Football Orphan: Barcelona triumph over Milan in heavyweight clash at San Siro.
Image courtesy of bleacherreport.com
The game that stood out like a flashing beacon in last night’s Champions League clashes was AC Milan v Barcelona. Both clubs had already qualified for the knock out stages. With only top spot to fight for, one could have been forgiven for dismissing this one as just another game, and turned over to one of the other matches. This quite frankly would have been a mistake. This was a most enjoyable, no holds barred, win at all costs for both teams match. A Van Bommel own goal set Barcelona on their way before Ibrahimovic leveled things up. Lionel Messi had to bizarrely retake a penalty after he came to a complete stop, as he progressed towards the ball. The retaken penalty inevitably sent the Catalans into a two one lead. Kevin Prince Boateng scored a delightful equalizer which will leave his former clubs Tottenham and Portsmouth scratching their heads, having never witnessed such finesse when the Ghanaian was employed in England.
The final goal always looked as if it would come from Guardiola’s side. Just past the hour mark it was Xavi who provided it. Some slick passing resulted in an inch perfect through ball which the Barcelona vice captain despatched with more pin point accuracy. The 3-2 success means that Barca have now won the group stage of the competition for a record tenth time, which was set by Real Madrid just 24 hours earlier, when they beat Dynamo Zagreb 6-2 to top their group. The usual quotes will be rolled out about Milan being too old, but the performance was one which pushed the current Champions League Champions all the way, in a game they quite obviously were all out to win. There’s no doubt that this is a terrific generation for Barcelona, but as Milan showed last night, they won’t have it all their own way.
Pele: The most famous player in the world, definitely not the greatest?
Image courtesy of uk.eurosport.yahoo.com
It was very interesting to read some quotes yesterday that Pele doesn’t believe Lionel Messi is the greatest ever player. The Brazilian who is ranked up there as the best ever, claims the Argentine is nowhere near as good as himself….. Maradona was also overrated in his opinion. I DID check the date of the newspaper and it was dated as Monday the 14th and not April the 1st. In his defence, he did champion the likes of Cruyff and Zidane as his favourites, but I’m still not buying this self promotion that the Brazilian insists upon. By dismissing what is widely regarded as, at very least, his equals out of hand, it only leaves one player left to consider. Pele.
Is this clever or bitter? His whiter than white image projects him as the favourite of the masses, but having never played at the top-level over a long season in Europe, this leaves a major blot in his copybook. When his “expert ” eye watches over the likes Messi and Maradona he is fiercely critical of them. These are players who have reached the very top of their profession in the most competitive leagues in the world. Pele stayed in Brasil until an offer he could not refuse in the USA was on the table.
I find it more than a little odd that his misguided judgement doesn’t even consider legends such as Di Stefano or Puskas. These recent comments are of little surprise to me, as I’ve read such similar tripe from the three times world champion. Isn’t it about time that we stop wheeling out the same old rubbish from great ex players promoting a product? Ah, and there lies the answer. A little Controversy to sell a product perhaps? Either way, in my opinion the self-proclaimed “best player in the world……. ever” is lagging behind both Maradona and Messi. I still struggle with the order of the top two though.
Football Orphan at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
What better way to cure the Vicente Calderon hangover than to dust myself off, and make my way to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu at lunchtime the very next day. On a gloriously sunny day in Madrid, I emerged from the Metro station very aptly named, Santiago Bernabeu, only to be greeted with a fairly busy intersection. This however couldn’t distract me from the all too important first glance, as this monumental colossus of a building that presented itself in impeccable style. I have visited some very impressive stadia previously but I had an inkling that this was going to stand out a little more than the others. The first point of note was the panoramic view from the seats over seventy meters above pitch level. This truly was the first time I was left open-mouthed as I stood motionless, memorised at what lay before me.
A tsunami of information surged through my conscious all at once. This was the arena where the home fans had apparently given Ronaldinho a standing ovation when Barcelona humbled Los Blancos a few years before, Marco Tardelli scored the final goal in the 1982 World Cup Final and infamously exploded with emotion as the enormity of the goal was realised, THIS is where greats such as Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo (The Real One) Butragueno, Puskas, Di Stefano all became legends for the mighty Real Madrid. It was like nothing I have ever encountered before when visiting stadia. I can remember watching television and seeing Hugo Sanchez reeling away to a corner flag flinging himself into a summer salt, or in later years Zidane orchestrate games with such grace, but the cameras never quite revealed the grandeur of the stage that they performed on.
As I walked through the museum absorbing the club history I found it was easy to understand why any player would gravitate to an institution such as Real Madrid. It all seemed so romantic in the most ideal football terms when I was abruptly reminded of the reality of the situation, I was asked to pose with an imaginary figure of a “Current Madrid Legend” and told if I so wished I could purchase the photo on my way out. I was then asked to pose for two photos with the Champions League trophy, with the same financial repercussions. While I had no problem parting with the entrance fee this was a little bit of a sobering moment in an otherwise memorable experience.
It would not be an exaggeration to suggest an entire day to take in this enormous piece of football history. The trophy cabinet alone is staggering, then on to the display of shirts worn by opposing players who have graced the stadium. Personally, I found it intriguing to visit the press room and get up close to pitch side and slide into a seat on the bench. The view from the president’s executive area is what every football fans dreams of when he or she purchases a ticket for a game for any football ground.
As I spilled out of the almost self guided tour through this famous stadium I felt inspired to learn of a club’s once humble beginnings only to conquer all. This is the football club in which to measure your own club on the world stage. Success is attained in many ways throughout the football fraternity, I had just witnessed the most productive football club of them all. If Donald Trump and Don King got together to found a football club, it would be Real Madrid. Just for good measure, the tour spat me out in an enormous Real Madrid megastore.
Football Orphan: Barça boat left stranded in the broken sea.
