Asian soccer star, London - Spain are the FIFA world cup 2010 champions. In a match that wasn't really 'classic' when compared to past world cup finals Spain thoroughly deserved the 1-0 victory over their Dutch opponents.
As usual Spain dominated the beginning of the first half with their pass and move style of play but just couldn't find the back of the net.
Holland soon got wise to the fact they couldn't outplay the Spanish and changed tactics to a much more physical game. At times the Dutch players went way beyond just playing physical, resorting to what was pure thuggery.
Van Bommel cut down the Spanish players time after time and should really have been red-carded for his efforts. The really dangerous and completely unnecessary foul came from De Jong who flew with his studs, in what could only be described as a flying kick, into Alonso's chest. More on How Spain Overcame Dutch Thuggery
Filed under blog, himmet, world cup 2010 by himmet
Asian soccer star, London -While pre-season football training is an essential part of preparing for the up-coming season, it's worth noting that there is a lot more involved than just running around the pitch.
Most of the professional clubs have already started their pre-season training knowing that effective pre-season football training will go a long way in preparing players to cope with the increasing demands of professional football.
So is pre-season training important in youth football, especially for readers of the Asian soccer star blog?
I think it's not only important but vital for anyone looking to play professional football, especially anyone with dreams of becoming an Asian soccer star. More on Pre-season training plans
Filed under blog, himmet, soccer training by himmet
Asian soccer star, London - When you thought the finalists for world cup 2010 was a forgone conclusion with the South American teams dominating the last 16, everything changes.
I personally thought the final would be a South American affair between Brazil and Argentina but Holland and Germany put that theory to bed.
Just goes to show that nothing is really that predictable in football but as we've said before to any budding Asian soccer star, self-discipline matters.
Brazil started strong against the Dutch but lost their way as soon as Holland scored their first goal. From then on Brazil went into panic mode and lost their discipline in defence, an area on which the 2010 Brazil had been built. More on Did Discipline Cost Brazil and Argentina?
Filed under blog, himmet, world cup 2010 by himmet
Asian soccer star, London - Growing up in an Asian household in London I was exposed to a most bizarre way of thinking, or so I thought as a kid. My dad used to wake us up by playing motivational tapes.
Needless to say all three of us kids had a pretty good incentive to perk up and get out of bed as soon as possible, before the singing started.
Now that I'm older and wiser, I realise what dad was trying to do and to a larger extent succeeded. He was trying to instill in us a sense of self-discipline and empower us with a positive can-do mindset.
Anything was possible with the right mindset and more importantly by taking possession of your own mind. This of course had to be followed by massive action. More on Asian Soccer Star - Direct Your Thoughts, Control Your Emotions
Asian soccer star, London - With all the games in the last 16 done and dusted the quarter finals of world cup 2010 should hopefully provide the world with the much awaited footballing extravaganza.
And I say that with great hope.
So far, world cup 2010 has been a great disappointment with most of the 'big players' failing to perform. The games have lacked the ambition and fluidity that we have been accustomed to in past world cup finals.
But there are plenty of lessons to be learned, especially for anyone that wants to play professional football and realise their dream of becoming an Asian soccer star.
You see, every kid has dreams of playing professional football but very few make it.
Even those kids, and that is the majority, with real outstanding talent never get scouted or get dropped by the professional club academies and centres of excellence if they don't seem like they're not making the grade. More on Learn From World Cup 2010
Filed under blog, himmet, world cup 2010 by himmet
Asian soccer star, London - Is it a coincidence that all the South American teams made it to the last 16 of world cup 2010?
I really don't think so, and if you are a budding Asian soccer star take particular note.
Last night both Brazil and Chile put on a show that put the world cup 2010 final campaigns of major European footballing nations like England, France and Italy to shame.
The match was a showcase of skill, fluidity, attacking, defence and above all grit and determination. Even though Chile were 2-0 down in the first half they never gave up seeking that elusive goal.
Strike that, even when they were 3-0 down they still showed that grit and determination through attacking football to get that one goal. More on Brazil vs Chile -A South American Showcase
Asian soccer star, London - England's much-hyped encounter with the Germans at world cup 2010 fell flat right from kick-off ending with an embarrassing 4-1 victory for the German national team.
England were poor throughout the match apart from a 20-minute glimpse of creativity, passion and desire to chase the ball down. But it didn't last very long.
I don't need to give a running commentary of the match as the whole nation was watching, but may be if the second goal had been given things might have turned out differently.
What I found really frustrating was the set-up and movement of the players, there was none. More on Germany 4, England 1
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Asian soccer star, London - The big game between England and Germany in the last 16 of world cup 2010 knockout stages is being built-up as England's revenge match against the Germans. The media is going crazy building up the hype right down to predicting who will take part in the penalty shootout.
England is going to expect a lot from its players tomorrow and that means a huge amount of pressure for the players. If I were Fabio Capello I'd make sure there was a media blackout imposed around the players and they were working on their mental toughness more than anything else so close to the match.
But with all the technology and social media like facebook and twitter available on most smart-phones, protecting the players from the media hype is an almost impossible task.
Like I said, work on the psychology of the players. While practising penalties may provide confidence to the chosen penalty-takers, I believe it is a false confidence without the pressure and atmosphere of the real thing.
Mental toughness is core to performance in any sport, it's what differentiates the winners from the losers.
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Asian soccer star, London - What was hyped to be the most exciting fixture of world cup 2010 played out to possibly be the most boring match of the tournament with a goalless draw.
Brazil topped the table with Portugal taking second place into the last 16, but the teams were booed off the pitch in what was a cautious but listless performance from both sides.
The first half saw a flurry of yellow cards but no real passion was seen on the pitch, the cards were more for tit for tat fouls from both sides. It's been a long time since i've seen such a boring match especially from two teams that are known for their flair and attacking football.
But, because the outcome of the group had more or less already been decided the fans had to put up with a performance that was just ridiculous.
From a tactical point of view it's completely understandable, but when the match has been hyped as probably the best fixture of the tournament and the stadium is packed to capacity the palyers have a responsibility to play with a will to win.
Anyway, I hope the rest round really picks up in the quality that is expected from world cup 2010. We want to see the passion, hunger, desire and will to win.
Filed under blog, himmet, world cup 2010 by himmet
Asian soccer star, London - Another critical match and another major upset, this time befalling world champions Italy. Like the other finalists from world cup 2006 France, Italy failed to make it to the last 16 losing 3-2 to Slovakia.
Both France and Italy have made world cup history by being the first finalists from a previous world cup by both failing to get past the group stages.
Unlike France, Italy didn't succumb to major problems within the team camp. They just weren't good enough throughout the world cup 2010 tournament.
They looked slow and lethargic and their passing was well below world cup standards. In fact they were as bad as England in their now forgiven game against Algeria.
The difference between England and Italy's crucial games was that England came out fighting and full of hunger and desire. England had the will to win because there was no other route for them to take; they had hit rock bottom and faced elimination from the competition and an unforgiving nation waiting for them at home. More on Did Italy Have Enough Desire to Win?
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