2013 Review

To call this a review makes it sound too authoritative.

Instead here’s a highly personal, selective, subjective Hornby-style list of my favourite sporting events I saw live this year, in chronological order:

1. Man U 1 Real Madrid  2, Uefa Champions League round of 16. Modric.

2. Barcelona 4 Milan 0, UCL round of 16. Messi.

3. Wales v England, 6 Nations rugby. A close contest was expected, but Wales ran away with it in the end

4. Uefa Champions League final (Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund) Robben wins a big final

5. Froch v Kessler super-middle world title. A ring war.

6. Djokovic v Nadal, French Open semi-final. If Nole hadn’t fouled the net…

7. Murray v Verdasco, Wimbledon QF. Comeback

8. Sabine Lisicki v Agnieska Radwanska, Wimbledon SF. Great variety with net play, lobs, drop shots & 9-7 in the final set.

9. Djokovic v del Potro, Wimbledon SF. Best match of the tournament.

10. Wimbledon Final, Murray v Djokovic. The final game alone, the tension was nearly unbearable.

11. Mo Farah’s last lap sprint, 10k final, World Championships

12. San Francisco 49ers 42 Jacksonville Jaguars 10

13. Nadal v Federer, SF, ATP World Tour Finals. I was courtside for the two GOAT contenders.

14. Man City 6 Arsenal 3. My team got whopped, but in a cracking game

Champions and Underdogs

Quite an eventful sporting month. The Champions League final, the retirement of  Fergie, Beckham, Scholes, & Carragher and Wigan’s rare underdog win in the FA Cup in football alone.

To succeed in top level sport, you need talent and athleticism. If you excel in these you have a contender. Champions have these plus the mental toughness, the ability to deliver in moments of intense pressure, and unremitting focus.

Ronnie O’Sullivan’s talent has never been in question, the mental side less so. Fans will hope he again reconsiders retirement after he shrugged off his long break from the game, cruising to his 5^th world title . Most commentators agree if he can go on to match Hendry’s seven world titles it would be difficult not to rate him as the all-time best.

Rafa Nadal can never be accused of not being focused or a fierce competitor, and has also enjoyed great success after a long lay-off, reaching the final in all eight tourneys played & wining six. Rome was his 24th Masters title, to put that in perspective, Lendl won 22 in his entire career, Federer has 21. Rafa has looked vulnerable so far at Roland Garros though, dropping two sets in his first two matches.

With the financial disparity between the big teams & the rest bigger than ever due to petrodollars & TV prize money, it was quite a feat for Wigan to win the cup against Man City, the biggest spenders of recent years. It was the biggest underdog win since the Wimbledon ‘Crazy Gang’ in 1988.

Floyd Mayweather had looked a bit rusty in his last bout, but looked back to his best as he comfortably outpointed Guerrero in Vegas.

Another world-class match was at the O2. Carl Froch has a chance of a rematch with Andre Ward after coming through a fantastic battle with Mikkel Kessler with a deserved points victory. Ward is behind only Mayweather in the pound-for–pound ratings and should be too slick again for the Cobra.

Performance of the Month

Wigan, for winning the Cup, even though they were relegated.

Predictions

Calzaghe v Hopkins

I expect Calzaghe to beat Hopkins tonight. Hopkins great defensive skills should prevent a knockout, but Calzaghe's superior workrate should ensure a comfortable points victory.

If Hopkins wins, he would love a big money rematch with Roy Jones. Jones beat him on points in 1993 (!) but has looked a spent force in recent fights, lacking the lightning reflexes he displayed at the height of his career. Calzaghe has talked about one more fight if he wins, but I think he should retire after this. He has nothing left to prove after his standout wins against Lacy & Kessler, & could retire undefeated.

World Snooker

I’m tipping Mark Selby to win. ‘The Jester’ has already won two tournaments this year, & is a tough competitor- in the Masters he won three matches in final frame deciders. On the other side of the draw, Ronnie O’Sullivan is as always the favourite with the bookmakers, but I think he could be undone by his fragile temperament.

UCL

It's Groundhog Day in the semis of the Uefa Champions League with Liverpool playing Chelsea for the third time in four years. The force always seem to be with the Reds in Europe, although Chelsea & Avram Grant will be desperate to reach the final for the first time. Liverpool to go through by the odd goal.

Barcelona will have Messi & Deco back in the squad for the Man Utd game. Messi came on as as sub in the derby today(0-0). Man U’s squad & strength in depth look formidable on paper, but I reckon Barca will be inspired by playing what is arguably the best team in the world at the moment. Barca on away goals.

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.

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.