Oranje - the colour of victory!

If this World Cup has taught us anything, it is that ‘impossible is nothing!’ To have beaten the invincible Brazilians, who had the best team composition in the tournament against overwhelming odds, the Dutch deserve all the praise in the world. A football nation which is always high on promise, but known to fail at the final hurdle, this might be the perfect time for L’Oranjes to shed their tag of ‘chokers’ and claim the biggest prize in football, which they deserve for their rich history. When Robinho opened the scoring for Brazil, many thought it was inevitable that the Samba Kings would romp home in style. The Dutch didn’t succumb to the pressure and stuck to their game plan and made the best use of the opportunities that came their way, with a bit of luck, and created an upset that ranks highly with some of the best seen this year like Barca-Inter and Manchester United-Bayern Munich.

The current side is a highly transformed team that is different from the ones that we’ve observed through history. Bert van Marwijk has got his basics right by fielding a side that is pragmatic in its approach. The dynamic coach has been intelligent to recognise that the philosophy of ‘Total Football’ is not applicable to the modern day game. This approach, which has attracted severe criticism from all circles is what made van Marwijk’s side the underdogs and took the pressure off them.

Yesterday’s man of the match Wesley Sneijder, as predicted by many before this tournament, has lived up to his reputation by his trademark creative play. Another player who was a key part of the major upset was Arjen Robben. The best way to describe him is that he is a phenomenon. After hunting down Manchester United during the last UCL with a stunning volley, he has come to haunt the Brazilians, with a mix of magic and unprofessional diving and provoking his opponents. Diving is a disgrace, but Felipe Melo dug his own grave by getting his emotions get the better of him. Being patient is a vital aspect of modern day football. The Brazilians got everything right except that. It’s amazing how thin the line is between winning and losing, considering that the men in green and yellow showed their Samba class.

L’Oranjes face Uruguay in the semis, an opponent whose strengths and weaknesses are similar to that of the Dutch. But without Luis Suarez and Diego Lugano, their firepower and defense will be weak. Will the Dutch go on to paint Africa orange? It’s up to them to ‘write their future’, and create history.

Mani strikes again with Raavanan!

In an age when Hindi and Tamil cinema are synonymous with shoddy entertainment churned out by Karan Johar, Farah Khan, Akshay Kumar, Kalanidhi Maran(of Sun Pictures fame) et al, Mani Ratnam is a lone phoenix along with Kamal Haassan, who keeps rising from the ashes every time the box office buries him. Mani is the flag-bearer of sensible art-house cinema which respects the intellectual that the movie-goer is. The director who has given us epics like Nayagan, Iruvar, Aayitha Ezhuthu, Mouna Ragam etc. returns after a 3 year hiatus with Raavan/Raavanan. That the bilingual is a modern day adaptation of the Hindu epic Ramayan seen through the eyes of the antagonist Raavan is a well known fact. In his artistic depiction of the story which has been told repeatedly through ages, Mani scores on several fronts.

Having watched both the versions, I wish to compare them. The Hindi version has received serious flak from viewers and critics alike and it is understandable. The culprit is AB Junior, and not the editing as AB Sr. said trying to justify his son’s maniacal performance. AB Jr. tries to do a Heath Ledger and churns out a disjointed performance that is enjoyable in pieces, as he falters in bringing to the film the much needed stability. On the other hand, Vikram is more grounded and phenomenal as Veeraiya, blending the madness of the tribal outlaw and the toughness of a man seeking vengeance for his wronged sister. Prithviraj, as Dev, is expressive in his love for his abducted wife, while Vikram’s Dev embodies the hard-hearted and cunning greyness in the good guy that Mani Ratnam aims to portray. Aishwarya’s beautiful eyes leave the viewers fixated. Govinda and Karthik are forgettable. Priya Mani is gang-raped yet again!

The brilliant locales, and outstanding cinematography which vivifies the ruthless jungle and dangerous waters deserve special mention. A.R.Rahman’s music is great but does not get justice through the poor lyrics in Tamil.
As in Aayitha Ezhuthu/Yuva, Mani doesn’t delve into the reason for the protagonist’s struggle with the authorities, and jumps straight into the action. Though many have condemned this style, it is testament to the legendary film maker’s respect for the film-goer’s intelligence.

