Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Maybe we will luck out? Klinsmann to the Brits?!
The football world was stunned when Iceland knocked off England at the Euros in relatively easy fashion, we might add. The English were exposed as a bunch of Premier League pansies and the inquest had begun now that the Brexit jokes are starting to die down. Maybe.
The next England coach, dubbed as the 'Impossible Job', has yet to be named, though there are candidates galore. Gareth Southgate was one of them, even though his credentials were questioned. Nevertheless, he has taken himself out of consideration.
One name who has not as of this writing is former Tottenham Hotspur legend Jurgen Klinsmann, who has been favoured by many for the gig. Even better, he may actually want this.
Now let's examine the situation. This could honestly be great news for everyone involved. The United States is clearly stuck in place with him and a coach returning for a second World Cup could result in a bad situation for us.
Meanwhile, England claim to not like foreign coaches like Sven Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello but Capello's 66.7 win percentage as boss is actually the nation's best since 1946. Even if he was beaten for the group title in the 2010 World Cup by Bob Bradley's U.S. team.
But would Klinsmann automatically be a flop for England? Actually this blog thinks otherwise. England and its managers are stuck in the past, overrating their talent and believing they can control the ball and control matches. The problem is that they can't.
Enter Klinsmann. He's a coach that eschews creative, attacking players like Sacha Kljestan, Benny Feilhaber, Darlington Nagbe and even a Lee Nguyen in favor of one-dimensional sods like Kyle Beckerman and workmanlike plodders like the past-his-prime but useful Jermaine Jones.
Since England play at a slow tempo anyway, Klinsmann will find the type of hard-nosed talentless grinders he prefers for them and will insert them right into the XI. And that's what they need because throwing in umpteen forwards and thinking that is football is the current ridiculous approach. And Klinsmann is ridiculous too but he can guide subpar talents like Beckerman and Mix Diskerud to mixed results.
This means a radical redefining of English football. It means more of a prominent role for Eric Dier - possibly England's best player in France - and the addition of a Ryan Shawcross from Stoke City. It means Jamie Vardy must get 90 minutes over Harry Kane, who may be all-world in the Premier League but looks lost with the Three Lions. Perhaps Danny Drinkwater and Luke Shaw would fit in well with Klinsmann's cowardly ideas. Klinsmann would covet a player like Ashley Williams, English-born but tied down with quarter-finalists Wales.
Under the Klinsmann approach, England will see less of the ball - which is a good thing because they are awful and clueless with loads of possession! Under the Klinsmann method, they can defend all night and play with 'heart and guts' as opponents attack their goal!
England can only go up. Klinsmann has had a magic carpet ride as a national team coach, getting far better results than he should - not out of his coaching but out of sheer luck. Even he knows his luck may have run dry with the United States. But how bad could he be with England? Surely he could beat Iceland, right?
We endorse Klinsmann for England coach and wish him the best!
Monday, June 27, 2016
Copa America 2016: Messi calls it quits, Higuain misses the mark and the United States achieves its dream!
Any last requests? "For Pipita (Higuain) to shoot!" |
The Copa America Centenario has come and gone and, as predicted correctly on this blog, Chile has successfully defended their title by defeating Argentina. And that's why you come to the IMOTGP blog, to get blunt honest predictions unlike FOX sports idiots telling you that the United States would beat Argentina!
The biggest story to come out of Sunday's final was that Lionel Messi claims he is done playing for Argentina. The truth is nobody really believes it, with numerous other Argentine stars claiming they will retire as well due to a dispute with the federation. It takes the gloss off a final that will be best remembered for Pippa Higuain's astounding miss in the first half, prompting the need for the cartoon you see above. It's yet another Pippa failure in a big spot.
After Argentina demolished the insipid Americans, many saw them as a shoo-in for the trophy. Thse who attended Wednesday's dispatching of an overrated Colombia team like your fellow blogger suspected otherwise - that the battle-hardened Chileans could once again claim the trophy. And between Higuain's shocker and some misfires from Kun Aguero, history repeated itself once again.
THE UNITED STATES CLEARS THE BAR, THEN PROMPTLY LOWERS IT
And what to say about Jurgen Klinsmann's U.S. team - the outlier among the semi-finalists. The semifinals was the team's stated goal and the team delivered with wins over Costa Rica, Paraguay and Ecuador.
