Friday, October 27, 2006

Fireworks In Milan

On Saturday evening in Milan, Internazionale will attempt to shut the door on their rivals, AC Milan's Scudetto hopes. After a summer in which Italy won the 2006 World Cup, domestic football in Italy was at the centre of attention after charges of corruption within the game. The result of which saw punishments for Juventus, AC Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina.

Inter Milan often criticised for being a 'nearly club' and a bunch of underachievers despite huge outlays in transfer fees year in and year out, were crowned champions of Italy. A title by default, or were they given what was rightfully theirs? Rumours of corruption and scandal within Italian football is nothing new, are we to believe that the season of 2005/06 was the only one tainted? Surely it would be naive to believe that is the case, even without concrete proof, the suspicion is justified. Has the football world wrongly been criticising Inter all this time? The perennial underachievers who could not make full use of Moratti's expenditure, are they infact looking for their third successive Serie A title (given that Inter have ended the past two seasons behind Juventus and Milan)? Some may claim that, others will say they are looking for their second in a row, and some would even say they are not the real champions at all. Whichever angle you look at it, on Saturday, Inter can deliver a knock out blow to their neighbours.

AC Milan began the season with an eight point handicap (following the corruption scandal after appeals), but arguably the biggest handicap was no longer being able to call on the services of prolific Ukrainian forward, Andrei Shevchenko. Although Shevchenko's move to Chelsea has caused him some strain and stress also, the impact has so far looked bigger on his former club. The forward players that would be relied upon to ensure Shevchenko's departure was not so heavily felt were Filippo Inzaghi, Alberto Gilardino (both part of Italy's World Cup winning squad) and Ricardo Oliveira. Inzaghi started the season on fire, and so did Milan winning their first six games (2 in the Champions League and 4 in Serie A). However, the past month has seen a dreadful set of results and an especially toothless attack. In the past five games in the league, Milan have managed only two goals and recorded only one victory. Gilardino has been firing blanks, Oliveira has struggled to find goals too and the dry spell has hit Inzaghi too. The burden has fallen on Kaka, and at times he has often looked like a man who wishes he had a Shevchenko to thread the ball too. The saving grace has been a strong backline, Milan have been unable to win as many games as they would have hoped, but in turn they have picked up points thanks to a defence that has only conceaded five goals in all competitions (a total of 13 games). Currently sitting eleven points behind both Inter and Palermo, Milan can ill afford a defeat, even a draw won't be of much use. Even this early the derby represents a must-win situation for Milan against their rivals.

Sitting on top of the league, one would be forgiven for thinking that all things are and have been well at Inter Milan, they have not. Inter were able to take advantage of Juventus's relegation following the corruption scandal, and signed Patrick Vieira and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. In addition, Hernan Crespo re-joined Inter for a second stint and off an impressive World Cup, left-back Fabio Grosso also joined the ranks of the Nerrazurri. The pressure was on Inter more than ever before, they had always been expected to win and even with star names they had not done so. Now they had an eight point lead over Milan from day one, and no Juventus to worry about either. There would be no excuses this time should Inter fail to win the title, and despite still being the only unbeaten team in Serie A after eight games, they have been bending but not breaking...but only just. On opening day away at Fiorentina, and impressive Inter led 3-0. By the full time whistle they had been clinging onto a 3-2 lead for the past ten minutes in which they could easily have conceaded an equaliser.

Over the next few days a Champions League defeat in Portugal to Sporting Lisbon followed, as well as an unwelcome home draw with Sampdoria in the league. The criticism was relentless and Inter faced a tough challenge away at Roma. A spiritied display and a fantastic Hernan Crespo goal gave the Inter players the chance to claim their critics had been answered. An eventful 4-3 home win over Chievo kept the momentum rolling before another disaster in the Champions League. This time a 2-0 home defeat to Bayern Munich, accompanied by two red cards for Ibrahimovic and Grosso (adding to two earlier red cards Vieira had received in both Champions League and Serie A).

Inter were in need of another response and have reacted to that defeat with two wins and two draws in the league, as well as a much needed Champions League win over Spartak Moscow. Top of the league and back in contention in their Champions League group, the spotlight is on Inter more than ever in the coming days. As if a Milan derby was not enough on Saturday, Inter visit Moscow in the Champions League on Tuesday where defeat is unthinkable. Two wins in these games and Inter will have effectively knocked Milan out of any possible title challenge and recovered a vast amount of damage made in their first two Champions League games. Two defeats, and fireworks will be going off in the media circus headed straight for Mancini and his players.

Saturday, October 21, 2006

Federer And Gonzalez To Conclude Madrid


The 8th Masters Series event of the year ends on Sunday in Madrid. Sports Magician takes a look at the two finalists.

Roger Federer (1) v Fernando Gonzalez (10)
Saturday's semi-finals proved not to be of the same calibre and suspense that Friday's quarter-finals produced. The final pits the Swiss world no.1, looking for the 1st indoor Masters Series title of his career, up against the Chilean 10th seed, hoping to win his 1st Masters Series event and what would be the biggest title of his career.

