Finally, The World Cup will begin.... On June 16th

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Fret and Fume. Ain't that what many of you are doing. I sure was. Not much flair on display, the beautiful game was becoming too technical with some predictable coaches on board. But then tonight, 16th June, with the last match between South Africa and Uruguay, the cup will really kick-off. Because of two reasons : 1> Most of these players hardly play for their country. All year, year after year, they get used to the system put in place by their respective clubs. And then they play a few qualifiers, a few friendlies here and there, a few warm up games and suddenly here they are : right on football's biggest stage. It takes time for players to gel. And gel they will. 2> There won't be much space for technical games from the second match that every team plays, until of course you score a....

Fancy pants with lofty dreams

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But will red fury be unleashed in South Africa. Hell yeah, says La Furia Roja. But then those who can bring ecstasy on the pitch and in the stands can easily believe that their time has come. Because they have the men who make Barcelona play the 'beautiful' game : Xavi and Andreas Iniesta alongside the playmaker who Barca want to get desperately, Cesc Fabregas - the Gunner from Arsenal. Just as the men who strut their stuff ahead of them : complementing the fancy pants in midfield. Fernando Torres and David Villa are most feared strikers in the world today. But Spain's biggest advantage is the new crop, players who can do the Hail Mary stuff - a brand of football Spain are now not afraid of playing, if need be. Pedro can play anywhere across the front three but will be most used as a 'super-sub'....

The clockwork orange, once more

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Yes, I wear the Albicelestes (Light Blue and White) on my sleeves, but I have never hidden my secret desire to see the World Cup being lifted either by the Oranje or the La Furia Roja (in that order). Because only they play the 'beautiful' game in Europe. Can fancy pants tippy-tappy their way past the Chocker tag? To do that, the Clockwork Orange needs to turn the clock back - back to the 1970s, when they bamboozled the opponents with total football and precision passing. And they need Johan Cruyff's worthy successor, the new Flying Dutchman - Arjen Robben to get well soon. Robben hopes that intense physiotherapy can heal his minor muscle tear on the left thigh in a week's time. Because Holland has always charmed and mesmerised to deceive. Spectacular but mentally fragile, in their eight World Cup appearances, the Oranje have reached the....

Diski in rainbow nation, via Buenos Aires

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Now, Now. Just three more days to go and you are asking me whether I am doing the Diski? That means some intricate footwork and right now, I am concentrating more on the Vuvuzela and the Makarapa. Basically, that leaves God's 23 soldiers to do that for me. Now don't get me wrong, but I have worshipped Estadio Diego Armando Maradona as my god since 1986, when on black and white television back in Calcutta - as a nine-year-old boy - I watched God's intricate footwork dazzle, confuse and conquer the opponent. As you must have guessed by now, I wear the light blue-and-white stripes of Argentina on my sleeve and my heart does cry for Argentina. So, in this series of predictions, analysis and spot takes from South Africa, I begin with the La Selección (The selection), because the Albicelestes (Light blue and whites) can do the....

The playmaker

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Most often than not, Saturday and Sunday evenings, my home's usually witness to a verbal match-up between me and June. Most certainly, it's about the beautiful game. You know what I mean : weekends, EPL, a mid-night game of Spanish League (blame it on ESPN) - you know how it works. June usually thinks it's 22 mad men running behind one big ball. So, here I am, taking the confrontation out of home on a much larger pitch. Finally (yes). This will not be just a regular blog; though the blood bleeds football, I am not just here to give some gyaan but take this to interact and talk about football because as they say: "Footy is a funny game, footy is a laugh, but footy is a money game that's going flipping daft" - but to tell you what: it's still the Beautiful Game. I....