I am so sad Drogba is out. He's so fun to watch. Like Earl Campbell in soccer cleats. Really really crappy.
I am so sad Drogba is out. He's so fun to watch. Like Earl Campbell in soccer cleats. Really really crappy.
As the attrition continues, it seems to me if we just stop practicing and forfeit the friendly to the Socceroos, we'll be in prime position to take the Cup.
We'll be the only team left with a full squad.
Seriously though, I hate to see this happen. Some marquee players will not be competing which hurts the game as a whole. EVERYONE wants to see the elite of the elite playing for their countries. It's just more...fun...when every team is healthy. Still can't wait though! One Week!
Any updates on how serious Jozy's injury is?
--Jason "hopin for a mild sprain" Evans
Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?
Grant Wahl's blog post from 3 hours ago says that he doesn't expect Jozy to play against Australia tomorrow (which may be a good thing) but that he should be fine for England.
http://worldcup.si.com/2010/06/04/us...-to-watch-for/
More thoughts to ponder... China beat France 1-0 in a friendly, but France was playing much of its regular squad. I really don't see why folks think the squad has any chance to go far. Making it out of group play will be an accomplishment for France.
Drogba will apparently try to still play(suddenly having images of Pele in the movie Victory, playing with a sling). Still a huge blow for the Ivory Coast and lifts the odds of Portugal advancing considerably.
Honestly, Ferdinand's injury shouldn't actually cost England all the much. He's a nice player, but pretty replaceable in the back.
Yea, all the players say that they're "not losing sleep" over Jozy's injury and expect him to be fine for England. He likely won't play tomorrow, and that's okay with me.
I watched this game...France looked awful. China is not a strong squad at all, but France could not do anything against them.
I don't think Drogba's going to play...he's apparently already told his teammates that he's out, and Sven has already spoke about trying to replace the irreplaceable. Ferdinand's injury shouldn't cost England as much, but that's more leadership and experience that's gone. England is a team full of stars that you look at the team roster and get overwhelmed. The best part about this is that I'm not overwhelmed when I see Dawson on the back line. I see a chink in the armor.
Geez, I don't remember this many injuries this late in the game for the World Cup. Drogba, Ferdinad, Obi Mikel, Skrtel, Robben, Pirlo, Ballack, Essien(not recent, but still), and I'm sure there's a couple others I'm forgetting. You could put together a squad of players who won't be at the World Cup that would be favorites to win it, if healthy(or at least, in the case of folks like Robben, won't be in the World Cup openers, the Dutch being favored to go far enough that he may still play in the cup).
Back to the France-China friendly, this is a video of the free kick where China scored their goal, take a close look at the flight of the ball: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N63cVBZZOko
Obviously, the keeper was fooled by the direction that the ball took. While the video has non-English commentary, the ESPN commentators that were on the match in the US also commented on how weird the ball looked. Plus, the French GK, Hugo Llores, is regarded as one of the top keepers in the world, so it's not like a terrible keeper was in there. While some people have been debating about whether the ball is a problem or not, this video argues that we may see some funny goals in the World Cup.
That ball went one way and then it went the other. What the heck happened there?
Is there some controversy about the types of balls being used in these friendlies leading up to the WCup this year? Is this the same ball that will be used in Cup matches?
--Jason "that was very strange" Evans
Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?
1. The balls that have been used in most of the friendlies is the same ball that will be used throughout the World Cup...the Jobulani ball.
2. The World Cup ball is ALWAYS hated on before the World Cup. Leading the charge are usually Nike players or Nike teams (like the U.S., who use Nike balls in their friendlies). Also, the big 3 leagues all use a Nike ball, as Nike sponsors the leagues' official game balls.
3. Having said all that...the ball did do something serious, and this ball has been talked about more than any World Cup ball that I can remember. But, every team will have to deal with it. So far, Tim Howard has handled the ball well and has tracked it well in flight, so I feel confident they won't have many problems with it.
From what I've seen, the ball appears to be "light." I'm sure its within whatever specifications are required, but different materials, sewing methods, etc can make things feel different. I'm more familiar with this in volleyball, where 2 balls measure exactly the same, but I'd much rather serve with the Tachikara than the Mikasa, as the T really seems to knuckle more than the M, which feels more solid and easier to control.
The same thing appears with the ball, it really does seem to dance a bit for players, being affected by wind current and curls. As a note, the France China game was played on Reunion Island, and I have to wonder if the wind was gustier than normal(I didn't watch the match, so have no idea how things looked overall) which could certainly account for an increased movement.
The ball-per Laws of the Game-has to be between 14 and 16 oz. It's true that some balls feel lighter when you hit them, but I've never found a significant difference in weight between two balls that I couldn't explain (i.e. one ball being waterlogged). The Jabulani is a light ball, but that's not the reason for the flight it took in the video. Starting with the World Cup in 2006 Adidas introduced the new age of soccer balls-sleek, less panels, sexier. The more panels on a soccer ball the more predictable the flight is. I believe this is due to increased drag, which in turn leads to less knuckling of the ball, etc. The ball in the video certainly took a weird flight, but if you watch enough soccer, or hit a ball of the quality of Jabulani, you'll see that you can make the ball do some weird things. If you don't believe me, check out Roberto Carlos doing this =>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t5MF...eature=related
I can only describe the knuckling seen in the France-China game as something you have to do to believe. If you like prowlin' through YouTube just search "best soccer free kicks" and you'll see what I'm talking about.
Or this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEX9SShOJno
If you liked that 'impossible' one, check out the science behind it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwRYYeEk5Eg
4 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!