In the 1st semi-final of the day, Federer met David Nalbandian for the 13th time. After taking an early advantage, Federer led 4-1 in the 1st set. However, Federer-Nalbandian clashes are rarely that simple and the Argentine levelled up the set at 4-4. The first eight games were very competitive, but the next eight were not of the same standard. Federer exerted more control on the match and eventually ran away with it convincingly, 6-4 6-0. With regards to their personal duel, it is the first time in Federer's professional career that he has had a head to head lead over Nalbandian, the record currently stands at 7-6 in his favour.

Federer will be hoping to win his 4th Masters Series event of 2006, which would match the 4 he won in 2005. Of the 8 Masters Series finals this year to date, Federer has either won or been runner-up in 6 of them. He withdrew from Hamburg and was defeated by Andy Murray in Cincinnati. Both of his final defeats in Masters Series this year came on clay, against Rafael Nadal.

As predicted in Sports Magician's semi-final previews, Tomas Berdych was unable to live up to his performance from the previous evening. As in Toronto, where the Czech took out Rafael Nadal before acting as mere cannon fodder the next day, the same happened here in Madrid. This time, Fernando Gonzalez was the player to take Berdych to pieces in a crushing 6-4 6-1 victory. Berdych was public enemy no1 following his celebration versus Nadal, and he crumbled under the hostility which he had dealt with so well in the quarter-final. The Spanish crowd were out for his blood, and Gonzalez with a dominant serving performance certainly gave them what they wanted.

Not only has Gonzalez reached his 1st Masters Series final, he has now put himself in contention to make Shanghai. Should he win on Sunday, he will be only 3 race points behind 8th placed Tommy Robredo.

History suggests Gonzalez will not be lifting the title tomorrow. Federer has an overwhelming record against the Chilean, leading their head to head, 7-0. Furthermore, Gonzalez has only ever taken 2 sets off the world no1. Their last meeting was on hard court in Cincinnati this year, with Federer victorious 6-1, 5-7, 6-3. Gonzalez will have to produce a career best performance if he is to win the match, which will be a best of 5 sets encounter. They have met twice in best of 5 set matches, both in 2005 at Roland Garros and Wimbledon where Federer triumped in straight sets each time.

Friday, October 20, 2006

Final Four In Madrid

After an eventful day in Madrid, which saw two former champions knocked out in outstanding clashes - Sports Magician looks ahead to the battle of the remaining four.

Roger Federer (1) v David Nalbandian (4)
The kind of semi-final that many (including myself) hoped to see in Madrid. Federer and Nalbandian have always brought out the best in each other and have played many a classic match. This one should be no different.

David Nalbandian, winner of the Masters Cup in 2005, was the first player through to the semi-finals after another houdini like escape. Nothing has come easy for the Argentine this week, and his encounter with Safin went along a similar path. Nalbandian started well, taking the first set 6-4. The second set proved to be far more complicated, after both players had exchanged breaks (four in total) it was decided by a tie-break. Nalbandian had match point at 6-5 but Safin saved himself with an ace and eventually took the set. Despite the disappointment, Nalbandian was able to hold himself together for the third set until his resistance was broken in the eleventh game. Yet again, Nalbandian found himself staring defeat in the face as he had done against Benneteau and Henman, and yet again he managed to avoid the exit. Nalbandian broke and then dominated the tie-break and thus recorded only his second win in eight meetings with Safin. As well as matching his Madrid performance from last year, Nalbandian gained a psychological boost ahead of what will be another meeting between the two in Moscow in December for this year's Davis Cup Final.

Federer's passage to the last four was not filled with such drama. Despite being given a competitive encounter by Robby Ginepri, the Swiss world no.1 never looked in danger of losing the match. Unlike Nalbandian who has gone the distance in all his matches this week, Federer has yet to drop a set.

This will be the thirteenth meeting between the pair, their head to head stands at six wins each. Nalbandian won the first five of their professional meetings, Federer has won six of the last seven. They have met twice this season, Federer the victor on both occasions. In Rome, the match (as it was in Shanghai 2005) was settled by a deciding set tie-break. Their last meeting came at Roland Garros this year in the semi-finals. Unfortunately, this meeting was cut short by an injury to Nalbandian and the viewing public was robbed of another classic encounter. Of their previous twelve meetings, the outcome has been settled in straight sets only four times. The winner of this semi-final is likely to end up lifting the trophy on Sunday.

Fernando Gonzalez (10) v Tomas Berdych (11)
Tomas Berdych gave the tennis world another glimpse of the potential he has with an awesome display of power and accuracy, against home favourite and defending champion, Rafael Nadal. What was arguably more impressive though was the composure and concentration shown in the face of a partisan crowd. Berdych has shown he is capable of giving Nadal more than he can handle, that was no surprise but the question remained as to whether he would be able to do that in Spain where the crowd would be an added factor. He passed the test with flying colours, having only one blip in the match at 5-4 up in the tie-break. Nadal got himself in position to win the second set and take it to a decider, but Berdych came roaring back to complete a 6-3 7-6 victory. At the conclusion of the match, Berdych celebrated by letting the Spanish crowd have no doubts that he had silenced them and left the stadium to a chorus of boos.

Fernando Gonzalez, fresh off a day of rest yesterday after his opponent withdrew, negotiated his passage to the last four with a victory over 19 year old Serbian talent, Novak Djokovic. In a closely fought battle, the Chilean triumphed in three sets 7-5 5-7 7-5. The Chilean was two points from defeat at 5-4 down in the decider, but showed great resolve to turn the match around.

