theworldaccordingtoElFlaco

Will Barça boys herald a brave new frontier for MLS?

2010-08-09T11:20:00.000+01:00

American sports fans are renowned for their love of stats – not to mention an acronym or three. The steadily-developing MLS, still in its infancy, received a sudden shot in the arm recently by the relaxing of the ‘DP’ rule. The designated player statute was drafted into MLS predominantly to cater for marketable stars such as David Beckham in a competition previously governed in a relentlessly egalitarian manner. Contracts are centrally owned by the league and wage caps must be strictly adhered to; as the administration seeks to foster a stable, competitive league. Few would doubt that MLS has, to date, achieved this goal.

While Becks’ stay in LA has so far received mixed reviews, one of the few original DPs, Colombian centre forward Juan Pablo Angel, has brought rather more to the table. In fact, the one-time Aston Villa fan-favourite has almost single-handedly proven the worth of the new system by virtue of 56 goals in 89 MLS games since his move to New York Red Bulls four seasons ago. Those are the kind of sparkling stats to get armchair fans shuttling into the fast-growing number of soccer-specific stadia springing up in cities across the US.

So, on the back of a relatively successful World Cup adventure for the national team (which attracted healthy viewing figures and grabbed front-page headlines throughout), the MLS naturally decided that the time was ripe for further growth. To get more clubs to sign DPs, therefore increasing their ‘soccer superstar’ quotient, the rules were relaxed; allocating a maximum of three Designated Players, providing the club using the third slot paid – here comes that wonderful egalitarianism again – a $250,000 ‘luxury tax’ to be evenly distributed among the other 15 MLS franchises.

The Red Bulls, who opened an impressive $220m stadium recently, have been the first to capitalise. Now joining Angel in New York (or New Jersey, to be precise) are two Barcelona stalwarts who last season fell from grace at Camp Nou as Pep Guardiola chose to integrate home-grown starlets such as Pedro and Sergi Busquets in their place. Thierry Henry’s long-touted move Stateside was something of a PR coup for the league, but the rather more unanticipated signing of Mexico skipper Rafa Marquez has really piqued the interest of the States’ significant Hispanic community.

Making their first appearance in tandem for their new club on Sunday evening, Marquez and Henry were up against Eastern Division rivals Chicago Fire – a team which has also been quick to utilise the new DP ruling. Henry’s former Arsenal team-mate Freddie Ljungberg has been traded in from Seattle Sounders to add some much-needed fire to the Chicago attack and globe-trotting Mexican forward Nery Castillo joined, on loan, late last month to take the no.10 shirt of another Latin star; bunny-hopping veteran Cuauhtemoc Blanco, who returns south of the border to see out the final days of his career.

Some hype-hungry pundits heralded this game as the dawning of a new era in MLS, but in reality it was more of a hard-fought mid-season scrap peppered with just a little star dust from some half-fit erstwhile stars of the European game. In fact the game – in tempo and in quality – very much resembled an English second-tier game, which was fitting, as both teams featured strike-duos of former Premier League notoriety: Angel and Henry for the Red Bulls; Fulham cult-hero Brian McBride supported by Ljungberg in a free role for the home side.

A patently unfit Henry offered a limited threat during the first half – with one cutting, diagonal run through the Fire defence ending in a shot straight at impressive ‘keeper Sean Johnson. Lingering rust in the legs of a man who spent a significant chunk of the summer sulking in South Africa manifested itself in a minor groin strain, leading to his anti-climactic withdrawal just before the break. It was, instead, Titi’s former Gunners team-mate Ljungberg who came closest to breaking the deadlock. The ageless McBride fed the Swedish star with a smart angled pass, but the ball bobbled just as he looked set to bundle it in at the far post, instead going harmlessly wide off his thigh.

Henry’s nominated replacement, Jamaican winger Dane Richards (scorer of this dazzler against Manchester City last month: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGpJ5cfL22A) started the second half with a bang; a Rafa Marquez ball sent him driving to the goal-line to cross for the frequently clumsy Senegalese striker Macoumba Kandji, who couldn’t convert. Chicago, under the cosh for large swathes of the game, curiously decided to withdraw target-man McBride to offer Castillo his debut. A typically understated American welcome – fireworks and furious name-chanting – welcomed the nomadic youngster to his latest home; the one-time wonderkid having flopped in Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Manchester since leaving Olympiacos three years ago.

With two diminutive forwards now at the point of attack, Chicago’s threat was diminished even further – while wilful but wayward former Fulham striker Collins John remained rooted to the bench. With the substitution of Marquez on the hour went the game’s last bastion of genuine quality. If the 31-year-old can maintain peak fitness amid the hectic MLS schedule and excessive air miles, his role as a Xabi Alonso-style playmaking ‘quarterback’ will be just as significant for the New Yorkers as Henry’s. And his ambitions are plain: “My expectations are the same in MLS (as at Barça), I want to win everything possible,” he told the press at his signing. “I have a winning mentality and I want to help this team win titles.”

As proceedings at an oversubscribed Toyota Park stadium slipped into a messy morass of misplaced passes, Angel – the one truly match-sharp DP – came close with a trio of well-worked efforts on goal, before Man of the Match Johnson preserved a point for Chicago with a top-class save from marauding defender Tim Ream.

So a goalless draw, or ‘tie’ if you prefer, failed to justify the hype. Upon his arrival, Rafa Marquez likened the standard of MLS to the Dutch Eredivisie or France’s Ligue 1. In truth, the quality of the league still lags behind that of its longer-established European cousins – that’s only natural. But if the remaining MLS franchises can pull off a few more DP signings in the mould of Marquez and co, it would serve to hasten the arrival of Stateside soccer as a global player.

World Cup Moments: Magical Magyars usurped by the ‘Miracle of Berne’

2010-05-31T21:49:00.000+01:00

Think brilliant Brazil of 1982. The revolutionary Dutch total-footballers of ’74. Or the stereotype-defying Azzurri of Antognoni, Tardelli and Bettega in ’78. Even the swashbuckling Riquelme-inspired Argentines of four years ago, in Germany. History’s catalogue of failure by the most luminescent team of a World Cup finals is a long and often inglorious one.

One such case – perhaps even more notorious than those above – arose during the Swiss-hosted finals of 1954. As Brian Glanville puts it in his comprehensive tome The Story of the World Cup:

“Never had there been so hot, so inevitable, a favourite as Hungary; the team which had brought new dimensions and horizons to the game.”

The magical (or magnificent; masterful; mighty...) Magyars went on a 36-game unbeaten run between 1950 and the World Cup final of ’54, en route winning the 1952 Olympic gold, and ruthlessly crushing England both home and away. Ferenc Puskás, known as the Galloping Major due to his military background and powerful running style, was the nominal leader of a fearsome band of troops including the heavenly talents of Sándor Kocsis, József Bozsik and Nándor Hidegkuti – the original exponent of the deep-lying centre forward position (to devastating effect, as a bewildered England found when he netted a hat-trick at the previously impregnable Wembley). It is difficult to overstate the extent to which the Hungarians’ tactical innovations influenced the future of the game; their radical adoption of out-and-out wingers; Hidegkuti’s no.10 role; and a ‘sweeping’ goalkeeper still resonate in today’s more tactically conservative times.

Coached by the pioneering Hungarian Deputy Minister for Sport, Gusztáv Sebes, the white-hot favourites opened with seventeen goals in their first two games. Eight came against Germany – only just returning to the FIFA fold after missing the 1950 finals in Brazil in the bitter aftermath of the War. It was a game remarkable for not only the number of goals scored against a perceived challenger for the title (8-3 was the final score) but also for an incident which saw the all-conquering Puskás limp from the field, having taken a kick on the ankle from the towering German defender Werner Liebrich.

Brazil and defending champions Uruguay were subsequently put to the sword (their dramatic extra-time semi-final triumph was, in fact, Uruguay’s first-ever defeat in a World Cup game). Final opponents Germany’s apparently Lazarus-like resurrection from their group stage mauling raised many eyebrows and later drew accusations that they’d effectively ‘conceded’ the game as a ruse to lull the Hungarians into believing their own hype. This perception has been long-disputed by either side, but what is certain is that the side crafted by legendary coach Sepp Herberger and led out by captain and chief-goalgetter Fritz Walter at Berne’s Wankdorf Stadium was a team transformed – and more than a match for their more illustrious opponents.

Puskás returned to his preferred inside-left role and seemed to have shaken off any doubts about his fitness when he scored a trademark left-foot thunderbolt after just six minutes. Three minutes later, winger Zoltán Czibor put Hungary 2-0 ahead and all was going to script. Incredibly, however, the Germans fought back to equalise within ten minutes. Max Morlock and Helmut Rahn drew the underdogs level, and that’s how it stayed until half-time.

The second half was a rainy, muddy battle of attrition, with the Magyars mounting attack after attack on the German goal. But, as time ticked by, a number of unique factors began to hold sway on the destiny of the world title. Germany’s innovative screw-in studs were particularly beneficial on a pitch increasingly resembling a mudbath; their oft-struck woodwork remained resilient and Horst Eckel's man-to-man marking assignment on Hidegkuti gradually eroded the playmaker’s iridescent influence. Hungary were also physically spent: Puskás had never fully recovered from Liebrich’s group-stage ankle-hack, while the entire squad had been embroiled in a post-match brawl with Brazil, in which Puskás allegedly attacked the Seleção’s Pinheiro with a broken bottle.

With six minutes left and the Germans still holding out at 2–2, Rahn, known as ‘The Boss’, received the ball 20 yards from goal. Unexpectedly shooting with his weaker left foot, he netted his second and Germany's third goal with an accurate drive to the bottom-left corner, leaving Hungarian goalkeeper Gyula Grosics helpless. Bowed but not beaten, Hungary launched themselves forward in desperate search of extending the game into extra-time.

Two minutes before the end, Puskás raced through the opposition defence to crash home what looked like the perfect winning goal – something which the admittedly grainy TV footage appears to bear out. But the Welsh linesman, Mervyn Griffiths, waved his flag, and English referee Bill Ling gave Puskás offside. The Galloping Major remained convinced, to the end of his long and varied life, that he was not. A further penalty claim for a clear penalty-box foul on Kocsis was also rejected a minute later: the match and Hungary’s magnificent unbeaten run then ended in one of the biggest upsets in the history of football.

The ‘Miracle of Berne’, as the final was soon christened by the Germans, was perceived in Hungary as a wrong the Magyars would never get the chance to right, as their international careers were soon to be over. They’d never again grace a World Cup together as, within two years, Puskás and several others had defected to the West to escape a Russian invasion in reaction to the Hungarian revolution.

Can traumatised Germany cope with the “brutal” loss of Michael Ballack?

2010-05-17T21:57:00.000+01:00

The short answer to the title question is this: they can’t. At least that’s the opinion of Rudi Völler, star of Italia ’90 and Nationalmannschaft coach between 2000 and 2004.

“This is absolutely brutal, terrible for Michael,” Völler told the German tabloid Bild. “He was full of optimism and wanted to play a good World Cup. There are players who can't be replaced and Michael Ballack is certainly one of them.”

From his blistering, decisive double in the 2002 World Cup playoff with Ukraine; through his peerless displays in Japan/Korea – where he inspired his team to the final, only to miss out through suspension following a ‘professional’ foul which helped defeat South Korea in the semi; to the blistering free-kick against Austria at Euro 2008 – where he again played a talismanic role in reaching the final; Ballack has proved himself a man above all others, where the national side is concerned, for the best part of a decade.

Following the Chelsea man’s FA Cup final injury at the hands, or rather feet, of Kevin-Prince Boateng who, conspiracy theorists (including a devastated Ballack: “It looked pretty intentional to me”) were quick to point out, will represent Germany’s group stages foes Ghana this summer; there is a gaping void in the centre of Jogi Löw’s first eleven.

Everyone who’s anyone in German footballing circles – from Dieter Hoeneβ, to Löw, to his assistant Oliver Bierhoff – has been quick to bemoan the luck of their Captain Fantastic. Berti Vogts followed his commiserations by putting forward versatile Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger as the main man to shoulder the extra responsibility in Ballack’s absence. Once consigned to the flanks at international level, ‘Schweini’ has benefitted immeasurably from Löw’s controversial decision to ditch outspoken stalwart Torsten Frings. The maturity of his game at club level has gone up another notch this season under the exacting aegis of Louis Van Gaal and the 25-year-old, set to participate in his fourth major tournament this summer, will undoubtedly be a key piece in the German jigsaw.

It is the slot, however, alongside Schweinsteiger – at the heart of the engine room – which now lies vacant. There are a number of potential suitors, but, as befitting a team going through something of a generational transition, few, if any, have the requisite top-level experience to command absolute confidence.

Löw prefers a 4-2-3-1 set-up, with the two central-midfielders lying deep, protecting the back four and distributing the ball quickly and efficiently to the lone front-man (usually Miroslav Klose) and those occupying the flanks. Of course, his thinking may change in the light of such a debilitating development as Ballack’s unavailability, but the stylish Bundestrainer will consider the likely candidates’ defensive attributes a priority. That could be bad news for Bayern Munich’s creative wunderkind Toni Kroos.

Having spent the best part of the last two years on loan with high-flying Bayer Leverkusen, the 20-year-old has impressed all observers with his cool-headed approach, precise passing and eye for goal. A set-piece specialist, Kroos made his full debut as recently as the surprise home defeat to Argentina in March. It would be a bold move to place the hopes of a nation upon his relatively slender frame, but on such gambles World Cup campaigns are often won and lost.

Other, more conservative, options include moving adaptable Schalke defender Heiko Westermann into a holding role – young full-back Christian Träsch can also fill-in here, but is less well established in the squad. Sami Khedira, a contemporary of Träsch at resurgent Stuttgart, is similarly inexperienced at the top level and has only just returned from knee injury.

Attention must then surely turn to the men initially rejected by Löw. 51-cap midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger, out of favour with both Stuttgart, then new club Lazio this season, was omitted from the provisional 27-man squad. So, too, was Wolfsburg’s Christian Gentner – soon to join Stuttgart.

Neither man, alas, can offer the stature of a man ostensibly discarded to make way for super-talented young guns such as Kroos, Marko Marin, Mesut Özil, and Bayern’s latest prodigy Thomas Müller – all of whom are most effective at the other end of the pitch. It is Werder Bremen warhorse Frings whose wealth of experience and dogged style would so well complement the more refined talents of Schweinsteiger, Özil, et al.

It would take a substantial swallowing of pride from both men, but it’s surely not too late for both Löw and Frings to overcome their manifest differences ‘in the national interest’. Frings finished the Bundesliga season in uncharacteristically free-scoring form (with a run of five goals in seven games) and generally turning in a series of vintage performances which had the likes of erstwhile national team team-mate Per Mertesacker backing his claims for a recall. If parachuted straight back into the starting line-up, it is less likely that the headstrong veteran would cause any trouble in the camp. Necessarily, Löw will need to think long and hard before he discards this compelling option.

The one-time deputy of Jürgen Klinsmann has at his disposal a more innately talented squad of players than any Germany coach for a long while. The new tranche of attacking-midfield talents will be complemented by Manchester City new-boy Jerome Boateng and the implacable Serdar Tasci in defence, while blonde beanpole Stefan Kieβling joins the attack.

Losing their first-choice goalkeeper, René Adler, and their inimitable skipper during the run-in to the tournament, however, may be a fatal blow to their title hopes. Nevertheless, the belief that the Germans always produce eine Turniermannschaft (a ‘tournament team’) holds firm among German fans and media. It’s safe to conclude that whichever combination takes to the field in South Africa, they’ll be a fearless, formidable outfit.

World Cup Moments: Quinn & Keane keep Irish eyes smiling in Ibaraki

2010-05-13T22:03:00.000+01:00

13/05/10

Ireland’s World Cup campaign of 2002 hardly got off to the most auspicious of starts – the implosion of captain Roy Keane and manager Mick McCarthy’s malfunctioning relationship at their pre-tournament training base in Saipan saw to that.

A simmering row between the Manchester United legend and all things FAI was brought to a white-hot conclusion when Keane launched into a long-suppressed tirade against preparations for the event, which apparently concluded with an ‘invitation’ for McCarthy to “stick it up his bollocks.” It was an incident of such notoriety that the Irish Taioseach, Bertie Ahern, was moved to intervene and Father Ted creator Arthur Matthews later wrote a sell-out stage play – I, Keano – satirising the incident.

It could so easily have been the definitive moment of Ireland’s tournament – one they had qualified for in dramatic fashion, at the expense of the Netherlands and then Iran, in a heated playoff. A disunited and disenfranchised side, without their one true star, could easily have slumped quietly out of the competition at the first stage.

Their opening game against Cameroon, however, offered compelling evidence that the Irish camp had ultimately been united by the pre-tournament dramatics which had threatened to jeopardise their hopes. Matt Holland’s stunning equaliser in Niigata earned a merited point for McCarthy’s men and set up an intriguing second-game encounter with eventual finalists Germany; ruthless 8-0 slayers of Saudi Arabia in their opening match.

It was Ireland's first competitive fixture against the Germans. Rudi Völler’s side may have been humbled by their capitulation to England during qualifying, but, given Ireland’s relatively meagre resources and absent skipper, it was a clear case of snappy underdogs against established World Cup heavyweights.

Oliver Kahn, ultimate winner of the tournament’s Golden Ball, was the larger-than-life captain of a squad incorporating the talents of Michael Ballack, Christoph Metzelder, and an unknown Polish-born forward named Miroslav Klose. To mitigate these talents, lumbering Bayern Munich striker Carsten Jancker was included at the expense of veteran star Oliver Bierhoff. Nonetheless, few expected the Boys in Green to take anything from the game.

There was, therefore, little surprise when Germany took early control thanks to Klose’s fourth goal in two games, following a headed hat-trick against the feeble Saudis. The Kaiserslautern youngster got between Steve Staunton (winning his 100^th cap) and Ian Harte to beat the hopelessly exposed Shay Given with another header in the 19^th minute, and all was going to script.

But Ireland produced several reminders that the German defence could be breached. A Damien Duff run, a Matt Holland shot and an attempted overhead kick by Robbie Keane were reminders that Germany's defence could yet be breached. Duff – so impressive throughout – ran onto Gary Breen's knock-down and seemed certain to score, but the seemingly unbreachable Kahn threw himself in the way of his shot and the ball slipped wide.

Jancker could then have extended Germany's lead and effectively killed Irish interest in the tournament when put clear by Michael Ballack - but put his shot wide of the far post. Klose put a header over the bar when unchallenged.

With only quarter-of-an-hour remaining ageing Sunderland striker Niall Quinn, who’d been deeply embroiled in the media storm surrounding Roy Keane’s departure, was lumped onto the field in place of full-back Gary Kelly. It was a desperate bid to revive Irish fortunes, with dreams of a second round place fading fast. Quinn takes up the story from here in his own words:

“Time is galloping past. You can feel the anxiety. The bench is screaming at us, the crowd are on edge. Tick, tick, tick...

“We’re into injury time. Please let something fall for us. Please. Steve Finnan comes out with the ball, composed and cool. He sends an angled ball towards me. I’ve been through this with Robbie a thousand times on training grounds. He knows where I’m going to put it and he gets there on time. My part is done. It’s all down to the kid now.

“Robbie controls my headed pass exquisitely and the ball is his...he sticks it past Kahn. The net bulges and the response in the ground is electric, deafening. Above us there’s a wild noise, an endless cheer.”

Pubs, clubs, and bars from Dublin to Dubai, from Naas to New York, resonated with a symbiotic uproar and were left stout-spattered by riotously happy Irish folk and their sympathisers. With 91 minutes and 44 seconds on the clock, Leeds United starlet Robbie Keane has become the ice-cool author of one of Irish football’s greatest moments. His ensuing gambol of delight by the corner flag captured a glorious youthful exuberance to be replayed time and time again in TV highlights packages across the globe.

Two weeks and an unfortunate penalty shoot-out exit later, an estimated 100,000 fans welcomed the squad back to Dublin as World Cup heroes.

McCarthy, Shelvey and Henderson: Young Guns (go for it!)

2010-05-05T22:09:00.000+01:00

‘Change’ has been a popular word in political circles these past few weeks. According to the all-powerful party machines and egomaniacal spin doctors, nobody, it seems, is at all keen on staying the same. Sure as night follows day (or blue follows red) the industrial quantities of hot-air spent espousing political change is all too rarely realised, however.

Genuine change, though, is in the rarefied air surrounding the ever-popular Barclays Premier League. Aside from essential regulatory reforms on issues such as club ownership and levels of debt, there will soon be a new dynamic in how the playing staff of each club is composed.

A “home-grown player rule” will take effect at the start of next season. All Premier League clubs will be required to name a squad of up to 25 players, of which no more than 17 can be over the age of 21 and not ‘home grown’ (i.e. trained for three years under the age of 21 by any club in the English and Welsh professional system). This long overdue imposition of a quota system – the first baby-step towards Sepp Blatter’s beloved ‘6 plus 5’ rule? – is designed to restrict the hoarding of talented youngsters at the biggest clubs and, primarily, to force clubs to invest in and carefully nurture their own British talent (or at least buy it in from closer to Leeds than Lagos).

Liverpool’s recent signing of follicularly-challenged Charlton youngster Jonjo Shelvey is surely a harbinger of things to come, given the incoming statute. Particularly when considering the club’s recent reluctance to invest in youngsters from these isles. Yet Shelvey is not exactly a trend-setter, as all top-flight clubs, from title chasers down to rank-and-file members, have already been concentrating their efforts on compliance with the new ruling, which they were formally made aware of earlier this season.

Since the turn of the year, a growing band of teenagers have been offered a taste of Premier League action. What’s more, a number of these new kids on the block have taken to life in the self-styled ‘greatest league on earth’ with impressive ease. One or two have even rapidly established themselves as irreplaceable first-team fixtures, with top clubs’ scouts already admiring their every move.

Wigan Athletic is perhaps an unlikely home of future International-standard talent, given the club’s previous preference for a mixture of battle-hardened journeymen and athletically able exotic imports. The startling emergence of Scotland-born Republic of Ireland international James McCarthy this year indicates a change of direction in recruitment at the DW Stadium, as confirmed by the cut-price January signing of exciting winger Victor Moses from Crystal Palace.

Though baby-faced McCarthy had long been tipped for stardom – and has been the subject of much controversy over his ‘defection’ to Ireland despite having been born and raised in Glasgow – few would have necessarily predicted the sudden and explosive impact the 19-year-old has made in his debut season at the top level of English football.

Perhaps his finest hour in a Wigan shirt to date came during the March win over Liverpool in which the callow youth clearly outshone a struggling Steven Gerrard (who would have been McCarthy’s skipper, had the Scottish Young Player of the Year’s proposed move to Anfield reached fruition. It was a performance which came only a week after McCarthy survived a crazy ‘tackle’ from Birmingham City’s Liam Ridgewell, which could easily have had season-ending consequences. Instead of being cowed by such an act of ruthless brutality, McCarthy instead went on to end the season on a high, comprehensively bearing out the words of his manager, Roberto Martinez: “I was delighted when he made that rather strange decision not to go to a top, top club like Liverpool. I think that decision is being proved right now.”

England under-19 international Moses – who, like McCarthy before him, has designs on representing a country other than that of his birth (Nigeria) – has had a more sporadic impact since his winter arrival. The same can certainly be said of the much-hyped Fabian Delph, of Aston Villa. The £6m midfielder showed glimpses of his undoubted talent during his rare opportunities at first-team level this year, but the well-established Stillian Petrov/James Milner axis has proven to be impenetrable. Delph’s season ended in ignominy, with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament suffered during training last month potentially keeping the ex-Leeds star out until Christmas.

Of course, buying in young, unproven talent is an expensive and risky process. In an ideal world, each club would produce a clutch of first-team-ready youngsters each year. It’s relatively inexpensive; and the fans all love to see a local-boy-made-good wearing the shirt they’ve dreamed of donning since they hoofed their first fluorescent fly-away football over the garden fence.

This year in the Premier League, there have been several shining examples of showing faith in youth being spectacularly rewarded. Phil Jones, of Blackburn Rovers (born in Preston), has garnered an array of praise from all quarters since his late-season emergence as the heir apparent to John Terry (if Sam Allardyce is to be believed.) Certainly, the 18-year-old’s authoritative and assertive displays since a sparkling debut against champions-elect Chelsea have marked the centre-half out as one to watch in the near future.

Sunderland’s home-grown starlet Jordan Henderson started the season out on the right flank; as is so often the case, marginalised by more senior stars at the centre of the Black Cats’ engine room. Since Lee Cattermole’s injury, however, the 6ft teenager has made a central midfield spot his own. Some optimistic pundits even tipped Henderson to make an unlikely surge for World Cup inclusion. Clearly, though, he’ll have to bide his time before making such a breakthrough.

