Mad Masch & Becks de Triomphe
Comment & analysis round-up
Quote of the day: “I do not know why I was sent off. When the referee showed me the second yellow card and sent me off I could not believe it. I asked the referee what was happening. I did not swear, I was not aggressive and I did not confront him. All I did was ask him what was happening, nothing else.” – Javier Mascherano.
Runner-up: “Reaching 100 is a milestone in an Englishman’s career and there aren’t many who have done that. I’m very honoured to be in that company. They are players I have looked up to throughout my career, but I want to take it beyond that. I’m proud to wear my shirt and wear it for so many years. I’m very honoured by that. I’d have turned around and retired if I didn’t have the desire. I’ve seen in the last couple of years the highs and the lows, but I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t feel I could do it physically any more. There are plenty of others coming through, but I feel I can offer something.” – David Beckham.
Today’s overview: Javier Mascherano’s red card at Old Trafford is still being chewed over by many columnists. Andy Hunter (Guardian) points out that Mascherano’s mad moment masked “Liverpool’s all-round failure” at Old Trafford. Sue Mott (Daily Telegraph) feels Steve Bennett’s actions may lead to fairer play and James Lawton (Independent) criticises managers (Grant and Benitez) who allow their players to behave so badly.
The behaviour of football players is not just confined to the back pages, the Independent have a leading editorial on the matter and Ian Wright (The Sun) provides a four-point plan to “bring back respect.”
Arsenal’s fall from title challengers in recent weeks is also investigated, with Shaun Custis in The Sun reporting that there has been a “revolt” in the Arsenal dressing room against captain William Gallas. And Matt Hughes in The Times claims that Didier Drogba will still leave Chelsea in the summer despite his match winning performance on Sunday.
The other main story of the day is David Beckham, who is expected to claim his 100th cap in the friendly against France tomorrow. Oliver Holt (Daily Mirror) is the first to step forward with some gushing praise for Goldenballs: “a real football man and a giant of our game.”
The article of the day comes from Glenn Moore who analyses the “technical difficulties” of the England team: “How is it, England fans could be forgiven for wondering, that footballers who have often been guided to the top from an early age, and now earn phenomenal sums, are lacking some basic skills in the game, such as keeping possession? Whilst Tony Cascarino in the Times asks “How do you stop Cristiano Ronaldo?”
Andy Hunter (Guardian) points out that Mascherano’s mad moment masked “Liverpool’s all-round failure.” “Mascherano’s dismissal ‘finished the game’ according to the Liverpool manager. It undeniably cleared United’s path to victory but the pattern of their dominant performance had been established with the influential Argentinian on the pitch. His second yellow card and the loss of self-control that followed was a smokescreen on Liverpool’s meagre offering, one Benítez clung to afterwards.”
The excellent Sue Mott in the Daily Telegraph writes that Bennett’s actions may lead to fairer play. “From this melee Steve Bennett, the referee, emerged a folk hero for having the temerity to reach into his pocket to produce a second yellow card, followed by a red. No doubt, football’s apologists will see that as Hitler waving a copy of Mein Kampf. But for the rest of us, completely sickened by the sight of ungoverned gamesmanship wrecking the enjoyment of a wonderful game, it was a moment worthy of national celebration. Even in Liverpool. He wasn’t a victim, your Argentine orator, he was a reckless, spoilt liability. The rules were there to be enforced, the referee enforced them.”
James Lawton is highly critical of Avram Grant and Rafa Benitez for failing to control their players in the Independent. “While it is all very well castigating Cole and Mascherano for their failures to behave not just as fabulously rewarded professionals but minimally well-ordered members of adult society, why are Grant and Benitez granted the status of innocent accessories after the fact, who, presumably, do not pick and groom their players and tell them how to play and how to behave?”
The beahaviour of football players is even analysed by a leading editorial in the Independent today. “The players’ union chief, Gordon Taylor, yesterday called for referees to be made a ‘no-go area’. It would be good to see that happen, and Mr Taylor deserves the backing of everyone involved in the game. A more realistic approach, however, might be to allow the two captains, but no other players, to speak to the referee. A line needs to be drawn clearly and decisively. Rugby does not have this problem, and football does not need to have it either.”