Gonzalez holds a 2-0 record against Berdych and has yet to lose a set against him. Berdych will not be popular with the crowd after the way his match ended versus Nadal, allowing Gonzalez to receive the support of any neutrals in attendance. Young players often blow hot and cold, and Berdych is not immune to that. Despite his outstanding quarter-final performance there is no guarantee he will be able to maintain that standard tomorrow after such a euphoric win. Evidence of this was seen in Toronto this year, having beaten Nadal, Berdych was thrashed the next day by Richard Gasquet. Adding in the head to head record, Gonzalez will feel confident he can make his first ever Masters Series final. Berdych has a Masters Series title to his name already, having won Paris at the back end of 2005.

Thursday, October 19, 2006

ATP Masters Series Madrid Quarter-Final Previews


The 8th Masters Series event of the season is approaching the business end. Sports Magician previews Friday's Quarter-Final match-ups.

Roger Federer (1) v Robby Ginepri
World no.1 Roger Federer comes into Friday's quarter-final with hopes of ending the week with his 1st indoor Masters Series title. Federer had little trouble defeating Nicolas Massu in his 2nd round match, 6-3 6-2 (all seeds received a 1st round bye). His 3rd round match was a stiffer test, where required two tie-breaks to get past Sweden's Robin Soderling.

Robby Ginepri has had a poor season, and has been unable to build on his impressive summer hard court results in 2005. It could be said his best win of this year was beating Pete Sampras in an exhibition. However, Ginepri comes into this match in his best form for some time, winning 3 matches against Feliciano Lopez, Mario Ancic and Tommy Robredo. In the process, Ginepri has harmed Ancic and Robredo's hopes of making the season end Masters Cup.

Federer holds a 2-0 record over Ginepri and their last meeting in the Semi-Finals of Cincinnati in 2005 ended 4-6 7-5 6-4 in Federer's favour. Anything other than a Federer win tomorrow will be a huge upset.

David Nalbandian (4) v Marat Safin
The marquee match of the quarter-finals gives us a Davis Cup Final preview. Nalbandian, looking for points to help his cause to qualify for Shanghai, has been on the brink of defeat in both of his matches in Madrid. Finding himself 5-2 down against Julien Benneteau and 5-3 down against Henman in deciding sets, Nalbandian stared an early exit in the face but showed his abilty to come back from difficult situations yet again.

Marat Safin has been far more impressive this week. In an earlier Davis Cup Final preview, he saw off Jose Acasuso in 3 sets before disposing of Marcos Baghdatis and Kristof Vliegen. Safin holds a dominating 6-1 record over Nalbandian, including a 5th set tie-break win at the US Open this year as well as a victory in the Madrid Masters Final in 2004.

Nalbandian usually grows into tournaments and will need to improve significantly on his form in Madrid this week if he is to avoid a 7th defeat at the hands of the Russian. If there is only one quarter-final you watch tomorrow, make it this one.

Fernando Gonzalez (10) v Novak Djokovic (15)
Struggling with a shoulder injury, Fernando Gonzalez would have been relieved to hear he would not be facing the daunting prospect of returning Joachim Johansson's serve, as the Swede withdrew from his match due to illness. Gonzalez needs a great end to the season for a chance to make the Masters Cup (last year he played due to withdrawals during the tournament), and is hoping to start that run in Madrid. In his 2nd round match he defeated Paradorn Srichaphan, 6-4 in the 3rd.

Novak Djokovic is having an excellent season and is continuing his rise up the rankings. He defeated Andy Murray in his 3rd round match despite losing the 1st set, 6-1. Djokovic again exhibited his growing maturity and composure to keep himself in the match despite being a break behind in the 2nd set. He had earlier seen off another another talented player of this coming generation, Richard Gasquet.

The pair have met twice, with a win each. The extra day off may end up being the factor that tips this match in Gonzalez's favour.

Tomas Berdych (11) v Rafael Nadal (2)
Looking for form and confidence in Madrid this week, Tomas Berdych is not the player Nadal would have wanted to see in his half of the draw. Nadal has had a poor series of events since Wimbledon, and is looking to ignite his season in front of his adoring public, hoping to defend the title he won here last year. Nadal has looked much more like his usual self in his wins over Mardy Fish and Tommy Haas. However, the true test of his current form is likely to come in this quarter-final.

Tomas Berdych still maintains hopes of reaching the Masters Cup in Shanghai. He has been in good form seeing off Agustin Calleri and Andy Roddick in straight sets. Although Roddick was hampered by an injury, Berdych was in fantastic form on serve, slamming down 23 aces and not facing a single break point.

Berdych has a 2-1 record against Nadal, the most recent win coming in the Toronto Masters only a couple of months ago. All 3 of their encounters have gone to a deciding set, so don't be at all surprised if this match follows a similar path. Berdych will have to show a greater level of maturity and composure as he will be up against the crowd as well as Nadal.

Out In The Cold


Many of Argentina's best young players soon find themselves in Europe, plying their trade in Spain, Italy, England, Germany.....and Russia.

In the past few years, Russian money has been finding it's way to South America and taking some of the finest young talent they can get their hands on. The policy has worked very well for CSKA Moscow, with their Brasilian trio of Daniel Carvalho, Vagner Love and Dudu. CSKA won the Uefa Cup in 2005 and only a couple of days ago defeated 2006 Champions League finalists, Arsenal.