Photo courtesy of uk.eurosport.yahoo.com
With a weekend packed to the rafters full of action and talking points, it was quite the conundrum to decide where to focus the main attention today. Alex Ferguson suffered his worst ever defeat as a player or a manager when Manchester City knocked Manchester United for six at Old Trafford on Sunday. Queens Park Rangers got the better of their old rivals Chelsea at Loftus Road. Andre Villas Boas will begin his own inquest as to how seven of his player received yellow cards while two others saw red. Ac Milan came from three goals down to beat Lecce with former Tottenham and Portsmouth player Kevin Prince Boateng grabbing a hat trickin Serie A. Real Madrid traveled to La Rosaleda to face Andalucia’s richest club Malaga hammering them four nil, as Cristiano Ronaldo hit a fifteen minute hat trick of his own. This was then bettered by Levante’s three nill away win against Villarreal at El Madrigal to put them unpredictably top of La Liga.
For me personally, the story of the weekend was in the game of the weekend in La Liga, where not a single goal was to be found. Another Andalucian team Sevilla, travelled to Camp Nou to take on arguably the world’s greatest football team, Barcelona. As per usual Barça were attempting to suffocate the opposition passing Sevilla to the brink of frustration. Accumulating more than seventy percent of the play, Barça went close yet again to breaking the deadlock as Andres Iniesta hit the bar mid way through the second half. The story of the evening was Sevilla’s twenty nine year old goalkeeper Javi Varas, a man who was playing amateur football up the age of twenty-three, keeping La Blaugrana at bay almost single-handedly. He made save after save and looked as though his goal was impenetrable. As the game wore on it became the Barça versus Javi Varas show, as the Sevilliano produced a man of the match performance and will take some displacing by Sevilla’s regular goalkeeper Anders Palop, who is currently out injured.
The last meaningful passage of play saw Andres Iniesta win a penalty for Barcelona. The spot kick was delayed after some gamesmanship by Fredric Kanoute as he tapped the ball off the penalty spot before leaving the 18 yard area. Only moments later having received a yellow card for his misdemeanour, Kanoute was involved in a scuffle with Cesc Fabregas which resulted in the Mali striker being sent off. When we eventually got around to the small matter of Lionel Messi‘s penalty, the man of the moment Javi Varas dived confidently to his left to deflect Messi’s unconvincing strike away. The size of the task was tremendous before hand for Sevilla, no team had taken a point from the Camp Nou this season. Sevilla had not only stopped Barcelona in their tracks, but they eventually got under their skin. Perhaps this could be the catalyst for Sevilla to really kick-start their season. By their own standards the last couple of seasons have been a little less than satisfactory.
Football Orphan: Liverpool v Manchester United.
There’s little doubt where the most anticipated game of the weekend will take place. Two of football’s fiercest competitors in Alex Ferguson and Kenny Dalglish go head to head at Anfield on Saturday. Both managers are ferocious in their will to haul their respective clubs towards success. I can’t help feeling that with this gargantuan fixture coming after seven games, the season starts here. Only El Classico can boast a rivalry between to clubs from different cities as intense as this one. Historically, this is the biggest grudge match in the Premier League’s extistance.
According to the Liverpool manager, everybody has returned fit and well from International duty. Tomorrow’s game will act as yard stick for Liverpool in their quest to regain the championship, while Manchester United have yet again refreshed and replenished their squad almost to a point of disbelief, yet again. It will be interesting on a number of levels to see if Steven Gerrard is drafted in to the first team. How will he fit into a team that has tried endlessly to evolve in his long absence? But more importantly, will his fitness be sufficient make an impact and affect the outcome of the game?
This is the first visit to Merseyside for Manchester United since they surpassed Liverpool’s eighteen league titles. They will be given a very special welcome I’m sure. Regardless, it seems to wash over Alex Ferguson with relative ease with every passing season. Emotions will reach fever pitch tomorrow afternoon as Liverpool fans will expect this to be a major stepping stone on the road to recovery in the Premier League. All the clichés will be rolled out by commentators and pundits, but nothing is more realistic than the atmosphere of Anfield for a big game, and they don’t get any bigger than this one.
With Fernando Torres, Manchester United’s recent tormentor now departed, Luis Suarez has the potential to be the thorn in United’s side. If Liverpool can upset the Champions, they should be considered as credible Champions League qualifying contenders. However, I believe Manchester United have too much for a Liverpool team stuck in transition, and should secure at least a point. Football Orphan prediction, Liverpool to push United all the way 2-2.
Football Orphan will return on Monday to discuss the weekends action.
Football Orphan: Antonio Puerta always in the heart of Sevillanos.
Photo coustesy of soccerlens.com
The Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan in August of 2007 is the scene of tragedy that I remember most of all. I had settled in to watch my regular dosage of La Liga action, but never thinking it would be the scene of one of the most horrendous nights for Spanish football. Sevilla were hosting Getafe and were fresh from their Uefa Cup win the season before. Ten minutes from half time Antonio Puerta collapsed while on his way back to his own goal. Medics were alerted and tended to him as he then collapsed again. Puerta was able to make his way from pitch side to the changing rooms but was reported to have collapsed and lost consciousness again. Puerta was given cardiac resuscitation before being taken to hospital. On the 28th of August, three days after the original incident, it was announced that Antonio Puerta aged 22, had died of multiple organ failure due to prolonged cardiac arrest.
Antonio Puerta had joined Sevilla at 14 years old and had played alongside Sergio Ramos, Antonio Reyes and Jesus Navas at the clubs famous youth set up. He made his Sevilla debut in March 2004 and had gone on to collect five titles within a fifteen month period with the Andalusians. Some of his suitors had included Real Madrid, Manchester United and Arsenal but all bids were declined. Antonio Puerta had represented Spain at under 21, 23 level and had won one cap for the senior team. At club level he had only donned the colours of his home town club Sevilla, where he had been well decorated in a career that was so tragically cut short.