The film’s principal pillar is Mani’s artistry, as he takes on an epic story that is more than 10 centuries old. In ‘Hey Ram’, Kamal created waves by bucking the usual trend and dared to look at Mahatma Gandhi as a villain. In Raavan, Mani does the reverse as he humanises the evil Veera/Beera and brings out the cunning demon inside Dev, blurring the lines between black and white and leaving the viewer torn between the two principal characters, like Ragini is, throughout the film. This trademark style of Mani where he leaves the viewer thinking is what separates him from the rest of the pack. Raavan/Raavanan is not perfect, and definitely not the ace director’s best. But it is another feather in his cap.

Player to watch : Wesley Sneijder

The second article of mine which was published in DC B'lore on June 24, 2010...

A graduate of the legendary youth ranks of Ajax, a pivotal part of Internazionale’s treble winning season, Wesley Sneijder is a key trump card for the Dutch in South Africa.

Sneijder rose to fame as a teenager at Ajax, impressing pundits and fans with his skills, ability to play under pressure and precise passing. Later he joined Real Madrid as part of the dutch trio, wearing the shirt of David Beckham, later becoming Los Blancos’ number 10. Becoming one among the Real scrap heap during the arrival of Los Galacticos, Sneijder was Madrid’s gift to Inter Milan.

Sneijder’s rise to be billed as one of Europe’s top talent is indisputable after a glorious season with the Nerazzurri, where he pulled the strings in his favourite position as play maker, letting his Argentine teammate Diego Milito do the work of clinical finishing. Well known for his skill at set pieces, shooting powerful free kicks from long range, Sneijder is a similar player to Andrea Pirlo, man of the match of the 2006 WC final. Also capable of playing on the wings and sometimes in defensive midfield, a role he was assigned during the 2006 World Cup, Sneijder is a perfect footballer who deserves to be mentioned alongside super stars Robben, Messi and Rooney.

The current Dutch side has expert finishers in van Persie, Kuyt and Robben, who, if found at the end of the Dutch architect’s passes will rarely disappoint. With his ambidexterity combined with accurate shooting, which is almost always on target, Wesley Sneijder is a player to watch out for. He is L’Oranjes’ ace in the hole.

The New World Order in football

This might be the perfect moment to say that it's time to kiss attacking football goodbye. 'Defence is the best form of attack' is the new world order in football. Jose Mourinho achieved it with elan at Inter Milan and reached Europe's summit. Ottmar Hitzfeld, another UCL master, has done it against Spain. Considering that Spain comprises 6 Barca players, the Swiss match would have felt like rubbing salt into their wounds sustained against the Nerrazzuris.

Attacking football has long being touted as THE way football must be played. People have slammed the catenaccio system as an abomination to the sport. Even during this World Cup, commentators and panelists have been up in arms calling for goals and a break from the monotony of disciplined defence by teams. All that criticism has gone out the window now with the shock upset of the reigning European champions at the hands of Hitzfeld's men. They were disciplined, patient and did not succumb to the pressure piled on them by Spain, who rarely gave the ball away. Just like Inter did against Barca, Switzerland stuck to their shape and waited to pounce on an opportunity, which arrived in the form of a long ball down the field. And the rest is the biggest shock of this World Cup.

The success of defensive football achieves another objective. It cuts out the arm-chair football fans who are glory-hunters looking at the sport as mere entertainment. If a team with a disciplined defence goes on to win this WC, the fans that will remain true to the sport will be those who have acquired the taste of defensive football.

First Europe. Now the world? This might be the year of catenaccio! Helenio Herrera must be smiling down upon us.

The Dutch on course

Highlights from the Netherlands vs Denmark match at the Soccer city stadium, which the men in orange won 2-0:

* Denmark have not beaten the Netherlands since 1967. 43 years and the counting goes on.

* Typical Dutch game. After a slow first half, L’Oranjes lit up the second half with maximum possession and pressurised the Danish defenders, creating an own goal en route.

* Strong bench strength for the Dutch. Elijero Elia, who was instrumental in the Kuyt goal, and Ibrahim Afellay, who almost scored his first goal in the orange shirt came on as substitutes in the second half, and were brilliant. Plus Robben, Huntelaar, Babel didn’t come on.It shows the depth the Dutch squad has.

* Mark van Bommel and Nigel de Jong were stand out performers, anchoring the midfield. Teams will find it hard to get past them and breach into the Dutch defence.

* Wesley Sneijder delivered a man-of-the-match performance with his typical visionary passing, setting up the Kuyt goal.

