Big Weekend in Football
This weekend is expected to be fascinating one in the football world. With games with heavy implications on the line, clubs are beginning to feel the pressure and nerves must be kicking in. One slip up by any top tier club can have them tumbling down in ranking and potentially out of contention depending on their league standings. With many club games on queue, there are still several of international matches to be played, including England. Let’s focus on the international matches to be played. Top international teams are also wavering on squads to play, for many these are the first games together, full strength since the World Cup. Many decisions are to be made before the weekend starts including some head scratching moves on the part of England.
To start, Roy Hodgson, the England manager, has made several questionable decisions in the past months which has kept England dans scratching their heads and confused. To start, his initial decision to nominate Javier Mascherano for the Ballon d’Or award. Nothing against Mascherano but fans were initially shocked by the coaches decision, but they were able to get over that quite quickly. The next move which irated the fans was removing Ryan Bertrand from the England squad. Bertrand has proved himself time and time again that he is one of the best left-backs if not the best top back in the league.
After the departure of Bertrand and several other fairly decent players, Hodgson is now left with Leighton Baines and Kieran Gibbs, two very solid players. Although Baines was a standout performer last season, Gibbs has proven this past season that he is the better left-back and should be getting the start for England. With their match against Lithuania right around the corner, fans are holding their breath because they understand the uncertainty Hodgson brings to the table. This should be a fairly convincing win for England, giving Gibbs the start will boost confidence in him and familiarize him with the first squad.
Another team which is looking to get into fit form is the German squad. After their impressive play in Brazil, coach Joachim Löw now understands they have a long way to go if they want to compete with teams as talented as Brazil and Holland again. The German coach has been playing around with various formations and looking to see what works best. After their 2-2 draw with Australia, Löw wants to shift players and drop back in formations and various other tactics. With their match with Georgia around the corner, a far more experienced squad than Australia, Löw hopes they can work out the kinks before battle.
Brazil has been making great strides since their embarrassing defeat in the World Cup this past summer. They are riding a seven match winning streak, and hope to continue this success after their come from behind victory over France (3-1). Even though many are still questioning the strength of the Brazilian squad, they have taken out quality opponents such as Argentina, Colombia, and now France. Brazil will be essentially be playing a home match when they square up with Chili, due to the support of Brazil in London. It should be a great match that should put the naysayers to rest if Brazil can prevail.
The next powerhouse which needs to come up big is Holland. If they hope for a smooth trip to France next summer, they must defeat Turkey shorthanded. They will be playing without their studs, Arjen Robben,Robin van Persie and Ron Vlaar. Also Turkey has been playing extraordinarily well over their past five games. Another problem Holland will be faced with is being able to adapt to their new 4-3-3 formation. As skilled as they are, any team can trip up if they are not on the same page and could potentially drop a match against the Turks.
This weekend is expected to be a barn burner for many clubs and international squads. Tune in to the tele to catch all the action.