Gabriele Marcotti's daily diary: Aragones lives life on the edge

3. Kudos to Spain for advancing to the semi-finals. It was a deserved victory after a game which I found enthrallling (though perhaps the neutral did not). Spain deserved it not because they were the better team on the night or because they did more to win (the former is debatable, the latter is irrelevant) but because they are the better side in absolute terms and because they exorcised their demons once and for all. Football matches may be played with the feet and the body, but they are won with the mind.

2. That said, Luis Aragones' substitutions were the kind which were always going to leave him - to paraphrase Billy Joel - "walking away a fool or a king." Replacing Xavi, the side's leader and most experienced midfielder with a 21-year-old (even one as accomplished as Cesc Fabregas) took a whole lot of guts. Substituting Fernando Torres for - ahem - Daniel Guiza took even more. But Spain went through and now he looks a genius.

1. I wasn't in Vienna so I watched the game on TV. British TV that is. Now I know that foreign pronunciations can be difficult. But is it really so hard to say Capdevila (Kap-de-veelah) instead of Kap-de-Veelyah? It's not as if the guy is Brazilian.

Comments

[Freedom4cats]

After learning how to pronounce Villa (who is by far a better plaer) the average British commentator wanted to show he really learnt the lesson, even if the name misses one 'l'. CapdeVILA. lol.

[Gonzalo @ All In White]

The subsequent euphoria and the canonisation of Iker Casillas and others in the Spanish media is way over the top, but that's the whole point - it's a cathartic release, a psychological barrier gotten over, if you like (or an exorcism, as you call it).

Had Spain beaten France or Romania in this match, the general outpouring would have been much smaller - even if it meant the lifting of the 'quarterfinals curse'. It is precisely because it was Italy who was defeated that the explosion of relief was so much more intense - rightly or wrongly, they have been perceived in Spain as the national side's bête noire.

I may be going too far, but the result of Thursday's semifinal against Russia is almost immaterial. Or, to put it another way, if Spain lose, they'll get over it much quicker than otherwise and probably won't dwell on it for nearly as long. They now believe, not just as a team, but also as a nation, that they *can* win, where in the past they just believed that they *should* win.

http://allinwhite.blogspot.com

[Gabriele Marcotti]

1. Don't get me wrong, the problem is worldwide. Goodness knows Italian commentators butcher names with abandon.
2. There is, I think, a key difference between Pleat or Lawrenson (who I actually think makes an effort to pronounce names as accurately as possible) who are expert analysts and commentators. Ex-players or managers are judged by the analysis they provide, not by how they provide it. But, for a commentator who is paid to describe the game, one would expect him or her to at least put in the effort. Especially with a name like Capdevila, which is, frankly difficult to mispronounce. Incidentally, he was calling him Capdevilla (with the Spanish "ll" sound). Something similar happens with Gilardinho, who becomes Gilardinho, as if he were Brazilian. Gilardino Brazilian? If only...

[Peter]

Commentators who pronounce names wrongly are not professional. They don't care enough about their viewers to do a little research.

[Josh]

Aragones - fool: how else to explain starting with Xavi instead of Fabregas? One is a top-class midfielder with a nice line in passing - the other is the most intelligent, visionary footballer in years. Even at 21, Fabregas came on and immediately took over the game. It's not just about the on-the-ball skills: he told his older, established team-mates "No, you go there, you over here, come to me, push away, play that pass out to the wing, make your run..." and on, and on, and on, and suddenly Spain looked a different side. One day this boy will be the greatest manager the game has ever seen - but not until after he's spent ten years being the best player.

[El Ponso]

Phonetics aside, I agree that for the neutrals this match would have been a real bore.
However, for those involved, it was not short of thrilling and entertaining.
No team in the world can play easy when facing the italians. They are arguably the best team in the world when it comes to discipline, endurance and sacrifice. Their men at the defence's line are always superb. Even if they are not the first choice.
All in all a hard win for Spain.
The match with the russians would be totally different.
Hasta luego.

[weirdstuff]

Also, apparantly Albertini was going to start for Italy as opposed to Aquilani which is cringe-worthy to say the least.

"Geeza" was the geezer who came on for Torres too, don't you know?

I enjoyed the game last night too, rather more than the commentary and pundiitry. Italy were apparantly "playing for penalties" for the whole game.

Italy played to their strengths and gave Villa and Torres virtually no opportunities. They also had the two best chances of the match, with Toni and Camoranesi. But they were rather disappointing because they didn't really exploit Spain's weakness - their defence.

A lack of a plan B didn't help either.

[Andrew]

David Pleat's pronunciation of Xavi 'Jaaavi' was just as comical/irritating! (correct pronunciaiton being 'Chavy' in his native Catalan... How hard can it be, all you have to do is picture him in Burberry print)!

[Andrew]

David Pleat's pronunciation of Xavi 'Jaaavi' was just as comical/irritating! (correct pronunciaiton being 'Chavy' in his native Catalan... How hard can it be, all you have to do is picture him in Burberry print)!

[Sergio]

I think it's difficult to say foreign names for English speakers. In Spain occurs too.

Ones say: akeelanee (Aquilani) and others akuilanie (Aquilani, too).

[tentonipte]

pearl-o
canamaresi
dee-natalie

commentators have been particularly poor at names this whole tournament.