Ian Wright in The Sun has a four-point plan to “bring back respect.” “1. Deduct league points from clubs whose players have been proved guilty of showing dissent. 2. Ban swearing totally when it comes to speaking to match officials. 3. Prove dissent has taken place by employing lip readers to go over footage. 4. Only captains should be allowed to speak to refs if there is a dispute.”
BBC Sports editor Mihir Bose asks what impact Keith Hackett’s public criticism of Steve Bennet on Sunday morning had on the sending off of Javier Mascherano. “I do not know if Bennett read these words over his cornflakes before he went out at Old Trafford but if he did then there can be little doubt that his antenna would have been up to make sure he did not earn more rebukes from his boss. Mascherano certainly did not help his cause but Bennett was clearly in no mood to take prisoners.”
Kevin McCarra in the Guardian argues that Arsene Wenger needs to strengthen his squad if Arsenal are to win the title in the future. “It is four years since Arsenal won the league and the trophy will not be back until there are more extensive options in all areas, even if that means compromising the special character of the team. Wenger has never feared to break up a side and start anew but now it is his own cherished philosophy that has to be re-engineered if Arsenal are to regain the peak of domestic football.”
Sue Mott (Daily Telegraph) also asks where it has all gone wrong for the Arsenal. “Maybe Arsenal have just not been playing very well, with Adebayor wandering about aimlessly, Febregas misfiring and the defence in regular tatters, but so great is our respect for Arsene Wenger it seems sacrilegious to say so.”
Shaun Custis in The Sun reports that there has been a “revolt” in the Arsenal dressing room against captain William Gallas. “Arsenal players are angry with skipper William Gallas for his criticism of Theo Walcott and his Birmingham sit-in. And some believe it has contributed to the Gunners’ slide in the Premier League title challenge.”
Tony Cascarino in The Times attempts to answer “How do you stop Cristiano Ronaldo?” “But it is time for managers to say: “No more.” If you give him freedom, he will murder you. And that is what he has been doing, time and again. Surely it is time to man-mark him, to get in his face, to shadow his every move. I am amazed that no one has tried this tactic. OK, it is negative, it goes against every grain of the beautiful game. Accuse me of being a spoilsport and I will plead guilty. But something has to be done. Otherwise, rivals may as well pack up and go home before kick-off. All hail the magnificent Portuguese, we are not worthy.”
Jason Burt and Ian Herbert report in the Independent that “The long pursuit of Liverpool by Dubai International Capital is set to end within the next “three to four weeks” with the investment group taking full control of the Premier League club, according to a source close to the proposed deal. DIC is understood to be confident that it will finally buy the club for £400m – and is looking to involve a ‘third party’ investor, who would take a minority stake, as part of its business plan. The company is believed to already have an agreement in place with the club’s co-owner George Gillett Jnr to buy his share.”
Matt Hughes in The Times reports that Didier Droigba is still likely to leave Chelsea despite his match-winning performance on Sunday. “Drogba reached an agreement with the club on returning from the African Cup of Nations last month that he would not comment on his future until the end of the season, although his silence does not equate to renewed satisfaction. The 30-year-old has kept his word, ending the almost daily bulletins of distress in the French press, but he has told friends that nothing has changed and he still wishes to leave.”
Glenn Moore (Independent) analyses the “technical difficulties” of the England team. “How is it, England fans could be forgiven for wondering, that footballers who have often been guided to the top from an early age, and now earn phenomenal sums, are lacking some basic skills in the game, such as keeping possession? … It is not just the technical aspect which has been overlooked; we are not creating tactically aware players either. Rafael Benitez is reluctant to play Steven Gerrard in central midfield because his desire to dictate play leads him to neglect his positioning. As Arrigo Sacchi, the former Milan and Italy coach said recently, ‘Strength, passion, technique, athleticism, all these are very important but they are a means to an end, not an end in itself. Gerrard is a great footballer, but perhaps not a great player.’ … Capello cannot possibly cure English football overnight. Given luck with injuries, referees and penalty shoot-outs he may carve himself a place in folklore, but sustained success will be achieved only if Brooking and his supporters can transform a national culture.”
