Steven Gerrard: Captain Courageous, Loyalty Personified

It was a cold and wintry November night in 1998 when a lad named Steven George Gerrard made his professional football debut for a team burdened with glorious purpose. At that time in the world, little anyone knew that they were witnessing history. Little anyone knew that he would go on to become an epitome of allegiance. And little anyone knew that “Gerrard” would become Liverpool’s heart and soul.

I believe I say this with the consent of everyone in the football fraternity, even those who are remotely related, that if there’s anyone on this planet today who rightfully should, nay deserves to, win the Premier League title, it’s Steven Gerrard. And the only thing that led me to this bona fide conclusion is Gerrard’s undying dedication and the manner in which he passionately wears his heart on his sleeve.

When Liverpool edged Manchester City 3-2 last night to take a gigantic step towards their first League title since 1990, no other emotion in the 45,522 capacity Anfield stadium expressed the jubilation and exuberance better than that of Steven Gerrard’s. The tears that rolled down his cheeks signified drops of passion and certainly proved how much Liverpool and that elusive EPL title mean to the skipper.

Winning a Premier League title is no doubt a colossal achievement. But the reason that it would be extra special for Liverpool to win the title this season is that it, in addition to ending the Merseyside club’s 24-year long wait for exaltation, would indeed be a fitting way of commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy where Gerrard’s 10-year old cousin was among the 96 who lost their lives.

The manner in which Steven Gerrard and Liverpool have been playing this season portrays a clear killer instinct and a rock-solid intent to lift the trophy. While Brendan Rodgers has transformed the Reds into a club that is brimming with counter-attacking confidence, Gerrard himself has been in the form of his life. His presence in midfield is indispensable, his passing is immaculate and his aura is breathtaking.

And I speak for all Liverpool fans when I say that we always witness something really remarkable whenever we’re graced with the presence of Stevie G’s charismatic aura. The greatest example to prove that Gerrard’s indomitable spirit is unconquerable is the inspirational UEFA Champions League final against AC Milan in Istanbul when the Reds scored three goals in six minutes to turn around a 0-3 deficit.

Of course who can forget the stupendous goal that the Liverpool skipper hit earlier that season in the dying minutes of the Champions League Group Stage match against Olympiakos that propelled Liverpool into the knockout stages. Both instances corroborate just one plain and simple fact – when the world tells you that it can’t be done & all hope is lost, Steven Gerrard gives us a reason to dream and believe.

Ever since Gerrard became Liverpool captain in 2003, he has carried the club on his shoulders through the thick and thin of times. He has juggled the highs and lows that the Reds have faced with impeccable ease. And the fact that clubs like Real Madrid, Chelsea and Inter Milan failed to deter his cherished loyalty speaks only volumes about this legendary Anfield hero’s character, zeal and perseverance.

In his gleaming career, Steven Gerrard has lifted the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Champions League Trophy as Liverpool skipper. But the ultimate prize that every club professional dreams about is the League title and it is something that has eluded him. However with Liverpool and Stevie G being forces to reckon with this season, the crowning eminence of the EPL title is just a matter of 360 minutes away.

FIFA U-17 World Cup: Indian football's date with glory

The FIFA under-17 World Cup is the first of numerous great things that are inevitably bound to happen to Indian football.

To read more check out my article in The Times of India..

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/FIFA-U-17-World-Cup-Indian-footballs-date-with-glory/articleshow/31676477.cms?

Shiva Keshavan - The Lone Ranger Indeed..

Five-time Olympian Shiva Keshavan, who is the first Indian to compete in luge at the Winter Olympic Games, said that India as a country needs to be more ambitious than being obsessed with cricket.

In an interaction that I had with him on the social media site Twitter, Shiva using his Twitter handle @100thofasec replied "we need to be more ambitious :)" when he was asked about his thoughts on the fact that India is obsessed with cricket.

Luger Keshavan, who finished 37th at the recently concluded Sochi Winter Olympics, said that more opportunities need to be given to youngsters with respect to competing in other sports.

He tweeted: "giving attention to cricket is ok but we need to increase the number of sports to give more opportunities to youngsters" when he was asked whether he feels that Indians pay cricket too much attention.

Keshavan has represented India at five Winter Olympic Games and feels content at just having the opportunity to represent the country at the highest level.

