Meister der Farbe » England trying to survive in the fourth inni

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Brazils new coach is tearing up South American World Cup qualifying. In six matches in charge, Adenor Leonardo Bacchi -- known universally as Tite (pronounced Chi-Chi) -- has won all six.Now hes offering to challenge Europes best, including defending champion Germany, as the five-time World Cup winners prepare for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where they are likely to be among the favorites.Lets play against Italy away, Tite said Monday in a 35-minute interview with The Associated Press. Spain, Germany, Portugal away.Tite also mentioned playing England at Wembley, which he called the temple of football.Tite, speaking in his modest office surrounded by TVs, a blackboard, and books, said he didnt expect his teams quick success. But now that its come and with Brazil not playing in next years Confederations Cup -- the World Cup warmup -- he must look elsewhere.Since we wont play in the Confederations Cup to feel the heat, the adrenaline, we will try another way. He said Brazil needs to play away so we feel that weight. So we have a solid performance in different venues.Tite is certainly interested in Germany, which humiliated Brazil 7-1 in the World Cup semifinals 2 + years ago in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte.The first step is to play a friendly against them, wherever they want in Germany, he said.The European schedule could become a reality quickly. Brazil, which leads South American qualifying, could officially qualify for Russia in its next two qualifiers in March against Uruguay and Paraguay.Brazil defeated Argentina 3-0 and Peru 2-0 in its last two qualifiers in November, and moved to No. 2 in the world rankings behind Argentina.Brazil has become less dependent on Barcelona star Neymar in the last few matches since Tite took over after Dunga was fired.In the meantime, he has discovered several rising stars that have made Brazil a team -- not a one-player show.If Brazil depends only on Neymar there will be a problem with Brazil, not with Neymar, Tite explained. Brazil needs the individual creativity of Neymar, Philippe Coutinho, Douglas Costa. But it needs the collective creativity that sometimes people dont pay attention to.Tite also said that Neymars clash with Spanish tax authorities was personal though he added that theres not much he can do about it.Tite is counting on improvement from his No. 9, 19-year-old Gabriel Jesus, who is moving to Manchester City in January from Brazil club Palmeiras. He expects him to be as good in Europe as hes been in Brazil.His level of performance will be very similar, with some tactical adjustments, of course, Tite said.Asked about investigations into CBF President Marco Polo del Nero, who has been indicted by U.S. authorities for corruption, Tite said those responsible are the ones that have to pay.He declined to say more, but last year he signed a petition asking for Del Nero to resign.Tite will be on the road in the next few days. On Thursday he is off to Spain to see Barcelona play Real Madrid. A big believer in scouting his players, he also expects to watch Brazilian players at Paris Saint-Germain.The former coach of Sao Paulo club Corinthians, Tite is also a student of the game. He is reading former Manchester United manager Alex Fergusons autobiography, and the copy already is full of footnotes and notations.But his main inspiration is Bayern Munichs coach Carlo Ancelotti, who allowed him to be an observer in 2014 at Real Madrid.Ancelottis teams are more balanced, Tite said. Its a more Italian defense and creativity from the midfield forward. I admire his work and also his discreet profile. I am also like that.When he is not working, Tite clings to his family in Rio. His son Matheus is one of his key scouts. And his wife Rose keeps him down to earth during their early morning walks.Hes also thinking beyond the 2018 World Cup. But he suggested nothing will be as exciting as the next 19 months.I am honestly making a dream come true, he said. Anything that comes after Brazil will not be bigger than this.---Mauricio Savarese on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MSavarese . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/journalist/mauricio-savareseStephen Wade on Twitter: http://twitter.com/StephenWadeAP .His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/stephen-wade Cheap Air Max Canada .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. Cheap Air Max Sale . The Celtics closed out their first preseason under Stevens on Wednesday night with a 101-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, who rested a lot of their lineup including former Celtics Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. http://www.airmaxcanada.com/ . The return match will take place next Wednesday. Udinese leads Fiorentina 2-1 in the other semifinal. Napoli staged a second-half comeback from two goals down after Gervinhos opener and a stunning strike from Kevin Strootman. Cheap Air Max Outlet . "I was fortunate to play many years at this level with a great organization and unbelievable teammates," said Hejduk in a statement. Nike Air Max Canada . The phone hearing is scheduled for 4:30pm et/1:30pm pt. Winchester, who was not penalized for the hit, appeared to make contact with Kellys head early in the first period of Thursdays game in Boston. For a disciple of Test cricket, the last few days have been heaven on the big screen. Vernon Philander and Kyle Abbott nipping the ball about in Hobart, the New Zealand and Pakistani fast bowlers doing likewise in Christchurch,while over in India, Haseeb Hameeds and Alastair Cooks brilliant defensive techniques provided a magnificent contrast to their dazzling, wristy strokeplay.It