Well that was exciting. As dark descends on Medinah in Chicago we are left to a reflect on a truly remarkable turnaround as Team USA were beaten, after being 4 points ahead going into the crucial singles matches. I don't claim to be a golf fanatic but I do follow the 4 majors and of course the Ryder Cup- but it puzzles me how a player like Ian Poulter, 26 in the world, can dominate a team containing 4 of the world's top 5 players.(McIlroy, Donald, Westwood and Rose). Intriguing further are the average Ryder Cup records of established players like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Woods in particular, will be blasted by the US media for not getting a single point.
Much has been made of the Seve Ballesteros connection to this Ryder Cup. Indeed, Europe's captain Jose Maria Olazabal, a great friend and playing partner of Ballesteros, said that his memory, wearing his colours on Sunday, and the general feeling of 'we'll do it for Seve' pushed his team over the line. His team certainly thought so, Sergio Garcia saying "Today, obviously, everything came right. I've no doubt in my mind that he [Seve] was with me today, all the way. There's no chance I would have won my match if he wasn't there." Francesco Molinari said "This image of Seve on our sleeves today really did make a difference". Olazabal really wanted to win it, but luckily he had Poulter on his side, the only European to have an 100% record.
Thoughts on Football
One thing that has really surprised me about this Premier League season so far is the (lack of) form of the two Manchester Club's defenses. City's impressive 3-0 win over Sunderland, was incredibly, their first clean sheet of the season, (don't let that embarrassing fact stop the English media continually refer to Joe hart as the best keeper in the world though.)
Roberto Mancini prizes clean sheets over anything else, which is why it was a surprise to see his team concede 8 goals in their first 6 games. Of course there are many reasons for this, one being Mancini messing about with a back 3 formation when 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1 worked so well for City last year, and his reluctance to pick Joleon Lescott in the big games, plus the switching of full backs for no apparent reason. Of course, the squad Mancini has at his disposal means he can rotate without any real drop in quality, but even so, a settled back four is a crucial part of any team. Having said that, Vincent Kompany is a certain starter due to his titanic performances last term, yet he has arguably been the worst offender this season- most notably ducking under Cristiano Ronaldo's late winner in the Bernabeu.
But at Old Trafford to, there are defensive problems. Until their 3-0 victory over Newcastle, they had fallen behind in every single one of their league games, excluding the 4-0 procession over Wigan. Nemanja Vidić's absence was troubling, but the big Serbian had been looking unfit anyway, and was a liability against Southampton's pacy attack. Talking of liability's, Patrice Evra has been on the decline for at least 12 months and was horribly exposed by Cluj in the Champions League, and another stalwart, Rio Ferdinand, was at fault for all 3 Spurs goals in the home loss on the 29th September. However, it is hoped that the win over Newcastle could turn a corner, with both Ferdinand and Evra having their best games for a while. But it is still questionable who Sir Alex Ferguson's first choice keeper is. In short, both Manchester Club's will have to improve quickly to challenge Chlesea at the top of the table.
The FA continue to make themselves look stupid. After charging Ashley Cole for misconduct after his abusive tweet, they then fail to reprimand Robin Van Persie,(for an elbow on Yohan Cabaye) Chiek Tiote(for a stamp on Cleverley) or Robert Huth(for a stamp on Suarez's chest!) Is saying "#Bunchoft***s" worse than putting on studs on someone's chest? I dont think so. I'm sure Cole will be agreived. Especially as he did apologise for his comments. but it seems that Cole's apology afterwards didn't help him. Yet another headache for Hodgson. He would anger his employers if he supported Cole, yet can't afford to be without one of the few world class players he can pick. Will the Terry/Ferdinand debacle ever end?
In Sunday's Clasico, the two best players in the world confirmed their brilliance with two goals each. The Ronaldo/Messi debate will rage on, but certainly there are no other players who can touch them at the moment. For all the superstars on either side- Ozil, Xavi, Iniesta, Benzema, Fabregas, Sanchez, Alonso and more- those two again outshone the rest. The question remains as to where they stand in relation to the world's best players of all time. Messi probably had the greatest season by a footballer ever last year, scoring a quite unbelievable 73 goals in all competitions. Ronaldo scored 46 league goals, producing the sort of performances that carried his team through games. In my opinion, you can't say if they are the greatest or not until they've retired, I mean Messi is still only 25, how many goals could he have had by the time he's 35? In any case though, it is great to watch these two players performing at their peak. Long may it continue.
Thanks for reading, Adam.
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