Starlets give encouraging signs
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/060316/1/6b5x.html
Starlets give encouraging signs
12 March 2006
by FIFAworldcup.com
For the young stars of international football, the friendly fixtures played on
28 February and 1 March were an ideal opportunity to show their respective
coaches that they are ready and able to do a job for their countries at this
summer's FIFA World Cup?.
Read on as FIFAworldcup.com analyses the performances of the talented
youngsters with their sights set on the Gillette Best Young Player Award at
Germany 2006.
Argentina lights candle for Messi
If Argentina coach Jose Pekerman took one positive from his country's 3-2 loss
against Croatia, it had to be the performance of Lionel Messi. La Pulga (The
Flea) removed any lingering doubts about his entitlement to a starting berth
in Germany with another towering display. The Albiceleste started poorly on the
night and fell behind, before two bits of Messi magic turned the game round.
The first saw the Barcelona man make space for himself in a crowded box and put
Carlos Tevez through for the equaliser, while the second – a moment of
individual brilliance – came after he cut in from the right, made straight for
goal and curled an unstoppable left-foot strike into the far corner.
Most of Argentina's best moves stemmed from the feet of the youngster, leading
one of the country's dailies, Clarin, to warn of the risk of "Messi-dependence"
. The whole of Argentina then got a fright after seeing the young prodigy
limp off in Barcelona's UEFA Champions League game with Chelsea, though the
player should be sidelined for no more than a month and fully fit again before
the FIFA World Cup kicks off in June.
Cesc outstanding, Ramos steady
Spain's impressive performance in coming from 2-1 down to beat Cote d'Ivoire
3-2 included star turns from two men hoping to light up the finals in June,
Cesc Fabregas and Sergio Ramos. The former, making his full debut at just 18,
gave a dazzling performance in midfield as he celebrated becoming the youngest
player to be capped for his country for 70 years. His dynamism and ability to
dictate the tempo appear to have won over Spain coach Luis Aragones, who had
this to say about the Arsenal man afterwards: "He demonstrated his quality and
showed himself to be unfazed by international duty." Fabregas, for his part,
would only say: "I'm happy with how everything has gone, but best of all is
that we won."
Ramos, meanwhile, started the night at right-back, an area where Cote d'Ivoire
enjoyed little success it should be said. Although some poor marking in the
Spanish rearguard saw the Iberians fall 2-1 behind, the Real Madrid man's
influence grew as the game wore on and he almost scored with a header from a
corner. In the second half, he made his presence felt by moving to centre-back
and doing a fine job of marking Didier Drogba, something Aragones picked up on
afterwards. "When Sergio Ramos got into his stride, we looked much more solid
at the back and better able to contain a very tough opponent."
Ronaldo works his magic
Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo turned out to be the star of
Portugal's 3-0 win over Saudi Arabia on 1 March. As well as being a key
provider and the hub of his side's attacking play, Ronaldo proved again what
an adept goalscorer he is, netting twice. His first was a header from a Luis
Figo corner, while his second, a moment of pure genius, saw him cap a
blistering solo run down the left with a low shot into the corner. Despite his
own dazzling display, the player remained modest afterwards, preferring to
focus on the team's performance: "The win will give us more self-confidence,
and the reassurance that we're on the right track for the World Cup."
Rooney, a tireless worker
England's 2-1 win over Uruguay saw Wayne Rooney demonstrate once more how a
striker can be instrumental in a team's victory without providing either a goal
or an assist. On the pitch for just over an hour, he followed coach Sven-Goran
Eriksson's instructions to open up the right side of the pitch with his
strength and direct running. And although this kept him out of the danger area
for long periods, leaving not a few England fans disappointed, his movement
opened up holes in the Uruguayan defence, which his team-mates were able to
exploit. His overall performance went down well with the press in England, who
applauded his selfless running and attitude.
Senderos' strong character
Holding down a place in any side that has qualified for the FIFA World Cup is
a tall order, even more so when you are just 21. Yet that is what the young
Swiss defender Phillippe Senderos has managed to do. During his side's 2-1 win
in Scotland, he again proved up to the task, both on and off the pitch.
Reminded by a journalist in the build-up that Scotland had never lost to
Switzerland on home soil, the Arsenal centre-back replied confidently: "Records
are made to be broken." And for the 72 minutes he played, Senderos showed
impeccable timing and anticipation, and a strong conviction when joining the
attack. He was understandably pleased afterwards: "We played well and earned a
good away win, which will help build momentum ahead of the World Cup."
Disappointment for Podolski
Germany's surprising 4-1 defeat in Italy was a match many German players will
be anxious to forget, Lukas Podolski among them. Such was the domination of the
Azzurri that the FC Cologne striker got precious little of the ball, and even
less sight of goal, before being replaced by Gerald Asamoah during the
interval.
Kaebi looking solid
Finally, the importance of having a solid, reliable players in your defence is
something every team can appreciate. Hossein Kaebi is one such player, and he
was at his steadfast best again in helping Iran to a hard-fought 3-2 win over
Costa Rica. The right-back was vigilant early on and after some attacking
forays as Iran went 3-0 ahead, he was back to shore up the defence in the
second half when the Ticos cut the deficit to a single goal.
"It was an important win, as Costa Rica play a similar game to Mexico, one of
our World Cup opponents," Kaebi told the Iranian press afterwards.
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我以為小猴也是新人XD
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