A Common Fan’s Sports Diary

Based on the quality of their analysis, the TOI surely has a dream team working behind the scenes

To the football editor,

You guys have done a decent job of providing a lot of football information. It has helped bring a lot of not- so -diehard fans up to speed with whatever has happened in the history of the FIFA World Cup so far.

You guys also think that it’s a great idea to have Mandira Bedi write a regular column on the football world cup. If cricket fans can benefit from her insights then why should football fans be denied the same pleasure.

And based on the football analysis that you guys have been providing, I have good reason to believe that the services of Rakhi Sawant and Sherlyn Chopra have also been employed by your publication for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Because proper football people couldn’t have come up with such mind blowing analysis.

A few samples

“The Jabulani was given to all countries in Feb for practise. It’s not used in the English Premier League, which has a contract with Nike for 9 years, but is used in US Major League Soccer. Could that be why England failed to beat the US?”

The genius behind this observation choose to ignore ( or probably didn’t have the brains to think) a few facts .

The Jabulani is not used in Major League Soccer. There are other footballs made by Adidas which are used. Most of the American players in the national side including Clint Dempsey, Jonathan Spector, Jozy Altidore and Landon Donavon actually play in the premiership. The player most affected by the random flights of the Jabulani is the goalkeeper and the American custodian, Tim Howard, also plays in the premiership. The MLS season runs from March to November which means it was long over before the ball was handed to the teams and there was no way American players in the MLS could have practised with it.

TOI obviously thought that they had hit pay dirt with this observation and decided to print it on the front page.

The other piece of analysis which would have left the world’s greatest football tacticians stunned appeared in the 24th June edition.

GROUP E EQUATION
Netherlands (Points 6; Goal Difference +3): They are already through. A win or a draw would help them top the group.
Japan (Points 3; GD 0): They need a victory for outright qualification. In case of a draw, they need to outdo Denmark in goal difference.
Denmark (Points 3; GD -1): They need a victory too. In case of a draw, they need to better Japan’s goal difference to qualify.

My intelligence isn’t up to the challenge of understanding the equation explained above. I always thought that if two teams drew a game then there would be no change in their goal difference. But the people at TOI ( Rakhi or Sherlyn) obviously know better. Now, if only they could explain this to the Danish coach.

I have a feeling that very soon football teams from across the world would be vying for the services of the TOI football analysts. After all, their current strategists haven’t managed to come up with such revolutionary ideas. However, I don’t think the TOI will let go of them. They need Rakhi and Sherlyn to continue to be the world leader in football analysis.

There’s only one piece of advice that I have for the TOI. Indian sports fans don’t just want to hear and read the expert views of the likes of Mandira Bedi, Shonali Nagrani and the other equally endowed women who grace the world of Indian sports. They also want to see them in their full splendour. Therefore, it would be a good idea to publish super size glossy pictures of the contributing writers ( in their attractive best) next to their brilliant articles.

First a list of all the things this book is not about

This won’t give you all the records and statistics of Dutch football.

Doesn’t have a chronological history of the game in the country. Doesn’t talk in detail about all their great players, great matches or great clubs. To sum it up, this book isn’t the best preparatory material for a quiz on Dutch football. You might even end up in last place.

In that sense, it is quite unlike most of the books written about a country or a club’s football history and culture. In fact, the writer often goes on for pages without even talking about football, forget Dutch football. And yet, it is in my humble opinion ( as well as that of most people who write reviews on Amazon.com and goodreads.com) quite easily the best book on Dutch football.

Because David Winner’s book deals with something much more profound and goes much deeper in its investigation.

It talks about the mental makeup of the Dutch nation – why they are what they are?

It does a very good job of explaining a lot of other Dutch peculiarities – and I use that word because the Dutch are the antithesis of a conformist regular normal world. And in doing so it answers the questions about Dutch football. Why and how the Dutch came up with Total Football? Why the Dutch lose all the important matches? Why the players always get into fights? Why it is wrong to call the Netherlands the Brazil of Europe? The Dutch concept of nationalism and patriotism? And the Dutch definition of a good footballer?

