World Cup 2014: Who will get beyond the group stages?

Following last week’s draw for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Will Cafferky looks at each of the eight groups that were announced and offers his predictions as to which teams will progress.

Will Bayern Munich’s Mario Mandzukic make an impression on the world stage? Photo: sloanecroatia.com

Group A 

It’s hard to see anyone other than the hosts triumphing in this one, with Croatia probably presenting the toughest challenge. Mexico will be hoping their current transition phase is before the tournament starts, whilst Cameroon need to ensure that they correct the divisions starting to form within the squad if either hope to challenge for the second spot up for grabs.

Prediction: Brazil and Croatia to progress

Key Players: Neymar, Thiago Silva, Kaka, David Luiz, Oscar (Brazil), Mario Mandzukic, Luka Modric (Croatia), Javier Hernandez (Mexico), Samuel Eto’o, Alexander Song (Cameroon)

Group B

This proves much less straight forward than Group A; without wishing to use the label “group of death”, there’s no doubting this is a strong group. 2010’s finalists Spain and the Netherlands speak for themselves. However, as I recently discussed for Exeposé, Chile go into the tournament looking very strong and could upset the Dutch. Meanwhile, spare a thought for Australia.

Prediction: Spain and Chile to progress

Key Players: Jordi Alba, Xavi, Iniesta, David Silva, Cesc Fabregas (Spain), Gary Medel, Arturo Vidal, Alexis Sanchez (Chile), Wesley Snjeider, Robin Van Persie (Netherlands), Miles Jedinak, Tim Cahill (Australia)

Group C

One of the weaker groups of the cup, Group C is without any of the main big hitters. Columbia undoubtedly boast the strongest squad and will look to capitalise on a favourable draw. Ivory Coast will be thankful to finally get a bit of luck with a World Cup group, and this arguably presents their best opportunity to progress to the next round with Japan and Greece likely to prove little more than cannon fodder.

Prediction: Colombia and Ivory Coast to progress

Key Players: Rademel Falcao, Jackson Martinez, James Rodriguez, Fredy Guarin (Colombia) Yaya Toure, Kolo Toure, Wilfried Bony, Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Kesuke Honda, Shinji Kagawa (Japan), Sokratis, Kostas Mitroglou (Greece)

Could Southampton star Adam Lallana ruffle a few feathers against Italy and Uruguay? Photo: telegraph.co.uk

Group D

There were few draws that could have been harsher to England – whilst they did avoid Spain and Germany, they did manage to get the next best thing. Italy are a team in the ascendency under manager Cesare Prandelli, whilst few teams in world football can claim to have two better strikers than Uruguay. It’s hard to see England escaping alive, with the only respite coming in the quivering shape of Costa Rica.

Prediction: Italy and Uruguay to progress

Key Players: Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Pirlo, Mario Balotelli (Italy) Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani, Diego Forlan (Uruguay), Steven Gerrard, Jack Wilshere, Wayne Rooney, Joe Hart (England), Bryan Ruiz (Costa Rica)

Group E

The unseeded France will be rather happy with the result of the draw, as they look favourites to redeem their disastrous 2010 campaign. Honduras will likely prove to be the proverbial doormat, whilst Ecuador and Switzerland will battle for second place, with the latter coming out on top.

Prediction: France and Switzerland to progress

Key Players: Hugo Lloris, Mamadou Sakho, Frank Ribery, Paul Pogba, Samir Nasri (France), Stephan Liechtensteiner, Valon Behrami, Xerdan Shaqiri (Switzerland), Antonio Valencia, Felipe Caicedo (Ecuador), Wilson Palacios (Honduras)

It’s time Leo Messi made an international tournament his own. Photo: empireofsoccer.com

Group F

This group seems fairly straightforward; Argentina’s overwhelming attacking talent will probably send shivers down the spines of Iranian defenders. Meanwhile, Bosnia-Herzegovina will likely be satisfied with the draw, especially following Nigeria’s fairly woeful display at the Confederations Cup earlier this year.

Prediction: Argentina and Bosnia-Herzegovina to progress

Key Players: Javier Mascherano, Pablo Zabaleta, Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez, Gonzalo Higuain, Ezequiel Lavezzi (Argentina), Asmir Begovic, Miralem Pjanic, Zvjezdan Misimovic, Edin Dzeko (Bosnia-Herzegovina), John Obi-Mikel, Victor Moses, Obafemi Martins (Nigeria), Reza Ghoochannejhad (Iran)

Group G

Germany are the favourites of many a pundit for Brazil 2014. Whilst Portugal, Ghana and USA present tough opposition, it’s hard to imagine anything other than an efficient group stage from the Germans. Portugal endured a hairy play-off tie with Sweden to earn their place, and whilst USA and Ghana enjoyed more relaxed campaigns, it’s hard to picture either coping with the superhuman ability of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Prediction: Germany and Portugal to progress

Key Players: Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm, Mats Hummels, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Muller, Mesut Ozil, Mario Gotze (Germany), Pepe, Joao Moutinho, Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani (Portugal), Sulli Muntari, Kwandwo Assamoah, Asamoah Gyan, Kevin-Prince Boateng (Ghana), Tim Howard, Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan (United States)

Group H

Belgium couldn’t have wished for a better group as they look to capitalise upon their impressive qualifying campaign. Labelled a “golden generation,” the team is littered with Premier League superstars. Meanwhile, Fabio Capello’s Russia will face stiff competition from a promising Algeria side for the second spot in the round of 16, with South Korea also destined for an early exit.