On 28th of August Sevilla played Ac Milan in Uefa’s Super Cup match in Monaco’s Stade Louis II stadium, where all participating players wore Puerta’s name on the back of their shirts accompanied by black armbands. Sevilla unveiled a sculpture that was built to pay homage to Antonio Puerta at the José Ramón Cisneros Palacios sports centre. There is absolutely no doubt that a huge talent was lost, and Antonio Puerta would definitely have gone on to greatness as his career progressed. With each piece of silverware or team achievement encountered by Puerta’s colleges it leaves one to ponder on what could have been.
Football Orphan: Invincible Barca collect yet another prize.
Football is delicious when all the components are correctly in place. I personally could purr over a fine defensive display, or a spectacular passing master class. I enjoy a good tough, but fair contest of survival of the fittest too between two sides who fight to be recognized in their pursuit of a higher platform on which to play.
Football has a disgusting habit of imploding on itself and depriving us of what we all anticipate to be the ultimate, and the pinnacle of our game. Every time the cynic in me raises its ugly head, an optimistic Barca play their usual gushing passing game and produce a trophy winning performance to redeem what is beautiful in our game.
Friday nights performance in Stade Louis II in Monaco was only somewhere between second and third gear for the Catalans, and yet we will see both goals in Barca’s Super Cup winning performance on the highlight reel for some time to come. Goals from Lionel Messi and Cesc Fabregas that could only be described as breathtaking, secured Pep Guardiola‘s place in FC Barcelona folklore. Guardiola became the most decorated coach ever for Barca, and in record time too, winning twelve trophies in four years in charge.
I believe we will eventually become complacent with what we expect from Pep’s well-groomed Barcelona team. Although already two trophies to the better at just the beginning of the season, what more can we really expect of this modern-day football miracle?
How long will they continue to make us gasp in delight at their delicious brand of football? How many more trophies can they win? The bigger question begs to be asked though. At what point will fickle football fans start to become intolerant with the same club winning all of the silverware? Even with La Masia, classed as the finest, and most successful youth system in the world, surely this kind of success couldn’t go on forever?
The Catalan giants now “soil” their shirts with a sponsor to assist paying for what has been described by Spanish media as barely manageable debts. But this in fact appears to be a move towards a more mature financial outlook for the future. Madrid appear even less concerned with their “Buy now pay later” mantra. Without involving newly emerging financially spoiled Getafe or Malaga it still appears that however we try to douse the flames of cynicism surrounding La Blaugrana’s astounding continuous success, they always appear to handle it with style, dignity and sensibility. In my belief, a measure of which every aspiring club should measure itself, not only within Spain but throughout Europe.
Football Orphan will return after the International break.
Football Orphan: El Submarino Amarillo resurface in the Champions League yet again.
Last night’s action in the Champions league brought about some high drama, not least Genk‘s penalty shoot out win over Macabi Haifa. From a personal point of view, the miracle of Villarreal reaching the Champions League group stages never fails to capture the romanticism of this tournament for me. In the past clubs like Porto, Monaco in 2004 and as far back as Valencia in 2001 and 2002 have proved that the “smaller” clubs shouldn’t be disregarded or ousted by the Uefa big wigs’ big club favouritism.
We all love to see the big money clubs entertain us in the later rounds when it is totally deserved, but a club of Villarreal’s size reaching the group stage of this competition is nothing short of a miracle. How they even qualify for European competition from La Liga is a pretty impressive feat in itself. They have been Semi finalists in both Uefa Cup and Champions League in recent years, and claimed a runners-up spot in La Liga in 2008 – 2009 season.
It would not be a total mismatch to compare “El Submarino Amarillo” to a club like Bolton Wanderers. Villarreal were promoted to La Liga in 2000, while The Trotters began their long Premier League tenure in 2001. Villarreal play at El Madrigal which holds around 25,000, while Bolton play at the Reebok which boasts a capacity of around 28,000. To my mind seeing a club like Bolton weaving a path through to the latter stages of mainstream European competition with regularity would be almost unimaginable.
Even more bizarre is that the district of Vila-real only boasts a population of a little over 50,000 people. This in effect means that when the group stage of the competition commences and “El Submarino Amarillo” sell out El Madrigal, almost half the district of “Vila-realencs” will be present at the game. Almost like a modern-day Loaves and fishes story to my mind. With the wealth and affluence sloshing around not only La Liga, but in Europe, this has to be one of the most redeeming stories in modern-day football, and legacy to be proud of for the Provence of Castellón.
Football Orphan: Rovers show fighting Irish spirit in Tallaght.
Shamrock Rovers can count themselves unlucky not to be taking a lead to Serbia for their Europa League second leg tie next week. Last nights game at Tallaght Stadium started well for the Irish champions, but some sleepy defending saw Partizan take the lead with some clever inter play down the right-wing. The chances kept coming for the Serbs as they continued to pick Rovers off. Simple defensive errors gifted the away side ample opportunity to kill the tie off before half time. If Partizan were not to progress through to the Europa League proper they will only have themselves to blame, as sloppy finishing from Tomic, Jovancic, and Eduardo failed to put the game out of Rovers’ reach.
To the credit of Michael O’Neill‘s men, they dug in and refused to let their heads drop. It was always likely when playing experienced European campaigners such as Partizan, that mistakes would happen, and possession would be conceded. It would be how the Tallaght men would respond would be most important. Having shot themselves in the foot conceding early, they hauled themselves back into the game with commendable bravery and fantastic discipline.
The introduction of Gary O Neill and Ciaran Kilduff late on gave Rovers much more of an option going forward. From struggling to contain the close passing game of Partizan it was The Hoops that started to turn the screw. The long throw of Pat Sullivan was beginning to prove troublesome for the Partizan back line to deal with, and it looked inevitable that chances would come for Shamrock Rovers. The ultimate opportunity came as Gary McCabe made a powerful run, played a neat one two with Gary Twigg, and slotted home with style to leave the Serbian champions rocking. Before the final whistle brought an end to a compelling European night in Tallaght, Rovers still had chances to win the game. Gary Twigg could have sealed a famous European win over the one time European cup finalists, but in the end it wasn’t to be. Michael O Neill will be encouraged by his teams second half display with the return leg to come next Thursday.
Football Orphan will return on Monday to round-up the all the weekends action.
Football Orphan: Pep moves one trophy closer to his Barca exit.
Jose promised us that his teams will always provide supporters with a better second season. His plea last season with clasped hands was, please don’t judge us on this season the next one will be different. Well, for the most part Real Madrid looked a stronger and more cohesive prospect, until a majestically weighted pass from Messi split the Madrid defense wide open, only for Andres Iniesta to make a difficult finish look effortless. Ronaldo looked to have claimed the equalizer, but it may go to the dubious goal panel before it’s resolved who scored the equalizer. Just before half time from a scrambled corner, the ironically named Gerard Pique Bernabeu back healed an inch perfect pass to Messi before he calmly chipped home past Casillas with his usual touch of class. Oddly enough it was Ronaldo who was given the task of marking Messi for the corner. At very least, as Messi cheerily put away his second goal of the tie Ronaldo saw at close quarters, exactly the measure of class he should aspire to.
If Mourinho is to make significant progress in closing the gulf in class between his current and his former employers, he has his work cut out trying to quell the erratic behaviour of three of their back four. Pepe, Sergio Ramos and Marcello gamble on being sent off in almost every game.
Indeed as predicted, an enormous melee ensued after the Brazilian Marcelo lashed out at substitute Cesc Fabregas on the stroke of full-time earning himself a straight red. With the resulting fracas, the already substituted David Villa and Mesut Ozil also played themselves into a dismissal.
The unnecessary and unsavory end to the game completely over shadowed a great advertisement for Spanish football. What promised to be a fine curtain raiser descended into farce yet again. Barca had looked entirely comfortable at two one up as Benzema leveled, before yet again Messi spectacularly beat Casillas to claim the Spanish Super Cup for the Catalans.
This leaves Pep Guardiola level with Johan Cruyff with the most silverware won as a Barcelona coach. It is widely believed that Guardiola would step down once he had eclipsed his former coach.With La Liga, Copa Del Rey, Champions League, European Super Cup and World Club Cup still up for grabs for La Blaugrana, it would be virtually impossible to see Barca end the season with only the Spanish Super Cup to their name, which would surely culminate with the inevitable search for a new coach.
Football Orphan : Arsenal bid an emotional “Comiat” to Cesc.
Cesc Fabregas finally made his long-awaited move back to his boyhood team yesterday. He revealed that he could barely speak through the emotion of the farewells when thanking Arsene Wenger who he see’s as a father figure. Much has been made of arguably the most important signing Barcelona have made since Johan Cruyff signed for the Catalans in 1973. No single eventuality could possibly have had a bigger feel good factor for Los Cules than Cesc’s “homecoming” this season. The hole that Fabregas leaves at Arsenal will be of little concern to La Blaugrana as they strengthen what is an already invincible and virtually flawless team.
Arsene Wenger has been accused of a variety of flaws over the course of the infamous barren years. With the mass exodus that Arsenal find themselves in the midst of currently, this is surely the Frenchman’s biggest challenge yet. Wenger has already seen the likes of Almunia, Clichy, Denilson and Fabregas depart, with Eboue, Bendtner and Nasri currently believed to be packing their bags. Arsenal have also sold Jay Emmanuel Thomas to Ipswich Town when he was once believed to be a hot prospect, and have sent Kyle Bartley out on loan to Glasgow Rangers yet again. I personally believe that a proactive approach by the north Londoners could see a galvanizing effect on the Emirates faithful. It won’t be the “be all and end all” to get talented players, it just won’t be enough. The mentality of the new recruits will be scrutinised by media and supporters as much as ever.
Why “Le Professeur” hasn’t shown more of an interest in “budget” players such as Scott Parker, Craig Bellamy and perhaps even Owen Hargreaves and Mathew Upson on free transfers given the reluctance to spend money is a mystery to me. Arsenal in my opinion need what Liverpool have recently encouraged with their own signings, is an experienced British core in their first eleven. At the risk of hanging myself out to dry just like Alan Hanson once did, but with so little title-winning experience, I just don’t share Arsene Wenger’s optimism.
The prospect of Arsenal’s most experienced and most important player now entering into an environment to complete his education and qualifying himself as the “complete package” must now show Wenger he needs to buck the trend, and rethink his philosophy if silverware is to find its way back down south to N5.
Football Orphan: Mourinho must take the blame for Madrid’s suffication
Pedro hammers the final nail in the Real Madrid coffin
Against every wish of Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho, against all the odds, a game of football broke out at Camp Nou last night. The portuguese coach was nowhere to be seen as Barcelona secured their place in the Wembley final with a 1-1 draw winning 3-1 on aggregate. Like shuffling into an old pair of slippers, Barcelona moved the ball around like children playing air hockey at the arcade. At any moment the Catalans were prepared to move up a gear to enforce their superiority over a hamstrung Madrid.
Any club in the world who possessed players of the calibre of Cristiano Ronaldo, ‘Kaka and Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso and Angel Di Maria, to play a containing defensive minded game, is mismanagement in my opinion. With no score on the board Real Madrid were unlucky to have what looked a perfectly good goal disallowed when a falling Ronaldo inadvertently clipped Javier Mascheranoon his way to ground just before Higuain calmly slotted past Victor Valdes.
It’s worth pointing out that the referee Frank De Bleeckere had a good game for the most part, despite not issuing any red cards. Ricardo Carvalho, Lassana Diarra and Emanuel Adebayor were extremely lucky to escape with a solitary yellow card each, with Adebayor in particular charging around the pitch looking like it was his first ever game of football.
Barcelona won’t have learned much from the game itself. They are the best team in the world, they also have immaculate self belief with unbreakable team spirit. I have never once under Guardiola seen a player receive a dressing down of any kind from the coach or from a fellow player while on the pitch. There is a togetherness and bond that is as admirable as their slick playing philosophy.
Hardly the actions of a man who believes in teamwork
Conversely, Real Madrid should have learned that they entered into this season with a major handicap in their efforts to match their great rivals Barcelona. Despite winning the Copa Del Rey and progressing further in the Champions League than they have in recent seasons, the entire squad has been stifled and is being suppressed by a dictatorship of the self-confessed “”Special One”.
For arguments sake, if Mourinho’s opposite number tonight Pep Guardiola was in charge of Real Madrid, they would stand a much bigger chance of success. The world-class attacking options that Madrid have, would be indeed deployed as attacking options. The strategy which has been a staple diet for all Mourinho’s teams is to keep it tight at the back at all costs.
The squad at Madrid doesn’t for a moment suggest that this is where it’s strengths lie. Instead we can only assume that the special one is too rigid and unable to adapt. The tactics deployed against Barcelona over the four Classico’s in my view, were as constructive as putting a horse on a jockeys back to win a race.
Football Orphan: Mourinho’s past success will count for nothing without humility.
After what I could only describe as a most vulgar display of petulance, in the Chamipons League semi final on Wednesday evening between Real Madrid and Barcelona, it was unsurprising that the despicable behaviour continued to the press room.
No class. No style. Mourinho stoops to a new low.
There have been countless instances where Jose Mourinho has over stepped the mark in the past. This time around, he truly showed he is a man without class and style when he attempted to taint and tarnish previous Barcelona success with his verbal onslaught at Wednesday’s post match press conference. Mourinho claimed that Uefa have a pro Barcelona stance, and completely favour the Catalans progressing to the final every time.
Whether the Portuguese really believes this to be true or not,it is totally irrelevant. It is primarily a smoke screen to cover up his own teams short comings. Nevertheless, we all know by now that throwing around accusations like snuff at a wake at a post match press conference, only serves to deflect the more pressing questions away.
Mourinho has previously been responsible for wild accusations when he was Chelsea manager regarding Uefa’s senior referee Anders Frisk, as he claimed that the then Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard has been seen entering into the same locker room at half time of a Champions League game. This resulted in death threats to the referee culminating in Frisk retiring from the game completely. Later Mourinho confessed that he had fabricated the whole scenario.
There is no doubt that silverware follows the Portuguese coach around with amazing magnetism, but equally so does controversy. All of the ridiculous baggage that comes with this fantastic coach only detracts from the man’s talents. It may very well be that we don’t look back at his time in management with fondness and revere. The theatrical commotion he stirs up may only be remembered along with his distasteful, despicable and downright disrespectful antics.
Football Orphan: Ninety minutes of childish bickering disrupted by two world class goals from a little Argentine genius.
Messi runs Real Madrid ragged
Last nights Champions League semi final between Real Madrid and Barcelona threatened to descend into farce before arguably the finest player that has ever graced our fair game stepped forward. Lionel Messi proved beyond any doubt that he is the best player on the planet.
After last weeks controlled aggression in their Copa Del Rey success, Real Madrid must have thought they had the measure of their bitterest rivals. While watching the latest edition of El Classico last night, it was difficult to feel anything but frustration and aggravation at what was a show of ill-discipline and petulance from both teams for the vast majority of the game. We saw world-class players quarrel like a bag of cats, while others remonstrated with the referee like school children.
Pedro and Sergio Busquets over exaggerated injury, before Marcelo despicably stamped on Pedro on the referee’s blind side. Pepe’s volatile nature was punished as he was later sent off for a wild lunge where an over the top challenge that could have connected with man or ball. The Portuguese didn’t seem fussy which connected with his studs first. We then saw Jose Mourinho, a culprit himself, and main instigator of all the ill-tempered malicious behaviour, with his continuing pre-match comments and antics, sent to the stands when he showed his displeasure at Pepe’s dismissal by goading the officials and sarcastically “approving” the decision.
One could have been forgiven for believing that the half time whistle would give us some respite, it wasn’t forthcoming. A melee ensued which resulted in Jose Pinto, Barcelona’s substitute goalkeeper being sent off.
More was to come in the second half as a Sergio Ramos was booked and ruled out of the return for dangerously high arm in the face of Messi. Emmanuel Adebayor on as a second half substitute could have had his marching orders for continuous dangerous play later in the half. At this point it was difficult to predict when, or if any football would break out. With plenty of outfield Shenanigans, both Victor Valdes and Iker Casillas were virtually redundant for the best part of the game.
There was a positive to be taken from the game for the most expensive player in the world Cristiano Ronaldo, he should be able to play in the return in Camp Nou without the hassle of washing his kit. After ninety minutes of what could only be described as anonymity, there won’t be as much as even a whiff of perspiration from his pristine white shirt.
The over hyped Portuguese will have had one of the best vantage points as we watched Lionel Messi eclipse in my opinion, the world’s greatest ever footballer Diego Maradona. It’s games like this, where no quarter is given, with little continuity on display that the elite prove their worth.
No ego. Not over hyped. Simply awsome.
