TV Review: All the Light We Cannot See (2023)

STORY

During the final phase of the great war, when the French wait for the American troops to defeat the Nazis, a blind French girl waits for her father to return from his mission.

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INTRODUCTION

‘All The Light We Cannot See‘ is a Netflix limited series consisting of four episodes. The series is based on Anthony Doerr‘s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. The story is set in a time when the Nazis invaded France and the only optimism that was left against those evils were the French resistance.

The show is centered around two teenagers. One is this blind French girl Marie-Laure LeBlanc who along with her father Daniel and her great-uncle Etienne are part of that resistance.

The other teenager is a German boy Werner Pfennig. An orphan who has an exceptional skill for repairing radios and helps him admit in a military school that turns him into a Nazi soldier.

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IMPRESSIONS

The reason for watching this show are many. One reason is that this teleplay is developed by Steven Knight, the creator of Peaky Blinders. The whole series is directed by Shawn Levy, one of the makers of ‘Stranger Things‘. And personally the world war themed projects have been very compelling for my consideration. Plus Mark Ruffalo and Hugh Laurie are in the supporting roles, and they are very choosy in their careers.

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THE NEWCOMER

And then this beautiful girl who plays the blind French girl was the light of the show that we all can see. The bts about this actress Aria Mia Loberti is that she was one of the thousands who had auditioned for this role and she was selected in the first try. The most interesting point about Aria playing a blind French girl is that she in real life has a rare genetic condition called ‘Achromatopsia‘ that makes her legally blind.

Although the performance of a blind by a blind can be a piece of cake but that is certainly not the case. If acting was so simple and easy, would have never been considered to be taught or act as a profession. Not only did she fit in the character but the sentimental and psychological aspects in the anatomy of the character were sublime. Aria is an extraordinary addition in this line of work and I would like to see her acting in future projects if there are.

Those of you who are Bollywood buff like me, can you agree with me that Aria Mia Loberti has an uncanny resemblance with actress Mithila Palkar?

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THE HARDEST REMINDER

‘All The Light We Cannot See’ is a fictional tale of relations that are tested with time fighting against the injustice and struggling to create a society of resistance that stands for their land against the invaders. That reminds me of something very similar to what is exactly happening in Gaza. I am not dragging the matter but this show has been released at the most perfect time to make all the Netflixters assume how and why the resistance becomes necessary.

When you are stripped of every known human right and are targeted to be beaten, bombed, and killed for demanding what is your’s, a series like ‘All The Light We Cannot See’ helps you to realize and come out of denial. So this series, with all its loyalty with the book’s plot line, is a blessing to correct your observation about a situation.

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RELATIONSHIP DETAILING

I liked the detailing of Marie’s relation with her father and then great-uncle that presses on the finity of the time that is passing without alarming them when their world is going to be collapsed. It is very natural depiction about how Marie and Etienne find common grounds, and Etienne’s insecurity melts by her encouragement. It was so touching when father Daniel tells the Nazi that his daughter’s blindness is not a misfortune but a blessing.

Another reason why I rate Marie’s character highly is because of the character detailing about her intelligence that naturally comes from blindness. Her reading the book, sense of touching, and listening the objects were well covered.

The sibling-hood of Werner and his sister were also carefully written with so much emotions involved. It was so touching when she listens to her brother on the radio.

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MINUSES

Without a doubt, the series is impressive overall. But I have some issues to address about the show that I didn’t find it right at all.

The one is that I sense that four episodes were not enough to wrap up the story. Only the readers of that novel can better judge my opinion. I haven’t read the novel but I found out that the novel has over 500 pages. So I reckon four episodes certainly are ignoring a lot of details from the book. And it looks very clear when you are in the middle of the third episode until the end of the show. The development in the continuity looks dragged. Steven Knight must have offered at least 6 episodes if not 8.

