Crouch To Pompey!

Yes, that’s right… the walking lamppost is rejoining his former club for a fee of about £11m. I think Crouchy’s made a great move as he will get first team football (possibly providing a reason for an England call-up). However, the question must be asked of the manager. Harry Redknapp has sold Crouch twice – once at Portsmouth when Redknapp was Director of Football and the second time at Southampton so why has he bought back the skinny giant?

It’s hard to answer that question as we’ve seen so little of Peter Crouch recently but we know he’ll link up play with his good ball control and will probably partner former Tottenham striker Jermaine Defoe. That brings about another question: where does this leave Kanu? Well he is getting slightly old now but still has great ability as he does not rely on pace.

Crouch represented Liverpool a surprising 127 times in his three seasons at the club but is now overshadowed (not literally) by Fernando Torres who scored more in his first season at the club that Crouch did in the last two. Although I’m not a big fan, Dirk Kuyt has also made some impact on the team along with Andriy Voronin. But for Liverpool fans, lets hope that Gerrard is played off of Torres.

Let’s face it. Crouch isn’t worth £11m so Rafa has certainly struck a deal but will it come to haunt him? Will Crouch prove his worth to Pompey and England in the coming season?

Leave your thoughts!

Tennis: The Wimbledon Final – What a Game!

It’s over, a great Euro’s and now a brilliant Wimbledon, can Beijing live up to these two sporting events? The Wimbledon final was fantastic! Definitely has its place in the history, lots of emotion in the game with two players who rarely show that much emotion apart from the odd fist pump. Nadal has really matured this tournament and you could see how focused he was until the end, Federer was the same, but you began seeing in the great mans face the pressure that Nadal imposed on him.

The game started off rather slow for Federer as he hit many unforced errors and didn’t look settled one bit as Nadal played perfectly and got the first break, it was quite shocking to see no improvement from Federer in the second as he broke Nadal’s serve in the second game of the second set and then got broken twice in the same set to go two sets down.

At this point, Federer was not playing at his best and Nadal was playing at his absolute best, things did not look good for Federer as in the third set Nadal seemed to be dominating Federer’s serve but still not managing to find the break, and Federer had no impact at all on Nadal’s serve. When the game came to tie-break with Federer’s record at tie-breaks he became favourite to take the set demolishing Nadal in and taking moment into the fourth set.

The fourth set ended up being the same as the third, at this point the match was tied 2 sets all 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7 with Nadal the former. The fourth set tie break did have the excitement of a championship point, and on the championship point Federer responded, a few baseline exchanges and Nadal uncharacteristically came into the net and Federer hit the greatest backhand down the line whilst he was on the run I have ever seen, under the most immense pressure that if he misses it would be game over, fantastic point, and it rose Federer’s confidence to take the fourth.

The proposition of a five set match was a mouth watering idea for the neutral, and the fifth set was one of the most emotional sets I have ever seen, both players picked up their game, but I have to say Nadal reached further, he played phenomenally in the last set and a sad thought but he outclassed Federer, he dominated all the games until he managed to break him right at the end.

I have to admit the reason why I tipped Federer to win yesterday is because I so desperately wanted him to win, I really believe he has the potential to be labelled as the greatest ever once he retires and 6 in a row could have done that for him. I felt a real disappointment when he lost, but I was pleased that another great tennis player won it instead. Hats off to Nadal for the greatest performance of his career, a deserved winner.

Tennis: Federer Vs Nadal

The third consecutive final between Federer and Nadal at Wimbledon is set for tomorrow, and it’s the one every wanted. Last year was one of the most exciting finals I have ever seen at Wimbledon between the world number 1 and 2, a combination of hard hitting and classy winners just made it such an amazing game to watch.