Yet the utter humiliation suffered in the Argentina semifinal seemed to send the U.S. fan base into revolt. Klinsmann threw the players under the bus, saying they were not good enough and had to step on the toes of their opponents more.
That created a hostile environment for Saturday's third-place rematch against Colombia after the South Americans won the tournament's opening match 2-0 and Klinsmann hailed a strong performance by his side.
The coach was even more complimentary after Saturday's loss, hailing an effort in which the U.S. failed to score. Tim Howard talked about how great the U.S. was as well.
The problem is that the numbers indicate that the United States isn't actually better in Klinsmann's tenure. Yes, we don't have the players these top sides do. But as Matthew Doyle indicated in the above link, we used to be more competitive in those games while not so under Klinsmann - the highest-paid soccer coach in the history of the country.
Sunil Gulati originally stated some unhappiness after the Argentina game, although he backtracked after Saturday, somehow bizarrely tying in the 2009 Confederations Cup win that ended Spain's 35-match unbeaten streak with Bob Bradley coach to friendly wins over second-string Germany and Netherlands squads. The IMOTGP blog can't make sense of that connection so we will defer to you readers to explain it.
The bottom line is that the U.S. didn't embarrass itself in this tournament like Mexico did, although keep in mind that beating teams you are supposed to beat on home soil shouldn't be considered too amazing. We know Klinsmann will be there in Russia, where the United States will be knocked out in the round of 16 and he can hail it as another sign of progress.
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
England in an Uproar!!!
Football fans following the proceedings in Europe are well aware that England are in an uproar following Roy Hodgson's reckless decision to ring the changes for a scoreless draw with Slovakia. That dropped the Three Lions into second place and into a half of the bracket that includes two-time defending champions Spain, 2012 finalist Italy, reigning world champions Germany and host France.
And so the tabloids are abuzz in England but not because of that. It's because of the scandal surrounding the decision to strip Miss Great Britain of her crown of winning the UK's oldest pageant because she decided to strip down to her birthday suit and have sex on a reality TV show.
That's right, IMOTGP followers and we have the pictures to prove it! OK not those pictures. But we can confirm that the woman below is the former Miss Great Britain, Zara Holland.
Who ever said the Euros needed Holland when you have a British Holland creating a firestorm for her sexcapades on live TV? The Miss Great Britain people said that she didn't "uphold the responsibility expected of the title." Well Holland has responded by saying 'having sex is not a crime.'
It all adds up to a classic British scandal and should only serve to take the pressure off of Hodgson, Wayne Rooney and the others since who cares about football when faced with such a juicy subplot instead?
Of course, we know you wan more of a football fix here at IMOTGP so we'll leave you with the following picture of how top MLS stars train for the grueling season. Enjoy!!!
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
IMOTGP: Kick them out!
Well its been quite a European championships so far and the violence is deafening. Everybody and their mother wants to blame the 2018 World Cup hosts Russia.
Well the Russians are lashing out at the criticism and blaming who else? England. Credit Russia's Artem Dzyuba for telling it like it is.
"I don’t really understand this kind of reaction of the British media who have this impression that English supporters are like angels who came to this country and they’re just behaving themselves. You have to be objective and it’s 50-50. In every conflict, there are two parts. Everyone has to follow and to see and to communicate with supporters and with fans. Don’t say that only Russians are at fault."
Dzyuba brings up an interesting point. Why doesn't anyone want to kick out the English? This has historical precedence. Yet while Russia was handed a suspended international ban, England was not.
We know the England team gets plenty of ink but we say enough is enough. Kick them out and let some deserving team like Scotland or Klinsmann's United States take their place (sure the U.S. isn't in Europe but how much fun would this be?)
Furthermore, it is the opinion of the IMOTGP blog that not only should England be kicked out of international football but from cricket as well. Let's keep these hooligan maniacs out of our beloved sports and while we're at it we may as well also institute a travel ban on Premier League teams. It's a blot on the sport and on the world. After all, the Russians aren't the only ruffians!
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Success from the Odd Couple!!
Together Forever! |
Fair is fair and the IMOTGP blog has to eat it after successfully predicting that the United States would advance at Copa America. The reality now is that the Odd Couple pictured above will get all the credit and continue their reign as the geniuses in charge of our programs.