Prediction: Belgium and Russia to progress

Key Players: Jan Vertonghen, Vincent Kompany, Alex Witsel, Moussa Dembele, Marouane Fellaini, Eden Hazard, Christian Benteke, Romelu Lukaku (Belgium), Igor Akinfeev, Aleksandr Kerzhakov, Yuri Zhirkov, Alan Dzagoev (Russia), Ryad Boudebouz, Sofiane Ferghouli (Algeria), Ki Sueng-Yueng, Kim Bo-Kyung, Lee Chung-Yong, Ji Dong-Wong, Park Chu-Young (South Korea)

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A Weekend in Lisbon

Following on from his account of his year abroad so far in Northern Spain, Thomas Griffith tells Exeposé Lifestyle about the highlights of his recent long weekend in the Portuguese capital Lisbon…

A city the size of Sheffield, with all the charm of Montmartre: Lisbon is not to be missed. Having returned from a long weekend there, I’m here to tell you why you simply must pay a visit to Portugal’s capital and most important city.

 

Image Credit: Laura Betancourt

Awesome accommodation

Having travelled around Europe before with other students, I know that everyone is looking for a cheap place to lay their head after a day spent sightseeing and drinking half a dozen local beers. However, Lisbon has far more to offer than just low prices. Of the Top 10 Best Worldwide Hostels on Hostel World, no less than four are in Lisbon. I stayed in number two (no giggling, please), Home Hostel, which had a great atmosphere, great facilities and great staff. With no curfew, a free walking tour available and prices below €20 per person per night, it’s easy to see why this place gets a 96% rating.

 

Fantastic food

For those who assume that the Portuguese sit around picking at tapas like their Spanish neighbours, you would be wrong – they love their food and they don’t skimp on the portions. One of the most important ingredients in Portuguese cuisine is cod which is served in a variety of ways (covered in batter on top of a pile of chips not being one of them). Locals boast in particular about bacalhau com natas: cod cooked in cream with onions and potatoes and then baked. I was tempted by carne de porco à alentejana, or pork and clams to you and me. However Lisbon’s most famous culinary invention is the pastel de nata, an egg custard tart which will make you never want to go to Greggs again.

 

Image Credit: Laura Betancourt

Spectacular scenery

Lisbon’s endless narrow streets are themselves a feast for the eyes. From churches to apartment blocks, almost every kind of building in the city is covered in ornately decorated tiles called azulejos depicting an extensive scene or a simple pattern. Not just a decorative item sure to bring out your inner Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, the glaze on these tiles reflects the sunlight, keeping Lisbon’s residents cool in their homes. As in most European cities graffiti is a common sight. Aside from politically motivated mantras you can find spray-can portraits of Portugal’s most famous performers of Fado, the melancholic music genre born in the city’s Alfama district. Situated on the hilltop, the Moorish Castelo de São Jorge offers the best views over the capital. Everything from the 25 de Abril bridge, the Christ the King monument and the Santa Justa lift can be seen in all their glory from up there.

 

Lovely locals

Image Credit: Laura Betancourt

Aside from a tetchy pharmacist who was most put out when I paid for a packet of 35 cents tissues with a €5 note, I found the people in Lisbon to be very friendly and accommodating. People here tend to speak English quite well but of course an attempt at the local lingo is always very much appreciated. Our tour guide was unofficial but very well informed, approachable, and he adapted his spiel very well for a student audience. The only things you need to be warned about are restaurant staff who stand in the street holding open menus and urging you to sit down, and the persistent sunglass salesmen who walk from table to table with their stock, opening their right hand to reveal bags of hash that they’ll try to sell you when you tell them you aren’t in the market for knocked-off Ray Bans.

 

Wonderful weather

After coming to terms with the drizzly weather in A Coruña (the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain, my arse) I decided to prepare myself for anything in Lisbon, cramming long-sleeved tops, jumpers and a raincoat into my Berghaus overnight bag. Fortunately, despite it being the middle of autumn, I had very little need for them. My favourite black jeans were definitely a poor choice for a tour under the Portuguese sun and my raincoat only got an outing once we crossed the Spanish border on the way home. Average temperatures in November are well above what they would be at home, nearing 20 degrees in the day time, and at night I doubt you’d need anything other than a thin jacket to keep you warm.

 

Thomas Griffith

Who are the favourites for the 2014 World Cup?

Neymar reels away after scoring against Spain in the 2013 Confederations Cup. Photo: sambafoot.com

With 10 places still to be decided and almost nine months still to go before the 2014 World Cup kicks off in Rio, it may seem too early to start thinking of potential winners, as the beautiful game heads to arguably its rightful home.

Certainly, you would be hard pushed to find one amongst the 73,500 fanatic and passionate Brazil fans inside the Maracana who would tell you otherwise. Never mind the debates about the rights and wrongs of hosting the World Cup – make no mistake, in Brazil, already, the fever pitch is paramount.

What better reason then to talk about the chances of Brazil’s team to add to their world record World Cup haul? On paper, they look a decent side, with a defence marshalled by Tiago Silva and flanked by Dani Alves and Marcelo, two of the best wingbacks in world football.

Throw in the attacking flair of Neymar, and it would be a dangerous bet to write them off, especially when you consider their emphatic 3-0 victory over hot-favourites Spain in the final of the Confederations Cup.