CSKA's rivals, Spartak Moscow, went down a similar route but with mixed results for both the club and the players involved. Sports Magician details the rise and fall of the man formerly known as "Argentina's next no.9".

Fernando Cavenaghi has long been expected to be the eventual successor to Hernan Crespo for the Argentina national team. Brought up through the pipeline of talent that is River Plate, "El Torito" made his professional debut for Los Millonarios in 2000/2001. It was not long before Cavenaghi was a fixture in the side, and instinctively scoring goals week after week. His strike rate improved year after year, in 2002 he scored 22 goals in 33 apperances. In 2003, he improved with a record of 23 goals in 29 games and in 2004 continued his prolific ways with 9 goals in 13 outings.

Rumours of Cavenaghi's future being in Europe picked up momentum after the 2003 World Youth Championships. Argentina, without Carlos Tevez due to injury and a club-country dispute, were still expected to be one of the main contenders for the title given the depth and quality of Albiceleste youth sides. Argentina ended up losing to Brasil in the Semi-Finals (with the winner in a 1-0 triumph coming from Dudu, Brasil also featured Daniel Carvalho). Despite not performing as a team as well as expected, a few names enhanced their standing, Gonzalo Rodriguez, Javier Mascherano, Osmar Ferreyra and Cavenaghi (who captained the side, scoring 4 goals in 7 games). Ferreyra, a left sided midfielder/attacker with a wonderful set piece delivery, quickly moved to CSKA Moscow from River after barely playing 20 games. It was an error, the move was made too soon and he was not ready to adapt to Russian football. After being out of favour he eventually moved back to Argentina and is currently playing for San Lorenzo having not featured on the national stage since that 2003 tournament.

It was a lesson Cavenaghi was not to learn from, stories of Juventus and Barcelona were constantly circulating but no concrete offers ever came in. Having led River to a few Clausura titles but no success in the Copa Libertadores, Cavenaghi appeared to be getting itchy feet and a move to Europe was inevitable after a bust up with then River coach, Leo Astrada. Spartak had big plans to challenge CSKA and saw Cavenaghi as the main piece of the puzzle. For a brief period there was even a bidding war between the two Russian clubs for his services with Spartak eventually securing his signature for a fee of £6.5m - a Russian record. Cavenaghi also reportedly became the highest paid player in the country with a wage that far outweighed what he had been receiving in Argentina.

At the time of the transfer, many including myself felt it was the wrong move. That Russian football was not the best place for Cavenaghi to begin his European adventure and that the difficulties that faced Ferreyra would be liable to hurt Cavenaghi too. 'El Torito' did not come alone, he was joined by Boca Juniors left back, Clemente Rodriguez. Another player who had been tipped as a future regular for the national team. At first both struggled mightily in Russia, and while things have improved for Rodriguez, they never have for Cavenaghi. A poor return of only 8 goals in 34 games during 2004 and 2005 did not help matters. And if that wasn't enough, Cavenaghi was having problems with the coaching changes and being unable to find any type of continuity.

As far as his international aspirations were concerned, he had become a forgotten man. Out of sight and out of mind, Cavenaghi was never called by Bielsa, not even for the 2004 Olympics which came as a shock to many and was a clear signal that Cavenaghi was no longer seen as part of Argentina's future. Following Bielsa's departure, the arrival of Jose Pekerman raised Cavenaghi's hopes of a call up. He was indeed selected for a squad to play an unofficial match against Catalunya in Barcelona. He made a 20 minute appearance as a substitute and laid on a goal. His performance was encouraging, but clearly not enough to impress Pekerman. Cavenaghi would not be seen again in any future squad.

Approaching each transfer window were rumours of Cavenaghi moving back to River or La Liga, nothing materialised. This year his strike rate has improved in front of goal and Spartak Moscow qualified for the Champions League and drawn in a tough group with Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Sporting Lisbon. Maybe this would be the chance for Cavenaghi to remind the rest of the world he was still a talent worth being utilised in a more high profile league? Not so. Cavenaghi has been left on the bench as Spartak have been able to take only 1 point from a possible 9. Even their hopes of qualifying for the Uefa Cup look dead and buried. Cavenaghi's hopes of getting out of Russia and back into the picture of the national set up seem even more remote than they ever were.

A talent wasted because of a rush to make the first move to Europe, rather than the right move. What is all the more startling is that Maxi Lopez, another River forward, made a move to Barcelona following Cavenaghi's departure. Few would claim that Maxi Lopez is a better forward than Cavenaghi, although with a greater physical presence he has many rough edges and Cavenaghi had already proven he was an outstanding finisher infront of goal with a balanced all round game. Lopez is currently on loan at Mallorca, getting a regular game in arguably the best league in the world enabling him the opportunity to prove whether he is good enough to sink or swim.

Fernando Cavenaghi is finding it hard to swim in Moscow, what with the ice and all...

Monday, October 16, 2006

The Magician Who Lost His Box Of Tricks


Guillermo 'El Mago' Coria has ended the past three seasons playing at the Masters Cup. He won't be doing that this year.

