4 Things I Learned fromGermany vs The Azurrri

By Clement Ochieng

( on June 28, 2012

From bleacherreport

Michael Regan/Getty Images

Italy made it through to the final of Euro 2012 after a springing a mild upset against Germany. The Italians triumphed by a 2-1 scoreline, courtesy of a brace from controversial striker Mario Balotelli.
Here are the four key points to emerge from Italy's win and Germany's exit:

1.Andrea Pirlo is far from finished at the top level
When AC Milan dismissed Andrea Pirlo in the summer of 2011, it seemed as though the aging playmaker's time at the game's top level was up.
However, since being gratefully snapped up by Juventus, Pirlo has been revitalised. The veteran schemer performed admirably for the Old Lady this season and has continued in that vein at Euro 2012.
Pirlo has been easily Italy's best player at the tournament. He followed up his commanding display in the quarterfinal against England, with an equally intelligent and assured performance against Germany.
The 33-year-old shows no signs of letting up and few midfielders at Euro 2012 have been able to match his speed of thought, creative flair and accurate distribution.

2.Mats Hummels may be ever so slightly overrated
The hype surrounding the group stage performances of Borussia Dortmund central defender Mats Hummels has gone into overdrive. Pundits have lauded the 23-year-old as though he has redefined the art of defending.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

However, Thursday's game showcased the very real deficiencies in Hummels' game. He was baffled and turned inside out by the trickery of Antonio Cassano for Italy's first goal. And most troubling was his inability to cope with direct, straight-line pace. The Italians ruthlessly exploited this issue with long balls over the top, and that combination allowed Balotelli to net his second.
Hummels had lost the speedy forward and seemed unable to recover and react to quick movement on more than one occasion. He is strong in the challenge, but Hummels' weakness against pace is likely to be taken advantage of again in the future.

3.Mario Balotelli should always be played through the middle
One of the problems of the rise of 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 formations is that natural central strikers are often forced into wide roles. Mario Balotelli has been no exception.
He has been played wide for Manchester City and previously Inter Milan. Yet the temperamental ace has always looked his best when deployed through the middle. He has certainly proved that point at Euro 2012.
He was dangerous against England, and Balotelli simply tormented the German defense by being allowed to use his best attributes: his raw strength and natural pace. His often languid demeanour obscures the fact that Balotelli has the quickness to stretch any defense and the aerial power of a true central striker.

4.Lack of pace in the forward line ultimately cost Germany

Michael Steele/Getty Images

Another painful semifinal defeat to Italy, highlighted that lack of pace across the forward line, is the biggest weakness of this Germany team. Poor movement and the inability to threaten to go beyond a back four cost Germany when it mattered the most.
Despite his goalscoring exploits, Mario Gomez is a rather static target man. His range of movement in and around the box is not subtle or quick enough.
The problem has been compounded by poor Euro 2012 displays from Lukas Podolski. Arsenal's new signing has not done much to inspire confidence about his ability to make an impact in the English Premier League.
Germany's sluggish trio made life too easy for an Italian defense, usually frightened of pure speed. The Germans looked more dangerous once they added some true pace in attack, in the form of Marco Reus. They will need more from fleet-footed youngsters like Reus and Mario Gotze in the near future.

FIVE KEY MOMENTS THAT DECIDED ENGLAND VS ITALY GAME

A dramatic quarter-final in Kiev did not contain any goals, but it did have 120 minutes of tension, chances, skill and mistakes galore - our team experts break down the vital parts

Jun 24, 2012 11:08:00 PM

Italy defeated England in dramatic style on Sunday night with a penalty shoot-out victory in Kiev to set up a Euro 2012 semi-final clash with Germany.

But the Azzurri were made to sweat by an England team that refused to give in despite being dominated for long periods of the game.

Here, Italy team expert Mark Doyle and his England counterpart Oliver Platt weigh up where the match was won and lost.

FIFTH MINUTE - JOHNSON DENIED BY BUFFON

FROM OUR LIVE COMMENTARY

Oliver Platt - The Euro 2012 quarter-final in Kiev got off to a rip-roaring start, and by the fifth minute, England had already created a gilt-edged chance.

