JUST FOR FUN

At the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) national training centre in Coverciano, on the outskirts of Florence, Chris van der Weerden is facing the most daunting experience of his budding coaching career. The former PSV Eindhoven player is playing the role of a trainee under the watchful eyes of more than 100 coach education specialists from all 53 of UEFA's member associations.

The 18th UEFA Course for Coach Educators is setting out to accelerate the trend towards a more reality-based learning programme for student coaches rather than the more traditional approach. So, on the first full day of the event running from 12 to 15 April, Van der Weerden was the guinea-pig student on stage during a simulation related to dealing with players and, in the afternoon, during a match between an ACF Fiorentina youth team and a UEFA side featuring the likes of Lorenzo Amoruso, Graeme Le Saux, Giancarlo Antognoni and Alessandro Altobelli.



"At recent coaching events," says UEFA's technical director Andy Roxburgh, "there has been a lot of debate about how to place the development of coaches in a more realistic environment than in the past. This course is attempting to highlight the issues to be addressed and to illustrate, through simulations, discussions and practical demonstrations, how best to proceed."

Roxburgh kicked off the course by examining the trends likely to influence the education of tomorrow's coaches. Although top-level coaches have a high profile, their tutors take a low-profile – but vital – role. Former England coach Howard Wilkinson reminded the participants in Coverciano that "teaching is the most important profession in the world", but the educational swing is clearly towards how to coach rather than what to coach.

This means giving student coaches a maximum of work experience under the wing of experienced tutors. Van der Weerden was monitored in Coverciano by his personal tutor Ruud Dokter and one of his first tasks was to interview Graeme Le Saux, persuaded to masquerade as a 17-year-old newcomer to the Dutchman's Under-19 squad.

The former Chelsea FC and England defender was joined on stage by Lorenzo Amoruso, centre-back for ACF Fiorentina and Rangers FC, to address the conference's core theme from a different angle – the qualities that the player expects to see in his coach. Both highlighted the importance of communication.

"I worked with Italian, Dutch, English and Scottish coaches," said Amoruso, now the holder of a UEFA Pro licence, "and I absorbed a lot of ideas. Some considered themselves as decision-makers rather than communicators and, at one of my clubs, I have to say that I simply didn't feel part of the team."

Le Saux, who worked under 15 coaches during 18 years of top-level football, added: "The lack of continuity was difficult for the players as well as the coaches themselves, and I definitely feel I could have developed into a better player if I had been given more time with the really good coaches I've encountered. Before I came on stage, I actually made a list of the coaches and I realised that the ones I considered to be the best were the ones who had the ability to communicate individually with every member of his squad.

"In my playing days, there was still a culture of thinking that, because we were wearing the same tracksuits, we were identical personalities. So I'm happy to see, at this conference, that the coaching tutors are encouraging the upcoming coaches to move away from this tendency."

Among the highlights of the second part of the course is a session with Italy's world champion coach Marcello Lippi.

The Technician is the official UEFA publication that aims to see the game through the eyes of a coach – and in the latest edition it looks at the combination of educational and formative factors which, given time, can end up producing coaching success.

In his editorial column Andy Roxburgh charts the coaching journeys of two trainers who, at first glance, would appear to have achieved meteoric success. However, neither José Mourinho nor Josep Guardiola took a fast track to the top of the football management game.

The UEFA technical director tells how Mourinho was already able to mine rich seams of know-how and expertise by the time he took charge of FC Porto, aged 39. Guardiola followed a different route to the peaks he has attained as a coach, yet, like Mourinho, he did not get there overnight. According to Andy Roxburgh: "The road to coaching stardom takes years of dedication, experience and learning. Some talented coaches, such as José and Pep, simply sparkle earlier than others."


UEFA has had privileged access to Europe's elite coaches for more than a decade, with these leading practitioners of the technical arts making valued contributions across many areas, including the Elite Club Coaches Forum and the final tournament technical reports.

One by-product of this collaboration is a stock of comments and quotations, the best of which The Technician now compiles into a special feature entitled 'Football philosophers'. UEFA Champions League final opponents Louis van Gaal and José Mourinho are just two of the coaching oracles consulted.

The team behind the team, as a coach's back-room staff is often called, is an increasingly heralded concept in top-class football. May's edition of The Technician puts particular emphasis on the job of the team doctor and the importance of their relationship with the coach. The article 'Organising the back room' picks up on points raised during the UEFA Medical Symposium in Stockholm earlier this year, and comes to the conclusion that: "The modern coach has to be prepared to take on board performance-indicating information when it comes to making his team selection."