The other issue is the most annoying one. The entertainment industry has become a global village more than ever. With so much diversity and cultural exchange involved, it is time to embrace that the character of a particular nationality should speak their language to maintain commonsense and realism. Because it was bizarre to see all the non-American/non-British characters were speaking English. Marie, Daniel, and Etienne are a French family and to my utter shock, they neither sound French nor they pronounce the English vocabulary in French. It is completely okay if a non-French plays a French, this is where the performance is tested. But why are you not acting in French?

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CLOSING REMARKS

Besides, the technical aspects are likeable. I must praise such compelling production design that made us love this place called Saint-Malo. Editing the screenplay becomes more challenging when the project is presented in a nonlinear narrative. And with countless reminders of the past blended with the present, I say it was superb effort in editing. The ending part was pretty predictable and quite typical.

‘All The Light We Cannot See’ is a massive win for Aria Mia Loberti and an unintentional political message that holds distinction. The show looks visually attractive that covers the unwanted mediocrity. With stereotypical portrayal of Nazis and not much favor done by the writing, I feel the show, despite being in the faithful hands, could have been executed much better.

RATING 6/10

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Book Review: The Diary Of A Young Girl (1947)

The events of the World Wars staging on the planet earth not only brought the highest recorded casualties of the 20th century but brought many historical consequences and incredible stories. People in my community often take Hitler‘s genocide of killing 6 million European Jews as an act of achievement or blessing because they theorize the opinion that it is the Jews being blood-thirsty toward the Muslims in Palestine for decades. Hardly they are familiar with the Zionism movement and do not recognize the difference between the Jewish religion and the Zionism movement.

The complexity of the subject lies in the tragic state where the Jews were the prime target in The Holocaust. In my life, I personally came to realize that Jews have been war or political victims ever in the timeline when I happened to watch Roman Polanski‘s The Pianist back in 2003. I was familiar with the face of the young Anne Frank as I happen to see in some tribute videos played on the TV a few years ago and I calculated the prominence of her picture in the history section that there is something very memorable about this girl.  Later on, through various sources on the internet, I learned about her personal and posthumous achievement as a teenage diarist revealing some very critical details of the existing chaos in Nazi Germany and the Netherlands, and her very tragic conclusion of giving up life in one of the concentration camps in Germany at a minor age of 15.

Anne Frank rose to posthumous fame globally when her diary was published with the sharp details of her personal life and the war disturbances during her two-year hiding with her family. It is not just an impression of reading a girl’s diary speaking of the world war but it is a deep psychology of understanding one of the 6 million casualties about how a normal person of any age is shaped in the historic or political chaos. How does a girl of 13 with all the luxury of a domestic and school life live an unfortunate life in the two-year hiding with her family?

Everyone in Europe was affected by the world war and Anne Frank is one of the most discussed Jewish victims of that time. As a reader, when you read the first dozens of the letters, you become a child like her. With her writing and your reading, you begin to create and develop an understanding of her, her ideology, her opinion, her social behavior, and attitude towards her parents, her sister, her friends (among which couple of them became more than a friend for a short period), and other people with whom she was hiding in the concealed rooms. Diary was Anne’s best and most loyalist friend but the reading mentally convinces if you are the diary’s replacement and the deceased is talking, admitting, and confessing to you.

Anne wasn’t a childish immature diarist as I was expecting. To my surprise, she was a mature girl who had a treasure of words to describe in detail her physical and emotional developments. She was impressive in giving detail about the structure of the house where the whole family was hiding which is known as the Secret Annex (Achterhuis in Dutch). She has spoken about her relationship with Peter in much detail which draws your attention. Peter was a 16-year-old son of the van Pels family, the family who joined the Franks in the hiding. Besides, she expresses her love for history and literature and set her ambition to become a journalist when the war is finished.

