Lions roar at last

Finallly, a Test victory for the British and Irish Lions to celebrate.  Despite a slightly under-strength South African team, the squad can feel justifiably proud of their performance, and can also banish the doubts which have recently surfaced about the value of the Lions tour, and the fears for its future.  

The success in the final test followed a determined and disciplined performance, punctuated by some of the fast handling and running rugby we craved.  Within the duration of the tour, players fortunes have radically changed.  The World Player of the Year, Shane WIlliams, has seemingly emerged form the purgatory which followed the award, which should be great news for Wales.

The emergence of a new Irish superstar seems assured after Rob Kearney's 2 superb performances at Full Back.  The verve he brings to the attack with his choice of running lines is impressive, and his rock steady ability under the high ball settled the nerves.  He even added try scoring ability and a massive boot, all of which would make him the stand out star of the tour in many opinions.

The two first choice centres were also excellent, O'Driscoll and Roberts were in a different class to their Springbok counterparts and Tommy Bowe again impressed with his elegant style.  So in terms of the backs, a reasonable success.  Certainly the tourists were able to score tries fairly easily against the world  champions.

Not far behind  in the success stakes would be Simon Shaw, the monstrous England second row, whose inclusion in the second test squad added power and aggression to the Lions, helping to counteract the Boks forwards, disrupting the rolling maul.  Gethin Jenkins and Adam Jones also made a huge difference in the scrum, and were dynamic in broken play. Mike Phillips had a decent enough time at Scrum Half, admittedly outplayed by the awesome Fourie Du Preez, but serviced his backs well enough. 

The problem for the Lions has been in the forwards, who seemed less than cohesive as a unit. The lineout caused concern, especially the inability to disrupt Victor Matfield's dominance which allowed Du Preez quick and easy ball.  The well documented scrum problems may have been laid at the door of Lee Mears and Phil Vickery, but it would appear that it was purely symptomatic of the overall power problem.  The back row didn't do enough in the loose, and the Boks ruled the ruck seemingly unchallenged.  Andy Powell may feel a little unlucky not to have even made a bench spot - although his problems with losing the ball in contact in a couple of warm up games will have counted against him, and Martyn WIlliams played well when he came on, so could he have replaced Wallace at an earlier stage?

Finally it would be a fair time to assess Paul O'Connell's captaincy.  The leadership of a Lions tour is a prestigious appointment, but with it comes significant responsibility.  It did at times appear that O'Connell retreated into his shell somewhat under the weight of expectation, and the players needed more from him.  Certainly Brian O'Driscoll played much more like a captain, filling the void which O'Connell seemed to leave.  Happily, O'Connell stepped up to the plate in the 3rd Test, and the players followed to gain a terrific victory.

Picking a team to win

Listening to Fabio Capello refuting claims that England squad players have come to blows in training makes the average England fan start to sit up and take notice.

Matthew Upson/Gary Cahill vs Gareth Barry (dependent on who you listen to) is something you've never seen or heard before in an England training camp.  It seems a strange thing to say but it's starting to seem like England players actually want to contest a shirt.

We're going to have a change of keeper.  Thankfully.  Rob Green deserves his chance for 2 excellent seasons; Paul Robinson will hopefully get back to being one of the best in the world, but Scott Carson needs lessons in concentration. Seems like a decent contest with 3 great keepers stopping David James ever filling that gap again.

Centre half will also be different; Rio Ferdinand seems never to be 100% fit these days, which will eventually allow either the admirable Phil Jagielka (long term after current knee injury), Cahill (for now?) or more likely Joleon Lescott to play alongside Terry. Full backs offer the now much more relaxed Ashley Cole, or Wayne Bridge (who seems to have regressed at City), with the Glen Johnson project, which still offers doubts, ahead of Gary Neville's steadiness.

The midfield picks itself; Beckham, Lampard, Barry, Gerrard.  Gareth Barry being totally wasted but effective in a holding role; with Steven  Gerrard being allowed to play wherever he wants.  David Beckham is still the best English right sided midfielder, with the athleticism to track back, and the desire to do so.  Frank Lampard's drive as Chelsea vice-captain will mean that we have 5 Captains on the field, which is something Manchester United sadly lacked recently.

Up front, Wayne Rooney and Peter Crouch should be pairing number 1, rather than Crouch being plan b) long ball, as under previous managers.  Capello is brave enough to change his mind about Crouch and vocalise his new opinion.  Rooney having the freedom to run off Crouch's hold-up ability should really make England's link play prosper.

