First it was the KO. Not easy playing badminton in freezing sub zero temperatures. Our good Datuk overcame the extreme cold, whiteout effect and romped home with the title. Well done. Within days, our good Datuk was back in Malaysia for the MO. From freezing cold to playing badminton under hot and humid conditions. The man bagged his first back to back titles. Kudos to Datuk. In the recently concluded NGP, our WR1 swept aside all the shrimps and foot soldiers with relative ease to win the NGP for like the 100th time or so. .... the All England Yes ... the All England, the oldest and most prestigious badminton tournament. The tourney is even older than Malaysia. This is a biggie. It is good to see that Datuk is even continuing his training during the CNY holidays. The man is serious about winning a major. He wants the AE badly. After numerous failed attempts, LCW believes this is his best chance to wrest the AE title. And I believe so too. Personally, I believe his gameplay has improved. But there are still some visible cracks. During the MO, LCW was taken to 3 sets by LD's lieutenants, DPY & CJ in front of the Boleh crowd. CJ came very close to pulling the rug under LCW's feet as he had Datuk by the ropes and Bolehians foaming at the mouths in the stands. Temperament, not skills and technique will be tested. While LCW has improved his gameplay, questions will be asked about him mentally in England. Can he overcome his usual cold feet when performing on the big stage? While many here will think that LD is the biggest obstacle, I would say the biggest obstacle will be LCW himself. Can he overcome his own mental barriers? There will be many banana skins and if LCW is not careful, he may find himself bundled out by a lower ranked shuttler. LCW wants a major bad. And I believe should he fail again this time, damage done may be irreversible. And should he be beaten by LD, it will be the straw that broke the camel's back. There will be no coming back if he gets another beating by LD. Like it or not, the AE is a make or break for LCW in terms of landing a biggie. If LCW wins the AE, we will have a rejuvenated shuttler who may just challenge for the OG 2012. Should he fails, my bet is things will be downhill for him as I doubt he can recover from another disappointment. Its gonna be an interesting AE. We have a WR1 MS. Can he deliver the AE?
I don't think it's make or break. He has been losing in majors so much, another one will not make much difference. You make a dent on a heavily-dented car, you will hardly notice the new dent. Even if he wins it, he may not win another major. If he does not win it, he may yet win one later.
Yes, yes ... the Proton Waja have been dented a few times before. But it has been sent to the garage for a new makeover and retrofitted with a new engine for the upcoming WRC. The man has played in numerous majors before and failed. My observation is that the man wanted a major badly and after the beatings in OG 08, AE 09, WC 09 ... he has fine tuned and improved his gameplay a few notches up. He wants a major ... badly. And should he failed in the coming AE despite all the training and improvements, it will be hard for him mentally.
What makes this All-England so special? Why is it make-or-break this time? Maybe it's make-or-break when he lost the Olympics 08, so that's it for Datuk. Anyway, my feeling is that it depends on LD. If LD gets into form, nobody alive (not to mention dead) can stop him. No matter how you look at it, LD is the better player physically.
He is at the peak of his powers and has the experience after competing in numerous tourneys over the years. The man is no 20 years old newbie. Preparation wise, he has been careful and by skipping Laos allowed his body and mind to get some R&R. The KO, MO and the NGP wins will serve as motivation and momentum for this AE. H2H, yes LD is miles ahead. But the court is square. Its still gonna be 1 on 1. Physically LD better? Not too sure about that but anyway Datuk has the match fitness after competing in the KO, MO and NGP. Anyway, it may not come down to LD. Someone else like PSH or that Vietnamese chap may end it for LCW.
LD not only has the mental edge, but the physical edge. I do acknowledge the mental strength of the Chinese players, but LCW can still consistently beat most of them (in fact all of them, except LD). It's the physical part that sets LD apart from his team-mates and from LCW.
Ya, plus Lin Dan's playing style is so cool xD, no one in the world has the smooth movements like him
Well, they say the ball is round, until you put Malaysia and Brazil on the same football (soccer) field. I don't doubt that LCW has every chance to win the AE. I also don't doubt that he may lose to the Vietnamese chap aka NTM. I'm just saying it's not make-or-break time, though it's a crucial tournament nonetheless.
tis the 100th AE edition & i'm sure SuperDan (and the entire CHN camp) is treating this like the pre-2012 Olympic Games. i mean, he wins this and his name will be forever etched on that trophy, as the 100th anniversary winner, for the next century.
My dear lad, We need to be realistic. Brazil is ranked #2 in the FIFA rankings, Malaysia is #159. Its like pitting LCW against Charles Pyne of Jamaica. Its still 1 on 1. Can we still say that the 'ball is round' or court is square? I mean I play football, if I play you 1 on 1 on a futsal pitch, trust me its not gonna be 'the ball is round' kinda thingy. If you say it is not make a break, I respect your opinion. To me, the good Datuk is 27 and you aint gonna peak further.
a bit too extreme of a comparison. LCW did beat LD a few times. I don't follow soccer but i doubt MAS had beaten brazil once before.
I know ... its like I know I can sing the odd song or two, but please dont compare me with Bono of U2
I was giving an extreme example to the "court is square" phrase. People use "court is square" (actually it's rectangular) and "ball is round" to say that anyone can beat anyone else. I'm just saying it's not the case.
But we need to be realistic too. LCW & LD are top shuttlers. They have played each other numerous times. In football, Malaysia cannot be compared to Brazil ... we are way behind, maybe a couple of light years behind. A more realistic comparison is maybe Malaysia vs Thailand or Singapore. Brazil vs Spain or England ok la. We cannot take our Mat Som bin Mat Rempit to race against Valentino Rossi.
