afterwards…..

And what of Harry Kewell? He had trained fully for a week and Verbeek himself was saying for days it was a straight fight between he and Kennedy for the lone striker’s position.

Both were on the bench.

And neither were introduced as substitutes!

With Saturday’s game against Ghana now rendered a must-win and Cahill suspended, Kennedy, Bresciano and Kewell (the latter duo who have both barely played all year due to injury) could have all benefited from a 20-minute cameo against the Germans.

Instead, defensive midfielder Mile Jedinak and inexperienced, rookie striker Nikita Rukavytsya were handed run outs. Jedinak, at 0-4 presumably as an act of damage control and Rukavytsya presumably to….. (I’ll have to get back to you on that one).

From start to end, Verbeek’s decisions were ridiculous and illogical.

But let’s not take anything away from an excellent and flawless German performance. I regularly said the Socceroos’ best hope against the Germans was a draw but in all likelihood, we would lose.

By one or two goals.

But 4 zip?! C’mon………Aussie, c’mon.

Yes, we may have still lost the game but had our best and strongest line up started in their familiar positions, I doubt we would have lost by such a margin. Moreover, we would have lost honourably.

Whilst many may be surprised by the Socceroos’ showing against the Germans, in some ways the loss was four years in the making.

The signs have been there for some time, but were papered over by hope, optimism and a relatively straight forward qualifying campaign along with a number of positive friendly results against reputable international outfits.

Under Pim Verbeek, the Socceroos have not played a decent game since last August’s 3-1 win over the Republic of Ireland.

Nearly 1,000 minutes of football have been played since then. The embarrassing loss we saw at the hands of the USA last week was a long time coming and provided the reality check we needed. Pity it didn’t come earlier…..

Whenever I have been asked about the Socceroos on Sportzfan Radio, I have consistently argued:

1. Pim Verbeek’s game plan was and still is one dimensional, the modus operandi being all about scoring first, shutting out the opposition and then winning a game by that one goal margin. All well and good against the likes of Qatar and Bahrain but what are the chances of going ahead against the likes of German and assuming we do, keeping them out?! Further, I have voiced concerns about Pim lacking a plan ‘B’ and queried whether the Socceroos could adequately respond tactically during matches. We all saw that (non existent) plan B against the Germans.

2. Argued the Socceroos’ current starting eleven is in many ways a carbon copy of the class of 2006. The problem of course is that the players are four years older and (with the exception of Schwarzer and Cahill), are no longer playing at the elite levels they were four years ago. Did Verbeek bother to look at and ‘blood’ any other players?

3. Argued there are many players in the Socceroos’ squad and worse still, the starting eleven, based on their reputation, rather than form and have done little to justify their continued and unchallenged place within the Australian set-up. For instance, I have regularly argued our central defensive duo of Craig Moore and Lucas Neill are slow and old and (especially in the case of the former), “past it”. That is why Captain Socceroo no longer plays in the English Premier League – it is arguably too fast for him. And as for Craig (what club does he play for again?), need I say “Moore”. All this whilst Verbeek constantly overlooked in-form defenders Eddy Bosnar and Sasha Ognenovski. In fact, they played no part whatsoever in the qualifying campaign. A travesty. And don’t get me started on former Socceroo and Joe Marston medallist, Simon Colosimo.

Some of you reading this may think I am too pessimistic (especially considering I tipped the Socceroos to lose or at best, draw against the Germans). The worry for me was not the loss, but the lack of creativity, passion, motivation and above all, the magnitude of the loss.

Further, we now have to take on the Ghanaians and Serbians with the tried and ‘tired’ formation, no plan B, an out of form Kewell and absent our best player.

Am I conducting the post mortem too early?

….Or perhaps too late?

Endnote – If you haven’t read my previous blog – “The World Cup Form Guide”, please do so. One thing you will glean from it is this – idealism is a personality trait I have in abundance. In relation to the Socceroos’ fate I say this. Pim will leave his post for the street stalls of Marrakesh soon enough, but the clear out should not and will not end there. Whether it be Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkard or Marcelo Bielsa, the new gaffer should be judged by one K.P.I. and one K.P.I. only in his first 6 months at the helm, “You don’t need to win the Asian Cup. But don’t play not to lose. And above all, be Australian. Be Fresh, Brave and Bold”.