Henderson’s success has been rewarded with a fresh five-year contract, with a similar deal also being agreed with his recent midfield partner, 20-year-old David Meyler (a product of the recently-defunct Cork City, who, like Delph, recently suffered a serious knee injury).

Elsewhere, well-regarded young guns at the top clubs have started to make serious breakthroughs this term. Everton’s giant midfielder Jack Rodwell has established himself in the Toffees’ first team squad and has scored some vital goals. Jack Wilshere’s loan at Bolton has been a tremendous success for the 18-year-old who was much-hyped but largely untested before his temporary move north in the January transfer window and Owen Coyle is naturally keen to extend the Arsenal prodigy’s spell at the Reebok into next season. Back at Ashburton Grove, 19-year-old deep-lying midfielder Craig Eastmond has had more playing time in Wilshere’s (and Aaron Ramsey’s) absence.

Nathan Delfouneso, born just up the road from his senior Aston Villa colleague and fellow Brummie striker Gabby Agbonlahor, is slowly establishing himself as a viable alternative to Emile Heskey as Villa’s primary centre-forward back-up. Indeed, the majority of Villa fans bay for the pacy teenager to be given the nod ahead of out-of-form Heskey when first-choice John Carew begins to tire. In March he notched his first goal for England under-21s; then scored the Villans’ winner at Fratton Park in mid-April.

With the new ‘homegrown’ edict coming into effect in a just a few short months, we should expect an increasing number of teenage squad members to join the likes of Delfouneso, Henderson and Jones; and, incrementally, a greater number of youthful first-team stars born and bred on these shores. So it’s a case of; ‘British jobs for British workers’. Perhaps one of those nice political parties could borrow that line.

Roma eternally grateful for radical Ranieri tinkering

2010-04-19T22:29:00.000+01:00

23 games unbeaten. Five wins on the spin. One point clear of distracted Inter in the most hotly-contested scudetto race for years. The recent record of Roma’s well-travelled coach Claudio Ranieri stacks up well against the wealth of past evidence suggesting that the ‘Tinkerman’ was something short of competency at the very highest level.

Chief among the concerns of the ever-diminishing anti-Ranieri brigade has been his past propensity for oblique team selection – and a long history of strange substitutions at curious times. The fact that the Roman has thus far failed to secure a top-flight title, in an otherwise trophy-rich career, is commonly used as a stick with which to beat him. The events of the past weekend in Serie A, however, may well prove crucial in changing perceptions of the ex-Chelsea and Valencia boss forever.

In the aftermath of an execrable (and tempestuous) Derby d’Italia, played on Friday evening to assist with Inter’s Champions League preparations and illuminated only briefly by Maicon’s marvellous moment, and Sampdoria’s last-gasp win over Milan, Roma’s brief was clear – beat bitter rivals Lazio to reclaim the league lead and write Milan out of the race for good. Simple, no?

It’s rare that any Derby della Capitale proves to be a straightforward affair, though. In contrast to their title-chasing adversaries, Lazio – boasting an improved record under Edy Reja after Davide ballardini presided over their worst league run in 20 years – are battling hard for Serie A survival; lying a mere three points above the drop-zone before kick-off. It’s just three years since the biancocelesti were enjoying Champions League football, but a gradual decline in standards now threatens to totally destabilise one of Italian football’s grandest names. With so much at stake, the Roman police feared tensions between the two sets of tifosi would be exacerbated; and so peculiarly reacted by bringing kick-off forward by a couple of hours, at short notice.

Clearly, favourites Roma miserably failed to adjust to the new set of circumstances as they fumbled their way through the first half; rocked by Lazio skipper Tomasso Rocchi’s expertly-taken opening goal and continually tormented by the perceptibly passionate play of their struggling counterparts. It had become, for Roma, one of those derby occasions where the heart rules the head and brainless football is the product. Both captain fantastic Francesco Totti and his deputy Daniele De Rossi were rightly yellow-carded, as the charged atmosphere on the terraces of the Olimpico seeped onto the field of play.

It was obvious a half-time change was required – of tactics, of personnel, of anything which would shake up the slumbering giallorossi. Roma president Rosella Sensi must have been reaching for the keys to a padded dungeon and dusting off an old straightjacket long-abandoned in the Stadio Olimpico lost property box, however, when Ranieri pulled a rather spectacular make-or-break decision from the darker recesses of his unpredictable mind. Both Rome-born gladiatori – Totti and De Rossi – were substituted; in their places arrived Rodrigo Taddei and fast-improving Frenchman Jeremy Ménéz.

Recall, if you will, the press-pack and phone-in hysterics surrounding Rafa Benítez’s occasional withdrawal from action of either Steven Gerrard or Fernando Torres with some 20-or-so minutes remaining. Then, to extrapolate, picture a (wildly improbable) scenario in which Liverpool are taking on Everton with the Premier League title on the line; the Reds trail at the break, so Rafa hauls off both Gerrard and Torres in response. The sheer rabid apoplexy that would ensue hardly bears thinking about. So make no bones about it: Ranieri’s decision was risky in the extreme.

Almost immediately it appeared that it had backfired when Lazio continued their flying form into the opening seconds of the second half. Mobile wing-back Aleksandar Kolarov surged towards the Roma penalty area and obliged with a swan-dive as hero of the season’s first derby, Marco Cassetti, left his leg dangling dangerously on the fringe of the box. The game’s momentum was instantly reversed, however, when on-loan striker Sergio Floccari had his mediocre penalty kick repelled by Roma ‘keeper Júlio Sérgio.

An apparent sense of relief instantly pervaded the Roma team. Let off the hook, the probing of Menez and the indefatigable David Pizzaro pushed their teammates forward in search of an equaliser, which duly materialised within just minutes of Lazio’s penalty miss. Sub Taddei repayed Ranieri’s faith and meted out a spot of karmic justice, as he too ‘earned’ a penalty by clearly diving over the half-challenge of Kolarov in the area. Unlike Floccari, free-scoring Mirko Vučinić would make no mistake from the spot and matters were again level. The usually implacable Montenegrin’s release valve obviously exploded following the sudden release of such immense pressure, as he celebrated the goal – his 9^th in ten matches – in an atypically wild manner.

Vucinic’s reactions were a little more muted ten minutes later, when he capitalised on Cristian Brocchi’s reluctance to face up to his rocket-like free-kick from just outside the ‘D’. The veteran midfielder leapt out of the way, leaving Fernando Muslera woefully exposed, as Vucinic hammered a shot straight through the disintegrated defensive wall and into the top-centre of the Lazio net. His tenth goal in as many games was a most emphatic rebuttal of those critics that have so frequently doubted his contribution to the cause. It was also a goal to settle the derby.

Mauro Zárate (on for the revved-up Stephan Lichtsteiner, who refused to shake Reja’s hand upon his substitution, then returned to the field at the final whistle to participate prominently in one of a number of unseemly scuffles between the players) briefly threatened to provoke a Lazio revival, but Rocchi acrobatically zipped an effort from the Argentine’s pass just over the bar. To cap a miserable second half for the Aquile, influential midfielder Cristian Ledesma was shown a second yellow late on as the final moments descended predictably into bitter acrimony.

The last time Roma overcame their detested city rivals, in December last year, they stood 11 points adrift of Inter in 6^th place. They now sit atop the standings with only four rounds remaining and challengers Inter potentially preoccupied with the considerable challenge of taming the Barça beast.

In the Eternal City it’s said that fortune favours the brave, and if Roma can pull off this, one of the greatest comebacks in calcio history, Claudio Ranieri’s boldest move yet may be regarded as the pivotal moment in securing a Roman triumph.

Thierry Henry threatened by Domenech’s devil’s advocate

2010-04-14T22:34:00.000+01:00

Within a year Thierry Henry has gone from vital cog in Barcelona’s well-oiled Champions League-winning machine to barely-used squad player. Three goals in his 16 league appearances this season is a paltry return for a man boasting such a prolific past record and is indicative of the French forward’s sharp decline in stature over the past 12 months. This has not gone unnoticed by Henry’s international manager, Raymond Domenech, who this week gave a TV interview stating that ‘Titi’ is still not certain of a trip to South Africa in June.

“When we have so many injuries and players who are not playing right now, it's not reassuring. If I have to do the squad list today, how do I do it?” Domenech recently asked in L’Équipe. “There is only one rule: the player who isn't ready on May 18 won't be kept.”

Perhaps this warning should be taken with a pinch, if not a ladleful, of salt, as the largely reviled Domenech also threatened to shoot his players if they failed to check their egos at the door and unify their talents under his uniquely oblique authority. Nonetheless, it does pull into sharp focus the current predicament of Henry, who, lest we forget, confirmed his team’s passage into finals by virtue of an infamous one-man game of pat-a-cake-pat-a-cake deep in the Irish penalty area Henry hand article.

Those who would delight in his absence on ‘moral’ grounds, have had the waters muddied by the increasing acceptance of Henry’s actions among the footballing fraternity – everyone from Frank Lampard to several of the Irish players involved that night has owned up that, if roles were reversed, they’d probably have done the same. Henry’s harshest critics, as is their wont, have been the French sporting public. Their frequent booing of the man who played such a prominent role in the country’s successes at their own World Cup and Euro 2000 has soured further the acrid atmosphere during Les Bleus’ recent lacklustre home performances. Yet, crucially, he retains the unstinting support of his teammates.

So the case for Henry’s exclusion can only be made solely on footballing grounds.

Aside from his uncharacteristically meagre goal tally, beyond all dispute is the fact that the 32-year-old’s once-searing acceleration has diminished significantly of late. This was made all the more apparent by the electrifying impact of his erstwhile Arsenal team-mate Theo Walcott (yet to figure out how best to harness his abundant talents) during the absorbing Champions League quarter-final ties between Henry’s past and present clubs. Henry did not feature in Barça’s home leg footballing exhibition, following criticism from the Catalan press of his supposedly over-milked reception at the Emirates a week previously. He then sat out El Clasico completely; dropped from Pep Guardiola’s squad for the make-or-break Primera División clash.

Guardiola clearly has plenty of options to call upon to play alongside Messi and Ibrahimović in preference to his ageing striker – Bojan Krkić, Andrés Iniesta, Pedro, even the versatile Dani Alves. Come season’s end – with presidential elections leading inevitably to a new wave of signings which could include luminaries such as Franck Ribéry, David Villa or Benfica’s sublimely gifted winger Ángel Di María – Henry will most likely be on his way.

MLS franchise New York Red Bulls would be delighted if they could lure such a globally-renowned name as Henry’s to join the likes of ex-Aston Villa striker Juan Pablo Angel and Notts County’s Brummie pocket-rocket Luke Rodgers in a squad comprised of never-made-its and has-beens. The ambitious outfit have long been linked too with Real Madrid’s Raúl – another infrequently-used star at a Spanish giant, who has not represented his country since being ruthlessly dumped (to good effect) by Luis Aragones. Such a move for Henry, though, would surely spell the beginning of the end of an illustrious, award-laden career.

David Beckham’s stateside defection came erroneously early – the decision taken at a time when he was out of favour in Madrid, yet not an entirely spent force (as his Serie A spells have proven). Henry, however, has so much based the effectiveness of his game on speed – primarily of movement, but also of thought – and is less likely to forge such a mid-30s comeback, given his persistent back troubles.

That established, the big question facing Domenech is whether he should effectively draw the curtain on Henry’s top-level career in the most dramatic and, arguably, unreasonably premature manner. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that one of the most notoriously idiosyncratic coaches of modern times could omit an out-of-form superstar from his World Cup plans, given his clear disregard for public opinion and the lack of accountability arising from his guaranteed departure from his role after the finals. Certainly, there are compelling alternatives.

Djibril Cissé will win few awards for the consistency of his finishing, but is enjoying a new lease of life in Athens this year; Chelsea’s Nicolas Anelka, though goal-shy in recent months, is a certainty; Sidney Govou is a reliable – and versatile – squad member who is fancied to join either Sevilla or Roma when his contract at Lyon expires this summer; temperamental winger Hatem Ben Arfa, of Marseille, is a livewire who can be deployed across the front-line; one-time Arsenal target Loïc Rémy has topped the Ligue 1 scoring charts for most of the season in a modest Nice side; Louis Saha, André-Pierre Gignac, Karim Benzema, Jimmy Briand (recently returned from long-term injury) and others are all also in the chase for a place on the plane.

But unlike his old friend Patrick Vieira, the only other player remaining in the French squad from their 1998 apogee, Thierry Henry is not a totally busted flush. Any semblance of form – should he be given the opportunity during Barça’s La Liga run-in – will likely be rewarded with selection. It is, perhaps, a little too early to turn out one of France’s favourite footballing sons; even Domenech admits: “I always have faith in great players and Titi is a great player”. But should that be ‘is’ or ‘was’?

What next for shattered Aston Villa?

2010-04-06T12:46:00.000+01:00

Taken with archetypal Roman confidence, young Federico Macheda’s exquisite later-than-late goal at once re-established Manchester United’s dominance in the title race and thrust a dagger deep into the fading heart of Aston Villa’s season. In the second minute of stoppage time came the cruellest of blows – Villa’s hard-earned 2-1 advantage was finally overturned with a swaggering swish of the teenage Italian’s right boot. Was this the moment the Midlands side conceded defeat in the chase for fourth place?

Well, of course not. Publically, Martin O’Neill will not make a concession to that effect, but it’s been clear to all and sundry that Villa’s Champions League challenge faded quite some time ago. In taking the hotly-debated decision to rest a host of first-teamers for the difficult UEFA Cup 2^nd leg tie with CSKA Moscow, the Villa manager had on his hands a team that were no longer mildly-fatigued winners, rather dog-tired losers. The momentum which had been gradually building since Intertoto duty kicked off their season at the height of summer was irretrievably lost.

Round about this time too, a telling piece of TV production (occasionally it happens) highlighted the rising tide against which Villa’s tiring troops were battling. As the magical skills of Andrei Arshavin were beginning to re-ignite the Gunners’ waning goal-making - and taking - prowess following their lengthy lean patch in front of goal, the camera panned along the line of upcoming Arsenal returnees. Theo Walcott, Cesc Fabregas and Eduardo da Silva were all among a benchful of world class talent, each on the verge of a return from one long-term injury or other. It was an ominous signal that the North London club were ready to kick out of the stupor which had dogged their season.

Villa have quite patently been unable to compete with such impressive strength in depth, and understandably so; because they have not been party to continued Champions League ‘financial doping’ (a term Arsene Wenger used about mega-rich club owners such as Roman Abramovich having a distortive effect on the game, but which can easily be applied to the current Champions League cartel). The wafer-thin squad of the Second City side was supplemented only by Emile Heskey (who has unfortunately been largely MIA since his debut goal at Fratton Park) during the January transfer window. Rather than speculating to accumulate, O’Neill stuck steadfastly with his hand and subsequently went bust. At the time, it must be said, few fans complained about the lack of recruitment.

Successive defeats culminating in Sunday afternoon’s unlucky – if somehow inevitable; given United’s prodigious injury-time goalscoring record – loss at Old Trafford have again drawn a harsh light on the limitations of the squad. Without defensive lynchpin Martin Laursen, the back four – too often featuring Nigel Reo-Coker as a fish-out-of-water right-back and Mr Consistency Luke Young deputising for Freddie Bouma at left-back – has been sieve-like. The switch to 4-4-2 in order to accommodate their new England centre forward saw the counter-attacking menace of the previously preferred 4-5-1 significantly diluted.

For some time now, the more pragmatic Villa fan has been glancing down the table at surging Everton rather than dreaming of gate-crashing the Champions League party. The Toffees are one of the few clubs to have usurped the big four’s hegemony in the past decade and, led by the exceptional David Moyes – one of Martin O’Neill’s few equals or superiors in the Premier League – their recent form is enough to suggest that it is they that should now be favourites for fifth.

As the New Year rolled around and the tightly-packed table promised a dramatic conclusion to events at either end of the league, there was much talk of a refreshing shift in the static Premier League hierarchy – with Villa at the vanguard of the uprising. It looks unlikely now that such a change will transpire: United are probable champions; Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal cruise along behind. Even at the bottom, a previously intoxicating survival battle is fast losing its allure – at least for the neutral. It’s still possible (though unlikely, given Stoke’s outstanding home form) that the three promoted clubs could slip back into the Championship and the status quo would then be well and truly restored.

Following that logic, many would have pencilled in Everton and Villa battling it out for Europa League entry and so it has turned out. The two sides meet at Villa Park next week with the momentum inexorably in Everton’s corner. For Martin O’Neill’s men, the game has the feel of make or break – a defeat here would finally concede Villa’s dearly-held ‘best of the rest’ tag to the Merseysiders.

Gareth Barry’s future destiny again looms on the agenda like a long-feared dentist’s appointment – though let’s hope any ensuing saga doesn’t drag on as painfully as last summer’s snore-athon. This year, Stillian Petrov’s contribution to the Villans’ engine room has matched, even surpassed, that of the England star. Yet to lose their talisman – and longest-serving player – would be a shattering blow to the hopes of a club with fast-rising ambition. So far, progress under O’Neill’s guidance has been admirable. Whether or not the Ulsterman can now lead his team up another level will define the success, or otherwise, of his Villa Park reign.

Rooney, Rio and Terry out of the World Cup: An Alternative England

2010-04-04T17:29:00.000+01:00

It’s the morning of Saturday, 22nd May and Fabio Capello is within a week of naming the definitive England party of 23 which he will lead to the much-anticipated World Cup finals in South Africa in just a few days time. Yet, with typically ghastly timing, his best-laid plans are laid to waste.

Wayne Rooney provokes eerily-familiar frenzied tabloid headlines (“Roo-Knee Wrecked”; “Wayne’s Sprain Pain in Spain”) by tweaking his right knee in the process of grabbing Manchester United’s opening goal in the Champions League final in Madrid. A Roo-less United go on to lose 8-1 to an unexpectedly rampant CSKA Moscow side and England’s premier striker is ruled out of action for more than a month.

It gets worse. Within hours of Rooney’s misfortune, recently-installed captain Rio Ferdinand stages a remarkable eve-of-tournament walkout; following his dream career in TV production by accepting a lucrative offer from ITV to oversee the resurrected 80s telly ‘classic’ Beadle’s About (starring former Bristol Rovers striker Peter Beadle as prankster-in-chief).

The grieving nation is sent into a state of sheer apoplexy when it is later announced that the remaining members of the England squad (including deposed skipper John Terry) are kidnapped and held captive by an extremist faction of Fathers 4 Justice, headed by a masked man known only to the authorities as ‘W. Bridge'.

So, facing such a (vastly improbable) scenario, what’s an England manager to do?

Here’s an alternative 23 for Signor Capello, a notoriously avid reader of footballingworld.com, to peruse. Included are a number of the disregarded or unheralded English players that have performed with distinction this season, without even a sniff of international recognition.

Goalkeepers

Steve Harper (Newcastle United). Definitive one-club man, benefitting from his longest first-team run in years. A paragon of consistency with top-class reactions; Harper is currently revelling in a new club clean-sheet record.

Lee Camp (Nottingham Forest). Undoubted star of Forest’s charge up the Championship table; recently handed the skipper’s armband.

Scott Loach (Watford). Under-21s no.1, sensibly gaining invaluable experience in the Championship rather than rotting in Premier League reserves.

Defenders

Michael Dawson (Tottenham Hotspur). If there can be such a thing as a defensive lynchpin at White Hart Lane – a renowned graveyard for central defenders – this season Dawson has been it. Certainly less error-prone than previously, his improved authority and consistency has led to the Spurs captaincy and plaudits from the press and fans alike.

Roger Johnson (Birmingham City). Has, along with defensive partner Scott Dann, surpassed all expectation during his first season at the elite level. Blues’ recent success has been built on the bedrock of his calmness on the ball and relentless appetite for headed clearances.

Sol Campbell (Arsenal). Notwithstanding the fact that the erstwhile Notts County employee cannot cut it for more than 90 minutes per week, he brings a wealth of experience and is regarded by no less than Arsene Wenger as a model professional. Emergency back-up.

Gary Neville (Manchester United). Injury has quickened the apparent decline of this England stalwart, but his vintage performance in the Champions League home tie with Milan reminded us of his long-underrated talents. Perfect captain material.

Danny Fox (Burnley). A short-lived stay at Parkhead brought mixed reviews and the Clarets’ form since his January arrival has hardly provided a ringing endorsement of his defensive talents. However, offensively able left-footed left-backs are a rare enough breed and he is a talented set-piece specialist.

Chris Smalling (Fulham). The 20-year-old is Old Trafford-bound and has impressed on his intermittent appearances for Fulham this season. The new Rio?

Nathaniel Clyne (Crystal Palace). Should be commended not only for his loyalty to Palace in their hour of need, but also his confidence, pace and progressive play. Can cover either full-back position.

Midfielders

Michael Mancienne (Wolves). Permanently out on loan from Chelsea while he awaits the decline of the immovable incumbents at centre-half, this has proved to be something of a breakthrough season for the versatile starlet. It seems that a deep-lying midfield role has brought out his best qualities.

Phil Neville (Everton). Accredited with much of the praise for the Toffees’ meteoric post-Christmas rise by David Moyes. Glossing over his occasionally inglorious international past; Gary’s younger brother is a true Mr Consistency, is versatile, and, like big bro, is perfect captain material.

Jack Rodwell (Everton). Regular appearances this season have provided a platform for the powerful midfielder to shine. Has impressed in a more attacking role of late, yet many predict a great future for Rodwell at centre-half.

Lee Bowyer (Birmingham City). To build a respectable career from the ashes of such a loathsome past takes a certain amount of character, which few people would’ve credited Bowyer with in years gone by. Compensates for declining lung-power with intelligent runs from deep and canny interaction with club cohort Barry Ferguson.

Kevin Nolan (Newcastle United). Considered a Gerrard-lite in his younger years, Nolan has rediscovered his shooting boots in the second tier and revels in his newfound seniority at club level. The FourFourTwo/Coca-Cola Football League player of the year.

David Dunn (Blackburn Rovers). In a previous era, Dunn was oft-touted as the solution to England’s left-sided problem. Unfortunately for him, so was everyone else from Steve McManaman to Trevor Sinclair. Only a calf injury prevented the 30-year-old from building on a lightning start to the campaign (six goals in his first 11 games). Plus ça change.

Adam Johnson (Manchester City). Failed to make it past the provisional selection for the recent Egypt game, this delightfully old-fashioned winger should be a shoe-in.

Peter Whittingham (Cardiff City). Possessed of a left foot of wonderful dexterity, the former Villa man has been scoring relentlessly in the Championship. Can certainly handle the step up to the Prem, should the Bluebirds successfully negotiate the promotion playoffs.

Jack Wilshere (Bolton Wanderers). Every World Cup squad needs a wild-card; a callow youth with abundant talent but zero experience. Already making a significant impact at the Reebok Stadium during his first ever extended first-team run.

Forwards

Darren Bent (Sunderland). Has not impressed upon previous call-ups, but his Premier League goalscoring record is irrefutable. Possible weakness: taking penalties against giant, erratic Brazilian goalkeepers.

Bobby Zamora (Fulham). What a season. What a transformation.

Andy Carroll (Newcastle United). The big man has firmly established impeccable boxing credentials (ask Steven Taylor) and has shown similar prowess in and around Championship penalty boxes this year. Brings to mind a young (for ‘young’ in this instance please read ‘late-twenties’) Luca Toni.

Michael Chopra (Cardiff City). Like Bent, a true fox-in-the-box in the classic style. His late, late derby winner against Swansea this weekend showcased how ‘Chops’ earned an early reputation as the ‘new Michael Owen’. That billing was an over-estimation, as unhappy times in his native North East have proven, but he still sure knows how to sniff out a chance and bury it.

With this alternative squad – a rag-bag collection of gnarled veterans and not-quite-international bright young things – England might still expect to give World Cup group opponents Algeria, Slovenia and the USA, a good run for their money, but an exit in the last 16, against stiffer opposition, would surely await. It might be a nightmare scenario for some, but should Signor Capello need to resort to Plans C, D and E, then we can rest assured that the nation’s hopes will be in safe hands.

Based on club form this season, which players would you nominate for an England squad shorn of its stars?

Toni topples Inter and turns title race around

2010-03-29T22:43:00.000+01:00

In an ever-tightening Serie A scudetto race, a quirk of the fixture list saw the two table-topping giants from Italy’s fashion capital each facing snappy underdogs from the Eternal City on the final weekend of an eventful March. Inter (1^st) and their bitter rivals Milan (2^nd) met Roma (3^rd) and Lazio (16^th) respectively, with the nerazzuri’s league form apparently suffering as a consequence of their determined focus on European matters and Milan, still suffering from their Old Trafford shellacking, counting Messrs Nesta, Pato, Abbiati, Beckham (all injured), Ronaldinho, Pirlo (both suspended) among an extensive – and expensive – list of absentees.

