Monday, 10th December 2007. Bisenzio, San Piero a Ponti.Last week we learned of the evil of Andrew Glencross and how racism is key to the success of the right, in particular in scoring with crosses. Although, characteristically of the right, Glencross has moved to the centre in recent times (to centre back), his true colours came out last week. Dave McCourt is a different political, social and footballing animal; he comes from the centre ground. The midfield as we sometimes call it. Self professed 'middle of the road' McCourt came on at half time and stole the right wing with a bursting run from the centre and scored another cross for the EUI. Comes from the centre but governs from the right.
Last season I mentioned after the game at Cavallina that me and Irial were scared because we couldn't swim. It wasn't quite that bad last night, although half the pitch was very similar to a swamp. I actually think this game might not have been played in England - the usual 'does the ball bounce?' test would clearly not have been met, as balls do not bounce in six inches of wet mud. Now, Davo MCCourt was keen to stress, somewhat apologetically, his middle of the road music tastes last night, when we were discussing the first albums we ever bought. Quite right for someone who will be working in the Ministry for the Empire or wherever it is that right wing civil servants work these days. Mate was banging on about some weird style of music. ?Bigger than hip-hop' it was allegedly. I know who Chuck Brown is Tokic, don't worry. Maybe if Go-Go had made it bigger than hip-hop we never would have had the great lyric that was clearly about last night's experience: And I'm the dirtiest thing in sight/Matter of fact bring out the girls and let's have a mudfight. Anyone? WITHOUT looking it up on the internet this time Alex!
Anyway, Sporting are an average side who now how to play on this surface: It involves a highly effective, but unsophisticated tactic of playing a 4-4-2 with advanced strikers and wingers who push on the opposition's backline down the opposite flank to the ball, waiting for it to be switched by the central midfielders forward into the opposite channel. They never had a move of more than three passes, but it was effective against us last year, when we never won, or even drew, a game on one of these mud pitches. The idea was to dominate midfield, push our strikers forward and look for balls into their paths and down the wings. The backline was to be deep to counteract their balls over the top. We struggled at first on the very very heavy pitch, especially because we were attacking in the half that was much worse, with puddles everywhere. Our marking was too slack at the back, and talking was minimal. They got in behind once and Charles blocked well. They got in again and burried it. Typical Sporting move, and a goal we should have avoided. Just because the ball is over the other side of the park doesn't mean we should stop following our men. 1-0 down.
We adapt to the conditions and me and Nate swap wings. We start to have success down both of them, and really take the game to them. The balls splashes across their goalmouth a couple of times and we have good chances from a couple of corners and crosses.We are really getting stuck in. Me and Markie are perhaps lucky not to be booked for obviously deliberate fouls from behind. Benefit of the doubt in the conditions I guess. We start to play well in the middle, with us finally starting to try and play in wide or forward as soon as we get it. It seems only a matter of time. Unfortunately they get a counter attack corner and score a one in a million goal from it, after Irial cleared well and it landed right on the boot of their lad who was dropping out of the box. His volley was going wide but it deflects of the head of one of their players and goes past the wrong-footed Charles. 2-0. Half-time.
Dave M comes in for Luis to get some more steel into the middle and give us fresh legs on a tiring pitch. That he hasn't played the first half is evident as he races around the pitch at twice the speed as everyone else. We are more confident in the better half and spread the ball well. We spend most of the half attacking down the right, and have a lot of success. We win a throw half way into their half. Dave darts into the space down the line and I take the throw quickly and long into his path towards the box. He whips it across, over the keeper and in. A GlenCross. I almost get an identical one a couple of minutes later, and we look on top. Their defence is trembling and their midfielders have much deeper starting positions and are more laboured going forward. This plays into our hands and we take it to them. Leo comes on and more fresh legs give us energy down the left. He tracks back brilliantly at one point (shock, horror, Leo defending!) and thwarts a dangerous counter attack of theirs. Dom comes on down the right for Go-Go boy Tokic and has fun slipping all over the place. We start to look tired and vulnerable to counter attacks but excellent when we attack. We get in behind a couple of times but the balls across don't quite finish in the back of the net.
We are really pinging it around now, and easily the best move of the game ends up with Irial on the ball 25 yards out. He cuts back inside his man and plays it into the outside right channel into my path. Tempted to shoot, I cut back inside the man and wait for Irial to come square and roll it into his path. He sizes it up and curls into beautifully into the top corner. Fantactic goal. 2-2. Jonny and Tijl cause them some scares in the last couple of minutes, but the game is over. 2-2. A great fightback, again. Un pareggio che vale una vittoria. We should be very pleased with this result, what with the pitch, the opposition's expertise in playing on it and the fact that we were 2-0 down. The second week in a row we have made a change in the middle of the park that has changed the game. Well done everyone. An excellent second half performance, and a fighting spirit to be proud of. Another thing to note, especially for the conspiracy theorists: our last 10 goals have all been by anglophones. Anyway, I'll lend you some CDs and a copy of Il Manifesto, Davo.
Team: Charles - Mate (Dom), Andrew, Arnout, Mark - Luke (Tijl), Luis (Dave M), Sebastian, Nate (Leo) - David BS (Jonny), Irial
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