Can a song alone be so prophetic? U2's hit was topping the charts in the week when I was born. And whenever I think about it, I wondered if that is the case. I still haven't found what I'm looking for. Studies-wise, that is. Half the time wondering if I had ever made the right decision of studying accounting in the beginning.
Looking around at the Euro 2008 qualifiers (and a certain international friendly match) which were playing when I was still sleeping, it seemed to be the case as well on the matches I want to highlight. England had finally ended their barren streak (3-0 to Andorra), but coach Steve McClaren is still under the pressure. Italy became the side which ended Scotland's winning streak (2-0 to Italy), and coach Roberto Donadoni can breathe a little easier. Spain managed to maintain their streak against Iceland (1-0 to Spain) after the 'scrappy' win over Denmark earlier. And finally, sometimes a gamble...doesn't really pay off. Or is it not? I'm referring to the friendly match I want to highlight later on - Germany-Denmark.
So, apparently as according to what the match reports are saying of the Andorra-England match which is being played in Barcelona (and nope, it's not being played at the Nou Camp), it was 'another woefully disjointed display'. Although Liverpool's Steven Gerrard had scored a double in the second-half and a last-minute goal from Preston's David Nugent, it was not enough for the England fans who came to watch the match. McClaren's job is already at stake after the goaless draw in Israel, and according to my father last night in the car while we were on our way home from my classes, (this was before the match against Andorra) one of his colleagues had watched ESPN's Football Focus With John Dykes and the panelists were 'chopping' McClaren and listed all the mistakes he had made since becoming the coach. Number one error - dropping David Beckham from the squad list. In the past, I would had been sort of happy if that happened. But after his Champions League appearance for Real against Bayern Munich (where I watched the repeat of it on ESPN), I am starting to wonder why he was being left out in the beginning.
Scotland has been on a roll, no one can deny the fact. But what will happen when they meet reigning World Cup winners Italy in their qualifying match? Will the Scots pull off an unthinkable, or will the Azzuri save the day? Roberto Donadoni had been under the pressure to deliver lately. But it wasn't his fault that his side had not been playing any games since all that fiasco which had happened to Serie A earlier in the year, which saw their planned-friendly game cancelled.
Spain had managed to maintain their win after beating Denmark over the weekend with a win over Iceland early this morning. He almost had his coaching career came under threat before the Denmark game. But unlike McClaren, he was saved. This time round after beating Iceland, I suppose he can breathe a little more easier.
So my instinct kind of came true. From the moment I read that it will be an almost entire second-string of players facing the Danes (and the Denmark coach protesting about it given he was not informed until he read the papers) in the friendly, I know it's going to be a big gamble from coach Joachim Loew. I had a hunch it will not go as planned. But then again, it's a friendly and Germany has to until June when they will meet San Marino at home. Anyhow, it's 1-0 to the Danes.
I think I really need to find out what really happened from DW-TV's Journal later on given the friendly match was not shown in the first place on the cable TV here. Doing my own set of analysis of what was right and wrong.
On the surface, it seemed like a gamble which didn't pay off. But then again, it's a friendly and I had always know how Germany performed on the international scale. Seven wins, one draw and now one loss. That is the report card for Loew so far.
Watching Germany playing...it is like watching Manchester United in action. I had always knew why I like Germany in the beginning.