When he was asked "Do you feel bad that you don't get as much respect and acclaim as much as you deserve?" the Manali-born athlete replied: "No I am already quite happy just to be able to compete for India."

Being able to represent India has always been Keshavan's utmost priority and the Indian Olympic Association's ban was indeed hard for the Luger to swallow.

When asked about anything that he could change about the IOA, he tweeted: "Only sportspersons to vote and hold office in IOA and sports federations."

Keshavan, who won gold at the Asia Cup in Nagano, Japan in 2011, also said that the venue was special to him as he made his Olympic debut there during the 1998 Winter Olympics.

He tweeted: "my first olympic games in Nagano. Everything was a surprise for me then" when asked with the question "If you could go back in time and re-live any Olympic moment, which one would it be? And Why?"

Keshavan, who set a new Asian track record at 49.590 seconds in 2012, has been promoting the cause of winter sports in India and feels that Abhinav Bindra is without doubt India's greatest Olympian.

When asked with the question "Who do you think is India's greatest Olympian?" he replied "Got to be @Abhinav_Bindra."

Team England's Left Flank Conundrum..

Well, it’s been too long since England won the FIFA World Cup. I wanted to write the phrase “last won” but refrained from doing so considering the fact that the Three Lions have just one title to their name. And that too in 1966 in their own backyard, which can’t help but exude the sad truth that it might actually take another hosting to win the prestigious trophy. And with 2018 and 2022 going to Russia and Qatar respectively, this indeed is a sign of grave concern.

Let’s take a minute and analyze the problem that we have on hand. It’s not that England lack quality players. Oh No. They have players who can challenge even the best on any given day. They have players who play in the supposedly the “greatest league in the world”. They have players who have the unsung ability to go face-to-face with any challenge that is thrown their way. They have players who shake the world. Too much “biased” praise you say? I guess you’re right.

But talking in an earnest frame of mind the problem is not with the players. The players actually put in their best. The fact that they’re not challenging enough to face a fortified team like Spain, Germany, Italy or even Uruguay for that matter is a completely different problem all together. The problem is that the English team does not have players to match the positions on the field. To put the predicament more subtly – England’s left flank is completely handicapped.

 Looking at the situation objectively one can easily make out that it’s a classic case of flooding too many players on one flank and thereby leaving the other flank completely desolate. In the present day scenario, England has Arsenal’s Theo Walcott and Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain, Tottenham’s Aaron Lennon and Andros Townsend, Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling and Man United’s Wilfried Zaha at their disposal to fill in the right flank. However when it comes to filling in the left flank, the team’s choices are pretty scarce. Options include Adam Lallana (Lone Ranger), Ashley Young (No Form) & Stewart Downing (No Impact).

We have 6 very talented players who are fighting for one position on the field. And on the other hand there aren’t enough players to even support the left side, let alone stabilizing it. Southampton’s Adam Lallana has been the greatest thing to have happened to English midfield ever since Joe Cole. But let’s get one thing straight shall we? Lallana cannot win things on his own. He needs backup. And on that front all he has is Young and Downing – neither of whom is in any form.

The permutations and combinations to fill that “elusive” void on the left-hand side have been going on for ages now. But all sincere efforts have gone in vain.  There are two things common between Kevin Keegan, Sven Goran Eriksson, Fabio Capello, Steve McClaren and present England coach Roy Hodgson – first is the exasperating detail that they have all poured their heart out in trying to build/develop a player for that left flank; second that they have all terribly failed.

Now I’m no expert when it comes to team formation or chemistry, but when coaches go to the extreme extent of playing world class midfielders like Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard on the left just for the sole purposes of filling that void, then something is appallingly wrong with the team. Also, call me a cynic but I draw the line between intelligent insight and immense idiocracy when dynamic strikers like Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen are “pushed” to the wings.

And probably the greatest impalement in England football history occurred when Paul Scholes, who without a shadow of a doubt was the greatest midfielder of his time, was literally pressed on towards the left touchline to incorporate the enterprising Gerrard-Lampard combination during UEFA Euro 2004. None the less England was knocked out of the tournament. And quite frankly that seems to be the story every time that England plays a match. As a football fanatic, I’m literally on the edge of my seat grasping my sweaty palms with chewed up fingernails just hoping that the opposition does not see the exposed left hand flank.

But unfortunately they always do. Be it a minnow team like Chile or a prodigious team like Germany, every team always exploits the fact that England is completely “Shite” on the left flank. Therefore, in addition to a dedicated left winger, what’s indispensable for the Three Lions at this point of time is to find a coach who can create a left winger out of the existing lot, if not find a new one. On that note, a certain example of a Joe Cole and a Jose Mourinho comes to mind.

What Mourinho will undeniably go down in history among the England fans for, besides being a ruthless character who likes to win at any cost by creating stupendous strategies, is that he created Joe Cole out of nothing and made him indispensable for the England football team. Cole was the greatest thing to be running on the left flank ever since the days of Steve McManaman. If only Cole had not been injury-prone, he could have been an undying star.

No one can forget the immaculate volley that Cole hit from 35-yards against Sweden in the group stages during the 2006 FIFA World Cup. England fans especially cannot forget that match for two reasons. One was the desirable and prudent fact that their answers had finally been answered on the left flank front. Finally there was a perfect blend between a player and a position. The other was the horrifying injury that Owen suffered that would eventually end his career.

All in all, it’s high time that a change be implemented. It’s high time that ambidextrous players like Chamberlain, Danny Welbeck, Townsend and maybe even Jack Wilshere be exploited more in order to expand their horizons for the future. Maybe a new coach with better strategies and a face that is not always “yawning” needs to be at the helm of things. The 2014 FIFA World Cup is just months away; But at this stage, with England being in the group of death along with Italy and Uruguay, the only discomfiting thing that fans can be disturbingly certain about is that England is going to return home sooner than expected.

The King is Back..

Apart from the fact that Stan ‘the man’ Wawrinka won his maiden Grand Slam at the Australian Open this year, if there was one thing that any person who is even remotely connected to the sport of Tennis had to vouch for at this point of time - that thing would be the definite fact that people at Melbourne Park got to witness something really special at the hands of Roger Federer.

In addition to him showing shades of his vintage self that personified someone who dictated terms on the court, he also portrayed a side of his playing capabilities that everyone on the tennis fraternity thought was lost. The class act manner in which the 17-time Grand Slam champion manufactured points with majestic brilliance proved without a shadow of a doubt that the 32-year old still has what it takes to win a Grand Slam.

Federer indeed can bounce back after his Australian Open show. He has a new racquet, a new coach and best of all a new attitude towards handling the game he considers to be most close to his heart. He’s enjoying the game more now, he has a disciplined regime and as always his spirit is an epitome of ‘never-say-die’.  Somewhere down the line everyone, even Federer, wanted that person to return. And that’s what happened at the Australian Open.

The ease with which Federer overcame the challenges thrown by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Andy Murray was nothing short of breathtaking. Whether it was his insane slices, his genius fake shots or his ridiculous inventions that left his fans spellbound and gasping for more, Roger Federer was able to pierce millions of hearts with his stupendous serves and his mesmerizing game-play.

Federer may have lost the battle when he bowed out against Rafael Nadal in the semis, but one thing that can be said with utmost certainty is that the Swiss Maestro is ready to win the war in the long run. Because Fedex in the true sense is and will always be an embodiment of grace, the king of tennis and the incarnation of a living legend. 

Is Moyes Fergie's 'chosen one' to shatter Old Trafford records?

With Swansea City's recent 2-1 FA Cup victory over the defending English Premier League champions Manchester United, Red Devils manager David Moyes has managed to shatter yet another record at the prestigious Old Trafford stadium.

To read more check out my article in The Times of India..

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/epl/top-stories/Is-Moyes-Fergies-chosen-one-to-shatter-Old-Trafford-records/articleshow/28516625.cms

Getty Photo

92 Forever: The Classiest ‘Class’ of them all..

This is going to be one of those “rarest of the rare” categories of blogs that I’ve ever written. And it’s because of the simple reason that probably for the first time in the history of the sport a die-hard, hardcore Liverpool fan is going to be praising the ideology and dogma of a club called Manchester United. I guess this is something that every football freak on this planet, irrespective of the club that he/she follows, would do unconditionally if they’ve had the phenomenal privilege to watch a group of immensely talented boys set sail on their amazing journey to battle it out with the world to attain the well-deserved glory that they achieved.