Coach Leonardo was still able to field a strong line-up for the Sunday night visit of Lazio; opting for a rare 4-4-2, with Pippo Inzaghi partnering mainstay Marco Borriello up front and Clarence Seedorf featuring alongside Flamini, Ambrosini and Abate in midfield. An intriguing tactical battle was in prospect, because Eddy Reja – recently in for the jettisoned Davide Ballardini – selected three centre-halves, with Stephan Lichtsteiner and Aleksandr Kolarov as wing-backs.

The mastermind of precious back-to-back wins in the biancocelesti’s relegation fight, Reja has clearly galvanised a group of players that often looked dispirite under the previous incumbent. Despite an early setback – Borriello converted a penalty won by Flamini’s 17^th minute surge into the box to put Milan one ahead – there was little to suggest that the visitors could not compete on an even footing with opposition from the other end of the league table.

As ever, stand-in ‘keeper Dida brought his own special brand of jittery incompetence to proceedings, as Milan sat on their lead, inviting Lazio to seize the initiative. All too briefly the darling of St Andrews, Mauro Zárate – palpably a victim of ‘second-season syndrome’ if ever there was one – and strike-partner Tomasso Rocchi (just two Serie A goals so far) have struggled desperately for goals all season long in a team with just 27 goals in 31 games. It was perhaps no surprise, then, that it was a wing-back who scored a deserved equaliser for the strugglers just after the half-hour mark. Swiss international Lichtsteiner was rewarded for his prodigious work-rate with a well-taken close-range goal, after a glaring miskick by rossoneri full-back Luca Antonini.

Lazio were unfortunate not to be awarded a penalty for a clear shove by Flamini on Kolarov (a reversal of roles from the first penalty incident) just inside the Milan area, but, curiously, not a single visiting player appealed for a spot-kick. Taking that, plus a later glaring miss from Lazio’s recently-acquired Brazilian defender André Dias, in to account – and given the general paucity of ideas offered by the hosts – it would have been unjust had Antonini been successful with a shot smashed against the crossbar early on in a second half devoid of inspiration. One-all then, and for the biancocelesti: a point well-earned. Surely they are ‘too good to go down’. But since when did that guarantee immunity from the drop? For title-chasing Milan – as attested to by the grimaces of touchline spectators Ronaldinho and Paolo Maldini – it was more an opportunity missed.

Such an opportunity – to draw within a single point of stuttering Inter – had been opened up by Roma’s exploits at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday evening. Increasingly invincible in domestic football – their only recent blip was the Europa League exit at the hands of Panathinaikos – the giallorossi entertained José Mourinho’s men with that very same incentive in mind: to reduce Inter’s once-formidable advantage to just a point.

A rare howler from Brazil’s no.1, Júlio César, presented Roma vice-captain Daniele de Rossi with a tap-in for the opening goal; which he celebrated in curious style by kissing his shin-pad. In response, efforts either side of half-time from Walter Samuel, then Diego Milito, each rattled the woodwork – proving Inter’s intent. It was the league leaders who were firmly in the ascendancy following a characteristically early substitution from Mourinho: in-form Goran Pandev replacing midfielder Dejan Stanković.

Their overdue equaliser owed a little to fortune, as heroic last-ditch blocks from first Jeremy Ménez – mounting a late, but likely fruitless, run for inclusion in the French World Cup party – then De Rossi, fell kindly to Milito. The Argentine striker further extended his fine scoring run from close range. Replays showed, however, that Pandev was clearly offside in the build-up.

Another slice of luck saw Maicon’s spiteful studs-up assault on De Rossi go totally unpunished – which was particularly fortunate given the same player’s later booking for a reckless challenge on Roma’s Man of the Match David Pizarro. The resolute Chilean playmaker displayed outstanding endeavour and peerless composure on the ball, once more outlining his vital importance to the Romans.

The wheel of fortune was to spin in the giallorossi’s favour soon after, as Luca Toni profited from sub Riccardo Taddei’s wild-shot-turned-precision-cross; slotting the ball past Julio César to net his fifth goal in nine games for his new club. The 32-year-old finished with the kind of aplomb which lit up his previous Serie A spell and made him Italy’s leading centre-forward for a brief but productive spell. Younger models – Milan’s Borriello, Samp’s Giampaolo Pazzini and Alberto Gilardino of Fiorentina have since moved ahead of the lumbering Modenese marksman in the Azzurri pecking order, however.

Before the winter break, while Roma were still toiling to regain ground lost from an awful start to the campaign, Toni was resolutely bench-bound and embroiled in a very public war of words with Louis Van Gaal and the rest of the Bayern Munich hierarchy. How things have changed. Capping his return to favour with a World Cup call-up really would put the cream on the cassata.

In search of a second equaliser, Mourinho was even desperate enough to throw on expensive flop Ricardo Quaresma for the final ten minutes – but the best his side could manage was another shot against the woodwork from Milito, deep into injury time. Roma even had the luxury of welcoming back Francesco Totti, to a rapturous reception, in the dying moments of a vital win.

Taking into account Milan’s ever-lengthening injury list, Claudio Ranieri’s charges must now be considered the greatest challengers to the hegemony of Inter – who have Javier Zanetti, Samuel Eto’o, Lucío and Maicon missing through suspension for the upcoming visit of Bologna. Cristian Chivu’s name should have been added to that list too, but the ex-Roma defender was only yellow-carded for a stamp on Toni.

In the aftermath, Mourinho – who wore a fixed wry grin on his face during the final minutes, as if silently protesting against some unseen injustice – declined to comment; so exacerbating his tortuous relationship with the baying Italian sports media.

Inter’s sudden loss of discipline and upcoming continental diversions give further hope for their new nearest challengers. A viewpoint acknowledged by the customarily forthright De Rossi, who was more than happy to fill the media vacuum left by Mourinho’s all-too-rare reticence.

“We hope the Champions League can distract them,” said the Rome-born midfield general.

“Inter have slowed down and now we will have to spit up blood in order to finish top.”

Europa League highlights, starring: Villa, Agüero, and fantastic Fulham

2010-03-19T09:47:00.002Z

It’s been a pulsating week in European football; as Sneijder, Messi and Gourcuff strode magnificently across the Champions League centre stage, provoking awe and admiration from a global audience. Thursday night offered a chance to shine for their able Europa League understudies David Villa, Sergio Agüero and...Bobby Zamora?

Fulham’s battering ram centre-forward, who can’t stop scoring at the moment, played a central role in a star-studded evening packed full of goals and breathless action which brought the continent’s second-tier competition to life.

The Cottagers had already battled through an unfeasibly crowded schedule to reach the last 16. Therefore, last week’s 3-1 reverse in Turin perhaps came as little surprise to those expecting a compact squad to run out of steam in the final stages of a long, laborious season. Given the magnitude of their opposition – 14 years ago Juventus were well on their way to Champions League glory under Marcello Lippi, while pre-Al Fayed Fulham were set to finish 17^th in the old Third Division – few predicted the kind of miraculous turnaround that the nation’s new second-favourite team, at the end of ninety credibility-defying minutes, affected.

David Trezeguet’s characteristically opportunist early goal seemed to have wiped out any remaining semblance of hope for Roy Hodgson’s men. But observers of Fulham’s travels so far this season would have found familiar the fortitude in adversity they offered up to a boisterous ‘Craven Cauldron’ crowd. Zamora’s rapid and emphatic equaliser was followed in quick order by fast-fading Fabio Cannavaro’s unfortunate dismissal for a trip on the lively Zoltan Gera. Third-choice ‘keeper Antonio Chimenti, much-maligned for his lack of authority as Juventus frittered away a three-goal lead against Siena on Sunday, acrobatically tipped away Zamora’s curling effort from the resultant free-kick.

At this stage, over in Bremen where Werder were ‘defending’ an away-goal advantage following a 1-1 draw in Valencia, the visitors from the sharp-end of La Liga had waltzed into a two-goal lead. Early goals from David Villa and Juan Mata (each crafted by David Silva) should’ve been split by a reply from Claudio Pizarro, but the big Peruvian failed to capitalise on a glorious opportunity. His partner Hugo Almeida did manage to pull one back, only for Villa to snatch another to quieten the Weserstadion, with the home team then trailing 2-4 on aggregate. The result was a forgone conclusion, or so it seemed.

Back in west London; Simon Davies – recently returning from injury, to great effect – echoed Yoann Gourcuff’s unanticipated free-kicks for Bordeaux on Wednesday by whipping a shot from a wide angle against Chimenti’s crossbar. Moments later Dickson Etuhu, wresting himself free from the hands-on attentions of a brittle Juventus back-line, headed against the outside of the post, as the Old Lady began to stumble.

A wonderful team goal soon followed; set in motion by Zamora’s deft flick, served up by Davies’ goal-line cutback, and finished by the late-arriving Gera. The roof-raising response from a capacity crowd recalled Portsmouth’s raucous reception of Milan in 2008. This battle of English minnow and Italian colossus was to have a happier ending for the Premier League team however, as off-form Diego’s clear penalty-box handball early in the second half gave Gera the chance to slam in a penalty for his second and Fulham’s third. The tie was now – remarkably – dead-level.

Following such head-spinning mayhem, there was, inevitably a lull as both sides gathered their thoughts – with extra-time and penalties now a distinct possibility. There was no such opportunity to catch the breath over in northwest Germany as, by now, Torsten Frings’ penalty and a powerful drive from Marko Marin (effectively Diego’s replacement at Werder) had levelled the tie at 4-4.

The definitive moment in this game arrived on 65 minutes as David Villa completed his hat-trick by thumping in from Juan Mata’s cross-field ball; Werder’s defence again AWOL, leaving Tim Weise cruelly exposed to the prowess of Europe’s most lethal marksman. Pizarro’s late goal made it five apiece, but the away goals rule accounted for last season’s beaten UEFA Cup finalists.

Into the final fifteen minutes at the Cottage, American agitator Clint Dempsey’s arrival from the sub’s bench had the desired effect as first he met Simon Davies’ excellent cross with a header which had Chimenti at full stretch. Fulham’s black-eyed boy, just back from a long-term knee injury, then sent their apparently ‘placid’ fans into raptures with a wonderful chipped goal from just outside the area. A phenomenal finish, which some pundits were quick to claim – erroneously – as unintentional; a misdirected cross. It was a fitting climax to a dream-like sequence of events for Hodgson’s heroic charges.

There was, therefore, much to live up to later in the evening, as the second tranche of ties kicked off. Liverpool were keen to avoid joining Juve as giants felled from both European competitions in one season; hosting Lille to whom they trailed 0-1 from the first leg. Frequently derided midfielder Lucas Leiva was the unlikely catalyst for the Reds’ comeback – buying a 7^th minute penalty with a surging run into the penalty area. Steven Gerrard, slowly returning to form, rattled in the spot-kick.

Mickael Landreau saved two further efforts (including one from the boot of the unshackled Lucas) before Lille’s lively starlet Eden Hazard burst through the central defensive gap left by Jamie Carragher’s dereliction of duty, only to fire the visitors’ best chance of an away goal straight at the formidable figure of Pepe Reina. Casting an eye over proceedings at Anfield – most particularly the input of his captain Javier Mascherano and the reliably erratic Emiliano Insúa – was Argentina head coach, Diego Maradona.

Maradona’s singing son-in-law Sergio Agüero used all his cunning and penalty-box nous to snatch two away goals for Atlético Madrid at Sporting Lisbon. El Kun’s timely emergence from a goal-scoring slump cancelled out Miguel Veloso’s soft free kick and Liédson’s headed goal. Sporting will feel hard done by; having a strong penalty claim (for Tomáš Ujfaluši’s clear trip on Carlos Saleiro) rejected in the final twenty minutes.

Liverpool, visibly lifted by the nature of their thumping win over EPL dead-ducks Portstmouth on Monday, were largely dominant against Ligue 1 title-chasers Lille. Fernando Torres wrapped up progress for the tournament favourites; latching onto a long-ball to punish a defensive lapse by Adil Rami. Any remaining belligerence from Les Dogues was finally becalmed as Torres knocked in a rebound from Gerrard’s shot. With that pair returning to peak form and fitness, few would bet against the Merseysiders salvaging more than just pride from their troubled season.

The pick of the night’s other ties came in Brussels, where Anderlecht staged a Fulham-esque renaissance; fighting back from an early 1-4 aggregate deficit to draw even at 5-5 with Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Hamburg. Mladen Petrić finally killed off the Belgians’ hopes with a decisive late goal (sound familiar England fans?) About one hundred miles east, in Liège, Panathinaikos turfed-out favourites Roma in the last 32, but quietly succumbed to Standard; 4-1 winners on aggregate.

Double Russian champions Rubin Kazan, enjoying a colourful European campaign which took in ‘that glorious night in Barcelona’, took defending German champs Wolfsburg to extra time. The VW-backed club were steered into the final eight though by Stuttgart-bound Christian Gentner’s composed finish, with penalties just seconds away.

Hosting Everton’s group-stage conquerors Benfica, Marseille took a 70^th minute aggregate lead through talismanic skipper Mamadou Niang. But late goals from Maxi Pereira and Alan Kardec turned the tie on its head at a wild and windy Stade Velodrome, before Hatem Ben Arfa was dismissed for a spiteful kick on Kardec in the dying moments. Both sides – Zenit and Shakhtar – that knocked OM out in the past two seasons went on to win the UEFA Cup. What price the Eagles to triumph this year?

We’ll soon find out who the Lisbon giants face next – in the tantalising draw for the quarter and semi-finals; made this afternoon, at 12 noon.

Capello’s Choice: Beckham out, Johnson in?

2010-03-15T17:52:00.001Z

The painful snapping of David Beckham’s Achilles tendon has apparently been heard around the world. Already, innumerable obituaries have been offered for Becks’ World Cup dream; some were keen to even write-off the 34-year-old’s career before a complete diagnosis was even made. What is for sure, however, is that England’s commander-in-chief, Fabio Capello, who quickly offered a message of sympathy to one of his most-valued squad members, will have already have ‘moved on’ in the re-composition of his selection for South Africa.

Beckham was, of course, due to fill a back-up slot; covering the right-wing and central midfield positions; offering technical assurance and set-piece wizardry as and when necessary. He was the ‘Plan B’ for England’s right flank, which, for all their innate talents, has yet to have been rightfully claimed as his own by any of its most recent occupants. Theo Walcott, Aaron Lennon, even Shaun Wright-Phillips, have all dazzled intermittently, while James Milner’s assiduous reliability and impressive versatility has pushed the Aston Villa midfielder to the forefront of late.

Given that Lennon’s recurrent injury woes appear likely to rule the Tottenham man out of the running, it looks as though Walcott, for all his faults, remains the favourite for the right-wing berth. Beckham’s enforced withdrawal, however, frees up space for another wide-man.

So, what if there was an orthodox winger available to Capello; someone with undoubted potential, the ability to drift past his marker, to easily beat a full-back with a trick, then cross onto a fivepence (even tougher than a sixpence, you’ll agree). What if such a player was so highly-regarded that both Chelsea and Real Madrid were apparently interested in securing his signature before he moved from his boyhood club in a deal worth an ample £7 million – during a depressed mid-season transfer market and in spite of having only a few months remaining on his contract. And, as if to confirm his potential for divinity, this young man is predominantly left-footed. Now, surely the astute Italian wouldn’t fail to select such a player?

Well he’s certainly considering it. Adam Johnson’s call-up to the preliminary squad for the Egypt game confirmed that Signor Capello has the Sunderland-born starlet in his thoughts.

Already it is apparent that Johnson has the raw talent to follow in the footsteps of the best British wingers of recent years. The ‘new Giggs’ labels were as premature as they were predictable, especially given his move to Manchester, but it is no surprise to discover that the Welsh wizard, whose videos Johnson studied at length while in the Middlesbrough youth ranks, was the “hero” of Johnson’s footballing youth.

Comparisons to Chris Waddle also hold a grain of authenticity – what with their North East backgrounds, willingness to attack full-backs at speed, and penchant for pinpoint left-footed crosses. The forthright former Marseille star cited Johnson’s rapid progress in the footnotes of his scathing (though fairly accurate) portrayal of Walcott earlier this month. The young Arsenal forward was, of course, himself a World Cup wildcard four years ago. Perhaps Johnson, his senior by two years, can fill that ‘role’ this time around.

His manager at Eastlands has shown great belief in Johnson’s ability – offering him an unexpected full debut against Bolton, where the winger earned the Man of the Match award, and again turning to the 22-year-old as Sunday’s game at the Stadium of Light threatened to slip away from City’s cast of stars. In front of his family, all Sunderland fans, Johnson, with stunning virtuosity, jinked to the edge of the penalty area before unleashing an unstoppable curling shot into the extreme top-left corner of the previously unbeatable Craig Gordon’s net. Salvaging a valuable point in the chase for Champions League football, Johnson enjoyed the plaudits of Roberto Mancini, who, it has frequently been reported, has had at least one in-depth discussion with Fabio Capello about his new protégé.

The praise was not unfettered by a certain degree of realism, however.

“Adam is a good player, but is a young player,” said Mancini.

He continued: “I think that in the future, he will be a good player for the national team, but now I don't know. The England national team has a good manager and he knows very well Adam Johnson and he will decide.”

The man himself acknowledges the size of his task in jumping from the Championship to the World Cup in six months. Lest this be held against the youngster, it should be noted that both Jonás Gutiérrez and Fabricio Coloccini are likely to feature for Argentina, having played second-tier football all season long. Robert Koren, in and out of favour at West Brom, will captain Slovenia at the finals.

Just last week Johnson, who has won 19 caps for the under-21s, presciently said: “Who knows? If there are a couple of injuries and I have some great form between now and the end of the season, you never know. I’ve come a long way in a short space of time.

“Somebody always comes in late, and if you know the England manager is watching, you can’t help but try a bit harder. It’s up to me to do well for City and, if we get fourth spot with me playing a big part in it, then you never know.”

Certainly, his early showings back in the Premier League have overshadowed the more prosaic form of the man he understudied at Middlesbrough, Stewart Downing, whose crossing ability is undoubted, but lacks the capacity for the unexpected that Johnson has to offer. Meanwhile, the immensely-talented Joe Cole’s return from injury has been so far underwhelming (perhaps untimely contract discussions have played their part) and Steven Gerrard has been, and always will be, an unwilling ‘narrow’ left-winger. In the negative margin, though, Capello must consider whether he can afford to include another inexperienced left-sided player, with either Stephen Warnock or Leighton Baines set to deputise for Ashley Cole and Wayne Bridge.

Following that dazzling full Premier League debut against Bolton, Johnson received a standing ovation from the City faithful upon his late withdrawal, having outshone Carlos Tévez and Emmanuel Adebayor – his partners in a three-man attack (in which he figured on the right). Should the confident young product of the fruitful Boro academy continue to have such an impact on the absorbing ‘race for fourth place’, then a fairytale trip to South Africa is certainly not beyond his compass.

Twente-one and out for McClaren

2010-02-09T17:57:00.001Z

To make a wretched exit from the position regularly touted as ‘the biggest job in football’; to be derided as a tactical novice and dubbed the “wally with a brolly”; to be cast out of the reckoning as a Premier League-level manager. Such was the sorry lot of Steve McClaren in the grisly aftermath of England’s failure to qualify for Euro 2008.

All of this was undoubtedly a heavy burden to bear, but perhaps the accusation which rankled with the one-time assistant of Sir Alex Ferguson more than any other was that he was simply not cut out for the role of manager. A fine no.2, sure; a capable link between players and gaffer with unimpeachable coaching pedigree. But as the top man? McClaren had overstretched himself; once more proving, so we were told, the old footballing maxim that two-into-one doesn’t go.

In the two-and-a-bit years since his Wembley nadir, McClaren’s stock has recovered significantly though. Retreating to the relative safe-haven of the Dutch Eredivisie, echoing the path of fellow ex-England boss, the late Sir Bobby Robson, has certainly proved to be a wise decision.

Initial suspicion of his motives (were FC Twente merely a platform to impress watching Premier League chairmen?) and a fear that he would bring ‘English’ tactics (i.e. hard-running and mindless long-balls) eroded when, last season, McClaren led his new side to a second place finish. He had inherited a strong unit from Fred Rutten (who departed for an unhappy spell with Schalke, but now leads rivals PSV), but much of the acclaim was rightly reserved for McLaren.

Stevie Mac’s vertiginous ascent from the depths of despair to the widely-admired leader of De Tukkers has been further enhanced by the style in which they have opened the current campaign. Leading into last Sunday’s game with Ajax, Twente had won 17 and drawn four of their 21 league games: an unbeaten run illuminated by the kind of free-flowing attacking football (in a typically Dutch 4-3-3 formation) rarely associated with the previously prosaic McLaren.

That game, at the Amsterdam ArenA, again confirmed the Eredivisie as the go-to place for lightning-quick, technically adroit football – particularly in the opening half-hour. After Ajax’s prolific Marco Pantelić had a flick-header stopped by Twente’s 39-year-old Sander Boschker (later substituted through injury), Twente went on the front foot. Veteran Swiss striker Blaise N’Kufo ‘blaised’ over from close range; Ajax reject Kenneth Perez squandered an opportunity created by a masterful Brian Ruiz through-ball; then Perez headed over the bar from inside the six-yard box.

That opening salvo was as good as it would get for the visitors, as the combative Demy de Zeeuw – just booked for a cynical block on Twente’s Stoch – guided a 20-yard shot past the reach of Boschker and into the bottom corner. Perez’s critical failure to capitalise on the vision of Ruiz ceded the initiative to Martin Jol’s team, which started the game nine points adrift of their less illustrious opponents.

The electric impact of their Costa Rican import Ruiz – and Slovakian winger Miro Stoch (on loan from Chelsea) – has made coping with the loss of Eljero Elia, Marko Arnautović (on loan, but unused, at Inter), and Edson Braafheid (now on loan at Celtic from Bayern Munich) so much easier. This season’s Twente are a real league of nations: South Africa, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Azerbaijan, Australia, Serbia, among several others, are all represented in the diverse squad of the Enschede club.

A supremely gifted and versatile forward, Ruiz, has arguably been the pick of the bunch to date. Freshly arrived from Gent in the Jupiler League, Ruiz has adapted to life in the Netherlands seamlessly – scoring at a regular lick and adding a dash of elegance to Twente’s irrepressible three-man attack (alongside burly N’Kufo and tricky Stoch). Already the 24-year-old has spoken of his desire to move to Spain within the next two years, as he plans his ascent to footballing stardom. Few would bet against Ruiz realising his dream in the complimentary environs of La Liga.

Another young Latin American star proving his worth in the Eredivisie is Luis Suarez; Ajax captain. Regarded as something of an enfant terrible prior to being handed the skipper’s armband, Suarez has reached new heights this year with a healthy haul of 22 goals already. The Uruguayan’s wonderful curled shot on the cusp of half-time struck Twente’s post, falling to the feet of flying full-back Gregory van der Wiel. His shot was repelled by Boschker; then bundled into the net by the predatory Pantelić – the Serbian’s seventh in seven games.

McClaren stalked the touchline, bawling at the defensive ineptitude of his side, as the referee called a halt to the first period. Following the restart, Twente renewed their efforts to keep intact their unbeaten run; Theo Janssen’s hammered drive stinging the palms of the relatively untested Maarten Stekelenburg. However, the Amsterdammers – for whom the Belgian marauding centre-half Jan Vertonghen again starred – produced some intricate and occasionally incisive play which saw them close the game stronger; finally finishing Twente’s hopes when Pantelić teed up sub Dennis Rommedahl to fire past replacement ‘keeper Cees Paauwe in the 75^th minute.

There was even time for Jol to offer a debut to the highly-rated Uruguayan playmaker Nico Lodeiro; signed from Nacional in the January transfer window. One of the stars of the under-20 World Cup in Egypt last year, Lodeiro has all the potential to match, surpass even, the achievements of his countryman and captain, Luis Suárez. It was a comfortable first appearance in European football, as his new club secured a 3-0 win to draw within six points of their visitors and nine of leaders PSV. Fred Rutten’s side now hold the only unbeaten record in the league and their position as favourites to take the title looks stronger than ever.

In the end, it was an inglorious conclusion to a remarkable run for Twente – though recent performances indicated that defeat would arrive sooner rather than later. Much can be learnt about the character of a unit in defeat, however, and the extent to which McClaren can now rally his troops will not only be crucial for their title hopes, but also in protecting their English gaffer’s burgeoning reputation. Come the summer, the disheartening and laborious process of replacing his star players is likely to start all over again for that rarest of footballing breeds – the successful Englishman abroad.

