The Phenomenal Success of InterMilan in 2010

2010 is the year of astonishing success of Italian Football Club InterMilan. This year they had won three titles:
*Italian Cup
*Serie A Championship
*UFEA Champion's League
Last year also, they had won the Serie A Championship Title

What are the reasons behind their success:

* A group of talented and experienced players like Lucio, Mycon, Samuel, Snijders, Milito and Eto.
* Not relying on any spectacular or flashy tactics but a disciplined and calculative approach.
* Jose Mourinho- not only one of the best coach of all time but also a great tactician and reader of the game of football

Really it was an amazing success story!

Jose Mourinho- What a Coach He is, Mourinho- a Class of His Own

Jose Mourinho had really silenced his critics. Under his coaching, Inter Milan has won the Champion's League Title, Serie A title and Italian Cup in 2010. It was a spectacular success story. There was no superstars in his team. He banked on team game and a very disciplined as well as organized approach. Earlier in 2004, Porto F.C. had won the Champion's League Title. He is one of the very few coaches who had won the Champion's League Title for two different sides. And F.C. Porto was not a star-studded side too. This time there was Samuel Eto, Diego Milito , Lucio Snijder and Mycon in his team but according to many fans and critics, Mourinho was the real star! After completing his task in Milan, he moved on to Real Madrid to achieve a new target. One man who can brought some trophy to Madrid's star-studded yet under performing team... he is none other than Mourinho!

Rafael Nadal is Back With a Vengeance, Rafael Nadal-The King of Clay Court

Rafael Nadal, the king of clay court is back and he is back with a vengeance. Nadal was a top class clay court player who was starting to establishing his supremacy in grass also. After winning Wimboldon in 2008 and Australian Open in 2009 by defeating all time grass court artist Roger Federer in two all time great epic matches, Nadal had become the no. 1 by dethroning the great Roger Federer. But soon after came the knee injury which made him go slow. He lost to Soderling in French Open in 2009 after that had to stay off the court because of injury. It posted a question mark over his Carrier. But in 2010 , he won back to back three clay court masters in Madrid, Rome and Monte Carlo. Most importantly he reclaimed his lost French Open by defeating the same Soderling in the final and almost completed a full circle. It is interesting to see whether he can get back the Wimboldon Title as well!

Indian Premier League(IPL)- How Much It Is Responsible For The Debacle of Team India in Twenty-20 World Cup

This is the picture of Indian Cricket Team winning the Twenty-20 World Cup in 2007 in South Africa. Will this sort of picture ever be seen in future? We have our doubts.

Cause of doubts:

Indian cricket team has failed miserably in 2009 and 2010 twenty-20 world cups in England and West Indies respectively. Both times, the team made shameful exit without winning a single matches in super eight stage. As a matter of fact, they have lost six matches consecutively. And both times one big common factor stands out-IPL just before the World Cup.

How much IPL is to be blamed:

> IPL is a long tournament spreading more than a month and consists of more than 50 matches.

> Rest between the matches are few and intensity and crowd expectation is high.

> As it is played over a big country, players have to travel a lot.

> There are after match parties and celebration. Young players can be easily distracted by bucks, booze and blondes. And as the younger players are mostly from India, they are the worst sufferers. Most foreign players are seniors and established.

> Some key players are injued like Sehwag or Gautam Gambhir.

> As players are getting big and easy money, they are not motivated enough to do well for thier country.

Well, there are all speculations and there are other views as well.

> Man of the Series in Twenty-20 2010 Kevin Peterson and The Winning Captain of English Cricket Team Paul Collinwood- both of them said that they were benefited from IPL.

From next year, there will more matches in IPL(~ 90) as two more teams have been included. What will be the future of Indian Cricket?

Viswanathn Anand- Is He The Greatest Sports Person in India

Viswanathan Anand has won the World Championship in Chess in Sophia by beating Vaselin Topalov of Bulgeria. He had won this prestigious title for the fourth time in his Carrier apart from winning six Oscars in chess also. In fact, he had won the world championship for the last three times in a row. In a country like India where cricket is not only a sports but also a religion, sports persons( even though they are world champions) belong to other sports do not get the spotlight like the cricketers do. Therefore a Viswanathan Anand or a Saina Nehawal never get their deserved credit. If we consider the achievements, Viswanathan Anand is a long way ahead than the others. The only one who comes in near comparison is none other than Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin needs no introduction. He has scored over 30000 runs and ninety centuries in international cricket. Besides he is the holder of several world records. The only feather which is lacking in his cap in a World Cup Title in any format of cricket. Incidentally they have many things in common:
* Both of them had won the Rajib Gandhi Khel Ratna Award
* Both of them are role models by their performance and attitude on and off their respective field
* Both of them had made their country proud!

Performance of Indian Cricket Team in Twenty-20 World Cup, India in Twenty-20 World Cup 2010 in West Indies

Performance of India in Twenty-20 world cup takes a roller coaster ride. In 2007 South Africa, when nobody gave India a chance, India was the eventual Winner by beating Pakistan in the final. But in 2009 England, when India was one of the favourite, it made unceremonious exit from the super eight stage loosing all the three matches.
What will happen in 2010 West Indies!
The picture is again the same. Indian Team started very well by defeating South Africa in the group league stage but it crushed to defeat in the first match of super eight against Australia. Now India is facing the daunting task of defeating both West Indies and Sri Lanka to avoid another early exit this time too.
Will they be successful this time!
The chances not looking bright at this moment. The main problem is the Kensington Oval Pitch at Barbedos which does not suit the Indians at all. The inability of playing short balls on a bouncy track is horribly exposed before the powerful pace attack of Australia and the other teams also employ the same tactics. As a whole, it will be a real test of character and applications to the star-studded batting line up of Indian Cricket Team.

Twenty-Twenty World Cup in West Indies, World Twenty-20 2010 in West Indies

Twenty-20 World Cup cricket is going on in West Indies since 30th April, 2010. The 3rd edition of Indian Premier league was just ended on 24th April in India. It was a fairly successful and popular tournament though marred with controversies towards the later part of the IPL3. And just 5 days off after the gruelling dose of twenty-20 and another twenty-20 cricket tournament is coming. Isn't really too much of twenty-2o cricket? Its reminding us the story of the duck that used to lay eggs of gold and that of the greedy farmer! At present, twenty-20 cricket is very popular and attracting good crowd but too much of any thing is not good! When first twenty-20 world cup was played in South Africa in 2007, it was more than successful. Its was decided that it will be played every 2 years and therefore, it was played in 2009 in England. But for some strange reasons, it World Cup Twenty-20 is back after some ten months. Again in September this year, Champions League Twenty-20 will take place in South Africa.
Really Too much twenty-20 cricket, don't you agree! ICC has to redefine its policy to keep some interest alive!