David “Becks” Beckham, Paul “Scholesy” Scholes, Ryan “Giggsy” Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Nicholas “Nicky” Butt. Anyone talking/writing about these fine individuals would agree with me when I say that the “Class of 92” is and perhaps will always be legendary. Not because of the reason that these footballers emitted jugs of talent that was immeasurable, but solely because of the reason that never before and never till now has a class graduated that has produced multiple gifted players all at one go. It must be noted that though these players were “6” in number, their dream was just “one” – to enjoy the game and inspire a generation.

And inspire they did. In an era when British culture ruled and people were more into music and fashion than football, Manchester United was busy producing within its academy a set of gifted individuals who were lucky enough to play with each other and most of all respected the game more than anything in the world. There was one reason that made them click the way they did, that made them closer than brothers, that completely eliminated an impetuous felling called “jealousy” between them and that made them realize they needed to have each other’s backs – Football. It was that important to them. It was their grounds of motivation.

Reuters Photo

Under the unparalleled guidance of recently retired manager Sir Alex Ferguson, the Class of 92 went on to star for the Manchester United first team during a period of unprecedented success for the northern England powerhouse. And that came as early as the 1995 season when they were “thrown” onto the field together to represent the Red Devils in all of Europe’s elite competitions. Now call it “luck”, Sir Alex’s “insight” or just sheer brilliance that the Class of 92 possessed, but it worked. Everyone from people to experienced football pundits criticized them; however, Becks, Scholsey, Giggsy, Gary, Phil and Nicky had other plans in mind.

Playing for the biggest club in the world, which at that time none of them knew, and going on a trophy binge to become one of the world's most recognized sporting  brands in history says a lot about the extraordinary character that the “Fergie's Fledglings” exuberated. That’s right. After “Busby Babes” came the era of the Fergie's Fledglings - a group of players recruited and trained by Sir Alex who went on to play for the first team and embellish their names in the history books. Not only did these players gel perfectly with each other, but it was the manner in which they did it that made them what they are today and achieve what they achieved.

Now let’s see. Gary Neville played at right back. Phil Neville played at left back. David Beckham played on the right flank. Ryan Giggs took the left flank. The midfield was completely dominated by Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt. That’s more than half the team that was brought in at the same time. And that too was total inexperience that was catapulted on the pitch. I guess keeping myself in the feet of the United fans at that time, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the whole football fraternity must have thought that the Red Devils were taking an uncalled-for risk at the time. I mean who the hell were these six blokes anyway?

I’m no expert on this, but when six out eleven players walk out to the centre of the field with the whole world thinking that it is all just a big mistake it’s kind of hard to get your game on. It’s definitely the greatest challenge that is thrown your way, especially when the positions in question here are the flanks and central midfield. The central midfield is supposed to be the “heart” of a team and the flanks its “wings”. So one can imagine the predicament a team and its manager would be in if the brand new heart and fervent wings fail to function. But that’s what the Class of 92 was ready for. Bring it on they said as their brilliant aura was inconceivable.

It was that dominating presence on field that the Red Devils had that made them the most feared team in the 1990s. People give credit to Eric Cantona, Bryan Robson, Steve Bruce, who rightly and respectfully deserve all the credit. But I guess I say this for all when I say that it was the unsurpassable versatility that Beckham, Giggs, Scholes, Butt and the Neville brothers had that made all the difference. To do a 1-2 between the rightmost extremity and the leftmost extremity on the field is a wondrous task and the Class of 92 did that with ridiculous ease. Not just in one game against one opponent. But in every game, irrespective the enemy.

The debate will last forever on this topic. Some say that the Class of 1992 is overrated. It’s their opinion and they are quite rightly entitled to it. I mean if a young bunch of passionate and dedicated playmakers help a team win 6 English Premier League titles, 3 FA Cups, 4 League Cups and 1 UEFA Champions League title during their tenure (one of those seasons had a prestigious treble there as well by the way) and still be called “overrated”, then there’s nothing on this planet that a footballer can do to be truly, rightfully and undoubtedly be called a Football Legend. The Class of 92 did that and they will forever be the “Classiest” of them all.