The improvements Nadal has made to his game since his defeat to Federer last year have been phenomenal. His return of serve is always the reason why he is one of the best, but now his further improvements of his service game and backhand has led to him to destroy any opponent in his sights. With victory at the queens, Nadal’s confident and game is clearly reached it’s highest peak on grass, tomorrow has to be his day…

But…

I have to applaud Federer, with all the criticism and doubt that he’s had this year, and to come back with his pure focus and controlled way of playing, not dropping one set on his road to the final is almost like normal service resumed in the great man’s world, but can he win tomorrow?

I believe if both players play at the top of their game, then it is way too close to call, but if I have to predict, Federer could just edge it.

F1: Silverstone Grand Prix Qualifying

After a bad races for McLaren Mercedes in Montreal and Magny-Cours, it is safe to say that they are back. Recently joined driver Heikki Kovalainen grabbed his first ever pole position while British hero Lewis Hamilton finished fourth in a week where he had to do something a little more special due to bad press. The man from Finland looked quicker than anybody all weekend in both practise and qualifying as he knows the track so well from his driving apprenticeship. He was actually half a second quicker than second-place Mark Webber who was undoubtedly the biggest surprise of the weekend so far.

The other surprises included the lack of pace shown my Felipe Massa who will start tomorrows race in 9th place. Defending champion Kimi Raikkonen looked off the pace too until Q3 where he held provisional pole (for about 3 seconds) and will start P3 in front of Hamilton.

Robert Kubica was also relatively slow starting P10. BMW surely look like they’re waiting for next year to really step up their game however further development will be needed for this year although Nick Heidfeld finished in 5th place.

Q1 saw an early departure for Jensen Button, who looks very slow in the Honda. They really need to get some further investment to develop their car or Button may be on his way out. Nico Rosberg who was literally fighting with his car to keep it going in a straight line. His suspension problems really look to be hurting his season. Maybe he should have moved to McLaren when he had the chance.

David Coulthard will be slightly disappointed at coming out in Q2, only 6 hundreds of a second off the pace. He would have loved to be in the top ten for his last British GP. It’s hard to see why his car is so much slower than the sister car that Mark Webber drives but his invaluable experience will be missed by Williams. It will be very interesting to see his replacement, whether it is Fernando Alonso or Sebastian Vettel (who also looked quick finishing in P8).

The race will be both exciting and eventful as no one knows what will happen especially after recent weeks. As usual, car setup, fuel load, strategy and the weather will play pivotal roles.

For the starting grid and qualifying times click here.

Goodbye – Adebayor, Lampard, Hleb and Ronaldo?

I’m probably jumping the gun here, but I wanted to talk about a number of players that look likely to leave the English Premiership. All the these players have made some sort of impact last season. So how much of a gap will these players leave? Will the premiership be the same without them? Will the respective clubs be able to replace these players? Or will they struggle in the coming season?

Hleb - it all started with an innocent excursion in Milan with the Inter representative, while deciding what flavour of Italian gelato to have, the Italian journalist put two and two together and quickly deduced that this meeting was more then a social excursion. Hleb has amazing ball control, my colleague Ash-sta rates him extremely highly. His ability on the ball, his passing and movement is awesome, he is a typical Wenger player, who loves to pass. However his goal return is shocking!

In recent weeks Hleb has also since been linked with a move to Barcelona. Personally, I don’t see him as a traditional Jose Mourinho player so I reckon he’s off to the Spanish giants. The question remains… will Arsenal miss him? They have Walcott, Rosicky, Nasri (according to everyone) and Eboue (does he really count)? They have plenty of cover, however there are questions marks over these players, especially over fitness and ability (Eboue).

Lampard – After a difficult season both personally and professionally, Lampard looks set to join his old manager at Inter. J-lee mentioned with the bargain signing of Deco. This one is defiantly going to happen. Looks like J-lee’s post has pretty much covered this one:

Deco’s arrival however seems to signify Frank Lampard’s exit from Stamford Bridge, meaning both he (Deco) and Michael Ballack must add to the goal tally.

