This week starts with Guus Hiddink and ends with Martin Jol.
Hiddink’s Russia have no big stars but they are the second best team in Group E, after Croatia, and I expect them to qualify for Euro 2008.
Martin Jol works for Daniel Levy’s Spurs, a selling club who unloaded Michael Carrick for £18 million and turned down Sir Alex’s bid of £28 million for Berbatov last month. I’m told Levy wanted £40 million for Berbatov. I’m also told Man United have made three bids for right back Chimbonda.
It’s not Berbatov that should be sold. It’s Tottenham Hotspur FC that should be sold. Joe Lewis has to wake up and realise that Spurs will never be a Champions League club while ENIC owns it. Give some other brain surgeon a chance, as Sugar would say.
For some Arsenal fans a two week international break seems to last for months but there is a welcoming light at the end of the tunnel : three points at the Lane.There will be a lot of pressure on Spurs on Saturday. Pressure to win their biggest game of the year, pressure to avoid humiliation, pressure on manager Martin Jol, whose judgement has already been affected by the bizarre and self-defeating antics of his employers. I believe Jol was actually sacked before Levy realised he could not get Juande Ramos from Sevilla.
At Fulham, Spurs led 3-1 but Jol took Robbie Keane off to give Defoe some playing time. Fulham then made it 3-3 and Jol actually told reporters that, “Keane had a poor game.” Robbie Keane had made one goal with a pass and another with a flick to Berbatov. Everyone can see that Spurs without Keane are very uncreative. To say Keane had a poor game after he made two goals was crazy, especially as Keane is his acting captain in the absence of Ledley King, whose knee will not do more than 20 games a season.
While Arsenal are unbeaten and in good shape, Spurs players are working for a coach the club want to replace. They say that form means nothing in derby games but this time I beg to differ. I can’t see Arsenal losing at Tottenham and might have a bet on 2-1.
Israel were surprisingly feeble at Wembley, with only one shot in the whole game. When both sides realised that the Israelis didn’t have the pace to threaten England on the counter-attack, the game became a walkover.
Micah Richards produced a good standing jump to head in the third goal from Gareth Barry’s corner. That goal signalled the arrival of a major England player : Richards is a powerhouse who should be an automatic choice in the England team for the next eight years.
When former Man City boss Stuart Pearce called Richards over to join first team from the reserve team’s training pitch, the big lad told the reserve coach, “I won’t be back.” He was right. He never trained with the reserves again after that day.
Clearly, this England team needs new blood. Richards and Wright-Phillips are providing flair, pace and power. Shaun is a dribbler who can play off the ball. When play is on one side of the field, he can move into the box and get on the end of crosses, as he showed against Israel. That was SWP’s first competitive goal for England and it will give big belief to the little guy. Having scored one goal he will think he can score another. He’s at his best when he’s playing spontaneously, without inhibitions, and having Richards there will help him.
Those two have come into the side just in time for the biggest game of Steve McClaren’s life, a must-win encounter with Russia, who are coached by the experienced, resourceful Guus Hiddink.
Hiddink has had an amazing career as coach. A midfield player who wasn’t good enough to be a regular at PSV, he was assistant coach there for four years before taking over and guiding them to the European Cup in 1988, beating Benfica on penalties in the final. But he also coached the dysfunctional Dutch team who were thumped 4-1 by England at Euro 96. He sent Edgar Davids home after a row but always insisted that the split in their camp was generational rather than racial.
He continued at France 98, where Brazil beat them on penalties in the semi-final after Kluivert played like a plank and missed easy chances. When Capello left Real Madrid after one year, Hiddink replaced him. He became a legend in South Korea, guidng them to fourth place in 2002. He is the only person to ever be given honorary citizenship of South Korea and he was given a holiday villa on Jeju island and free flights for life. Korean tourists make pilgrimages to his hometown. And in 2005-2006 he coached PSV and Australia, taking the Socceroos to Germany via a penalty shoot-out against Uruguay in a play-off. Australia were beaten 1-0 by Italy, the eventual champions, after a ridiculous penalty was given against them.
Is Guus Hiddick really so smart and worldly? Is he a master tactician? If he is, England will not beat Russia home or away, so we cannot qualify.
The Israel game turned into a rehearsal for Russia, a warm-up which gives England a bit of confidence. Barry is one-paced but a useful midfielder who would be good in the Bundesliga. I hope he keeps Hargreaves out of the team, even though Hargreaves is a better player. And I hope Heskey, that big dumpling, keeps Crouch out too, even though Crouch is a better finisher.
Germany beat us 2-1 at Wembley in a friendly and that made me realise that we need to be more like Germany. They have a functional young side who concentrate on shape, teamwork, crosses and finishing.
Eduardo scored twice for Croatia in their 2-0 win over Estonia. His first was a Gerd Mulller goal, an overhead kick that showed uncanny spatial awareness of the goalmouth. His second was a first time shot from the edge of the box, swept into the top corner a la Robbie Fowler.
I fancied France to win in Milan because Anelka and Ribery are really on form. But that game was a 0-0 draw. Lassana Diarra played right back. France v Scotland might be closer than you think on Wednesday night. Barry Ferguson, an injury-ravaged old maestro, is back in the dark blue. That game is on Sky Sports 1 at 7.30pm.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a fantastic goal against Poland after a cross from Quaresma was headed against a defender by Simao. He reached round another defender with his right leg to volley the goal that made it 2-1. But in the last minute keeper Ricardo dived and missed a 25 yard shot which hit the base of the post and went in off the back of his arm as he dived. Portugal 2 Poland 2 leaves Big Phil Scolari’s side with plenty to do to finish above Serbia who are second. Nuno Gomes missed chances Pauleta would have buried. Big Phil’s jogadors play lovely football but they’ve drawn four games.
As I say, a big week for Guus Hiddink and a long week for Martin Jol. Both Dutchmen will play for a draw.
However, the cagey Hiddink insists that, “We’re not going there just to defend. If we sit back for 90 minutes, sooner or later they’ll punish us. We’ll have to attack but we will have to defend as well. I see it as a high-tempo game with both sides looking to score.”