The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| A Blanc lesson leaves Mourinho with a mountain to climb Posted: 03 Apr 2014 03:53 PM PDT
Chelsea started very poorly at the Parc des Princes, going down within five minutes as John Terry committed one of the cardinal sins of defending – heading the ball into the middle, right into Ezequiel Lavezzi's lap. Finishing with aplomb, we hear critics lambasting David Luiz's positioning when said header was made; though every midfielder does expect an experienced England international for a captain to not make such errors of judgement in the first place. One of the first things a defender is taught is to head the ball back to where it came from but instead, Terry has a major assist. Alongside Manchester United, Paris St Germain (PSG) are the weakest in the competition. Big names, no doubt, but one should watch these stars against the likes of Lorient to understand the true capabilities of this team. However, things would change in the 26th minute, as Oscar was brought down in the box by a lumbering, silly challenge from PSG captain Thiago Silva. Admittedly, it was a stunningly poor attempt at winning the ball for an individual lauded by some as the "best centreback of his generation". Sometimes you wonder if people even watch these games! The most overrated defender in the world looked like Joleon Lescott on the night. With Eden Hazard slotting home confidently – if there ever was a moment so clear to the eyes of an observer as a shift in momentum, this was it – Laurent Blanc's players heads dropped because of that rash challenge by their captain, and PSG were dominated until the half-time whistle blew. Luiz had Zlatan Ibrahimovic in his back pocket; indeed, every time Ibrahimovic attempted to drop deep and dictate play, Luiz was hot on his heels. For very long periods, Bernard Matuidi and Motta felt like passengers as the Chelsea duo of Oscar and Andre Schurrle gave them no space and time on the ball, defending from the front as per Jose Mourinho's orders. Mauro Veratti on the other hand was constantly buzzing about with energy and intent, with Ramires often forced into fouling him due to his quick footwork. There was a decidedly different feel to the PSG team that came out of the dressing room at half-time. Blanc seemed to have instilled belief and confidence in his players, and it showed with their play. Lavezzi did as he always does, working extremely hard and putting in a good shift in attack as well as defence. It could also be argued that Edinson Cavani had an off-day – nowhere near as anonymous as Ibrahimovic – though Ibrahimovic's substitution caused him to move back into his favoured centre – forward position. Curling the ball wide from the edge of the box when it seemed destined to end up in the back of the net, was just one such attempt at goal by the Uruguayan that gave him away. Mourinho then took off Schurrle for Fernando Torres, the latter failing to impress in the time given, though the fault is not entirely his own, in my humble opinion. The failings were in the Chelsea midfield trio of Eden Hazard, Willian and Oscar. They had become more and more disjointed as the game went on, and Torres was starved of service. PSG's second goal came from a free kick given away by Luiz, an in-swinging cross by Lavezzi asking many questions of the Chelsea defenders (and Petr Cech), the ball allowed to drift past everyone and go in off Luiz's leg. A brilliant performance tarnished by an unfortunate incident, one does wonder as to why Terry and Gary Cahill, as well as Cech, failed in even attempting to clear the danger. Regardless, Chelsea were now 2-1 down with under half an hour to go. Mourinho is known for being a pragmatic individual – his contentment with draws away from home in two-legged ties is well documented. Still, going back to Stamford Bridge with a precious away goal did not seem like a total loss at the time. Ibrahimovic, or at least an imposter disguised as him, was taken off in the 68th minute with what seemed to be a muscle injury; his lack of involvement so clear that Lucas Moura, his replacement, immediately made an impact with mazy runs at the backpedalling Chelsea defence. Blanc smelled blood, and PSG dominated proceedings for the remainder of the match. The loss of Veratti was unfortunate as well, one too many thumping at the hands of Ramires taking its toll. He was replaced with former Newcastle United midfielder Yohan Cabaye, though not before Mourinho replaced Oscar with Frank Lampard, a clear sign if any that Mourinho intended to leave Parc des Princes with an away goal and what would be considered an acceptable scoreline in defeat. Lampard, designated to sit with Luiz in midfield, was of no help whatsoever, much akin to Ryan Giggs' one-half cameo against Bayern Munich – there comes a time in every player's career where he must realise that the game has passed them by (and in no way is this an insult, dear readers, merely the passing of time and age). The PSG manager's final throw of the dice was to remove a knackered Lavezzi and replace him with another Argentine, the supremely talented playmaker Javier Pastore. His time at PSG has been underwhelming, to say the least; and so is the curse of being a natural playmaker who, due to a tactical set-up, is merely an addition to the line-up, instead of being the focal point in the team. He made himself known to multiple Chelsea defenders as he skipped past Cesar Azpilicueta and Lampard, then firing home past Terry and a hapless Petr Cech at his near post. Terry was rooted to his spot, failing to make even a nominal attempt towards Pastore's movements; indeed when Pastore shoots, we can see Terry close his legs and turn his back to the ball ever so slightly, taking his eyes off the ball. Agai, definitely not what a defender is taught to do in situations such as those, as God forbid he would be hit by a football! Pastore's goal came deep in injury time, and the final whistle blew shortly after. It might be premature to say that Paris St Germain have announced themselves as giants on the European stage, but defeating a Mourinho-led outfit over two legs would be a nice calling card. Individual errors, read Terry and Cech (yes, he is to blame for the own goal), has forced a situation where Mourinho has to come out to play at Stamford Bridge. It is not beyond Chelsea simply because PSG are no great shakes. A set of players who pass to each other through gritted teeth, it could all unravel for the Parisians in a week's time. – April 4, 2014. * This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider. | |
| Proud to be a Malaysian driver Posted: 03 Apr 2014 03:41 PM PDT
I'm proud to say that I'm a true-blue Malaysian driver. In every country I've driven in outside of Malaysia, it is always a more pleasant experience than Malaysia because everyone seems to be so civic-minded on the road. The only exception would be Afghanistan where I still can't figure out if they drive on the right or left side of the road and an accident happens almost every five minutes in Kabul. But yeah, every other country that I've driven in is vastly different than Malaysia because in Malaysia, you're considered good if you're a bad driver and can get away with it! But this is the exact reason that I am proud to be a Malaysian driver – I feel like I can get away with anything on the road. Let's say I'm late for a meeting and I need to make time. The best way to do it is to drive over the speed limit and "cilok" in between cars and motorcycles on the road. And only a Malaysian driver has the ability to do it. What if you need to rush to a shop and couldn't be bothered to find parking. Just stop on the side of the road. To hell with traffic flow. And only a Malaysian driver has the ability to do it. Say you are stuck in a traffic jam and you need to get home in time to watch TV. Easy! Just indicate left, then drive on the shoulder of the road along the entire highway. And only a Malaysian driver has the ability to do it. I have been driving in Australia the past two weeks as I am on assignment here and because of the far proximity of the places I need to be in, I had to get a car. Some mornings I get up a little bit late and so, naturally, I would have to drive fast, most probably breaking the speed limit of the roads and highways in the process. But these civic-minded Australian drivers don't seem to understand that and still drive according to the speed limit without changing lanes to give way to me. And I have had to "cilok" between cars from one lane to another so I can go faster. And what do the polite Australians do? The flash their lights and honk at me. I've had to run to the convenience store for things and had to park my car two blocks away just because no one is allowed to park in the side of the city's main roads. So it's been scary to see how difficult it is for Australian drivers and also drivers from other countries aside from Malaysia going through their normal driving lives. I could never imagine myself having a driving attitude other than that of a Malaysian. That's why I will always be proud of the fact that I am a true-blue Malaysian driver. – April 4, 2014. * This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider : All To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan