The Hindu : Sport / Football : Been there, done that but to cool heels this time

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Sport

Sport - Football

Been there, done that but to cool heels this time

A few top performers miss the World Cup after being passed over by their coaches

LONDON: Jerzy Dudek is a world-class goalkeeper, Martin Demichelis is a top midfielder and Clarence Seedorf is the only man to have won the Champions League with three teams.

But the Pole, Argentine and Dutchman are among those who will miss the World Cup in Germany after being passed over by their coaches.

If these players formed their own team, they might well compete for the trophy.

World Cup veterans Javier Zanetti, Juan Sebastian Veron and Fernando Morientes are others who would walk in to most squads, but were unlucky enough to have overwhelming competition for their positions.

Dudek was left off Poland's squad a year after his crucial shootout saves helped Liverpool beat AC Milan in the Champions League final.

He lost his place at the English club to Pepe Reina — Spain's third choice for the World Cup — and started only five league games all season.

Unfortunately for him, Artur Boruc starred on Celtic's Scottish league-winning team, while Lukasz Fabianski of Legia Warsaw and Tomasz Kuszczak of West Brom also had strong seasons.

"He is a definitely a very good 'keeper, but the issue was he played in only a couple matches and we wanted goalkeepers who all played," Poland coach Pawel Janas said.

Unexpected omission

While Dudek may have expected the disappointment — he tried to leave Liverpool to get more playing time — Demichelis was shocked to be left off Argentina's squad.

"It's not only that I don't have any desire to play anymore," the Bayern Munich midfielder said. "I don't have any desire to live."

Zanetti, also a midfielder, was omitted despite having played at the last two World Cups. Argentina's first-round exit in 2002 may have persuaded coach Jose Pekerman to rely heavily on players he led to three world youth championships.

"Nobody told me what I did wrong to be left out," Zanetti said. "I'm at peace because I did everything in my power to be there and I always answered the call of the national team when they needed me."

Seedorf and midfielder Edgar Davids were both left out of the Netherlands' squad, making this the first tournament since 1992 their country has competed at a major tournament without the pair.

What's more, the top native scorers in this season's Dutch and English leagues were left at home, too.

Netherlands coach Marco van Basten left out Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, calling him "unlucky" despite scoring 33 goals in 34 games.

England will travel without Charlton striker Darren Bent.

Bent thought his 18 Premier League goals and debut performance in March's exhibition win over Uruguay earned him the job as backup to Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen and Peter Crouch.

Eriksson's move

Instead, England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson went for teenage rookie Theo Walcott — who has yet to debut for his club Arsenal — as the fourth striker, with Tottenham's Jermain Defoe on stand-by.

"For him to be excluded for someone who has never started a Premiership match or even been in an England squad is truly astonishing, and Darren is absolutely devastated," former Charlton manager Alan Curbishley said.

Eriksson had a simple explanation for the omission of Shaun Wright-Phillips, who struggled to get a place on Chelsea's championship-winning team, in favour of 18-year-old Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon.

"What I saw in the last couple of months was Lennon flying out there," he said.

Mexico will be heading to Germany without striker Cuauhtemoc Blanco, known for his "Blanco Bounce" at the 1998 World Cup in France — hopping past two defenders with the ball between his ankles.

Mexico coach Ricardo Lavolpe said in April that Blanco does not fit it into his system. Blanco, known for caustic comments on and off the field, insists Lavolpe is holding a grudge.

Croatia coach Zlatko Kranjcar left out veteran midfielder Davor Vugrinec, who scored 15 goals in the second half of the season. The coach says others earned the right to play by helping the team win its qualifying group.

"Finding a spot for Vugrinec was one of my main dilemmas," Kranjcar said. "But his position in midfield is already covered, and I cannot drop tried and proven players." — AP

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