However, this victory has merely served to paper over the many deficiencies in their team that were masked by a fanatic home support against travel-weary and seemingly demotivated opponents. They still seem unsure of a central striker, with Fred a good goal-scorer but contributing nothing in general play, whilst Hulk on the right flatters to deceive, cutting inside time after time before blazing wastefully over the bar.

As a defensive unit too they appear yet to live up to their potential – they may possess two of the best centre-backs in the world in Dante and Tiago Silva, but they often left isolated by the marauding runs of Dani Alves and Marcelo and inadequate protection in front by Hulk and Neymar. As such, many cracks remain in the host’s armour, arguably too much for them to be seen as the front runners for their home event.

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Read also:

The Dark Horses of the 2014 World Cup

The underachievers of World Cup qualifying

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Elsewhere, Spain as always look the team to beat. They possess a strength in depth unparalleled by their rivals, while their first eleven is so strong that only two or three of the players from the other leading contenders would get into their team.

It is very hard to find any weaknesses in their eleven, but a chink can be found in the shape of right back Alvaro Arbeloa, surely one of the worst players to consistently play for Real Madrid and Spain simultaneously. Furthermore, the central striker position is another minor area of weakness, though they still possess players the envy of most, with Fernando Torres, David Villa, Roberto Soldado, Alvaro Negredo and Michu all in contention for an attacking birth.

One country who doesn’t have to worry about the central striker position is Argentina, who possess an embarrassment of riches in the shape of Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez, Gonzalo Higuain and Angel Di Maria. Throw in Javier Pastore and Eric Lamela playing in behind and you have a potent attacking mix.

The worry, as one might expect, is in defence. Whilst in theory defenders like Pablo Zabaleta and Fabricio Colloccini, with Javier Mascherano to protect them, should be more than capable of holding their own, the problem is that all their front players are constantly racing forward.

Marco Reus, part of the young German generation of attacking flair. Photo: 1000goals.com

This is a fact that makes Coach Alejandro Sabella’s decision not to select Tevez for recent matches somewhat mystifying, given that he offers not only a world class strike-threat, but also immense defensive work rate.  However, Argentina possess more than enough attacking riches to mask their defensive deficiencies, with quality in the final third ultimately what counts in international football.

Managers have a fraction of the time to drill their teams into watertight defensive operations as they do in club football, meaning Argentina arguably have enough to be established as second favourites.

The rest of the contenders almost all come from Europe, with Germany and Belgium the frontrunners. Germany possess no small amount of flair with the likes of Mario Gotze and Mesut Ozil, though their typical efficiency may be hampered by their centre backs, who seem to lack pace.

Furthermore, in the central-striker position they do not seem to have a contender, with Mario Gomez criminally overrated thanks to his ability to score five yard tap-ins whilst, like Fred for Brazil, contributing nothing in open play. He may well be his team’s principal Achilles’ heel, especially given that he seems to need a large number of chances to score one goal.

Germany do, however, have the option of playing a ‘false nine’ up front, in the form of Marco Reus or Thomas Muller. With Spain winning Euro 2012 with Cesc Fabregas in this position, a more fluid approach could bring success against the South American giants. England may go in with more hope than expectation, but the thrill, as ever, will be in seeing them try and this fan intends to watch every minute of it.

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Tom Cambridge

What is… The European Union?

Better off in, better off out… the debate is endless, but public knowledge about this international organisation is not. Just what is the European Union?

the European Union Flag
Image credits: R/DV/RS

What we call today the European Union has existed in various forms since its creation. Currently, this political and economic partnership exists between twenty-eight countries which are, unsurprisingly, situated in Europe.

History

It all began after the Second World War, the idea being that countries which trade would be less likely to go to war with each other. By 1958, the European Economic Community (EEC) was established out of the 1951 European Coal and Steel Community between six initial countries – Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, France, Italy and the Netherlands –freeing up the borders between them to allow better trade links.

We, the United Kingdom (in case you were not so sure), have always been a bunch of sceptics, refusing to make the “Inner Six” a “Seven” in the beginning, and then later joining in 1973 (with a bit of persuasion from the USA and the Suez Crisis). Shockingly, or perhaps not at all, our [poor] relationship with the French meant it would take three attempts at membership and Charles de Gaulle’s departure from the French presidency for them, fearing too much US involvement, to finally stop saying non and ruining our chances.

Now

The EEC became the European Union (EU) in November 1993 under the Maastricht Treaty, establishing what are known as its “Three Pillars”: the European Community – removing the word “Economic” to show the wider policy range it now covers; Common Foreign and Security Policy; and Police and Judicial Co-Operation in Criminal Matters.  Although the latter two Pillars are largely based on international co-operation between member states with representatives working together on relevant issues, the first Pillar contains the supra-national institutions – those who have authority over individual national governments – and all of their work.

To begin, the European Commission is responsible for proposing legislation, upholding the Treaties they establish and running the EU from day to day. Each member state sends a single representative, making a total of twenty-eight members. The President of the European Commission is elected from these twenty-eight by the European Parliament. Don’t confuse this with the President of the European Union (who is actually the head of the European Council), currently President van Rompuy of Belgium!

The European Council has no strict power to make laws, but it is a body of the heads of government of each member state and is responsible for “the general political directions and priorities” of the EU according to the Lisbon Treaty. It acts as a body to be the presidency of the Union, and the head of the Council is its representative.

