what exactly do u yearn for more n how exactly are u gonna do it?
Man Utd were only 3 points ahead, albeit w a much superior goal difference, n this was a potential 6-pointer. w only 2 matches left after this, this match could decide e title. it is tt close, if Fergie hasnt realised. so it is a big match, even if it is stuck btwn e two legs of e Champions' League semi-final. n Fergie seemed to not have realised tt e opponents Chelsea are in a similar position. they have tt front to fight as well in afew days, against Liverpool. both teams r in this shit together lah, please. so we're at e business end of e season. n it's e time when real men stand up n be counted. players live for n thrive in this. tts e difference btwn e two teams this time.
Chelsea, without regards for e comin fixtures, understand tt all their top players have to feature now. they fielded their strongest team (unless u consider Florent Malouda first-team), w e exception of a stricken Frank Lampard (n yes without such a key player, no offence to e Lampard family, United still did not capitalise). with Stamford Bridge, e formidable Bridge, unbeaten in 100 matches since February 2004, as e setting, Man Utd did e inexplicable. Phenomenon Cristiano Ronaldo, together with Patrice Evra and Carlos Tevez, were rested. those 3 can already be considered e main reasons for United's amazing season. what were Mikael Silvestre, Darren Fletcher and Nani doin in e line-up?
Chelsea looked snarling in defence, powerful n efficient in midfield w Michael Essien and Jon Obi Mikel holdin forte, n inspired in attack. Man Utd went for a sole striker n played like its offence was havin a try-out in training. Nani was so bad he was almost detrimental to United. Wayne Rooney has v much shown this season tt he cannot single-handedly win a game for United without e support of his star colleagues like Ronaldo and Tevez. so u let him lead e line alone? Fletcher, whom i like, was given a run-out, but against e illustrious Chelsea midfield? oh come on.
i guess Fergie brought club captain Ryan Giggs back to control e game for us in e absence of players like Ronaldo and Paul Scholes. but Giggs is seriously declinin n this match he was always a yard short n a second slower, n failed to make any meaningful impact. these few weeks him n Scholes have really deteriorated a lot, to an extent tt i haven before seen, n im startin to believe their time is almost up. u see this isnt prejudgment. ive followed e club for 12 years n these two are e icons of this generation. they've performed at such high levels for more than a decade tt many times there were hints of decline. critics wait to catch em off-form n say tt they're burnt out. but they came back stronger. this time age has really played its part.
they have reinvented emselves over e years. Scholes was more known for his late bursts into e area, threat from e midfield hole, n blistering shots from far. as he aged n became slower to contribute w goals, he concentrated on his other weapon - passing. forgive me for being a Scholes diehard fan, but watch him, i dare say his range of passing n passing abilities are one of, if not e best in e world. as years passed, he fell back abit deeper to collect e ball, to have a bigger impact on matches in terms of controllin e tempo. this magnified his game-reading skills.
Giggs' main weapons in his heyday (n there are afew actually) were a dribbling style combined w speed n change of pace, plus a mean crossing ability. he reminded ppl of e legendary George Best, n tts a scary thought in itself. ppl could not handle Best, n they cldnt handle Giggs as well. but thing is, Giggs' dribbling is largely effective only when he's comin fast at u. v different school of dribbling from masters like Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho, or even Joe Cole. he aged, n he got slower. he could no longer burn fullbacks. so he reinvented himself. for his heyday #2, he went higher up e wing, so he did not have to run as far to take on defenders. he depended more on delivering good crosses now. it reduced his dynamism, but to complete this heyday #2, he utilised fully another weapon of his - an amazing ball control. this aspect distinguishes Giggs from many other professionals in e English league. he has great understanding of e ball n can make it stick to him naturally. he's slower, so he cant keep holdin e ball anymore, so he shall use his ball control to e fullest n play others on. he became a focal point for most of Man Utd's lightning-quick attacks, integrating his vision n passing into e moves. so u have a player tactically n technically gifted. n Giggs has e added advantage as he struck fear into opponents. they know even if they can catch him or stop him, what he can do w a ball can still settle games. this coincided w him movin more infield, becomin more involved in plays. heyday #3 is even more high-profile than #2, n is e period stretchin into present day. this was when he has reached a certain level of maturity n experience, n could affect outcomes of matches by simply being on e field. this coincided w him being made captain of United and Wales. w tt ball control, vision, n game-reading skills, plus a more centralised position, he now hold extensive influence in matches. he sometimes can even impose this on match officials, who respect him for his accolades n discipline in an illustrious career.