Adebayor – Another Arsenal player linked with Barcelona! The 30+ goal’s he scored last season has gone to his head and a number of Arsenal fans are wondering if Mr Wenger should cash in ‘Greedy Adebayor‘. Its always hard to tell what Wenger is thinking, so if Adebayor goes, Arsenal will need to sign a new striker to replace him. Villa, Santa Cruz and Arshavin have all been mentioned as possible replacements for the Big Togoan. Any of these would be a great replacement but he will need replacing!

Finally Cristiano Ronaldo – The first player to win all three player of the year awards in England, there is no doubt he will be (or is) world player of year. But is the Portuguese starlet destined for Real Madrid? During the Euro 2008 all reports suggested that he has already agreed personal terms, and that all that was required is for both clubs to decide a price! Read all about the saga here. Out of all the players mentioned in this post I believe if Ronaldo was to leave he will be the most missed. A player who is regarded by most if not all as the best player in the world is no small title. Who will score the goals? Who will Sir Alex look to when a game needs changing? Did I mentioned who will score the goals?

Chelsea’s Hunt for the Title

After recently signing Deco, Chelsea look a strong side for next seasons Premiership as well as Champions League. The play-maker will bring a lot to the team with both technical ability and experience as he still has about four years left in him. The Portuguese midfielder only cost the club £8m which seems like a bargain especially after Man Utd payed £18m for Michael Carrick. Deco’s arrival however seems to signify Frank Lampard’s exit from Stamford Bridge, meaning both he (Deco) and Michael Ballack must add to the goal tally.

All eyes now turn to Scolari who has been given £250m to spend on transfers (yes you read it right, two hundred and fifty million pounds). So where does he look next? With Drogba remaining very quiet, it seems as though he will stay at the club. Whether Scolari would like to replace Hernan Crespo after he was released is another matter.

Robinho reportedly remains the number one target and the Brazillian was recently classed ‘as good as Cristiano Ronaldo’ by his agent. You are probaly aware that the statement is complete nonsense as I would like to see Robinho score 42 goals in a season playing in the Spanish league let alone Premier league.

There’s no doubt that Roman Abramovich is attempting to buy all the trophies next season when to be honest, Scolari does not need to spend that much money on new players. I reckon he’ll just buy big named players rather than players who will play in a team and wouldn’t be surprised if next season has a similar outcome to lasts.

Euro 2008: Team of the Tournment

“TouchlinePundits” team of the tournament is not just of the best 11 performers for those each position, but factors included were, ability, influence on the tournment, and character. So here it is;

GOALKEEPER

Gianluigi Buffon: Performed brilliantly, despite his teams efforts to be the most negative idiots on the planet. Buffon made some class saves and his celebration after saving Mutu’s penalty was priceless. A deserved member of this team.

DEFENDERS

Carlos Puyol: This was a close one between him and Marchena, both played brilliantly but Puyol won it on inspiration, always an important figure to have in the team.

Pepe: Shocked me with his performance, both defensively and going forward, he was considered overrated by many before the tournament but really proved his worth this time.

FULLBACKS

Yuri Zhirkov: A revelation, this player was brilliant going forward, defensively not so strong but if he was in a team with strong defenders he could be one of the best fullbacks in the world (OK that’s pushing it) but a great performance and a good reason to why Russia did so well.

Phillip Lahm: Another brilliant performance from him, was one of the lively players in fairly textbook German team, scorer of a great goal to win it against the Turks.

CENTRAL MIDFIELDERS

Xavi: One of the best players of the tournament, him and Senna were the driving force of the Spanish midfield, both defensive and attacking was spot on.

Michael Ballack: An inspirational figure for Germany, every player in Germany clearly looked up to him, was the best captain, scored the best goal, and lead the team to the final.

WINGERS

Bastian Shweinsteiger: I guess this is a shock choice, but being left on the bench for the first game after lack of faith from his manager, he really proved his worth and put flair in the German’s game, being sent off against the Croats was a let down, but his performance against Turkey got him into this team.

