I hate it when my dire predictions turn right. Hate it. And the whole reason I make them -- apart from the fact that I really feel they'll come true, of course -- is for a bit of an anti-jinxing effect. But lately that plan has been backfiring. Reality bites. So anyway, a week was all I got. A week of football happiness till the road signs all began pointing downhill. No matter, I will celebrate the meagre offerings anyway.
1. First, like I rambled on about one post ago, the arrival of football. It comes with heartbreak, agony and so much ridiculousness that the joke always seems to be on you, but it's a vital presence in any case.
2. Germany's first match. The reason I felt all the more ecstatic as they ran circles around the Aussies was because I had begun fretting about them since the moment Michael Ballack was ruled out. Visions of the 2002 World Cup final, Euro 2004 and similar unhappy situations had begun flashing through my mind. So when Muller, with Ballack's No.13 on his back, and the amazing Ozil (apart from that one dive) played like those had been their regular positions in the senior team since time immemorial, pure and simple joy. Those 90 minutes put me on top of the world and they also carried me through my usual Monday blues.
3. Lionel Messi -- I'm not at all an Argentine supporter, but there's something about Messi pulling off those fantastic runs, twisting his way past six defenders and delivering one of those killer passes that just scream out to be put into goal.
4. England 1-1 USA -- Have I mentioned how much I hate the English team? Yes, it may sound strange coming from a Liverpool fan, but oh yes I do. And watching Steven Gerrard play like he had a firecracker up his ass against the Americans made me even more pissed off. So he was saving himself for the World Cup then, and screwing Liverpool over in the process? Not cool. And if he wants to leave the Reds, he can, no need for the begging and the pleading. The club will remain and that's the most important thing, like Pepe Reina said. Coming back to the match, the keeper gaffe was fun. I loved the New York Post headline: USA win 1-1. A typo? I think not.
5. The obsessive poring over of football material online -- Some websites are doing a real good job. I always enjoy The Guardian, their live blog and commentary, and www.zonalmarking.net has some good stuff too. Football365 as always comes up with some laugh-out-loud funnies. Check out their Silliest Things Said at the WC. Some people are wondering when Barcelona will play their first match at the Cup, and how on earth can Ronaldo play for Portugal when 'he already plays for Manchester United?' The mysteries of the universe.
6. Three weeks more -- It continues. There's lots more to watch, bitch about and I'm sure I'll have many more reasons to injure my hand by repeatedly hitting it on my desk and throwing my phone at the nearest wall so it stops working like I did when Lukas Podolski hit his penalty straight at the Serbian keeper. Oh, and another horrible bit of irony. Milan Jovanovic, the guy who scored the Serbs' goal, is coming to Liverpool next season. What's the connection, you ask? The most important one -- ME. I feel betrayed. Anyway.
As an aside, I haven't been able to sit still since next season's fixtures came out. I've already saved them on my computer, formatted them, trying to consign them to memory, and the next plan will be to bold out the absolutely vital ones. I kid you not, I had a vision of Arsenal being first up on my drive to work the morning they came out, a few hours before they were actually released. Sometimes I do think I'm awesome.
Well. Maybe I'll have another list of what to celebrate in times of despair in a week's time. Till then, keep the vuvuzelas sounding. I'm going to blow one loudly into the ear of the next person who tells me to stop supporting teams they like because they fear my unmistakable jinx effect.
Bring it on.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment