As the World Cup continue to surprise many with some of the game’s biggest
stars not performing well on the international stage. While some
players are setting the competition alight with incredible goals and wonderful
performances, others are leaving the competition with their tails between their
legs. See Below List
Steven Gerrard: The Liverpool captain took up where he left
off against Chelsea few days to the end of the past English Premiership season;
a calamity that all but ended the Merseysiders’ quest for a first league title
in the Premier League era. This World Cup was supposed to be some sort of
redemption for the Englishman as he led a brand-new, promising young England squad to Brazil. He, along with fellow
veteran Frank Lampard and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, were the only
survivors from a talented, but failed Golden Generation. His role, along with
the other two, was to be an inspiration and leader to the younger generation,
but in the end it turned out to be another nightmare campaign for Captain
Fantastic and the Three Lions in the big events.
England
was never really expected to go far in the competition, but to bow out in such
an inglorious and horrendous fashion, courtesy of their much-loved skipper, was
not something anyone bargained for. Mirroring the infamous Anfield slip,
Gerrard let his guards down again in the midfield and was culpable for not one,
but two of Uruguay’s two
goals against England
last night. This might just be the end of the road for England and
Gerrard – a player who manager Roy Hodgson had put so much trust in to deliver.
Some sections of the British press are calling for his retirement already, but
what is certain is that England
needs to rebuild from here and get rid of its aged stars and the underachieving
technical staff.
Diego Costa:
The Chelsea-bound Atletico Madrid
hitman, nicknamed the “Beast” by “el Cholo” Diego Simeone, did nothing to live
up to expectations. Much was expected of the reigning World champions to the
extent that bookmakers had predicted a dream final between hosts, Brazil, and la
Furia Roja before the first ball was kicked, thanks to the inclusion of the
fiery Brazilian-born Spaniard. All that has gone up in smoke now; Spain has been
knocked out. En route their exit, they managed to score just one goal: a Xabi
Alonso penalty. Since then, they have conceded 7 goals! Though it was no fault
of his, Costa did not do nearly enough to justify his place in the team. In the
end, his first World Cup did not go as planned. He made no impact whatsoever
and the world champions disappeared without a trace.
Iker Casillas: Once the world’s best goalkeeper, Casillas’ fall
from grace is well documented. Right from the time he began to run into
problems with Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid till date, he has been in
questionable form. In the 2013-14 season, he was constantly dropped for league
matches in favour of Diego Lopez by coach Carlo Ancelotti. His selection for
UEFA Champions League games and his inclusion in the Spanish squad for the
World Cup (at the expense of Diego Lopez) were decisions that had more to do
with backroom politics than merit. And the result? His frailties were
mercilessly exposed by a pitiless, vengeful Dutch side in the first match where
he was culpable for at least two of the incredible five goals that hit the back
of his net. In the second game, he could have done more to prevent the two
goals scored by a disciplined Chilean side.
In fairness to all, he, like Steven Gerrard and Diego Costa, should be
dropped to the bench for his side’s next match. If this is not a prompt warning
to Spain
of the need to retire most of the remnants of their all-conquering Golden
Generation in favour of younger, hungrier stars, I don’t think anything will.
Cristiano Ronaldo: The world has gotten accustomed to the
no-show of the World’s Footballer of the Year in international assignments when
it matters most. Though this time around, we may just have to forgive him.
Monday afternoon’s whitewash by Germany
was only the latest in a string of disappointing results for the averagely
talented Portuguese national team. This crop of stars is a far cry from the
dominant Portuguese team of the Figo and Deco era ten years ago.
Like Diego Costa, his talents are limitless, but he is not getting the
needed assistance from the supporting cast. A nagging fitness problem carried
over from the past European club season has compounded the situation. But all
those details will not matter when he calls time on national duties and his
performance for the team is evaluated. To the Portuguese fans, he will never be
a Figo or a Rui Costa or an Eusebio, should things continue this way. Unlike
the others in the list, though, he still has two matches to redeem himself and
become the player we all know from the 2013-14 season.
2 comments:
i feel their pain. next time. GO NAIJA.
SMH
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