Wesley Sneijder: Such an obvious choice, scorer of the best two goals of the tournament, played the best his best football against the two world cup finalists. Again a player who was slightly over rated before the tournment.

FORWARDS

Andrei Arshavin: Zidane said he was amazed at how good he was, that’s good enough for me, to be honest I never saw Russia play a full game, but if Zidane and Wenger praise him, he’s in the team. Well done son!

David Villa: This player has real star quality, both him and Torres have very similar mentality’s in football, the are the best most wanted strikers in the world, and sodding Liverpool has one of them. Villa played fantastically, constant flair, class, and maturity.

THE MANAGER: Guss Hiddink: This tournament had great managers, Van Bastan, Donadoni, Scolari etc.. but Hiddink stands out amongst all, to get Korea to the semi’s is enough to win a Golden Football, but to get the Russian’s playing like Arsenal is absolute genius. Unfortunately the fitness levels collapsed and Spain deservedly won the game.

That’s it from me, you may not agree but please let me know of any suggestions. Look out for more analysis.

Euro 2008 Review

This was a tournament filled with great games (excluding Romania Vs France) and good goals. Congratulations to Spain for a magnificent performance throughout the competition and a fully deserved victory. The tremendous amount of good, pure football on display kept everyone entertained and in the end, the right team were crowned champions.

The tournament saw great team and individual performances alongside the odd boring and poor performance. We also saw some surprises in the competition from both teams and players who many big clubs will try and get there hands on.

The Stars

Cesc Fabregas (Spain) - It’s hard to believe that this guy is only 21and is performing so well on a high stage. The young genius conducted the Spanish side (when he was on) and proved his worth to both Arsenal and his country.

Michael Ballack (Germany) – Simply ran the German side by using his momentum in the latter parts of last season. He scored one of (if not the) best goals of the tournament and Germany wouldn’t of got as far as they did without him. As for his ‘calf strain’, did you really think he was going to miss the final?

David Villa (Spain) – The top goal scorer in the tournament and one the players of the tournament. His masterclass inspired the team with goals, assists and general play. I hope he does sign to the Premiership as it would be nice to see him every week. Lets just hope he goes to a decent club.

Wesley Snejider (Holland) – Considered as the heartbeat of the Dutch side who probably should have gone all the way. He scored two of the goals of the tournament (against Italy and France) and if he didn’t play for Real Madrid, the ‘Big Four’ would all be in the hunt for his signature.

The Surprises

Gio Van Bronkhorst (Holland) – Was unexpected to play as well as he did and was a major part in the best team goal of the tournament. He’s always been a solid left back and is pretty good in midfield too. However, this could be his last tournament as he is 33.

Russia – Guus Hiddink took the country to the semis and his second in six years. He truly showed what a great manager he is and could be on the way to club management. He lead the team to beat Holland (his native country) in the quarter-final but couldn’t get past champions Spain.

Turkey - They are indeed the ‘Comeback Kings’ and fully deserve the title. Fatih Terim is simply a tactical mastermind and took his country to the semis by playing the matches of the tournament. They were eventually knocked out by the favourites prior to the tournament, Germany.

Colin Kazim Richards – Kazim Kazim (Turkey) - Showed that he belongs with great names and could of caught the eye of many Premiership managers. He made a nuisance of himself in many games providing serious goal threat for Turkey.

The Flops

Luca Toni (Italy) - How many chances does this guy need? I would consider him to be worse in this tournament than Frank Lampard in Germany 2006. There’s no doubt that he is a great player as he did lift the Italian side. But this guy was there to score goals something he didn’t do.

Mario Gomez (Germany) - Like Toni, he came into the tournament full of hope and expectation after scoring 19 goals in 25 appearances for his club VfB Stuttgart. However, from what we’ve seen, it’s difficult to see why many premier league clubs want to sign him. But if he does join the league, we’ll see how he gets on. The only saving grace for him at the moment is if he does not join Tottenham.