European Parliament, Strasbourg
Image credits: Salim Shadid

The next institution is the European Parliament. If you have ever voted for a Member of the European Parliament as we are charged to do every five years (the next time being in 2014), this is where the 766 of them elected across the Union work. Depending on their political opinions, they join forces with politicians of similar views to create larger voting blocs such as the Greens or the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats. Its job is to debate and vote on legislation, although it can’t actually use its initiative to create it itself. It does, however, have the second largest electorate (or voting population) in the world after India, and the largest trans-national democratic electorate, with 376 million eligible voters at the last elections.

Despite its lack of initiative, it does share power over the budget with the Council, and has to hold the European Commission shares equal legislative and budgetary powers with the Council and, just to confuse you, has its own President – currently Martin Schulz.

Finally, there is the European High Court of Justice which is the highest court of the EU and based in Luxembourg. It is mainly responsible for making sure all EU law is applied fairly across the Union. Again, each member state sends one judge and so there are twenty-eight of them, although it’s uncommon for all of them to hear every single case.

The Euro

Coming fully into force in 2002, the euro is the currency of seventeen of the twenty-eight member states, also known as the eurozone. A better currency for trading purposes, as well as a sense of unity, the eurozone is estimated by the International Monetary Fund as the second largest economy in the world, and the euro is the most-traded currency after, of course, the US dollar. If you’re as strange as I am (and commiserations if you are), you may have noticed from your travels to the eurozone – perhaps Spain, France, Finland or Ireland – that each country has a different design on the back of coins initially introduced into that country. “RF” for “République Francaise” or the French Republic is stamped across the French euro coins, for example.

The euro has been the cause of much debate and controversy in the UK. You won’t need me to point out to you that we are still in possession of the Great British Pound Sterling for currency, but there has been past discussion amongst British politicians about abandoning it for the euro. Whilst the Maastricht Treaty establishing the EU compelled most member states to swap their pesetas, francs and deutschmarks (among many others) for the euro, Denmark and Britain both notably negotiated exceptions.

New Labour, elected to power in 1997, was cautiously optimistic about joining, dependent upon our passing five particular economic tests first although it was a relatively minor issue in the end, despite William Hague’s decision to run his 2001 election campaign based, bizarrely, almost entirely on keeping the pound. Of course, since the economic crisis and the euro descending into madness, any British subscription to the euro now seems unlikely.

So where should you stand on the EU?

Paying any significant attention to the news and current affairs will make you very much aware of strongly-held and strongly-fought opinions about the Union. Indeed, we have a whole political party dedicated to the cause: the United Kingdom Independence Party, or UKIP.

If you have made it this far through the article, you will perhaps have noted one of the major, particularly British, complaints about the European Union: the bureaucracy is an apparent nightmare. The idea of creating institutions each with their own responsibilities might have seemed wondrous, but instead there are a thousand and one different jobs to do by different people and a fair few “Presidents” and “High Commissioners” to go with it.

Many of said leaders are unelected which is cause for concern for those who are worried that the EU is too close turning into a supra-nation, and generally speaking, election turnout is close to pathetic – so those who debate our laws are not really accountable at all; in the last election, 43 per cent of all European voters cast their ballot.

The one nation problem is another worry in itself. People are not keen to lose their national identities which have been so well forged across the centuries, and many have nothing like a “European” identity. Particularly in Britain, our island mentality restricts us from being too keen to get too involved, and makes us angry when statistics are thrown around about how many of our laws are passed down from the European Parliament.

Eurosceptic politicians shout very loudly however, and those who are pro-EU keep their mouths closed far too much in comparison.

In an increasingly globalised world, it is silly to isolate ourselves from co-operation and partnership. Granted, prosecuting shopkeepers who price goods in pounds and ounces and not grams and kilograms is rather a ridiculous preoccupation for the European Union and anger over it is understandable, as is trying to tell us that Cadbury’s is not real chocolate (come on!!). But without the EU, travelling between mainland European countries would not be as easy as it is – the Schengen Agreement stops you from having to pull out your passport and go through customs and immigration checks every time you cross a border; trade would be restricted; police investigations would be more difficult across borders.

Image credits: Francisco Antunes

Nor could you just go and get a job in an EU country like you can now (provided there are any). Having spent a year living and working in France, without the EU I would have had a much more difficult time trying to set up my residency status and getting healthcare coverage than I did, and would have wasted my time on that rather than learning a new culture and language (and eating cheese – to perpetuate a stereotype).

All in all, the European Union is not about infringing national sovereignty and imposing petty laws on people. Or it ought not to be. It ought to be about co-operation and achieving bigger goals. Politicians argue that we have too many immigrants now – conveniently forgetting or simply not mentioning our chances to go and experience these other countries – and that the EU it costs too much and we aren’t getting the benefit from it back in the UK and if that is true then it is because we are not making the most of our involvement and reaping the benefit we could have whilst we dither on the edge.

Closing borders simply turns us into bigger xenophobes than we already are.