Ghana pose Africa’s biggest World Cup threat

2010-02-04T18:03:00.000Z

His young team may have lost narrowly in last week’s Africa Nations Cup final, but, already, Ghana’s coach Milovan Rajevac is moving on. The previously unheralded Serb forged a youthful, resilient unit from diminished resources to take the Black Stars within touching distance of the trophy they have craved since their last continental triumph in 1982. Having gained acclaim and admiring glances from fans, pundits and scouts alike, the next step for Ghana is to re-integrate a tranche of established stars into the hungry, disciplined group which maximised their talents in Angola.

The first step in this process was yesterday’s announcement that versatile Inter midfielder Sulley Muntari would be welcomed back into the fold ahead of the summer’s trip to South Africa. The former Portsmouth man had gone AWOL ahead of the Nations Cup – Rajevac even spent two days in Milan, waiting for Muntari to reply to his calls – and so was unceremoniously dumped from the squad. One of the brightest in the Black Stars’ galaxy, Muntari instead remained with Jose Mourinho’s squad – featuring (to little effect, it must be said) in the Milan derby on the same day as his erstwhile team-mates were downing the hosts in the CAN quarter-finals.

Rajevac has been quick to build bridges – assuring the press that the problem was merely a “misunderstanding” which has now been “sorted”. Pragmatically, the 56-year-old coach said:

“For the World Cup you need players with experience. Players like John Mensah, John Paintsil, Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari. They will be important players for the World Cup.”

“But it depends on how much they want to play, because I want players who are willing to give their best for Ghana.” He concluded: “All the players who got the chance in Angola used it very well so there will be a lot of competition.”

Such a blend of youth and experience can only strengthen Ghana’s claims as the most eminent hope of ‘home’ success at the first African World Cup. Of the other candidates, Paul Le Guen’s Cameroon are perhaps too flaky; Algeria – blessed with a certain amount of capricious talent, but far too erratic; Nigeria – lacking in any cohesion and genuine quality in key positions. As for South Africa themselves; progress from the first phase will be considered a minor miracle in itself. That leaves only the Ivory Coast.

That’s the glamorous, orange-shirted Côte d’Ivoire of the irrepressible Didier Drogba; of the indestructible Yaya Touré; a side of astonishing power, athleticism and no little finesse. Yet Les Éléphants find themselves drawn in a hideously difficult group alongside favourites Brazil, talented Portugal, and the hard-running 11-man defensive blockade that is North Korea. Should they somehow emerge from such a tough section, then, rightly, the Ivorians would feel confident of further progress. However, Coach Vahid Halilhodžić opined, in the aftermath of their Nations Cup exit: “Some of my players can't handle the favourites’ status and the problem is in their heads.”

A better bet, then, would be for the Ghanaians to escape Group D – comprising a German team in transition, ageing Australia and the dangerous Serbia, of whom Rajevac will be acutely aware.

It’s far from a straightforward passage, of course – and England might await in the last 16 – but a squad comprising those who so impressed four years ago in Germany, such as Essien, Muntari, Mensah and the rehabilitated striker Asamoah Gyan, cannot be discounted. Add to the mix a whole host of talented youngsters (or Black Satellites, as they’re known), and Rajevac can boast of a potent formula.

One of the stand-out youngsters in the recent Nations Cup team (though he surprisingly didn’t feature in the official ‘squad of the tournament’) was dynamic full-back Samuel Inkoom, of Swiss club Basle. The callow 20-year-old narrowly missed out on a golden treble with final defeat in Angola, having already triumphed at both the African and World Youth Championships (in Rwanda and Egypt respectively) last year.

Inkoom’s natural style is one of all-out attack; relying heavily on endless reserves of energy and speed to dig himself out of defensive holes when necessary. The effervescent right-back rarely looked out of his depth taking on both Fulham and Roma in this season’s Europa League; featuring heavily in the offensive play of the side he joined only last summer from Asante Kotoko. Fulham’s Paintsil will struggle to reclaim his berth in the Ghana back-line, should Inkoom maintain his vast progress between now and June.

Allied to those of the new generation, including centre-half Isaac Vorsah and exciting midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah, Ghana will also hope to call upon their once-talismanic captain Stephen Appiah – who struggled with injury and, somewhat bizzarely, lack of employment for the past two years, before recently securing a move to Bologna in his second home, Serie A. With all these tools at his disposal, coach Rajevac will be expected to make a serious impression on the global stage in four months time.

Had Egypt managed to successfully negotiate their intoxicating qualifying struggle with neighbours Algeria (though they managed an unedifying measure of revenge in the spiteful CAN semi-final between the North African nations), they’d undoubtedly pose a significant threat to any opponent. Though the Pharaohs won a somewhat parochial battle in Angola, they will be absent from the war – to which the beaten Black Stars will be heading off to fight.

So will Ghana finally become Africa’s first world champions? Not likely. Perhaps the first African finalists? Don’t put your semi-detached on it. But the continent’s best hope of an illuminating run through the earlier stages of the greatest show on earth? Certainly.

Masterful Mourinho is Inter home-straight

2010-01-25T22:41:00.000Z

A white-hot city rivalry. First vs Second. Inter vs Milan: The Derby della Madonnina. On such special occasions reputations are made and, sometimes, broken. In the case of Inter’s irrepressible coach Jose Mourinho, his towering managerial status was once more verified – enhanced even – by the dramatic events at San Siro on Sunday night.

Of course, with near-limitless funds at his disposal and a squad packed with the best world football can offer it is easy to argue that Mourinho has little more to do in Milan than carefully steer an unstoppable juggernaut towards title after title. To an extent, that’s true. It is, however, in the major games like this clash with resurgent Milan that the Special One truly earns his exorbitant salary.

Victory for Leonardo’s side would haul them within three points of the Serie A summit – with a game in hand – a remarkable achievement, given their appalling start to the campaign. An Inter win would secure a nine-point cushion and reaffirm the nerazzurri as champions-elect. As if approaching the game in the knowledge that a second victory of the season over their bitterest rivals (they won the first handsomely, 4-0, in September) would secure not just the battle but also the war, Inter drove forward from the first whistle with tremendous verve and tenacity.

Leading the charge were three key Mourinho signings – a fearsome attacking triumvirate comprising Wesley Sneijder, Argentina centre-forward Diego Milito and enigmatic Macedonian forward Goran Pandev, signed recently on a free from Lazio. Even in the absence of Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o, this trio is capable of terrorising any defence – beware Chelsea – let alone one featuring 38-year-old Giuseppe Favalli (standing in for the injured Alessandro Nesta) and the positionally-wayward Ignazio Abate.

Such an abundance of attacking talent is the major reason why Inter’s Champions League challenge holds more credibility this year. Previously, it was a more-or-less a case of: give it to Zlatan and see what he’ll do. These days, there’s an altogether more ambidextrous approach from the Italian champions – rearguarded, of course, by the ultimate solid citizens in midfield – the greatly underrated Esteban Cambiasso and the apparently ageless Javier Zanetti. Of late, their defence has been a shade leaky – but Lucío, Maicon, et al, all have the experience to rise to the occasion...

Only the sharp reflexes of Dida kept Sneijder at bay on two separate occasions within the opening ten minutes. With every Inter attack giving the effect that it could result in a goal, the inevitable opener materialised: Milito clinically sweeping the ball past the huge Brazilian ‘keeper after latching onto Pandev’s sublime long pass, with Abate particularly defensively culpable.

The early progress of the blue and black hordes was threatened only by the hair-trigger temper of Sneijder. The Dutchman lost his cool completely when team-mate Lucío (justly) saw yellow for a dive; sarcastically applauding referee Gianluca Rocchi’s decision and apparently offering some choice swear-words in Italiano. As a result, Sneijder was sent to the stands for the second time in just over a month. TV cameras picked up Inter president Massimo Moratti loudly inviting the ref to enjoy the backside of another, as his team were reduced to ten men.

In adversity, however – whether genuine or merely perceived – Jose Mourinho thrives. Rather than now adopting an ultra-cautious approach in the vague hope of grinding out a result, the wily Portugese coach opted to retain his potent forward duo of Pandev and Milito, in the sure knowledge that their threat would make attack Inter’s first line of defence. This, allied to the all-Argentine midfield screen, ensured that the nerazzurri line-up retained a super-solid feel, even with one man down.

There have been whispers that Milan’s Leonardo is a strong candidate for Coach of the Season, given his dramatic reversal of the ageing, apparently disinterested rossoneri’s fortunes. The Brazilian – whose penchant for the best of Milanese fashion certainly makes him a contender for Mourinho’s dapper pretty-boy mantle if nothing else – still has much to learn, however. Was it a failure of nerve that saw him replace Rino Gattuso at half time with Clarence Seedorf rather than an extra attacker, as free-scoring Marco Borriello toiled fruitlessly at the point of Milan’s attack? Or, perhaps, his lack of faith in the potential alternatives – the diffident Klass-Jan Huntelaar or over-the-hill Pippo Inzaghi? In any case, Leo’s failure to seize the tactical initiative in this must-win game left Milan hamstrung, in spite of their numerical advantage.

Emerging for the second half fully five minutes late and in staccato fashion – clearly Mourinho was practicing the sort of gamesmanship for which his Porto side were renowned – Inter withstood a spell of pressure which emanated largely from the typically pinpoint set-pieces of David Beckham, and twice had the brilliant Julio Cesar to thank for keeping their slender lead intact. Yet, on the break, the league leaders still looked lethal.

Pandev – a constant thorn in the side of Milan’s makeshift defence – clipped a delicate effort against the post from Milito’s slide-rule pass, only for the ball to drop safely into Dida’s waiting hands. The striker, who finally extricated himself from his poisonous relationship with Lazio earlier this month, was having an adventurous – and influential – five minutes. With struggling Favalli conceding a free-kick in an ideal shooting position, Pandev curled a delightful shot into Dida’s net without so much as a flicker of response from the veteran ‘keeper. He then whipped off his shirt in celebration; was customarily booked; then immediately subbed by Mourinho. It was to be the game’s decisive act.

There was still time on the clock for Huntelaar to make an overdue, if ineffectual, appearance; for Ronaldinho to casually slash over an excellent chance, then have a penalty saved by Júlio César (as his compatriot Lucío saw a second yellow for a penalty-box handball); and for Mourinho to play ringleader of the tormentors, as he animatedly called on Inter’s dormant tifosi to roar their team towards the final whistle – gesticulating like a demented Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man to the delight of the San Siro majority.

So masterful Mourinho – never shy of a radical substitution or three – stuck to his guns throughout; showing great faith in his ten men (latterly nine) to repel resurgent Milan. Leonardo’s rapid progress has been admirable, and his approach refreshing, but it seems there’s much that the master could still teach the apprentice.

New Hammer Heads must back Zola project

2010-01-19T22:15:00.000Z

On the day a much-loved British institution looks set to pass into the hands of overseas owners (confectioners Cadbury being greedily swallowed with Augustus Gloop-like glee by American food giants Kraft) there are compelling reasons to celebrate the arrival of Davids Sullivan and Gold at another English bastion – West Ham United. However dubious the manner in which they accrued their vast riches, it cannot be denied that both men have made this purchase chiefly from the heart.

The pair, who bring along former Spurs chairman Alan Sugar’s TV pal Karen Brady as Chief Exec were embroiled in a messy divorce from their previous club, Birmingham City; the new regime of Carson Yeung and co. instigating investigations into the big bonuses awarded to Brady and others, before dropping the matter after a brief public spat between the two groups. Their time at the helm of the Second City’s second club was not without controversy and many Bluenoses were glad to see the back of an executive team which they believed to be penny-pinching and self-regarding in equal measure. On the whole, though, Birmingham remain a solvent club and have been left in a far stronger position than when Sullivan and Gold first got their hands on the St Andrews reins in the mid-90s.

The new West Ham administration will not be leveraging huge debts on the East End club (as opposed to the reviled North American owners of Liverpool and Manchester United), but neither will they speculate much on expensive playing purchases – at least if past form is anything to go by. But almost anything will be an improvement on the reckless behaviour of the previous Icelandic owners whose absurdly wrong-headed financial speculation (borrowing against future season-ticket sales, etc) mirrored that of the many failed banks of their now-bankrupt homeland. The shameless profligacy of CB Holdings has left the club with an estimated £100m debt.

Interestingly, the first tentative steps of the Upton Park revolution have been taken with an eye on securing a switch of operations three miles down the road, from the Boleyn Ground to the London Olympic Stadium. Perhaps this was a primary motivating factor behind the purchase, as existing restrictions on the Hammers’ growth would be truly unshackled by such a potentially lucrative move. It is for this reason alone that Sullivan’s claims that: “It makes no commercial sense to buy this club,” should be taken with a large pinch of salt. That there were several other well-regarded parties in at least first-stage negotiations bears testimony to such a conclusion.

Sullivan, though, has already outlined an idea to offer the cheapest tickets in London – citing (pre-Abu Dhabi) Manchester City’s adoption of the Commonwealth Stadium as a precedent. Negotiations with the government and local authorities are sure to begin as soon as possible, as the Daily Sport magnate looks to return East End football “to the people.” Whether such a hypothetically noble principle can be upheld will only become apparent in the coming years.

Talk of a consortia with fellow super-rich supporters such as Malaysian entrepreneur Tony Fernandes will be also be welcomed by fans; as a decent-sized investment in not only retaining existing stars such as Matthew Upson, Scott Parker and Carlton Cole, but also in adding fresh blood to a thin and unbalanced squad is vital for the Hammers’ short-term Premier League survival.

Cuts will most likely need to be made among backroom staff, but the new broom would be ill-advised to interfere with the steady progress of the ambitious front-line managerial team of Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke. The pair have made a fine fist of things in straitened times – presenting a side with an attractive style of play, as required by the bubble-blowers in the stands, and forging a tight-knit unit from a host of academy talents (Noble, Tomkins, Stanislas, and the richly-talented Jack Collison) and bargain-basement imports (Franco, Diamanti, Kovac) alongside their established England stars.

Fortunately, Sullivan expounds the theory that he and his long-term colleagues “are not sacking owners.”

“In the 16-and-a-half years we were running Birmingham we only sacked two managers, and one of them, Barry Fry, we regret sacking. So, no, we don't plan to come in and sack Zola.”

Managers of such reputation and genuine esteem come along rarely and, while his tenure to-date has been far from seamless, Zola has already revealed a deep reservoir of potential for a prolonged career in the dugout. The trick for the diminutive Italian is to get positive results while completing the process of on-the-job-learning in his first senior appointment. As far as possible, Sullivan’s reputation for patience must be exercised.

As our prestigious financial institutions have shown – with the right blend of arrogance, incompetence and bloody pig-headedness – no organisation is above a self-wrought fiscal implosion. Whatever their mid-to-long-term future, West Ham fans can at least look forward to a new era of relative stability. Maybe one day they’ll even all look back and laugh heartily at the grotesquely disproportionate pay packets received by Messrs Dyer, Neill, Faubert, Boa Morte, et al. in the profligate late-noughties era. But not for some time yet.

Few will doubt that Sullivan, the brash orator, and Gold, the softly-spoken Del Boy figure from Green Street (both of whom will personally pay Brady’s no-doubt lavish wages for the upcoming 12 months) will fight long and hard to return West Ham United toward something approaching their long-lost glory days. Their grandiose ‘seven-year plan’ (!) incorporates a brand new home and establishment in the top four of the table. As Gold says, the “adventure” begins now.

Milan goal-rush greets wing wizard Beckham

2010-01-11T20:49:00.000Z

What a difference seven weeks makes. Particularly in the life of a 34-year-old global megastar and footballing itinerant.

In late November, David Beckham was a deep-lying central midfielder in despair; a limping, losing finalist in the footballing backwater of Major League Soccer, as his LA Galaxy side slumped to defeat in the U.S. season finale. Come early January, Becks is effectively an inside-right in peak physical condition; a crucial piece in the jigsaw which sees his Milan team, along with Villarreal, Rangers, and, er, Birmingham City as one of the form teams in Europe.

The Rossoneri are a team transformed; their early-season struggles, when rookie coach Leonardo came under-fire for the consistently lacklustre performances of his side, are long forgotten. Beckham’s return to the Milanello fold has hogged headlines and added a flourish to Milan’s attacking play, but the revival had its genesis before the winter break; their mid-December defeat to Palermo being their only reverse in 15 games since the supposedly apocalyptic San Siro loss to Champions League minnows FC Zürich.

In the opening week of the season’s second half, Milan have put to the sword both early Serie A pacesetters Genoa and nominal title rivals Juventus – netting eight goals in the process. Such a promising beginning to 2010 throws into sharp relief the incoherent start to their campaign, characterised by a long barren run in front of goal (Leonardo’s rein opened with just four goals in his first seven league games). And Beckham’s involvement has been integral.

The prodigal Inglese has returned from the U.S. to fill an advanced right-wing position, with Ronaldinho ostensibly on the opposite flank; in-form striker Marco Borriello provides the meat in the superstar sandwich. Few could have predicted the deployment of Beckham in this role; fewer still would have predicted its instant success.

Yet it makes a certain amount of sense, as Milan’s midfield trio (usually Pirlo, Gattuso and Ambrosini) can get through the leg work (Pirlo excepted), allowing their illustrious ‘luxury’ colleagues the freedom to create from out wide. Milan’s highly-respected medical team purport that Becks can play on until he is 40, and given his unerring natural talent for crossing a ball, at this rate it’s likely he could continue to fire in dangerous crosses ‘til well into his fifties.

Ronaldinho will never track-back in the manner that Beckham so willingly does and the extravagant Brazilian’s propensity to float away from his position lays much responsibility on young Luca Antonini to protect the left-flank almost single-handedly. That’s no real revelation though, what has surprised many is the re-application of Ronnie to a game that he appeared patently uninterested in just a few short months ago.

There are two major reasons for this rapid turnaround in Gaúcho’s game. Firstly, the continued, unrelenting support of his compatriot Leonardo amid a storm of (well justified) criticism has helped to solidify the pair’s tight relationship. To perform at his best, Ronaldinho needs to feel a sense of love and community which Leo has apparently already fostered at Milanello, if the joyous, unified goal celebrations at Turin’s Stadio Olimpico are anything to go by.

The second motivation behind Ronaldinho’s steady improvement is plain – the incentive of a looming World Cup finals, in which his participation is anything but a certainty. Given Dunga’s predominantly counter-attacking game plan, spaces in the 23-man squad for opulent, creative types is at a premium. It could be a straight fight between Ronnie and his defeated opponent in Turin, Diego. The diminutive playmaker’s form has slumped dramatically along with that of Juve’s. It was the re-born Ronaldinho that emerged from the shroud of fog that enveloped the Olimpico on Sunday evening as the clear favourite for the plane to South Africa this summer.

All in all, Leonardo’s new-look side has a wonderfully balanced look to it and – given the size of his task in succeeding Carlo Ancelotti and replacing a golden generation – the young Brazilian is well ahead of schedule in his planned Milanese renaissance.

Not only is Antonini deputising flawlessly for the injured Gianluca Zambrotta, Ignazio Abate has added further much-needed youthful pep to the defence at right-back. The marauding Thiago Silva has recovered from some early defensive slip-ups to become an unyielding partner for Alessandro Nesta at centre-half.

Borriello’s re-emergence as a regular goal-scorer (a trick he has managed during a couple of successful loan spells, but rarely at San Siro) is another major bonus for the Rossoneri. Considering that Pippo Inzaghi must one day soon bother his final linesman, Alexandre Pato is injured, and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has still to come fully to terms with the demands of Serie A, the Neapolitan’s pin-sharp form has come as a major boost. The cap on his recent comeback was a magnificent bicycle kick; the fourth of Milan’s five goals against Genoa.

That game was overseen by former Milan boss Fabio Capello, and the England manager will have been satisfied by the form of one his most favoured players. And Beckham’s impressive adaptability will provide food for thought as the Italian considers his Plans B and C for the summer. Milan’s no.23, who recently announced a £4m profit for his personal image rights company (Beckham Brand Ltd...you really couldn’t make it up), will play an essential role as they look forward to a critical second Derby della Madonnina of the season in a fortnight.

Not only do they require retribution for their humiliating 0-4 loss to Inter in late August, a win over their bitterest rivals could pull them back into something resembling a genuine title race with Jose Mourinho’s men.

Further ahead lies a mouth-watering continental tie with faltering Manchester United. If the English champions are to turn over Leonardo’s newly-confident charges, they must first keep at bay the returning family man and the playboy that got away. The partnership of Becks and Ronnie, who shared jubilant smiles and hugs as the two brilliantly combined for Milan’s third goal at Juve, promises so much between now and May.

Return of the Rhinesiders: Kroos puts Leverkusen back on top

2009-12-23T22:52:00.000Z

“He’s been the man of the season so far. I've always had the feeling that he could be the next Michael Ballack and he's certainly living up the expectations.”

So said Beckenbauer to German tabloid Bild. The subject of Der Kaiser’s uncharacteristic excitement? 19-year-old playmaker, Toni Kroos, of German ‘winter champions’ Bayer Leverkusen – for now.

For Kroos – a wonderfully gifted midfielder with a footballing maturity which belies his years – belongs, long-term, to Beckenbauer’s Bayern Munich. Having spent last year on loan at the BayArena, Kroos was granted a second year by the Rhine due to the congested nature of Bayern’s squad. Leverkusen impressed many observers last year under the aegis of Bruno Labbadia (now coaching Hamburg), but lacked consistency and finished up 9^th in a tightly-packed Bundesliga table; also losing the DFB Cup final. This term, the club once dubbed ‘Neverkusen’ for their innate ability to fluff their lines in league title-fights, cup finals and even the odd Champions League final, have led the similarly close-run title race for months.

And they’ve done it in some style. Unbeaten through the entire campaign (nine wins and eight draws so far), Leverkusen have taken on all-comers with their youthful squad, of which set-piece specialist Kroos has grown to become the creative fulcrum, supported ably by their stand-in captain Sami Hyypiä and led by veteran coach Jupp Heynckes. A multiple Bundesliga champion with Bayern in the late 80s and, more recently, Champions League winner at Real Madrid, who, as is the form, sacked him by way of celebration, Heynckes had been left on the managerial scrapheap after a string of failures at home and abroad.

Last season, however, the former Borussia Mönchengladbach striker enjoyed a renaissance in a successful cameo appearance at Bayern following Jürgen Klinsmann’s brief but chaotic spell in charge. Nevertheless, at the birth of the 2009-10 season, few expected any such heroics at (relatively) little Leverkusen. His winning blend of youth and experience has, so far, defied expectation; holding Louis Van Gaal’s resurgent Bayern, Schalke (coached by last year’s champion coach Felix Magath) and Hamburg at bay.

24-year-old goalkeeper René Adler is the impeccable last line of defence, ahead of whom Hyppiä (now in the record books as the man with the most unbeaten minutes played in Bundesliga history) has been an unsurpassable rock – restored to his early Liverpool pomp, away from the unforgiving pace of the Premier League. Bombarding full-back Gonzalo Castro (22) starred for Germany’s under-21s last summer and already has five caps in what is something of a problem position for the senior side.

A regular fixture in der Nationalmannschaft, Simon Rolfes is captain and Leverkusen’s destructive box-to-box force in the centre of the pitch, though currently talented Stefan Reinartz (20) deputises for his injured skipper. Lars Bender (twin of Dortmund’s Sven, also 20) is another exciting prospect in the engine room, while Chile's Arturo Vidal adds bite in the tackle.

Creativity comes primarily from Kroos (6 goals and 3 assists in 17 games), Swiss wide-man Tranquillo Barnetta and the currently injured Renato Augusto, signed from Flamengo in 2008. Turkish youngster Buruk Kaplan is on the verge of a first-team breakthrough and offers a sweet left foot – which he used to great effect in preserving the team’s unbeaten record with a late, deflected goal in the entertaining 2-2 draw with bottom club Hertha Berlin.

While no.9 Patrick Helmes (24 goals in his first season at the club last year) has sat out the remarkable run because of a torn cruciate ligament, his strike-partner Stefan Kießling has filled in the gaps skilfully. The tall, blond forward finds the net on a regular basis; showing great touch and balance (...for a big man) and intelligent interplay with his current partner, Swiss striker Eren Derdiyok.

All in all, it’s a group packed with promise, energy and an almost tangible determination. The perfect platform, perhaps, for a talent like Kroos to flourish – particularly in a World Cup year. Despite his tender age, his biggest fan Beckenbauer “wouldn’t be really surprised” if Jogi Löw takes him to South Africa next summer. To learn from the master, Michael Ballack, in such a rarefied atmosphere would be an ideal step-up in Kroos’ development before he inevitably returns to Bayern – who will have a significant creative vacancy following Franck Ribéry’s impending departure.

Curiously, Leverkusen’s most marketable stars, both ‘keeper Adler (born in Leipzig) and Kroos (Greifswald), are that all too rare occurrence in the modern era – successful footballers born east of the Berlin wall. They will surely be aiming to emulate the towering achievements of two fellow GDR-born Leverkusen graduates: Bernd Schneider and Ballack.

That pair, along with Zé Roberto and Emerson, formed the midfield hub of the last nearly-great Leverkusen side of the early noughties. Kroos, whose brilliant double strike against Mönchengladbach last weekend ensured his team would go into the winter break ahead of the pack, has the prodigious talent to help hold off the challenge of his parent club and finally bring some glory to the success-starved Rhinesiders.

Journey to the Centre of the Europa League

2009-12-17T09:43:00.000Z

It’s labyrinthine. It’s interminable. It’s...the UEFA Europa League. Monsieur Platini’s brainchild reached its group stage climax this week to a decidedly raptureless reception from Malvern to Moldova.

And it’s a crying shame, because even the weakened line-ups, the semi-meaningless treks to far-flung Eastern Europe and the media vacuum in which it operates cannot undermine some of the entertainment the competition has offered up in this, its inaugural season. Allowing in the eight Champions League failures discredits somewhat the efforts of those teams who have been working their way through tie after tie since mid-July, and it might well take the equivalent of half a league season to get there, but from the evidence so far there’s still much to look forward to for a competition in its infancy.

Take, for example, Fulham’s group (E), which culminated in a hard-fought spectacle at St Jakob Park on Tuesday night, between the West London side and hosts Basle. Following a pair of absorbing ties with Champions League regulars Roma, which brought only a single point despite the occasional superiority of Roy Hodgson’s side, this game would decide the European destiny of both sides. Fulham had to snatch a win in an arena which has been a near-impenetrable fortress in recent years to be sure of progress, while Basle (and Roma – 3-0 victors in Sofia) needed only a point to make it to the last 32.

Hodgson’s return to Switzerland – where he enjoyed significant success with the Nati at USA ’94 and laid the foundations for the country’s more recent under-17 successes – brought two first-half goals from Bobby Zamora, giving the Cottagers a healthy lead going into the break. However, as against Roma, high drama was to follow at the game’s conclusion; Basle twice pulling themselves within a goal as rampant Ghanaian full-back Samuel Inkoom stormed forward at will and experienced strike duo Marco Streller and Alex Frei presented a physical threat to Fulham’s mix-and-match back-line.

It is to the immense credit of Hodgson – surely the right choice for the England job, post-Capello – that his squad rotation in continental competition has not backfired, with several back-up players (such as promising ex-Maidstone defender Chris Smalling and West Brom old-boys Zoltán Gera and Jonathan Greening) taking their opportunity by the scruff of the neck. Despite the continued absence through injury of Andy Johnson and Diomansy Kamara, and a modest budget, the 62-year-old manager has developed a versatile squad that plays with a pleasingly progressive style. And the widely-predicted impact of a plethora of European engagements has, thus far, had negligible impact on Fulham’s Premier League form, sitting, as they do, in a comfortable mid-table position.

In Basle, the concession of a debatable penalty and a powerful Streller header were overcome by a breakaway goal from Gera, as Fulham held on to join Roma in today’s draw for the knockout stages. While groups such as Celtic’s (C) and Everton’s (I) had been decided during their penultimate rounds, there was still much to play for across the continent on Thursday night.

Genoa hosted Primera División giants Valencia (Group B) needing to match Lille’s result in Prague (against Slavia) to secure their place in the post-Christmas action. Unai Emery fielded his full artillery – David Villa, Juan Mata, Joaquín, et al – in pursuit of the single point which would seal the onward progress of Los Che. Villa was in fine early form; denied only by fine saves from Genoa’s experienced ‘keeper Alessio Scarpi on three separate occasions, but was then justly yellow-carded for a kick-out at ex-Valencia team-mate Emiliano Moretti.

The visitors lost captain Carlos Marchena – a key member of Rafa Benítez’s 2004 UEFA Cup-winning side – to an innocuous-looking injury, but, with Lille cruising to victory in the Czech capital, looked very much in control of their fate. Their confidence grew stronger as defender Bruno, brought along from former club Almería by Emery, flukishly looped a header over the ill-positioned Scarpi to open the scoring. Genoa’s hopes seemed all but dead and buried.

The second half, however, brought a dramatic revival. Led by chief cheerleader Hernán Crespo, the shivering Marassi crowd were brought to life as Gian Piero Gasperini’s team was transformed into a frenzied red and blue swarm camped in the Valencia half. Veteran forward Crespo, now 34, but a regular scorer in Europe since the days of Parma’s victorious 1999 UEFA Cup campaign, utilised all his remaining vitality and undisputed penalty-box virtuosity to snatch an equaliser – poking the ball between the outstretched legs of Miguel Àngel Moyá.

Within a single goal of sealing progress at the expense of their illustrious visitors, expectation surged through the rossoblu faithful, yet, despite continuous pressure, a second goal was not forthcoming. In a rare moment of counter-attacking freedom, Joaquín broke free in the Genoa area only to be callously shoved off his feet by Salvatore Bocchetti. Moments later David Villa was left standing incredulously in the penalty area, hands clasped to mouth, having seen his hopeless penalty kick flash wide of the left post.

In the final minute of injury time – as Emery jigged around furiously on the touchline à la Martin O’Neill, contradictorily imploring his men to remain calm – Villa was redeemed and Genoa were finally dispatched to the European scrap-heap. Scarpi mis-kicked in his desperation to launch one last Genoa attack, and Villa capitalised to virtually walk the ball in for the winner.

So Valencia, along with Fulham and Roma, join continental powerhouses such as (Champions League drop-outs) Liverpool, Juventus and Marseille, plus a significant selection of hard-punching middleweights: Hamburg, Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg from the Bundesliga; Villarreal, Atlético Madrid and Athletic Bilbao from La Liga; back-to-back Russian champions and Camp Nou-conquerors Rubin Kazan; PSV, Ajax and Twente (of Steve McLaren fame!) represent the Dutch Eredivisie; while Fenerbahçe (without Roberto Carlos, who appeared in European football for the final time last night before returning to Brazil next month) Galatasaray, Sporting Lisbon, Benfica, Panathinaikos and (sort of) defending champions Shakhtar Donetsk will all make challenging opposition for pretenders to Europe’s second-tier crown.

UEFA Europa League draw takes place at 12 noon today (17^th December). Last-32 ties start February 16th.

Serie A highlights: Cassetti records Rome derby winner and Marchisio magic puts new face on Scudetto race

2009-12-07T23:45:00.001Z

He may be dreaming of a return to England, but his mind is more presently occupied with the dirty work of achieving back-to-back titles for Inter Milan. Jose Mourinho, serving a touchline suspension, watched on from afar as his side and Ciro Ferrara’s Juventus quite literally scrapped for Serie A supremacy.

It had been a no-holds barred kind of occasion in any case, as is the form for a top-of-the-table Derby d’Italia, when Inter’s controversial young striker Mario Balotelli joined the fray. The Azzurrini star replaced Sulley Muntari on the hour mark, as Inter looked to retrieve a 2-1 deficit; Sammy Eto’o’s unmarked header answered a goal from Juve’s Felipe Melo in the first half. Fit-again Claudio Marchisio snatched a brilliant second Juventus goal early in the second. Marchisio’s was quite some finish; the World Cup squad hopeful danced effortlessly through the Inter defence with exquisite precision, scooping the ball over the prostrate Júlio César with a deft flick of his left boot.

Balotelli’s arrival was greeted by loud jeering and booing from the home fans at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino, but also by the display of placards featuring the player’s picture from the travelling Inter tifosi in support of their wayward young gun. Debate rages as to the true nature of the unremitting abuse that ‘Super Mario’ receives at grounds around the peninsula. It’s sometimes suggested that the 19-year-old, born to Ghanaian parents in Palermo, is targeted due to the colour of his skin (the chant: “you’ll always be an African” is an unpalatable favourite of a certain faction of the Juventus fans), while others say that the hateful reception he receives is because of his truculent, often sullen, demeanour on the pitch.

At this stage in his nascent career, Balotelli does not yet possess the mental toughness to withstand the vilification which greets his every touch. Rather than absorbing the abuse and using it as a source of positive energy as do Cristiano Ronaldo, Craig Bellamy, etc; Balotelli’s rage visibly intensifies as the boos grow louder – most probably because of their assumed racist overtones. To his credit, Juve’s vastly experienced Fabio Grosso twice took his future Azzurri colleague aside on more than one occasion in an effort to cool the fire raging within. Sadly, it had little effect.

Balotelli, aggressively chasing the ball, careered into Melo’s back; the Brazilian swinging an elbow at his assailant which contacted only with his shoulder. The disproportionate response of Balotelli – rolling around, clutching his face in apparent agony – was the cue for Melo’s early shower and the normally sanguine Gigi Buffon to storm from his goal as a major mid-pitch scuffle broke out. The forward – whose late corner was headed just wide by Esteban Cambiasso as Inter slumped to only their second league defeat – has incurred the wrath of Mourinho for numerous training ground transgressions and is sure to divide opinion wherever his career path takes him, which, rumour has it, might soon be towards the Premier League. Arsenal, Chelsea and West Ham are all supposedly suitors.

In better circumstances Balotelli might have been an outside bet for a wildcard place at the World Cup (though the acutely conservative Marcello Lippi probably doesn’t ‘do’ wildcards), yet Marchisio – just back from surgery and growing in stature under Ferrara’s tutelage – must be considered a certainty for South Africa. His midfield cohort, Diego, was once a surefire bet for Dunga’s Brazil squad, but now finds himself undergoing a season-long audition for the role of understudy to the unimpeachable Kaká. However, the little playmaker could affect little influence over this crucial game, in which he enjoyed a rare pairing with Alex Del Piero in support of Amauri. Nonethless, Juve’s vital win concertinaed the Serie A table-top; bringing them within a point of second-placed Milan and five of Inter.

You’ll need to glance much further down the standings to find deadly Rome rivals, Lazio and Roma. The two clubs came into the season’s opening derby in contrasting form – Claudio Ranieri overseeing a recent upturn in league form and Europa League wins over Fulham and Basle; Lazio’s Davide Ballardini under mounting pressure with a midweek European exit coming on the back of a domestic winless streak stretching back some three long months – their worst Serie A run in two decades.

As against Red Bull Salzburg on Wednesday, Ballardini fielded an ultra-cautious 5-3-1-1 formation – Mauro Zárate as lone forward, with full-backs Stephan Lichtsteiner and Aleksandr Kolarov given a brief to supply some width. Roma were more or less at full strength up until just before half-time, when Phillipe Mexès limped from the field to be replaced by Marco Cassetti.

It was a first half interrupted by an unplanned ten-minute interval as disturbances among the febrile Roman crowd caused the referee to call a temporary halt to play. With the thunderous sound of smoke bombs still resounding around the Olimpico, play resumed and Lazio surprisingly had the best of the play, but with very little to show for it in terms of shots on goal. Roma’s relatively flat display prompted Ranieri to make a second substitution early in the second period, as Jérémy Menez made way for Matteo Brighi; Mirko Vučinić switching from the left to partner free-scoring Francesco Totti up front.

At Lazio’s apex stood little Zárate, largely starved of service aside from Lichtsteiner’s forward surges and some assistance from Stefano Mauri. It is the Argentinean who is suffering most from club president Claudio Lotito’s decision to banish his partner Goran Pandev to the reserves for submitting a summer transfer request. Yet the former Birmingham striker was ready to pounce on a careless Nicolás Burdisso slip-up; wriggling clear to strike the foot of Roma’s post. Mauri’s attempt from the rebound should surely have rippled the net, but the giallorossi’s stand-in ‘keeper Júlio Sérgio affected a miraculous, acrobatic reflex save to deflect the ball over his bar.

Totti; like a fine wine, Ryan Giggs, or Helena Christensen, just gets better with age. Now 33, the Roma captain is in peak goalscoring form and his immense creative input has yet to wane. It was his sweeping cross-field ball that put Roma quickly on the front foot – at a time when Lazio were beginning to dictate play – a quick switch to the right flank then found Vučinić unmarked; the Montenegrin’s sharp, accurate cross was steered into the net by a side-footed volley from one of the most unlikely candidates on the pitch – Roma’s no.77; first-half sub Cassetti.

There was still time for Fernando Muslera – recently capped for the first time by Uruguay – to make a smart save from a trademark fierce volley from the left boot of John Arne Riise, and for whistle-happy referee Nicola Rizzoli to send David Pizarro to the showers for a second bookable offence. The biancocelesti, however, were a beaten side and now languish just outside the trapdoor to Serie B – the dark depths from which they last emerged in 1988. Without a sharp change in fortunes, Coach Ballardini might be spending Christmas on the dole queue, as Lazio legend Siniša Mihajlović – a flop in charge of Bologna last year – has been lined up as his potential successor.

Roma are up to sixth, yet are an intimidating eleven points adrift of leaders Inter. It’s far too late now for Ranieri’s men to mount a concerted scudetto challenge, but at least Marchisio’s magic in Turin has given Italian fans hope of at least a three-horse title race approaching the new year. So it was not only a valuable win for Juventus, but also a small victory for diversity in an Inter-dominated league.

Henry hands lucky Domenech a late reprieve

2009-11-19T01:51:00.000Z

Thierry Henry’s outrageous opportunism will dominate the headlines, as is just, but there is plenty more to disseminate from a memorable night in Paris, as Raymond Domenech’s France were fortunate to qualify for the World Cup in controversial circumstances. Still, as will a thousand-and-one other articles on the issue, that’s where we’ll start.

In the immediate aftermath, words such as “robbed” (Sean St Ledger) and “embarrassing” (Kevin Doyle) were bandied about by the bitterly disappointed Irish players of Henry’s conduct. Giovanni Trapattoni cited Italy’s acrimonious elimination from Korea/Japan 2002 as a similar example of an appallingly unjust exit. It’s to be expected; as emotions are running sky-high when such a gleaming prize is at stake.

St Ledger, who expertly herded the razor-sharp Nicolas Anelka throughout, said that the Barcelona forward’s handling of the ball in the setting-up of William Gallas’ deciding goal had “cost a lot of people their dreams” and, unsurprisingly, called for FIFA to introduce video technology to the game immediately. It was, undoubtedly, a horrifically bitter pill to swallow, yet both players freely admitted that any Irish player would consider doing the same if placed in the same position – a stance also backed by ex-international Ronnie Whelan.

Henry’s own guilt – not exactly evident as he wheeled away in delight at his ill-gotten gains – became apparent when ‘comforting’ the indefatigable Richard Dunne at the final whistle. Awkwardly sitting beside, and then embracing the Ireland centre-half (who showed great sportsmanship to accept the gesture in his moment of despair) Henry looked every inch a man who knew of the upcoming repercussions of his actions upon his proud reputation. ‘Titi’ had clearly made a tit of himself.

Of course, this isn’t the first time some top-grade Henry gamesmanship has earned a vital result for his country. In a World Cup last-16 game the valiant challenge of Spain was undermined by a frankly pathetic dive by the striker. All of which makes his self-pitying touchline rant against referees, Barcelona and UEFA (among others) in the aftermath of Arsenal’s 2006 Champions League final defeat seem all the more hypocritical.

For his most recent misdemeanours, there can be no adequate defence. The first contact between ball and hand could barely be avoided, but the second contact was an instance of bare-faced cheating. Nonetheless, it’s already a moment destined for an unsavoury sort of sporting infamy (will ‘Hand of Henry’ soon enter the footballing lexicon?)

So, what of the game itself? Coming, as it did, on the back of France’s successful excursion to Croke Park last weekend, few expected the first 90 minutes in Paris to transpire as it did. Ireland may not have dominated possession as such, but carved out a whole host of chances, which Robbie Keane, Damien Duff and, most particularly, John O’Shea will rue the spurning of for months and years to come.

Trapattoni’s much-maligned ‘static’ midfield performed to the very limit of its supposedly restricted potential. Damien Duff has carried his sparky Fulham form into recent internationals and was responsible for the old boys’ act – with captain Keane – which gave his team a deserved lead late in the first half. Glen Whelan offered his usual unwavering industry until his withdrawal through injury, while his midfield partner, Blackburn’s Keith Andrews, excelled throughout. Liam Lawrence, still very inexperienced at this level, supplied precision delivery from the right flank and kept Patrice Evra largely subdued during a commanding performance. It was almost enough to make the fans forgive and forget the unfathomable omission of Andy Reid. Almost.

Substitute Darren Gibson showed that he remains a little raw, but has immense promise, as recognised by both Trap and his club manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. Birmingham’s Keith Fahey is also a future contender, while Stephen Reid, of Blackburn, will soon return to the fold. Steven Ireland, mercifully, has called time on his shambolic ‘contribution’ to his country. The only black-spot on the horizon is the potential future decline of such stalwarts as Kevin Kilbane, Duff and Keane, as age takes its inevitable toll. Whether or not these great servants to the cause can continue until 2010 will dictate whether or not Ireland can realistically hope to qualify for the next Euros. The qualified success of this past qualifying series will boost their world ranking and, they will hope, ensure a more comfortable ride on the road to Ukraine/Poland (or wherever it may eventually be).

Whatever its dubious genesis, Gallas’ goal takes France to the World Cup, where they will be dangerous dark-horses. Continuously clueless Raymond Domenech lucked-out in reaching the last World Cup final courtesy of Zinedine Zidane’s heroics, and, now that qualification is sealed, might expect to contend once again. Sure, they were spiritless and shapeless at the Stade de France, but any side which – at full strength – can boast a forward line of Ribéry-Anelka-Henry-Benzema is one to be reckoned with. Jérémy Toulalan will also be a welcome returnee, while Domenech should stick to his guns regarding his exclusion of over-the-hill Patrick Vieira. Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has already proven his worth and is a star of the future.

Only the coach’s typically obscure selection policy (A-P Gignac starting both games despite a lack of recent goals for Toulouse and a horror-showing in Dublin, while Benzema warmed the bench) can prevent a talented team from reaching at least the later stages of a World Cup which will be littered with unlikely outsiders (North Korea, New Zealand, Slovenia, Slovakia, Serbia, Honduras, et al).

Their “very, very lucky” qualification (according to Florent Malouda) will fade from French memories once the great football festival kicks off next summer. Ireland, however, will only have bitter acrimony and the sympathies of football fans around the globe to console them as they consider what might have been had the footballing gods looked more kindly upon them.

Brilliant Balkans can capitalise on Ronaldo saga

2009-11-13T18:39:00.000Z

On the surface at least, Portugal’s beleaguered boss, Carlos Queiroz, is philosophical about Cristiano Ronaldo's absence from the World Cup qualifying playoff with 5-1 outsiders Bosnia-Hercegovina.

Real Madrid had strongly insisted that Portugal’s talismanic captain was not fit for service, yet Ronaldo was called up by the Selecção in any case. After further examination by the national team’s medical staff, ‘CR9’ was swiftly dispatched back to Madrid; offering good luck wishes to his remaining team-mates. Queiroz then told the press: “There is a call-up, an evaluation, a decision, and then life goes on.”

Which is quite true, but the weighty psychological blow meted out by this unseemly affair has the capacity to undermine preparations for a tie which will decide the fate of Queiroz and – more crucially – whether or not the footballing world’s most marketable star will grace South African soil next summer.

To add to the ex-Real manager’s growing troubles, regular right-back Jose Bosingwa was then ruled out of both games and could miss up to three months of action in all. Rangers midfielder Pedro Mendes will also sit out the contest due to a knee injury. Notwithstanding such significant absentees, Portugal’s form since reaching the quarter-finals of Euro 2008 has been relatively dismal anyway, taking into account their previously sparkling record under ‘Big Phil’ Scolari. Only five wins from ten games characterised by a chronic inability to score goals - they were held to goalless home draws by both Sweden and Albania - in one of the easiest European qualifying groups doesn’t reflect well on Queiroz’s stewardship.

He admits to making “a few errors” during his team’s early qualifying games, but claims that such “dark times”, have been left far behind. Positive recent results, allied to better performances, against Denmark, Sweden and Hungary showed, says Queiroz, that Portugal are now “hitting top form”. They will need the recently-rehabilitated Deco to assume the creative burden in Ronaldo’s absence, while the predictably unpredictable Nani could be called upon to fill a flank. Naturalised Brazilian striker Liédson is favourite to lead the line against a vulnerable Bosnian defence which shed five goals in their ‘dead rubber’ final qualifier against irrepressible Spain.

Defensively suspect, perhaps, but attack-minded Bosnia racked-up 25 goals in qualification – only England, Spain and Germany scored more – with imposing Wolfsburg forward Edin Džeko notching nine of them.

“The biggest point in our favour is our unity and determination,” said Džeko, this week. “We're a band of brothers and we are dangerous when we go forward. All we lack is experience."

And there’s the rub. While Portugal can offer a host of players (Deco, Carvalho, Pepe) with that undeniably crucial quality in abundance, the Bosnian line-up is an altogether more callow assembly. Pure, unadulterated talent, however, seeps from all quarters of the side helmed by wily old Bosnian-Croat coach Miroslav Blažević. Partnering Džeko will be Hoffenheim’s Vedad Ibišević, who has been incessantly troubling Bundesliga onion-bags either side of a cruciate injury last winter. They’ll be prompted and assisted by the absurdly-talented playmaker Zvjezdan Misimović, also of Wolfsburg, and Hoffenheim captain Sejad Salihović. Lyon’s gifted young midfielder Miralem Pjanić will also hope to feature at some stage.

In an illustrious 40-year-long career – which appeared to have already reached its zenith with Croatia’s remarkable bronze medal at France ’98 – Blažević claims to have never overseen a more important match. A clear game plan, in which ‘playing to our strengths’ features strongly, has been devised.

“We will be doomed if we sit back and the playoffs will be over for us after the first leg in Portugal,” colourful ‘Ciro’ told Bosnian newspaper Dnevni Avaz.

“The Euro 2004 final, in which Greece beat Portugal 1-0, is the way we should play, meaning that we have to stifle them in midfield and keep going forward whenever possible. We have to close down every inch of space and try to get the away goal, because our chances will be very slim if we don't score in the first leg.”

No fewer than nine Bosnian players carry a yellow card on their record going into the game, so the dichotomy between self-preservation and the collective cause may loom large in some minds; perhaps invoking indecision in the ranks. Yet, any kind of positive result (which in this context would include an away-goal-scoring draw) would leave the brittle Portugese facing a daunting task in front of a rambunctious rabble in febrile Zenica next Wednesday.

Against all probability, Blažević has so far succeeded in bringing together players from disparate ethnic backgrounds amid a society still riven by sectarianism and widespread prejudice. The 74-year-old has cajoled and unified talents from 13 different leagues; creating a unit truly capable of upsetting the so-called ‘world order’. In the 17 recent European play-offs to earn qualification for the World Cup or Euros, the higher-ranked team in FIFA’s rankings has gone through 11 times, so the odds are firmly stacked against the Bosnians (currently 42^nd to Portugal’s 10^th) from a historical perspective. Yet momentum is on their side – and the Ronaldo saga has only served to foment hopes of a famous against-the-odds triumph for Blažević’s men.

As for his under-pressure counterpart, Queiroz, he’s already planning ahead. “I think the hardest part for us has been qualifying. If we qualify, Portugal will definitely be firm contenders to win.” That’s a big ‘if’, isn’t it, Carlos? He continues:

“I'm 100 per cent convinced we'll be there. I've got no doubts whatsoever.”

That’s the very definition of ‘tempting fate’.

Under-fire Ranieri halts Mourinho’s winning run

2009-11-09T22:43:00.000Z

The run-in to Roma’s Sunday night visit to San Siro was dominated by the supposed thawing of frosty relations between opposing coaches Claudio Ranieri and Inter’s José Mourinho. The two former Chelsea managers have been at each other’s throats in recent years – the Special One once responding to the Tinkerman’s frequent criticisms of Inter by claiming his Stamford Bridge predecessor lacked a winning mentality, because “he’s nearly 70-years-old and has only won a Super Cup and other small tournaments.” Adding further insult to his characteristically waspish rebuke, Mourinho opined: “He is too old to change.”

A year or so later, with Inter now standing clear above all others in Serie A as Ranieri’s Roma struggle inconsequentially in the bottom half of the standings, Mourinho can afford to change his tune.“I respect Ranieri,” he said. “It’s true we have had a few run-ins and who knows there could be more in future, but I respect him as a person and as a coach.”