In my reading experience, the dozens of books which I have read so far, this is the book that gives me more pain and grief. I have to admit that when I was reading this book, I was traveling the time and wanting that bad to save the entire family from the evils of invasion. It breaks my heart to understand how much people have to suffer from the decisions made by the people in power. I began thinking while reading her letters about my honest opinion that the whole world, its existence, the life, the timeline, and every creature arriving at the surface are all scripted by God. He is the author, a writer of the fate of the earth and its inhabitants. Anne was bestowed with the diary, a present she got on her 13th birthday from her father. A month later, the hiding began and the diary gifted a month ago became Anne’s keeper of the secrets. For the next two years, she began writing in rich detail about a lot of things until she was arrested by the Gestapo and sent to the concentration camp. It was Miep Gies who hid the Franks and van Pels in the Secret Annex. Months after Anne’s tragic death, Miep found the papers and the diaries on the floor of the concealed room. She didn’t read it but forwarded it to Anne’s father Otto Frank after the war when her death was confirmed in the Autumn of 1945. If there was no war, there would have been no hiding and this book would never be written nor reached us. It is all scripted, Anne wasn’t brought into this world to live a normal life. She was born in the most disturbing timeline at the unfortunate place to write the diary and do us a favor to read her. It is all scripted. 

Miep Gies died a few years ago at the age of 100. One of Anne’s friends, Hanneli Goslar, is still alive at 88 and now lives in Jerusalem with her family. Goslar has appeared in several Anne Frank documentaries. Had Anne not died in the camp, she might have fulfilled her ambition to become a journalist and would have been 88 to date. Anne and her sister Margot were buried in an unknown mass grave but the reading of her memoir is buried in our hearts and we have sympathies and respect for the poor little girl. 

Movie Review: Bridge of Spies (2015)

Bridge Of Spies is one of the most terrific historical drama I have seen in last few years. Directed by Steven Spielberg and written by the Coen brothers, the movie is somehow based on James B.Donovan’s book “Strangers on a Bridge“. James B.Donovan was an American insurance lawyer, who after his experience of Nuremberg Trials in 1945 (also mentioned in the movie) was asked by US Govt to defend Soviet spy Rudolf Abel.

Now who was Rudolf Abel? Shortly speaking, Abel was born in UK to Russian émigré parents, which means born to the couples living in political exile. He served Soviet military and fought against Nazis in WWII. After the war, he lived as spy in US where years later he was caught by FBI. The director began his part in the movie from here and I think that was a good decision.

The movie has two phases blended splendidly. One is Donovan/Abel phase and the other is Powers/Pryor phase. The other phase is story of two Americans. Francis Gary Powers was American pilot whose CIA spy plane was shot down by the Soviets in 1960 and Frederic Pryor, a graduate student, was caught by East German police without any charge a year later, who was studying there since 1959.

Spielberg offers sharp visual historic presentation of the famous exchange occurred in Glienicke Bridge. The famous exchange scene has been shot at very same historic site. The dare and gallantry of James B.Donovan is well explained, his wit saved Abel’s hugely expected hanging sentence into a 30-year imprisonment which turned into nationwide massive shock.

When it comes to tell history, the most important aspect to the viewers and readers is ‘deep intensity’. Spielberg successfully sketches deep realistic intensity hitting your head hard, specially at two different scenes. One is the court scene when the judge declares Abel’s punishment to 30 years instead of hanging, next 5 minutes are the peak of boiling points. The other scene is Donovan witnessing Berlin Wall shooting, facial expressions of Tom Hanks who plays Donovan here are priceless.

Bridge of Spies is committed with 90% historical accuracy with slight alterations i.e., all critical points under the incidents happened and presented in the movie are true. Spielberg’s frequent collaborator John Williams did join to compose movie’s score but left for Thomas Newman due to health issues but Newman justified his musical presence and didn’t make us miss John’s score. Production and costume designs were super-excellent, one simply cannot expect an error in these two departments as Speilberg has been veteran of many many historic movies.

Pace is slow but adaptable. Mark Rylance as Rudolf Abel is a showstopper who deservingly won Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for this role. Overall, Bridge of Spies is a decent history digging movie from a very important time-zone of the 20th century.