UEFA's official newsletter for coaches also asks what it means – in real and practical terms – to 'read the game'. With players, it most often denotes an ability to locate opponents and team-mates, and to detect spaces and exploit them with passes and runs. Yet anticipation and positional play are hardly definitive aspects of a coach, referee, commentator or even newspaper reporter's brief, and they too must be able to read the game. The Technician explains all.

In addition, issue No46 explores the true meaning of national-team football. On the one hand the major international tournaments have become catch-all events which, according to Andy Roxburgh, "not only reconfirm the sporting value of national team football but also demonstrate the public's commitment to the international game and their desire to express a national identity through their team".

On the other hand, however, the globalisation of club football presents a challenge to developing and maintaining a national football identity within an association. Here, we read, coach education and player development will have a crucial role to fulfil.

For those itching to get back on to the training ground, meanwhile, FC Videoton and former Hungary coach György Mezey devises a routine that fuses technical, tactical and fitness elements into an exercise in finishing.

Babak kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2010 usai sudah 32 negara beruntung bisa lolos setelah berjibaku tuk meraih tiket ke Afrika Selatan. Kini perhelatan sepak bola terbesar itu tinggal menunggu waktu , pembagian group telah ditetapkan, jadwal telah ditentukan dan para mania bola telah bersiap untuk begadang menyaksikan para bintang beraksi dilapangan dan inilah Group Dan Jadwal World Cup 2010 South Africa, sengaja saya sajikan disini setelah kemarin memposting tentang Passive Income Abadi Sebuah Solusi .


Pembagian Group :

Group A : 1. Afrika Selatan , 2. Meksiko, 3. Uruguay , 4. Perancis
Group B : 1. Argentina , 2. Nigeria , 3. Korea Selatan , 4. Yunani
Group C : 1. Inggris , 2. Amerika Serikat , 3. Aljazair , 4. Slovenia
Group D : 1. Jerman , 2. Australia , 3. Serbia , 4. Ghana
Group E : 1. Belanda , 2. Denmark , 3. Jepang , 4. Kamerun
Group F : 1. Italia , 2. Paraguay, 3. Selandia Baru , 4. Slovakia
Group G : 1. Brasil , 2. Korea Utara , 3. Pantai Gading , 4. Portugal
Group H : 1. Spanyol, 2. Swiss , 3. Honduras , 4. Cile

Jadwal Pertandingan

Group A :
11 Juni 2010
Afrika Selatan vs Meksiko di Soccer City, Johannesburg.
Uruguay vs Prancis di Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town.
16 Juni 2010
Afrika Selatan vs Uruguay di Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria.
17 June 2010
Prancis vs Meksiko di Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane.
22 Juni 2010
Meksiko vs Uruguay di Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg.
Prancis vs Afrika Selatan di Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein.

Group B :
12 Juni 2010
Argentina vs Nigeria di Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg.
Korea Selatan vs Yunani di Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth.
17 Juni 2010
Argentina vs Korea Selatan di Soccer City, Johannesburg.
Yunani vs Nigeria di Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein.
22 Juni 2010
Yunani vs Argentina di Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane.
Nigeria vs Korea Selatan di Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban.

Group C :
12 Juni 2010
Inggris vs Amerika Serikat di Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg.
13 Juni 2010
Aljazair vs Slovenia di Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane.
18 Juni 2010
Inggris vs Aljazair di Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town.
Slovenia vs Amerika Serikat di Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg.
23 Juni 2010
Amerika Serikat vs Aljazair di Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria.
Slovenia vs Inggris di Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth.

Group D :
13 Juni 2010
Jerman vs Australia di Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban.
Serbia vs Ghana di Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria.
18 Juni 2010
Jerman vs Serbia di Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth.
19 Juni 2010
Ghana vs Australia di Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg.
23 Juni 2010
Australia vs Serbia di Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit.
Ghana vs Jerman di Soccer City, Johannesburg.

Group E
14 Juni 2010
Belanda vs Denmark di Soccer City, Johannesburg.
Jepang vs Kamerun di Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein.
19 Juni 2010
Belanda vs Jepang di Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban.
Kamerun vs Denmark di Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria.
24 Juni 2010
Denmark vs Jepang di Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg.
Kamerun vs Belanda di Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town.

Group F
14 Juni 2010
Italia vs Paraguay di Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town.
15 Juni 2010
Selandia Baru vs Slovakia di Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg.
20 Juni 2010
Italia vs Selandia Baru di Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit.
Slovakia vs Paraguay di Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein.
24 Juni 2010
Paraguay vs Selandia Baru di Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane.
Slovakia vs Italia di Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg.