If Dutch football was a living person then this book makes it very clear that the head is the most important organ; more valuable than the feet. And then it does what Freud would have tried to do – study the person’s head.

And that ways, the book is very aptly named. And David Winner has written a book unlike any other.

Two of the fascinating concepts that this book deals with are individualism and space – and explains that both are as much a part of the national fabric as of their approach to football. Individualism is not the freedom to do whatever he feels like but to retain a strong sense of the self while still keeping the collective in mind. And space is to create space where there is none – something the country below sea level does on an ongoing basis.

A special mention must be made of a very fine introduction by Franklin Foer who makes a very interesting analogy that the richness of football is like a cultural Galapagos.

This book is like a fine meal. You need to eat slowly and savour every morsel. It might bore the casual fan as he looks to read about the feats of the all conquering Ajax side of the early seventies. The least he is expecting is a chapter on the three consecutive European triumphs. But all he gets is bits and pieces, here and there.

But if he can soldier on, he will have the pleasure of reading one of finest books written on football. He will see the Dutch in a new light and might just become an Oranje supporter for life (The Dutch have been one of my favourite teams but after this book, I got an Orange jersey to wear during the World Cup)

You will not win the quiz but you will surely win the paper writing competition on Dutch football.

Rating – Five out of Five all the way.

Have always wanted to do a running diary or to live blog or tweet a sporting event. This is my first attempt. Please provide feedback. Hope to do this more often. The internet deserted  me at the worst possible time and the tweeting only began thirty minutes into the game. Please read from reverse ( as in start from the bottom and go up). You can follow the CommonFan’s tweets at @acommonfan on Twitter. Cheers

That’s all for this game. We will be back soon with another Live Tweet.

Argentina were dazzling in attack and that bodes well for all fans 9:32 PM Jun 12th

One lemon each in defence(Gutierrez), midfield(Veron) and attack (Higuain) for Argentina. Hopefully Maradona will get his combination right now 9:29 PM Jun 12th

Argentina 1-0 Nigeria. Full time. Fine attacking display from both sides. The Nigerians could well go through from this group 9:24 PM Jun 12th

All three Argentine strikers on the left. Nice interplay between the three. 9:23 PM Jun 12th

And now Lars Lagerback is suddenly all charged up. 9:21 PM Jun 12th

We need a special camera just to cover Maradona. Fully animated 9:20 PM Jun 12th

Gutierrez  slots in on the left of midfield now. Relief at last for him 9:18 PM Jun 12th

Argentina’s strikers don’t have their striking boots on. All of them have missed good chances 9:16 PM Jun 12th

Great effort. Yakubu. A little more dip and Romero would have looked like an idiot 9:15 PM Jun 12th

Looks like relief is at hand for Jonas. But no. Extra defenders as Burdisso comes on fro Angel Di Maria 9:14 PM Jun 12th

And now Uche misses a great chance on the other side. End to end action. 9:11 PM Jun 12th

Messi misses a one on one chance. Ekayema’s agent just got a call from Spain 9:10 PM Jun 12th

Typical pile driver from Martins. The Argentine goalie is shit scared 9:08 PM Jun 12th

Oh finally. Looks like Milito will come on. Bye Higu 9:06 PM Jun 12th

And now Haruna picks up a yellow. Super stretch for him. Surely living it up as Essien’s replacement 9:05 PM Jun 12th

100 corners in practise for Haruna for hitting that poor corner 9:04 PM Jun 12th

Messi free kick. Too high. Nigeria make their final substitution 9:03 PM Jun 12th

Another bad pass from Veron. Not the best day for him 9:01 PM Jun 12th

That was close. Nigeria almost had an equalizer. Jonas at fault again. Is there no replacement for him? 8:59 PM Jun 12th

Veron attempts to get an all time great goal and misses badly 8:57 PM Jun 12th

That was poor joke from the English commentator. ” First time Diego Maradona handles the ball in the world cup”. Get over it guys 8:56 PM Jun 12th

