war of attrition

Roger Federer: Now A Fish Out Of Water

The writing is on the wall.

We’ve dismissed suggestions that Federer is fading and have hoped against hope to be rewarded with another Slam this year but we were destined to be disappointed.

Federer has lost his aura of invincibility. We just failed to recognise it for what it was.

We believed that it was only Nadal who stood in his way. How we have demonised that man from Mallorca!

But we forget that our Gods are human too. We forget that they age too.

That they succumb to their mistakes.

That their creaking bones may no longer withstand the rigors of a gruelling tour.

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Outplayed, Outmaneuvered, Outwitted

Germany was outplayed, outmaneuvered and outwitted by a Spanish side that believed that slow is good, slow is nice, and that slow can win. The battle between the two teams was less about attractive football and more a war of attrition, of nerves, and mostly, of patience. The Germans were unable to play the free-flowing, counter-attacking style of football that brought them this far to the semifinals.

The Spaniards on the other hand, stuck to their strengths, backing up their defense with tie-clinching goals at crucial junctures. On the eve of the match, I felt  that if both teams played attacking football, Germany stood a better chance. The Spanish however, were resolute in defense and stuck to their game plan of making their midfield superiority pave the way to victory.

Quote of the day:
"There are 350 varieties of shark, not counting loan and pool." – L. M. Boyd

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