Group G
15 Juni 2010
Brasil vs Korea Utara di Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg.
Pantai Gading vs Portugal di Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth.
20 Juni 2010
Brasil vs Pantai Gading di Soccer City, Johannesburg.
21 Juni 2010
Portugal vs Korea Utara di Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town.
25 Juni 2010
Korea Utara vs Pantai Gading di Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit.
Portugal vs Brasil di Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban.

Group H
16 Juni 2010
Spanyol vs Swiss di Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban.
Honduras vs Chile di Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit.
21 Juni 2010
Spanyol vs Honduras di Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth.
Chile vs Swiss di Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg.
25 Juni 2010
Swiss vs Honduras di Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein.
Chile vs Spanyol di Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria.

Itulah Group Dan Jadwal World Cup 2010 South Africa yang akan mulai digelar 11 Juni 2010 nanti.. melihat pembagian grup diatas maka… jagoanku ada di grup G yang menurut para pengamat katanya termasuk grup neraka,, benarkah ??? Lalu jagoan sobat ada di grup mana ???

Holland have every reason to be satisfied with Friday’s draw. They managed to stay away from European powerhouses such as France and Portugal, while classy African teams such as Ivory Coast and Ghana will be avoided as well in the group stage.

However, being paired with Cameroon, Japan and Denmark certainly doesn’t mean automatic qualification for the knock-out phase of the 2010 World Cup. All of Holland's opponents have considerable World Cup experience, as they’ve played in at least three editions of the tournament before. Additionally, they have done relatively well in the World Cup qualification campaign.

Denmark currently sit 26th in the FIFA rankings and impressed in the qualifying campaign by finishing ahead of Portugal and Sweden. Arsenal youngster Nicklas Bendtner is his side's star man, while players such as Jon Dahl Tomasson, Dennis Rommedahl and Michael Silberbauer all ply their trade in the Eredivisie and will meet some familiar faces.


Japan were beaten 3-0 in an international friendly by the Oranje earlier this year, but put in a decent performance throughout the match. The 43rd ranked team in the world according to FIFA will rely heavily on experienced midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura and young striker Takayuki Morimoto to help them to success, while VVV star Keisuke Honda will be eager to make an impact as well.

Cameroon are eleventh in the FIFA rankings at the moment and will certainly be no pushovers for the Dutch. Their star players are Samuel Eto’o and Carlos Kameni, while midfielder Eyong Enoh will be delighted to meet some of his Ajax team-mates.

Altogether, Holland are clearly the favourites to progress from Group E and they should be able to secure first spot without too much trouble. Cameroon are likely to qualify for the next round as well, but both Denmark and Japan will provide a stern challenge for the Africans to join the Oranje to the next round.


Will there be reason to celebrate in South Africa...

The opponent in the next round will be the second placed team Group H. Italy are expected to come first in that group, while Slovakia, Paraguay and New Zealand will have to battle it out for the second spot. The Kiwis aren’t likely to make it through, meaning that Slovakia or Paraguay will probably be the next opponent for the Oranje.

Slovakia are a talented team with promising youngster such as Vladimir Weiss, Miroslav Stoch and Marek Hamsik. However, they lack the experience of World Cup football and shouldn’t pose too much of a problem for Holland in an eventual final sixteen game.

Paraguay on the other hand have a number of superb attackers in Roque Santa Cruz, Oscar Cardozo and Nelson Valdez. They held Netherlands to a 0-0 draw a couple of weeks ago and appeared solid at the back. Paraguay could pose the Dutch all kinds of trouble and a quarter-finals spot could be in danger for the Oranje.

From there on, it starts getting difficult to predict what teams will still be in it. However, the team that is most likely to make it to the quarter-finals are Brazil or Chile. Chile shouldn’t be too much of a problem for the Oranje, but Brazil are a different piece of cake.

The Selecao impressed during the 2009 Confederations Cup and boast several world-class players in their squad. Kaka, Maicon, Lucio and Luis Fabiano are just a number of high profile names from the roster head coach Dunga can choose from. To make things even worse, Netherlands don’t exactly have pleasant memories from their previous encounters with Brazil. The South Americans ended Holland’s World Cup ambitions in both 1994 and in ’98.

On to the semi-finals, where the Dutch eventually could end up facing France or England. The Three Lions put in an impressive performance against the Oranje in an international friendly earlier this year. However, they looked shaky at the back against the Dutch attack and had to settle for a 2-2 draw.