The Nigerian substitute loses control of the ball and misses a great chance and for some reason screams at his mates 8:55 PM Jun 12th

Finally a good attempt from Higuain and a fine save from the goalkeeper. 8:54 PM Jun 12th

Oooooh. Messi misses a great chance. That was a typical Tevez run from inside his own half 8:53 PM Jun 12th

Another free kick for Nigeria on the left. What’s the plan with Jonas Gutierrez 8:51 PM Jun 12th

Obasi goes off. Now that’s a surprise. Was probably their best player 8:48 PM Jun 12th

Argentina need a second goal quickly to ice this game. 8:47 PM Jun 12th

Tevez dives and gets up quickly when the referee ignores him 8:46 PM Jun 12th

Wonderful tackle by the Nigerian captain. Higuain could have been away 8:44 PM Jun 12th

My friend @Spinstripe responds @acommonfan On Lars Lagerback – Or probably they told him that he is to pay $50 into a bank account, when they will pay him the full amount 8:43 PM Jun 12th

Lars Lagerback looks pretty relaxed. Guess the Nigerian FA have already paid him 8:41 PM Jun 12th

Obafemi Martins come on. Let’s see if he puts Jonas in more trouble 8:40 PM Jun 12th

Maradona looks great prancing around in a suit. Like a kid wearing a uniform for the first time to school 8:39 PM Jun 12th

Don’t think we will get any more half time analysis. The broadcaster takes revenge for not being to air any ads during the game 8:31 PM Jun 12th

5 percent of voters vote that Higuain has been the best player in the game so far. What game have these guys been seeing 8:27 PM Jun 12th

Thank God we don’t have Mayanti Langer for this one. Mayanti is better than Mandira but can we have proper football people ( John Dykes) for the World Cup please 8:21 PM Jun 12th

Super first half from Argentina although the defence stuttered more than once, mostly on the right. Finally the world cup comes alive 8:19 PM Jun 12th

Maradona surely can’t wait to get to the dressing room. Guess he has lots to say 8:18 PM Jun 12th

Foul throw in. Elementary . Where has this guy come from. Is like the Indian batsmen who don’t drag their bats while running 8:14 PM Jun 12th

Another free kick conceded on the Argentine right. Gutierrez is sure to get a mouthful from Maradona at half time 8:13 PM Jun 12th

The Nigerians can play. They aren’t disgracing themselves for sure 8:11 PM Jun 12th

The Nigerian goalkeeper could soon find a job in the Primera Liga. Super saves to keep Messi from scoring so far. Not many goalkeepers in La Liga can do that 8:10 PM Jun 12th

One thing is already clear. Leo Messi has arrived on the international stage. 8:07 PM Jun 12th

Damn the internet connection. Conked off at the worst time. Now from the mobile. Already 35 mins gone. But it’s never too late 8:07 PM Jun 12th

First live blogging(or tweeting) attempt from CommonFan 7:40 PM Jun 12th

This match wasn't such a big upset as the English think it was

England’s 1-0 defeat at the hands of minnows USA in the 1950 World Cup is one the most talked about games in World Cup history. It’s been hailed as one of the biggest “David Vs Goliath” upsets ever and continues to linger in the memory of English football fans. I am not sure though about the importance it’s given in American sporting folklore, considering that football isn’t very popular like baseball or basketball. For the inventors of the game, however, it’s the starting reference point for a litany of ‘unfortunate’ World Cup exits.

This game’s immortality stems from England’s status as overwhelming favourites, not just for the game per say but for the tournament itself. This was England’s debut in the World Cup and it was an opportunity for them to legitimize their claim as the greatest footballing nation in the world.

This game was dominated by England, and therefore it’s becomes rather convenient to mark the defeat as an unlucky one and bemoan the World cup winning opportunity gone abegging.