The man who has often punched above his weight, seems to have punched himself out in 2006. And we all saw it coming. In 2003, Coria began to announce himself among the world's elite. In the build up to Roland Garros, he was beaten in the Monte Carlo Masters final by then King of Clay, Juan Carlos Ferrero. It wouldn't be long before Coria got his hands on a Masters trophy, as he won the Hamburg title a few weeks later. And while he ended up losing to Martin Verkerk in the Semi-Finals at the Mecca of clay court tennis (Roland Garros), he had established himself as a player to be reckoned with on the surface for years to come. It was a disappointment, but he vowed to come back the next year and seize the moment.

That unexpected defeat at Roland Garros was the catalyst for 'Guille' to go on a golden run on clay courts. During 3 weeks from mid-July, he won 3 titles. He didn't lose a set and he handed out 5 bagels in the process. Going into 2004, it was already clear Coria would be in the mix for Roland Garros that year, but no one could have imagined the series of events that followed; which at the time of writing looks like will define his professional career. His untouchable run on clay continued, with him winning Buenos Aires and Monte Carlo (his 2nd Masters title). Going into the defence of his Hamburg Masters title, Coria was on a 26 match win streak on clay. It finally came to an end in the final of Hamburg, against Roger Federer. You've heard of him, haven't you?

From his defeat at Roland Garros in 2003, Coria posted a 31-1 clay court record by the time he next arrived in Paris. He was rightly considered as one of if not the player to beat. He didn't buckle under the expectation, or so it seemed as he reached an all-Argentine final versus Gaston Gaudio for the loss of just one set. This was to be Coria's crowning moment, the stamp of approval of a clay court king. Sport (as well as life), is never that easy. For an hour or so it sure looked like it though. Coria took advantage of Gaudio's nerves and anxieties and raced away to a 6-0, 6-3 lead. The match seemed over. Gaudio at times played like a man who knew it was over too.

Deep into the 3rd set on May 24 2004 was when the dream of winning Roland Garros turned into the start of a downward spiral. Coria froze, got tight, couldn't pass the finish line. However you wish to describe it, it was a moment that no doubt will forever be tatooed in his mind. The nerves set in, the mind was spinning and then came the cramps. Coria lost the 3rd set and had to let go of the 4th. The 5th set was pure drama. El Mago was fighting to overcome his problems and not let the dream slip away. Incredibly, Coria found himself serving for the match on two different occasions. In the first game, he never got close. The second time he had match point, went for a winner and missed by an inch. He had another, went for a winner and missed by an inch, again.

Gaudio eventually realised his opponent was there for the taking and after 211 minutes of action, he took him. Coria had few words at the presentation ceremony and was too distraught to say much although he offered his congratulations to an opponent with whom the relationship has always been frosty. At the post-match press conference, Coria broke down. His fans broke down with him, and even his critics had to empathise with the trauma he had gone through. Tennis is a cruel sport, one more point and Guillermo Coria would have been French Open champion. Instead, his career is currently in crisis.

Following a disappointment far greater than he experienced in 2003, Coria required surgery on his right shoulder which would rule him out for the rest of the season. He was not willing to believe that and had a great desire to attend his 2nd consecutive Masters Cup. With all the wins in the bag earlier in the year, he had already done enough to qualify despite not playing for more than 3 months. He achieved his objective to be a part of the Masters Cup, although clearly hampered and being nowhere near ready to obtain any victories. He had earnt his place amongst the elite and wanted to be there.

In 2005, things seemed to be going reasonably well for Coria. With new coach, Jose Perlas, now on board, El Mago arrived to defend his Monte Carlo Masters title as no5 in the world. Like his defence of the Hamburg title the year before, Coria's defence again was ended in the final this time by a young Spaniard, Rafael Nadal. You've heard of him, haven't you?

A few weeks later in Rome, the same two players squared off in another final. This one was a bit special. Lasting more than 5 hours, both players gave an exhibition of clay court tennis at its finest. You had to see it to believe it, and if you love tennis, you really must see it. Coria led 3-0 in the 5th set, but Nadal was eventually the victor. 8-6 in a 5th set tie break. The difference between the two of them after more than than 5 hours on court, was just two points.

Despite the obvious disappointment of not winning, Coria had reason to be upbeat. He could have won, and next time he hoped that he would. The level of tennis he showed was as good as anything he had shown in his 31-1 run on clay during the 2003-2004 period. Drawn in the opposite half to Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, Coria was a hot pick to return to the Roland Garros final, or at worst make the last four. He did neither and lost to Nikolay Davydenko in the 4th round; the same Nikolay Davydenko who had beaten for the loss of just 6 games at the French Open in 2004. And so another year where the Roland Garros title had eluded him, and at this point even he must have started to wonder if he would ever be as close again as he had been in 2004. Was that 2004 final to become the defining moment of his career? What we have seen since, suggests exactly that.

Coria's personal war became evident to all at the US Open in 2005. Having been back on tour for 9 or so months and seemingly having no trouble with the shoulder surgery from the previous year, he started to perform his impression of Elena Dementieva. His tournament ended in a 5 sets defeat to Robby Ginepri in the Quarter-Finals. Coria had achieved this run inspite of serving 56 - yes, that's 56 - double faults. Impressive or ridiculous? Both. In his 4th round match with Nicolas Massu, Coria served 20 double faults, and still won.

Unsurprisingly, he was asked what was happening. He said it was related to the surgery, it wasn't nerves, it wasn't his mind and added that he would have to live with these kind of moments, nothing could be done. He went to Beijing and made the final, losing to Nadal again. Bar one match against Johansson where he served 11 double faults, it was not a problem. It didn't stay that way.

Coria ended the season in poor fashion, looking very low on confidence and not showing his usual appetitie for battle. He made his 3rd successive appearance at the Masters Cup. He lost all his matches, the only bright spots being his new orange Adidas shirt and handing out a breadstick to Roger Federer to partially make up for the bagel he had been handed earlier.

Starting 2006 in the top 10, Coria and his fans were hoping for a fresh start off the back of the poor end to 2005. Instead, it has been a complete nightmare. During 3 matches at the Australian Open, he served 49 double faults. Coria's alliance with Jose Perlas had now reached a conclusion; it was over. Back in Argentina, he served 21 double faults and was knocked out in the 2nd round by a player ranked outside the top 90. He took a mini break to clear his mind. He came back in Acapulco, losing in the 1st round to a player outside the top 100 and served 16 double faults in the process. Another break followed and this time a partnership with Jose Higueras was hoped would stop Coria's slide and put him back on the right path. For a brief moment it looked like this time he was back to his normal self. Returning for the Miami Masters, defeating talented Serb, Novak Djokovic, in straight sets without a single double fault. He lost in the 2nd round and would not play again till a month later in Monte Carlo, where he had been a previous winner and runner up.

Coria was happy to be back in Monte Carlo. It was a crazy few days. A routine 1st round win over Mikhail Youzhny, gave us no inkling of the drama to unfold in the next days. Being humilated by Paul-Henri Mathieu, serving double faults continuously and down 6-1, 5-1, the magician finally produced some of his old magic and saved 4 match points to record a 1-6, 7-6, 6-4 victory. It was an incredible win, and more was to follow the next day. Having served 20 double faults versus Mathieu, he went 3 better versus Nicolas Kiefer, and he still won 6-7, 6-4, 6-3.

The insanity had to end, and it was Rafael Nadal who did just that in the quarters. Those incredible comeback victories would turn out to be the highlights of a dreadful year. Going 1-4 post-Hamburg, Coria decided he could not play at Roland Garros. That his shoulder was still an issue and that he needed a break (another one) to regain his hunger and "to return like I was in 2003/2004".

Coria returned to action in Sweden where he would lose a close match to compatriot, 'Chucho' Acasuso. He followed that up in Amersfoort and made the Semi-Final but retired with a neck/shoulder injury. It did not stop him showing up in Umag a few days later to defend his title from 2005. Another humiliating defeat awaited him, serving 12 double faults in a 1st round 6-2, 6-3 loss to Robin Vik (ranked 74 at the time). More trouble was to come, in Sopot the next week another retirement. This time in the 1st round versus Michal Przysiezny (ranked 364 at the time).

By now, Jose Higueras and Coria were no longer working together. Coria found a new coach, fellow Argentine and former coach of Fernando Gonzalez, Horacio de la Pena. A press conference was called, Coria sounded upbeat, even with wild ideas of being involved in Davis Cup for Argentina despite being a long way from the team realistically. De la Pena was more reserved, setting the goals at the bare minimum. They would train in Chile and Coria would return for the US Open. He did and he didn't. He was in the draw, he was on the court, but the slippery surface soon caused a groin injury, and five games into another 'comeback' Coria left the scene with a towel over his head. Out of the blue, the relationship of coach and and player between de la Pena and Coria was no more. Why? We are still not clear on that. Coria decided he would play in a challenger event; the first time he had done so since 2002. Serving for the match in his 1st round, Coria had now reached a new low: Dismissed in the 1st round of a challenger event by a player outside the top 150.

El Mago has not played since. And it doesn't look like he will anytime soon, at least not this season. Having started the year in the top 10, Coria currently sits at 83, and is likely to fall even lower if he does not play again this season. His fans want to see him back on court, but like the way he used to be and not the way he has been for most of 2006. The question is just how much Coria wants the same; he is the one who has to deal with the inner turmoil and it remains to be seen if we'll ever see his usual array of magicial skills on full display again.

One more point, and this all could have been very different.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Albiceleste - The Search For Number 10

One month ago, Juan Roman Riquelme, retired from international football. Argentina were left searching for a new 'enganche', the player to pull the strings, to dictate the flow of the team and the game as a whole. The "10".

Following a pitiful display against Brasil at The Emirates Stadium, Roman, decided enough was enough. The Riquelme question has long divided the Argentinian public, for some he was the embodiment of the true classical Argentinian style. The player able to put their foot on the ball and dominate the match with short, clever passes that would open holes in teams through patience, quick thought and intelligence. For others, Riquelme slowed the game down too much. The team was considered too reliant on him, it has long been thought of Riquelme that given his style of play if you can shut him down you invariably are able to shut down the team he is trying to lead.

Riquelme took away the speculation about his future and standing in the national team, by cutting the ties himself despite being publicly backed by coach 'Coco' Basile. Argentina must now embark upon the search for the next playmaker of the side, and the first installment of that adventure took place this past week against Spain in Murcia.

