Arindam: - Good afternoon, Viewers! Today, in this episode of ‘Fantastic Football Fever’ in your favorite ‘Royal Bengal Tiger (RBT)’ TV Channel, we have invited the famous Brazilian defender whose name is Roberto Carlos. Mr. Carlos, you are welcome to our show. Can you please show your thigh to our viewers?
Carlos: - Oh! Yeah, why not! Here it is.
Arindam: - My goodness! It is about 1.5 times bigger than my thigh. Hmm…how have you made that?
Carlos: - Well, you cannot make it in one day or in one year also. You need to do regular exercise for around 3 years to get that shape. These thighs were my weapons. Many strikers used to avoid me, because they knew that if I charge them, it is going to become a nightmare for them. In sliding tackles, a defender always has a chance to get injured in his thighs. Sometimes, cramps can also happen. The basic thing is that if you are not a sturdy and hard defender, then any opponent’s striker will get past you very easily. I always used to give a gentle push to those strikers and they used to fell down on the ground. So, in football, the body weight also counts.
Arindam: - Yeah, yeah….you were a terror for any football strikers. In those times, people were not so afraid about Ronaldo, Romario or Bebeto as they were about you. Everywhere there used to be some whispers, ‘Keep an eye on Carlos, if he starts sprinting from the left flank, then you never know, when he will score a goal for Brazil’.
Carlos: - He he he…yeah, I used to sprint all along the football ground. If you have big and strong thighs, then you can always sprint with great speed. In my case, speed was the key. I always used to wait for the opportunity to go for a counterattack.
Arindam: - You were also famous for your left-footed free kick. All the young generation footballers still admire your free-kick. The unique part in your free-kick was that the ball used to out-swing rather than in-swing.
Carlos: - Let me tell you very frankly one funny truth. If you are a lefty sportsman, then you are a gifted son of God because whatever you do with your left foot or left hand, the ball is going to take a natural swing. I used to get a natural swing, because the run-up that I used to take before kicking the ball was itself in a 45 degrees angle. Moreover, I used to kick the ball with utmost power, keeping my spinal-cord slightly bend towards my frontal direction. If you kick the ball, by keeping your spinal –cord in straight and stiff position, the ball is bound to get an elevation, if you kick it with power. I don’t know the science of ‘height and distance’ behind it, but, I am telling this from my experience only.
Arindam: - Hmm… ok, ok. We will keep our discussion on, but, just after hearing the analysis from Mr. ARINAN regarding the match between Brazil and Netherlands.
Mr. ARINAN: - the Orange brigade started off well, but, their defenders were so scattered that it was looking like some cattle grazing on a grassy field. As usual, Robinho was running like a sly fox inside that grassy field without any obstacle and ultimately got a long pass to convert it into a goal. All the Brazilian fans worldwide were dancing the samba dance. Some were even eating sweets with joy. But, this is football! The game is not over till the last whistle of the referee. Even in 1 second, a goal can be scored. The Dutch footballers were playing dull football when they were trailing by 1 goal. But, luckily, a shot from Sneijder went inside the Brazilian goal post. The Julio Cesar became the ‘Julius Caesar’ of Brazil. Melo was the main culprit. When the Orange men got their first blood in the match, they started pouncing like tigers from all ends. Brazilian footballers started showing their frustrations. Too much role plays were going on to pressurize the Japanese referee. There were some technical faults but that does not mean that all the decisions taken by a referee is always wrong. Netherlands got a corner kick. What a goal it was! The goal was scored with the help of two successive headers. After scoring the goal, Sneijder signaled to his fans that it’s all in our head. Surely, the Dutch footballers utilized their brain after they got their first goal. Had the Brazilian footballers played the game with their cool head, the match would have surely gone into the extra-time. Football is not only about skills and power but about mind game also. The Orange brigade entered into the semis by defeating Brazil by 2-1. Brazil team played the match in their unlucky Blue jersey to experience the bluish moment of this FIFA World Cup 2010.
Arindam: - Hmm…The samba magic failed in front of Orange men. Mr. Carlos, why this Brazil team displayed a very poor performance against the Netherlands in the quarter final?