Nonetheless, Ranieri (who, for the record, is aged a mere 58, while both the Coppa Italia and the Copa del Rey are among the ‘small tournaments’ he’s won) would truly savour any victory over his larger-than-life adversary, particularly with pressure already mounting on his position after a mixed start in charge of his hometown club. A barely-deserved home victory over Fulham in the Europa League midweek gave something of a boost to his side as they travelled north to take on Mourinho’s all-conquering juggernaut, themselves fresh from a much-needed Champions League win in Kiev.

Inter’s slovenly start allowed Roma to grab the early initiative, with lone foward Mirko Vučinić springing the offside trap to latch onto a delightful pass from stand-in-skipper Daniele De Rossi, only to fluff a glorious chance to score the opener. Minutes later though, the Romans took the lead courtesy of Vučinić’s looping header into the top corner from a precise diagonal ball by full-back Marco Motta. It took a prodigious leap for the talented Montenegrin to out-jump Inter’s defensive colossus Lucío, scoring only his second goal of campaign during which he has been habitually abused by a section of the Roma support.

Wesley Sneijder was mysteriously confined to the Inter bench (along with another influential midfield mainstay, Esteban Cambiasso) as one-paced Patrick Vieira and ill-disciplined Sulley Muntari toiled to cope with De Rossi’s considerable influence. Top-scorer Francesco Totti’s unavailability through injury ensured that both teams were without their key creators during a first half throughout which Inter slumbered and their visitors battled gainfully. Roma’s reserve ‘keeper Julio Sergio made sharp saves from both Diego Milito and Muntari – who should’ve had his marching orders for a couple of petulant stamps and kicks when already on a yellow card – but Roma were otherwise comfortable leaders, even in spite of their captain’s 34^th minute withdrawal due to head injury.

As anyone who has followed his career closely will testify, it is, in fact, Mourinho who is the true ‘tinkerman’, though when the Champions League-winner makes a change (or two, or three) it generally has the desired effect. And – with predictable consequences – the Portugese threw on Cambiasso and Mario Balotelli for the dreadful Vieira and Muntari, at the start of the second half. Within three minutes Inter were level.

A trademark penalty-box swivel and finish by Samuel Eto’o sunk the shoulders of Ranieri and inspired thoughts of a swift Inter comeback among the nerazzurri faithful. Yet, even without their on-field generals – De Rossi and Totti – the resolute Roma rearguard quickly negated a brief spell of Inter pressure. Despite Sneijder’s best efforts, the league leaders failed to impose their superiority; entirely bereft of any sense of urgency or rhythm during a fractious second period which finally petered out into a 1-1 draw.

The permanently scowling features of wonder-kid Balotelli were screwed up in frustration when the rangy 19-year-old spurned the home team’s best opportunity late on, not long after substitute Ricardo Faty blew Roma’s clearest chance of a winner at the other end. Clearly, a typically forthright Mourinho thought his young striker could have “done a whole lot more” to influence the game: “Balotelli?” he said, post-match, “His performance tonight was close to a zero. He had little movement and did little work for the team.”

In a “bad” game, Mourinho believed that “one team did everything to win; another did not want to win”, echoing his often-quoted ‘parking-the-bus’ comments for at least the hundredth time. Ranieri will hardly care though. A point at San Siro might not take the giallorossi into the top half of the table, but the undoubted fighting spirit with which it was achieved may help to galvanise an unsteady ship.

With a significant chunk of the Roma tifosi calling for the head of Ranieri and his deeply unpopular boss, club president Rosella Sensi, it was crucial for his side to halt their slide down the standings. Nonetheless, they still have much ground to regain upon their return from the upcoming international break. Inter, meanwhile, will resume proceedings five points clear of their only genuine title rivals, Juventus (5-2 winners over Atalanta this weekend).

Mourinho, it’s apparent, remains capable of some curious selection choices, but few can argue with a manager now unbeaten in 140 consecutive home league games and with a second scudetto in his sights. So it’s a moral win for Claudio, but only José will win the war.

Maradona’s redemption?

2009-10-11T18:47:00.000+01:00

It’s been a long and interesting life in football for Diego Armando Maradona. Outrageous talent, uncontrollable egotism, and a tendency towards controversy matched by few others (check out his crazy, stream-of-consciousness autobiography for all the gory details). Since he first laced up his boots as a jinking juvenile at Argentinos Juniors all those years ago, the Argentine icon has played a central role in quite some number of memorable matches. Sadly, the content of Maradona’s managerial career to date has proven rather less memorable. Until the events of Saturday night in Buenos Aires.

A pivotal World Cup qualifier against continental minnows Peru provided the setting for one of the most remarkable climaxes to an international game since, well, Ireland-Italy a couple of hours earlier. Deep into the second half, Argentina (featuring the twin delights of Lionel Messi and Pablo Aimar, but missing suspended Juan Verón, Carlos Tévez, and numerous others by virtue of the manager’s revolving door selection policy) were labouring towards a desperately-needed three points, as they led 1-0 courtesy of a goal from the boot of Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Híguain, making his much-delayed debut. Peru’s Juan Manuel Vargas, of Fiorentina, had earlier struck the Argentina bar with as sweet a left-foot volley as you’re ever likely to see, yet the two-times world champions still looked set fair for the win. Then the heavens opened.

As a diabolical downpour washed around River Plate’s Estadio Monumental, Maradona – who has thus far proved himself to be anything other than a tactical genius – made a series of substitutions which included the half-time introduction of bulky target-man Martín Palermo; the Boca Juniors striker having last been involved at international level nearly 10 years ago. Palermo recently made the record books for scoring the first 40-yard header in professional football, but is better known as the man who fluffed a hat-trick of penalties against Colombia in the 1999 Copa America. His recent recall, at the expense of younger, sharper stars such as Inter Milan’s in-form Diego Milito (now injured, incidentally) had been a contentious one.

The 35-year-old took the field rather than either of Argentina’s supremely talented, but vertically-challenged, forwards Tévez or Kun Agüero. His impact on the second half had been sporadic by the time disaster struck – and struck hard – as substitute Hernán Rengifo headed in a last-minute equalising goal for the visitors, who celebrated joyously amid the squall. All was lost, and Maradona was a dead man walking. Only, that wasn’t the case at all.

Deep, deep into stoppage time the Argentine attack launched itself forward one last time. A cross from the right touch-line eventually found its way to the lurking Palermo. Time stood still as the veteran composed himself to pass the ball into the bottom corner of the net; turning away in an instant to rip off his shirt and celebrate in front of the delirious home support. Maradona, meanwhile, shrugged off persistent doubts about his health by embarking on a Klinsmann-esque diving swan (well, more of a bellyflopping bullfrog) by way of celebration.

Incredibly, there was still time for Peru’s Rainer Torres to strike the Argentinian woodwork again – this time, direct from the kick-off. His remarkable effort was tipped onto the bar and over by an alert Sergio Romero. Had that effort gone in, it would have truly rounded off, with an absurdist twist, a climax which seemed far-fetched enough in any case. The final whistle blew, and a nation celebrated.

Amid the tempest stood two figures, redeemed. For now, at least. The manager and his striker stood locked in a deep and apparently tearful embrace. At half-time, Maradona had apparently told Palermo to “go and resolve this”. Resolve it he certainly did. And with such a sense of dramatic timing too.

“To be honest I never thought I'd experience something like this again. It was hard to think clearly when it was raining so hard and desperation had taken over,” said Los Albicelestes’ returning hero. “This is a reward for all of my hard work; it's one of the happiest days of my life.” Palermo continued: “Men cry too, of course they do. We suffered so much, it was so emotional. A goal like that needs to be experienced and really felt.”

Argentina’s relief was palpable as the dramatic win, which came on the back of three straight defeats, sealed their ascension into the fourth and final qualifying place in the CONMEBOL section. Three points from what is sure to be a tumultuous battle with bitter rivals Uruguay, on Wednesday evening, would now assure Maradona’s men of a trip to South Africa next summer. For all their talent and artistry, on current form they can’t be considered among the favourites; yet the Diego-led circus is sure to be a compelling diversion amid the heat of the battle.

Ronaldinho hits rock-bottom at maudlin Milan

2009-09-29T20:54:00.000+01:00

Dropped by Dunga. Condemned as past-his-prime by the Milan hierarchy. Hauled-off by Leonardo with half-an-hour still to play against Serie A minnows Bari. Ronaldinho’s had better weeks, that’s for sure.

Winner of the Ballon d’Or just four years ago, the one-time star attraction at Camp Nou has slumped to a shocking low this season. His slump from pinnacle to past-it has been a dramatic one. Perhaps, though, it was an inevitable outcome for a footballer who has always focused more on the vibrant nightlife of Paris, Barcelona and now Milan, than dedicating extra hours preserving his fitness on the training ground.

Outrageous natural talent alone is simply not enough to maintain a sustained period at the very top of the game, as evergreen stars such as Raul, Ryan Giggs and Ronaldinho’s team-mate and good friend Clarence Seedorf have proven by matching their considerable natural reserves with an intense dedication. Aged a mere 29, Ronnie now faces being consigned to history as a quite brilliant flash-in-the-pan who fell short of true greatness.

His recent out-of-touch showing against little Bari, as the plucky visitors dominated proceedings before a hushed San Siro, was painful to behold. Countless stray passes, misguided flicks and tricks and a missed sitter from eight yards. Error after error was greeted by an increasingly familiar sheepish grin; as if to say to his frustrated team-mates “Sorry guys, I used to be good at this lark...honest.” A bad day at the office? Sure. But the malaise in Dinho’s game lies deeper than a shoddy 60 minutes on Sunday.

Milan’s long-serving Adriano Galliani, right-hand man to owner Silvio Berlusconi, admitted as much when talking of Ronaldinho’s sudden loss of eminence.

“He hasn’t a different status in comparison to the other Milan players,” said the Rossoneri’s general manger before Sunday evening’s game.

“Should coach Leonardo consider him in good condition he will play. Otherwise he will sit on the bench, like the others. He must become the player he was few years ago. But I don't know what he's missing,” he concluded.

Galliani’s boss, the Italian premier, refused to condemn his superstar purchase for his penchant for nocturnal misbehaviour, perhaps aware of subsequent ‘pot-kettle-black’ accusations (not that such considerations usually stop the veteran media mogul from speaking out). Tellingly though, Ronaldinho’s line manager, so to speak, Leonardo, publically confirmed that “he’s not the player of three years ago.”

The rookie manager, though, has more immediate concerns to deal with than the plight of his flamboyant compatriot. Former BBC pundit and World Cup winner (in that order) Leonardo accepted what increasingly looks like a poisoned chalice from his predecessor, Carlo Ancelotti.

A tired squad in inexorable decline reached the end of its natural cycle with the somewhat fortunate defeat of Liverpool in the 2007 Champions League final. Talismanic figures such as Maldini, Kaka and Ancelotti have all since departed, but restructuring work has been minimal. The purchase of Brazilian prodigy Alexandre Pato aside, little serious investment in squad development has been forthcoming.

The potentially exciting capture of Wolfsburg’s prolific Bosnian striker Edin Džeko fell flat this summer, Real Madrid-reject Klaas-Jan Huntelaar arriving at a cut price instead. One-time free-scoring, KJH has been far from immune to the stodgy start to the campaign of his club – no goals in seven Serie A appearances (and nineteen games in all, for both clubs and country) has left the former Ajax hitman looking like a shadow of his former self. Three years on, Andriy Shevchenko (mk.1) has never been adequately replaced.

Another stat – set-piece specialist Andrea Pirlo has failed to score one of his once-trademark free kicks for the club since way back in December 2007 – symbolises the diminishing of the playmaker’s previously masterful influence. In the goalless draw with Bari, the back four featured Kakha Kaladze, also past his peak and still searching for fitness following a seven-month injury lay-off, and inexperienced Ignazio Abate, whose lack of defensive nous was exploited as a matter of routine by tricky winger Emanuel Rivas. Only the southern side’s last-third ineptitude and the spectacular agility of back-up ‘keeper Marco Storari spared Milan from a mortifying home defeat.

Gazzetta dello Sport recently reported a significant slump in season ticket sales at San Siro. The dedicated faithful currently stands at 25,984; down from last leason’s 41,606. The team were jeered from the field by the remaining few at the final whistle, while Ronaldinho absent-mindedly kicked his heels in the dugout following his early substitution.

Since he delighted us all with goals such as this sugar-coated treat against Chelsea, Ronnie’s career has hit a brick wall. Talk of a switch to his homeland, with Corinthians, has surfaced as he now struggles to hold onto a place in the Seleção set-up ahead of the World Cup. Perhaps his predicament is not irreversible, but the continuing decline of Ronaldinho illustrates perfectly that even a world-beating talent can fall from grace in the blink of an eye.

Diego and Sneijder: A tale of two 10s

2009-08-31T21:58:00.000+01:00

The number 10 shirt has long been the most prized of all in Italian calcio. It’s generally handed to the chosen few with the creativity, vision and finesse to fulfil the role of play-maker. In Serie A, they even have a couple of special terms for the player who dictates play from the ‘hole’ behind the striker(s). These days the fantasista or trequartista might not actually wear the ‘10’ on his back (more likely 14, 23 or even 80, such as Ronaldinho), yet the role remains the same.

In the first game of the weekend’s early-season-defining double-header – Roma would entertain Juventus 24 hours later – Jose Mourinho’s Inter showcased their bright new hope on the most daunting stage imaginable. By happy fortune rather than contrivance, Wesley Sneijder arrived at the club within hours of the season’s opening Derby della Madonnina. After a summer spent frustratedly chasing old flame Deco, to no avail, Mourinho instead plumped for one of the countless Dutch cast-offs of the Real revolution. Already, it looks a wise move for both parties.

Listless in the opening day draw with top-flight returnees Bari, Inter were, this time, ruthless in their exploitation of fellow San Siro-sharers Milan’s numerous limitations. Sneijder – denied a spectacular debut goal by Marco Storari after only six minutes – provided the spark, while Dejan Stanković deputised for the stricken Esteban Cambiasso at the base of midfield.

Though Milan, under the stewardship of rookie coach Leonardo, took the early initiative, the pendulum had clearly swung Inter’s way when Thiago Motta benefitted from neat inter-play by new strike-partners Diego Milito and Samuel Eto’o to steer the ball comprehensively past Storari. Five minutes later, the irrepressible Eto’o (can he really be worth €40m less than Zlatan Ibrahimović?) charged clear of the inattentive Milan defence, and was haring menacingly in on goal when Rino Gattuso hauled him down. Milito slammed the resulting penalty high and hard into the centre of the goal.

Worse was to follow for Gattuso. Struggling with injury, the Milan captain tried to substitute himself by virtue of furious hand signals to the bench and sporting a face like a bulldog chewing a wasp. Sub Clarence Seedorf was not ready to take his skipper’s place – a critical error, as it turned out – as Gattuso received a merited second booking for a typically inelegant challenge on Sneijder. Down to ten men, the rossoneri capitulated. Brilliant Brazilian full-back Maicon danced his way through the gaps in the porous Milan defence to add a third goal on the stroke of half-time.

Either side of Inter’s fourth and final goal – a typical 30-yard thunderbolt from the boot of Stanković – Sneijder again missed out on a first Serie A goal by a matter of inches, then was withdrawn to an ovation from the already adoring Inter tifosi. The Dutchman’s opposite number, Ronaldinho, wore heavily the burden of replacing the irreplaceable Kaká in the Milan attack. Ronnie’s decline has been a sharp and unsightly one, and on this evidence the former Ballon D’Or winner may struggle to inspire his side out of a tricky Champions League group which also includes Real and Marseille.

So, while Nathan Tyson was busy waving a red flag at a crowd of white-shirted bulls in the aftermath of a characteristically boisterous East Midlands derby, Milan were listlessly offering a white flag in the direction of their bitter rivals. Given Milan’s current state of flux, it most likely lies with Juventus to provide Mourinho’s men with any kind of cogent title challenge.

Slowly returning to prominence following their brief flirtation with Serie B, Juve have gambled on the capabilities of Brazilian maestro Diego to add a little grace to their play; hoping to mirror the heady days when Brady, Platini or Baggio dominated all-comers on the Turin turf. There has been the feel of a guard-change around the bianconeri this summer: former captain Ciro Ferrara was installed as manager, while talisman Pavel Nedved finally retired. For the trip to the Stadio Olimpico, to face Roma, big names such as David Trezeguet, Mauro Camoranesi and Alex Del Piero were confined to the bench, while Diego and fellow Brazil international Felipe Melo (signed from Fiorentina) took up residency in the engine room.

Diego – free-scoring in the Bundesliga last year – took only 25 minutes to make an indelible mark on the game. Dispossessing the sluggish Marco Cassetti in the centre circle, Diego used all of his significant powers of power, touch and composure to hold off Phillipe Mexes’ challenge; poking the ball firmly past Roma’s goalkeeping debutant, Júlio Sérgio. Such brilliant opportunism, however, was matched by Daniele de Rossi ten minutes later. The heartbeat of the Roma team slammed an unstoppable pile-driver past ashen-faced Gigi Buffon, as the Juve defence dallied while David Pizzaro took a quick free-kick.

At the end of a fractious opening period – in which six bookings were issued – Diego rolled another chance against the base of the post, while an off-colour Francesco Totti spurned the opportunity to give the home side an unmerited lead: Buffon’s desperate point-blank save from the Roma skipper rescuing his inattentive back four. Juventus’ domination grew stronger as the game wore on – lively strikers Amauri and Vincenzo Iaquinta could easily have notched two goals apiece before Diego clinically claimed the a 2-1 lead for his side by again bamboozling Mexès with a dextrous shuffle of feet, burying the ball beyond Buffon.

When timid Roma eventually threw on Montenegrin forward Mirko Vucinic to support a floundering Totti, the change had an immediate effect, as both Vučinić and Jérémy Menez went close to an equalising goal. Totti then rattled the post from the kind of self-crafted opportunity he has dealt in for so many years. But, just beating the final whistle, it was Juventus that instead sealed the deal by virtue of a charging Felipe Melo run and shot which Julio Sergio could only glance at as it zipped, low and hard, into his net.

So, the boys from Brazil proved to be the decisive factor in the game between two sides which have often been scudetto rivals during the past decade. In 09/10, however, it is unlikely that Roma can keep pace with Juve or Inter, as De Rossi has more or less admitted to the press. When Serie A returns after the international break, much interest will lie in the fortunes of calcio’s two new playmakers par excellence; Sneijder and Diego.

A tactical revolution? How the Big Four have changed

2009-08-22T19:00:00.000+01:00

Much has been made of the many comings and goings at the ‘Big Four’ clubs throughout a summer full of signings and speculation. The Premier League title is destined, however, for the team which makes the most of their resources, whether massive or relatively meagre. Personnel, motivation – and luck – are all important factors, of course, but countless points will be won and lost on the pre-game chalkboard.

The relative importance of tactical systems is debated long and hard by so-called students of the game, and, from Harry Redknapp’s successful “keep it simple and enjoy your football” mantra to Arsene Wenger’s relentlessly analytical approach, the pros differ wildly in their methods too. It’s undeniable, though, that there has been a significant tactical shift at the top table of English football between this season and last.

Starting with the defending champions, whose hand has been forced by the much-hyped loss of their free-scoring talisman, Cristiano Ronaldo, early season outings have seen Manchester United reclaim their beloved (but long-estranged) formation: the classic 4-4-2. Ronnie’s departure, allied to that of Carlos Tévez, has necessitated a switch from Sir Alex’s patented ‘strikerless’ set-up to a more orthodox approach. United often exhilarated spectators and overwhelmed lesser opposition, during their golden run of the past three years, with a fluid forward line of Rooney, Ronaldo and A.N.Other. Michael Owen’s arrival means that the manager will, more often than not, adopt a flattish midfield four incorporating two wingers from Nani, Valencia, Park, and, in due course, Obertan and Tošić.

Wayne Rooney, therefore, will shoulder the burden of responsibility for both goalscoring and goalmaking, alongside Owen or Berbatov. The evidence so far suggests that reining-in the multi-talented forward’s excessive workrate outwith his new penalty-box remit will be more difficult than first considered.

It is, these days, something of an anomaly to operate a simple two-man central midfield partnership too. Can Carrick and co. still influence games in the same way as before, especially when taking into account the continuing physical decline of old stagers Giggs and Scholes? All told, it is difficult to see United, barring late investment in the squad, dictating to the Premier League minions in quite the same manner as before.

Old rivals Arsenal, meanwhile, have made alterations with an eye on suffocating those opponents that stubbornly refuse to roll over upon mere sight of pretty passing football. In other words: Bolton and Blackburn. In order to turn over their Lancastrian nemeses (and other sides of their ilk), manager Arsène Wenger has in fact borrowed (just a little) from Gary Megson’s team.

Though he’d hardly admit it, the right-sided role that Wenger has thrust Nicklas Bendtner into of late echoes that of Bolton warhorse Kevin Davies – one of the league’s most quietly feared opponents – in seasons past. While the big Dane’s physicality is minimal by comparison with Davies, his presence in the new-look three-man Arsenal front-line draws defensive attention away from the mercurial talents of Robin van Persie and, particularly, Andrei Arshavin.

Wenger explains: “I want to play high up the pitch and bring the threat to the opponents half very early in the game. We are an attacking team and that gives us an opportunity to show our character.”

This plan worked to tremendous effect at Goodison Park last weekend, but doubts persist over whether the Alsatian’s slavish adherence to the beautiful game in its purest form can realistically yield a first league title since 2004. Much will depend on the consistency and continuing development of Cesc Fabregas’ midfield cohorts; Alexandre Song and Denilson. If that pair can form an effective shield in front of an already impressive Gallas-Vermaelen defensive axis, the Gunners might prove more than just also-rans this year.

To finish as relatively close runners-up last year was something of a breakthrough for Rafa Benítez’s Liverpool. To then lose one of their most consistent and able performers from that campaign might be considered careless if it weren’t for the sheer scale of Xabi Alonso’s new employers’ ruthless ambition. Thirty million big ones is an impressive haul, some would say, for a deep-lying midfielder with a shamefully weak goal/assist record. However, the technical prowess and vision offered by Real Madrid’s new no.22 was crucial in the delicate tactical balance which held together the 4-2-3-1 line-up favoured by Benitez.

Notwithstanding the possible impact of energetic Roman midfielder Alberto Aquilani on the Merseysiders’ fortunes, there’s no doubt that they have lost a significant dimension to their play. The over-reliance on Steven Gerrard’s freakish blend of athleticism and finesse, and on Fernando Torres as the point of attack (Andrii Voronin might have returned from a brilliant loan spell in Berlin with greater confidence, but still lacks a little star quality) means that Liverpool will inevitably struggle to maintain their momentum.

While a significant departure has placed Benítez in something of a tactical quandary, title rivals Chelsea will surely benefit from continuity of key personnel. The latest head coach along the Stamford Bridge production line, Carlo Ancelotti, has brought with him from Milan a narrow midfield structure; latterly used by a certain Jose Mourinho. The Blues’ abundance of able central midfield players lends itself to such a ‘diamond’ formation, it’s true. The absence of orthodox wingers from the XI, however, brings with it serious limitations.

One of the main beneficiaries of the switch, Michael Ballack has played the old “you can play any system with good players” card in recent interviews. Tellingly, the 32-year-old has conceded Ancelotti’s preferred option has as many cons as pros: “You gain a small advantage through the centre but there's more hard work for the four midfielders because they have a lot of work to do on and off the ball in this system,” said Ballack.

Quite where this approach will leave the likes of resurgent Florent Malouda, expensive new-boy Yuri Zhirkov and the returning Joe Cole is for Carletto to know and the King’s Road hordes to find out. At least the Premier League’s most frightening front two – Anelka and Drogba – can both be accommodated within the new framework. At the Stadium of Light this week, near-forgotten Deco was given a chance in support of Drogba, showing a certain flexibility in Ancelotti’s thinking. It is for this reason that Chelsea can produce their most cogent title push since the departure of their one-time tactical tsar, Mourinho.

Of course, it’s too early in the season to fully assess the impact (and longevity) of these changes, but it will be fascinating to see how events unfold on the chalkboard as the season develops.

To tinker with a winning formula exhibits bravery, for there’s the risk it can all go horribly wrong – witness Martin O’Neill’s switch to 4-4-2 spectacularly de-railing Aston Villa last term; beware Harry Redknapp, who has spoken of altering his hitherto winning formula by adding a third man to the Tottenham front-line.

For those who gamble and win? Well, they’ll be lionised as tactical geniuses forevermore. Well, at least until their next cock-up. 4-5-1 at home to Stoke!? What were you thinking?