It was worth suffering an entire evening of vulgar temperament to be seduced by this king among jesters. He is a player who deserves the highest stage to perform on. He is the perfect role model for young players to aspire to. Most importantly, he is a player who believes he is equally as important as all other players in the team. With a phenomenal goal scoring record, skill to burn and an attitude and mental strength that can’t be equalled, this is what elevates Lionel Messi as the finest player ever to grace football.
Football Orphan: A nation holds its breath….again. Every team want’s the one with the big ears.
The most coveted trophy in club football. "The One with the Big Ears"
Barcelona will look to exercise the demons of last weeks Copa del Rey final defeat, as they face Real Madrid tonight in the Champions League semi final at the Bernabeu. The Catalans will be out to prove that last weeks laboured performance was just an off night. Pep Guardiola must shuffle his team around with Maxwell, Eric Abidal, Adriano and Andres Iniesta all out injured.
A usually calm and collected Guardiola became very agitated at media questions regarding his counterpart Jose Mourinho‘s suggestion that the Barcelona coach is a “new breed of coach” that questions officials when they make the correct decision. This refers to the Pedro goal that was ruled out in the Copa del Rey correctly for offside. Guardiola was quoted as saying that it should have stood.
Real Madrid come into the game with the utmost confidence having stifled the game for the most part, while Ronaldo caught Barca with the sucker punch. In hindsight the only part of the Copa del Rey final that went awry for Real Madrid was Sergio Ramos‘ bad handling of the trophy. Emergency maintenance has been carried out on the prized silverware, and is now proudly displayed in the trophy cabinet at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The winner of tonight’s tie are almost sure to play Manchester United as Schalke froze to Audley Harrison proportions under the big lights of expectation. The Germans will be devastated as they never came close to showing the form that got them to this stage of the competition in the first place. Manchester United cut through a naive Schalke defense time and time again. It looked very much as though the Champions League first timers were found out at this level, eventuality losing 2-0.
The football romanticists will be delighted to see Alex Ferguson emulate Matt Busby by guiding Manchester United to a European Cup final at Wembley, but just getting to the final will not suffice. The final promises to be a heavyweight contest of the highest magnitude.
Alex Ferguson would surely call it a day if his team prevailed. Winning the Premier League and then Champions League at football’s spiritual home, must be construed as the pinnacle of the Manchester United manager’s career. If Real Madrid go the distance it will be their tenth European Cup success, the most prolific club in the history of the competition. In my opinion Barcelona must win the Champions League to be considered the legends that they deserve to be. Without at least one more Champions League success, this team will never be classed with the greatest teams in the competition such as Real Madrid and AC Milan.
Football Orphan: Schalke’s “Miners” look to cause major upset.
Manchester United take on Schalke 04 at the Veltins Arena.
This coming week see’s the beginning of the Champions League semi finals. This is where the real action begins, and more often than not the semi finals are more exciting than the main event itself. All suspicions predictably would dictate the semi finals as a prelude to a Manchester United Vs Barcelona final. Not many have second guessed that it may transpire as a romantic reunion between Raul’s Schalke, and his former side Real Madrid.
Manchester United have been knocked out of the Champions League by German opponents on three previous occasions and are showing caution in the prelude to the game by resting five players for the visit of Everton last the weekend. Schalke (Die Knappen, when translated means The Miners) have had a complete nightmare in the Bundesliga but have been a revelation in this years Champions League.
The big question we will see answered will be if the experience of Raul, or the youth and exuberance of Javier Hernández will triumph. Raul has had a magnificent goal return in the Champions League but the Germans will be banking on his experience and leadership to see that the game is at least within their grasp for the second leg.
Manchester United will no doubt be keeping it tight at the back away from home, but with a virtually unassailable lead in the Premier League they could opt to go for the jugular. United are in the fortuitous position of an almost fully fit squad to select from and are overwhelming favourites to go through. I’m not so sure Premier League champions elect will have it all their own way over the two legs. I’m optimistic that this could be a semi final to remember but most importantly, I hope Schalke do themselves justice and don’t freeze under the big lights at the penultimate stage of the most glittering prize in club football.
Football Orphan: Los Rojilos cautiously optimistic as Osasuna travel to Camp Nou.
Osasuna travel to Camp Nou on Saturday evening looking to add a few more body blows to an already punch drunk Barcelona, in a vital La Liga game for the Basques. Osasuna come into the game on the back of a three game losing streak and just two points from safety. This is not a scenario that is new to the team from the famous bull running city of Pamplona, as they have struggled against relegation in recent seasons with the exception of the 2005/06 season, when they finished a magnificent fourth.
Barcelona come into the game from the unusual position of surrendering a trophy at the final hurdle as they lost the Copa Del Rey final to Real Madrid on Wednesday last. Without a promising display against Basques, it will either be a hangover of epic proportions or a mini crisis as they must face fierce rivals Real Madrid over two legs in the Champions League starting next Wednesday. Much has been made in the Spanish media of the insistence of Pep Guardiola to plough on with such a thin squad. The former Spanish International and Barca player revealed that he believes this is in fact where the Catalans gain an advantage over other teams with unity, togetherness and an unbreakable team spirit.
This game promises to be an intriguing battle between two sides at the opposite end of the table with opposing motivations. There is little doubt that Barcelona will have one eye on the midweek excursion to the Bernabeu. La Baugrana may feel they must rotate to facilitate some fringe players such as Affelay, Maxwell, Bojan Krcic and also defender Gabriel Milito who is slowly returning from long-term injury. Personally I feel the inclusion of Milito will enhance Barca’s end of season prospects as accruing injuries and suspensions have left their back line threadbare in recent times.
Osasuna are looking to improve on only two wins from a possible sixteen on the road, while Barcelona are ranked the second best home side in La Liga with fourteen wins from sixteen at Camp Nou. Osasuna coach Jose luis Mendilibar who replaced the former Spanish national coach Jose Antonio Camacho earlier in the season, will count La Liga survival as his highest achievement of a turbulent managerial career so far. A positive result against Barcelona would be a terrific stepping stone on the road to achieving yet another season in Spain’s top flight.
