One more game for Ronaldo

My post to the IHT's The Beautiful Game blog of Roger Cohen:


"Ronaldo was terrible.

You're right: it was physical and psychological. But Exercise Science research shows that the physical effects the psychological. He really does need to get lighter.

And so it's a gamble: do you use the tournament to get one of the best strikers the world has ever seen into proper form, or do you drop him for a wonderboy (Robinho) who will run all over the park and can still score more goals that most strikers on any other team?

I agree with the coach, play him again next game and see if there is an improvement that suggests that, yes, Il Gordo will score the winning goal in the final again...

By the way, the story of this match should not be Ronaldo or how disappointing the Brazilians were in winning only 1 nil, but how effective the Croats were. They really made a game of it and had claims to a tie.

The skillful, smart and tough tackling Croats are the second best team in this group and should advance."