I'm still optimistic that England under Capello can still improve the way they keep possession. The way England pass the ball and don't give it away for the first half hour is starting to look superb. What we need to learn is how to do the same whilst killing off a game. Then we might win something, with a proper manager involved.

False Dawn 2?

The British and Irish Lions 74-10 annihilation of the Golden (formerly Gauteng) Lions evoked memories of the same game 12 years ago when Jon Bentley’s try kick-started the Lions ultimately successful tour. Suddenly all the naysayers from the weekend’s stuttering win in Rustenburg have changed their tune.

There’s now a feeling that the Lions can take on the world champions in their own Highveld back yards and upset the odds. A tall order for a scratch side against a team with such strength in depth as the Boks, but a possibility nonetheless.

Much rests on the emerging midfield partnership of Brian O’Driscoll and Jamie Roberts. Their combination of guile and power in attack is balanced by them both being quality defensive operators, stopping the opposition centres crossing the gain line.

The fly half and centres berths are where the Lions seem to have an edge – Francois Steyn is unpredictable as a number 10, and can be overconfident and get isolated when in the centre. Stephen Jones would be my fly half for his steady hand and underrated eye for a gap, plus his unflappable kicking.

A back row of Heaslip at Number 8 with David Wallace and Tom Croft roaming on the flanks should be a good counter to the Boks such as Juan Smith and Pierre Spies who are certainly in the Croft school of pacy back rowers. Lee Mears makes an impression far larger than his actual size, and may well be at the front of the queue for the hooker berth, whilst the dynamic Gethin Jenkins and old head Phil Vickery battered the Lions around the fringes sand look to be in pole position for the first test.

The second row battle for lineout supremacy will be critical, with Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha practically unbeatable on their own throw and adept at disrupting opponents ball. Paul O’Connell and whoever his partner is (Alun Wynn Jones?) will have to compete to at least ensure they don’t get clean ball.

It certainly seems to be one of the most together Lions tours for a while – the way in which players seem to know where their team-mates are already bodes well for the way in which they’ll have to stick together when the Boks get physical.

I for one am looking forward to it, and feel the Lions can pull it off. If they win the first test – a fast go-forward start will do it – then we can take the series.

False Dawn 1?

England cricket teams and false dawns. The two seem to go hand in hand. In the run up to an Ashes series in England, a wave of optimism is hardly news, but now England have had a couple of comprehensive wins against a poor West indies side plus a couple of limited overs thrashes, it now appears we are even capable of winning the World Twenty20 as well!

Some of the positivity in the England camp will certainly be stemming from the new group of Australian Ashes tourists. No Hayden, Warne, McGrath, Langer, or Gilchrist – a group of experienced winners. A noticeable lack of a front-line spinner. No Andrew Symonds. All major plusses which England will have appreciated.

On the down side, Mitchell Johnson and Phil Hughes have both been in fine form and a fit again Brett Lee is a proposition no England batsman will look forward to with much relish. Ricky Ponting's options are now far more limited, but he is too canny a captain to make the same mistakes twice, and desperately wants a series win in England.

There is an argument to say that the ECB have done themselves no favours allowing players such as the prodigious batsman Hughes to spend time acclimatising at Middlesex; but this is certainly a double edged sword as county bowlers (and the England analysts) will have had a chance to get a good look at his technique in English conditions when the ball swings.

With Ravi Bopara now seemingly as important to England as Kevin Pietersen, James Anderson the new Darren Gough alongside Stuart Broad in the bowling attack, it certainly seems England have gamebreakers where once they had plodders.

It certainly looks like an interesting summer for England, there seems very little chance we’ll win the Twenty20 tournament (look for South Africa or India) as we don’t innovate enough, but if the above mentioned players are backed up by Alastair Cook playing his immovable best, and a few wickets from Graeme Swann on turning pitches (prepared for no Aussie spinner), there is a good chance we can get something out of the Ashes. With the now usual one test appearance from Flintoff, surely the sky's the limit?

A lesson for the master

It’s a special team that can win a treble of trophies. Sir Alex Ferguson knows what it takes to stay the course on three fronts, and last night Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona demonstrated, in winning the Champions League Final, why they are currently the most special team on the planet (and Andres Iniesta possibly the best player, even at less than 100% fitness).

