All right Reds, time to ‘slip’ for Super Mario!

When Brendan Rodgers helped Swansea City gain promotion to the Premier League and made them the first ever Welsh club in history to have achieved that feat, I was impressed. I was further captivated with the manner in which he helped the Swans adjust to the elite confederacy of BPL by finishing an inspiring 11th in the table. When he was made Liverpool manager in the aftermath of the Kenny Dalglish fiasco, I felt that it was the best thing to happen to the club ever since Rafael Benitez.

And why wouldn’t I feel that way? Rodgers’ impeccable possession play strategy did wonders for Swansea and his ideology of always keeping the ball moving in order to have a flowing game is something that every team needs. God knows our team needed that. And ‘that’ is what we got.

However, I’ll be honest. I hated him after his first season at Anfield.

There was no specific reason for that. It’s just that I was impatient, like millions of others, to see Liverpool get back to winning ways. We last won a trophy under ‘King’ Kenny in 2011 when we lifted the Carling Cup and it felt like, still does, ages since the touch of silverware. But then came last season.

An inspired Liverpool under Rodgers was on a feeding frenzy and was trampling teams with ridiculous ease. His counter-attacking brilliance indeed gave the Reds a new sense of direction and his insight when it came to signing the right characters for his squad was only the icing on the cake. The recruitment of Chelsea-reject Daniel Sturridge and Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho along with the first team promotion of English talent Raheem Sterling and the staggering surge of ‘bad boy’ Luis Suarez was the metaphorical equivalence of grabbing something by the throat and pulling it towards glory.

And then started this season!

An opening day fixture against Southampton - whom we raided for the likes of Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren – gave a pellucid image of the season that was to follow. And if I was to summarize the analysis for the foreseeable future in just one word, that word would be ‘vexatious’. Ok I used the thesaurus on that one! But then again that’s how complicated things can become in the camp.

Apart from the Saints trio, the Reds have enlisted striker Lazar Markovic, midfielder Emre Can, left back Alberto Moreno, right back Javier Manquillo and lastly, but never in a million years least, the epitome of naughtiness Mario Balotelli. Super Mario was brought in the side to compensate for the loss of Suarez; however, with the recent events that conspired at the Etihad Stadium I feel that he’s not just going to be looked upon as a goal-scoring machine but also as the messiah who would lead us to enchanted glory.

 See now that’s the problem. There’s too much pressure already on Balotelli. For my team’s sake I hope his second stint in England turns out to be one in which he thrives under pressure instead of striving under it. Because unlike our new ‘leader’ Lovren, who clearly looks more confused and bamboozled on the field than Fardeen Khan in Prem Aggan, Mario can handle it well.

Also, I presume that Mario can be much better a defender than Mr. Lovren. Because if the prime responsibility of a center back is to screw up an offside trap, make abysmal clearances, be out of position for almost every incoming attack, be unaware of a thing called presence of mind and not know the meaning of the word sprint, then not just Mario but even I can be the greatest center back in history. Yes Mr. Lovren! You are that bad. I know it’s been just two matches with the second one being against the defending champions Manchester City, but I’m pretty sure they must have covered a topic called ‘Defending 101’ in ‘Defending School’.

When Balotelli returned to Italy to play for AC Milan he seemed to be fully in his element. He scored a brace on debut, almost scored a goal-a-game for the next 15 matches and everything he was touching turned into gold as he hauled Milan back into Champions League contention. He had a fantastic debut season even though he missed a penalty (his first ever) to Pepe Reina, who interestingly was on loan to Napoli from Liverpool at the time. Was it in the stars from that time itself for Mario to be ‘linked’ to Liverpool? Nah! Or was it? It does not matter.

What matters is that he is a player of top-notch quality and for the Reds to have landed him for just 16 million pounds is a freaking steal. Now is the time not to mess it up. With Andy Carroll the problem was the price. He was bought for 35 million pounds and hence the expectations from him skyrocketed. However with Mario all the factors play right into Liverpool’s alley. The price – check. The age – for a 24-year old striker Mario is quite exceptionally talented. The attitude – 4th time’s the charm. The team – Whoops! That’s the only thing that can screw the next big adventure in Liverpool’s daunted journey.

If you don’t believe me then clearly you’ve missed out on the Man City game. I know I’m supposed to be biased towards my team but let’s all be authentic and agree to the fact that the Reds played a shit game. Let’s start with the defence. Glen Johnson, Martin Skrtel, Dejan Lovren and Alberto Moreno. On paper I’d rate this defensive line-up as pretty brilliant. However, the problem begins when these players step on the field and start playing the game.

Moreno had one heck of a debut. He initially showed impeccable promise as he was making all the right runs at the right time with a head that was thinking the right things. But the fact that there were several instances when he was caught completely off position, an instance when he dived into David Silva from behind and almost gave away a penalty, the time when he failed to clear the ball in front of Jovetic that led to Ciy’s goal and those reckless tackles that showed his lack of maturity is what spells worry.

Johnson, who’s supposed to be one of the most experienced players in the squad and is supposed to be leading from the front and setting examples, had probably one of the most awful games of his career. His placing and running on the right flank was completely deplorable, he never seemed in the zone and it is unacceptable to me as a loyal fan to witness a right back not being able to complete a cross into the box almost every time he receives the ball. What’s ironical is that he ended up being injured and it happened at the time when a certain Javier Manquillo is just waiting to pounce on the right back spot.

Coming to the midfield. I’m sorry but when I see a 4-3-3 formation that has Joe Allen, Jordan Henderson and Steven Gerrard (34 years old) in between against a team like Man City, I can’t help but think about a dreary land of dull and depressing football. You maybe play those three together against a weaker team, but you don’t play them together when the opposition has money that has gifted them with pace and power. Gerrard is never getting young, Henderson is never going to turn and pass forwards whenever he receives the ball and Allen will never shoot the ball from distance or be known for his flighted passing.

In the end, the pressure always comes on the strikers because it is them who have the onus to score. And this time that man is Balotelli. The weight of expectation on Balotelli in Italy had been extraordinary, and not just in footballing terms. So therefore I have full faith in him to come out on top and fulfill anticipations of millions of fans. Especially when he does not have a midfield or a defensive line-up that will give him the balls he needs to score.

For the sake of Liverpool’s betterment, we need a bad boy. We always have to be honest. We’re just too uptight to accept the fact that our legacy is no longer something that will win us trophies. We had Luis Suarez and look where he took us. We need that raw and ruthless aggression that signifies out intent to be taken seriously and not just a team who has a glorified history. People were shocked last season when we topped the table at Christmas and almost ended out 24-year long wait. Not because of the fact that it was us who was doing the damage. But because it was Suarez who was pulling us all the way up.

With Balotelli however, things move like a pendulum. He’s either a genius who can be compared with the best in the fraternity at present or he’s a lunatic who sets fireworks in his bathroom just for fun. He’s either a ridiculously talented striker who can single-handedly knock top International teams out of the Euro and them go on and celebrate in a manner that becomes a cult or he an idiot who is considered overrated and is susceptible is bookings and bans. He’s either a boon or he’s one risky signing.

But what’s really important is that he’s not someone who we deserve; but he’s a striker that we need!

Why India needs more Kashyaps!

He lives a silent life in Hyderabad, wakes up at probably 4:30 in the morning, maybe jogs his way over to the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Gachibowli, definitely practices as hard as humanly possible, shares a joke or two with his compatriots, and returns back only to repeat everything the next day and the day after that and the day after that.

Squeeze in a couple of tournaments in between here and there, injuries that need to be dealt with, mindsets that need to tackled, and traumas that need to be vanquished. Put them all together and you’ll get a phenom called Parupalli Kashyap, who is without a shadow of a doubt a sparkling star that India has and yet at the same time does not know about.

His lifestyle is a choice he has made not because he was stuck with it, but because it’s the only thing that matters the most to him. He wants to serve his country to the best of his ability and his undying commitment towards performing well for India is purely an epitome of loyalty and allegiance.