Just as was the case with Wayne Rooney's overhead kick in the dying minutes of normal time, a chance from point blank range fell to Glen Johnson slightly awkwardly and he couldn't quite convert with a stubbed effort from barely six yards that was wonderfully plucked out of the air by Gianluigi Buffon in the Italy goal.

It was a decisive moment not specifically for the opportunity itself – although it was a good one – but for symbolising England's failure, for the first time during Euro 2012, to score the first goal of the match.

The longer it took them to find it, the more unlikely it became. Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker's fitness was severely tested in the Three Lions' opening match against France, and not helped by the exhausting tackles and blocks that had been required of them in the second half both in Donetsk and again here. Jordan Henderson eventually replaced the latter but it was Gerrard's influence as the match wore on that was missed most.

England's captain was their best player in this competition but as his driving play from central midfield faded, so did his country's chances of ever breaking the deadlock.

25th MINUTE - BALOTELLI SETS THE TONE

FROM OUR LIVE COMMENTARY

Mark Doyle - That the game even ended up going to penalties was down to Italy’s profligacy in front of goal and Mario Balotelli was particularly culpable in that regard.

Indeed, the Manchester City forward should have opened the scoring midway through the first half. Super Mario had done everything right, timing his run in behind England’s defence to perfection before expertly killing a predictably sublime ball over the top with his first touch.

However, the same lackadaisical attitude which saw him pass up a golden opportunity against Spain was again in evidence as the forward took just a fraction too long setting himself, thus allowing John Terry to get back and block his attempted lob over Joe Hart.

Balotelli proved that he does not lack composure or bottle by slotting home Italy’s first penalty of the shoot-out, but his lack of urgency and killer instinct in open play remains a concern.

78th MINUTE - DIAMANTI GETS HIS CHANCE

FROM OUR LIVE COMMENTARY

Mark Doyle - Montolivo showed some lovely touches during the game and played a terrific ball through for Balotelli during the opening period, but this game only served to underline that the AC Milan man is not a trequartista. It is not his fault, of course; it has never been his position, and it never will be.

However, Alessandro Diamanti is capable of playing ‘in the hole’ and he proved that after coming on with just over 10 minutes of normal time remaining. He is a desperately hit-and-miss character but he is nothing if not dynamic and inventive, though there was no doubt that his cross which struck the post in extra time was just that – a cross.

Just like Antonio Nocerino, the Bologna man oozed energy when he came on and injected some life into a game that was showing diminishing vital signs. It was no coincidence, then, that both men stepped forward to take penalties in the shoot-out and that both scored, with Diamanti’s strike sparing his strikers’ blushes by clinching Italy a deserved place in the semis.

PENALTY SHOOT-OUT - PIRLO TURNS THE TIDE

FROM OUR LIVE BLOG

Mark Doyle - If we’re talking about bottle, though, it would be downright offensive of us not to bring up Andrea Pirlo’s penalty, which was as delightfully nonchalant as it was crucial.

With Riccardo Montolivo having missed the Azzurri’s second spot-kick and Rooney having converted emphatically to make it 2-1 to England, the shootout appeared to have swung decisively in favour of Roy Hodgson’s men. Andrea Pirlo knew he had to score as he calmly approached the area. The pressure was on.

It did not show - not one bit. The playmaker ever so casually chipped his penalty into the middle of the goal as a hapless Hart watched on from the left-hand side on the goal having attempted to get the jump on Pirlo. It was arguably the most ballsy penalty the European Championship has seen since Antonín Panenka's for the Czech Republic in 1976.

It did not decide the game but it was hugely influential as its audacity visibly lifted Italy’s players – Antonio Nocerino could not help but smile and it was no surprise that having been inspired by Pirlo, he buried his subsequent penalty.

PENALTY SHOOT-OUT - YOUNG & COLE FLOP

Oliver Platt - It seemed to be written in the stars. Posts have been struck, saves have been made and phantom goals have been scored – there was something about England at Euro 2012.
They have been lucky, of that there is no doubt, but there seemed to be a belief about the camp, just like the one that engulfed Chelsea on their way to the Champions League, that this was the Three Lions' time.

The good fortune ran out in familiar style. England seemed to be on their way to exorcising their shoot-out demons when Montolivo fired wide, but Ashley Young – who has looked strangely low on confidence throughout this tournament – hammered his penalty against the bar before Buffon guessed right and easily claimed a weak Ashley Cole effort.