And if none of this convinces you, well then I suppose it has allowed us to hear a fair few stupid quotes…

Top Eight Quotes from European Politicians

1. “Sod off, you prick.” – Nicolas Sarkozy to journalist
2. “[Mr Obama is] young, handsome and suntanned.” – Silvio Berlusconi
3.  Bonus: “Ah, Barack Obama. You won’t believe it, but the two of them sunbathe together, because the wife is also tanned.”) – Silvio Berlusconi
4. “You have all the charisma of a damp rag and the appearance of a low-grade bank clerk and the question that I want to ask, that we all want to ask, is ‘Who are you?’” – UKIP’s Nigel Farage to the President of the European Council
5.  “You have lost a good opportunity to shut up.” – Nicolas Sarkozy to David Cameron
6.  “She says she’s on a diet and then helps herself to a second helping of cheese.” – Nicolas Sarkozy about Angela Merkel
7. “China is a big country, inhabited by many Chinese.” – Charles de Gaulle
8. “In Italy, I am almost seen as German for my workaholism. Also I am from Milan, the city where people work the hardest. Work, work, work – I am almost German.” – Silvio Berlusconi (perhaps I ought not have spoken about stereotypes)

Imogen Watson, Online Features Editor

A Window Into A Year Abroad… Thomas Griffith's Year In Northern Spain

I’m four weeks into my year abroad in A Coruña in northern Spain and the “Indian summer” sun has departed; the dreaded rain has arrived with no signs of leaving and everything is starting to feel…well, normal. Now, a stroll down Calle San Andrés feels as ordinary as a stroll down the High Street in Exeter, though instead of seeing Tesco Express and Costa Coffee I can see Gadis and innumerable independent cafés.

 

A Coruña, Northern Spain
Photo Credit – http://www.travelgeneration.com

 

Whilst the stress of arriving in my new home for the next year without somewhere to live is something I would not like to go through again, I managed to find one very quickly with some lovely Erasmus students and started to settle in, grabbing every opportunity to go out and explore in my free week before starting work as a British Council Language Assistant.

So far I’m really enjoying living the Spanish way. In the evenings everything happens much later than in the UK: people tend to head out at around midnight, usually to a bar for some casual drinks before going on to a club and crawling back at the ungodly hours of six or seven. Beer is cheap and plentiful, as is chupito which is very popular here. It comes in a jug to share between a group and the idea is to pour a shot, add some lemonade and then cover the top with foil before banging it on the table and to mix everything together. It’s tasty, good fun and is usually accompanied by free pots of sweets and nuts.

Due to its reputation as a great culinary nation, it’d be an insult to Spain to write an article without mentioning the food. At the school where I teach lessons finish at 2:10pm, just in time for a good lunch at home (here, wolfing down a hastily prepared sandwich in the staffroom would be unthinkable). Dinner tends to be at nine o’clock at the earliest and is definitely a communal affair. Tapas restaurants dominate the streets here, as I’m sure you’d expect, and the food comes out at staggered intervals so that the meal lasts longer. As a coastal town, A Coruña is no stranger to seafood and is very proud of the variety available there. Though I’m more of a carnivore, I’ve not shied away from anything that’s been put on my plate including pulpo (octopus) which I admittedly really enjoyed.

Photo Credit – http://www.ymuchomas.com

One thing that has taken some getting used to is the famous siesta. I have tried twice to partake in this fantastic tradition of having a daytime nap but sadly both attempts were failures. The first due to the noisy people next door who I’m fairly certain were playing the castanets, and the second time due to a toddler in the flat upstairs trying to sing along to that annoying song ‘I Love It’ by Icona Pop, but I couldn’t help but laugh. I keep forgetting that 90% of shops close during the siesta, and have found myself scratching my head and peering through the window on more occasions than is acceptable before realising my mistake. This also applies to banks and the police station, which don’t even re-open after the siesta, making it rather difficult to take care of the overload of tricky bureaucracy that comes with being a foreign student in Spain.

On the whole I’m really starting to feel at home here and I’m not missing the UK too much. The only thing I’m really holding on to is my four cups of tea a day, thanks to my trusty travel kettle which my European flatmates always approach with caution and curiosity. The people here are very nice and eager to help you which made settling in a lot easier. The city is definitely one made for local people rather than tourists, but I’m looking upon that as a positive thing – by the end of my time here I may feel like a local too, and maybe going back home will be as hard as leaving it was. Time will tell!

 

Thomas Griffith

Does a dominant champion make a sport boring?

Sebastian Vettel looking smug after another victory. Photo: planetf1.com

It is in the very nature of human beings to vent our resentment at the highest authority. A single, domineering figure in sport can turn many fans away – because the very action of watching sport becomes boring. People will inevitably ask: “Why do they always win?”

Let us take a sport in which there does appear to be some truth behind this claim, Formula One. It has recently been suggested by Lewis Hamilton that the races have become even more boring because Sebastian Vettel always wins, and has “won already” in the context of the championship.

The champion-elect has undoubtedly lived up to the ‘German efficiency’ stereotype; his recent Japanese Grand Prix victory was the 35^th of his career victory and his fifth in a row. Comparisons have been drawn to the dominance of Michael Schumacher, another German, a decade ago.

Hamilton recalls falling asleep whilst watching these races because he knew what the result would be. Why should fans wish to watch what is essentially a re-enactment of the last four races? There is no interest in a sport that is no longer competitive.

This is the central issue: competitiveness. Take a sport like Rugby Union, for example. Internationally, the top three southern-hemisphere sides are recognised as New Zealand, South Africa and Australia. Most would indicate New Zealand as the dominant team of the three.

However, it is in the very nature of rugby that a single missed pass, dropped ball or errant kick could lead to the loss of several points and a setback for the entire team if the other side capitalises upon the mistake – just ask Bryan Habana after his slice against New Zealand led to an All-Black try back in September.

The Spanish national side celebrate their Euro 2012 victory. Photo: wikipedia.org

Nobody moans about the All-Blacks regularly winning in the Four Nations, because there is always a high degree of uncertainty even for the favoured team.