but like i mentioned earlier, Scholes and Giggs have really aged n i dont believe they can go on for v long more. Giggs will want to break Sir Bobby Charlton's appearance record, but Scholes may be contemplatin retirement.
e central defensive partnership was first choice, if tt was any consolation. but when Nemanja Vidic left e field before even e quarter-hour mark, Wes Brown slotted inside n Owen Hargreaves filled rightback, n it was Barcelona again. just tt this time at leftback was e inferior Silvestre. suddenly e team looked weak.
w 25mins still remainin, against e late-late-show team of England, Fergie committed e amateur mistake of going in retreat, bringin in John O'Shea for e outstandin Anderson. n let e powerful opponents come at em. Fergie really should know better. this was Stamford Bridge n as such a reputable club we should have gone at em. maybe he was encouraged by what happened at Nou Camp. he seemed especially proud of tt, while fans didnt.
Chelsea were not afraid n threw on Nicolas Anelka, Andriy Shevchenko, n almost Juliano Belletti to pile on e pressure offensively. so away team went reverse n home team went forward. no contest. when barrage n barrage of attacks on United's goal seemed futile n Drogba, Anelka n Cole especially quiet, it took a dubious penalty to confirm tt Chelsea always score at home.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Barcelona 0-0 Manchester United
give Barcelona some credit. e papers have mostly been centring ard how Fergie planned n went out to choke e opponents, n totally gave up any intentions to attack. some ppl have commented tt Manchester United looked Italian n played like catenaccio. near, but if u analysed e match closely, United were kept out of havin a go at Barcelona, by Barcelona.
this is Man Utd. a team tt prides on possession play, swift killer blows, n swaggers ard pitch. even when they're down against top teams, they usually dominate possession til e final whistle. it is how Fergie learnt football should be played, n what he passed on to his old guard, who then impose it on e newer generations. this season, they've perfected e art. remember 5-1 Newcastle, 6-0 Newcastle, n 3-0 Liverpool? these are reputable opponents who are supposed to be close in quality to United. but if u had been living on another planet n only watched these matches, u would have thot tt Newcastle and Liverpool are in a different league from United. such was e Red Devils' domination of e matches, n how they smothered e ball ard e field like e opponents wernt there. they easily stringed together 20-odd-pass sequences in e closing stages of e matches.
n at Nou Camp, e final possession count read only 27% to United. please do not say it was just Fergie's conservative tactics. this team is built to be arrogant. but Barcelona controlled e tempo of e match thruout n didnt allow United to play.
e line-ups did not say much. Barcelona preferred a single out-n-out striker in Samuel Eto'o, but e attackin nature of e team was obvious. Lionel Messi returned, n e midfield also boasted Deco n Andres Iniesta. only a fool would think this was a cautious line-up. durin Barca's all-conquerin days of 2006, their irrepressible midfield was e crux of their offense, when they worked as a unit to dismantle oppositions. in fact, Man Utd's line-up also looked fine. Paul Scholes n Michael Carrick continued their reliable partnership in e middle of e park (although some believe Owen Hargreaves and Anderson are more continental and hence more suited), n e only notable change was Park Ji-Sung's run-out over club captain Ryan Giggs, who was ready on e bench.
but from e whistle go, some things became obvious. winger Cristiano Ronaldo has been allocated as sole striker, much owing to his goal-scoring record this season; Carlos Tevez fell deep, while Wayne Rooney went out right. Scholes, usually the perfect fold for Carrick, was given similar duties as e latter, to sit in front of e defence as e second anchorman. there were many question marks over e strategy of Fergie. why was Scholes, infamous for his lack of tacklin skills, used as a destroyer n restrained from what he does best, in e attackin midfield hole? by joinin Carrick, we can see clearly Fergie's defensive approach. why was Rooney used out right when he's an instinctive striker but lacks flair? Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was experimented before by Fergie to be moved out to e wing, but he succeeded to an extent as Solskjaer played simple, direct wingplay, and he had pace n a fair amount of flair. Rooney was almost invisible whole night n did not excite e Catalan crowd, a letdown to e hype ard him, as compared to Messi, Bojan Krkic or Geovanni. e choice of Ronaldo upfront was simple math - 38-goal return, n this man would give e Barca defence something to think abt whole night. but wrong. Ronaldo is best maraudin from deep, in momentum n in full flow. he cant wait. hes not a natural striker, but more a forward. n as a forward, he needs someone to complement him, all season being Rooney. so this night, he only succeeded in scarin e Barca defence, but there was only so much he could do.