It could be one of the best things to happen to Australian football for a while.

And gave the best country on earth a second chance at the best game on earth.

 “The F Word”

The World Cup Form Guide – Poffertjes, a 'Red' Bull and a 'lobster' on Three Lions

The biggest sporting event on the planet, the World Cup is just days away.  As countries fine tune their final preparations and hope and pray their star players remain injury free for the month of June (spare a thought for Ghana’s Michael Essien and Germany’s Michael Ballack :)….), many punters are continually asking the question, “Who will lift the coveted prize on 11 July?”.

This week, “The F Word” will get off the fence he proudly loves to sit on and answer that $64,000 question. Well, I will attempt to anyway!

First, a word on my beloved Socceroos.  As much as I would love to see our boys win the World Cup, Michael Caton’s catch phrase, “Tell him he’s dreaming” from the movie, ‘The Castle’ springs to mind.  Whilst our boys are a competitive and proud bunch, that alone does not win World Cups.  Technique, an ability to change tactically throughout a game and squad depth does.  That’s not to say the Socceroos don’t have those qualities.  But in all honesty, they are no match for the big boys.  Getting out of the group of death will be a master stroke and marvellous feat in itself.  But more on that topic next week….

Second, a word on the reigning champions and a team close to my heart, Italy.  It saddens me to say this but whilst Italy possess a World Cup winning coach and know how to win a World Cup (no, this is not an invitation for you to insert a diving joke here!) they are an ageing team and one in transition.  I believe they will not successfully defend their crown.  Expect to see them exit the competition at the quarter final stage. 

Ok, now for the other pretenders, I mean “contenders”….

Portugal

 

A powerhouse team earlier this decade, those days are now behind them.  Not even Jose “The Special One” Mourinho could guide them to winning this World Cup.  Enough said! BTW – don’t be surprised if ‘Les Elephants’ trample them in the Group Stage.

France

The French possess some of the best players in their respective positions on the planet and have class all over the football pitch.  Nevertheless, harnessing that talent was a struggle at Euro 2008 and will remain so at this tournament.  Besides, they say “nice guys  come last”.  The idealist in me hopes the same fate applies to cheats (the last sentence is best said in an Irish accent….to be sure, to be sure!).

Germany

Like Italy and Brazil, Germany has the experience, rich history and aura of a winning team.  Nevertheless, Michael Ballack’s omission will hurt them.  Whilst Joachim Low pulls the strings from the sidelines, Ballack pulled them on the park.  He is a brilliant leader and motivator and will be missed.  Further, Germany possess one of the youngest squads at the World Cup (read: “inexperience”).  This World Cup may have come a year or two too early for this exciting group of players…..

Argentina

Yes, they possess the best player on the planet (Lionel Messi)….

Yes, they have an excellent array of attacking talent…..

BUT whilst scoring goals may win World Cups, not conceding them also does (note: Italy won the 2006 World Cup having conceded just one goal in open play!).

Diego Maradona’s coaching ability remains a question mark and his stubbornness to overlook defensive stalwarts and Champions League winners Esteban Cambiasso and Javier Zanetti will come back to haunt him.  Vai con dios, Diego…..

The Local Lads

World Cups, especially those staged outside Europe, have a tendency of throwing up a wild card or surprise.  Japan and South Korea jointly hosted the World Cup in 2002 and unfancied South Korea and Turkey went all the way to the semi finals.  I hope and believe this tournament will also throw up a surprise.  If so, I believe the surprise packet will be an African nation.

The host nation?  Probably not.  Very few players ply their trade in Europe and bafana bafana will be like a fish out of water.

Ghana? Chelsea star Michael Essien may be absent but the Ghanaians reached the final of the African Cup of Nations earlier this year without experienced players Essien, Appiah and Muntari, amongst others.  Socceroos BEWARE 9again, more on this next week….).  Nevertheless, and like Australia, getting out of the group of death will be an accomplishment in itself for the Ghanaians.