Men’s tennis is also dominated by a top three, but tennis is even more intensely competitive than rugby on the men’s side; any weak performance or misfiring tactics could result in Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or Andy Murray losing the match.

There is a decisive element of experience and self-belief in such situations for these players (Murray, for example, turned a two-set deficit against Fernando Verdasco in the Wimbledon quarters into a victory largely fashioned out of  sheer willpower), but upsets are not rare.

However, the women’s game is essentially monopolised; the omnipresent Serena Williams is seemingly unbeatable, save the very occasional defeat here and there. It has almost become a joke; her matches against low-seeded opposition are often farcical to the point of lunacy.

Her match against Mandy Minella in the first round of Wimbledon, for example, was a 6-1 6-3 rout that lasted a meagre 57 minutes, the dignity of the Luxembourg player gradually evaporating into the atmosphere with every sledgehammer forehand winner from the American.

Serena even inflicts such crippling defeats upon her fellow top players; Li Na is ranked fifth, yet fell dramatically to a 6-0 6-3 execution at the US Open – an absolutely ridiculous score-line in tennis terms. Or how about the top-20 player Carla Suarez-Navarro being double-bagelled in the US Open quarter-final?

Serena Williams en route to her fifth US Open title. Photo credits: Marianne Bevis (via Flickr)

However, the events of the Minella contest were more dramatic than they perhaps appear. At the start of the second set, Minella actually managed to break the Williams serve – likely also breaking the jaws of many watching fans as they dropped to the floor out of sheer astonishment. Suddenly, the crowd was energised and entranced. Could she fight back and pull off the unthinkable?

In short, no – but it was remarkable to witness the sudden revival of the atmosphere as the crowd voiced their support. After that break, the name Mandy Minella symbolised courage, resistance and determination of the highest degree. She was an underdog of the utmost quality.

We sports fans do love an underdog. Not a victim, a hapless outfit with a feeble challenge to be obliterated and pounded into dust by quality opposition, but a challenger who may be unfavoured and less renowned, but who nonetheless possesses the ability to spring a few surprises.

When Sabine Lisicki dumped Williams out of Wimbledon this year, the stadium erupted in an explosion of jubilation. Equally, Euro 2004 will go down in history as the occasion that lowly Greece defied their betters in their own homeland to eventually lift the trophy.

On the other hand, nobody will recall Spain winning an international football tournament for the millionth time, because Spain always win, don’t they? The same applies to Serena winning at the US Open in September, or Vettel’s five Grand Prix victories in a row.

The plight of the plucky underdog is fixed in the very soul of sport, and sport is not entertaining without it. The underdog takes a lead, and we rally behind them. We pray that they will somehow prevail, even if they are utter strangers like Mandy Minella, because then the dominant opposition will not have won.

We bite our nails as the clock ticks down. Sometimes we are disappointed, but other times that glorious moment arises where the mighty falls to the plucky, and a new hero is born.

Emmott Leigh, Sports Team

The Lone Wolfe: Interview with a poet part II

I caught up earlier this year with Roger Wolfe, a bilingual poet with roots in Alicante and Kent. He told me about his upbringing in Alicante and studies in Kent, as well as his rationale behind writing in Spanish. Here is the second part of our discussion, where we talked about the merits of translation, whether literary movements will still happen in the twenty first century, and Roger’s latest projects.

Image credit: Roger Wolfe

Looking forward to the next year, many language students will be scratching their brains over translation and finding the “right answer” to convey a sentiment in another language. But can we ever really translate a work into another language, or do we have to accept that some element will be lost.

Octavio Paz said translation was metaphor. A translated work is indeed another work, meaning a different work. Yes, it’s possible to recreate the same work in another language, and that in fact is what the best translations do. But the key word here is ‘recreate’. You’ve got to get in there and rip the guts out of the original, and then put it back together, so that it sounds right, and natural, in the new language. In the end it’s a different work, technically, but the spirit is, or should remain, the same. Even if the original author might not recognise his own baby if he had the chance to get a proper look at it.

Translating other authors is just part of Roger’s work, and his own creative work is rich and varied. Keen to find out from an author who appears to defy definition, I asked him about his views on literary movements.

“I’ve never conceded them the slightest importance. They usually have more to do with the creation of power groups and pressure groups, and the safeguarding of special interests, and getting certain people into print and into positions of power. Literature, like everything else, is in the hands of cliques, and different groups of more or less powerful ruling elites. Literary movements have served a purpose, in addition to that, in the past. I’m thinking about Surrealism, for instance, or German Expressionism. It’s not all bad. There’s a legacy there – a freeing up of discourse, and the potential for breaking new ground and introducing things that had never been done in exactly the same way before.”

“Of course, that can also be achieved by single writers who operate as ‘lone wolves’ (as in my case). It’s much more difficult, and recognition is not usually forthcoming until the author in question is either very old or dead – but such is the nature of things. Literary movements today, like practically everything else that has to do with so-called ‘minorities’ and ‘collectives’ of every shade and hue, are nothing but pressure groups struggling for power and influence.”

Image credit: Roger Wolfe

It seemed to me that with his latest work, Roger was taking a step away from the creative scene. I wondered if this was just the natural cycle of an author’s work, or whether it was a conscious progression to the next stage of his career.

