From the Ridiculous To The Sublime: The Ballad of Mesut & Cristiano & Zonal Marking Strikes Again!

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From the Ridiculous To The Sublime: The Ballad of Mesut & Cristiano
& Zonal Marking Strikes Again!

Two articles for your reading enjoyment this afternoon. The first reads like the lolziest fan-fiction. The second is the most recent Zonal Marking effort - the world's best tactical blog in my opinion, and one that is, frankly, quite in love with Mesut. And yes - the ridiculous music is totally relevant!

The Ballad Of Mesut And Cristiano
L'VIV, UKRAINE - JUNE 13:
By Kevin McCauley - Contributor

Cristiano Ronaldo and Mesut Özil miss each other. They might act like they don't need each other, but deep down, they know the truth.

The best arranged marriage in football

Jun 13, 2012 - Cristiano Ronaldo looked lonely while playing for Portugal on Wednesday. He didn't look like the normal Cristiano Ronaldo, a man who usually dazzles the crowd with every touch. As was the case during his previous game against Germany, he didn't play like he does at Real Madrid. He missed easy chances, he didn't see much of the ball, and he didn't appear to be enjoying himself. He had his friends Nani and Fábio Coentrão, but something was obviously missing.

What was missing is a skinny man with bulging eyes and greasy hair who wears the number 10.

Mesut writes a letter and sends it to Cristiano.
My vacation's ending. I'm coming home late.
The weather was fine and the ocean was great
And I can't wait to see you again.

Mesut Özil, meanwhile, is having a great time with Germany. He hasn't looked as fabulous as he usually does with Real Madrid, mainly because Lukas Podolski is no Cristiano Ronaldo, but he has nothing to complain about. The Germany camp probably feels like a nice vacation from Real Madrid. It's something different and he's enjoying himself.

Cristiano reads the letter and throws it away.
"No one here cares if you go or you stay.
I barely even noticed that you were away.
I'll see you or I won't, whatever."

Ronaldo would like to pretend that he doesn't need Özil. He's the star attraction. He's the greatest attacking player in the world, and Özil is just someone that he makes look like a star. He doesn't need Özil or anyone like him at either Portugal or Madrid. Or so he thinks.

Mesut sings a song as he sails through the sky.
The water looks bluer through his pretty eyes.
And everyone knows it whenever he flies,
And also when he comes down.

There's just something dazzling about the way Özil plays the game; when you're watching one of his teams, it's easy to just let your eyes drift to whatever he's doing. Watching his movements off the ball is easier than just following the ball around. There are more intelligent players, better passers and better athletes, but there's no one exactly like Özil. He's unique. That's what makes him wonderful to watch, and for anyone to play with.

Cristiano keeps his head up and walks through the street.
Every stranger and drifter he greets.
And shakes hands with every loner he meets
With a serious look on his face.

Ronaldo knows deep down exactly what Portugal is missing, and what he's missing at the international level. They need someone like Özil. When Ronaldo was a very young man, he had Manuel Rui Costa. As he was entering his adult years, he had Deco. He took them for granted, and now they're gone. Raul Meireles just isn't the same, but he puts on a face in interviews and acts like everything is OK.

Mesut arrives safely with suitcase in tow.
Carrying with him the good things we know.
A reason to live and a reason to grow.
To trust. To hope. To care.

Özil will continue to enjoy his time with Germany, whether the German side flames out of Euro 2012 in the quarterfinals or goes on to win the competition, but there's something more special than Germany waiting for him at Real Madrid. Cristiano and the others around him at Real Madrid are what really bring the best out of him. For all his brilliant performances in a Germany shirt, Özil's best work comes for his club. This vacation is fine, but he's headed home to something more important a month from now.

Cristiano sits alone on the hood of his car.
Without much regard to the moon or the stars.
Lazily killing the last of a jar
Of the strongest stuff you can drink.

Portugal is going to need a great performance and some luck to continue along in Euro 2012 and avoid heartbreak. If they lose to the Netherlands and go crashing out of the tournament, it's going to hurt. A lot. Ronaldo will be left wondering, along with the rest of the team, what could have been, and he'll do whatever he can do to quickly put it out of his mind as the club season approaches.

Mesut takes a taxi, a young man drives.
As soon as he sees him, hope fills his eyes.
But tears follow after, at the end of the ride,
'Cause he might never see him again.

