Comments on: A Weekend of Doubting Our Principles http://www.runofplay.com/2008/02/08/a-weekend-of-doubting-our-principles/ Attacking Football Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:43:33 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Pitch Invasion » Media » Egypt: The Unsurprising Surprise http://www.runofplay.com/2008/02/08/a-weekend-of-doubting-our-principles/comment-page-1/#comment-592 Pitch Invasion » Media » Egypt: The Unsurprising Surprise Sun, 10 Feb 2008 23:42:17 +0000 http://www.runofplay.com/2008/02/08/a-weekend-of-doubting-our-principles/#comment-592 [...] Most of the Egyptians still ply their trade in their home country, which offers relative riches compared to other domestic African leagues, and are thus lesser known than those lighting up the Premier League or La Liga stocking the other tournament favourites teams. This proved to be very important in both Egypt’s victory march and our perception of it (I know many underestimated Egypt as I did: Brian has also confessed to this at the Run of Play). [...] [...] Most of the Egyptians still ply their trade in their home country, which offers relative riches compared to other domestic African leagues, and are thus lesser known than those lighting up the Premier League or La Liga stocking the other tournament favourites teams. This proved to be very important in both Egypt's victory march and our perception of it (I know many underestimated Egypt as I did: Brian has also confessed to this at the Run of Play). [...]

]]> By: Brian http://www.runofplay.com/2008/02/08/a-weekend-of-doubting-our-principles/comment-page-1/#comment-591 Brian Sun, 10 Feb 2008 21:23:43 +0000 http://www.runofplay.com/2008/02/08/a-weekend-of-doubting-our-principles/#comment-591 Tom, that seems right to me. I certainly knew less about the Egyptian players at the start of the tournament than about the stars from many other teams, and I probably didn't realize just how good they were even after some of their early successes. This would be more excusable if it wasn't, from what I understand, the second straight time this has happened in the tournament. Tom, that seems right to me. I certainly knew less about the Egyptian players at the start of the tournament than about the stars from many other teams, and I probably didn't realize just how good they were even after some of their early successes. This would be more excusable if it wasn't, from what I understand, the second straight time this has happened in the tournament.

]]> By: Tom http://www.runofplay.com/2008/02/08/a-weekend-of-doubting-our-principles/comment-page-1/#comment-590 Tom Sun, 10 Feb 2008 20:44:05 +0000 http://www.runofplay.com/2008/02/08/a-weekend-of-doubting-our-principles/#comment-590 Your latter point is spot-on. I wonder how much this is helped by the fact many of the Egyptians play on the same teams in their domestic league. I also think this fact led us European-orientated football fans to underrate them coming in to the tournament. Your latter point is spot-on. I wonder how much this is helped by the fact many of the Egyptians play on the same teams in their domestic league. I also think this fact led us European-orientated football fans to underrate them coming in to the tournament.

]]> By: Brian http://www.runofplay.com/2008/02/08/a-weekend-of-doubting-our-principles/comment-page-1/#comment-589 Brian Sun, 10 Feb 2008 19:58:32 +0000 http://www.runofplay.com/2008/02/08/a-weekend-of-doubting-our-principles/#comment-589 I felt awful for the Cameroonian defense, which tried so hard but just couldn't keep out the Egyptians' focused attack. But I agree that Egypt were the more deserving team; they dominated both sides of the pitch, even if at times they had an almost Mourinho-esque quality of skilled dullness about them. Cameroon were just so toothless in attack, which is not a good quality for an Indomitable Lion to possess. Right on about Ahmed Hassan. The story of the match, and arguably of the tournament, seemed to be the strict discipline of Egypt triumphing over the looser and more erratic style of their opponents, and for me he was the exemplar of that discipline today. I felt awful for the Cameroonian defense, which tried so hard but just couldn't keep out the Egyptians' focused attack. But I agree that Egypt were the more deserving team; they dominated both sides of the pitch, even if at times they had an almost Mourinho-esque quality of skilled dullness about them. Cameroon were just so toothless in attack, which is not a good quality for an Indomitable Lion to possess.

Right on about Ahmed Hassan. The story of the match, and arguably of the tournament, seemed to be the strict discipline of Egypt triumphing over the looser and more erratic style of their opponents, and for me he was the exemplar of that discipline today.

]]> By: Tom http://www.runofplay.com/2008/02/08/a-weekend-of-doubting-our-principles/comment-page-1/#comment-587 Tom Sun, 10 Feb 2008 19:46:00 +0000 http://www.runofplay.com/2008/02/08/a-weekend-of-doubting-our-principles/#comment-587 The African final was fun. I watched it in a bar with a few dozen fans of both teams (equally matched) who were loud but not obnoxious. Egypt has such a good, compact side, and I thought deserved the win. Ahmed Hassan was outstanding, I thought, his calmness and distribution in stark contrast to Cameroon's less, er, efficient style. The African final was fun. I watched it in a bar with a few dozen fans of both teams (equally matched) who were loud but not obnoxious.

Egypt has such a good, compact side, and I thought deserved the win. Ahmed Hassan was outstanding, I thought, his calmness and distribution in stark contrast to Cameroon's less, er, efficient style.