Carlos: - No, it was not at all a poor performance. But, there were some flaws in the strategy. This Brazil team has not played the traditional Brazilian football. In our times, we played with our traditional think-tank. Our strategy was to get a goal within the first 15 minutes and then devastate the opponent from all ends in such a fashion that we will get another 3-4 goals by the end of the match. But, in the match against the Dutch, this Brazil team started relaxing after scoring a goal, as if, they have won the match. They forgot that they were playing against Netherlands not North Korea. Netherlands always have a record to come back from behind because they are expert in Counter-attacking. That’s what they did. The Dutch footballers were spreading in the entire field, as if; their strikers were marking the Brazilian defenders. Brazil defense was just too bad. There was not a single defender to block the pass between Robben and Sneijder. Even Dirk Kuit is a very smart footballer. He is expert in passing the ball with a single touch. But, hardly, I have seen anyone was there to support Kaka to that level. Maicon was running here and there but without any game plan. Dunga should have now understood the significance of ball possession and dribbling; after this loss. There is a saying that, ‘If you don’t lose a game, then you don’t learn the tactics to win’. Had Brazil lost any match in the group stage, they would have learned their mistakes. The traditional football of Brazil is, ‘Always go for the kill with cool heads till the battle is won.’ But, in this World Cup, their strategy was, ‘Hit them once so brutally that they cannot comeback till the last second of the battle.’
Arindam: - Hmm…he he he…yeah, yeah, I got your point, Mr. Carlos. Everyone is a warrior. So, you never know who will comeback from where to win the match. Ok, let us now hear about the match between Ghana and Uruguay from Mr.ARINAN.
Mr. ARINAN: - The Black Stars of Africa clashed with the Blue Stars of South America. When the Stars fight with each other, there has to be a fight which is as thrilling as stories of Sherlock Holmes. Just 1 second before the interval, Muntari of Ghana scored a goal with his left footed shot. But, in the 2nd half, Mr. Forlan proved again that he is expert in scoring goals from long distance. His free kick was a master-piece. If you can swing the Jabulani ball, then it’s surely a credit. The fight was on. The ball was moving from this penalty area to that penalty area within moments. Such was the tempo of the battle. If Ghana played the game of power then Uruguay played the game of temperament. If Maradona showed the world, the ‘Hand of God’, then, Suarez showed the world, the ‘Hand of Luck’. FIFA do not have any rule that if a player other than goalkeeper saves a goal with his hands, then automatically a goal will be rewarded to the opponent team of that player. Suarez was shown the Red Card. But, after few seconds, Suarez was the happiest man because he acted like a real goalkeeper. Asamoah Gyan missed the winning penalty. The match went into a tie-breaker. Ghana team captain took the penalty without any run-up. That proved suicidal. In the last shot, Kingson surrendered before the left-footed, slow and straight shot was actually taken by the Uruguay footballer. The match ended in 4-2 in the tie-breaker. The Blue Stars are in the semis.
Arindam: - Oho! Luckily, Uruguay has entered the semis. Now, every footballer will try to save the goal like Suarez, unless FIFA makes it a rule that a goal will be rewarded to the opponent team if a player other than a goalkeeper saves it with his hands. Anyway, Brazil has gone out but another South American team managed to enter the semis. Mr. Carlos, do you think that Argentina will be able to win against Germany?
Carlos: - I think that the clash between Germany and Argentina is the final of this World Cup. Whoever wins this match will be the World Champion. I will keep Germany ahead of Argentina. Germany has superb speed and their young guns are as fresh as school footballers. I know that Messi is there in Argentina, but, football is a team game, not a one man show. Our Brazil also had Kaka, but still they failed. Why? It is because that the other 10 players have failed to deliver that superb performance. Frankly speaking, I will be very happy if a team which has never won this title lifts the World Cup of 2010.
Arindam: - Till now, only Spain, Netherlands and Paraguay are yet to win this title at least once. Anyway, Mr. Carlos; thanks for coming to our show and sharing your views. Personally, I wish that Argentina should lift this World Cup of 2010. Let us see what happens. Viewers, today we will end our show. Don’t forget to watch our next episode. Take care and goodbye.
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