Every week, Footballopod will bring you 3 interesting news from the World Football scene as we give our own perspective on each matter.
Just hours ago, we witnessed a series of high profile international friendlies as a transformed three lions impressed against a resilient Danish side.
1) Young nets late winner to snatch the win for England at Parken Stadion
From Soccernet
"In this position Young is really good because he is free. He can run where he wants. He has to defend as well but he is really fast, technically good, and dangerous for the opponents. In the future I have players, like Rooney, like Bent, like Carroll, like Defoe, like Crouch. I have to decide which one plays depending on what form they are in''
Footballopod’s view: Gaffer Fabio Capello decided to take the gamble by giving younger players the opportunity to don the Three Lions’s jersey. Certainly it is paying dividend as Arsenal’s wonderkid Jack Wilshere impressed in his debut in the centre of the park. Aston Villa’s duo Ashley Young and Darren Bent also put up a fantastic performance as both scored a goal each to ensure England walked away with a win against Denmark. Having excelled in the ‘hole’ behind the forwards and converted his first international goal which proved to be a dramatic winner at Parken Stadion, Ashley Young’s marvelous performance is raising some eyebrows in the England set up as Wayne Rooney realizes that he needs to buck up if he wants to keep his spot in the starting eleven. Similar to the mould of Arsenal legend Ian Wright who was a pivotal figure in England’s 1998 World Cup qualifying campaign previously, Darren Bent has flourished under the stewardship of Gerrard Houllier at Villa Park and could be a commanding presence in the England set up should he be given a permanent berth in the starting eleven.
2) Messi silences Ronaldo and Co with late penalty
From Soccernet
''Messi was not to be denied and Argentina were awarded a last-minute penalty when Coentrao was fouled in the area by Juan Manuel Martinez. Messi sent a shot to the right of the keeper and sealed a hard-earned victory.''
Footballopod’s view: Despite missing the influential figure of Carlos Tevez due to a disciplinary action, Argentina was able to overcome Portugal thanks to a late penalty by Lionel Messi. It seems Messi is starting to find his feet in the Argentinean line up and is translating his excellent form in the Spanish La Liga to the international stage. Nevertheless, football remains a team sport as Messi needs to enlist the help of quality teammates to achieve a major trophy in the world stage. Boasting the likes of starlets Nicolas Otamendi, Javier Pastore and Angel Di Maria who are in their early twenties, it seems Argentina could emulate Spain to be the next growing force in World Football within the next decade.
3) France continues unbeaten run against Brazil
From Soccernet
''The match was a replay of the 1998 World Cup final played at the same venue, and it was the hosts who understandably appeared most motivated by that famous night nearly 13 years ago, when les Bleus cantered to a 3-0 win.''
Footballopod’s view: With France keeping faith with Laurent Blanc as their gaffer despite undergoing a poor start under his reign last year, the les Bleus is reaping the benefits of their fruits as they are currently on a 5 match winning streak having defeated both England and Brazil in the process. By introducing Jeremy Menez and Loic Remy into the attacking department, France has established a new form of belief in the world stage. To top on that, Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema is repaying the faith Laurent Blanc have in him as he has scored four goals in his last four games for France. We could expect France to make a big impact in the upcoming Euro 2012 as they aim to recapture the supremacy they possessed in the world stage a decade ago.