Thomas Müller, Mario Gomez and Bastian Schweinsteiger will all be headed back to the same club team after the Euros, while Podolski heads to a quality Arsenal team, but none of them will be playing with a player like Özil for more than a week at a time until the World Cup. Come July, they will come to know a little bit of what Ronaldo's feeling right now, consciously or subconsciously. They'll be left wondering what it would be like to have Özil all the time.

Cristiano gets home, lucky to still be alive.
He screams o'er the sidewalk and into the drive.
The clock in the kitchen says 2:55,
And the clock in the kitchen is slow.

Portugal's Euro 2012 campaign will ultimately end in disappointment. They might do enough to finish second in their group, but they're not going to win the tournament. They simply aren't good enough. When they eventually flame out, Ronaldo will go back to Madrid with a terrible attitude. He won't be the first player to return to his club emotionally exhausted and less than the best version of himself after suffering international disappointment, and he certainly will not be the last.

Mesut has been waiting, patient and kind.
Just wanting a phone call or some kind of sign,
That the one that he cares for, who's out of his mind,
Will make it back safe to his arms.

Özil's Euro campaign might end differently. Germany might not win the tournament, but there's a very good chance that they do. If they do, he's going to go into Madrid camp in a much better mood than his teammates who aren't Sami Khedira. But he'll still be happy to see Cristiano, because those Germany wins took a combination of a lot of effort on his part and some luck to come off. Madrid wins just feel different. They're usually a bit more dominant, and Özil never has to be the best player on the pitch for Madrid. At club level, he needs Cristiano.

Club football is just plain better than international football. Because the talent is spread out among so many countries and because international teams can't just go purchase reinforcements, the best international teams aren't as good as the best club teams. A national team can play fairly average football and have Özil as its best player, but win international tournaments.

At club level, Özil can't be the star by himself. He needs Ronaldo as much as Ronaldo needs him.

Cristiano stumbles forward and leans in the door.
Weary head hung, eyes to the floor.
He says, "Love, I'm sorry", and Mesut says, "What for?
I'm yours and that's it, whatever.
I should not have been gone for so long.
I'm yours and that's it, forever."

Even if they don't know it consciously, or they're unwilling to admit it, Ronaldo and Özil are perfect compliments for each other at the highest level of football, and they'd be worse off without each other. Ronaldo might be able to get by at international level without Özil, and Özil has proven that he can certainly get by at international level without Ronaldo, but both are still looking a bit off at Euro 2012. They don't look like the best versions of themselves at all.

Ronaldo and Özil make up one of football's best arranged marriages, and it's one that should never be broken up. It's a shame that international football pulls them apart, because watching one without the other just isn't the same. This tournament has been fun, but it will be much more enjoyable to watch Ronaldo and Özil together again.

You're mine and that's it, forever.

Germany 2-1 Holland: German Flexibility Outwits A Static Dutch Midfield
Zonalmarking.net
June 14, 2012

The second excellent Group B game of the night, and another encounter decided by superiority in one particular zone.

Jogi Löw continued with the same starting XI that defeated Portugal on Saturday.

Despite widespread predictions that Holland would change at least one of their front four, Bert van Marwijk’s selection featured only one change, with Ron Vlaar dropping out of the side now Joris Mathijsen was fit to start. Clearly, van Marwijk believed that the majority of Holland’s play against Denmark was good – it was just the finishing that let them down.

Germany were much the better side here – they were more comfortable on the ball, their movement was better and they played at a quicker tempo. It was something of a surprise to see them hanging on towards the end of the game, having been so superior in the first half.

Wide positions

Whereas the earlier Group B game was contested on the flanks, the battles in wide zones here were quiet, with the full-backs coming out on top. Ibrahim Afellay had another disappointing game, and Jerome Boateng again deserves great credit for his defensive performance, having been unsure of his place in the side before the tournament (although he picked up a second yellow card, and will miss the game against Denmark). On the other side, Philipp Lahm played Arjen Robben wonderfully – Robben was predictable, always coming inside onto his left foot, but Lahm had extra knowledge from Bayern, and Robben only succeeded with one of his five attempts to dribble past an opponent.

At the other end, Gregory van der Wiel against Lukas Podolski was something of a no-score draw – it’s difficult to remember either significantly involved in the play – while Thomas Muller was probably the wide player who looked most dangerous (mainly with a couple of crosses towards Mario Gomez) against the inexperienced Jetro Willems – although the Dutch left-back certainly didn’t have a poor game.