Ratings: 8.8/10

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THE ART OF WAR – Paris Attack & the Proxy War

Predictions can meet your opinions and social media brains can vow the lost words framed in the past. It is an emotional rectifying bond of unheard whispers with uninvited gunshots. So when the music is loud, you are at temporary betrayal of daunting hope…

Unheard of your cost, the weapons had its say and the case was dismissed in the court of shadows. When bad things happen, word of mouth has no protection. The reason why yours and mine opinion differ is because we use our own brains for the textures to follow, to the faith we believe and methods we retrieve. Same methods are voiced to the readers and listeners, they tweet you and become a league. From here, if brain was wrong that day, you cannot expect the league today has its ideal foundation towards the solution. It will certainly drive a wrong road. Non-classified u-turn is unhygienic for melting egos.

A Friday night of many thousands of travelers, visitors, spectators, musical ear-folkers, sports-addict and concertgoers met their horrors in major European city – Paris. Gunfire and blasts were heard and the terror was installed by night. A series of mass shootings and suicide bombings has so far caused lives of 130 civilians and gashed around 350 others.

Locations were;

1) La Belle Equipe – A very popular Bistro, which was of full capacity when the shootings happened and killed at least 12. One witness said that the shooting at this site lasted for three minutes!

2) Le Carillon/Le Petit Cambodge – Former is café-bar and latter is a Cambodian restaurant. Both are located directly opposite to 408-year-old Saint-Louis Hospital. So far at least 12 are reportedly dead.

3) La Casa Nostra pizzeria – at this location is reported that a man with a machine gun fired on its terrace and killed 5 people.

4) Stade de France – creates massive center of media attraction due to the fact that a friendly football match between France and Germany was played and three explosions were heard after 30 minutes of the first half. The detail more worth is that French president Francois Hollande was seated there. He was rushed to safety after the second explosion.

When Argentina meets Germany [Last Part]

((Kindly read the first part of blog before jumping here))

Despite the fact that Marco Reus and İlkay Gündoğan were injured and not part of the World Cup, the team stayed firm. With the blend of experience and talent headed by their finest manager Joachim Löw, this Germany team of 2014 was one of most complete team ever won the title. 

Such technicalities were missing in Argentina’s side which was a huge morale slipper. In whatever shape the team was, they were consistent in relying the glory on Leo Messi. Despite quality names on forward, the chemistry didn’t work. Manager Alessandro Sabella failed to bring a huge outcome from one of most talented sides of the tournament. The deadly duo of Messi/Aguero became ‘so.called’ deadly duo. Injuries of Aguero and Di Maria came at wrong time.

Sabella regularly disturbed the formation strategy before and during the World Cup which proved his failure. When the coach has a plan, he stick to it and if his team is blessed with bunch of big attackers then he tries to make the formation attacking. Then we expect a strong counter attack. With names of strike-force I am repeating above, you expect ‘shoot to kill’. But the beginning of Sabella’s managerial tactics in the World Cup were embarrassingly disaster. Against the first-timers Bosnia, Sabella presented the most awaiting Argentina under the formation 5-3-2. Result! the whole pressure came on themselves, Bosnia performed impressively in first 45 minutes as the Argentine went way defensive. Sabella’s 5-3-2 plan brutally failed.

It is widely rumored that Messi showed his disappointment to the coach and forced him to change the formation to the most ideal one. At the beginning of next half, 5-3-2 turned into 4-3-3 and Argentina hardly won by 2-1. Sabella still kept changing his mind to sometimes 4-3-3 and sometimes 4-4-2. There was no spark in the team, they and their game looked soulless. Most of the time, they bored the spectators and viewers by performing incomplete passes and missing easy chances. Their legs were quite slow in running they never used to be. Sabella remained defensive till the end.

The FINAL between the two great footballing sides was highly anticipated clash. Keeping in mind the rivalry they developed in recent decades, both teams were hunting for their 3rd ‘FIFA WORLD CUP TROPHY’. Since the golden trophy was introduced replacing Jules Rimet Trophy, both teams along with Italy and Brazil had won this trophy twice. Germany was hunting for their first World Cup win ever since reunification from the name ‘West Germany’ in 1990 and fourth overall. Both teams had defeated each other in the FINAL to win their last ever World Cup. The other major factor was that no European team had ever won the title on American soil in 84 years.

With the first whistle blown in the FINAL, Argentina stayed defensive as the Germans kept impressing of their formidable strength. They remained physical as Argentine defense also didn’t shatter. Despite powerful display, Argentina were granted ‘luck’. An opportunity badly missed when Higuain threw the ball way far then the crossbar. The defender headed to Higuain by mistake and was only the keeper Neuer to beat but couldn’t hold the pressure.

The next time Higuain netted, the referee disallowed due to offside. Higuain met the same offside fate back in 2010, when his 2nd half goal against the very same side was disallowed due to same reason. Oh boy! things getting tight and then Messi missed a great chance after dribbling few players. At full-time, it was a goalless draw. Argentina’s defense was the backbone as the game went extra-time. Palacio repeated the semifinal blunder with an easy chance near the keeper  and missed. Then I realized the team has its final say. Had those chances met by the opponents, they would never waste, never ever! Only the strikers were to blame for those chances as the super-sub Mario Götze went on to score a magnificent goal.

This is where you may go more deep to understand the strength of German team that if Plan A do not work, then focus on Plan B. Joachim Löw had remarkable names benched in Draxler, Schürrle, Gotze and Mertesacker, even the team had a brilliant goalkeeper to sub Manuel Neuer in BVB’s veteran goal-keeper Roman Weidenfeller. The consolation goal assisted and scored was done actually by substitutes Schürrle and Gotze respectively. What about Argentina’s benches? Oh I forgot, Sabella’s Plan A and B both are Leo Messi.

The title went from our hands, and Messi & company went dejected. The biggest Argentine crowd ever invaded Copacabana beach and Brazilian streets and stadiums, went stunned. Messi did create chances in FINAL but didn’t come up to the expectations. It was indeed a very painful sight to lose the final. It surely was Argentina’s greatest opportunity ever in 28 years to take the title but alas! Messi could have become ultimately the greatest footballer ever to take the title but now for at least four years, he will remain under the shadow of Maradona.

 

LEO MESSI WON GOLDEN BALL

Leo Messi winning Golden Ball award!!! For receiving the award, he looked very devastated for surely that was never the award he had burning desires to win. Millions have shared their views and opinions about his winning the Golden Ball which means the award for the best player of the tournament.

Last 5 World Cups have witnessed the Golden Ball handed to the loser. Romario was the last recipient of Golden Ball who won the World Cup. Before Messi, his fellow Argentines winning the Golden Ball were the World Cup winners Mario Kempes and Diego Maradona. Had Messi won the title, could have been the perfect hat trick but now it looks a bit odd to see Messi in level with them without holding a World Cup.  Argentina is now the footballing nation with most Golden Ball winners but who cares. Being world champion signifies more than individual awards which Messi has many.

 

Should Messi have won the Golden Ball?? Was he deserving or not?? My opinion fell in two aspects to judge his credibility for the award:

1) Plus point – INSPIRATION: Being captain and the main weapon, Leo Messi single-handedly made his team reach to at least the Semifinals. Won all three games by himself in group stage. Assisted Di Maria in R16 and created chance for Higuain in Quarters against Belgium. Semifinal was a sorry note but he created few more chances in FINAL. Messi was the biggest reason this soul-lost team reached the Final. Had he not been playing, Argentina would be placed not even third in the group stage.

2) Minus point – AURA of SHOW: This is not the same Messi we used to watch him play in those golden years between 2008-2012. He lacked that body language and the biggest reason is his injuries which lowed him since record-breaking 2012. For winning ‘BEST PLAYER’ of the tournament, you are compared to the other master performers of the tournament where he surely don’t rank on the top at least.

