Spain have been Defeated but not Beaten.

World Cup 2014 was a train wreck for La Roja. The defending champions were embarrassed by Holland in the opening match and never recovered from that sucker punch that knocked the wind out of their sails and saw them exit the World Cup after just 3 matches. Many were ready to announce La Roja’s era was over however those talks are premature. Spain has been defeated but not beaten and the talented youth players for Spain ensure a bright future for La Roja.

 All good things must come to an end and Spain’s run came to a grinding halt in Brazil. Losses to Holland and Chile brought down the curtains on any chance of Spain repeating as World Cup champion.  I had previously written that history was not on Spain’s side and sure enough, Spain became the third consecutive European World Cup champion to crash out of the World Cup during the group stages while they attempted to defend their crown.

France won the World Cup in 1998 and crashed out in 2002 World Cup group stages while Italy won the World Cup in 2006 and crashed out in 2010 in similar fashion. Italy would pull off an encore performance in this recent World Cup, while France would get back in the World Cup Final in 2006. World Cup 2018 will be Spain’s opportunity to rebound with a strong showing like France did in 2006 or fall flat on their face and revert back to their disappointing selves we had seen prior to 2008.

Since Del Bosque will remain in charge for Euro 2016, it’s time for him to start the new project with the talented youth he has available. The days of Xavi, Torres, Villa and others is over and it’s time to focus on the likes of Thiago, Jesé, Isco, Deulofeu, Koke , De Gea, Bartra and others to supplement the veterans still representing Spain. The talent is there and Del Bosque didn’t suddenly forget how to manage a team, just made some glaring mistakes in terms who he called up and who he started. I still can’t understand him omitting Fernando Llorente.

His faith in the veterans backfired after an entertaining but grueling Spanish league season that left many players hurt or exhausted for the World Cup. Now, he will have the chance to make amends for that mistake if he does not squander the talented players available present. Not many managers get a to stick around after an embarrassing exit which is why Del Bosque better make the most out of the talent he has available. The talent is still absurd and he has the right ingredients for another competitive team; just as long as he chooses wisely his ingredients.

Messi Is Mortal After All.

It was disappointing to see Messi come up just short in his quest for the World Cup trophy. He helped carry his team all the way to the Final but in the end; his pursuit of matching Maradona’s World Cup feats was sadly similar to Maradona’s 1990 World Cup and not 1986. Messi will now have a few weeks to recuperate and get ready for the upcoming season and hope he has the support from the fans and the board as Barça begins a new chapter in their history.

Not often many athletes can reach the status of immortality. Michael Jordan did it when he helped lead the Bulls to the NBA title to be considered one of the legends along with Magic and Bird. Messi had been one of the many Argentinians to be considered as the “Next Maradona” but was the only one to actually be a genuine contender for that title through his performances. The only thing missing of course was a World Cup title on his resume. Sunday could have been his coronation into immortality status along with Pele and Maradona.

However, it was not to be. Nevertheless, being associated with the likes of Johan Cruyff, Di Stefano, Eusebio, Puskas, Van Basten, and Raul is not bad company either. For years, we heard that Messi could not be compared with the likes of Pele and Maradona until he won the big one. Unfortunately, Messi’s performance was not good enough, along with his supporting cast for that matter, to beat Germany in the final.

Yet, it is ludicrous to believe that Messi cannot be considered one of the greatest of all-time because he did not win the World Cup. People make it seem that it was Pele and Maradona and 10 other men that won those titles. Pele had Garrincha and other superb players by his side.  Maradona had Jorge Valdano, Burruchaga and Ruggeri in 1986 and then Canniggia in 1990 on the national team among others. They are all-time greats but to say that those two players won it on their own is farfetched to say the least. It was a team effort and that’s why people need to cut Messi some slack. Messi did not have the talent, healthy or injured, that those two players had. Messi only had Mascherano that was dependable throughout the World Cup. Messi bossed the attack and Mascherano bossed the back.