would be true to say that the last fortnight has provided as much breadth and variety as a Test purist could hope for in terms of pitches, techniques and skills.The unique beauty of Test cricket is that a tense draw can be as riveting as an outright result. So long as at least one team is trying to win the match, a pitch that produces a draw is not necessarily a poor one. And a pitch that produces a fourth- or fifth-day result is arguably better than one on which a game finishes on the third day.Lets look at the two most recent Tests in Asia and the two in Australia and New Zealand as examples. Which of these pitches, on a statistical basis, provided more balance between bat and ball and between different bowling styles?The Hobart Test was effectively a two-day affair, allowing for the washout on the second day and some rain interruptions on the third. Fewer than 194 overs were bowled, and 572 runs were scored, with one century. Of the 30 wickets that fell, 29 went to fast bowlers, zero to spinners (there was one run-out). So of all the wickets claimed by bowlers, 100% of them were taken by one type of bowling (fast).In Christchurch, another Test that finished before the halfway point (if you count the washout on the first day), New Zealand won easily against Pakistan, who looked incapable of batting in seam-friendly conditions with extra bounce. A total of 612 runs were scored; no centuries. Of the 32 wickets that fell, seam bowlers claimed 31. The only wicket that fell to a spinner (part-timer Azhar Ali) was at the very end of the game, with victory just one run away. So thats close to 100% in favour of seam.In the first Test in Rajkot against England, India were under some pressure to save the match on the last day before it petered out in the final minutes. A total of 1457 runs were scored, with six centuries. More revealingly, the split between seam bowlers (seven) and spinners (22) suggested the pitch conditions were more balanced.In Visakhapatnam, 1072 runs were scored, with two centuries. Fourteen wickets to fast bowlers and 25 to the slow men. Again, a significantly more balanced snapshot than the matches in Australia and New Zealand.Even if you go back to Australias recent tour of Sri Lanka or New Zealands tour of India, the numbers look more balanced than the ones from Hobart and Christchurch. In Sri Lanka, the three Tests finished on day five, day three and day five respectively. Fast bowlers took 36 wickets and spinners 80 through the series.In India, the Tests against New Zealand lasted five, four and four days respectively. The seam-spin split was 37-62. In both India and Sri Lanka, the fast bowlers took approximately 33% of the total wickets that fell in the series. Thats significantly more balanced than heavily pace-favouring Hoobart and Christchurch.dddddddddddd.Imagine the raised eyebrows if the spin v fast stats in the Tests played in Asia had been as heavily skewed in favour of spinners as they were for seamers in the Antipodes.Theres no question that weather conditions played their part in Hobart and Christchurch, but the same could also be said about the impact of weather on Asian pitches. Dont forget that in Hobart 15 wickets fell for 256 runs on the first day. This was the best pitch the groundsman could serve up for Bellerive Ovals marquee event of the summer. Christchurch was similar - 13 wickets for 237 runs on the first day of actual play. That can sometimes happen on any pitch that offers too much to the bowlers anywhere in the world.The success of Mitchell Starc in Sri Lanka and of Englands seamers in India proves that fast bowlers can do well on Asian pitches, contrary to some of the mutterings from Starc about how much better it was to be back at the WACA. His figures in Perth and Hobart were less flattering than the ones he got in Sri Lanka! At least his style of bowling was allowed to succeed on the Asian pitches, whereas it can hardly be claimed that the same tolerance was shown towards spinners in Hobart and Christchurch.Sure, Australias, New Zealands and Englands batsmen may be less comfortable against better spin bowlers, so it is only natural that the Asian spinners will be more successful against them. And it is worth pointing out that the Asian fast bowlers took more wickets in Asia than the spinners did in Hobart or Christchurch. More to the point, the Hobart and Christchurch Tests did not last long enough to allow the spinners to come into the game.It ultimately boils down to the strengths, weaknesses and unique characteristics of each team in different conditions. It should be no surprise that most teams are more skilful in conditions that they are familiar with, but the doctored pitch accusation should not be thrown around carelessly.Watching Pakistan bat on that second morning against New Zealand was as fascinating as watching England trying to survive in the fourth innings in Visakhapatnam - fascinating contrasts in technique, temperament and skill. I watched every ball of both those innings and it reminded me why I love this format above all else. One run per over in Visakhapatnam was as exciting as David Warner or Quinton De Kock teeing off.Its not always the case that the home team is guaranteed to win because the odds have been unfairly stacked against the visitors. Australia were all over Sri Lanka at times before they squandered winning positions; England had much the better of the Rajkot Test and might have won if Cook had been more adventurous with his declaration.For all those who argue that the toss can sometimes decide a Test match, look no further than Perth, Hobart and Christchurch. Theres talk of the toss being hyper-crucial in Adelaide too, so there goes the theory that its only in Asia that the game is done and dusted before the first ball is bowled. The numbers dont lie. ' ' '