Mediaboss Marketing

Playing the knockout game and getting knocked out by nine-y

By: Melissa Samuels

View post:
Playing the knockout game and getting knocked out by nine-y - Video

The Proteas' World Cup hopes hinge on fortune allowing their world-class players to keep shining.

He's made his name as a batsman but the Proteas will be relying on JP Duminy to bowl his share of overs in the upcoming World Cup. (Prakash Singh/AFP)

Optimism grows before every World Cup despite South Africa never winning a knockout game, and the 2015 edition is no different. Will this time be different?

This years belief is based on the brilliance of key individuals rather than the depth of the squad, but can a handful of players paper over some glaring cracks and win a tournament? Only with one, essential ingredient.

Luck.

A favourable draw in the knockout stages, particularly the quarterfinals, will be essential. Fourth place in Group A will face first place in Group B, and the second-placed teams in each group will play the teams that finish third in the opposite group.

If South Africa finish top of their group they will be highly unlikely to face Australia in the quarterfinals assuming Australia wont finish fourth. New Zealand, too, are unlikely to finish last of the qualifying teams, which leaves England or Sri Lanka as the likely opponents.

Struggling to ignite their campaign Neither side has enjoyed their best form in the build-up to the tournament and, if they struggle to ignite their campaign in the first month, will provide the Proteas with a less problematic route to the semifinals. Far easier, for example, than what would happen if Australia and South Africa both lost a game or two of their six group matches and finished in second and third places respectively.

Form and fitness are both fickle allies of the competing nations. Untimely injuries and peaks and troughs in individual form have affected the course of many a series and tournament. They are quickly forgotten once the trophy has been claimed but they have every bit as much an effect on the outcome as runs and wickets. Just without the headlines.

A loss of form for AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla or Dale Steyn could derail the campaign but a rich vein of it for someone unexpected Wayne Parnell or Quinton de Kock, for example could be the stroke of fortune that changes everything.

Go here to read the rest:
The stars must align for SA to claim glory

Jose Mourinho is ready to take a gamble on Saturday's crunch title clash with Manchester City by risking his star players in tonight's Capital One Cup semi final with Liverpool.

Manuel Pellegrini's side travel to Stamford Bridge in a game that could prove pivotal in the race to be crowned Premier League champions.

But Mourinho's league leaders must first navigate their semi final second leg with Liverpool, which is finely poised at 1-1.

Chelsea could extend their lead at the top to eight-points with victory over City.

But after Saturday's shock FA Cup defeat to Bradford, Mourinho revealed that Diego Costa, Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas will all start tonight.

"It is a semi-final second leg, a knockout game, live or die, against a very good team," he said. "Maybe that pushes us to a good level of concentration and motivation that maybe we couldnt reach against Bradford.

"The fans want to go to Wembley and it is the same with me and the players. After such a disappointment I think everybody wants more now, because the only domestic knockout cup we can win is the Capital One Cup.

"At this moment we have a lot to play for the Liverpool game, the Premier League and the Champions League and we have enough motivation to carry on.

"My team selections always have a relation to performances in training and performance in matches, so I analyse the Bradford game well and see which players deserve more to play, but obviously I rested some with the intention to play against Liverpool.

"It is easy to understand that Matic, Ivanovic, Diego Costa, Fabregas and Hazard, these players are going to play."

See the original post:
Boost for Pellegrini as Mourinho risks star players ahead of Chelsea's crunch clash with Man City

Atlanta Knockout Game Random? Aww hell no!
Atlanta Knockout Game Random? Aww hell no! The knockout game is back. this time in Atlanta. That means two things: 1) The denial is back; 2) So are the trolls.

By: Colin Flaherty

Read the original:
Atlanta Knockout Game Random? Aww hell no! - Video

While City have a full week to prepare for the potential decider in what appears to be a two-horse race for the Premier League title, Mourinho has confirmed that Nemanja Matic, Branislav Ivanovic, Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard will all return. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and John Terry, the captain, will also start against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.

Its a knockout game, live or die, against a very good team, which was not the case [on Saturday], he said. So maybe the fact that we play against a good team, maybe that will push us on to a different level of concentration and motivation that we couldnt reach on Saturday.

I have to analyse the game and see which players deserve more to play but obviously I rest some of them with the intention of playing against Liverpool. So it is easy to understand that Matic, Ivanovic, Costa, Fabregas, Hazard are going to play in the next game.

Mourinho, though, is still adamant that he did not regret his selections against Bradford, who he inadvertently referred to as Barnsley. Is there any player in Barnsley, err Bradford, that can play for Chelsea? With all the respect? No. A Chelsea player that should play for them and be the top player for them, yes. So the selection was good. The players should obviously win this game easily.

The Chelsea manager said that defeat by Bradford would stay in our history forever but he was still adamant that it could influence his players positively on Tuesday. At the end of May we dont go to Wembley for the FA Cup final. The FA Cup is finished for us. We dont go even to play the FA Cup semi-final. So to go there should mean a lot to everyone. We are one victory from the final.

Mourinho said that he would be making no special plans for Raheem Sterling even after his goal in the first leg. He scored a fantastic goal but I didnt see too much more than that. I think Chelsea played defensively very well. In that action he was fantastic and we made a couple of mistakes in the way we approached that situation.

I was frustrated after the first leg because Liverpool gave a lot of space. They play with three defenders, the full-backs are wide. We could hurt them much more than we did there. I was frustrated because normally our midfield is full of quality. Very good quality after losing the ball and we lost so many passes. In that game I saw enough space to score more goals.

Read the original:
Chelsea v Liverpool: Jose Mourinho recalls big guns despite looming clash with Manchester City