What is often forgotten, or more likely not well known, is the result of England’s other games. England could still have qualified for the next round and continued their quest for Wold Cup glory had they won their other two games in the group. They beat Chile but lost to fellow Europeans Spain 1-0. They had their fate in their own hands but couldn’t rise to the occasion. You cannot be unlucky two times out of two.

It should also be noted that the eventual runner-up Brazil hammered the Spanish 6-1; clearly proving that England’s other conquerors weren’t such a great side either. Spain weren’t even the highest place finisher from amongst the European nations, losing 3-1 to Sweden. The tournament had also been weakened by the sanctions on Italy, Austria and Germany – two of whom were very strong teams before the war and the third was to become a force in the next World Cup.

Argentina’s defeat against Cameroon in the opening game of Italia 90 was an upset of even bigger proportions (as the Argentines were the defending champions). But Maradona’s side picked themselves up and went all the way to the final. And that is why they were a great team and deserving of the favourites tag . France in 2002 were shocked by Senegal and never re-grouped. They went out in disgrace.

France’s upset at the hands of lowly Senegal was also a bigger upset than England’s shock defeat in 1950. Yet, the French don’t continue to lament their defeat. That is probably the reason, why, they recovered to reach the finals in the next World Cup. England can’t seem to get over all their supposed missed opportunities, constantly bemoaning 44 years of bad luck.

The England side of 1950 was clearly over-rated. They lost two games and none of their vanquishers was a great side. On paper they had a great side but so did the French in 2002. In fact the French had proven international credentials, whereas the English had largely made a name for themselves in their domestic league. They went out because they couldn’t beat the Spanish in a must-win game and not because they lost to the Americans. They would have gone out even if they had won against the Americans. It wasn’t the great upset that we have been making it out to be for the last 60 years.

The English need to stop fretting over 1950 because contrary to what they believe, they weren’t really dealt a cruel blow by the gods of fortune. They weren’t the world beaters that they thought they were. They were simply not good enough.

We are starting another section on ACF. This one is going to be called – Books you should never read. The name is self explanatory.
And hence I will not bother elaborating. And if you still don’t understand than you are the kind of person who will read these books.

Will have different posts for different sports starting with football. The post will be updated as and when more wonderful books – deserving of this list – are released.

Some of you might not be familiar with a few of the authors. Don’t worry. Just Google or go to Wikipedia and you will come to know about the writers and their accomplishments.  If that doesn’t work, then let us know. We will shed light on the author and how he came to write the book.

So here we go. In no particular order. All are equally good.

1. ‘How to take a penalty’ by Martin Palermo. This comes with an instruction video as well.

2. ‘How to save a club from relegation’ by Ian Dowie. This has separate versions for managers and players.

3. ‘How to settle down at a new club’ by Rivaldo and Denilson. This one stands out from other books on the same topic because the co-authors cover 4 continents and various countries with different cultures.

4. ‘How to make money from the football business’ by Juan Soler, Ken Bates and all the Portsmouth owners.

5. ‘How to deal with joint ownership issues at a football club’ by George Gillett and Tom Hicks.

6. ‘How to buy footballing happiness with money’ by Roman Abramovich.

7. ‘How to promote your national league’ by the chairmen of Rangers and Celtic football clubs.

8. ‘How to behave yourself on the bench’ by Sven Goran Eriksson.

9. ‘How to avoid injuries before important tournaments’ by Santi Canizares.

10. ‘Football is a team game’  by Didier Drogba.

11. ‘How to play fantasy football with “Real” money’ by Florentino Perez.

12. ‘Playing football means more than anything else’ by Winston Bogarde.

13. ‘How footballers can become role models for kids’ by Joey Barton.

14. ‘Having super-rich owners is every football fan’s dream’ by the fans of Crystal Palace.

15. ‘How to surprise your opposition ( as well as your own team) by squad rotation’ by Claudio Ranieri and Rafa Benitez.

16. ‘New rules make football an interesting game’ by Sepp Blatter. This has a forward by Brian Glanville.