* In the Nike WC ad, Cannavaro makes an acrobatic save off Drogba to save his country the blushes and becomes a national hero. Simon Paulsen produced a similar acrobatic save off Afellay. But his own goal was what really kicked off proceedings in the second half. There’s no redemption from that. Bottomline : Nike won the war of the brands over Adidas here.

* 2-0 may seem a paltry scoreline for the attacking quality of the Dutch. But as Ruud Gullit said, teams that start slow go on to win World cups. The flying Dutch have not gotten off to a flying start, but have bagged 3 crucial points. They are yet to reveal their true hand, which they will by unleashing Robben.

Clockwork Oranje

The following is an article of mine which got published in Deccan Chronicle Bangalore dated June 10, 2010 in page 38.

Inventors of Total Football which is today the trademark style of European power houses, Barcelona and Arsenal, the land which gave rise to football’s greatest talents like Johan Cruyff, Marco Van Basten, Frank Riijkard, Ruud Gullit, Dennis Bergkamp, Ruud van Nistelrooy; the list is endless when talking about Dutch football. L’Oranjes have always been billed as ‘the chokers’ who falter at the final hurdle. For several reasons, I believe a Dutch World Cup win is due.

The Eredivisie(the Dutch domestic league) is one of Europe’s most talented leagues, though considered a ‘feeder league’ today by many. It was in the Netherlands that people like Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben, Mark van Bommel and several others started their careers and went on to achieve greatness. Unable to hold on to its talented players, the Eredivisie has lost its fame in Europe today. But the fact that the youth system of teams like Ajax is considered one of the best in the world is indisputable. A country’s football team thrives on a strong domestic league which breeds young talent. The Dutch clubs are masters at it.

In the current squad, Holland have two visionary playmakers in Rafael van der Vaart and Wesley Sneijder. Sneijder, who has been the string puller of the Inter orchestra this season, is devastating with his incisive passes and strong free kicks. Mark van Bommel and Nigel de Jong act as anchors in a strong defensive midfield. For the forwards, Bert van Marwijk has plenty of options at his disposal in the likes of Arjen Robben(who terrorized Europe this UCL), Robin van Persie, Huntelaar and Kuyt(all clinical poachers). With Robben fit, I see no reason why L’Oranjes won’t go all the way this World Cup in South Africa. The highest honour in football is long overdue for the Dutch. Billed the underdogs during every tournament, I would love to see them win and breathe new life into the world’s greatest sporting event.

L’Oranjes FTW!

Catenaccio rules!

Catenaccio or ‘the door bolt’ system of football is the best style of football. Period.

The art of catenaccio, made famous by Helenio Herrera, who was at the helm of Inter Milan in the 1960s, calls for colossal amounts of discipline and patience. The style focuses on putting out a highly organized defensive system to thwart the opponent. After several years of criticism, Catenaccio has earned its much deserved reputation in Europe, with Inter Milan beating European powerhouses Chelsea, Barcelona and Bayern Munich to win the UCL. The art has been under severe criticism by many and I don’t understand why. Many liken it to ‘anti-football’. I think this kind of criticism is baseless and comes from people who are not open minded to change.

Opposites exist everywhere in nature; matter and antimatter, light and dark, and total football and catenaccio. It’s important to appreciate this fact. I reckon that the anti-catenaccio camp thinks attack is what drives football; and attacking football is the most entertaining style. True, the kind of football played by Barcelona, Arsenal and The Netherlands is always high on entertainment. For arm-chair football fans with pop corn, watching these teams play is like watching a commercial blockbuster movie. But football is more than entertainment. Imo, it takes a lot of courage and hours of tactical thinking to sit back and defend, spurring your opponent on telling him ‘Come on hit me!’. The lofty levels of discipline and patience required to concentrate on stopping your opponent is the hardest thing in football. And in that aspect, Catenaccio wins hands down. Like Rocky Balboa says, “It’s not about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.”

It’s sad to see defenders like Lucio, Samuel, Zanetti, Cannavaro, Vidic and many others are not spoken about in the same breath as players like Messi, Ronaldo and Robben. What irked me the most recently was when Diego Maradona left out Cambiasso and Zanetti out of the Argentina WC squad, perhaps in fav0ur of sending out an attacking line-up, despite their pivotal contributions in Inter’s glorious campaign. Catenaccio is an acquired taste for football fans. But once you realise how hard it is, every other style looks meek.

Catenaccio forever!