Matt Lawton and Neil Ashton (Daily Mail) provide details of Fabio Capello’s training session yesterday. “Fabio Capello has continued his crackdown on England’s players by ordering them to stop playing with fear and instead perform as well as they train. The England coach, who demanded that they show respect to referees during a team meeting last night, was so stunned by the quality of the football at London Colney’s training ground ahead of tomorrow’s friendly against France that he halted the session. ‘Why can’t you play like this for your country?’ he asked them. ‘As soon as you play in front of 80,000 people you play with fear. Why can you play like this in training and not in a match situation?’”
Oliver Holt (Daily Mirror) describes David Beckham as “a real football man and a giant of our game.” “The essence of him, in fact, is his love of the game. A love so powerful it has conquered all the distractions that could have blown him off course. If 100 caps proves anything, it proves that. That first and foremost, David Beckham is a football man. A man who has never stopped chasing his dream and vaulting over the obstacles placed in his way. A man who has earned his 100 caps for England and his place in the pantheon of the giants of our game.”
Martin Samuel in The Times also looks at David Beckham, the centurion. “This is, officially, David Beckham Week. Resistance is futile. Flint- hearted Italians may snort in derision at the sentimentality, cynics may roll their eyes and curse the modern obsession with celebrity, but it is an unstoppable force. In Paris tomorrow, English football’s golden personage will win a century of caps for his country and whatever side of the fence you sit on, it is no longer possible to be unmoved by such an achievement.”
Sam Wallace (Independent) looks ahead to the occasion at the Stade de France. “It is a measure of the depths to which the England team have sunk that the only achievements it can celebrate these days are those ones that no-one, not even the opposition, have any power whatsoever to affect. This will be the English party that nobody can spoil. Even if Raymond Domenech’s side stick five goals past England, it will not alter the landslide of plaudits that will be lavished on the man who goes into history as an England centurion behind Billy Wright, Sir Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore and Peter Shilton.”
Steven Howard in The Sun belittles Beckham’s achievement and questions whether Goldenballs should even be in the squad. “Perhaps, it’s a very cunning Capello plan. First, he shows he’s one of the good guys by giving him his 100th cap. Second, he satisfies the cravings of those blinded by the celebrity culture in this country. Third, he pitches him in against a decent France team who will fatally expose the yawning Grand Canyon-style chasm between American ‘soccer’ and old-world international football.”
Kevin McCarra in the Guardian warns that Beckham’s days are numbered. “David Beckham’s relief at returning to the England squad should soon be oveshadowed by recognition of the difficulty he will have in staying there. The 32-year-old is mindful of his status and has succeeded once already, under Steve McClaren, in reviving an international career that seemed to have ended. As a veteran, it will be a steep challenge to pull off that feat again under a grim taskmaster such as Fabio Capello.”
Henry Winter features England legend Tom Finney in the Daily Telegraph. “A byword for modesty, the Preston Plumber seemed almost taken aback with the enduring interest in his life. ‘The War put football into perspective,’ reflected Finney, a neat, smartly dressed figure. ‘It was very strange to be an up-and-coming player one minute, playing for Preston in the 1941 FA Cup final against Arsenal before a full house at Wembley. Then, in no time at all, I was called up to the Army where I was just another nobody who played wherever possible.’”
Robert Philip (Daily Telegraph) looks at Gordon Strachan’s predicament at Celtic. “Strachan left Southampton when the laughter stopped; he won’t hesitate to leave Celtic when it stops being fun… PS Should Strachan walk the next Celtic manager will be… Mark Hughes (and you read it here first).”
The Guardian include their weekly European round-ups. Sid Lowe writes of how Valencia have blown the La Liga title race open and Paolo Bandini features Alessandro Del Piero.