“I’ve always combined genres. I’ve recently finished a long creative effort, as it happens: the first volume of my memoirs, which I’m writing in the form of a long biographical novel which should take up several books, by the time it’s finished. I plan on writing about five volumes, covering a span of time that will reach from my earliest childhood to about the age of 40. This first volume covers my childhood, from my earliest experiences until the age of 14. It’s been a wonderful experience, although it has taken years, and a huge effort, to write.”

“My main problem as a writer of long narrative projects is combining the writing with my bread-and-butter work (translations, interpreting), which gobbles up about 70% of my time. So I’m forced to get up at the crack of dawn and work in the very early hours of the morning, every day for months or years, if I really want to get anything serious done. The hard life of the struggling writer! A familiar story if there ever was one.”

In addition to his ongoing autobiography, I wanted to know what was next for the author: “A ‘megabook’ of aphorisms, short pieces, fragments, micro-essays and sundry reflections collected over the last five years. There’ll be a bit of everything in there, as there has been in some of my celebrated ‘patchwork’ books in the past. But this one’s going to be a whacker. It will even include all the material I wrote on Twitter and Facebook during the brief spells I ran an account on those social media in 2012.”

 

Marie Notermans

Visit Roger’s website here.

Follow @exeposearts on Twitter and like us on Facebook here.

 

 

The Lone Wolfe: Interview with a poet part I

Bilingual poet and translator Roger Wolfe speaks to Marie Notermans about his earliest memories, his thoughts on translation, and life as an author in 2013.

Born in Westerham, Kent in the early sixties, a five year old Wolfe moved with his family to Alicante, attending a Jesuit school before studying during the 1980s in the UK. This unusual upbringing has given Wolfe a unique perspective and a mastery of both languages to utilise in his writing. I was keen to know what effect this exposure to the two languages, and the contrasting cultures of Kent and Alicante at such a young age would have on Wolfe’s earliest memories.

Image credit: Roger Wolfe

“Alicante is one rush of light, with smells of beach-sand and salt. And almond-trees and algarrobos – a Mediterranean tree that produces long, stiff brown-coloured pods that look like rashers of thick chocolate – and a sky so high you couldn’t see the top of it. It was so blue it hurt with joy. I don’t think it was any harder for me than for the rest of the Spanish children to start school, as I’d picked up the language perfectly by then.”

Returning from the vivid, sunshine-draped colours of south east Spain to Westerham, the young Wolfe remembers an equally striking impression of his college days.

“College was free and easy.  Some of the lectures I didn’t even bother to attend. Once, after weeks of not appearing, I strolled in to English Lit. and the lecturer – Mr Paul Shaw, I think his name was  – turned to me in mocking surprise and said, “Ah! The return of the native!” He was trying to be a bit facetious, actually. We were reading – or supposed to be reading – Hardy at the time.”

Following his studies in the UK, Roger moved to Oviedo in northern Spain, where he worked as an English teacher. Given the number of us who merrily trot off to the continent each year with little idea how to teach and what we can possibly offer, let alone what we might get out of it, I wanted to know Roger’s thoughts on this experience and how he felt it had contributed to where he is today.

“My time in Oviedo helped me to get a better feeling for language in general. I also learnt useful teaching techniques. We used the audio-visual system that was developed at Zagreb University in the 70s, which was excellent. It included strict phonetic correction practices, and did not allow a word of the native language to be spoken in the classroom. The idea was for the children to pick up the language as if they were learning their own language after birth. No reading or writing was allowed, of course – no association between the spoken and the written word.“

“I still believe this is the best system ever invented. It worked wonders. Some children’s accent was almost perfect after a few years, and they could hold whole conversations in English. If they were sent to England after that for a few years, they could become totally fluent, with hardly a trace of a Spanish accent at all. Sadly, I believe these techniques were later discarded by new schools of thought as regards the teaching of foreign languages.”

Image credit: Roger Wolfe

I was fascinated to know why someone who many would see as an Englishman would choose to write creatively predominantly in Spanish. As a language student, no matter how happy I am communicating in Spanish, the thought of writing poetry in the language leaves me feeling at a complete loss. Wolfe’s unexpected answer actually made a lot of sense, given that he lives in Spain and much of his work is inspired by the world around him.

“I am a writer who deals with the everyday world around him – who writes about what he sees, hears, suffers, enjoys and experiences. Living in Spain, the ‘operative system’ of surrounding reality is obviously Spanish, so it would not have made much sense to write the things I did in any other language. I’m totally fluent in Spanish, and an exact equivalent of any native in terms of reading, writing and speaking. So it was the natural thing to do.”

Stand by for part two, in which I ask Roger about his thoughts on the advantages of translation, whether we are past literary movements, and we get a glimpse of he’s working on at the moment.

Marie Notermans

Follow @exeposearts on Twitter and like us on Facebook here.

Spanish dominance taking hold in MotoGP

Marquez (left), Pedrosa (centre) and Lorenzo (right) on the podium after the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez. Photo credits to motogp.com

It’s hard to think of an individual-based sporting competition, or at least one that claims to be a world championship, that is dominated by a single nation to the extent seen in MotoGP so far this year.

We’ve had four races so far in 2013, each of which have been won by a Spaniard – reigning champion Jorge Lorenzo at the Qatar season-opener, rookie sensation Marc Marquez at Austin, and Dani Pedrosa at both of the last two events at Jerez and Le Mans.

