Friday 29 June 2018

World Cup 2018, matchday 3

Refereeing
I've been really struck by how few yellow cards there have been. Compared to the club games I have been watching, it seems as if yellow cards are given less liberally which just seems a bit weird and almost old-fashioned. I think it has worked quite well but clear, deliberate professional fouls being left unpunished isn't ideal, for me. On the other hand, I have not seen it get particularly out of hand and seems to be people fairly even so it has helped the games flow VAR was always going to be a talking point but I really feel that the implementation has been excellent (so far) although I have not agreed with all decisions. The speed of review is good and I think the effect on the players already feels clear. Neymar failing to neymar a penalty out of the Costa Ricans after going to review is one of the great moments of VAR and should, hopefully, change some habits. Video assistance is all it is though, and now bemoaning VAR for not getting everything right is the next stage for those kinds of people in the punditry game. The time taken has not been onerous, in my opinion, and has really helped get some decisions spot on - South Korea's opener was incorrectly flagged offside and then overturned on review after noticing the ball had come off a German player. I wonder if VAR will level the playing field a little to prevent the big teams always getting the big decisions. FIFA have been quite brave to go with VAR in the World Cup and UEFA have been clear about not supporting it. Conceptually, I have never had an issue with getting the right decision but the time has been a problem but FIFA seem to have the implementation right here and hopefully it will be understood that the ref is in charge - and can still make howlers on handball, for example. It isn't often I get to praise FIFA so I'll take the opportunity - bravo.


Football
And so the Russians got found out. Russia played fairly well with their strong running in the first two games but looked out of their depth against a fairly workmanlike Uruguay. It was a lovely free kick by Suarez after the wall clearance but quite a ragged midfield all told. Russia have some quality but I cannot see the hosts doing too much more against Spain unless Spain are as unfortunate as they were to meet the famously dubious South Koreans in 2002. I don't think the tournament will be missing this Egypt or Saudi Arabia teams though it was nice to see Salah score in that way that he does – lofting the ball over the keeper. Uruguay may be workmanlike but they are proper workmen with two centre back and two forwards of genuine quality and that may be enough against Portugal. Though it will probably be pretty dull…


Bordering nations, Spain and Portugal, progressed as expected from day 1 but neither were particularly convincing. In 2014, Spain were excellent in patches before being destroyed by the Dutch and the Portugal and Morocco games exposed that soft jaw again. Portugal are an attritional side (as are Spain too, in a very different way) with little in the way of beauty, just workmanlike servicing of what Ronaldo might be able to do. That was enough to be winners of Euro 2016 and they probably should not be entirely written off. Iran were hopeful but miss the end product that so many improving teams lack. I won't miss them but I did massively enjoy them being a bit Spanish in their time-wasting and rolling around versus the Spaniards. Morocco can count themselves a bit unlucky and were quite impressive in patches through the three games but not enough for anything.


Classic third match dead rubber between the French and Danes gave us both the first goalless draw of the tournament and also a human rights abuse on anyone that watched. Denmark look fairly neat but the French were just so disappointing. They will always cause a threat but watching them, it is almost just by accident that they attack - there seems to be precious little construction. They remind me of a high-level videogame football team but controlled by someone not very good mashing square every so often and hoping it'll work. Peru brought a lot of noise, fervour and excitement and Australia didn't. I'm not sure either will be particularly missed into the last 16 but they will have enjoyed themselves.


Do not write Messi off, that has to be the thing to learn. And so we end up with what we thought - the two better-known teams progressing. Argentina finally looked vaguely competent and were more comfortable in the game than the scoreline suggests. The Messi goal to open the game up was a goal that is so very difficult to do but he has really made look easy. The left leg control to take the ball into space is astonishing - there is nothing you can do about that. Croatia have arguably been the team of the round with a competence and quality that has shone through. Nigeria and Iceland will both be missed to be honest and both have done themselves proud both on and off the pitch - the Iceland thunderclap will surely be one of legend. Nigeria had a young side with some eye-catching players - and not just due to the ludicrous kit.