So was he deserving or not??? My answer is NO. James Rodríguez, Thomas Müller or Arjen Robben would have been deserving winner.

 

WHAT IS ARGENTINA’S FUTURE??

In latest FIFA World Rankings, Argentina is placed 2nd in world ranking with Germany leading the rankings for the first time in nearly 20 years. Argentina’s new ranking is motivational but not realistic.

So now what should be done??

How can Argentina come back to its prime what supporters have known for decades??

What steps should AFA (Argentina Football Association) take now??

First of all, terminate contract of head-coach Alessandro Sabella (if he don’t resign). He is massively responsible in destroying Argentina football. It is not like if Argentina do not have great managers. The last time Argentina ever had rendered a valuable service of a genuine head-coach, it was José Pékerman. Under him, Argentina was the most talented line up the last time ever back in 2006 edition. He recently enjoyed tremendous success with Colombia as the team reached the Quarterfinal for the first time in World Cup despite the absence of their key player Radamel Falcao but the presence of amazing young talent James Rodríguez.

Other options!! We have Jorge Sampaoli, the head-coach of Chile. Chile has become more attacking and physical under him as compared to the last World Cup campaign. Another impression is their powerful defense which was clearly seen in games against Spain and Brazil. The other big name is in fact the mighty one, Diego Simeone. I know the Atletico Madrid manager has no intention to leave the Spanish club right now but still he is the hottest name to be considered for coaching Argentina in future. Recently, he stated that he might coach the team in future but he feels he is not in position to take this job now and should be the most experienced one like Luis Aragonés or Vincent del Bosque.

There should be no argument and there is no doubt that Argentina has a lot of talent and enjoys rich culture of football. They have won the most U-20 World Cups than any other teams (6). In fact they won 5 of those titles since 1995. It is all about grooming the youngsters under correct and genuine hands. May AFA take some steps in these four years to develop a strong team under a strong manager for the next tournament to be played in Russia.

I am proud of my team. Despite all the mistakes, they worked very hard to achieve the goal when no one expected us to even cross the Quarterfinal. We struggled to prove the critics wrong but lost to the best side of the tournament. I am proud that we played strongly against the Germans, fought hard and when lost, we lost by only one goal. We lost with pride and dignity. Many emotional fans were taunting that after humiliating Brazil at their own backyard, Germans will kill Argentine but that never happened.

I congratulate Joachim Löw for taking what you deserve. Your team won the title and undoubtedly you were the deserving team. Since that defeat in Mexico, you have come hard on us and thanks for presenting a dynamic team. Commiserations for my Argentina! when you lose on ground with pride, my love grows more for you. Being runner-up, I hope to see the team progress more in coming years.

Ole ole ole, ole ole ole ola,

ole ole ole cada día te quiero más,

yo soy argentino, es un sentimiento, no puedo parar!

(Translation)

Ole ole ole, ole ole ole ola,

ole ole ole, I love you more with every day,

I am Argentina, it is just a feeling, that I cannot stop.

Vamos Argentina!! Viva Leo Messi!!

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When Argentina meets Germany [First Part]

While I strive to recover back to normality from one of the biggest ‘hurt’ of my life from the supposed-to-be Maracanã chapter of glory, I am submitted to natural boos and foos with the proud defeat on our feet. With the most ridiculous nature of timing of repeatedly meeting your same old foe every four years, my blood is submitted to boil more and more.

Till the two great nations met in Final of one of the biggest sporting events, expectations were high and even stats were favorable but we were compromised with the fact of staying a one-man team since day 1 which sportingly didn’t work in front of arguably one of the greatest teams ever to win the world title in football team.

Myself, I am not an Argentina football fan nor am I Argentina football supporter but I am just just just just a mad Argentina lover. This team has been widely inspiring the football lovers since Mario Kempes‘ heroics in 1978 till Carlos Bilardo‘s side led by the Argentine footballing God, Diego Maradona. I am lucky that I did watch him play in his last two world cups in my childhood, one when he was madly crying and other time, when he was arrested.