The retirement of Australian two-time champion Casey Stoner from the sport at the end of last year has paved the way for such a trend, with Marquez taking his place at the factory Repsol Honda team. Much like Lewis Hamilton in his first season of F1, the 20-year-old Spaniard has shocked the MotoGP establishment and is in with a chance of becoming the sport’s youngest ever champion at the end of the year.

Such an outcome would be a disaster for Pedrosa, who, like Marquez, made his MotoGP debut for Repsol Honda and won in his debut season back in 2006. Now no longer in the shadow of Stoner, 2013 is without doubt the best chance of the championship yet for Pedrosa, who holds the dubious distinction of having won the most races in the sport’s history without a premier-class title.

Lorenzo was another rider to debut and win for a factory team, doing so for Yamaha in 2008 and immediately establishing himself as a threat to teammate and multiple champion Valentino Rossi. Lorenzo took his maiden title in 2010, albeit helped by injury for Rossi, repeated the feat last year in a tightly-fought battle with Pedrosa, and is aiming to add a third title this year.

Such are the talents of Marquez, Pedrosa and Lorenzo that just two podium slots of a possible 12 so far this year have been filled by non-Spanish riders. Rossi was the first, finishing runner-up to teammate Lorenzo at Qatar on his return to Yamaha following two win-free seasons at Ducati. The second was British hope Cal Crutchlow,  taking his best ever MotoGP finish with second last time out in the damp at Le Mans.

Spanish hegemony extends to the supporting classes as well, with Spanish riders having won all bar one Moto2 and Moto3 races in 2013 so far. The one exception has been Britain’s Scott Redding, who got the job done at Le Mans to take his maiden Moto2 victory while several of his rivals – both Spanish and otherwise – fell from their bikes.

Of one of these was pre-season favourite Pol Espargaro (you guessed it – he’s Spanish too), who is hotly tipped for a promotion to MotoGP in 2014 with the satellite Tech 3 Yamaha team, mostly likely at the expense of Crutchlow, whose contract expires at the end of the year.

With Rossi’s star now seemingly on the wane, it’s not inconceivable that Espargaro could take the Italian’s place at the factory Yamaha team when his current contract is up. Assuming Marquez, Pedrosa and Lorenzo all stick around, Spanish riders could potentially lock out all four of the factory Hondas and Yamahas in 2015.

The explanation for such Spanish dominance is to be found in the country’s domestic motorcycle racing scene, which has adopted the Moto2 and Moto3 rules used by the lower classes of the world championship. On the other hand, the British, along with the Italians and Americans, continue to focus on the more production-orientated Supersport and Superbike classes in their national series.

This means that the majority of riders arriving in Moto3 have cut their teeth racing in Spain – unsurprisingly, this means a disproportionate amount of them are Spanish. This in turn maintains a healthy level of Spanish interest in MotoGP (reflected by the fact that four of the 18 rounds of the championship are held in Spain) and thus the emergence of ever more young Spanish hopefuls who can make a name for themselves without having to leave their own country.

Of course, this doesn’t preclude wannabe MotoGP riders from other nations travelling to Spain to kick-start their careers. Casey Stoner is a prime example of this, as are Scott Redding and fellow Brit Bradley Smith, who is embarking on his debut season of MotoGP this year with Tech 3 Yamaha. But, these are relatively few and far between considering the cost of racing abroad compared with at home – small wonder that so many of Britain’s best riders end up in Superbikes instead.

And with so many talented Spaniards rising through the ranks of MotoGP – Pol Espargaro, Nico Terol, Maverick Viñales, Luis Salom and Alex Rins to name a few – Spain’s grip on MotoGP success seems set to grow ever tighter in the coming years.

Jamie Klein, Online Sport Editor

Charley Allen's Weird and Wonderful World: Spain's answer to the Calendar Girls

Charley Allen’s latest column takes a comedic look at the group of Spanish mothers taking off their kit to save the school bus.

Worth getting your clothes off for? Picture credits: Pablo Cruz Roya.

Calendar Girls seems to have inspired Spanish mums to bare all in an attempt to save their children’s school bus. In December last year, authorities in the region of Montserrat decided that in order to save money they would be restricting the school bus service.
The normal Spanish thing to do to kick up a fuss would be to go out in protest, waving banners and getting rowdy but these Montserrat mums thought they would try a different approach: a topless calendar, naturally.

Montserrat near Valencia, which is one of the country’s largest cities, has a population of around 7,000 and has felt the effects of the crisis particularly badly according to Reuters. Along with Cataluña which is just North of Montserrat, the two areas are the most indebted in the country and harsh cutbacks have had to be made, the limited bus service being one of them.

However, mothers such as Eva Maria Casas Sancho, the calendar’s Ms. June, whose children were forced to walk almost 3 miles to their elementary school, is not happy according to NRP. “There’s no sidewalk and there are lots of trucks going fast. The truth is, it’s pretty dangerous for kids to be walking there.”

The monastery at Montserrat, Spain: one backdrop that the scantily-clad mums won’t be likely to choose for the calendar? Picture credits: Jennifer O’Sullivan Photography

This risqué move to do the calendar has certainly paid off though; sales have raised enough to keep the bus going until the end of June and considering that the Associated Press reports about $4,100 is needed to fund the bus, driver and monitor for a month, they must have sold an awful lot.

It is a pretty outrageous move and although it is obviously great to keep the much-needed bus service alive, I can’t help but feel sorry for the kid whose mum becomes an instant hit amongst his schoolmates for being an absolute MILF, or on the other (slightly worse) hand, the kid whose mum’s breasts sweep the floor… eek.