]]> By: Brian http://www.runofplay.com/2008/02/08/a-weekend-of-doubting-our-principles/comment-page-1/#comment-586 Brian Sun, 10 Feb 2008 17:16:51 +0000 http://www.runofplay.com/2008/02/08/a-weekend-of-doubting-our-principles/#comment-586 Surprisingly entertaining game at Stamford Bridge so far in the 53rd minute. It's 0-0, but if Crouch could do anything with his head Liverpool would be up by 37. I'm going to try to keep an eye on the rest of Liverpool-Chelsea while streaming the final in Africa. If at some point I credit Eto'o with a goal for Chelsea you'll know it was beyond me. UPDATE: 0-0 at Stamford Bridge. Meanwhile, in Ghana, Egypt win 1-0 after a disciplined performance. Kameni, the Cameroon goalkeeper, played the match of his life, but the Egyptian attack was relentless. And on the other side of the pitch Cameroon were disorganized and Eto'o was almost invisible even before he suffered what looked like a debilitating hamstring injury. Not a great day for a Cameroonian Barcelona fan. Egypt deserve their win. Surprisingly entertaining game at Stamford Bridge so far in the 53rd minute. It's 0-0, but if Crouch could do anything with his head Liverpool would be up by 37.

I'm going to try to keep an eye on the rest of Liverpool-Chelsea while streaming the final in Africa. If at some point I credit Eto'o with a goal for Chelsea you'll know it was beyond me.

UPDATE: 0-0 at Stamford Bridge. Meanwhile, in Ghana, Egypt win 1-0 after a disciplined performance. Kameni, the Cameroon goalkeeper, played the match of his life, but the Egyptian attack was relentless. And on the other side of the pitch Cameroon were disorganized and Eto'o was almost invisible even before he suffered what looked like a debilitating hamstring injury. Not a great day for a Cameroonian Barcelona fan. Egypt deserve their win.

]]> By: Brian http://www.runofplay.com/2008/02/08/a-weekend-of-doubting-our-principles/comment-page-1/#comment-585 Brian Sun, 10 Feb 2008 14:32:15 +0000 http://www.runofplay.com/2008/02/08/a-weekend-of-doubting-our-principles/#comment-585 Man City are up 2-0 at Old Trafford at halftime in a good up-and-down game. United have had most of the possession and some screamers on goal---the gap between Tevez and scoring at one point was so small that only science could measure it---but City have capitalized on a couple of breakdowns in the United defense. Vassell scored on his own rebound after van der Sar made a falling parry of his first shot, and Benjani celebrated his debut for City by slipping the ball through in a moment of mass confusion around the goal. Sir Alex had declared that United needed not only to win, but to win in style to mark the anniversary of Munich, and it's a safe bet that the ghosts of the past have never flown out of a hair dryer as furiously as they are doing right now. The kits in this game are incredible. United are wearing historical replicas from '58, City all-blue sponsorless kits that look better than any normal kit in the Premier League. Why do we need all the swoopy lines and cell phone ads? These kits are heraldic. It's nice. UPDATE: Still 2-0 at the 60 minute mark, and from the sound of things in Old Trafford, the crowd have decided to go on observing the minute of silence right on till the end of the game. UPDATE: Carrick scores in injury time, but City hold on for a 2-1 win and their first sweep of the Manchester Derby in 38 years. And their supporters respected the silence. Good day for the light-blue half (two-thirds?) of Manchester. Man City are up 2-0 at Old Trafford at halftime in a good up-and-down game. United have had most of the possession and some screamers on goal—the gap between Tevez and scoring at one point was so small that only science could measure it—but City have capitalized on a couple of breakdowns in the United defense. Vassell scored on his own rebound after van der Sar made a falling parry of his first shot, and Benjani celebrated his debut for City by slipping the ball through in a moment of mass confusion around the goal.

Sir Alex had declared that United needed not only to win, but to win in style to mark the anniversary of Munich, and it's a safe bet that the ghosts of the past have never flown out of a hair dryer as furiously as they are doing right now.

The kits in this game are incredible. United are wearing historical replicas from '58, City all-blue sponsorless kits that look better than any normal kit in the Premier League. Why do we need all the swoopy lines and cell phone ads? These kits are heraldic. It's nice.

UPDATE: Still 2-0 at the 60 minute mark, and from the sound of things in Old Trafford, the crowd have decided to go on observing the minute of silence right on till the end of the game.

UPDATE: Carrick scores in injury time, but City hold on for a 2-1 win and their first sweep of the Manchester Derby in 38 years. And their supporters respected the silence. Good day for the light-blue half (two-thirds?) of Manchester.

]]> By: Brian http://www.runofplay.com/2008/02/08/a-weekend-of-doubting-our-principles/comment-page-1/#comment-575 Brian Sat, 09 Feb 2008 19:27:14 +0000 http://www.runofplay.com/2008/02/08/a-weekend-of-doubting-our-principles/#comment-575 Ghana has beaten the Ivory Coast 4-2 after scoring three goals in the last 20 minutes of play. I missed a lot of the second half, so I can't comment definitively, but what I saw was a nice third-place game: relatively fluent, deliberate attacks with plenty of short passes and not much urgency. The Ivory Coast kept looking like it was going to execute a half-speed version of Josimar's goal against Northern Ireland in '86, but never quite managed to make it happen. The build-up that led to Sanogo's second was a treat to watch, though. It has to be said that the defenses were not exactly cutthroat. The goalkeepers' dives took place in a five-step process, and you had time to notice and catalogue every step. Ghana has beaten the Ivory Coast 4-2 after scoring three goals in the last 20 minutes of play. I missed a lot of the second half, so I can't comment definitively, but what I saw was a nice third-place game: relatively fluent, deliberate attacks with plenty of short passes and not much urgency. The Ivory Coast kept looking like it was going to execute a half-speed version of Josimar's goal against Northern Ireland in '86, but never quite managed to make it happen. The build-up that led to Sanogo's second was a treat to watch, though.

It has to be said that the defenses were not exactly cutthroat. The goalkeepers' dives took place in a five-step process, and you had time to notice and catalogue every step.

]]>