Everybody's second team won with grace and quality is what was decided by the commentary team before the game had even kicked off but the game itself wasn't like that. Brazil will be there or thereabouts I expect but not through a particular quality of attack. They do, however, have one of the brightest passers in world football in Philippe Coutinho who has been neat, tidy and the expansive when he needs to be. He sees passes that I don't see even from the television viewpoint. Serbia will be kicking themselves for a lapse in concentration against Switzerland to let them back in and for Shaqiri, especially, to take advantage. Switzerland look dangerous whenever Shaqiri has a little bit of space and can cause a lot of grief for their opponents.


F. F. That was quite the shock. Germany out after three terrible performances has to be the story of the round. Mexico almost threw it away with a big loss to Sweden but still got through. This wasn't a strong group and South Korea looked awful so for Germany to be unable to break them down until the end was truly shocking. In the parochial commentary, Germany missed the pace and incision of Leroy Sane but as he was not seen as reliable, he would not have played. His replacement in the squad, Brandt, looked very good whenever he came on with pace and quality so I really don't think Sane would have made a difference. What would have made a difference, and German performances still defined the group here, was a set of German players that looked like they knew how to construct attacks. South Korea were no more than competent in winning but it was a pleasure to see VAR making an offside goal onside and Son running free for the second. What a set of games Germany were involved in!


Goals aplenty in previous games left this last matchday as a bit of a dead rubber. England and Belgium were far superior to their opponents and so went into the last game with good goal difference and maximum points - split on disciplinary points. And both managers decided to rest much of their first teams and blood some of the subs. As a result, there wasn't much to be gleaned, Belgium deservedly continued their run of wins but neither team was left with egg on their faces and we were not quite treated to the spectacle of the France vs Denmark match. England lacked a cutting edge and were found wanting defensively quite a few times straight down the middle. I'm a huge fan of Trent Alexander-Arnold and it was great to see him start and give a very good account of himself - one to keep an eye on. The game started with talk of where the draw was already heading and this game decided which half would host which team - and many in England would be pleased to be on the "easier" half. But these are the same people oblivious to the fact that England have a woeful record in knockout games - beating only Ecuador and Denmark in the current millennium. Why they need reminding again, I don't know, but pride so often comes before a fall.


How do you solve a problem like matching records? Goal difference, followed by goals scored followed by head to head followed by discipline. Discipline? Yep, so Japan progress instead of Senegal by virtue of having picked up fewer bookings in the three games. It is the first time I have heard if this method but it is better than the coin toss of 1990, I am happy with that. This always looked a tight squeeze with a balanced group due to the imbalances in each team but it is a shame to lose Senegal after their pace and (attempted) attacking verve was pegged back by a Japan that was under the cosh. I've generally got a soft spot for Japan but this was not an impressive display and they are pretty fortunate to have caught Colombia out. Colombia will be without James, probably, and so will not have the guile in the middle that he possesses but the more basic threat of Falcao and Cuadrado can definitely unsettle. One to watch.

Monday 25 June 2018

World Cup 2018, matchdays 1 and 2

The Joys of the World Cup
I do love festivals of football underpinned by corrupted bidding practices and very dubious host nations so I have been really looking forward to the World Cup. FIFA are very good at ticking all those boxes these days so I am confident that I will be well served for many years.
I had wanted to do a little blog post after each round of matches but the football has been relentless, absolutely relentless. I am watching every game, as I always [1] do and on weekdays, I am still working a fairly standard work day so I get home at about 6:30 pm and then watch three games of football yet none of them live. This does necessitate the basic exit from much of the normal communications during the day – so no checking of the news/Internet. People I work with mainly don't think that I like football so that is a fairly simple conversation to avoid, which helps. Anyway, that takes its toll and I have felt that a fair bit more than I remember doing before.
So, looking at the games after match days 1 and 2, what have I learned?

Aesthetics
There are a lot of teams with a lot of nice kits and quite a few which are pretty rubbish and that seems to be at random. I did not particularly like the Adidas templates in the photos but they largely look nice on TV. A lot of them seem to be referencing older kits with clear links to 1990 and 1994 with some of the shapes. The Danish one has got the chevrons so all's right with the world. I am still annoyed with some of the colour choices – especially around the shorts – but the look of the games is generally pretty good. I think all the stadiums look fairly similar at pitch level but some of those pitches have been terrible and that does affect the games and the players trying to pass it.
The TV presentation has been largely the same as it usually is with a few graphical flourishes provided by the host broadcaster. The way the scores are shown and the typefaces used are not great and a little gimmicky - the branding of the world cup as a whole is not particularly memorable. It won't stick in the mind like the dots of Italia 90, that is for sure.