This whole World Cup, everyone expected Messi to mimic Maradona and lead Argentina to glory. He sure did play that role early on in the group stages but his role changed in the knockout stages. He went from being Messi/Maradona and then played the roles of other World Cup winners. When Di Maria suffered an injury against Belgium, Messi became Zidane and Pirlo on the pitch and bossed the midfield and pulled the strings for Argentina while being hounded by two to three players at a time. It’s no surprise that he looked slow and sluggish against Germany. He looked human when he missed that golden scoring chance early in the second half. He has been carrying the team, and the expectations of his country and the world, on his shoulders with Mascherano but in the end, it seemed to be too heavy for his back and legs to pull off one last golden moment.

Messi will now have some time off to regroup before he rejoins Barça for another season and chapter in the history books. He’s been through a lot with the injuries, the loss of teammates, managers and the death of a manager he knew for many years. It is with the upmost importance that the club be on his side and support the man and also protect him. Messi has never been the same since his injury against PSG back in 2012-2013 season and the club needs to ensure he is getting the right treatment and reunite him with Juanjo Brau to be his personal trainer again. The club also needs to protect him when the Madrid media attack him and by all means, not allow a repeat of club directors to insult him either. This is not just a team but a family where they should have everybody’s back.

Hopefully we are not seeing the beginning the end of Messi, but rather, just watching a minor blip in his career. He has given so much for the club and for football and we should have his back. Of course, Messi also needs to realize that he is not 22 anymore and cannot play every day. We saw how Raul played himself to the ground and Messi is close to doing the same to himself. He is only 27 but the mileage on those legs is probably those who of one who is 32. However, that’s going to be easier said than done what with Copa America taking place next summer, followed by Copa América Centenario in the summer of 2016 and perhaps Confederations Cup in 2017 (if Argentina win the Copa America) and then the World Cup again in 2018.

Messi will not retire from playing for Argentina now but he has to start avoiding playing in meaningless matches such as international friendlies for Argentina across the globe, early rounds of the Copa del Rey, Champions League group stage where qualification and first place has been reached. He also should not play a full 90 minutes in games where the outcome has been decided by a four goal margin after 60 minutes. We are witnessing one of the greatest of all times who may play himself into early retirement if he keeps playing at this pace.

We do not know what the future will hold for Messi. However, it is time to stand by Messi in these difficult moments. If anybody has given us Barça fans so much glory and happiness in our long history, that no one else, not our beloved Kubala, Cruyff, and Pep could during their playing days. We will always be grateful and remember him for his legacy, for the trophies, and for being an overall good human being. If his best playing days are behind him, then so be it. In the end, we will still enjoy the magic for years to come even if he is not at his best and hope for more success.

So Close Yet So Far Away.

Ibrahim Ayyub gives his opinion on Netherlands World Cup run which ended in the semi-finals.

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They came, they played and they were vanquished in the Semi-Finals. The Oranje gave us another memorable but yet heart breaking tournament. Sure, it was disappointing to see the Oranje fall short of winning a World Cup again, however, this was the team many thought wouldn’t even make it out of the group stage. We should enjoy the good, the bad, and the ugly of this tournament and keep our fingers crossed that Guus Hiddink can pick where van Gaal left off for Euro 2016.

It is somewhat bitter sweet to see Holland play in the 3rd place match of the World Cup. Van Gaal hates it and I don’t blame him. Playing this game is just a reminder that these players were one game away from another World Cup final. This had the makings of a Hollywood vigilante movie; Death Wish / Kill Bill style. Holland avenges every World Cup Final loss with wins in this World Cup against Spain for 2010, then Argentina for 1978 and then Germany for 1974. Well, the script had a major rewrite and Holland found themselves coming up short and playing for Bronze. They were so close yet so far away from the promised land after being knocked out by what else, a penalty shootout.

Ultimately, there will be “What Ifs” with this exit as there were in other exits. Why didn’t van Gaal drop van Persie and start with Huntelaar instead against Argentina? Why did he continue to stick with Sneijder even though he was not the same player that he was four years ago? Why did he not learn from other managers and not go with a defender early in a penalty shootout (Euro 2000)? Sadly, those and other lingering questions that will forever be in the back of the minds of many who were hoping for a better ending.