Football Orphan: Bruised and battered. That’s just the Copa Del Rey.
Iker Casillas lifts Copa Del Rey
The most catastrophic celebration I’ve ever seen in a cup final must be Steve Morrow breaking his collar-bone having fallen from Tony Adams‘ shoulders after Arsenal had beaten Sheffield Wednesday. It took eighteen years for that unfortunate moment to be toppled. Last night while celebrating Copa Del Rey success against Barcelona at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia, Sergio Ramos dropped the trophy from a double-decker bus. If that wasn’t enough, supporters watched in horror as the bus ran over the trophy. Needless to say, it was nowhere to be seen for the rest of the celebrations.
Real Madrid celebrated success after an extra time goal by Cristiano Ronaldo proved to be enough after ninety minutes of stalemate. Jose Mourinho‘s men had the better of the first half as Barca looked like a tired team, and struggled to get into the game. This was a direct result of the Madrid tactic to stifle the Catalans usually silky play and catch them with a sucker punch.
Real Madrid were unlucky to see a Pepe header come back off the post before Pedro had his effort disallowed for offside. Barca got a little more momentum in the second half and carried it into extra time but without a killer final ball it always going to be fruitless.
In a season which has been otherwise seamless, there were signs of a few flaws as Barcelona looked battle worn after a long season with a small squad. The attacking players appeared to exchange words when a disjointed Blaugrana struggled for any continuity. If any consolation is to be had from failing to secure the first part of a second treble in three years, it’s that from the three trophies still available this season it’s the last one on the list of priorities.
Jose Mourinho on the other hand has no issues with a disjointed team as he collected his first trophy in Spanish football. Success is the yard stick by which the Portuguese measures himself, not the style of which his team plays. This was particularly evident when Johan Cruyff accused Jose of being a self obsessed manager only interested in results and trophies not in style of play. Instead of being offended and insulted if gladly accepted the tag. With a record like his, why would you be offended.
Football Orphan: Nobody remembers second place. Speculate to accumulate.
"Silent Stan" at the Emirates
Francesc Fabregas must be thinking that he will be playing a high-profile Derby match in the wrong city tonight. While Arsenal are potentially attending their own funeral at White Hart Lane, Cesc’s boyhood club Barcelona will be preparing for their Copa Del Rey final against Real Madrid.
Barcelona could put the finishing touches to the first part of another treble while Arsenal remain without a trophy in six seasons. The impatience of Fabregas is becoming more and more evident. In a recent interview with Spanish magazine Don Ballon, Fabregas stated that Wenger would have been sacked by now had he been managing at a Spanish club. He also revealed that he is fed up saying that they played well without winning and that Arsenal must choose between winning trophies or developing players.
This does not sound like a man happy in the workplace. Once a player really starts to make those kind of noises, it’s only a matter of time before he moves on. Previously Arsene Wenger had immaculate judgement when letting players move on, this time it looks as though he may have missed the boat on getting top price for a player who quite obviously has major hamstring issues.
Once the Spaniard eventually leaves Arsenal unless there is alterations in recruitment policy, the spotlight will inevitably shift on to the next high-profile player. While Wenger is exceptional at accumulating top dollar for players, he is subdued when it comes to extinguishing the speculation when it obviously is counter productive to the team.
Jack Wilshere is quite an obvious replacement while Aaron Ramsey has made fantastic progress since his unfortunate leg break. Henri Lansbury has also been incredibly impressive on loan at Norwich as they seek automatic promotion to the Premier League. This point I feel is of utmost importance. Arsenal were the first club to field an all foreign first eleven, but they have made extraordinary strides turning around that philosophy while nurturing some of the best home based talent which also includes left back Kieran Gibbs.
Wenger appears to be moving closer and closer to the emphatically successful Barcelona template of home-grown players, but will the difference of a marquee player in the transfer market remain as Arsenal’s undoing? It’s high time that “Silent Stan” (Kroenke) teaches Arsene Wenger how to speculate to accumulate.
Football Orphan: Let the four-play begin. Los Blancos Vs La Blaugrana.
Real Madrid tip toed past Tottenham last night to set up a rather seductive date with rivals Barcelona in the Champions League semi final. This will be part of a quadruple header with the Catalans, all within just eighteen days.
First up is the League meeting in the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday evening, followed by the Copa del Rey final in the Mestalla the following Wednesday. These two games will only be overshadowed by the two Champions League clashes in the following weeks.
If a “Classico” could dare be graded, each ensuing game becomes more and more important to both clubs. The countdown has already begun with the inevitable puzzler, will either coach dare to try to save any players for further down the road? A recent advertisement including five Barca players each holding up five fingers representing the 5-0 deconstruction of Los Blancos at Camp Nou earlier in the season has already caused outrage in Madrid.
Real Madrid’s last game at the Bernabeu was Jose Mourinho‘s first home defeat in a league game in nine years. Can lighting strike twice? Most believe it could, and quite possibly will. If the Portuguese coach and his troops were given a lesson in football last November in the Catalan capital, it would be unthinkable for it to occur twice in one season let alone being on the end of a possible quintuplet of master classes.
The Real Madrid coach has been proclaimed as one of the best in the business. The man who led Inter Milan to an unprecedented treble last season, now has the task of trying to save his reputation and Real Madrid’s season by trying to stop the best team on the planet. The man who once famously coined the phrase, (to) “Park the bus” when other teams came to visit the then Chelsea manager’s “house” at Stamford Bridge, might now be on a scouting mission for a defense minded bus of his own.
Football Orphan: This is where the successful clubs take the BULL-mers by the horns.