As you know, that is still regrettable and the Paraguay coach chose to make fun of the U.S. team moments before he was fired. Regardless of that, the United States emerged as group winners after Colombia's B-team stumbled against Costa Rica, and now Klinsmann and Gulati can say they masterminded capturing the 'Group of Death.'
We believe it's up to the U.S. fan to decide how acceptable the team's performance is. The results, of course, are 100 percent acceptable. And in that sense, it's not important how you play - and clearly a counter-attacking style is what the U.S. team has done in the past and will always excel at. It is our opinion that it should be 4-4-2 and counter attack.
One thing that is clear is that the success is making Klinsmann spout his motivational bullshit yet again about 'going for it' and how we should 'take the game to those big teams and not just playing counter-break football.' Just ask yourself if that is really what you are seeing or whether you are watching the tried and true U.S. style that we have employed for some time. We don't have a problem with the latter, just don't call it the former. And we'll see you in Seattle for the quarters - probably not against Brazil now.
WILL HERTHA BSC BECOME THE NEXT CHELSEA?
One positive that came out of the U.S. performance is the level-headed play of John Brooks. MLS analyst Matthew Doyle believes that Brooks can help Hertha BSC develop into the next Chelsea.
Doyle writes: "That inflection point for Brooks came this year with Hertha Berlin. He came into the year as a starter with potential, suffered an early-season muscle strain, then returned and locked down the starting role with a vice-like grip. During the winter break Bayern Munich were reportedly interested in his services, and a half-dozen other big-name clubs were all linked with a possible move at one point or another (personally I hope he stays with Hertha – they finished 7th, and have the same type of potential to grow into a great club that Chelsea did 15 years ago)."
If Doyle is correct, maybe Hertha can entice a coaching genius like Jose Mourinho or Pep Guardiola to join forces and lead us to the glory we so richly deserve as the team based in the capital city of the reigning world champions!
Saturday, June 11, 2016
You're Welcome Chicago!
The football world was amazed last night as Argentina substitute Lionel Messi scored an insane hat trick against 10-man Panama in Chicago. But as with anything in football, the story goes so much deeper than that as to why this happened.
As many of you know, there is only one person known worldwide as the 'Messi Stopper' and that is your humble blogger. The IMOTGP blogger has seen the great Messi play three times - on three different continents - and he has failed to produce a goal each time.
That is why with a huge crowd on tap Friday we here at the IMOTGP blog opted against attending the match against powerful Panama. Before this fabulous blog was created, we saw Messi in a scoreless draw against Bob Bradley's competent United States team in 2008 when he was subbed off at the half. We watched him turn in a limp display in a 2-0 derby win over Espanyol in 2011 at Barcelona just weeks before he and La Blaugrana thrashed Man United to win the Champions League. The next year, we saw him held in check by a ferocious Peru team in a World Cup qualifier in a 1-1 draw in Lima.
That last match made apparent that Messi can't handle the pressure of playing in front of the Phantom. So we can enthusiastically report that Messi did not start Friday not because he was coming off injury but because he was frightened by the possibility of failing in front of your esteemed blogger yet again. Luckily, we got in touch with Argentina at half-time and told them we were not attending. Thus liberated, Messi produced a magical 30 minutes of football. Plus, we had a superior Copa Centenario experience for $125 plus service fees last weekend anyway.
From all of us at the IMOTGP blog, we say 'You're welcome, Chicago!' It was the least we could do for the football world.
Sunday, June 5, 2016
IMOTGP at Copa Centenario 2016 - Photos!
$125 was well worth it! |
Here at IMOTGP we strive to experience the best the football world has to offer and bring it to you and we spare no expense. That's why your faithful blogger paid the $125 full price plus service fees for the ticket you see above to see Copa Centenario, one of the world's most important football tournaments - and it better be at those prices! It's an event that features stars such as Lionel Messi of Argentina, James Rodriguez of Colombia and Brazilian sensation
Most importantly, Copa Centenario is about national pride, about the chills you get when you hear your national anthem being played. And we experienced a match that legions of fans were in attendance to see, a Group C clash between football powerhouses Jamaica and Venezuela.
It turned out to be a quite a spectacle, as you will see below with what was a thoroughly entertaining afternoon. We want all of you who were not there to experience all the thrilling action that Copa Centenario has to offer and we caught all the proceedings with these exciting photos showcasing what football is all about.
Enjoy!
Saturday, June 4, 2016
Did You Expect Anything Else?
