Friday, June 30, 2006

The World Cup will pan out this way

30th June -
Germany V Argentina - Argentina win 2-1, Riquelme and Messi play huge roles - Messi as sub after Germany take the lead. Germany heartbroken, but Arg too good for them.

Italy V Ukraine - Italy win easy this time (for a change). Shevchenko goes off injured/subbed in second half. Italy win 1-0 but never troubled.

1st July - England V Portugal - The 3 Lions win, thanks to an inspired Rooney and Gerrard performance. Gerrard scores, and so does Rooney, and Portugal finish up with 10 men or lesser.

1st July - Brazil - France - Brazil win, quite easily again. Henry fails to inspire and still goes on complaining. Zidane's last game for France is disappointing, and Ronaldinho scores his first of the World Cup.

Semis:
4th July - Argentina V Italy - Argentina win, but deep into extra time. Dogged Italy defend like hell, and show zero initiative upfront. Argentina squander numerous chances, but come through somehow, like in the Mexico game.

5th July - England V Brazil - England's teetering World Cup campaign finally ends at Brazil's hands. They put up a good show, but Brazil has too much firepower. Beckham gets sent off, and England lose 2-0.

Finals:
9th July - Argentina V Brazil - Finally, Argentina manage to pull it through with better defensive discipline. Ronaldinho V Riquelme is the contest of the World Cup, and even though Ronaldinho triumphs, his forwards let him down. Argentina score of their only available chances and win 2-0.

There you have it now. I have it all worked out!

Monday, June 26, 2006

Don't write England off just yet

The English press is great fun for a neutral with more than passing interest in the fortunes of England's sporting adventures. It is a no-holds-barred exercise - the team is either the best in the world, or the absolute worst. Every single thing is analysed threadbare in a style that is quintessential English - I love lapping it up, and it obviously does not get bigger for them than the World Cup. Do read the Guardian/Times/Telegraph for fantastic coverage of the World Cup - well worth your time.

I saw the England-Ecuador match yesterday, and England did nothing much to prove my billing that they, along with Brazil and Argentina are the favourites to win. However, I still back that suggestion. Reason is, they have the potential. Lampard is still struggling to do anything meaningful, but we all know how lethal he can be. Rooney is just about coming back into full fitness, and we all know the magic he can conjure from nowhere. The killer of course is Gerrard, who is probably one of the best players in the world. His impact on this World Cup has been very marginal, but he can burst into life, ignite England, and demolish the opposition in a snap.

Add to that the fact that Portugal is missing several key players after a terrible match up against Holland (Deco out to suspension, Figo very likely out due to head butt, and Ronaldo most likely out to injury) - and England can still make it to the semis. At that stage, you would be foolish to write off a team that has Gerrard, Rooney and Lampard in it. Moments of inspired football can change the course of the game, and England are way off their peak still.

Damn you Indiranagar Flyover

Damn you UP State Bridge Corporation - how the hell did you get the contract to build the flyover, and why the heck did you abandon it midway through? I don't care much about late payments, no payments, labour unrest, excessive monsoons, tsunamis, Katrina and the like. These are all part of being in the construction business, and if you cannot manage it, too bad, get out of business. You have no bloody right to inflict unbelievable misery on lakhs of us every single day for the last 3?4? years!

Damn you BDA for letting things meander along for so bloody long. Damn your bloody deadlines which are not worth the paint used on the boards put up around the site. You now mention 30th June (4 freaking days away!) for completion of the main flyover. I will swear off every single vice I have if that happens! And I urge fellow Bangaloreans to save your lives and not go on it even if they do open it up - guaranteed mishaps ahead!

Damn you politicians - you go to Delhi so bloody often, but don't realise how badly behind you all are compared to that city. Flyovers are not drugs that take 12 years of testing on freaking animals and humans before release - they usually take no more than 6 months to complete, not bloody 4 odd years with no end in sight.

Damn you Manmohan and HDK - why do you launch new bloody projects like the Metro and the Electronic City flyover when you haven't come close to completing projects started last century? Can you imagine the mess this city will be with similar project management and pace? The whole city dug up for the metro, labour unrest and delayed payments, political opposition and therefore unfilled holes all over the place - a sure recipe for mass scale migration from Bangalore to Bagepalli or Chitradurga!

Damn you all!

Monday, June 19, 2006

Many top teams still in first gear

The World Cup is underway - and bleary eyedness is underway. The second game starts at 930 PM - very bearable and watchable, but the last match of the day starts at 0030 IST and is out of reach for me so far.

Yesterday was a half-decent game of football - more notable for the spirit shown by the Aussies. Have you noticed how often we mention the Aussies and spirit in the same line when we talk sport?!? Brazil won 2-0, but it was a laboured win. People will write that they are too old/sluggish/blahblah - but end result is that they are through to the next round having won both matches. Same goes for England - struggle they did, but two wins out of two with Rooney getting back after injury can't be that bad.

Argentina has impressed so far, but in a tournament this size, what is more important is to win when it matters - at the business end of the tournament. I think Brazil and England have not yet shifted gears. I rank Argentina very highly - Riquelme is an unbelievable player, and so is Messi.

In my book, the World Cup will be won by one of these three teams.

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

We should be winning this

Good job India to come back from a bad position to turn the screws on the Windies, and reach a stage where one good ball could have won the match. Bad job India for getting into such a terrible position early on in the Test AND not being able to finish the tail off.

The truth is that India are the superior team and should win the series. That we managed to dig a big hole for ourselves, and then somehow clambered out of it does not take away from the fact that we are better ranked, better equipped and SHOULD WIN! It's all fine to say that we should be happy with a draw and the boys fought well, but we really should be winning this!

Monday, June 05, 2006

Sexy Test match cricket!

Yay - Test match cricket is so so wonderful in its entirety. Stretches of play during the game may not be so cool or even boring to many, but looking at the bigger picture of the game in Antigua, after the pendulum swung this way and that, it is still anybody's to lose. Wonderful, innit?

And just look at the Sri Lanka performance against the English side who looked unstoppable last year at home. Of course, different matter that England should ideally stop playing anyone else but Australia - they just don't seem to care about anyone else. In fact, England should not play any other sport in a World Cup (of football I mean) year. Every one is so obsessed on the metatarsal that broke, I don't think too many tears will be shed if England lose today, and then go on and lose to Pakistan (which looks very very likely with Freddie hobbling).