End of season WTA & ATP Championships
Henin defeated Sharapova in the WTA Championship final in a match lasting three & a half hours. Henin hasn't lost since losing from a set up to Bartoli at Wimbledon, a 25-match win streak. As well as being arguably the most talented female player, the stats prove Henin is the best too.
The end of the ATP season saw a return to form for David Nalbandian. He showed his potential by reaching the Wimbledon final in 2002, and has made the semis of the other 3 Slams- French (04, 06) Aus (2006) & US (03). He had struggled for form this season, but incredibly he won back-to back Masters titles in Paris & Madrid, beating both Federer & Nadal twice. Andy Murray did very well to be in contention to qualify for the Masters Cup, considering the period he lost to injury (Wimbledon & US Open) & consequent loss of opportunity to pick up ranking points.
The ATP Masters Cup was business as usual for the Fed Express, although Fernando Gonzalez beat Federer in the round-robin stage. When his forehand is in the groove, Gonzo is unstoppable, but he is erratic. End of season tiredness can lead to unexpected defeats in this tournament. Novak Djokovic has had an excellent year, but lost all three matches to be eliminated at the group stage. Federer comfortably defeated Roddick & Ferrer in the semi & final respectively, and the question remains whether Nadal can challenge him for the no. 1 ranking in 2008. I expect Roger to be top of the pile again this time next year.
Euro 2008 qualifying
Scotland coming third in their group was a glorious failure. Not so for England. In a previous post I had predicted Scotland would qualify. Unfortunately their loss 2-0 way to Georgia has proved to be a killer blow. Their qualifying group was an incredibly tough draw, with both France & Italy in the top 5 of FIFA's rankings. Still, they did the double over the French, have improved their seeding for future tournaments, & restored Scotland's reputation in world football.
England got what they deserved against Croatia. The only tactic was the long punt up to Crouch. It was the same old story for England- without Rooney, they struggle for creativity. Wright-Philips did well in the first-half, but then made way for Becks. Joe Cole can beat opponents one-on-one, but he had an off-day. The failure to qualify could be a blessing in disguise though. The FA now have the opportunity to recruit a world-class coach like Fabio Capello, Marcello Lippi, or Mourinho. All are proven winners at the top level. Only Lippi has managed a national side, but the other two have extensive Champions League experience.
So, none of the Home Nations or the Irish will be represented at Euro 2008. Northern Ireland had some excellent results, beating Spain, Sweden & Denmark; & David Healy finished as the top scorer in the entire quaifying competition with 13 goals. Wales & ROI were disappointing, although the Welsh finished with an encouraging away draw against the Germans.
Sunday 25 November 2007
Sunday 4 November 2007
Premiership Deadlock & Calzaghe is The Man
Arsenal v Man Utd
This match had been eagerly anticipated. The two biggest rivals in the Premiership for the last ten years, the top two in the Prem table, who have both been in superb form in the Champions League as well, and who play attacking football. While not an outstanding game, there were enough flashes of skill, and goalmouth incidents, to satisfy the spectator. The game also, refreshingly, lacked the spitefulness that had disfigured a lot of the clashes between the sides in recent seasons, and was largely played in good spirit. Arsenal will obviously be relieved to have snatched the late equaliser. In hindsight though, it may be that their failure to convert their dominance of possession into victory will be seen as a missed opportunity.
The title at this stage still looks like a four-horse race. Avram Grant has steadied the ship at Chelsea in recent weeks & yesterday's win at Wigan puts them third. Liverpool, despite being unbeaten, lie only seventh in the table, albeit with a game in hand, having drawn more than half their games. Man City, my pre-season tip as dark horses, could possibly sneak a top four spot, but at the moment they appear to lack the quality for the title. Portsmouth, Blackburn & Everton look like the contenders for the Uefa places- Spurs surely are too far back.
Joe Calzaghe has now proved himself to be indisputably the best fighter in the world at super-middle, with his unanimous points win over the previously undefeated Mikkel Kessler last night. Kessler himself had suggested his relative youth (28) could be a factor, but it was the 35 year-old Welshman who finished the stronger, particularly over the last three rounds. Calzaghe had said earlier last week that he wants one last big payday after this. A superfight against Bernard Hopkins at light-heavy, would be a fitting end to his career. Hopkins, of course, also enjoyed a long reign as an undisputed champ, making 20 defences of the middleweight title.
This match had been eagerly anticipated. The two biggest rivals in the Premiership for the last ten years, the top two in the Prem table, who have both been in superb form in the Champions League as well, and who play attacking football. While not an outstanding game, there were enough flashes of skill, and goalmouth incidents, to satisfy the spectator. The game also, refreshingly, lacked the spitefulness that had disfigured a lot of the clashes between the sides in recent seasons, and was largely played in good spirit. Arsenal will obviously be relieved to have snatched the late equaliser. In hindsight though, it may be that their failure to convert their dominance of possession into victory will be seen as a missed opportunity.
The title at this stage still looks like a four-horse race. Avram Grant has steadied the ship at Chelsea in recent weeks & yesterday's win at Wigan puts them third. Liverpool, despite being unbeaten, lie only seventh in the table, albeit with a game in hand, having drawn more than half their games. Man City, my pre-season tip as dark horses, could possibly sneak a top four spot, but at the moment they appear to lack the quality for the title. Portsmouth, Blackburn & Everton look like the contenders for the Uefa places- Spurs surely are too far back.
Calzaghe
Joe Calzaghe has now proved himself to be indisputably the best fighter in the world at super-middle, with his unanimous points win over the previously undefeated Mikkel Kessler last night. Kessler himself had suggested his relative youth (28) could be a factor, but it was the 35 year-old Welshman who finished the stronger, particularly over the last three rounds. Calzaghe had said earlier last week that he wants one last big payday after this. A superfight against Bernard Hopkins at light-heavy, would be a fitting end to his career. Hopkins, of course, also enjoyed a long reign as an undisputed champ, making 20 defences of the middleweight title.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)