Coverage
In the UK, there are two broadcasters for this tournament – ITV and BBC. It is the battle of our age, and every age. And in every age, the outcome seems to be the same with the BBC outclassing ITV at every turn. I have to be honest, I am not watching as much of the ancillary stuff so I'm not so aware of it all but of the bits I have seen, the BBC is a clear winner. A possible exception is the rather magnetic Slaven Bilic [2] on ITV coverage. As I am watching "as live", I do skip a lot of the nonsense but I do try and catch a little analysis too although I became a fan of the "no, kick off isn't at 7:45, it is at 8pm" at Euro 2008. One interesting aspect has been the use by both BBC and ITV of female pundits which has caused uproar with all the usual suspects but for me has done a little bit of a Gary Neville [3] for me on punditry. I didn't think Gary Neville was a great pundit but he just highlighted how poor most of it was before – all he did was take the job seriously and decide to do some research and understanding of things before he spoke about them. Both BBC (Alex Scott) and ITV (Eni Aluko) have accepted that they should not be token and they are entirely integrated into the normal punditry model. The BBC has also had female presenters (I do think Gabby Logan is an excellent presenter) and a female commentator too which should not be a point of interest but still is. The first England match was also, at the time, the most watched TV event of the year which is quite impressive in a Royal Wedding year.
That is the TV coverage but both channels have their streaming output (again, better on the BBC with their excellent iPlayer infrastructure) and the BBC also have a VR "app" which I have tried on the PSVR [4] , although it is available through other platforms too. This is only available live and so I have not had so many opportunities to try it. I did try it for Germany vs Mexico and rather enjoyed it. There were three viewpoints which you could select at will – behind each goal and one in the stands on about the halfway line (I guess near the media boxes). I think I have tried similar before for other matches but there was a major difference in quality. The picture here was very good (PSVR is a lower resolution picture than the actual PS4 output) but still not ideal. You could see the whole pitch and the shape of the teams making it feel like a great seat. I have been fortunate enough to have those kinds of seats at a few games I have been to at Anfield and it makes tactical understanding much sharper. The game changer here, the one that makes it a genuinely good experience, is that there is also a fake jumbotron floating above the pitch giving you the TV feed. For me, this is the best of both worlds – tactical view from VR and the replays and close-ups from the TV feed. It was actually a very watchable experience but wearing a headset is not as comfortable as not wearing one and this was not an evening game. I think I will try it again if the stars align.

Football
You see how this is fairly low down the groupings? That isn't a coincidence. I was excited about the start but I knew that the first game was between two poor football teams and it was one of [5] the worst 5-0 matches I have seen. The next few games were no better but after Spain vs Portugal, the quality picked up and matchday 1 was actually pretty good. Matchday 2 has also been pretty mixed in terms of quality overall but has created some interesting matchups. Maybe the best way of assessing is to consider which match of the third Matchday to watch in each group.

A. Uruguay vs Russia
The first game between Russia and Saudi left me concerned - these looked like to two terrible football teams. Egypt were a little toothless without Mo Salah and played as if they had him when setting up but just didn't have the quality. Uruguay were lucky to win with their off day against Egypt and then were fairly comfortable to beat Saudi to face the tireless Russians that seem to have taken an injection of pure enthusiasm after a set of abject displays in the previous decade. I'm not sure it will be a great game but it is always sort of fun watching Suarez and Cavani.

B. Spain vs Morocco
Maybe Spain vs Portugal was the best match of the tournament so far with a strange ebb and flow to the game as a vastly superior Spain were caught out and complacent a few too many times. Being the obvious favourites for the group, it actually made the group quite a simple one and so we have got to the last match with both expected to win to seal their places.
Morocco and Iran have been interesting opponents with both being tricky for the big boys and I especially liked Iran using a lot of the Spanish tricks against them. Iran can actually still make it against Portugal but I just don't really fancy watching them. The other story has, of course, been Ronaldo scoring four including, finally, a direct free kick after 45 World Cup attempts. Portugal are set up to serve Ronaldo and the team seem happy to do so which is at odds to the Argentinian setup. I don't find them particularly fun to watch though, as a result, but I can admire them.