Summer Signings: Six of the Best (so far)

2009-08-11T19:06:00.000+01:00

Where did the sporting summer go? Federer’s grand-slam supremacy; Armstrong and Contador bickering their way through the Pyrenees; Watson holding back the years on the sun-kissed links of Turnberry. Like 10pm sunsets and long, hot afternoons (ok, long rainy afternoons) these glorious events have, already, been consigned to the annals for another year. But don’t despair – football’s back! Though it’s hardly been away and – for the love of God – the destiny of the Ashes is still in the balance, the English league season has kicked off once more.

As ever, through the barren months, wild transfer speculation has kept us all engaged, entertained and amused (Christian Vieri to Blackburn?? At 36, Big Bobo is surely in worse shape than Big Sam himself). Despite most of the guff which fills footy gossip columns lacking even the slightest thread of veracity, occasionally a juicy deal or two does, in fact, come to fruition. And – resisting the temptation to include broadcaster ESPN for their audacious signings of not only the English Premier League, but also Serie A, Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga – here are six of the best mid-summer moves (so far):

Diego (Werder Bremen to Juventus) – Erstwhile team-mate of Robinho and Elano in the 2002/03 Santos superteam, Diego has been a star attraction in the Bundesliga since moving to Bremen three years ago. Juve expect the diminutive playmaker will add a necessary dash of élan to their workmanlike engine-room; aiding the transition of rookie boss Ciro Ferrara’s men from Champions League also-rans into genuine contenders. With a healthy haul of 20 goals during his final season in Germany (six came in Werder’s run to the UEFA Cup Final) and a hatful of assists, the 24-year-old from São Paulo appears to be reaching a peak which looked like it might never arrive when he failed to flourish in the first post-Mourinho Porto side. With several big names deserting Serie A like a sinking ship, Diego now has a golden chance to become a Calcio superstar in their absence.

Anatoliy Tymoschuk (Zenit St Petersburg to Bayern Munich) – Bayern’s shambolic 08/09 campaign ended in bitter recrimination, as the fall-out from the all-too-brief Klinsmann era threatened to destabilise the German giants. However, the shrewd acquisitions of experienced coach Louis van Gaal, Hamburg’s workhorse forward Ivica Olić and – in particular – Ukrainian grafter Tymoschuk give an altogether more resolute sheen to the FC Hollywood starting eleven. The ultimate professional, ‘Tymo’ will filter out opposition attacks in front of a back four now shorn of inspirational Lúcio; feeding the ball quickly and accurately to front-men Franck Ribéry, Miro Klose and €30m man Mario Gómez. Having been the lynchpin behind Zenit’s recent continental successes (including a 4-1 humiliation of Bayern in the 2008 UEFA Cup semi-final), the Ukraine vice-captain now chances his arm at a genuine European football heavyweight.

Yuri Zhirkov (CSKA Moscow to Chelsea) – A summer of relative austerity for previously profligate Roman Abramovich, but at least Carlo Ancelotti has been allowed at least one exciting new plaything, by means of Zhirkov’s expensive acquisition. Given Joe Cole’s forthcoming return and Florent Malouda’s unexpected mid-season turnaround last term (...from disinterested to unstoppable in the eye-blink between Scolari’s dismissal and Hiddink’s appointment), the signing of a crafty, industrious left-footed winger will create intense competition for a starting place alongside Messrs Anelka and/or Drogba. Hiddink has used Zhirkov as a left-wing-back to great effect at international level, and the Blackburn Rovers fan (?) is certainly defensively capable. Causing havoc in the final third, though, is where Blues fans will see the costliest ever Russian footballer at his very best.

Lucho González (FC Porto to Marseille) – Few would have predicted that one of the Champions League’s most reliable, versatile and sought-after midfielders would switch to the Mediterranean coast, rather than to one of Italian or Spanish football’s big guns. El Comandante’s move, for a fee in the region of €18m, indicates the extent of OM’s ambition under new head coach Didier Deschamps. The former River Plate star will fill the gap in the Marseille midfield vacated by Sunderland’s new recruit (and former OM skipper) Lorik Cana, though he’ll offer far more offensive flair than the fiery Albanian ever did. With Gaby Heinze and Stéphane M’Bia among a number of impressive fellow arrivals, ‘Lucho’ will be confident that his new side is on an upward curve.

Nilmar (Internacional to Villarreal) – Though the Yellow Submarine’s general manager José Manuel Llaneza refers to the club’s new record signing as a “global superstar”, Nilmar has much to prove before he can truly substantiate such lofty acclaim. In a World Cup year, with his place in the final Brazilian squad still in the balance, it could be perceived as something of a risk for the 25-year-old to return to Europe. But now the time is right for the clever goal-poacher to atone for the aberration on his CV which was a short, unhappy spell at Lyon. With the talismanic Nihat Kahveci returned to Beşiktaş after seven productive years in La Liga, much of Villarreal’s attacking onus now falls upon the slender shoulders of their new star and his strike partner Giuseppe Rossi. The young duo are set to be one of the most scintillating in the Primera División.

Cristiano Ronaldo/Kaká/Xabi Alonso/Karim Benzema (all to Real Madrid) – There have been some exciting deals swilling around in football’s bottomless money pit of late, but for sheer arrogance, ambition and razzmatazz there’s simply no-one that can match the peerless profligacy of Florentino Perez. Even the greatest sceptics of his approach cannot wait to see how the second generation Galacticos ‘project’ pans out – both on and off the field. Let the fun begin...

Other great deals:

Top 3 young guns on the move

Fabian Delph (Leeds Utd to Aston Villa) – has enjoyed praise from quarters diverse as Steve Claridge, Steve Staunton and, perhaps more credibly, Fiorentina boss Claudio Prandelli. A left-footed English midfielder with authority, composure and great passing range: who needs Gareth Barry?

Radamel ‘Falcao’ Garcia (River Plate to FC Porto) – long-touted for a move to Europe (and already familiar to fans of certain football management games), the fleet-footed front-man has big boots to fill now that Lisandro Lopez has set sail for Lyons. Nonetheless, Porto’s new no.9 has all the raw talent to set the Champions League alight.

Marcus Berg – top-scoring at the under-21 Euros drew Premier League attention towards the Swedish striker, but the 22-year-old was instead destined for the Bundesliga, with Hamburg. If he can translate his scintillating Eredivisie form to one of Europe’s ‘Big Five’ leagues, Berg will soon replace Ivica Olić as the Hamburg fans-favourite.

Top 3 freebies (Bosmans/loans)

Aleksandr Hleb (Barcelona to Stuttgart [loan]) – turned down a season-long switch to Inter (as a makeweight in the megabucks Eto’o-Zlatan deal) to return to his old home. An excellent move for both parties.

Valeri Bojinov (Manchester City to Parma [loan]) – continuing his long, laborious return from serious injury with Serie A returnees Parma could be the ideal switch at this stage of the powerful striker’s stop-start career.

Michael Owen (Newcastle Utd to Manchester Utd) – what a move for the one-time Anfield hero, whom the press had prematurely consigned to the knackers yard, and what a bargain for wily old Sir Alex. Everyone’s a winner.

Why City must hold onto Elano

2009-06-15T11:22:00.000+01:00

The immediate impact made by Elano Blumer on his arrival in Manchester at the start of City’s all-too-brief Sven Goran Eriksson era was striking. Hitting the ground running upon his move from the relative obscurity of Shakhtar Donetsk, the creative midfielder rattled in a number of spectacular free kicks and his contribution was key to the Light Blues’ meteoric start to the 07/08 season.

Since that early golden period, though, the former Santos star has slumped in form – openly bickering with his manager Mark Hughes and earning himself the unwanted label of a ‘luxury’ player; a most dreaded title given the unforgiving blood-and-thunder nature of the Premier League.

In the January transfer window talk began to circulate of an impending move to Serie A, with both Inter and Lazio among his supposed suitors. That talk has barely been assuaged by Elano’s apparent resurgence in a City shirt towards the end of last season. With a limitless war-chest, it’s widely accepted that Hughes may well be tempted to offload a player with whom he clearly does not see eye-to-eye, in order to clear space for any incoming superstars. The question must be posed, however, just who the manager with the deepest pockets in football might expect to replace his wayward star with?

Clearly, recruitment of top quality, Champions League-standard players is proving an onerous task – even for a club offering silly money to its prospective employees. Notwithstanding his mixed start to life in England, Elano is a footballer of such distinction.

Anyone fortunate enough to have cast an eye over Brazil’s enormously entertaining 4-3 Confederations Cup defeat of Egypt, on Monday afternoon, will have noted that two of the Seleçao’s first half goals were prompted by the sweet right foot of their impressive no.7. Throughout the hour of playing time he was afforded by Brazil coach Dunga, Elano troubled the African champions with a series of tantalising free-kicks and crosses – resulting in headed goals for both Sevilla’s Luis Fabiano and the giant central defender Juan, of Roma. Dovetailing nicely with the exuberance of Dani Alves on the right flank, the 28-year-old’s display highlighted his compatibility with a flying full-back. Micah Richards (if he can re-find his game) or perhaps Glen Johnson, should he head north this summer, can only benefit from Elano’s experience and clever link-up play.

The esteem in which the versatile midfielder is held by Dunga is clear to regular observers of Brazil, and goals in high-profile friendlies against both Portugal and Italy last season only served to boost his profile further. While the Canarinha have leaked a little of their once-luminous aura and are no longer feared above all in the footballing world – imperious Spain now hold that honour – it is still a great symbol of worth to don that bright yellow jersey.

Not only does Elano’s intelligence allow Dani Alves (or the similarly able Maicon) to raid forward at will, his continued inclusion in Dunga’s starting XI is due, in part, to his telepathic understanding with his City teammate Robinho. The two are great friends off the field and, along with Juventus’ new playmaker Diego, provided the impetus behind the Santos superteam of the mid-noughties. Occasionally, throughout the course of last season, the pair’s longstanding kinship became evident – particularly in the safe-haven of Eastlands. To have an extravagant collection of star names (see Real Madrid 09/10) can take you so far, but to foster a genuine partnership such as those of Gerrard and Torres or Xavi/Iniesta can elevate an also-ran into genuine contenders for the top prizes.

If for no other reason, perhaps Sparky might consider retaining Elano in order to keep his biggest star (and ego) sweet. Milan once handed Digao – Kaka’s nondescript brother – a contract, with the transparent aim of keeping their top man happy. OK, so the lure of a starring role in ‘Galacticos! Part Deux’ has seen Kaka depart Milanello in any case, but Hughes would do well to heed this lesson. It’s possible that Robinho’s apparently wavering interest in the grand City ‘project’ can be revived by the prospect of a fruitful partnership with his footballing brother-in-arms. If Elano does leave, then Robbie’s future in Manchester will be in serious jeopardy.

For the man himself, the grass may not necessarily be greener in Serie A. Inter’s interest may be on the wane due to their potential purchase of Deco. Lazio endured an inconsistent 08/09 season and the biancocelesti would not be expected to qualify for Champions League football anytime soon. There is some speculation that Juventus would be prepared to swap David Trezeguet for Elano, but that prospect seems a little fanciful.

If he felt that he enjoyed the full support of the City management, Elano would surely be delighted to stay and play a part in the planned rise of the Citizens. Resisting the lure to splash out on a number of untried recruits, Sparky – the man with the golden chequebook – should look within to find a ready-made star.

Dzeko & Grafite: The deadliest duo in Europe

2009-05-22T01:28:00.000+01:00

Shearer and Sutton, Torres and Villa, Butch and Sundance, Cheech & Chong...the list goes on. Deadly partnerships all, but few can confidently boast a record to match that of Bundesliga champions-elect Wolfsburg’s Bosnian-Brazilian duo; Edin Dzeko and Grafite.

4-5-1 or a fluid 4-3-3 has become the football formation de rigeur, so genuinely successful scoring partnerships are now few and far between. This pair, however, have bucked that particular trend spectacularly. With 51 league goals between them, they each share their place in the higher echelons of the prestigious ESM Golden Shoe rankings with names illustrious as Samuel Eto’o, David Villa, Diego Forlan and, er, Marc Janko (who leads the list courtesy of his 39-goal haul in the Austrian Bundesliga). Their veritable hatful-and-a-half of goals has been the primary force behind the Wolves’ charge to within a point of the first Bundesliga title in their previously unassuming history.

On Saturday afternoon, the club financed by Volkswagen’s millions and led by authoritarian head coach Felix Magath will host beaten UEFA Cup finalists, Werder Bremen. They need only a draw to ensure German football supremacy ahead of fellow contenders Bayern Munich and VfB Stuttgart – who meet one another at the Allianz-Arena knowing only a win allied to a Wolfsburg defeat will do.

That Wolfsburg are still in pole position at the denouement of Europe’s most open and exciting title race comes as something of a surprise to those who expected Bayern’s big names to undergo a late-season resurgence. For all the merits of Italian internationals Cristian Zaccardo (who has, in fact, featured little) and Andrea Barzagli, in-form Swiss ‘keeper Diego Benaglio, and impassable Brazilian midfield patroller Josue, it is with free-scoring strikers Dzeko and Grafite that the plaudits must mostly lie.

Burly forward Grafite (disappointingly pronounced ‘graff-eetch’, rather than ‘grafitti’ or even ‘graphite’) had, prior to this season been something of a peripatetic journeyman. The 30-year-old moved to the Volkswagen Arena from Le Mans for a modest fee of £5m, with spells at Sao Paulo and, more obliquely, Anyang LG Cheetahs of South Korea’s K-League filling out his sparse CV. Few could have predicted the man with just one cap and one goal for the Brazilian Seleção would have set alight one of Europe’s top leagues with goals such as this stonker in April’s spectacular 5-1 dismantling of Bayern. In that game, ex-Bayern boss Magath enjoyed twisting the knife by needlessly substituting his ‘keeper Benaglio with just minutes to play. To conclude that the Wolves’ boss – who heads for Schalke this summer – would ‘love it, just love it’ if his current side could hold off the all-conquering Bavarian powerhouse for 90 minutes longer would be a fair assessment.

While Magath’s Brazilian import has, in part, relied on his penalty-spot prowess to boost an already impressive goals total, his strike-partner Dzeko’s 25 league goals have come entirely from open play. Of the two, it is the 23-year-old Sarajevan who has drawn the most admiring glances from Europe’s top clubs. His stunning second half of the season has culminated, during the past fortnight, in a pair of clinically-taken hat-tricks against Hanover and Hoffenheim – whose own Bosnian striker Vedad Ibisevic led the scoring charts pre-Christmas only to suffer a season-ending injury. The Balkan nation lie second, behind European champions Spain, in their World Cup qualifying group. They sit ahead of both Turkey and fast-improving Belgium, and the goals of Ibisevic and Dzeko (the top scorer in qualifying to date) could well make the young nation a surprise package in South Africa next summer.

At Wolfsburg, master-marksman Dzeko has been fed the bullets time and time again by the “sharpest passer in central Europe” (at least according to Bundesliga expert Rapha Honigstein); playmaker Zvjezdan Misimovic – also a Bosnian, though Munich-born. It is the exceptional success of this particular on-field alliance which has elevated Dzeko to the status as one of Europe’s hottest properties. Arsenal, Chelsea and a host of Serie A’s leading lights have been touted as possible destinations for the lethal frontman. In a way, it would be a shame – though entirely predictable – for the Wolves’ wunderteam to be dismantled with next season’s Champions League on the near horizon. Yet with Magath’s departure will come the vultures ready to pick off the stars of this remarkable season.

Wolfsburg’s squad, for now, will have thoughts of next year firmly stricken from their minds by tough taskmaster Magath. They now have a golden opportunity to etch the club’s name into football lore for reasons other than having had, to the amused delight of many, a manager named Wolfgang Wolf. They may not grace the Volkswagen Arena for much longer; but the scene is set, much like Butch and Sundance, for Wolfsburg’s deadly duo to go out in a blaze of glory.

Cull of the Coaches: Playing greats must learn their trade

2009-05-08T12:31:00.000+01:00

Loved to loathed; revered to reviled; that’s so often the lot of playing star turned struggling boss. The list is long, and ever-growing, of successful footballers that fall short when it comes to applying their knowledge to management.

“This season, we have not been good enough,” admitted one recent ‘victim’ of this curse, Marco van Basten. His Ajax side had just conceded second place (and with it a Champions League place) to Steve McLaren’s FC Twente by virtue of a shocking 0-4 defeat to Sparta Rotterdam. That result followed hot on the heels of a thumping 2-6 reverse at the hands of old rivals PSV, who themselves have been rifling through managers like a tabloid hack through the dodgy expenses records of a cabinet Minister.

“Mentally and tactically, the team has shown to be lacking. Next season we should be a lot better,” was the former World Player of the Year’s brutal assessment of his squad. Within 48 hours, his bags were packed and the 44–year-old had departed the Amsterdam ArenA for the final time as head coach. “I am not able to fulfil the demands that Ajax have for a coach,” said van Basten.

Following his early exit from the game, aged just 30, van Basten took a lengthy sabbatical – committing himself to the golf course and, in 2002, publishing a thoughtful, innovative manifesto for the future of the beautiful game. The former Milan marksman suffered from spells of depression in the wake of his enforced retirement - due to knee injury - at an age when he would have been at his very peak, and it looked for all the world that one of the all-time greats would be lost to the professional game for good.

Ajax intervened, however; offering their favourite son a route back in with a role coaching the under-19 side of their famed academy. He was then a surprise appointment as national team coach. It was a position which Van Basten struggled to get to grips with and, despite the dynamic Dutch displays at Euro 2008, few were surprised at his resignation from that post. His tactics were often maligned, no less so when the Dutch were outmanoeuvred by their old master Guus Hiddink’s Russian revolution in the quarter-finals.

Back at his old club this season, van Basten fared little better. Expensive purchases such as Miralem Sulejmani and Darío Cvitanich backfired, while established stars Johnny Heitinga and Klaas Jan Huntelaar departed Amerstdam for opposite sides of Madrid. His continued exclusion of ‘keeper Maarten Stekelenburg in favour of playing inexperienced Kenneth Vermeer even prompted his successor as Oranje boss, Bert van Marwijk, to (unsuccessfully) call upon Edwin van der Sar to resurrect his international career once again. A UEFA Cup exit at the hands of Ligue 1 champions-elect Marseille was no disgrace, but recent results in the Eredivisie made Van Basten’s position untenable.

In the wake of Bayern Munich’s ruthless dismissal of Jürgen Klinsmann last month – and the Premier League failures of Roy Keane, Tony Adams and Paul Ince – the body of evidence grows ever stronger against the appointment of big-name stars, without sufficient experience, in high-profile managerial posts. It’s early days yet, but Alan Shearer’s motivational skills in the relegation dogfight have proved as stimulating as his yawnsome post-match analyses on Match of the Day. Even Frank Rijkaard, apparently heading the wanted lists of both Bayern and Ajax as a result of his initial success at Barça, flopped at Sparta Rotterdam in his first club-level appointment, and doubtless learned valuable lessons from his mistakes in the role.

There are exceptions, of course. Still wet behind the ears as a manager; Laurent Blanc is masterminding an exciting revival in Bordeaux’s fortunes. Roberto Mancini enjoyed near-instant success as Lazio, then Inter boss – though only after serving a valuable apprenticeship under Sven Goran Eriksson while at the former. Gianfranco Zola, with the invaluable assistance of Steve Clarke, has made a good early impression at the Boleyn ground. It’s true enough, too, that Pep Guardiola seems to have got a fairly decent handle on running things down in Catalonia.

Broadly speaking though, there’s no compensating for that most precious commodity – experience. It’s no coincidence that those in charge of the English ‘Big Four’ (Barcelona excepted, they are now Europe’s premier clubs too) are all 45-plus and have held posts previously at clubs diverse as St Mirren, Nagoya Grampus Eight, Extremadura, Nancy-Lorraine and De Graafschap. A little lower down the Premier League food chain, Martin O’Neill cut his teeth with Grantham Town, Wycombe, Norwich, then Leicester. David Moyes started out at Preston. Harry Redknapp career, as he never tires of recounting, began on the Bournemouth breadline.

While it’s crucial that potential managerial talent from within playing stars is nurtured and allowed to flourish, the unforgiving environs of the Premier League are not the ideal place to do so. Of the current crop of footballing talent, Rio Ferdinand and Gary Neville have been most explicit in their ambition to manage at the top level. If they have even a lick of sense between them they should heed the warning of Klinsi and Marco’s managerial misadventures and start out small. The transformation from player to gaffer is not a given – virtuosity with a ball does not necessarily translate to effortless tactical acumen and people-management. Even for those with the requisite aptitude, management is a skill to be fine-tuned and honed to perfection.

Picture this, if you will: 38-year-old Wayne Rooney up to his neck in paperwork as he desperately tries to sell his star striker on transfer deadline day to keep Tranmere Rovers out of administration; sedately-suited, sensibly-coiffed Djibril Cissé publicly censuring his captain for spending the build-up to the Blue Square Premier playoff final in a top Macclesfield hair salon; Didier Drogba out on a rain-lashed Torquay training pitch, helping his top scorer to perfect the dark art of the penalty area swan-dive. It could happen...couldn’t it?

Supermac makes Celtic firm favourites for four-in-a-row

2009-05-03T21:38:00.000+01:00

Once more the SPL title race will be fought to the bitter end of the Scottish league season. Four rounds of fixtures between now and May 24 will decide the destiny of the championship for another year. Will it be four-in-a-row for leaders Celtic, or can Walter Smith take the first step towards restoring Rangers’ supremacy of the 90s with a first title since 2005?

Most bookies regard Celtic as odds-on to retain their trophy, with Rangers marginally odds against. Heading into Saturday morning’s season-defining Old Firm clash, Gordon Strachan's men are just one point (and, perhaps crucially, three goals) to the good. They were the obvious beneficiaries of Rangers’ fixture-list meltdown at the end of last season and must hold their collective nerve if they are to keep their old rivals at bay this time.

This season more than most others, there’s little to choose between the sides. Rangers; workmanlike and defensively-sound, have racked up five wins on the spin in their dogged pursuit of a marginally more subtle Celtic team reliant on the craft of Shunsuke Nakamura, Paul Hartley and Aiden McGeady and the dynamism of (currently suspended) PFA Player of the Year, Scott Brown.

The weekend’s fixtures saw both clubs take maximum points with, on paper at least, routine two-goal victories. In fact, with minds oppressed by fear of failure and legs rendered heavy by a long, gruelling campaign; both Glasgow big guns laboured to get the job done.

On Sunday afternoon, Rangers stumbled to a 2-0 home win over Europa League-chasing Hearts. The visitors from Edinburgh matched the Gers’ toil and indeed held the majority of possession, but, as an attacking force, were as blunt as a bubble-wrapped turnip. Clueless striker Christian Nadé was the main culprit for Csaba László’s side, whose only cutting edge came, again, from highly-rated winger Andrew Driver.

The Oldham-born left-footer proved a thorn in the side of the Rangers defence throughout – though playing predominantly on the right flank where the 21-year-old’s lack of strength on his weaker foot was sometimes exposed. Nonetheless, his relative success offers some encouragement to McGeady and Shaun Maloney, who may be called upon as a sub if things aren’t going Celtic’s way at Ibrox.

Hearts old-boy Andrius Velička pounced to score from strike partner Kris Boyd’s nod-down in first-half stoppage time to break Hearts’ stern resistance. When that rather static front-pairing was augmented by the introduction of first Kenny Miller and then, late on, Kyle Lafferty (returning from injury at the ideal time), Rangers carried a far greater threat. When Eggert Jónsson spurned a glorious opportunity to grab a headed equaliser with just minutes to play, it seemed almost inevitable when the Light Blues shot up the other end to seal the deal; Boyd bundling in his 30^th goal of a typically prolific season from Miller’s cross-shot.

Hearts welcomed back long-term injury victim Laryea Kingston as a late, but ineffective, sub. The powerful Ghanaian’s return will give the Jambos a significant boost going into the Edinburgh derby with Hibs on Thursday evening. They remain strong favourites to claim the best-of the-rest crown, ahead of ex-Leicester boss Craig Levein’s Dundee United, in third place.

Early on Saturday afternoon, Celtic’s barely-deserved 3-1 win at windswept Pittodrie came courtesy of the sheer industry and ingenuity of Australian forward Scott McDonald. His “phenomenal” (in the words of his boss) performance was clearly the difference between the Hoops and an industrious, but luckless, Aberdeen side.

Like Liverpool, Celtic’s zonal marking system at set-pieces has been much maligned and is a definitive weakness in the champions’ make-up. They fell behind to an early Chris Maguire header from Charlie Mulgrew’s brilliant in-swinging free-kick. Having escaped another close call at the hands of young Maguire, Celtic stole an equaliser on the stroke of half time through a needless Andrew Considine own goal.