There were some positives from this World Cup. The biggest question mark for me was how strong would the back four do in this World Cup and they actually performed well. A new star was born thanks to Memphis Depay who is a finalist for the Best Young Player Award. Most importantly, the mood around this team is much better than it was at this time two years ago.

Here’s hoping Holland end this World Cup on a good note with a win to finish third and not exit this tournament with back to back losses. Here’s hoping that Holland can continue to take steps forward without any steps back. The first positive step would be to get over the pain of falling short and beat Brazil today.

Holland 2-1 Mexico; The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

With the recent passing away of the legendary actor, Eli Wallach, who played the role of Tuco Benedicto Pacífico Juan María Ramírez (The Ugly) in one of the greatest movies of all-time, The Good, The Bad & The Ugly. I decided to dedicate my latest column in his memory, by looking back on Holland’s win over Mexico that featured all three aspects. Holland will now face another CONCACAF opponent, Costa Rica.

• By Ibrahim Ayyub
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The Good

Holland’s never quit spirit. Kuyt was the perfect example of a player who did everything that was asked of him to do on the pitch. Sneijder, even though he continued to struggle and failed to step up, as noted by Adrian Bucher on this website not too long ago, also didn’t sulk or hang his head low and kept fighting and scored the equalizer. Mexico eased up after they went up a goal and Holland were determined to keep looking for that equalizer which they deservedly got. Depay and Huntelaar coming off the bench were great moves by van Gaal. Huntelaar scoring on a penalty, after missing his last few with Schalke, under such pressure was great and also a boost for this team. After so many expected a group exit for the Oranje, a return to the Semi-Finals seems very possible.

The Bad

Holland’s performance in the first 60 minutes was something to forget. De Jong’s injury hurt the midfield, as Blind struggled to fill in that role while the fullbacks were getting exposed constantly by Mexico. Cillessen looked shaky at times while Blind and Vlaar could have done more to block Giovanni Dos Santos’s effort that resulted in a goal. Perhaps the heat played a part in it but they cannot afford to start another match like this again. Sneijder without De Jong and Depay struggles and hopefully Depay can start besides Sneijder, but at whose expense in the starting lineup? Can Depay replace De Jong even though he is not as defensive savvy or will van Gaal prefer to go total football against Costa Rica?

The Ugly

The heat was one of the ugliest factors in this game for both, the players and the spectators in attendance. Good thing FIFA allows water breaks, which van Gaal used to his advantage by giving Sneijder a chat about tactical changes and rightfully so. It’s foolish to believe managers can’t talk to their players during these water breaks. What next? Players can’t talk amongst one another as if they’re in school?

Robben’s diving along with his subsequent confusing apology was not needed. We all know Robben likes to make a meal out of most tackles and Rafa Marquez did foul him for that penalty. Robben’s dive in the second half when he intentionally tripped over Layun’s legs was embarrassing and not needed. Obviously, he should have been awarded a penalty in the first half and perhaps his reputation played a role in the referee not to point to the spot. The Tale of The Boy Who Cried Wolf comes to mind and I wouldn’t be surprised if referees doubt if he is being fouled or diving. I also wouldn’t be surprised if the referee gave the Robben penalty either after he realized he should have given one in the first half. Sooner or later, a referee will book him and the last thing we need is a player like Robben to be sent off, like Gheorghe Hagi against Italy in Euro 2000, in a knock out game. We need our best players on the pitch. His apology afterwards was confusing and just prolonged the controversy even more.

Costa Rica has impressed at this World Cup by advancing from a group that featured three former World Cup champions. Holland will be playing a later kick off when they face Costa Rica so perhaps the heat won’t be a factor in this matchup. However, Holland better avoid another Good, Bad and Ugly performance against Costa Rica if they want to book a ticket to the Semi-Finals where they await the winner of Argentina-Belgium.