17. ‘Playing for your enemy – importance of loyalty in football derbies’ by Ronaldo and Peter Beardsley.

18. ‘How defenders can avoid scoring own-goals goals’  byStan van den Buys.

19. ‘Honesty is the best policy in football’ by Erich Mielke. New edition has a new section from Luciano Moggi.

20. ‘Dribbling is not everything’ by Denilson.

21. ‘Goalkeepers should mark their territory’ by Rene Higuita.

22. ‘Goalkeepers have the best fashion sense in football’ by Jorge Campos.

23. ‘How to make friends with the manager’ by Jaap Stam.

24. ‘There is no place for human error in football’ by Tofik Bakhramov.

Brazil’s World Cup squad has just four strikers. Sevilla’s Luis Fabiano, Santos’s Robinho, Wolfsburg’s Grafite and Villarreal’s Nilmar. This bunch will hardly send a shudder down opposition defenders; that job will probably be left to the likes of Kaka and their marauding full backs.

It is shocking to see that there isn’t a single forward from one of the top European clubs in the squad. Nor do they have a striker who’s lead any of the major leagues in goal scoring. And not that Dunga has left some great strikers at home. Ronaldo and Adriano are way past their best. There is the precocious Pato of AC Milan but he hasn’t quite started setting the Seria A alight with his goals.

It seems inconceivable but it is the truth.

Brazil have an acute shortage of world –class strikers. The assembly line of the world’s greatest exporter of football has stalled after the likes of Ronaldo and Adriano.

Look at what the other teams have

Bitter rivals Argentina have Carlos Tevez of Man City and formerly of Man Utd, Lionel Messi of Barcelona, Diego Milito of inter Milan, Kun Aguero of Athletico Madrid and Gonzalo Higuain of Real Madrid.
France have Thierry Henry of Barcelona, David Trezeguet of Juventus, Karim Benzema of Real Madrid and Nicolas Anelka of Chelsea.

And yet experts are unified in proclaiming Brazil as one of the favourites to win the Cup in South Africa – after all they finished first in qualifying and won the Confederations Cup last year.

But you still have to wonder – will the lack of a top quality finisher be their undoing in the World Cup?

After all its the first time in living memory that their squad doesn’t have a top class goal scorer.

The presence of a world class striker has been pivotal to the success of the modern Brazilian sides ( ones which are quasi- European with sturdy midfields and solid defences ). Romario and Bebeto led them to the title in 1994 and Ronaldo scored eight in their 2002 victory and four when they were runners-up in 1998.

Their current spearhead, Luis Fabiano doesn’t quite fall in the same category as the likes of Careca, Romario, Ronaldo or Adriano.

Brazil not having a top quality striker is like the Dutch hockey team not having a top penalty corner specialist; the Australian cricket team not having a great fast bowler or the American basketball team lacking an all-star guard – its surreal.

It’s as if the gods somewhat altered the balance of the footballing universe.

A good performance at the World Cup will invariably spike the value of a footballer. His club will demand a higher transfer fee and the player will want higher wages. The same player could have been had for a lot less before the World Cup.

Some people will argue that the World Cup throws up a lot of exciting new talent. And as the new talent gets discovered at the World Cup, they can only be signed after it. This argument doesn’t hold good anymore – because clubs have scouts spread all over the world and hardly anyone with a shred of talent escapes them.

Therefore, if someone gets ‘discovered’ at a World Cup, it’s likely that they have performed above their regular level. This can happen at an event like a World Cup. Players can play out of their skins.

Should, clubs sign such players?

Absolutely not.

Because, the only reason these guys weren’t on the scouts’ radar earlier is because they weren’t playing well for their clubs. They were incapable of performing at the same ‘out of their skin’ level in club football. And I will trust the larger data from club football gleaned from around 50 matches in a season rather than base my judgement on a handful of World Cup matches.

Remember how experts were raving at Senegal’s Salif Diao after he outplayed Patrick Viera in the opening match of the 2002 World Cup. As Liverpool were to discover later, Diao was incapable of doing the same at club level.