i would have to admit United were astute in defending n one could easily see tt their main duties for e night were defensive. Barca controlled e match. basically e scenes were repeated. Deco or Xavi would control e tempo, decide e next move, n start playin. Messi, Iniesta and Eto'o would usually get e ball, n try to work something out. Man Utd sat back. when e time was ripe, Scholes or Carrick or Evra or Hargreaves would stick in to make e tackle. if at best, Barcelona made it to e last line, Rio Ferdinand would blast e ball away into safety. Rooney, Tevez and Park did their part by harryin opponents from e midfield region. if United did get e ball under control, they would give it to Scholes, Carrick, Rooney or Tevez. unfortunately, this was e main disappointment of e night for United. usually so adept at it, Barcelona's close attention left Scholes, Carrick and Rooney dead most of e time, 3 players who arnt exactly good in tight situations. so e ball is lost n returned to Yaya Toure, e main destroyer for Barcelona. in essence, there was no link-up to Ronaldo, let alone threats to e Barca goal. but if one does not consider Man Utd as Man Utd this night, it was an exceptional defensive display.
maybe he was being cautious in such a cauldron, but definitely not negative. Ronaldo might have been moved inside as a tactical change; Eric Abidal or Gianluca Zambrotta are two of e best at fullback. but no, w e confidence of Fergie in Ronaldo this season, i dont think he would think tt way. Rooney? i felt tt he was played simply bcoz he's Rooney. Fergie has to choose e best team for e occasion, not e best individuals. other than his lung-bursting defensive contributions, his selection was off.
however, this match was for e taking, if Fergie hadnt realised. Barcelona was in a slump. they're not e team of before. not tt team tt passed ard so lightning-quick like only vintage Arsenal can. n Nou Camp hasnt been tt formidable this season. well, we can only understand tt maybe it was Fergie's experience, tt u must always show respect to e biggest clubs of e world. maybe coz Champions' League semi-final is just too huge. maybe he has last season's football lesson by AC Milan at e back of his head. but if he had dared n allowed us fans to dream, he would have taken e game to Barca, n there could yet be a better result.
make no mistake. conceding nothing at Nou Camp is an achievement in itself. tt was most prob e idea in Fergie's head when plannin his strategy. but this is a two-legged affair. u bring e opponents home w a 0-0 aggregate, means u have to do better than e 1st leg to win e tie. once they score at Old Trafford, u have to beat em, bcoz a scoring draw n ur out. Old Trafford is e Theatre of Dreams, but it still cannot claim to be a fortress like Anfield, Stamford Bridge or San Siro. essentially in this tie, it doesn matter much who has home advantage. when Barcelona come by, please watch out. they are a team tt can score in any ground in e world. we'll have to control n dominate, but not slip up behind to an early Barca goal. n we've never needed e Old Trafford crowd more than now.
this is Man Utd. a team tt prides on possession play, swift killer blows, n swaggers ard pitch. even when they're down against top teams, they usually dominate possession til e final whistle. it is how Fergie learnt football should be played, n what he passed on to his old guard, who then impose it on e newer generations. this season, they've perfected e art. remember 5-1 Newcastle, 6-0 Newcastle, n 3-0 Liverpool? these are reputable opponents who are supposed to be close in quality to United. but if u had been living on another planet n only watched these matches, u would have thot tt Newcastle and Liverpool are in a different league from United. such was e Red Devils' domination of e matches, n how they smothered e ball ard e field like e opponents wernt there. they easily stringed together 20-odd-pass sequences in e closing stages of e matches.
n at Nou Camp, e final possession count read only 27% to United. please do not say it was just Fergie's conservative tactics. this team is built to be arrogant. but Barcelona controlled e tempo of e match thruout n didnt allow United to play.
e line-ups did not say much. Barcelona preferred a single out-n-out striker in Samuel Eto'o, but e attackin nature of e team was obvious. Lionel Messi returned, n e midfield also boasted Deco n Andres Iniesta. only a fool would think this was a cautious line-up. durin Barca's all-conquerin days of 2006, their irrepressible midfield was e crux of their offense, when they worked as a unit to dismantle oppositions. in fact, Man Utd's line-up also looked fine. Paul Scholes n Michael Carrick continued their reliable partnership in e middle of e park (although some believe Owen Hargreaves and Anderson are more continental and hence more suited), n e only notable change was Park Ji-Sung's run-out over club captain Ryan Giggs, who was ready on e bench.
