FIFA have released their latest world rankings and it’s a bit of a surprise that England, despite their abysmal showing in the World Cup, have risen one place to seventh.
Yesterday FIFA announced the rankings of the 32 teams that competed in South Africa and England were placed 12th so quite how they’ve managed to climb UP the overall rankings is a mystery – but then, the FIFA way of ranking teams has always been a mystery to me, even when I’ve read up on how they do it!
Less surprising is Spain’s new ranking as the best team in the world – they are World and European champions, that’s a no-brainer! Holland have risen to second place, pushing Brazil down to third in the table, their lowest ranking in quite some time.
New Zealand have deservedly risen the most places – 24 places to 54th – after remaining the only unbeaten side in the World Cup. Uruguay rose 10 places to sixth following their fantastic campaign, while deposed world champions Italy dropped six places and out of the top 10 to 11th.
‘Arry has signed a new contract with Tottenham Hotspur and will now remain their manager until 2013. The question I have is – would he have signed it if Fabio Capello wasn’t retained by the FA until after the 2012 European Championships?
The answer, I reckon, is no. He would have thrown his hat in the ring for the England managers job and waited to see what the outcome of that would have been.
That Capello remains manager means that Redknapp has now planned his career path with the aim of taking over following the Euros.
He now has three seasons to take Spurs to the next level. He will aim to finish in the top four – at least – in the Premiership each season and make some sort of impact on the Champions League.
He has the backing of the Spurs board to do so, especially in the transfer market and Harry will look to build on his reputation by restoring glory to Tottenham, thus giving the FA no option but to appoint him England manager when Capello steps down.
Top four finishes and Champions League success, likely in the form of quarter final and semi final places, will do that, but the club will want silverware to go with it, so he must pick up the FA Cup or the League Cup at least once along the way.
In three years time it’s also possible that the biggest stumbling block to his appointment as England manager – the court case of tax evasion – will have gone away. That would leave the road clear for the FA to sign him up without fear of future complications.
I’ve already given Redknapp my backing for the job. I think he has what it takes to inspire and build confidence, though he will need a backroom staff that is more capable than he is tactically. He can also talk to the media on their level and is unlikely to follow the path of previous managers in picking teams and players based on press and public demand. Nor will he be afraid of leaving out big name players for the good of the team.
While he lacks tactical awareness right now – and I don’t mean that critically; Redknapp has only managed in England and has no real experience of facing opposition from Europe and farther afield – he will learn plenty from taking his Spurs side into the Champions League against Europe’s best.
Not only has he set out a career path he hopes will culminate in managing his country, he has a learning curve to climb and relish the challenge.
I know Redknapp is not everyone’s cup of tea and I know the negatives to appointing him England manager. In response, I will only ask who else do you think is up to the task? Because I can’t think of anyone better suited right now.
In 2013 that may be different. But for now, I wish Spurs and Redknapp well in their endeavours and I hope it works out for Harry personally and England in the future.
Reanne Evans, the first woman to play on the main tournament circuit in 15 years, lost her debut match 4-2 to Liu Chang at the Players’ Tour Championship.
Evans is a six times womens’ world champion and is only 24. She was invited onto the pro circuit after winning her last 61 matches. She beat men’s world champion John Higgins back in December at the Six Reds World Championship, showing she can cut it against the best in the world.
Should she win two matches against professional players – she is one of 32 amateur players with this opportunity – she will qualify to play in the World Open.
I’m all for women playing on the professional snooker tour. It’s not the sort of sport where gender matters, no advantage to being male or female and they should be able to compete against one another.
It would be fantastic to see a couple of women line up alongside Higgins, O’Sullivan and the plethora of quality Chinese players at the Crucible in the World Championship.
Allison Fisher was the first woman to play on the professional snooker circuit but didn’t make much headway and, feeling she didn’t get the same respect as the men, quit to play pro pool in the States where she has been hugely successful, being nominated to join join the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame.
It is to be hoped Reanne, and more like her, have more success in snooker and that times have changed and they will be accepted readily into the game.
As someone who has been soundly beaten on the baize by several women over the years, I know they can play. Let’s just give them a chance!
These are my favourites at least and in no particular order.
1) Tshabalala scores the first goal in the World Cup
Not the best goal of the World Cup, but a good one and in the list for the moment.
2) The Luis Suarez handball
A true Marmite moment as Suarez denies Ghana a winning goal. Hero or Villain? You decide.
3) Frank Lampard’s ‘goal’
The goal that was never given and ended England’s hopes against Germany. Shocking decision, classic moment.
4) Maradona misunderstands a press question
Just look at his face! Something lost in translation there, methinks…
5) Portugal 7-0 North Korea
The biggest win in South Africa and Portugal’s only really good performance…even given the opposition.
6) Robert Green ends his England career
I might be exaggerating, but this definitely set the tone for England’s disastrous World Cup campaign.
7) French implosion
No one video can do this bizarre set of events justice, but France’s implosion was as remarkable as it was ridiculous.