C. Denmark vs France
France have been quite poor but have six points. They look pretty disjointed and ill-prepared but have such a set of players that they may not need to be coherent for the 90 mins if one player can do something in one moment. In many ways, this is a little like how Manchester United have played for a few seasons now and France look similar. It was disappointing to see the Peruvians beaten as they have been a very enjoyable team to watch on and off the pitch but they have ultimately been not quite good enough. Denmark have looked a neat side with Eriksen able to pull the strings and Poulsen providing pace and industry so it could be a good match.

D. Nigeria vs Argentina
Well… The story of the tournament, for many people, is the shockingly poor displays by Argentina and, by extension, Lionel Messi. Argentina look disjointed and disloyal - like a Chelsea team looking to get their manager sacked as they seem to do every few years. Watching Messi in this team is so strange as it feels like he is expected to play as the 10 but people don't offer themselves. It is a very odd situation where the player that can choose options quicker and better than anyone is given none. We watch with the chance it will happen or that there will be an outrageous fall from grace. Right now, either will do. Nigeria will offer a test but they may be easier to play for Argentina rather than an excellent Croatia side or the hugely disciplined Iceland. Iceland have been Iceland - in your face and unintimidated by their opposition. That crowd, and the thunderclap is one for the world, and the World Cup, to really savour. Iceland are happy to be there but we should also be glad to have teams like this there. Croatia were excellent in taking advantage of the sloppy Argentinians and were comfortable in taking Nigeria down with arguably the most accomplished performances of the group stages. Nigeria look ridiculous in their kits and although not as dazzling as the kits, the team were quite good at beating Iceland and will be a stern test.

E. Serbia vs Brazil
A group with Brazil in it is always defined by Brazil. There is something incredibly annoying for me about Brazil, they feel like a huge marketing campaign rather than a football team and have not been a particularly interesting football team to watch throughout my football watching life. A pragmatism allied with usually some genuinely brilliant players is what they have been since winning in 1994. Thus, watching them getting hammered in the last world cup ranks as one of my happiest moments in the world cup - they were lucky to lose by so few. Anyway, another year, another reeling off of Neymar's stats and how great he is not quite matching what I see on the pitch. Brazil do have one of the most interesting passers around in Philippe Coutinho so they are not always an elaborate show pony. In their matches so far, weaknesses have been shown against both teams and the annoyances around diving have come to the fore. Switzerland have looked a dangerous side at times with Shaqiri wandering around the forward line with a true snarling, scampering menace which could break out at any time. Serbia comfortably dealt with Costa Rica and looked comfortable against Switzerland until the second half and so go into the match needing a win. A set of good, technical players allied to the heft of Mitrovic makes them a little erratic but usually fun. The permutations make this interesting and a Swiss win or draw would take them through but Serbia need to beat Brazil with Brazil through with a draw. There will be a bit riding on this game and I feel it might show.

F. South Korea vs Germany
A tight group which is tightly poised at the death after German's travails. Germany are the big beasts here and losing the first game to Mexico, deservedly, after being repeatedly cut apart was an eye-opener. Mexico are quick to counter and open space really well as they did in their second game too. Sweden have played in a fairly Swedish manner with some solidity and something approaching flair but not quite getting there. German complacency almost allowed the Swedes to take a point, or even all three, but they weren't quite able to convert to points. Leaving them needing a victory which could take them through and it is plausible that Germany, Mexico and Sweden could end up on 6 points each as South Korea have been quite woeful. Germany have a lot of quality as has been clear but they have not really been creating great chances nor looking like the champions. Yet, they have probably done enough to win and were pretty good against Sweden so should have enough to defeat South Korea. That, could leave the positions decided by goal difference and maybe even fair play… The Boateng red card could prove more costly than initially thought.

