You're probably wondering what white nectarines and what white peaches have to do with eighteen86. I don't blame you. There is a simple one word answer to your question.Expectation!
For four months a year I can purchase white nectarines and white peaches at all major supermarkets. I love white nectarines. I love white peaches. I love them so much that as we near the end of summer and produce departments have very few to none left, I find myself nearly in a state of depression.
Yes, it's that serious. White nectarines and white peaches are my crack. I'm down to my last three. It's dire!
I expect all supermarkets to have them in abundance. So when I couldn't find them recently, I realized I was going through something akin to what the post-Invincibles Arsenal fan with very little or no patience goes through. He has expectations that Wenger's policies seem to fall short of meeting while the supermarkets certainly haven't helped my addiction lately.
Expectations may vary from reasonable to 'no chance'. I expected at least one supermarket to still have my summer fruit of choice. That was a reasonable expectation. We're still within the four month window.
I expected Brazil to beat Argentina. That was a reasonable expectation. Argentina are in poor form, Dunga has got the team he's wanted and they are playing well.
I expected Luis Fabiano to score. That was a reasonable expectation. He is very under-rated.
I expected at least one controversial penalty to be awarded from the slew of matches played this weekend. That was a reasonable expectation. In many cases, very hotly contested FIFA World Cup Final tournament places were at stake.
I expected at least one English pundit to come out and say that it's not just "foreigners" who try to win penalties. It happens throughout the game, no matter your nationality. That was not a reasonable expectation. It falls under the 'no chance' heading.
After John Terry and Wayne Rooney made a mockery of honesty this week, I was actually naive enough to think for a moment that at least one media personality or one ex-pro or one active pro or someone's grandmother or someone's accountant, ANYONE would call them out. I was equally naive to expect better from xenophobic hypocrites who can't get past Eduardo long enough to make an attempt at being objective.
No chance!
As far as the Argentina vs. Brazil game goes, Luis Fabiano is an excellent player who doesn't get the recognition he deserves. He made the best of fantastic work by Kaka as Brazil embarrassed Argentina. The third Brazilian goal (Fabiano's second) was made possible by a perfectly timed, perfectly weighted ball from the ex-Milan attacker. He waited for Fabiano's run before delivering a perfect pass that the in-form striker finished expertly. The Argentine defenders won't want to see those two any time soon.
Diego Maradona was arguably the greatest footballer in history - Pele for me but that's a different topic. Diego's managerial skills don't match his on-field greatness. He is a pebble in a sea of pearls when it comes to great managers. Why, with the partnership of Luisao and Lucio dealing expertly with every aerial threat, did Maradona bring on little Aguerro at half-time? I ask this because leading up to the match there was a great deal made about Maradona's recall of Boca's prolific striker Martin Palermo. A man known for his ability to get on the end of crosses. Somehow between the recall and the match itself, Palermo was dumped. He didn't even make the bench.
And a word for Gilberto Silva. He helped clog the middle to stop Argentine attacks when they weren't testing Luisao and Lucio in the air. I don't think Argentina even won a free kick in a threatening position near the Brazilian goal.
It was a massive win for Brazil and a terrific team performance. They met my expectations. I should have expected the English media to turn a blind eye to Rooney's actions vs. Slovenia.
I really should have expected that.
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