It has to be said that the United team that was put out last night was soundly beaten, both physically and tactically. Too many players looked out of sorts and floated on the periphery of the game. Ferdinand and Vidic flailed around as if they’d never played together. Anderson looked nervous and never seemed to recover his composure after his awful early air-shot. Wayne Rooney barely had a kick in the Barca half, he spent so much time galloping back after Carles Puyol (surely this should have been roles reversed). Even the seemingly indefatigable Ji-Sung Park seemed off the pace. The game just passed Ryan Giggs by completely.

After his tactical masterclass against Arsenal, Ferguson looked to get the same high tempo start that would rip into his opponents. For 10 minutes it looked like it might work. Then Barca settled into their rhythm and started to pick their way through the United midfield at will.

Guardiola’s tactics were spot on, he knew his team would be better going forward, and also realised what United’s fairly predictable personnel, formation and tactics were going to be, so adopted a simple ruse to use their strength against them.

During the first half, Barca keeper Victor Valdes often had the ball as United attacks floundered on a final poor pass. But instead of a long throw out or a kick, he rolled it out to a defender standing inside his own area. Guardiola had obviously realised that with Rooney, Ronaldo, Park, Anderson and Giggs being encouraged to press the ball at a high tempo, they would immediately push up, leaving a gap occupied solely by Michael Carrick. It was into this gap that Iniesta and Xavi constantly drifted, completely unmarked, and free to angle pass after pass into the heart of the United defence. The much vaunted contest between Messi and Evra never materialised, purely because Messi and Henry just came inside to thrive on the huge amount of possession that the two midfielders had.

It seems strange that having seen Chelsea play almost the perfect game against Barca at Stamford Bridge, where they had one shot on target in 95 minutes, Ferguson didn’t realise he needed to fill his midfield with the types of players who would deny Iniesta, Messi and Xavi time and space on the ball. Ryan Giggs, Anderson and Michael Carrick are certainly not the personnel for this task, and instead they gave Barca the freedom of the Stadio Olimpico.

The head to head between the dynamic forwards never materialised, Barca’s triumvirate of Henry, Messi and Eto’o added their 98th and 99th goals of the season, whilst United’s Fab Four barely managed a shot on target after the first ten minutes. Certainly Victor Valdes would have anticipated a much busier evening.

A victory for the Barcelona is a victory for the style in which they play. Sticking to their attacking principles and relying on the fact that they will always score (apart from against Chelsea in the Camp Nou) is a fine philosophy, and is now backed up by a fairly solid defence (even missing 3 first choice players).

Allowed to play their own game, the difference between the sides was the midfield dominance of Iniesta and Xavi. If ever Ferguson has been taught a lesson, it is that the finest teams in Europe need forward thinking creative midfielders who can pick a pass. Paul Scholes was pretty much the epitome of this role, but it’s now obvious (even to him from recent interviews) that his time has passed. Carrick is not this type of player, Giggs is also too old, and Anderson lacks finesse (strangely for a Brazilian). I would imagine Ferguson will go shopping for a new midfielder or two in the summer (Franck Ribery would cheer up most United fans). He will also be acutely aware he never replaced Roy Keane's battling prowess or leadership - not one United player seemed capable of rousing them from the trance Barca had them in. A fit Owen Hargreaves would be a massive benefit (as good as a new signing) if he can turn up on time.

Ferguson was magnanimous in defeat last night, and conceded that the best team had won. It must be seen as a victory for Guardiola, who has rebuilt the Catalan side, stripping out the superstars who had fell into a comfort zone (Deco and Ronaldinho), and relying on an influential spine of players who have come up through the famous Barcelona youth system. Namely Valdes, Puyol, Pique, Busquets, Iniesta, Xavi, and Messi. Of the starting 11 last night, Barca had paid fees for only Henry, Eto’o Sylvinho and Toure (and Pique when he returned from United). Sir Alex would have been similarly proud in 1999 with his “kids”.

Hatton vs Pacquiao: The Fallout

This is a response to a really good blog written by Sky Sports Adam Smith regarding Hatton's preparation for the fight. http://www.skysports.com/opinion/story/0,25212,13841_5298489,00.html

A few of us were saying the way the fight started that Hatton didin't look comfortable with the Southpaw style, something which we've not seen too often. As soon as that first right hook went in and it seemed a total shock to Ricky, we were starting to get worried, and within the next few seconds we were proved right. here's a right hook. And another. Fancy another? Ok, and goodnight.

I can't believe that nobody in the Hatton camp decided enough was enough with Mayweather and his "training"; having watched a fair bit of 24/7 the guy's his own biggest fan. And not the sharpest tool in the shed if some of the stuff he came out with is anything to go by. The bit about not using southpaw pads is shameful - and if Lee Beard stood by and let this happen there's no way he'll be coaching Hatton if he carries on.