Holland will look back more fondly on their last game against Les Bleus. Both nations were paired in the ‘Group of Death’ at Euro ’08 and the Dutch proved to be too strong for Raymond Domenech’s men. That said, Holland appear to be up for the challenge against England or France if they make it into the semi-finals and a spot in the final of the 2010 World Cup certainly isn’t impossible.



The Oranje will be desperate to make it into the final, where they could very well face Spain, Germany or Portugal. The Oranje don’t really have a history with Spain, so they’d rather face one of their two rivals. They will be gunning for revenge if they take on Portugal in the final, as they were eliminated by the Portuguese at Euro ’04 and the 2006 World Cup.

However, beating the Germans in the final will be something no Dutchman will ever forget for the rest of his life. The path to the final won’t be an easy one for Holland, but as head coach Bert van Marwijk already said ahead of the draw, "We should be able to beat every opponent if we want to win the World Cup."

Edwin van der Sar was one of Holland’s most loyal soldiers. He said his farewells before the Hungary match (6-1) but his goodbye was overshadowed by the temporary goodbye of Arjen Robben. The permanent retirement of Sar had to make way of a week’s worth of setback for the Boy Wonder from Bedum. Our record international vs the Best Football Player on the Planet “to be”.



Edwin van der Sar was the Peter Pan-like substitute goalie behind Stanley Menzo. JC’s favorite was replaced by Sar after Menzo did some bad volleyballing against Auxerre. Sar replaced De Goey in Oranje, after the Feyenoord goalie was beaten by the Branco free-kick at the World Cup 1994.

And Van der Sar never looked back. He did make his debut in the lost international game away against Belarus, but a screw up by the Czech Republic on the same night meant that that game would merely be a footnote in Van der Sar’s career.

His best memories? The World Cup 1998, without a doubt. “The whole vibe, the atmosphere in the group, that Marseille venue in the semis against Brazil. Half the stadium was yellow, the other half orange. It was a high point and a low point, we did lose that game, but the whole tournament was amazing,” reminiscences the Man United goalie.

Edwin regrets never to have had his best saves for Oranje. “I will need to live with the fact that I never had the ultimate save for Oranje, like I had for Man United in the CL finales.” The Sweden penalty series than? At the EC2004? “No, those weren’t enough to win us silverware. We only reached the semis. But still…I can be relatively happy with the results with Oranje.”

Van der Sar will leave for a summer holiday for Spain. “I’m not sure if we have a tv in our holiday home. Otherwise I’ll go to a pub or a bar somewhere. And I might put something orange in my suitcase after all.”

Didn’t you consider – even once – to say: I’ll come along?
“Haha! And announce it right now. The day the group leaves for South Africa. Nah…your name is being mentioned because you play at a high level still, but no….my time has been. It was great. The EC 2008 was tremendous. Our group games were very good. I’m satisfied with my last tournament. It was a shame to be ousted in the quarters, but I’ll cherish the good memories.”

Talking about the World Cup 1998, did you ever think “Pierre should have been awarded a penalty…”
“I never really….no…. I read about it. But I guess when you actually retire and have time to look back at your career, than yes… I do think you’ll look at games with that “what if” feeling… But on the whole, I try to be thankful for what we achieved.”

Van der Sar was awarded a golden scale and remained on the pitch to enjoy the national anthem. He also posed for the group photo with the team, between skipper Gio and successor Stekelenburg. Van der Sar thanked the fans for the wonderful support through the years and a special word of thanks from his wife. The supporters were there for her when she fell ill, he said, and she’s happy to confirm that everything is going well now. “See you around,” the 130-capped ex-skipper said, before he waved and walked off the pitch.

Oranje had their first training session on South African soil with hundreds of spectators. Not fans. Journalists. Members of the media. The players and our coach were confronted with reporters from dozens of countries. At least 200 reporters were waiting their turn for a soundbite. Rafael van der Vaart spoke to representatives from Costa Rica, Honduras, Spain, Germany and Japan in five minutes. “Spanish, German, English…I’m going crazy. Thanks for allowing me to talk some Dutch again,” he laughed.



Robin van Persie is not just popular in England. Reps from China, Australia and Brazil were queuing up to talk to the Gunner while Sneijder was ambushed by a bus-load of Italian media people.

Supporters weren’t welcome yet. The doors of the Wits University will open up on Wednesday. The first public training of Brazil pulled 10.000 enthusiastic South Africans of their couches.

Oranje’s training was a new start. The World Cup is tangible now and the problems regarding Robben’s injury are laughed away with typical football humor. Skipper Van Bronckhorst: “The news that Arjen might be coming here next week already was really a big relief to all of us.”