8 ) Gio van Bronckhorst’s last ever goal
Assuming he HAS now retired, this isn’t a bad way to go out. If you ignore losing the World Cup final, of course…
9) South Africa’s pre-match singsong
They might not have been good enough to get through the group stage, but South Africa were excellent hosts and a breath of fresh air. Here’s one reason why.
10) The winning goal from Andres Iniesta
Can’t leave out the goal that won it all, can I?! Lovely.
Those are the highlights from the 2010 World Cup for me. What are yours? Let me know in the comments.
Not by any stretch of the imagination was last night’s World Cup final a classic but in the end the best team won. Spain have not been explosive at any stage, but their patient style of possession football has nevertheless been a pleasure to watch and they fully deserve their 1-0 victory.
In match winner Andres Iniesta and the incomparable Xavi they have the best midfield duo in the world, more than ably spearheaded by David Villa, so often the team’s hero in this tournament.
The Dutch, on the other hand, have been criticised, quite unfairly I think, for being too defensive, too negative and not holding true to their Total Football roots.
They have adjusted their style under Bert van Marwijk, yes, but they have had to. Total football has won them little and I don;t think it’s very fair to criticise a side that has made necessary changes to try and win the big one. They have still been entertaining, if in a less skilful manner than we’re used to.
Last night was a different story though. Last night they went from solid to cynical in the face of Spain’s superior passing ability. Mark van Bommel was lucky to still be on the pitch at half time after a series of dangerous tackles, not least on Iniesta, but it was Nigel de Jong’s studs up kick to the chest of Xabi Alonso that really deserved a red card.
Holland have subsequently blamed England’s World Cup final representative Howard Webb for the way he refereed the match but for me that’s just sour grapes. Yes, he showed a record 14 yellow cards and one red – to centre back John Heitinga for a a second bookable offence – but the Dutch left him with little choice as he tried hard to keep things reaching boiling point.
That’s not to say Webb didn’t make mistakes, he did, but in the face of Holland’s wild challenges and the occasional act of retaliation from Spain I thought he did a good job under very difficult circumstances. For me, he (and his team) can look back on his season with pride having taken charge of both the Champions League final and the World Cup final and acquitted himself well in both.
Back to the good stuff, what little of it there was. Arjen Robben was excellent throughout the game, creating or being on the end of all Holland’s chances. The most notable chance fell to him after a brilliant pass from the unusually subdued Wesley Sneijder sent him clean through on Casillas. His shot was well saved by the Spanish keeper with his foot, however.
Spain’s passing was again good to watch but the Dutch, bad challenges aside, were doing a cracking job of pressuring the ball and making sure they weren’t, as many commentators have described it, “passed to death”.
Not at any point did Spain panic though, having complete confidence in themselves, their ability and their tactics. After 90 minutes with the score still at 0-0 you did get the sense that it was only a matter of time before Spain got their breakthrough. That it took until the 116th minute is a credit to Holland.
When it did come it underlined Spain’s superior football. Fabregas, on for Xabi Alonso in the 87th minutes as Spain looked for more attacking options, found himself in space on the edge of the 18 yard box. His ball into the box found Iniesta who had started the move from his own half only seconds earlier.
The midfielder’s first touch to control the ball was excellent and the finish past Mark Stekelenburg was of equal quality. He was booked for removing his shirt to reveal a tribute to Dani Jarque who died during pre-season training in Italy last year. A price worth paying, both for the goal and the message – “Dani Jarque is always with us”. Check it out.
At the other end of the pitch Iker Casillas was having a blinder, saving well from Robben three times, while Stekelenburg also had a good game, though he could do nothing about Iniesta’s winning goal.
Overall it was a poor game but that wasn’t Spain’s fault, it was Holland’s. Their tactics were spot on, spoiling the Spanish passing all night, but the over the top tackles ruined it and inevitably cost them when they went down to ten men. From there on there was only going to be one winner and so it proved. Thoroughly deserved, Spain are now reigning world and European champions.
Holland can take heart however, they are a much improved side and will challenge for the European Championship in Poland and the Ukraine in 2012, as will a young and improving Germany. And who knows, maybe even a resurgent England? Nah…
The third place play off was a much better game, as I suggested it might be, Germany finally winning it 3-2 with an 82nd minute goal from Sami Khedira. Despite taking the lead in the 18th minute via tournament Golden Boot winner Thomas Muller, Germany found themselves 2-1 down after 51 minutes as Uruguay looked to end their impressive tournament on a high, scoring through Cavani and player of the tournament Diego Forlan.
Jansen equalised for Germany before Khedira’s late winner. It was tough on Uruguay but like Spain in the final, Germany were the better side overall in this match and deserved their third place. They are going to be one hell of a side in a couple of years and I’m tipping them now to lift the European Championships.
Play Fantasy Premier League against me. Use the code 50021-17065 after picking your team to join my league. http://bit.ly/ahompN - posted on 22/07/2010 08:02
@SoccerDotTel I will if you will! Code: 50021-17065 - posted on 20/07/2010 11:37
FIFA have released their latest world rankings and it’s a bit of a surprise that England, despite their abysmal showing in the World Cup, have risen one place to seventh.