but from e whistle go, some things became obvious. winger Cristiano Ronaldo has been allocated as sole striker, much owing to his goal-scoring record this season; Carlos Tevez fell deep, while Wayne Rooney went out right. Scholes, usually the perfect fold for Carrick, was given similar duties as e latter, to sit in front of e defence as e second anchorman. there were many question marks over e strategy of Fergie. why was Scholes, infamous for his lack of tacklin skills, used as a destroyer n restrained from what he does best, in e attackin midfield hole? by joinin Carrick, we can see clearly Fergie's defensive approach. why was Rooney used out right when he's an instinctive striker but lacks flair? Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was experimented before by Fergie to be moved out to e wing, but he succeeded to an extent as Solskjaer played simple, direct wingplay, and he had pace n a fair amount of flair. Rooney was almost invisible whole night n did not excite e Catalan crowd, a letdown to e hype ard him, as compared to Messi, Bojan Krkic or Geovanni. e choice of Ronaldo upfront was simple math - 38-goal return, n this man would give e Barca defence something to think abt whole night. but wrong. Ronaldo is best maraudin from deep, in momentum n in full flow. he cant wait. hes not a natural striker, but more a forward. n as a forward, he needs someone to complement him, all season being Rooney. so this night, he only succeeded in scarin e Barca defence, but there was only so much he could do.
i would have to admit United were astute in defending n one could easily see tt their main duties for e night were defensive. Barca controlled e match. basically e scenes were repeated. Deco or Xavi would control e tempo, decide e next move, n start playin. Messi, Iniesta and Eto'o would usually get e ball, n try to work something out. Man Utd sat back. when e time was ripe, Scholes or Carrick or Evra or Hargreaves would stick in to make e tackle. if at best, Barcelona made it to e last line, Rio Ferdinand would blast e ball away into safety. Rooney, Tevez and Park did their part by harryin opponents from e midfield region. if United did get e ball under control, they would give it to Scholes, Carrick, Rooney or Tevez. unfortunately, this was e main disappointment of e night for United. usually so adept at it, Barcelona's close attention left Scholes, Carrick and Rooney dead most of e time, 3 players who arnt exactly good in tight situations. so e ball is lost n returned to Yaya Toure, e main destroyer for Barcelona. in essence, there was no link-up to Ronaldo, let alone threats to e Barca goal. but if one does not consider Man Utd as Man Utd this night, it was an exceptional defensive display.
maybe he was being cautious in such a cauldron, but definitely not negative. Ronaldo might have been moved inside as a tactical change; Eric Abidal or Gianluca Zambrotta are two of e best at fullback. but no, w e confidence of Fergie in Ronaldo this season, i dont think he would think tt way. Rooney? i felt tt he was played simply bcoz he's Rooney. Fergie has to choose e best team for e occasion, not e best individuals. other than his lung-bursting defensive contributions, his selection was off.
however, this match was for e taking, if Fergie hadnt realised. Barcelona was in a slump. they're not e team of before. not tt team tt passed ard so lightning-quick like only vintage Arsenal can. n Nou Camp hasnt been tt formidable this season. well, we can only understand tt maybe it was Fergie's experience, tt u must always show respect to e biggest clubs of e world. maybe coz Champions' League semi-final is just too huge. maybe he has last season's football lesson by AC Milan at e back of his head. but if he had dared n allowed us fans to dream, he would have taken e game to Barca, n there could yet be a better result.
make no mistake. conceding nothing at Nou Camp is an achievement in itself. tt was most prob e idea in Fergie's head when plannin his strategy. but this is a two-legged affair. u bring e opponents home w a 0-0 aggregate, means u have to do better than e 1st leg to win e tie. once they score at Old Trafford, u have to beat em, bcoz a scoring draw n ur out. Old Trafford is e Theatre of Dreams, but it still cannot claim to be a fortress like Anfield, Stamford Bridge or San Siro. essentially in this tie, it doesn matter much who has home advantage. when Barcelona come by, please watch out. they are a team tt can score in any ground in e world. we'll have to control n dominate, but not slip up behind to an early Barca goal. n we've never needed e Old Trafford crowd more than now.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
call me senior, u cao freshie.
before exams...
mugging intensively for communication research. visual literacy. biology.
flippin thru information literacy. speech & argumentation. hopin e papers will be easy on me.
believing im dead this sem.
nothing else.
after exams...