Central midfield

This game was all about the midfield, and the contrast between the two systems. Holland were very structured – Nigel de Jong was retained alongside Mark van Bommel, while Wesley Sneijder stayed high up the pitch, more like a second striker than an attacking midfielder. Holland were effectively outnumbered 3 v 2 in the middle, but this wasn’t necessarily a problem if they sat deep, kept their positions, and forced Germany wide.

Holland’s trouble inevitably started from the movement of the fabulous Mesut Ozil, who drifted towards the right of the pitch in the first half, combining with Muller. As the deepest-lying Dutch midfielder, de Jong generally followed him – which left Mark van Bommel covering a large space of the pitch in front of the Dutch defence.

Third runner

Van Bommel then had to pick up the second runner – either Sami Khedira or Bastian Schweinsteiger. But the great value of Germany’s fluidity and bravery in midfield was demonstrated by the fact that the other player didn’t merely stay deep and pick up Sneijder. Germany left him to the centre-backs, generally keeping one full-back in a defensive position to maintain three defenders at the back if the ball was lost. That meant they had a third midfield runner.

The first goal highlighted this brilliantly. De Jong started off marking Ozil in a central zone, but ends up being dragged to a left-back position. Van Bommel tracks Khedira, who also moves towards that side of the pitch. Therefore, the entire central midfield zone has been opened up for Schweinsteiger – with Sneijder miles away. Schweinsteiger  gets the ball, and slipsin Gomez, who spun and finished excellently. This was an isolated incident, but it had been coming.

For the second goal, something similar happened. De Jong moved with Ozil towards the left-back position and van Bommel had erroneously been tracking Khedira when Schweinsteiger was higher up the pitch. Schweinsteiger was then free to receive Ozil’s pass, and played in Gomez again. In fact, Schweinsteiger only passed to Gomez twice in the first half, and both were assists.

Holland changes

Holland had to adjust, and van Marwijk brought on Rafael van der Vaart for van Bommel, which helped Holland connect the midfield and attack. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar replaced Afellay, with the Schalke striker playing upfront as van Persie moved to the flank, switching around with Robben.

Much in the opening game, the change didn’t initially seem to give Holland much extra threat. Their good play in the first half came when van Persie and Robben combined on the right, or when van Persie’s movement (often in behind Mats Hummels, maybe hoping Hummels would be drawn to Sneijder) allowed him a chance after a ball from the centre of the pitch. These combinations were no longer evident, and for the first part of the second half, Germany were comfortable.

Dutch switch

But then, van Marwijk switched van Persie and Sneijder. The former was now a number ten, the latter moving inside from the left. Now, there were some decent moments – although there was still little cohesion from the Dutch front four, and every bit of good play was down to individual moments. Sneijder had a powerful effort blocked by Boateng after Robben beat his man for the first time. Then Sneijder cut inside from the left and shot just wide of the far post. Van Persie, meanwhile, created a goal out of nothing by coming deep to get the ball and firing in from outside of the box. Holland were back in the game, but through individuals rather than the structure of the side.

Germany didn’t defend well in the second half. Compared to at the World Cup two years ago, their shape wasn’t impressive – the second bank of four was slow to form and Holland found space out wide. It was surprising Löw didn’t use his substitutes earlier, to give extra energy to the side, and perhaps some more defensive protection.

But Holland didn’t do enough to merit a point. Their pressing was terrible – the front four or five would close down high up the pitch, then the defence and de Jong would stay on the edge of their own box. Germany played through the first ‘line’ easily, then held the ball, and held on for the win.

Conclusion

This was the perfect demonstration of how a flexible midfield duo can outwit the opposition. Germany were brave, and risked being caught on the break by leaving Sneijder free between the lines, but the alternate forward runs from Schweinsteiger and Khedira confused van Bommel, while de Jong was distracted by Ozil’s usual selfless off-the-ball movement to the flanks.

In more general terms, this was all about cohesion. Germany did everything together – they pressed as a unit, defended as a unit, and broke through with integrated movement and clever passing. Holland relied on individuals, while the defensive shape of the side was poor – quite damning, considering van Marwijk went for the defensive option of two holding midfielders. Germany aren’t mathematically through, Holland aren’t mathematically eliminated, and this was only a one-goal win, but the difference in quality was huge.
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