We’re now entering into the stage of the season where absolutely anything can happen. This past week we’ve seen a seemingly unflappable Queens Park Rangers get thumped 4-1 to a relegation bound bottom of the table Scunthorpe. Martin Allan took the reigns at Barnet, who looked doomed and destined for relegation from League 2. He has led them to 7 points from a possible 9 and given them a fighting chance of a great escape. 19 days later Allan walked out on his second spell at Barnet into the manager’s job at another relegation threatened club, Notts County in League 1.
Unpredictable results this time of year are so common, it easily makes it the best chance of success if you fancy a flutter at the bookies. You’d have been almost institutionalized for betting that Schalke would beat Champions League holders Inter in the San Siro. Liverpool without some regular first team players including captain Steven Gerrard, made a pedestrian looking Manchester City look like relegation candidates rather than a Champions League chasing outfit.
It’s the time of year when a Newcastle team could lose an unassailable lead at the top, or a seemingly safe Reading plummet deep into relegation. Nerves start to emerge where assurance was once king. If a team can keep their calm while others around lose their heads, results become that bit easier. That means you Peter Crouch. A player with his experience should have known better than to let himself and the club down with those two tackles against Real Madrid.
I don’t mean to endorse particular products but I love the catchphrase a certain alcohol based beverage uses for this time of season.”We wait all year round for it to get hot so we can cool down again”. With the same sentiment, it feels like the whole season teams are posturing and maneuvering for position. This is where the real talent steps forward and the deserved are rewarded. We wait all year round for the real action to begin, only to realise that we’re smack bang in the middle of it.
Football Orphan: Is the Premier league the strongest league in the world? Don’t believe the hype.
If you believe anything that “they” tell you about the Premier League, then there’s no question that you believe it is the best and strongest league in the world. If you broke down the English top flight club for club, it would be difficult to settle on a definitive style of play for most. Excluding the top teams like Manchester United,Arsenal and Tottenham, teams don’t play like they understand how the ebb and flow of a game goes at the highest level. Just like how Frank Bruno used to box, they use a paint by numbers approach.
However in La Liga, the intelligence that even the lower placed clubs play with would put their English counterparts to shame. The style and philosophy of a little club like Espanyol or Atletico Bilbao would be alien to an equivalent the likes of Blackburn or Fulham. If you were to exclude the top teams from both leagues and measure them against each other, pound for pound the majority of the Spanish clubs would have the nous to gain the upper hand over the English clubs almost every time.
Franz Beckenbauer described the English national team style of play as kick and rush. How the media or pundits became upset at this is a mystery to me. It is not an insult, it’s a fact. If most of the teams in the Premier League that contain English players adopt that style of play, it’s inevitable it carries on through to the national team.
This year is the first season in a long time that a club with more than 40 points may be relegated. The standard in Spain for instance is 42, this season it may be even higher. There is no argument from me against the fact that this is the best we’ve seen the Premier League as a level playing field, possibly ever. Maybe now it is catching up to those standards set in La Liga, but don’t always believe the propaganda that your tv delivers to your living room.
Football Orphan: Barca-loners. Nobody even comes close to the Catalans. La mejor equipo en el mundo….menos nada.
Barcelona showed again last night why they are by far the most isolated and supremely talented team on the planet. The work ethic and humility they show within their collective game is only overshadowed by the sheer class of a passing game that is simply unrivaled. If Real Madrid look comfortable taking an impressive four goal lead into the second leg of their Champions League tie, Barcelona weren’t to be outdone. The Blaugrana will take a 5-1 lead to the Ukraine next Tuesday.
Shakhtar Donetsk
came away from Camp Nou with an away goal from Rakitskiy and were desperately unlucky not to have a second as they saw another shot canon back off the post and sprint across the goal line into the waiting arms of a relieved Victor Valdes.
Not many eyebrows will be raised to see the likes of Inesta and Xabi on the score sheet. The measure of the quality of the goals scored by defenders Dani Alves and Gerrard Pique alone are enough to suggest Barca will have too much for any team left in the competition. Dani Alves beat the offside trap to meet a sublime through ball to finish while Pique peeled off his marker with the quality of a top centre forward to slot home with the aid of a deflection from a corner. Defensive midfielder Seydou Keita also showed he is no slouch when he found the top corner with a shot just inside the box.
There are no easy games at this stage of the tournament as reigning champions Inter will testify to. When a team with no less than 70% of the possession coupled with the correct attitude and application of players with total football intelligence put on a display like last night, it’s almost impossible to envisage a team devising a tactic to halt their progress towards the silverware.
Football Orphan: Schalke, Rattle & Raul.
When Raul Gonzalez Blanco left Real Madrid his name was linked with only a few clubs around Europe, one of which was Tottenham. While they could have done with his goals last night against his former club at the Bernabeu, Raul was in the San Siro with his new club Schalke.
Inter Milan went into their Champions League quarter final against Bundesliga strugglers as overwhelming favourites, the current holders had little reason to believe that the Germans would pose much of a problem over two legs. The Italian champions got off to a flyer as Dejan Stankovic volleyed home within a minute from just inside the half way line. Inter were pegged back twice before Raul, the Champions League all time top scorer put Schalke 3-2 up. The Germans eventually romped home 5-2 winners.
If Inter have any aspirations of progressing to the semi finals where either Chelsea or Manchester United will be waiting, they must score four goals in the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen in the return leg. This scoreline will go down as the shock result in this seasons competition.
There’s little doubt that the neutral viewer will have been tuned into the events in Madrid last night. Within an unlikely must see game in the highlights round-up in the San Siro was a player with legendary status extending his own all time record. When Raul eventually retires his name will deservedly be mentioned alongside the likes of Alfredo Di Stefano and Gerd Muller in the elite of football goalscorers. Until that day comes he continues to roll back the years and extend an already unassailable Champions League goalscoring record.
Football Orphan 