Then a long persistent break blocked the golden-fame of Argentina’s football and on that occasion rose the 2nd greatest era of their rivals when the best player of the tournament Roberto Baggio missed the penalty.

I kept searching the next Maradona in Ortega, Batistuta, Crespo, Aimar, Saviola, Riquelme but couldn’t find until I saw the boy on the bench coming to sub Maxi Rodriquez in that meeting with Serbia and Montenegro in Germany. That run!!! oh that run!!! in couple of minutes he assisted Crespo and then in few more minutes, he netted too. There I realized, the most happening thing in football has finally arrived, he surely was Jesus to God with an incredible footballing talent, he was that wonder baby-face kid, Lionel Messi.

Since that edition of world title, their old foe Germany has been the biggest hurdle towards the path of glory settled for Argentina. In last three successive World Cup editions, Argentina met Germany at some stage, tasted the defeat and lost the title. They are no more a foe but strangely have become angel of death, and that fact has become embarrassing now.

If I count that Rome defeat, then the cradle of curse chop Argentine shoulders even more with the darkest fact that Argentina in total have been knocked out four times by Germany in last four meetings on world’s biggest footballing stage. What a Curse!!!

 

1990 FINAL, ROME

That 1990 Final was a dirty referee game heavily aided the title to the wrong and undeserving team. The match was one of the most controversial ill-tempered final ever played in WC history. Selection of referee Edgardo Codesal was pathetic. He booked two red cards to Argentine players, denied one clear penalty when Matthaus tackled Calderon and last of all, gifted controversial penalty to Germany. Maradona cried like a baby, that could have been his back to back triumph in World Cups but was robbed of dirty decisions against his team. Sometimes  I sense some stinky revenge in Beckenbauer’s mind for that loss to Maradona-inspired Argentina back in ’86 final. That ’86 loss to Argentina was also Germany’s first ever loss to an American side in World Cup.

 

2006 QUARTERFINAL, Berlin

2006 meeting saw a well balanced contest but again referee messed Argentina’s chances. Everyone watched what the-then German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was doing in penalty shootouts. He was reading that small piece of paper-note reminding him where was he suppose to dive on whose kick. Argentine footballers begged for mercy and protested to referee but referee heavily ignored. We all witnessed the aftermath, Argentina’s frustration resulted into fighting and kicking the opponents after the shootouts. What a sad scene that was!! I am glad Sergio Romero did the Lehmann in semifinal penalty shootout and wasn’t blasted by football viewers. If Lehmann can do, then Romero can.

 

2010 QUARTERFINAL, CAPE TOWN

2010 meeting was a joke. This time even a more stronger German side took Maradona’s plastic team which looked strong only on paper. Germany humiliated Argentina by 4-0 with the biggest weakness brutally and bizarrely exposed, defense. The biggest inspiration Maradona was in fact the biggest depression in managerial tactics and was widely criticized. I am yet to understand what was Jonás Gutiérrez doing in that 2010 side. Absence of our main weapon, Juan Riquelme, was badly missed.

 

THE 2014 STORY

Internal footballing politics has damaged our football strength. If Riquelme rejected playing under Maradona in 2010, present coach Alessandro Sabella promised with himself to never ever select Carlos Tevez for God knows what reason. On the record, Tevez has never been considered since Sabella joined the team as head coach. Despite wonderful season with Juventus, Tevez was not even picked in preliminary WC squad.

And we paid the price! Argentina’s dangerous looking strike force was once again on paper, lacked meat with no chemistry of counter attacking. As expected, the pirates relied on the captain of the ship. It was a strange moment for me to realize that a never-expected weak-looking defense was actually my team’s backbone instead of hugely-expected strong-looking strike force. Marcos Rojo shined at his box, Demichellis proved worthy as veteran, Zabaleta kept his Manchester City form with him and Garay was above-average. Di Maria and Mascherano heavily took their duty specially the latter was inspirational and motivational. His semifinal performance was one of the best midfield show in world cup.