I believe the real ‘local’ threat will come from the Ivory Coast. Yes, they are in the “other” group of death, but frankly, any team boasting Didier Drogba as the man leading the line up front and who is supported by the likes of the Toure brothers is worthy of respect.  If the Ivorians do get out of their group, their self belief will be sky high and as such, would back themselves to get beyond the round of 16. The idealist in me would love to see Drogba & Co go far.  It would benefit the African Game and the “World” Game.

Finally, the teams I expect to go very far…..

Brazil

The Samba stars wear five yellow stars on their shirts. No, not becuase they did their maths homework or study astrology as a pastime, but becuase they’ve won it five times.  They have the aura, experience, history, squad depth, technical and tactical ability and self belief to win World Cups.  In fact, they believe it is their God given right to always win the World Cup!  Heck, they’ve won it five times so who can argue with that?! A sixth time? I think I’ve already argued the point…. 

England

England have a wealth of talent playing at the highest level all over the football pitch.  John Terry, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney are all in their prime.  Another major reason for optimism is their coach, Fabio Capello.  Capello has a wealth of experience at club level and knows how to win trophies (his CV includes successful coaching stints at some of Europe’s finest clubs such as AC Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid).  Capello is thorough, organised, disciplined and values the team ahead of the individual.  Further, he has managed to get all the abovementioned individual stars to gel and has found a system that accommodates all those big names. Many are predicting this is England’s best chance in a long time to deliver on its promise.  I am one of those people.

Spain

Whilst they have never won a World Cup, the reigning European champions have an enviable blend of brilliant individual talent with a strong team mentality boasting players like Fernando Torres, Cesc Fabregas, Andreas Iniesta, Xavi and David Villa.  Further, Spain play a patient, short and fluent passing game.  The Spanish call this style of play “tiki taka”. I prefer to call it bold and brave.  In an age when football is (arguably) becoming too defensive and physical, Spain’s exploits at Euro 2008 illustrated that trophies can still be won whilst playing an attractive brand of football where the little men of the game can still make great leaps.   Spain’s only enemy is immense public pressure.  How good are they? Good enough to win the tournament. 

The Ace in the Pack – Holland/The Netherlands/”Total Football”/The best team to ‘never’ win a World Cup

Call them what you like but this team, this time around, appears to be the real deal.   Ranked number 3 in the world and boasting a wonderful array of attack minded players blended with defensive solidity, it’s no wonder Football Federation Australia continually employs Dutch coaches in the higher echelons of our game and is attempting to emulate a Dutch footballing model and culture in Australia.  The proof is in the pudding.  Like the Spaniards, the Dutch strive to play a beautiful game matched with blistering pace. But why have they not won a World Cup yet? It’s arguable the reasons lie in matters off the field, rather than on it.  The only thing that will stop the Dutch from going very far in the tournament is egocentric individuals and factions in the dressing room (both of which have dogged a number of their previous World Cup campaigns).  The Dutch have a history with the host nation, South Africa.  Dutch traders landed in South Africa in 1652 establishing a stopover on the spice route between Holland and the Far East.  Can they now right the wrongs of the past and re-write a new chapter in their football history?  The purist in me certainly hopes so.

My tip(S!) (hey, I did say I would ‘attempt’ to get off the fence!)

The realist in me says an Italian (albeit, one calling the shots from the sidelines) will have the last laugh and hold the World Cup aloft on 11 July.  England’s time is now so throw a lobster ($20) on the Poms. 

I however, am a purist and dreamer. 

And World Cups are where dreams are made and fulfilled (read: minnows South Korea and Turkey gatecrashing the party in 2002 and recall Timmy Cahill punching the corner flag in that ‘amazing eight minute spell’ in Kaiserslauten on 12 June, 2006).  I dare to dream and would love nothing more than to see the free flowing Spaniards meet the crafty and pacy Dutch in the final.  The midfield wizardry of Xavi vs the classy movement of Sneidjer, the potent finishing of  Torres and Villa (take your pick!) vs the speed and guile of Robben ….the list goes on.

Who will win? 

Who cares!

Because if these two teams meet in the final a new chapter in World Cup history will begin and there will be one true winner.

The beautiful game. 

The “World” game.

Mark “The F Word” Fiorenti – discussing all things concerning the World Game