Kashyap recently won a prestigious Gold medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and in the process became the first Indian male shuttler in 32 years to win the summit prize. The outcome must indeed be sweet for Kashyap, as it is for millions of Indians, but only he knows the pain and anguish that needed to be subjugated in order for him to reach this historic landmark and sculpt his name among the greats.

India won 15 Gold medals at the 2014 Games, but the one yellow metal that meant the most was the one that a certain Hyderabadi shuttler won on the ultimate day of the event. Not taking any credit away from the other 14 winners, but the reason why Kashyap’s medal was that much valuable was because it came to a person who truly deserved to be rewarded for his deeds and years of enduring constancy.

People seldom give Kashyap the credit and the accolade that he deserves for being what he is and doing what he does. After all he plays a sport that rarely has any takers. That too in India! It’s a combination that creates chemical chaos and makes no sense, which is ironic considering that the sport has its roots in India. The Indian Badminton League (IBL) was a positive step taken in that direction with the aim to snowball viewership for the sport; however, there was no second edition for the same and only God knows whether it will return next year.

And that is why Kashyap’s zeal is so much more intriguing. To sacrifice one’s body and mind day in and day out for a purpose that has no assured means of return says a lot about a person’s character. It creates a sense of vision that people still care about things that mean nothing to the world. It creates a pathway for people to join the bandwagon of impetuous passion without caring about the consequences. It creates an aura that is so serene in its execution that one can’t help but stop doing everything else and just applaud. And that is what makes Parupalli Kashyap who he is – a lone ranger on a mission!

Kashyap has never asked for anything in return for his services to India. He plays badminton with passion and fervor because the love of the game is what matters. He has never cribbed about anything or any person because he never plays for fame and glory. Every day he walks out to the court just to prove his worth to his country because that is of utmost priority.

Whether it was the Delhi Commonwealth Games where he bagged the Bronze medal or the London Olympics where he became the 1st Indian male in history to reach the quarterfinals, India came first as it always had and always will.

India today as a country needs more sportsmen like Parupalli Kashyap. Not because of the Glasgow Gold, but because of the attitude that he possesses when it comes to playing a sport. He has clearly proven to India and the whole world as well that if a person truly believes in what he does then nothing is impossible.

It is Kashyap’s resolute willpower that has propelled him to glory by overcoming the affliction that he has suffered due to his asthama condition, which at one stage was considered career-threating. It is Kashyap’s sheer grit that impelled him to go beyond the limitations of the body to always give his best even at times when the spotlight is on other heavyweights. And it is Kashyap’s never-say-die attitude that gave him the strength to rise like a phoenix and break his ‘finals’ jinx only to better it with an eminent Gold medal.

Kashyap was and will never be in this for personal glory. I guess he was just a scrawny kid with severe asthama trying to figure out how to serve India in the best possible manner. He must have picked up a badminton racquet and started hitting the bird with such majestic brilliance that someone somewhere saw a spark of virtuosity and persuaded him to pursue it further. He started and has never looked back ever since. And for India’s perquisite, I hope he never does!

Mercedes – Formula 1’s double-edged sword

The great Michael Jordan once said, “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” Makes sense, doesn’t it? However, what the great Jordan failed to comprehend is that there will come a time when a certain Formula 1 team would prove that his quote was incomplete and undone. Mercedes has cleverly transformed Jordan’s quote as “Exploit talent intelligently to win championships and then term it as teamwork.”

I’ve been a firm believer of the fact that F1 is not and will never ever be a team sport. Those who think differently either do not understand the sport or quite frankly don’t give a damn about what is happening on the tracks. Time and again there have been numerous instances that prove this hypothesis and recently conspired events at the Hungary Grand Prix substantiate the statistic more.

The mistake that Mercedes made at the Hungaroring was not in giving Lewis Hamilton a lousy call but in making any call at all. Although I have no reason whatsoever to challenge Mercedes’ or any team’s orders during a race, but for Christ’s sake stop pretending all the time that both drivers mean the world to the team. Even If I take into consideration that Nico Rosberg was on faster tyres, he would have eventually pitted that would have jeopardized both his and Hamilton’s chances to get on the podium.

