Call it sexy football. Call it total football. Kuyt, Robben, Van Nistelroy and company are providing us with the total football that journalists agree should have gotten the "clock-work orange" two world cups in 1974 and 1978 (losing to hosts West Germany and Argentina respectively).
This, however, is the football that the men in orange have shown in Euro 2008. 6 different players have scored the fantasy goals against the previous world cup finalists Italy and France. What more of a statement can you make. This surely is the total football from Ruud Gullit and Marco Van Basten that won the 1988 Euro (check out the design on their retro jerseys... yikes!). Every goal has been a piece of pure genious, thus honoring the 1970s and 1980s Holland heroes. As the group stage dust settles the quarter finals will begin and the Netherlands will be facing either Sweden or Russia, both formidable opponents but without the pedigree of Italy and France. At this point we can expect nothing but fireworks from the orange. Tomorrow's game against Romania only has meaning for the goths and the world cup finalists. Van Basten will rest his top players and both Italy and France face elimination with a Romania win or if all games end in ties.
But why is total football sexy football too? That's Master Gullit's term for enhancing the beautiful game with good plays and lots of scoring. Take a look at his Galaxy. The LA team currently boasts two of the top scorers in Donovan and Buddle (9 and 8 respectively) with Beckham scoring 4 and Gordon snatching 3; not to mention that the "little fish" Ruiz hasn't gotten to play as much due to injury. It certainly is unfortunate that the galaxians didn't have Gullit as their manager last year to carry the "Beckham circus" into the high-scoring land that Americans so love to be in. Cheers, Holland! Enjoy the '88 highlights below.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Sexy football: from Euro to MLS
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3 comments:
So far, the European Championship has been the most exciting soccer tournament I have ever seen. The Turkey vs Czech match was one for the ages. Unless you are Czech or Cech, of course. What a brutal mishandling of that cross. As a former keeper, I can certainly empathize with the sickness he must be feeling.
Yes, hard year for Cech. First Chelsea, now Holland. Maybe he should reconsider the helmet. It looks atrocious anyhow. Like a piece of THX (the movie, not the company).
I was thinking that he looked like one of those kids that can't help but beat themselves in the head.
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