Yus, This from Eurofinals365 Newsletter. Sorry for the ugly formatting..not enough time to fixt it. ====================================================================== THE MIDFIELD MAGICIANS 27 June 2000 - London by Iain Spragg LUIS FIGO or Zinedine Zidane? Arguably the two best midfielders in the world at the moment will go head-to-head in Brussels on Wednesday in the first Euro 2000 semi-final. But who will emerge as the king of the playmakers? WEDNESDAY night's semi-final clash between Portugal and France promises to be a thriller. There will be more talent on show than any recent England manager could dream of and judging by the performances of the two sides en route to the last four, there will be no shortage of drama and excitement. But as much as the showdown in Brussels is a clash of two great footballing sides, it will also be a meeting of two great footballers - Portugal's Luis Figo and France's Zinedine Zidane. And the question on everybody's lips is who will win the battle of Euro 2000's star midfielders? Both players have been in scintillating form in their appearances so far but, as always, one of them will have to walk away from Wednesday's game as loser. But who will it be? Check out the Football365 guide to the midfield maestros to see how we rate this summer's two star attractions… Passing: A clear advantage here for the Algerian-born French midfielder. Zidane to date has completed a massive 83 per cent of his attempted passes in Roger Lemerre side's trouble-free progress to the semi-finals. In contrast, Figo has found his man with only 78 per cent. 365 Verdict: The stats say Zidane is the better passer and it's difficult to argue that Figo has been better than the Frenchman in this department. Zidane also has the longer range. Threat In Front Of Goal: So far both men have found the back of the net once in Euro 2000 - and both efforts were automatic contenders for goal of the tournament. Figo broke English hearts with a spectacular long range effort in Eindhoven that left David Seaman motionless, sparking Portugal's stunning recovery, while Zidane opened his account with a superb free-kick in the quarter-final against Spain in Bruges. 365 Verdict: Little to choose between the two although Figo probably edges it because he's a bigger danger than Zidane from open play. Assists: If you can score 'em yourself, why not let somebody else have a go? To date, Zidane has set-up just one of France's nine goals for a team-mate while Figo has created three of Portugal's nine. 365 Verdict: Figo a clear winner. Commitment: Neither player is renowned for the physical side of their games but, equally, neither is a soft touch when it comes to the rough stuff. Both men are strong enough to look after themselves although Figo is marginally the better tackler and tracker back. 365 Verdict: Not the most significant head-to-head between the two talismanic figures but, if there has to be a winner, Figo just shades it. Dribbling: One of the strengths of both men's game and, considering the semi-final is sure to be a fiercely contested and at times frenetic affair, the ability to beat players one-on-one could be the difference between reaching the final or the next plane. The stats show Zidane enjoys a clear advantage here - successfully completing 82 per cent of his 22 attempted dribbles, Figo managing to hold onto the ball 56 per cent of the time from 25 attempts. 365 Verdict: Although Figo has attempted more dribbles, Zidane is clearly the master. Temperament Surprisingly good considering flair players traditionally have a reputation for short fuses. Zidane does occasionally get shirty if one is trademark bursts is nipped in the bud by underhand tactics but has never totally lost his composure. Similarly, it's not easy to upset Figo who just seems to pick himself up and get on with things if he's been fouled. 365 Verdict: Hopefully temperament will not play a big part in what promises to be a feast of football (we all want to see 22 players on the pitch at the end, don't we?) and little to choose between the two. Crossing: A difficult one to call. The stats make interesting reading and it depends on whether you count quantity or quality as the most important aspect of getting the ball into the opposition box. Zidane has attempted just 12 crosses during the tournament, half of which have found a French team-mate. Figo has unleashed a staggering 36 deliveries into the danger area, but only 31 per cent of those have found their intended target. 365 Verdict: It's the strikers' job to get onto the crosses, so the more you can get into the box, the better. Figo may not boast Zidane's accuracy to date (although a 50 per cent completion rate isn't exactly world beating) but you can't complain at the frequency of his delivery. And The Winner Is... Zidane is the player with the bigger reputation - you don't win World Cups and European Footballer of the Year titles for nothing - but, on current form Figo is the winner by the narrowest of margins. _______________________________________________________ Get 100% FREE Internet Access powered by Excite Visit http://freelane.excite.com/freeisp ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------