Well the Copa America opened in predictable fashion with the United States losing 2-0 to Colombia. And maybe, just maybe, we moved closer to the reign of terror.
It's said that Jurgen is moving closer to the end, but this is not clear. As you know, this blog predicted four points and that Klinsi will stay. That can still happen and you have to figure he will stay on because what kind of national team can throw players under the bus left and right unless he has pretty good job security.
Because, in truth, Jose Pekerman exposed this fraudulent coach Friday night. The Colombia boss told his side to give the U.S. possession, maybe hassle one or two players and sit back and see what we could do with the ball. The answer was not much. You saw wasted, laborious possession in which it took forever to get the football anywhere near the opponent's box - if the ball ever got anywhere close to there at all. It was a friendly masquerading as a competitive match since Colombia did little, showed little ambition and didn't need to against such feeble opposition.
But ah yes, the players. Well it's true they are not all in the Champions League as Klinsi would want them. But is the career trajectory of these players really his job or is his job to give the 11 on the field some cohesive game plan? If you gave him better players would he win something? His tenure with Germany and Bayern Munich suggests otherwise.
And furthermore, this may be the most talented player pool we have ever seen. Every starter save one from Friday has major European experience. He has a 17-year-old wunderkind - a word he should understand - playing for one of the top teams in the world. There is so much talent he has omitted the best playmaker in MLS and a guy who has Champions League experience.
Ask yourself this. Do players like Fabian Johnson, DeAndre Yedlin, John Brooks and Geoff Cameron - all established in Europe - do they play better for their club teams or in a U.S. shirt? It's an interesting question. Your faithful blogger remembers U.S. players like Charlie Davies, Oguchi Onyewu and Jay DeMerit making names for themselves in the U.S. jersey and allowing them to move overseas. Does this happen anymore? Would you want any of these players based on what they give you in a U.S. jersey?
This blogger was disgusted - yet not surprised - by what he saw Friday and he wasn't alone. In fact, the IMOTGP blog was planning to go see the U.S. team play Costa Rica but has had a change of heart since paying money to watch this rubbish in person doesn't seem so prudent at this current time.
The blog will instead focus on tomorrow's Jamaica-Venezuela match. And we offer that any of you that run into The Phantom and are wearing a handmade IMOTGP t-shirt will get in free with your humble blogger. It's the least we can offer if you watch the United States!
Friday, June 3, 2016
Copa America 2016: Is Klinsmann's reign of terror finally over?
It's time for the football fiesta known as Copa Centenario, billed as the biggest tournament in the United States since the 1994 World Cup. Except it's not. A quick look at StubHub shows tickets available as low as $6 for some matchups. Neymar isn't going to play, Luis Suarez may or may not play and Lionel Messi may have other things on his mind. Even CONCACAF star Keylor Navas, last seen lifting the Champions League trophy, won't play either.
But there's still a tournament to play and our United States is in it. And the pre-tournament stories surrounding Jurgen Klinsmann haven't been pretty. The Guardian ripped his strategic incompetence. Klinsmann himself has made his usual bizarre statements. There's more and more question marks surrounding Klinsmann everywhere you read.
The problem is that the United States has a doable task to get out of Group A - dubbed by Klinsmann as the 'Group of Death' as he always claims every group he is in is. After facing Colombia tonight and Costa Rica in Chicago, there's a final match against Paraguay. Four points could be enough to advance and keep Klinsmann's reign of terror going all the way to Russia 2018. IMOTGP humbly believes that the best-case scenario for the U.S. fan is nine points in the group or zero. Nine points means we would actually be good while zero means Klinsi is finally toast. Don't expect either to happen.
Predictions:
Group A - Expect Colombia to win the group since who else really will?
Colombia 7 points
United States 4 points
Costa Rica 2 points
Paraguay 1 point
Group B - Ecuador could take the group but they won't be motivated so a second-rate Brazil squad will with Dunga boring us to death.
Brazil 7 points
Ecuador 6 points
Peru 4 points
Haiti 0 points
Group C - Mexico should beat Uruguay without Suarez and ride its advantage as the team with the most popularity in the host country.
Mexico 7 points
Uruguay 4 points
Jamaica 3 points
Venezuela 1 point
Group D - Even a kindergartner could figure out this awful group.