So we agree that a good World Cup performance inflates a player’s value. Does that counter intuitively imply that bad performances will lower a players value and make him a bargain?

Unfortunately for clubs, that never happens. Many a star name has endured miserable World Cups without damaging their transfer market value by one bit. If that was case, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema would have seen their values plummet after disappointing at Euro 2008.

It never happens because they are proven performers in the league and clubs value that more than anything else. World Cup performances don’t count.

The only things which get a boost from a player’s World Cup performance are his marketing and promotion rights. Fans will lap up replica jerseys of players who do well at a World Cup.

Other than that. Zilch.

Therefore, the moral of the story is that when you are picking players to play in the league, look at what they are doing at club level. Don’t bother with how they perform at the World Cup. Clubs already have data on a players performance at club level before the World Cup. So they don’t need to bother waiting for the World Cup to complete their signings. It will not give them any additional insight on the players ability. It will only increase the amount they have to pay for his services.

Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben were deemed surplus to requirements at Real Madrid after the Spanish giants signed the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Xabi Alonso. They were sold to Inter Milan and Bayern Munich for 15 million and 25 million Euros respectively. The transfers fees were huge amounts but nothing compared to the kind of money that was splashed out last year.

And now after, Sneijder and Robben have both engineered huge turnarounds at their clubs, the money looks to be the best piece of business done in the whole of last season. Sneijder is the single biggest reason ( other than coach Jose Mourinho) that Inter are a force in the Champions league; now on the cusp of their first final since 1965 and securing a historic triumph over all-conquering Barcelona. His presence behind the strikers makes Mourinho’s 4-2-1-3 system work like a dream. He has injected the necessary attacking flair to transform a dour, defensive minded side into a dangerous counter-attacking unit.

Robben’s impact is just as dramatic. He came when Bayern were floundering and immediately kick-started a revival scoring twice in the opening game itself and has since been their biggest offensive weapon. His biggest contribution, however, is the three key Champions League goals he has scored in the last three ties – hitting match winners against Fiorentina, Man United and now against Lyon. The first two won the ties for Bayern and the third could result in the same.

Their sparkling performances have ensured that a lot of people around Europe are now eating their words for breakfast, lunch and dinner

Two sets of people deserve special mention

One set which gave them away and one set which didn’t grab them.

First the people at Real who let go of both of them.

Why in God’s name did Jorge Valdano (or Perez or whoever made that decision) sell Sneijder and hold on to the likes of Van der Vaart, Diarra and Gago. Selling the three would have generated much more cash for Real ( The club sold Sneijder for a pittance of 15 million Euros. The other three could have been sold for 10 million Euros each. Just do the math Mr Valdano) and Sneijder’s presence could have altered Real’s fortunes on the pitch as well. He had made an impressive debut for them and could have done a lot more had he not been injured for the rest of the season. His sale for 15 million Euros was the bargain of the season.

Robben’s sale was even more surprising. Atleast Real replaced Sneijder with Xabi Alonso. Robben was Real’s only world-class wide player. They never got a replacement for him and have suffered for lack of width all season long. Also unlike Sneijder, he had already proved his match winning credentials at Real. Unfortunately for the Spaniards, that reputation is now getting enhanced further at Bayern.

And now Real are trying to buy Ribery to replace the void created by Robben’s departure. Robben has been far more effective than the Frenchman at Bayern but Real could end up spending almost three times the money to replace the Dutchman with the Frenchman. That will surely be a coup for the Germans. Upgrade from Ribery to Robben ( atleast for them Robben has been the better player) and make a cool 50 million Euros in the process.

Massimo Moratti of Inter is also smiling away to glory. He gets Etoo and Sneijder plus a hefty 30 million in exchange for Ibrahimovic.

If Bayern and Inter make the Champions League final, they atleast need to send a thank you card to Real Madrid.

The other person who should twitch with regret is Sir Alex Ferguson.

Just consider this

Man United are soon going to lose the services of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes.
Robben and Sneijder would have been tailor-made replacements for the two veterans.

Man United were handing over Cristiano Ronaldo to Real.
They could have surely negotiated the rights to Robben and Sneijder as part of that deal.

While Rooney is a great goal poacher, he cannot create goals out of nothing like Cristiano Ronaldo could.
Robben could have provided that spark of creative brilliance like he has time and again for Bayern.

Sneijder is better than any of United’s mid fielders
Robben is better than any of United’s wide players
Their addition could have overcome the subtraction of Ronaldo and Tevez.

In his defence, Sir Alex Ferguson had argued that he didn’t use the Ronaldo windfall because he thought the market was overpriced and he couldn’t have gotten value for his money.
But is 25 million Euros for Robben and 15 million for Sneijder a bad deal, when the same manager had splashed out the following amounts for other players.

Michael Carrick for 18.6 million pounds. A move which had left everyone stunned.
Antonio Valencia 16 million pounds.
Nani and Anderson for something in the region of 20 -25 million Euros each.

Therefore, Ferguson could have gotten both the Dutch players without adding significantly to the outlay he made last year. He could have just sold Carrick to Tottenham ( they are always ready to buy back their old players) to finance Sneijder and used the money he spent on Valencia to buy Robben.

And with both Robben and Sneijder being just 25 years old at the time of the transfer, Fergie couldn’t have argued that he was investing in players past their prime.

United’s lack of firepower let them down at crucial times in both the Champions League and the Premier League. We can only guess what it could have been with both Robben and Sneijder on board.

The transfer market is a beautiful thing. Even the smartest people are sometimes made to look like fools.

In the case of Robben and Sneijder, Real Madrid and Man United will have to bear that ignominy.

Because even their  defenders can score goals like this one

Xavi and Andres Iniesta kept Cesc Fabregas and Xabi Alonso out of the Spanish starting eleven during their triumph in Euro 2008. Do we expect to see anything different in the World Cup or after that?

The simple answer is no, because there is no point in changing a winning formula, especially in the case of Spain, who rarely if ever get their formula right. Going by that logic, Alonso and Fabregas will continue to warm the benches, at the 2010 World Cup and beyond, unless the Barcelona pair suffers a major loss in form.

The loss in form doesn’t look like happening anytime soon. Xavi was the player of the tournament at Euro 2008 and has since enhanced his reputation to become arguably the best central midfielder in Europe.

And while Iniesta might be inferior to Fabregas, he has something special which the Arsenal captain doesn’t have: a chemistry with Xavi; borne out of all the match-practice they get playing together in the same position for Barcelona. Why would you break a pairing which has worked on their understanding throughout the year and is a proven alliance, for another one which has very little time to find its bearings?

Therefore, Fabregas and Alonso can either wait for Xavi or Iniesta to suffer a major loss in form

or

start to get some match-practice as a pair themselves. They can either join hands with one another – that will happen if Cesc decides to move to Real. If that happens then the pair of Alonso and Fabregas would get a chance to prove to the whole of Spain that they are better than the Barcelona pair, when they lock horns in the the El Clasico. If they take that chance then great, else they will atleast not have reason to complain.

But its unlikely that Cesc will move to Real. The team is a mess and more importantly, he is a Catalan and proud one at that.

He could go to Barcelona instead. The club is his natural home and they are his long time suitors. Even Xavi has publicly appealed to him to move to Barca. He will get to join on his own terms and command a starting place immediately.

That will give him a chance to pair up with Xavi. He will then get all the time to develop a chemistry with Xavi and show to the entire world, what a fine mid field pair they can be. Once that happens, its only a matter of time before they start for Spain together.

He might not be able to do that before the South Africa World Cup but he has a long time left in the game and lots of international matches to play. The current Spanish squad is young and they will be good for years to come. For all the glory Cesc Fabregas wins at club level, his career will be unfulfilled if he doesn’t achieve the same at international level. And for him to even start doing that, he needs to make a move to Spain sometime really soon.