The Ian Munnery World Cup Thread...

[huw williams]

Doctor Fuentes last night appeared on Spanish National Radio 'demanding' that his list of 'very many' high-profile footballers (and track athletes) on spanish teams be publicised.

Quote:
"Treatment only for cyclists? I'm also indignant about that. I've worked with other sports, like athletics, tennis and football. There are a lot of names that haven't come out, there has been only selective leaks. I don't know why.

"I've worked with Spanish football teams from the first and second divisions, that have improved their performance. If I haven't carried out the treatment myself I have recommended it to them."

Fuentes went on to criticise the patient confidentiality law which prohibits him naming the players himself

Quote
"Names have appeared of people that I don't even know and there are others that haven't come out and I've no idea why but my professional oath forbids me from revealing their names."

Interesting times

[Dr Frigo]

So who's pulling for France?

[Grahame]

Moi.

"Allez les bleaux"

[David Lombari]

Unfortunately, on this occasion, not me Sylvain, though I'd like to play them in the final.

I thought Italy were very good last night, particularly the core, Cannavaro-Materazzi-Pirlo-Gattuso. Could they become the first team to win the World Cup without another team scoring against them in the finals?

Roll on Sunday.

[huw williams]

I think as neutrals we all go for the team that plays the most attractive football - France were great against Brazil, wheras Portugal were as bad as England (up until the penalties) so tonight France get the vote by a country mile.

But last night Italy played the game of the tournament.

In a Portugal v Italy final? Italy all the way

In a France v Italy final? Whoever's most positive on the night but personally I don't think Italy are beatable if they play like they did yesterday

[Elliot M]

I go with the Italians - most people mispronounce my name Maroni anyway...

[Dr Frigo]

Thought it was Meccarroni?

[jon avery]

The French for tonight, then the Italians for the final. So it will probably be the other way around as i`m always getting it wrong!

[David Lombari]

Mixing threads here, but this was on Cyclingnews. com yesterday. Be nice if we could have all the names named rather than just the cycling scapegoats, if just to shut Dick Pound up.
---------
FIFA: no footballers involved
The World's governing body of football FIFA has announced that there are no footballers included in the list of sports professionals linked to the Spanish doping network uncovered by Operación Puerto. FIFA had asked the Spanish judicial authorities for information on the case, and was now given clarification by the Spanish minister of sport, Jaime Lissavetzky. Earlier media reports had suggested that there were also footballers involved.
---------

[jon avery]

I was so pleased to see Ronaldo crying again! Lets hope we have a good final on Sunday. ITALIA!! ITALIA!!

[Mike I]

After last night, am I alone in thinking we (England, that is) got a lucky escape when Scolari turned us down? A wholly negative approach in the last 3 games, substitutions which made Sven look like a tactical genius and a display of petulance after the final whistle worthy of Tabloid Wayne himself. And, yes, I too took some pleasure in seeing the chinless show-pony blubbing like a girl. Again.

[huw williams]

On the other hand - Scolari gets teams of very average players a lot further than many other teams full of class players.

With a few exceptions (Ronaldo, Carvalo etc) Portugal's suad includes players who failed at clubs like Spurs and Everton (Postiga, Nuno Valente) or are past their best (Figo) where England is made up of world class players from Chelsea, Liverpool, Man U, Arsenal and Real Madrid.

Scolari's current team is simply not capable of playing great football (unlike his world cup winning Brazil side from 4-years ago) so he resorts to the only kind of tacticts that will get them through, deplorable but effective.

Do a roll reversal - put Sven or Steve Maclaren in charge of that Portugal team - do you think they'd get to the semi's? I think not. Put Scholari in charge of Rooney, Gerard etc? That might be worth seeing.

[jon avery]

Good shout Huw. I think it shows how cr@p Sven was as a manager with the players he had at his disposal. We should have been playing much better football without people having to keep saying (myself included) don`t worry they`re going to go up a gear soon.

[David Lombari]

Good points Huw, though I wonder if we might need to reconsider the England players' World Class tag. Any achievements are at club level and all, with the exception of Gerrard, Carragher and Beckham, within domestic football (though I stand to be corrected).

I think to be considered truly world class you need to be part of a team, and influential within that team, who win European and World Cups.

The Prem gets a lot of praise for being the best in the world but is that due to the foreign players playing within it and do they make the English players look better than they actually are?

Just a thought.

[huw williams]

Yes Dave, this is a point that's often missed when the premier league is cited as 'the best league in the world' - take out the foreign players and it wouldn't be much of a league.

I think England had world class players if you look at what Liverpool Chelsea Man U and Arsenal do in Europe, but they don't seem capable of world class performances for their country - which has got to be down to the manager's inability to motivate them and come up with a winning formation(s). I can't see Macalaren, who has worked so closely with Eriksson making a lot of difference.

The future does not look bright for England. With so many foreign players making the league so exciting and high-profile, it's not going to be easy for the premiership to develop many world class english players for the forseeable future. Roony aside the next generation of youngsters is hardly in the class of Beckham, Gerard and co.

Wright Phillips? Walcott? Do me a favour. Owen, Rooney, Messi and Tevez and Ronaldo had already made their mark on world and european football at the age those guys are currently at.