G. England vs Belgium
This group always looked a bit 2 vs 2 and it seemed likely that this last game would be a decider. You might say it doesn't matter too much but it has repercussions for the draw so it will be played for. Belgium have been pretty solid and have an enviable selection of players to choose from with many neat, nippy players to provide the physical weapon that is Romelu Lukaku and +6 for goal difference is not to be sniffed at. England didn't look too good in the first game making it hard for themselves but had not been tested particularly either. Dismantling a weak Panama side gave them the an equal pole position for the group in terms of goal difference (excellently, they are topping the group due to fewer yellow cards than Belgium) but it is again worrying that goals have been conceded to weak sides. They look a little raw and naive - and that makes for an intriguing matchup as I think both teams will go into the match with expectations.

H. Senegal vs Colombia
I didn't feel there were many standout teams in this group and the Japanese victory against Colombia opened the group up. It means four fairly evenly matched teams with wildcards for each team that I rather rate (Kagawa, Lewandowski, Mane, James) giving it a nice balance. I feel like all of the teams would have been pleased to progress but would not necessarily aim for much more than that so it is a weird group. I have a soft spot for Japan and they have been their usual neat selves (with mental blockage) but the other game has more riding on it. Senegal and Colombia can both go through and with the even nature of the teams, I feel like any result could happen in both games so it is very open.

There is a lot to play for, and a lot still to watch. It is now that it starts getting truly serious.



1. I think I have watched every available game of World Cup football since 1998 (or actually the latter stages of 1994, more strictly) not including games which are played at the same time such as the third group games. In recent years, that has been largely "as live" by recording games.
2. Yes, he of some fine World Cup ignominy in 1998 with Laurent Blanc.
3. Gary is actually on ITV but without room to breathe, he does not do much more than the other pundits to be honest.
4. PlayStation VR is a nice little setup attaching to the PS4. I have been absolutely blown away by at least one thing ((Rez Infinite) which I blogged about in 2016. I said at the time that nothing would be the same again. It hasn't been.
5. I think England vs San Marino was probably worse.

Thursday 14 June 2018

ロン丼牛ドン / London Gyudon 05: Sushi Waka

This would be the third restaurant that we went to that appeared to specialise in a particular kind of Japanese food but none of them had been gyudon. Sushi Waka seemed to be a sushi place, so it was still not specialising in gyudon, and took us to North London or Camden to be more specific. This was pretty convenient for me as I didn't live too far away and I know the area quite well. As a result, I had been to Sushi Waka before but had been to some other Japanese restaurants more often. My favourite Japanese restaurant is in Camden and is called Asakusa close to Mornington Crescent station and I also rather like Seto Ramen which is also nearby. As far as I am aware, neither does gyudon and so Sushi Waka it would be.
Camden is a bit of a nightlife area and there is a fairly "old" feel to the establishments in the area with the atmosphere having been set a long time ago rather than as a result of more recent redevelopment but there is still plenty of new to go with the old. Nearby the multiple Camden markets bring plenty of tourist footfall to the general area but Parkway is not so close to the market and so I imagine the restaurant does rely on regulars rather than drop-ins.
The first thing to note is that there was no "gyu-don" on the menu, only in set form. The restaurant feels different to each of the ones we've been to so far with very little pretentiousness which comes with being a more local kind of place. Sushi Waka itself must be of a certain vintage as it has a sign that gives that away if you know the details[1]. This little fact, I love.
Camden has a few Japanese restaurants and parts of LB[2] Camden have long been home to Japanese people which lends itself to less touristy restaurants, I hope. It was a pleasant restaurant inside but was not particularly modern feeling, or even "refreshed" with old looking décor and rather odd dining chairs which looked like conference or meeting chairs. It did not feel upmarket or downmarket, it just felt a bit local and quite unimpressive as a location. There is also a Japanese (tatami) room upstairs but we did not see that.
We didn't pick so many dishes and supplanted the order of 2 gyudon sets with vegetable korokke and some house salad and decided we'd get more if necessary. The sets came with miso soup, pickles and fruit so we felt that had enough variety, initially at least. The food didn't all come together and was served, effectively, as courses with the korokke, soup and salad coming first, followed by gyudon.
The korokke was pretty creamy and tasty but nothing particularly noteworthy (it was just something I'd not had in a while) but it reminded me of supermarket food in Japan - in a good way. The salad was fairly plain and seemed to be more an accompanying dish rather than a course but we still finished it before gyudon was brought out. Interestingly, the table was clear as we sat down with no condiments, such as soy sauce and shichimi[3] at all so the restaurant was obviously confident in seasoning appropriately. I was less confident and so asked for some shichimi to put in the soup but only wanted to have it with the gyudon.
The gyudon was brought out in quite large, solid bowls that felt more like bibimbap bowls, such was their heft. This is relevant as it made it enjoyable to hold when eating [4] with chopsticks. The big bowl meant quite a decent portion of rice and meat – and the meat was quite dark with a little sprinkling of pickled ginger. That, however, is just the mechanics, how was the taste? In all honesty, I was not expecting much with the colour not looking quite right. And that taste was very good. Surprising, but very good. The meat was sweet – far sweeter than I expected or probably (thought that I) wanted but quite easy to eat. Coupled with the rice, it was a great combination as the rice soaked up a bit of that sweetness. As I mentioned before, there were no condiments on the table and so no extra pickled ginger either but the sprinkling that was in the bowl was also very good and wonderfully sharp providing an excellent counterpoint to the meat and rice. I was genuinely surprised about how good it was. I was also heartened by the quality of the miso soup which felt deep and flavoursome which again was improved by the addition of a little counterpoint which the shichimi provided. Being picky, as I devoured the bowl, it did feel a spot dry but Paul said it was a bit "wet" for him so it may just have been the way we ate it. There was no egg to top the dish but we were both in agreement about this one – it was not missed. We both left our bowls without even a single grain of rice remaining and that sweetness of the marinade goes so well with the rice by the end, having seeped through such that the balance is spot on. It is a bowl that improves through the meal which is quite an odd sensation. Eventually, after being asked about whether we wanted anything else, we were presented with small fruit plates as a sort of dessert (although there is an actual dessert section on the menu) which was at turns very Japanese but also quite uncommon – I think the first time we have had it. It was a very satisfying conclusion to the meal which cleansed the palate and also gave a fresh ending [5] .