In contrast Freddie Roach was ultra professional and obviously a student of the fight game - the hours he spent watching Hatton on film are summed up by the comment he made about him cocking his hand when he's about to throw. Read him like a book. Congratulations to Pacquiao and Roach, tactically superb.

I'd like to see Ricky have one last fight at the MEN, if the medics reckon he's up to it. He had no movement and was there to be hit all night with his hands down. We've seen what happens to fighters who let themselves get hit. Freddie Roach being one. I think a British title fight might be an idea, or maybe an up and coming Brit like Kell Brook. Although it'll never happen, he'll end up with some journeyman he can tear to bits then call it a day.

Never give up, never go out

On the back of two fascinating Champions League semi-finals, I feel it's certainly worth taking a look at the tactics of the coaches in order to compare the worth of the two victorious teams.

United vs Arsenal was reasonably well poised from the first leg, mainly due to Manuel Almunia's heroics at Old Trafford.  There was always a possibility that Arsenal's young guns could appear in the mood to play that fantastic free-flowing football which from time to time we've seen this year. 

Tellingly for the rest of the European game, and especially Barca and Chelsea, Sir Alex Ferguson completely read the way in which Arsenal would line up and deployed the phenomenon that is Cristiano Ronaldo straight down the middle to terrorise Kolo Toure and Johan Djorou, allowing Wayne Rooney to roam and thread the through balls.  Immediately setting about the home team with powerful and pacy thrusts, United put Arsenal's youngsters on the back foot before they'd even begun to get even the remotest attacking idea.  Two goals in the space of 3 minutes knocked the stuffing out of Arsenal, with even Wenger's face being resigned to defeat as he held his head in his hands.

11 minutes in and game, set, match Ferguson.  Garry Kasparov would have been proud.  Sizing up your opponents strengths and turning them into weaknesses is a mark of a tactical master, something Ferguson has never been appreciated for, as was alluded to in commentary last night.  Realising the youthful exuberance of Arsenal was also a weakness was simple, working out the tactics to exploit it more of a masterstroke.  As he approaches retirement, is there a chance that he's getting even better?

I'm sure Guus Hiddink would certainly have applauded Ferguson's tactics, particularly in light of Chelsea's suffocation of Barcelona at the Camp Nou.  The Chelsea boss realised that allowing Barcelona's one touch maestros to "wall pass" their way through the middle of the park would have resulted in carnage - with Iniesta, Henry, Messi and Eto'o getting through at the (fairly)ponderous Chelsea centre halves.  Instead Hiddink played an athletic and powerful formation through the centre, which forced Barca to go wide and play crosses in to the aerial strength of Essien, Ballack, Terry and Alex.

Tonight's second leg was 2 minutes away from being ultimate confirmation of Hiddink's managerial nous, with Chelsea restricting the best footballing side in Europe (apologies United) to pot shots and not one test of Petr Cech in 92 minutes.  With a far more positive outlook in the home leg, Chelsea can feel particularly hard done to, as they could have been awarded 3 or 4 penalties, and seen Barca out of sight in the rear-view mirror if Drogba had his finishing boots on.  

The same team, this time deployed to negate the threat of Alves and Messi worked entirely. Hiddink has even managed to make Florent Malouda look like a hardworking midfielder, rather than the winger-lite he had become under the last 2 managers.  Essien looks like he's one of the best players on the planet, Drogba bullied the centre halves like the player of old, and Terry and Alex looked totally comfortable in such a way that Carvalho didn't appear to be missed.

It's a real shame that Hiddink and Ferguson won't come face to face in the final, although Pep Guardiola will really have learned a lesson from Hiddink - being able to adapt your team's tactics to the opposition is a talent that sometimes even Arsene Wenger struggles with.  Having more than plan A is a neccessity, and Ferguson will have realised that Barca currently don't appear to have plan B.  Their first shot on target flew past Cech, breaking Chelsea hearts in a game they will feel should have been theirs.

The Champions League final should be an technically impressive game, particularly if Barca allow United time to construct from deep.  And a large pitch in Rome should suit both teams, so a fairly open game could be on the cards.  The decisive factors may be the fact that Barca will be missing 2 speedy fullbacks through suspension, and that Rooney managed to avoid the same.  United's power and pace around the Barca defensive third should prove too much.   Prediction time, which in this blog is an inconsistent art, I say 2-1 United.