It was an experiment that requires no more testing. Federico Insua was given the duties of the playmaker role and as many might have predicted, he was not up to the job. In fairness to 'Pocho', he can justifiably say he deserved a shot having had some great success recently at Boca under Basile (Insua was recently transferred to Borussia Mönchengladbach). It was not surprising that he would be given a chance to prove himself. It was also not surprising to see that his quality is not that of a world class playmaker, which is what an Argentina team should be presenting.

Aside from the all around dreadful display by an Argentina side that deserved to lose by far more than the eventual 2-1 scoreline, the toothlessness going forward was arguably the most worrying aspect of the encounter.

Insua was certainly not solely to blame, his performance was no worse than that of any other player bar Daniel Bilos who was the only player able to come off the pitch with his head held high. However, it did emphasise the need for Argentina to solve this equation quickly for the team to develop in preparation for the Copa America in 2007.

Basile is insistent that 4-3-1-2 is the way to go, I agree with him. However, it's the personnel that will be the main issue. From what was seen in the World Cup v Holland, the Brasil match in London and the recent encounter with Spain, a front two of Tevez and Messi is not the right combination. Argentina ended these three games with a goal tally of zero. More significantly, few chances of any worth were created in these games.

Argentina must play with a reference, a no9. Hernan Crespo. A proven goalscorer at international level, unfortunately injury meant he had to pull out of the game with Spain where he most likely would have started, but with whom?

Carlos Tevez, would benefit greatly from playing with Crespo. In the same way that he will eventually benefit at West Ham once he gets to play alongside the currently injured, Dean Ashton. And if Tevez is not chosen to play alongside Crespo, Sergio Aguero the likely next in line would flourish under the same conditions.

What of Lionel Messi you may wonder?

The other current options at no10 are the already mentioned Insua, Pablo Aimar and Andres D'Alessandro. Aimar had his chance to make the no10 position his own following the 2002 World Cup when then coach, Marcelo Bielsa, played him in a two playmaker system with D'Alessandro. Loss of form and injury came and all of a sudden Aimar's time had seemingly come and gone without him realising. 'Pablito' moved to Real Zaragoza in the Summer from Valencia and has a new lease of life, unfortunately his chance to shine for Argentina may well have gone and he looks destined to be best suited for a squad role. D'Alessandro was the beneficiary of Aimar's problems with injury, for the Copa America in 2004, he was the player entrusted with the playmaker responsibilities. Argentina shone at the Copa that year, losing undeservedly on penalties in the final to Brasil after an injury time equaliser from Adriano saved the Brasilians from defeat. Argentina were impressive inspite of D'Alessandro's poor performances.

Soon after, D'Alessandro had the chance to redeem himself that same summer in the Olympics. Yet again Argentina were outstanding, going through the tournament without conceading a goal with Carlos Tevez simply untouchable by opposition defences. D'Alessandro's level improved from the Copa, but still not sufficiently to suggest that he could be relied upon to do so at the highest level on the international stage. Once Jose Pekerman took over from Bielsa following the Olympics success, D'Alessandro was out of the picture completely. He is now also playing his club football at Real Zaragoza alongside Aimar and has started the season very well, still young enough to force his way back into the national team at some point between now and the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

These options are not the answer for Argentina. The answer is Lionel Messi. 'Pulga' must be given the keys to the side and he will surely unlock any defence in the world. He brings to Argentina a completely different style to that of Riquelme. Where Roman was quick in the mind but at times not quick enough with his actions, Messi, has both the speed of thought and action. He may not be as good a passer as Riquelme, but certainly good enough with the added bonus of being able to kill teams with the dribble and his pace.

A forward combination of Messi-Tevez (or Aguero)-Crespo will surely bring goals. It is vital that Basile gets this right. Time is not of the essence with the ultimate goal being the World Cup and that still 4 painful years away, but there is no sense in wasting time.

This may be the first time you have read a piece concerning Argentina and the no10 shirt since the late 70's without the name of Diego Maradona being mentioned. There, I mentioned him. So you still haven't.

Saturday, October 14, 2006

The ATP Tour Stops Off In Madrid


The 8th Masters Series event of the ATP season begins on Monday October 16th - Sports Magician takes a look at questions to be answered in Madrid.

  • Roger Federer - Will the world no.1 win his first indoor Masters title?

Having missed last year's event through injury, Federer will look to claim his first title in Madrid. Federer has dominated on hard and grass courts for the past couple of years, and will be hoping to replicate that dominance during the indoor season over the next few weeks. Following Madrid, Federer is scheduled to play his home town event in Basel followed by the last Masters Series event of the season in Paris (Federer has to date not won any of these events). His year will then culminate at the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai where Federer was beaten in last year's final by Argentine David Nalbandian in an epic encounter that was settled by a 5th set tie-break.

  • Rafael Nadal - Will the world no.2 and defending champion rediscover some form?

Having surpassed his own expectations at Wimbledon this year by making the final before succumbing to Federer, Nadal has had a few months to forget since. Failing to show any kind of form during the US hardcourt season, Nadal suffered defeats against Ferrero, Berdych and Youzhny. Earlier this week, Nadal lost indoors in Stockholm to Joachim Johansson who is on the way back after a long time out through injury. One thing Nadal is sure to receive this coming week is unconditional support from the Madrid crowd who witnessed his triumph last year beating Ivan Ljubicic in a thrilling final. Nadal must be suffering from a confidence dip at present and playing infront of a partisan crowd may just be the jolt he needs to get back on the winning trail.