As ever, it felt a bit bad to miss out on much of the breadth of the menu (in this case, sushi) due to the project but it was not such a disappointing turn of affairs as it was in Machiya. The "gyu-don set" is a good meal in its own right and the surroundings are pleasant enough but I was truly impressed by the gyudon. It was not particularly nostalgic for me, but at the same time, it kind of was. I don't think the gyudon I used to enjoy in Japan was quite as sweet and it did not set off any repressed memories (as for the Koya meal) about gyudon so it was different to what I was expecting but not a fundamental diversion so it did tick the boxes. I would definitely recommend a visit to most people as the gyudon was really nice and the restaurant presents an atmosphere of a Japanese restaurant that is not quite as prevalent as it used to be. That lingering feeling of the past and not quite modern interpretation of Japanese décor is one that I really appreciate and is not replicated too much anymore. The gyudon was great and I'd be intrigued to try some more from the menu.


Cost of gyudon (set): £12.50

Sushi Waka
75 Parkway, Camden Town, London NW1 7PP


1. The Sushi Waka sign has a phone number that does not work any longer and has not worked since 1999 as Inner London's area code for telephone numbers changed from 01, to 071 to 0171 to 020 within about a decade.
2. LB meaning London Borough. LB Camden is fairly dense and, although an inner London borough and so smaller than others, covers Covent Garden in the south to Highgate in the north. The Finchley Road area had traditionally had quite a few Japanese ex-pats. They weren't immigrants, they were ex-pats.
3. Shichi-mi tōgarashi also known as nana-iro tōgarashi or simply shichimi, is a common Japanese spice mixture containing seven ingredients.
4. I like to eat bowls of rice held in my left hand rather than from the table but I have to say that I rarely do it in restaurants in the UK. I don't think I have been doing that on the gyudon project either but it felt really nice here. It is all part of the process.
5. It was not a true ending though, of course – it was only 8pm. Not too far away on Kentish Town Road, we went to the "Dirty Ice Cream" emporium Mamason. This is a fairly new Filipino ice cream bar that I had been to before and thought it worth checking out again for a dessert and/or drink. With a selection of ice cream and sorbet flavours that are rarely seen in London, such as ube and lychee, we thought it worth a try. And it very much was as the ice cream was excellent.