Argentina 9 points
Chile 6 points
Panama 1 point
Bolivia 1 point
Knockout round
Colombia beats Ecuador 1-1 on penalties
Brazil beats USA 4-1
Chile beats Mexico 2-1
Argentina beats Uruguay 3-1
Argentina over Colombia, 2-1
Chile over Brazil, 2-0
Chile defeats Argentina 1-0
Thursday, June 2, 2016
TBT: A look back at the first blog that spawned IMOTGP!
Well folks, it's throwback Thursday on the IMOTGP blog and time to look back at our first venture into the blogging community - the ill-fated blog called The Beautiful Game.
You can look through the archives for some riveting stuff. There's a post on a hilarious Mario Baoltelli moment, a blurb on a Celtic FC fan who played in the NFL's Super Bowl, and one note on a baseball superstar who met Bayer Leverkusen! There's also a report on the 2011 Asian Cup clash between India and Australia!
A favorite was some Jurgen Klinsmann criticism from 2011. That link proves that The Phantom was right from the beginning on the world's most foolish football coach.
Long-time followers of the Phantom may remember our defunct feature when we introduced a future star to the public. We did a Meet Wilfried Bony feature when he plied his trade at Sparta Prague and introduced Shinji Kagawa to the world before he led Borussia Dortmund to glory.
It's all there at the archives of the old TBG blog. Now why did that venture fail? Well you may notice another blogger also posted with less frequency named 'B' and he brought little to the table. What the Phantom also learned was that there were too many posts about the Bundesliga and too few with pictures of women so our crack staff has tried to rectify those matters.
Still the Phantom would like to thank the TBG for being the fore-runner for all the quality content you get for FREE here at IMOTGP. Thank you for your support!
You can look through the archives for some riveting stuff. There's a post on a hilarious Mario Baoltelli moment, a blurb on a Celtic FC fan who played in the NFL's Super Bowl, and one note on a baseball superstar who met Bayer Leverkusen! There's also a report on the 2011 Asian Cup clash between India and Australia!
A favorite was some Jurgen Klinsmann criticism from 2011. That link proves that The Phantom was right from the beginning on the world's most foolish football coach.
Long-time followers of the Phantom may remember our defunct feature when we introduced a future star to the public. We did a Meet Wilfried Bony feature when he plied his trade at Sparta Prague and introduced Shinji Kagawa to the world before he led Borussia Dortmund to glory.
It's all there at the archives of the old TBG blog. Now why did that venture fail? Well you may notice another blogger also posted with less frequency named 'B' and he brought little to the table. What the Phantom also learned was that there were too many posts about the Bundesliga and too few with pictures of women so our crack staff has tried to rectify those matters.
Still the Phantom would like to thank the TBG for being the fore-runner for all the quality content you get for FREE here at IMOTGP. Thank you for your support!
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Now the Brits are Claiming the Credit for Pulisic!
Last weekend, Christian Pulisic became the youngest United States player to score in the modern era, with this nicely taken goal.
It's clear that Pulisic is a star on the rise and he has been spotlighted by numerous media outlets, including a nice write-up here at IMOTGP. His exploits at Borussia Dortmund have been much anticipated in the United States and credit goes to Thomas Tuchel for allowing the youngster to develop in the competitive environs of the Bundesliga - a league in which teenagers have been known to shine.
So it comes as no surprise that who is taking credit for Pulisic's success? It's actually not Jurgen Klinsmann, who takes credit for everything that goes right for the U.S. No, it's the British, who claim that he learned the game in England according to the Guardian.
The story goes that "it was in the English countryside that Christian Pulisic caught the football bug for good." Kindly father Mark Pulisic played along with this reporter's idea that because Christian began playing in England, he became good.
“Christian went and played for a nearby club team called Brackley Town (whose senior team play in England’s sixth tier)" Mark remembers. "The coach, Robin Walker, was a real influence, and we’re still friends to this day. Christian went to play in tournaments and really fell in love, became obsessed with the sport."
We know England have sunk low but to take credit for our teenage success story is a bit much. To have the Brits tell it, the fact that Kobe Bryant grew up in Italy and not England is why he is such a football flop.
If the dimwits in England were so smart, wouldn't one of their teams have signed the kid? But no. Leave it to Germany - the home of the World Cup champions - to recognize talent and how to nurture it. Pulisic is a success story for Germany and the United States!
The official verdict from IMOTGP is that the Brits can suck it for trying to pretend they had anything to do with the kid from Pennsylvania. So suck it Brits!
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