Italy controlled the game and deserved their victory, but Young and Cole now join Waddle, Pearce, Southgate, Batty, Beckham et al in England's hall of penalty infamy.

from Goal.com
By Clement Ochieng

PROFESSOR GEORGE SAITOTI

 George Saitoti (3 August, 1945^[2] – 10 June, 2012) was a Kenyan politician, businessman and American and British-trained economist, mathematician and development policy thinker.
As a mathematician, Saitoti served as Head of the Mathematics Department at the University of Nairobi, pioneered the founding of the African Mathematical Union and served as its Vice President from 1976-1979.
As an economist, Saitoti served as the Executive Chairman of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 1990-91, and as President of the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States in 1999-2000, at the crucial phase of re-negotiating the new development partnership agreement to replace the expired Lomé Convention between the ACP bloc and the European Union (EU). His book, The Challenges of Economic and Institutional Reforms in Africa^[9] influenced practical policy directions on an array of areas during the turbulent 1980s and 1990s.
Saitoti joined politics as a nominated Member of Parliament and Minister for Finance in 1983, rising to become Kenya’s longest serving Vice-President, a proficient Minister for education, Internal Security and Provincial Administration and Foreign Affairs. Few recognize him as a ‘reformist’, but his recommendations as the Chair of the KANU Review Committee, popularly known as the “Saitoti Committee” in 1990-91, opened KANU to internal changes and set the stage for the repeal of Section 2A and Kenya’s return to pluralist democracy. Saitoti left KANU and joined the opposition, becoming a kingpin figure in the negotiations that led to the “NARC Revolution” in 2002. As Minister for Internal Security and Provincial Administration, Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs and key member of the National Security Advisory Committee (NSAC), later worked closely with the national Ministery of Defence to see through the Operation Linda Nchi against the Al-Shabaab insurgent group. In addition, rival factions had for decades invoked the infamous Goldenberg fraud to knock Saitoti out of politics, but the legal courts cleared him of the scandal in July 2006.^[10] Saitoti’s dual heritage as a Maasai with Kikuyu family members predisposed him to a pan-Kenyan vision, but also denied him a strong ethnic base unlike his competitors. As one of Kenya’s most experienced, unassuming and shrewd politicians, Saitoti was billed as a front-runner in the race to succeed President Mwai Kibaki

MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE.

Five things I learned from England v Sweden
  By Clement Ochieng,from telegraph.co.uk 16 Jun 2012

1. England defend deep for a reason Well, more than one reason actually. Roy Hodgson, as we know, loves his two banks of four. No matter the opposition, he always likes his teams to stay nice and compact, with the rearguard often sitting a yard or two deeper than other teams would. And we saw clearly enough in Kiev why Hodgson has stuck with this ethos. Because in a straight race, John Terry, in particular, struggles to keep pace with anyone moderately quick when the ball is played behind. Zlatan Ibrahimovic painfully proved this, embarrassing Terry by making up a good few yards to steal the ball and leave the centre-half floundering. It was a rare moment of weakness from the brave warrior, the kind you wouldn’t want to see repeated against Ukraine next week.

 2. Taking the lead causes jitters
 England players start giving the ball away far too cheaply as composure takes a hit when they are ahead. For all of the team’s work as a defensive unit, organisation and discipline flew out the window when Sweden turned up the heat in the second half. Of great concern to Hodgson will be the fact that England have now let a lead slip twice in a row. Even worse, they went one better here by letting Sweden edge ahead. You could accept this kind of lapse a little easier against a talented team like France, but to do it again against an ordinary side like Sweden smacked of something a lot more deep-seated. Solving that conundrum represents Hodgson’s main challenge, just as it was for previous managers.

3. England has options up front 
 Carroll rewards Hodgson’s faith 15 Jun 2012 Sweden 2 England 3 15 Jun 2012 That didn’t look too likely when the squad was originally picked, with two rookie strikers included yet to score a competitive international goal between them. Yet Danny Welbeck and Andy Carroll have now eased a lot of doubts by finding the net in the course of playing very well. As a result, they now join the returning Wayne Rooney as strong choices to start the game against Ukraine. For Hodgson, it’s a nice problem to have, the kind he might not have foreseen at the start of this month. England might face issues elsewhere - several in fact - but the attack is beginning to look pretty good. The forwards are battling gamely to win a place.