On the training, it seemed that Dirk Kuyt was the token victim. The winger was nutmegged thrice in a row. Rafael van der Vaart was howling with laughter when he successfully nutmegged the former Feyenoord star. Nigel de Jong had a different trick on his sleeve. Whenever an opponent came to close, he’d pull down their shorts

Oranje trained casually on the immaculate pitch of Wits University. There were some positioning games and two mega-rondos, between the presumed starters and the reserves (with Ibrahim Afellay).



The Fab Four
Gio: “The vibe was good and we had some laughs. I think that’s a reaction to the scare we all had after Hungary. We played well in that match and it should have been a farewell party with the fans, but Robben’s injury really depressed us all. So, with the latest news, I think everybody lets their guard down. This is such a tight group, it’s really cool to have Arjen with us as soon as possible.”

The starters left the pitch after an hour. The benchwarmers did another aggressive game before they went inside. Only seven days till Denmark!

Rafael van der Vaart is highly optimistic about Robben’s return. “I have tremendous experience with Van Toorn,” the creative midfielder quipped right after Oranje’s first training.

“I had a similar little tear in my hamstring and Dick had me running in five days. I wouldn’t be surprised if Arjen is ready to play Denmark, really. Maybe the coach won’t use him so early, but it’s possible.”

Van der Vaart: “Dick has a huge gym in his home. He let’s you do all these exercices with weights. And he uses acupuncture too. I’m not sure what he does, but he does it. If Van Toorn treats you, you’ll be fit in no time. And Arjen knows it. He’s been to Dick before, on my suggestion even. And he was fit pretty quickly then too. That was in 2008 with Madrid. I heard Arjen will be here on Friday or Saturday already!”.

“And it would be good for the group too,” Van der Vaart continues. “We were really down after Hungary. Robben is extremely important for us. He is the guy that can change the game around in a second. So I’m really keeping my fingers crossed for Van Toorn’s treatment.”

Robben didn’t want to comment on the day he’d fly south. “It’s too hard to look into the future right now,” he said.

Rafael was positive, vice-skipper Mark van Bommel spoke like a true coach after the first training session: “Everybody is so jubilant about our chances, but we shouldn’t forget that we are in a tough group. We really need to be good to progress.”

The Bayern skipper opposed the opinion that Oranje is a title contender. “Listen, we won against Japan earlier on, but we could have lost that game. We weren’t top and they were. If that happens again, and Japan wins we are in trouble. Denmark had a tough qualifications group and they made it. That tells you something. And Cameroon is a tough customer to beat. It won’t be easy for us. But if we make it through, anything is possible. But that applies to 12 other nations as well. I keep hearing people say that Spain and Brazil are the top favorites. Fine. Let’s keep that story alive. I don’t mind.

Oranje did win the three warm up games easily. “That’s good for the vibe in the group, but they’re warm up games. They don’t count in the World Cup. And it most certainly isn’t a guarantee. It could even make you complacent and that’s when you get the lid on the nose!”

This is a Spanish name; the first family name is Villa and the second is Sánchez.

David Villa (Spanish pronunciation: [daˈβið ˈβiʎa]; born 3 December 1981 in Langreo, Spain), nicknamed El Guaje (The Kid in Asturian)[2] is a Spanish footballer who currently plays as a striker for Barcelona[3][4] and Spain.

Despite sustaining a career threatening injury as a child, he started his professional career with Sporting de Gijón and made his debut in 2000 in Spain's Segunda División. He moved to Real Zaragoza after two seasons, after a total of 38 goals and 80 appearances for Gijón. He made his La Liga debut at Zaragoza and scored 31 goals in 73 appearances in the next two seasons, winning the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de España, his first senior honours. He joined Valencia in 2005 for a transfer fee of €12 million. He was the second highest scorer in the 2005–06 season with 25 goals, and was part of the Valencia team that won the Copa del Rey for a second time in the 2007–08 season. In 2010 he moved to Barcelona for €40.0 million.

Villa made his international debut in 2005 against San Marino. He has since participated in two major tournaments: 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008. He scored three goals at the 2006 World Cup and was top scorer at Euro 2008 with four goals. He is the second top scorer of all time for Spain behind only Raul González.[5] Statistics (based on goal importance and the tournament they were scored in) demonstrate Villa to be the most prolific goalscorer in the world between 2005–2009, seeing the back of the net over 156 times,[6] while the IFFHS listed him 4th in the "World's Top Goal Scorer 2009" rankings.[7] Villa has two children with his wife Patricia and often attends charity events supported by sports personalities.