I’ll be honest, it is indeed an improbable task to be too critical of a team who with their immaculate cars and faultless strategies have totally dominated the 2014 Formula One season; but when a time comes that people talk more about why a team did what it did instead of appreciating and admiring a driver’s phenomenal exploits of a car and the circuit, the criticism is bound to flow.

Hamilton drove one of the most gruesome and impeccable races of his career at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Anyone watching would agree in a breath of a moment that the Brit executed a quintessential balance between ruthless grit and unblemished talent in his pitlane to podium drive. Not to forget he started on a wet track that was marred with crashes almost as soon as the race began as the drivers clearly failed to alter the strategies that were put in place during the scorching practice runs.

And that is where the idiosyncrasies come into play.

With the constructors’ and drivers’ championships pretty much in the bag for the Silver Arrows, a race in which they should have been taking pride courtesy Hamilton’s bustling performance was instead tainted due to their controversial call in asking Hamilton to make way for teammate Rosberg.

Now one can never clearly understand the logic behind any team order. Some say they are given to benefit a team, while others bring in a more ticklish angle into play that says a driver is being favoured. The call that Mercedes made was actually one of the most devious and at the same time clever in its execution. It was clearly a well thought-off move and was implemented in such a manner that anyone scrutinizing the decision at a later stage would be in a quandary about the motive behind the call. I know I am! But years of experience, and witnessing some of the dirtiest F1 moves in history, has made me quite cynical whenever a driver is asked to forego his position and let a ‘rival’ pass through.

If one was to take Mercedes’ side in this whole fiasco, one would say that the team wanted to cement its championship chances by trying to get both Rosberg and Hamilton on the podium. The German-based outfit obviously thought that Rosberg had a better chance at winning the race as he was on faster tyres and were confident enough that Hamilton would be competent enough to steal the podium from either Fernando Alonso or Daniel Ricciardo.

All right! Time to burst the bubble.

Mercedes, at the time of the race, were 174 points ahead of Red Bull, their closest competitor, in the constructors’ championship. Considering that they had the best car at the starting of the season and bearing in mind that they still have the best car after the mid-season Silverstone tests, only a fool would be falling for the lame excuse that ‘the championship race is still open’.

Secondly, even if Hamilton had allowed Rosberg to pass through, there was no chance whatsoever for the German-born Monaco resident to be spraying the champagne when the smoke cleared out. Why? Because considering that circumstances that the race was being raced in, he would have eventually pitted. Just for the record, Mercedes’ “team order” came on the 51st lap with a good 19 laps still left and did I mention that it was raining?

Thirdly, ignoring the blasphemous fact Mercedes’ flawed order was given to Hamilton at a time when his teammate was not even within DRS range, had Hamilton allowed Rosberg to pass through then Hamilton would have dropped to 5th on the grid and there was a next to impossible chance that either Ricciardo or Alonso would have ‘not’ ended on the podium. Hence, at the end of the whole stratagem we would still have had just one Mercedes driver on the podium.

Mercedes’ non-executive chairman Niki Lauda had gone off the record earlier in the season and mentioned that the Silver Arrows would let their dynamic duo ‘loose’ and ‘fight it out’ once the team title hopes are secured. Well, at present, if there’s anything that is secure it is the constructors’ championship. The drivers’ race is still open and therefore one cannot blame Hamilton on any way for doing what he did.

If anything, that Mercedes strategy should have been implemented before the Hungary Grand Prix.

Meanwhile, Hamilton is undeterred by the happenings in Hungary and is standing firm on his decision not to move aside for Rosberg. “It is not questioning authority,” he said. “I am hired to race and bring in points for the team. I am also hired to be me, and race my heart out. I did not start at the front of the pack. I started from the pitlane, so in my mind I cannot afford to lose anything else.”

Well said Lewis! You started from the pits on a track what was not meant to see a wet race with a car that was built overnight due to a qualifying fire attack. To top it all off you barged your way up and at one stage were even leading the race. No one had the authority to question your audacity.

Yet in the end, people are still talking about Mercedes, people are still questioning your ‘irrationality’, people are still wondering whether Nico could have actually ended up winning the race, and I am writing about it all.

Sorry Lewis! It’s a cruel world indeed