Musings of a Curious Mind

Well well, for the first time since Fergie retired, United are back to where their fans think they should be- the top of the table. Although the kind of football played still doesn’t set hearts racing, but the “philosophy” is slowly being put to action. Not many clubs in the world can pull off 44 pass moves that ultimately results in a goal. And there are not many center backs in the world, who can come up with defence splitting passes resulting in goals, 2 times in a week. Van Gaal’s philosophy is based on the very basic premise of football that as long as you have the ball, the opponent cannot score. No wonder, despite not having a particularly strong back-4, United have been amongst the teams conceding the least goals ever since Van Gaal arrived. But, what excites the Old Trafford faithful the most is the injection of youth in the squad, and the infinite potential that the players seem to have. Despite all of Van Gaal’s success across countries, perhaps his most enduring l

In every sport, there are greats. People who dominate the sport for a period of 4-5 years.  A period when they are the undisputed number 1s in their sport. But, it is extremely unlikely that at the age of 33, more than 10 years after you first crushed every opposition, you dominate the sport once again. This is exactly what Serena has been doing the past 1 year. And this is why she is not only the best ever female tennis player, but also the greatest female athlete of all time. When she won her first slam at Flushing Meadows as a 17 year old in 1999, defeating Kim Clijsters, Conchita Martinez, Monica Seles, Lindsay Davenport and Martina Hingis in succession, the world was shocked, surprised and thrilled in equal measure. Women’s tennis had an African-American champion after 40 years. 16 years and 20 grand slam titles later, she is still defeating the who’s who of women’s tennis, where as her opponents of 1999 have long gone into oblivion. The first phase of her dominance came

In life in general and football in particular, miracles do happen. The latest episode of Football’s miracles will be played out when a few weeks from now, the Old Lady from Turin will turn up against the might of Barcelona in the final of the Champions League. Yes, the Champions League final. The same tournament which is supposed to be the playground of the Ronaldos and the Messis, the Mourinhos and the Ancelottis. Playing against the big boys of Europe, Juventus had no business being here. But, let alone only playing the Champions League final, they have also won the Italian league for the 4 th consecutive time and by also being in the final of the Italian Cup, they stand on the verge of a historic treble. From playing in the Serie B in 2006-07, Juventus have indeed come a long way. Against all odds, Juventus have made it to the final of the Champions League Before 2006, Juventus had always competed at the highest level in both Italy as well as Europe. In fact, even today,

The mental age of a 10 year old, or an Australian spy seeking to destroy English Cricket? What is wrong with Andrew Strauss? I know we (sports fanatics) are the greatest romantics and we yearn for comeback stories even if it does not make any sporting logic. What else will explain the entire Brazilian media running a campaign for Romario to be included in the 2002 world Cup or for Kaka to be included in the 2014 World Cup? But for the case of including KP in the English cricket team, it made perfect commercial and sporting logic. Except for one man’s ego and personal grudge. And at the expense of millions of fans, that one man won. KP was in superb form playing for Surrey in the county Kevin Pietersen is no sage. He has made mistakes. Lots of them. But, none of them were grave enough that he did not deserve a recall after spending almost 18 months out of the side. First, it makes absolute cricketing sense to get him back to the team. In the last 6 months, he has been battin

With 90,000 Aussie fans screaming at the top of their voices at a ground where some of the boundaries are almost twice as that of Eden Park, and where it doesn’t swing like it does in the Kiwi land, New Zealand will definitely be up against it.  Add to the fact that they will be up against a destructive opener, a number 3 who forgot what failure spells like, three destructive all-rounders each capable of winning a match on their own, and the 2 Mitchells. So, in spite of all of Baz’s aggression and Boult’s swing, it will take a brave man to bet against the mighty Aussies. Make no mistake, this New Zealand side is different. Even 5 years back, the New Zealand team would be full of bits and pieces overachieving cricketers led by a defensive captain. It is no longer the case today. McCullum’s attacking captaincy has been one of the highlights of the tournament. The entire team is feeding off the positive energy that he brings to the table. But, for the first time, he will be missing

It is not every day that you have the luxury of watching two of the fiercest derbies back to back. A few observations from the North London and the Madrid derby: The Rise and Rise of Harry Kane For any young kid living in North London, growing up in the era of the invincibles, and supporting Tottenham Hotspur, it must have been quite difficult. Obviously, each one of them would dream of becoming a footballer, play for Spurs against the Gunners at the White Hart Lane, and show the Gunners their true place. And they would achieve it too, albeit in a video game. Unless, of course, you are Harry Kane, and you fulfill your dream with 2 goals in your first ever home derby in front of a roaring crowd. On Saturday, Harry Kane showed once against why he is being heralded as the next Alan Shearer. His 2 goals against an in form Arsenal team in front of the adoring crowd took Tottenham above Arsenal in the table. And for the first time, there is real belief at White Hart Lane that, come M