In strike-force, Aguero-Palacio-Higuain-Lavezzi were very disappointing. Higuain at least netted once but the rest just surprised me. There was seriously no threat among the strikers. Ladder to success and path to glory fell upon the lone warrior, their captain Leo Messi. A huge pressure mounted upon him as not only the team but the whole nation and millions of his supporters were expecting him to win the World title and stand among the ranks of Pele, Maradona, Beckenbauer, Zidane and Ronaldo.

 

There are two aspects of losing the title; either Messi didn’t inspire in last two games or his teammates could just not took his vision into their strength. His team scored only 8 goals throughout the tournament; half by himself, each by Rojo-Higuain-Di Maria and one was an own goal. 6 of the 8 goals were netted in the group stage, the rest? one reached the net in dying minutes before penalty shoot-outs while the other was netted by chance due to opponent’s deflection. The team remained goalless in last two most important games.

Argentina struggled in every single game, none of the games played was convincingly or one-sidedly won. The team was blessed by unarguably the easiest group with less than average teams. Despite the fact, Argentina was so weak that debutant Bosnia and Iran performed extraordinarily against them. In fact the African fancy team Nigeria shocked in last group stage game when they scored equalizer over Argentina twice. More to a misery, they made Nigerian forward Ahmed Musa the first Nigerian footballer to score a brace in a World Cup game.

Supposed-to-be easy game in Round of 16 turned out to be last call to train. Shaqiri inspired Switzerland kept them goalless until the dying minutes when Messi assisted Di Maria. Belgium game in quarters tested Argentina’s strength and Higuain hit the deflected ball behind Courtois. Semifinal proved the real clash where Mascherano and the army of defenders controlled the game while Dutch defender Ron Vlaar magnificently controlled Messi upto the level that Messi on the record couldn’t touch the ball inside Dutch box for the whole 120 minutes!!! Kind of rare achievement by Louis van Gaal‘s team.

One major plus which made the team progressed to the final was goalkeeper Sergio Romero. Romero, who is not even first-choice goalkeeper of Monaco FC, gave the performance of his life and from the second Nigerian equalizing goal, he didn’t concede the next goal by approximately 490 minutes. After superb Mascherano show in 120 minutes of semifinal, it was Romero who saved the penalties twice in penalty shoot-out marching the team towards the final.

 

The team still fancied their chances of lifting the trophy against the mighty Germans. Joachim Löw has successfully shaped Germany into one unit with a remarkable winning combination. Löw was assistant of head-coach Jürgen Klinsmann for couple of years until 2006 WC edition. In those days, Klinsmann’s side had improved a lot as compared to the side managed by Rudi Völler. Being historically the most consistent side in the World Cup, Germany became ruthless and more physical under Low as compared to Klinsmann.

One major reason of Löw’s managerial success should be credited to the recent managers of their professional association football league Bundesliga. Two of the most heavy-weight league teams, Bayern München and BVB Dortmund have enjoyed the services of brilliant coaching under Ottmar Hitzfeld, Jürgen Klopp, Louis van Gaal, Jupp Heynckes and now Pep Guardiola. These last 5-7 years noticed one of best findings uprooted in local league, who played under-21 and joined the senior ranks at some stage.

German football system polished one of finest products. It is now on the record that six of the eleven German boys, who were part of 2009 UEFA Under-21 Championship FINAL win against England, played the Final of recent World Cup. Names were Manuel Neuer, Sami Khedira, Mesut Ozil, Benedikt Höwedes, Jérôme Boateng and Mats Hummels.

Despite the fact that Marco Reus and İlkay Gündoğan were injured and not part of the World Cup, the team stayed firm. With the blend of experience and talent headed by their finest manager Joachim Löw, this Germany team of 2014 was one of most complete team ever won the title. 

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