  • The race for Shanghai - Who will cement their positions for the year end Masters Cup?

We know Federer and Nadal have qualified for Shanghai, they did so long ago. The rest of the the top 10 are still scrapping and fighting to get in. Ivan Ljubicic and James Blake have strengthened their positions this week with strong showings in Vienna and Stockholm respectively. Ljubicic, Roddick and Davydenko will be looking to cement their places in Shanghai. All three of them should make it without having to do anything special over the next 3 weeks.

James Blake has struggled in Masters Series events since making a Final and Quarter Final earlier in the year. He has not gone beyond the 3rd round since then, a good showing in Madrid would almost certainly seal his place in the Masters Cup for the first time in his career.

Tommy Robredo will be hoping to feed off the home support and further his own cause. Robredo won his first Masters title earlier this year on clay in Hamburg and made the Semi Finals in Cincinnati on hard before losing to compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero.

David Nalbandian has work to do to ensure he will be in Shanghai to defend his title. Since picking up an injury in the French Open Semi Final against Roger Federer earlier this year, Nalbandian's season from an individual aspect has stalled. Having led Argentina to their first Davis Cup Final in over 20 years, he has made it clear that helping Argentina win the Davis Cup for the first time in the nations history is his number one goal for remainder of the season. With a couple of players breathing down his neck to make the Masters Cup, El Rey (The King) will have to produce good performances over the next few weeks.

Marcos Baghdatis and Mario Ancic are currently just on the outside looking in at 9th and 10th in the ATP Champions Race. Baghdatis recently won his first career title beating Ancic in the process. Ancic can consider himself unlucky to not be in a stronger position than he currently is having had to miss Toronto, Cincinnati and the US Open through injury.

Other players like Tommy Haas, David Ferrer, Fernando Gonzalez and Tomas Berdych still have mathematical chances to reach Shanghai but it will take something extraordinary for that to occur and barring injury to others it is unlikely that any of them will make Shanghai.

  • The New Generation - Will the young talent of the ATP continue their rise?

The current top 20 of the ATP tour contain a number of outstandingly talented young players looking to make the rise from good to very good. I'm talking aside from Nadal who has already hit great heights, the likes of Marcos Baghdatis, Tomas Berdych, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. Aswell as Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils who currently sit outside the top 20.

In the past twelve months we have seen various levels of excellence from all of them, possibly with the exception of Monfils. Baghdatis (21) was the story of the Australian Open this year making the final after knocking off Roddick, Ljubicic and Nalbandian. As mentioned earlier he won his first career title only a few weeks ago (Beijing). Berdych (21) won the Paris Masters at the back end of last year, often described as a Safin clone with the weapons to cause any player difficulty but with the mentality to at times self destruct. He has not won a title this year, having to accept the runners-up trophy twice in 2006 (Halle & Mumbai).

Djokovic (19 - the youngest of this crop) has won won two titles this season (Amersfoort & Metz) aswell as reaching another final (Umag). The young Serb consistently exhibits a great deal of maturity in his play for one so young, there is a calmness and assurance within his game that suggests he will be able to handle the challenges still to come. Murray (also 19) also won the first title of his career earlier this year in San Jose where he beat Roddick and Hewitt on back to back nights. Arguably more impressive though was ending Roger Federer's win streak on US hard courts, a feat he achieved in Cincinnati before the US Open. Many cited fatigue for Federer's defeat but Murray himself had been playing for 3 weeks non-stop as he enjoyed a great start to the Summer hard court season. First making the final in Washington before going onto make the Semi-Finals in Toronto and then heading straight to Cincinnati where he achieved his biggest win to date.

Richard Gasquet (20) had a poor start to the year, going into Roland Garros his record was an abysmal 4-9. The season picked up for him before and after Wimbledon, the player known for his sublime backhand defended his grass court title in Nottingham and was unlucky to draw Federer in the first round at Wimbledon. Following his early dismissal, he went to the clay courts in Gstaad and picked up his third career title. And backed up those results further by reaching the final of the Toronto Masters where he again fell victim to Federer. Since recording a stunning victory over Federer in Monte Carlo 2005, Gasquet has been unable to reproduce the result, losing five straight times to the world no1.

Gasquet's compatriot, Gael Monfils (20), has had a strange time of it in the past year. The latter half of 2005 saw his first set of mini-breakthroughs, winning a title in Sopot and making two more finals in Metz & Lyon. He continued the good progress at the start of 2006, making the final in Doha before inevitably losing to Federer. Like Gasquet, Monfils went on a poor run of his own, winning only three of his next eleven matches. He stopped the rot at the Rome Masters, reaching the Semi-Final before being beaten by King of Clay, Rafael Nadal. Monfils went on to reach the fourth round at Roland Garros, beating Murray and Blake in the process before falling to Djokovic. The manner of his victories was the talk of the first week as he had achieved them all in tough five-setters, earning somewhat of a cult following. Since then his season has been disrupted by injury and poor form.

Expect at least one or two of these young talents to be involved in the latter stages this week in Madrid.

Sports Magician will be commenting on the tournament in Madrid as the week progresses. If you enjoy Tennis and would like to speak about it on the web amongst others with a similar passion, try out www.kingsofclay.com

 
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