(which was just three days of five papers. dont say im crazy. it's how our cores are planned. n we dont mind. this is a "rigorous curriculum" ok.)
television. finally. Rocky Balboa. awesome. soccer w e CS team. it's been awhile. CS men's talk. drive. chomp chomp. supper w e roomie n benwei. liondance. run. finally. pull-ups n crunches. finally. youtube. afternoon naps. shopped n got myself boxers, pants, n a huge bag. Heroes 2. finally completed. donut factory. ponggol nasi lemak. sports journ internship. City of God. FYP documentary Singapore Standard Time. michael moore's Sicko. more running. ntu route 378, twice in two nights. 2046. rockumentary This is Spinal Tap. ippt.
mugging intensively for communication research. visual literacy. biology.
flippin thru information literacy. speech & argumentation. hopin e papers will be easy on me.
believing im dead this sem.
nothing else.
after exams...
(which was just three days of five papers. dont say im crazy. it's how our cores are planned. n we dont mind. this is a "rigorous curriculum" ok.)
television. finally. Rocky Balboa. awesome. soccer w e CS team. it's been awhile. CS men's talk. drive. chomp chomp. supper w e roomie n benwei. liondance. run. finally. pull-ups n crunches. finally. youtube. afternoon naps. shopped n got myself boxers, pants, n a huge bag. Heroes 2. finally completed. donut factory. ponggol nasi lemak. sports journ internship. City of God. FYP documentary Singapore Standard Time. michael moore's Sicko. more running. ntu route 378, twice in two nights. 2046. rockumentary This is Spinal Tap. ippt.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
unbelievable? believe it.
u are an arts-inclined person, or a conditions-manipulated science student whos more interested in social science than genes n Newton. n ur intrigued by e media, so much so tt ur willin to deviate frm e path of riches of engineerin or accountin. be different, u insisted. u gave ur best shot for a place in e elite communications school in asia. u get it. for ur place, 4 others were rejected. media. film, journalism, tv, magazines, adverts, public relations, radio. screw e engine n calculations.
along e way, u meet an unfamiliar but fearsome foe.
its inexplicable how Statistics managed to sneak into our coursework.
hello. last time i saw numbers n when 1 only equaled 1 n 2 stayed as 2 (which isnt e case in arts) was 2002 olevel a'math. i tried tutorin lower sec math but i stumbled aplenty along e experience.
imagine e panic when ur world becomes one where yes can only be yes n u cant argue til its a no. so i gotta mug. really mug. e kind u crash ur head w facts.
trust me. ppl were clueless. even for e supposedly and arguably intellectual population (this is a dirty word now) of WKWSCI. when a tough course comes along, ppl seek answers. but at least w smart questions lah. Stats, ppl were askin dumb questions. no one was afraid. coz anyway it seemed like no one got it. e questions seemed dumb, but not many could understand em too anyway.
theres a serious problem, n proof tt mass comm students sldnt be takin Stats, when 90% of e cohort, three weeks into it, say Chee-square/Chai-square/Kee-square instead of Kai-square.
along e way, u meet an unfamiliar but fearsome foe.
its inexplicable how Statistics managed to sneak into our coursework.
hello. last time i saw numbers n when 1 only equaled 1 n 2 stayed as 2 (which isnt e case in arts) was 2002 olevel a'math. i tried tutorin lower sec math but i stumbled aplenty along e experience.
imagine e panic when ur world becomes one where yes can only be yes n u cant argue til its a no. so i gotta mug. really mug. e kind u crash ur head w facts.
trust me. ppl were clueless. even for e supposedly and arguably intellectual population (this is a dirty word now) of WKWSCI. when a tough course comes along, ppl seek answers. but at least w smart questions lah. Stats, ppl were askin dumb questions. no one was afraid. coz anyway it seemed like no one got it. e questions seemed dumb, but not many could understand em too anyway.
theres a serious problem, n proof tt mass comm students sldnt be takin Stats, when 90% of e cohort, three weeks into it, say Chee-square/Chai-square/Kee-square instead of Kai-square.
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