 4. Hodgson's instinct is good
After so many years in management, England’s new boss will have made plenty of mistakes, got hundreds of decisions wrong in the course of selecting teams. Yet last night was arguably the biggest game of his career and, as such, so much importance hung on his key decisions. If they horribly backfired, the accusations would fly. Hodgson would be slaughtered, written off as a failure. But thankfully for everyone concerned, the man in the blazer made the right calls. Andy Carroll, for a start, justified his inclusion, not just with that towering header, but with his overall game. Then came the decision to put on Theo Walcott in an effort to salvage something from a crazy second half. And boy did it work. Hodgson’s hunch had come good. His vast experience paid off.

5. Ukraine have a point to prove
 The co-hosts should have anyway after a really flat performance against France last night. Nothing much came off for Oleg Blokhin’s side, with Andriy Shevchenko cutting a frustrated figure. Whether this spells bad news for England, only time will tell. One thing is certain: the crowd in Donetsk will demand their team give it a go. If their team are going to get eliminated, the players will be expected to go down fighting, put in a much better shift than they did against Les Bleus. That spells a dangerous situation for any opponent, never mind one like England, a work still very much in progress bearing a fragile side

BELIEFs

No belief is right or wrong. It is either empowering or limiting Positive Thinking Ever heard the story of the four-minute mile? For years people believed that it is impossible for a human being to run a mile in less than four minutes until Roger Banister proved it wrong in 1954. Within one year, 37 runners broke the belief barrier. And the year after that, 300 other runners did the same thing. What happens if you put an animal in a pond? Any animal, big or small, will swim its way through. What happens when someone, who does not know how to swim, falls in deep waters? You drown. If an animal who has not learned swimming could escape by swimming, why not you? Because you believe you will drown while the animal does not. You have used a computer keyboard or a typewriter. Ever wondered why the alphabets are organized in a particular order in your keyboard? You might have thought it is to increase the typing speed. Most people never question it. But the fact is that this system was developed to reduce the typing speed at a time when typewriter parts would jam if the operator typed too fast. These three cases show the power of our beliefs. There is no other more powerful directing force in human behavior than belief. Your beliefs have the power to create and to destroy. A belief delivers a direct command to your nervous system. Have you heard about the placebo effect? People who are told a drug will have a certain effect will many times experience that effect even when given a pill without those properties. I use a snake in my workshops for children to show them how unrealistic some of their beliefs are. Students of a school in New Delhi, India, said snakes are slippery, slimy and poisonous. After doing an exercise for changing beliefs, they handled my snake and found it to be dry and clean. They also remembered that only three types of poisonous snakes exist in India. Have you ever scanned the 'to-let' advertisements in newspapers? Many say 'South Indians preferred'. Why? Many house owners told me that it is easier to get South Indians to vacate. The belief was that South Indians do not have the guts to fight. Now you figure out the impact of LTTE supremo Prabhakaran and Southern sandalwood smuggler Veerappan in changing this belief! It is also our belief that determines how much of our potential we will be able to tap. So you better examine some of your beliefs minutely. For example, do you believe that you can excel in whatever you do? Do you believe you are bad in mathematics? Do you believe that other people don't like you? Do you believe life is full of problems? What are your beliefs about people? No belief is right or wrong. It is either empowering or limiting. A belief is nothing but the generalization of a past incident. As a kid if a dog bit you, you believed all dogs to be dangerous. To change a particular behavior pattern, identify the beliefs associated with it. Change those beliefs and a new pattern is automatically created. I read this incident in a New York newspaper. "She met him in a singles' bar and they talked for a while. He offered her a drink and she enjoyed his company. Then he offered to drop her back home. While driving back, she realized that they were moving through narrow and strange roads. 'Oh God where is he taking me?' she thought but did not have the guts to ask. She cursed her decision to get into his car. All of a sudden she saw him taking a turn back into the highway just near her house. Smiling, he said: 'I took a short cut'." Did this story end the way you thought? Review your beliefs now and find out which ones are empowering and which ones you need to change.