In the second period, the Bhoys’ continuing lack of fluency was more than compensated for by McDonald’s goal-taking master-class. The ex-Motherwell man’s instinctive opportunism and clinical finishing put the home side to the sword in style; his beautifully-taken double bringing his haul to 50 goals in 95 games for the Parkhead club. The quality of Supermac’s play in the final third surpasses anything Rangers have to offer at present, and it is for this very reason that Celtic should be favoured to take at least a point from Saturday’s crunch clash between the pair.

It’s an indictment of the Scottish game that, even in second (or third) gear, the Old Firm can muster two-goal wins over two of their ‘nearest’ rivals. Debate will continue to rage over the feasibility of the Glasgow giants move to a new two-tier Premier League as dreamed of by Bolton chairman Phil Gartside. If the perceived threat of the loss of Scottish footballing sovereignty is enough to veto such a plan, an ‘Atlantic League’ featuring sides from Belgium, Holland, and Scandinavia is another firm favourite of media speculators.

Not to mention the significant hit in prestige and finance that any such switch would bring for the remaining Scottish clubs, the absence of hard-fought title battles like that of the current campaign would leave a gaping abyss in the sporting fabric of the country. Saturday’s game in Govan will be the latest in a long, long line of intense blood-an-thunder epics to match any other spectacle in the world game. With Supermac in top form, it’s Celtic’s game – and title – to lose.

PFA Player of the Year: It’s got to be Gerrard

2009-04-16T18:41:00.000+01:00

Football awards tend to frustrate and aggravate in equal measure. The same old big- name nominees are trotted out again and again, often regardless of form or even, sometimes, ability. If such awards are to be dished out at all, surely the consistently outstanding performers should be the recipients. It rarely pans out this way. The PFA Players’ Player of the Year – for which the shortlist was announced this week – is no exception.

First of all, letting the pros loose to cast a vote is perhaps the very worst feasible method of coming up with a deserving winner. Yes, there are a number of honourable exceptions, but the bulk of top-flight footballers are incapable of making a discerning decision without the aid of their omniscient agent. A significant sub-section of the Premier League glitterati also have very little interest in what goes on in football outside of their own monetary gain. To cap it all, the vote in held in late February.

As Arsene Wenger says, February is hardly the most crucial stage of the season and that means the players rewarded are those who played well until that time only.

“Now is the most important time of the season - April, May,” says the Arsenal boss. “A player who has been out until January has no chance to be voted but he can still be very influential for the climax of the season.”

The shortlist spewed out by this ill-designed process offers few surprises: Nemanja Vidic, Ryan Giggs, Edwin van der Sar, Cristiano Ronaldo and Rio Ferdinand of champions-elect Manchester United are joined by Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard.

Van der Sar’s inclusion is directly attributable to his enviable clean-sheet record which has slipped spectacularly over recent weeks, in the absence of the Ferdinand-Vidic partnership. The Dutchman’s performances have featured a growing number of errors and Ben Foster’s comparative excellence in the Carling Cup final has thrown the 38-year-old’s declining powers into an even harsher light. Vidic has seen a similar decline in his hitherto consistently rock-like showings of late, sans Ferdinand. The nightmarish 90 minutes the Serbian endured in what could yet prove to be a Premier League-deciding clash with Liverpool might be valid cause for reassessment of his claims to the accolade.

Giggs would be a largely sentimental choice. Indeed punters have backed the pros to follow this line of thought, as bookmakers Coral have had to suspend betting on the event due to the vast chunks of cash being laid on the Welsh wizard. His level of performance has been his best for many a year and he would make that rarest of things – an (almost) universally popular Manchester United winner, but these factors alone are not justification for a triumph at the PFA Awards. Instead, someone should hand over a much-belated gong for ‘Most Inspired Exit From International Football’: Giggs’ one-man-band destruction of the then-excellent Czech Republic side at a rapturous Millennium Stadium in 2007 remains one of the finest individual displays I’ve seen from any footballer past or present. How the game eventually ended 0-0 remains a mystery.

Ferdinand’s continued supremacy at centre half would make him an outstanding candidate for the award, though injury has disrupted both his and United’s previously serene progress at home and in Europe. Of the World Champions innumerable other squad members, it is their midfield metronome, Michael Carrick, who might feel most aggrieved at missing out on a nod. The quiet man of the Old Trafford engine room has seen his stature rise throughout the campaign and even grisly old Fabio Capello has finally succumbed to the Geordie’s playmaking charms.

Elsewhere, chief title rivals Liverpool might well have garnered another couple of nominees, had the vote been cast more recently. Certainly, the omission of the tigerish Javier Mascherano from the list is a glaring error. Xabi Alonso’s stylish promptings alongside the Argentina captain have drawn rave reviews following his summertime flirtation with the Anfield exit and he could, too, have been acknowledged.

At Chelsea, Michael Essien has returned to action too late to make an impact on the vote, but is potentially a future winner of the award. Jose Bosingwa’s spectacular start in English football has dimmed and while Nicolas Anelka has top-scored, he has somehow managed to underwhelm. Arsenal’s renaissance has been prompted by the arrival of Andrei Arshavin and subsequent return of a number of key players. However, the Gunners would struggle (with the possible exception of Robin van Persie) to put forward a credible challenger for the players’ award.

Proving there is life outside the big four, few could have argued with the inclusion on the list of either of Everton’s defensive duo; Joleon Lescott and Phil Jagielka. Tim Cahill has again proved his unique ability to score headers from any range or angle since returning from injury, while Mikel Arteta’s stellar start was curtailed by the rupturing of his cruciate knee ligament in February. Versatile Marouane Fellaini has also been an exciting addition to the Premier League.

Villa’s Gabby Agbonlahor reached a career-high with his barnstorming early-season performances, but understandably – given his lone forward role and the Villans thin squad/hectic schedule combination – has waned of late. Ashley Young, Stillian Petrov and Gareth Barry have regularly excelled too, for the side which briefly threatened to rudely interrupt the top four hegemony.

This season too, Bolton’s Kevin Davies finally managed to add goals to an otherwise outstanding all-round game; Steven Ireland has continually lit up a gloomy on-field year for Man City; success at Fulham, West Ham and Wigan, meanwhile, has been earned through consistent collective performances, rather than as a result of stunning individual displays.

Having weighed up all the options, it seems that the prime candidate for the PFA accolade must be the man who has dragged his team-mates onwards and upwards throughout his club’s first truly sustained title challenge for years. The player with the intangible ability to turn a game with one charging run and shot or perhaps by spectacular interplay with a similarly gifted Spanish forward (with whom he has struck up one of the most exciting partnerships in world football). The irreplaceable attacking fulcrum of his side; with seven Premier League assists and 21 goals in all competitions. Of course, that man’s name is Steven Gerrard.

Agree? Disagree? Who would be your award winner and who should’ve made the shortlist?

What next for shattered Aston Villa?

2009-04-06T12:58:00.000+01:00

Successive defeats culminating in Sunday afternoon’s unlucky – if somehow inevitable; given United’s prodigious injury-time goalscoring record – loss at Old Trafford have again drawn a harsh light on the limitations of the squad. Without defensive lynchpin Martin Laursen, the back four – too often featuring Nigel Reo-Coker as a fish-out-of-water right-back and Mr Consistency, Luke Young, deputising for Freddie Bouma at left-back – has been sieve-like. The switch to 4-4-2 in order to accommodate their new England centre forward saw the counter-attacking menace of the previously preferred 4-5-1 significantly diluted.

Lyon lapse opens door for renaissant OM

2009-03-17T01:03:00.001Z

It’s been a mad March for league leaders across the continent. Manchester United let Liverpool back into the Premier League title race in 90 crazy minutes at Old Trafford; in Spain, Barça’s once-handsome lead over Real has been slashed to six points; Bayern’s domestic travails mean that the Bundesliga is now a five-horse race; even impregnable Inter have conceded a little ground in the hunt for the scudetto. Next we’ll be hearing news from across the channel that unassailable Lyon are in danger of failing to top Ligue 1 for the first time in eight long years. Well, dear readers, that might just be the case; as Claude Puel’s boys stumbling form has finally brought the wolves to the door.

For the first time in near-on a decade, it’s on. The leaders’ 0-2 loss to Auxerre – brought about by defensive errors from Jean-Alain Boumsong (who’d have guessed?) and the usually dependable ‘keeper, Hugo Lloris – added extra weight to the playing of ‘Le Clasico: Part Deux’ late on Sunday evening. Paris Saint Germain hosted their fierce rivals from the south, Olympique Marseille, knowing that three points would see them usurp Lyon as table-toppers. The visitors from the Mediterranean coast, meanwhile, could draw level with PSG in second place if they could overturn their shock 2-4 defeat in October’s reverse fixture.

As the heavy early fog of the pre-match flares dispersed, Marseille emerged from the smoke the stronger of the two contenders; the Parisians clearly burdened by the weight of expectation which swilled around the packed Parc des Princes. Having been fortunate to survive the drop last term, PSG now faced an altogether different pressure, as the prospect of a first title since 1994 looms large.

The opening goal came as a direct result of an ultra-rare Claude Makelele error. The ex-Chelsea and Real Madrid midfield shield, who might retire at season’s end, uncharacteristically fluffed possession in his own half, allowing January signing Brandão to cleverly backheel a pass into the path of on-charging Bolo Zenden. Some quick footwork and a tidy finish by the veteran Dutchman gave OM a merited lead.

Marseille coach Eric Gerets surprisingly preferred Zenden to Hatem Ben Arfa and Brandao to bustling target-man Mamadou Niang, still recovering from a foot injury, but was quickly vindicated by the pair’s incisive impact. The gruff Belgian also opted to hand Tyrone Mears a rare start at right back, though the Englishman coped admirably with being thrown into the cauldron of France’s national ‘derby’ having spent months on the bench. Having controversially escaped the nightmare which was Derby County under Paul Jewell, a sojourn in the sultry French port must have its attractions, even if playing time has been at a premium. Mears was the last man, but by no means wholly culpable, as evergreen forward Ludo Giuly deftly escaped the offside trap to carefully place an equaliser past Steve Mandanda in the Marseille goal.

It was an undeserved reward for an out-fought and out-thought PSG side as half-time approached. Just when the home team looked as if they might be capable of snatching a win, and with it top spot, their dreams of domestic supremacy imploded before the eyes of the Parisian faithful.

Early in the second period, Zoumana Camara crudely brought down Zenden on the periphery of the penalty area; resulting in a red card for the one-time Inter Milan (and, briefly, Leeds) defender and a free-kick in dangerous territory for Marseille. Zenden’s kick stung the palms of Mickael Landreau, but Bakari Koné fortuitously (for he knew little about it) diverted in the rebound. PSG were now a goal and a man down and, even with more than half-an-hour to go, unlikely to recover.

Paul Le Guen’s re-organisation left three against three at the back; the makeshift backline helmed by 19-year-old prodigy Mamadou Sakho. Recent Marseille signing Sylvain Wiltord watched on from the stands in the company of Patrick Vieira – fresh from his inglorious return to Old Trafford – as his new team-mates effectively concluded matters shortly after. Once an employee of PSG, Marseille’s skipper Lorik Cana took great delight in firing a low, deflected shot past the outstretched arms of Landreau.

That killer third goal quashed any lingering dreams of a home revival, yet there was still time for Giuly, inevitably diminishing in pace but still retaining sharpness of mind (and a great foil for tall striker Guillaume Hoareau) to fire a ferocious volley at goal following an innovative free-kick routine. The diminutive attacker was denied even the consolation of a spectacular second goal though, as Mandanda pulled off a world-class reaction save low to his right. It was a stop, allied to the consistently brilliant accuracy and length of the ‘keeper’s kicking out of hand, that surely impressed the on-looking national coach, Raymond Domenech. Once a trialist at Aston Villa, Kinshasa-born Mandanda has started the World Cup qualifying campaign as first choice no.1 and, on this evidence, will be a worthy successor to Grégory Coupet.

In losing at the Stade Gerland for the first time this season, the aura of impregnability which once surrounded Coupet’s former club, Lyon, has been well and truly punctured. They cannot afford their obvious Champions League hangover to continue any further into the championship run-in. Puel must hope that star man Karim Benzema, too, can shake the torpor which has dogged his previous progress since admitting he wants out of the club, earlier this season.

For once, the big clubs and their impressive management – Messrs Gerets, Le Guen, and Blanc (of Bordeaux) are all capable of ending the monopoly – are sincerely threatening the monotonous supremacy of the little-loved Lyonnais. Even Lille and upstarts Toulouse have a decent shot at glory; each lurking a mere four points behind the leaders. As Bolo Zenden says: “Now, the league is wide open.”

Rule-makers are a law unto themselves

2009-02-27T00:04:00.000Z

Radical change could be on its way. Football; the most popular, simple and - arguably - conservative sport on the planet is long overdue a 21^st century overhaul. This weekend, the game’s lawmakers, the IFAB, convene in County Down, Northern Ireland for their 123^rd AGM. On the agenda for discussion are a number of potential rule-changes which would have the greatest impact on professional football since the back was abolished in the aftermath of the awful bore-fest that was Italia ’90.

The International Football Association Board has been the ‘guardian’ of football’s laws since 1886. Four FIFA representatives and one each from the home nations sit at each meeting, and a three-quarters majority is needed to pass any motion (which can be submitted by any of FIFA’s member associations).

In 2009, it is surely anachronistic that the British FAs should still be so disproportionately represented on the IFAB panel, but what more should we expect from an organisation which Sepp ‘women footballers should wear hotpants’ Blatter has, in the past, acclaimed for its “stable and steadying influence” on the world’s favourite game?

While tennis (with the notable exception of Roger Federer) has welcomed the retrospective decision-making HawkEye system with open arms and rugby union ushers in controversial new laws (or ELVs) designed to move the sport away from insidious negativity and adapt to the modern era of professionalism, football remains, staidly, the same. The governing bodies still shy away from the introduction of technology to ease the burden on under-fire referees, but at least this year’s meeting will discuss several potentially crucial developments which could alter certain aspects of the game forever.

What might these changes be? Let’s take a look.

Sin-binning players for second bookable offences. Backed by the first and only refereeing galactico, Pierluigi Collina, the introduction of sin-binning or the ‘orange card’ has long been cited as a means of improving on-field discipline. This will mirror rugby’s introduction of the temporary removal of a player for infringing the rules. Raymond Kennedy, president of the Irish FA says: “The offence would be dealt with on the day and the team offended against would be the team to benefit. We see a lot of merit in it and I am hoping they sanction an experiment at youth level for a season or so.” Hit or miss? The current disciplinary model makes it rational for defenders to take out opponents in attacking positions, picking up a ‘professional’ yellow card, rather than concede a goal. As in basketball, cynical behaviour or dangerous tackling should be dealt with in a harsher manner than ‘technical’ offences like shirt-removal during goal celebrations or kicking the ball away. Just imagine Cristiano Ronaldo, Steven Gerrard or (insert your favourite diver here) languishing on the bench for ten minutes as punishment for ‘simulation’ (i.e. cheating in order to win a penalty). Justice would be meted out in a fair and proportionate manner, dealing with offences summarily during the 90 minutes of play...HIT.

20-minute half-time interval. Altering Law 7 – ‘The Duration of the Match’; the mid-game break will be extended by a further five minutes. This will apparently allow players more time to negotiate their way through the labyrinthine corridors of badly-designed stadia and brings the total time of the average match (accounting for stoppage time) closer to the two-hour mark. Hit or miss? Stuff the integrity; it’s all about the money. Primarily suits advertisers and few others – certainly not the common fan sitting in the stadium. In mitigation, a half-time pee could be undertaken at a more leisurely pace, with ample time remaining to purchase your balti pie/tongue-scorching cup of tea/massively-overpriced Coke product, so all’s not lost. Nonetheless this one’s a...MISS.

A fourth sub for games that go into extra-time. A change to Law 3 – ‘The Number of Players’ to increase the maximum number of substitutions in the event of extra time. Possibly designed with increasing the chances of achieving a result during the extra half-hour (more fresh legs = more goalscoring opportunities). Hit or miss? This change would allow coaches to play their full hand, thereby initiating any necessary tactical changes, before 90 minutes are up, with the cushion of a further sub remaining. Many a major tournament classic has been tainted by the unedifying sight of two teams limping through the extra period with penalties a painful inevitability throughout. It’s more a cosmetic tweak than a major facelift, but this change could help a little...HIT.

Two additional goal-line refereeing assistants. These additional officials (bringing the total to an unwieldy six) will assist the referee with decisions within the penalty area. Hit or miss? This proposal makes clear that the law-makers’ stubborn refusal to entertain the introduction of goal-line technology remains stronger than ever. It would be something of a compromise, which acknowledges that something needs to be done to resolve ball-over-the-line controversy – particularly in this moneyed age – but the possibility of human error remains. The referee’s once all-pervasive authority would be diluted even further and there could potentially be three conflicting verdicts on any penalty-box decision. Also, if this comes into force; spare a thought for those officials who would need to stand statically at the end of the goal-line, taking all kinds of abuse from irate fans for an hour-and-a-half. All in all, a...MISS.

In an ideal world, the IFAB would also find time to address the inherent silliness of making obviously uninjured players leave the field before returning at the referees behest; re-clarify the offside law (which was exposed by Ruud van Nistelrooy’s goal vs Italy at Euro 2008); and formalise the clever use of an aerosol spray to effectively maintain the 10-yard distance between kicker and wall at free kicks. However, progress comes slowly in football’s corridors of power.

For now, at least, fundamental reforms such as larger goals, reduced penalty areas, and micro-chipped balls will have to wait. While past innovations such as ‘Gold’ and ‘Silver’ goals were a flop, the IFAB should not fear change. The essential simplicity of the game must be retained at all costs, but not at the expense of innovation and modernisation. That is how the greatest game on earth can continue to grow for years to come.

UEFA Cup Last 32, 2nd leg Previews

2009-02-25T00:11:00.000Z

The UEFA Cup gets a bad press. While its bigger, better, more glamorous brother, the Champions League, draws attention with all manner of sexy match-ups between continental heavyweights – and there are some particularly alluring ties this week – Europe’s second tier are relegated to something of a mildly-amusing sideshow. It’s a sad state of affairs, especially because this year’s last 32 has a lot to offer – with a number of high-quality sides poised to resume battle on Thursday evening and a number of intriguing ties still in the balance.

The reality is though, for some, the UEFA Cup is something of an unwelcome distraction from the bread and butter of domestic competition. Just look at Tottenham’s approach to the first leg of their clash with Ukraine’s Shaktar Donetsk, where young Dean Parrett was handed an unexpected debut and on-loan back-up Frazier Campbell ploughed a lone furrow up front with minimal success.

Coming, as it does, sandwiched between Monday’s crucial late victory at Hull and Spurs’ Wembley engagement with rampant Manchester United this weekend, Harry Redknapp’s promised approach (a youth/reserve team XI) to the second leg essentially foregoes any further involvement in the competition they last won back in 1972. So, as a Shaktar side well-drilled by veteran Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu should reasonably be expected to consolidate their first-leg advantage, it’s better to focus primarily on the other remaining English sides.

It is either high-flying Aston Villa or Roman Abramovich-backed CSKA Moscow that will await the Brazilian-inspired Ukrainians (should they take care of business at White Hart Lane) in the next round. CSKA do not resume domestic duties until next month, following a three-month break, yet looked far from ring-rusty in last Wednesday’s pulsating 1-1 draw at a vibrant Villa Park.

Finishing the 2008 campaign as runners-up to surprise winners Rubin Kazan, qualification for next year’s Champions League is already in the bag for the side now managed by Brazilian midfield maestro Zico.

As recent UEFA Cup winners, with victory over Sporting in the 2005 final in Lisbon, the Muscovites are no strangers to continental success. Money injected into the club by Sibneft, the Chelsea owner’s oil company, has enabled the team to recruit Brazilian stars such as extravagant striker Vágner Love (scorer of the brilliant, precious away goal in Birmingham and competition top-scorer with nine already) and talented midfielder Dani Carvalho, recently returned from a five-month loan deal back home with Internacional. Arguably though, CSKA’s star man was grown rather closer to home.

Yuri Zhirkov, a raiding left full-back for Guus Hiddink’s Russian national team, is a hugely effective, quick-witted winger for the club he joined in 2004. Zhirkov – voted Russian footballer of the year, ahead of Arsenal’s Andrei Arshavin – was largely contained by Luke Young during their first clash. In the more familiar sub-zero surrounds of the plastic Luzhniki pitch, Villa should expect the elusive wide-man to exert far greater influence on the second leg.

Regrettably, and contradictorily – given their protracted involvement in the mid-summer Intertoto Cup as a means of getting to this stage – Martin O’Neill will field a much-weakened team in the Russian capital. The Villans’ notoriously thin squad can barely accommodate more than one or two absentees at a time, as the second-string’s limp defeats against Hamburg and MSK Zilina earlier in the competition testify. The club of the Russian Army must, therefore, be firm favourites to progress.

Such a scenario could leave Manchester City as the Premier League’s last remaining representatives. Their helter-skelter two-all draw with FC København leaves Mark Hughes’ side ideally placed to advance to the last 16.

Another graduate from the final Intertoto competition was Deportivo La Coruna; the Galicians slumped to a 0-3 away defeat at the hands of Danish champions Aalborg and so have a mighty task on their hands to turn things round at the Riazor.

Hot property Hernanes heading for Europe

2009-02-20T01:15:00.000Z

Anderson Hernanes de Carvalho Andrade Lima – simply Hernanes to his mum – has shown sufficient promise to be hailed as Brazilian football’s ‘next big thing’. Quite some accolade, given the oceans of talent swilling around the Thankfully, due to his preferred role as a deep-lying creative midfielder, the 23-year-old will side-step unfortunate comparisons with the likes of Pele, Garrincha or even Ronaldo, which up-and-coming Brazilian starlets routinely face.

One unavoidable comparison is often drawn though. Right now, Kaká belongs to Jesus and Milan (in that order). At the birth of his galactic career though, the one-time Manchester City target honed his inimitable skills at São Paulo; the club where Hernanes now occupies the role of creator-in-chief.

In reality, though, there aren’t all that many similarities between the two products of the Morumbi. While Kaka has made his name as a thrusting attacking midfielder or support striker, with unmatchable pace, power and composure, his successor is a player more in the mould of, say, Cesc Fabregas or Brazil’s USA 94 star Rai. In Hernanes, the requisite technical excellence of a Brazilian playmaker is allied to great mobility, vision and impressive ease on the ball with either foot.

South American football expert Tim Vickery reckons “there's no one better in Brazilian football at the moment.” By way of confirmation, the young midfield maestro was named the Premio Craque do Brasileirao (domestic player of the year) last season and The Times’ no.1 ‘rising talent in football’ in 2008.

Wednesday evening’s entertaining Copa Libertadores clash with Independiente Medellín of Colombia showcased Hernanes’ exemplary talents. Throughout the close-fought game, the São Paulo no.10 was a constant thorn in the side of the visiting underdogs. With an upright, compact style, his shimmies, step-overs and surges earned a number of free-kicks and kept his opposite number fully engaged throughout.

At 5ft 11, he’s hardly a giant by modern football’s exacting standards, yet – like Cesc – Hernanes was seemingly born with the authority to direct a game with abundant simplicity and awareness. He’s not afraid to shoot either – a number of mid-to-long-range efforts (with both feet) troubled Independiente’s Paraguyan ‘keeper Aldo Bobadilla and the folks in Row Z alternately. Allied to the honest endeavours of his omnipresent midfield partner Jean, Hernanes ensured that the flow of the game remained towards the Colombians’ goal.

The frustrating immobility of ex-international striker Washington, however, rendered much of São Paulo’s attacking efforts in vain. In fact the three-times continental champions looked likely to slip to a shock defeat before striker Borges scored a frankly ridiculous equaliser deep in to stoppage time. Muricy Ramalho’s team begin their quest for a fourth successive league title in mid-May and they hope their brightest star (contracted until 2012) will remain at the hub of their challenge.

Already an Olympic bronze medallist – a tournament at which Brazil’s under-23s (plus Ronaldinho et al) were outclassed by Argentina and he came up short in the midfield battle with Real Madrid’s Fernando Gago – Hernanes has so far earned only a solitary senior international cap. The Seleção has lacked, of late, players to dictate the action from deep in midfield; relying on the prosaic toil of Gilberto Silva and Wolfsburg’s Josué. A vacancy is there to be filled at the heart of the world’s favourite team. To fully establish himself in Dunga’s plans for the 2010 World Cup, it’s fair to assume that the boy from Recife might now be entertaining thoughts of a move to Europe.

For every Brazilian success story among the habitual mass migration upon the opening of a European transfer window, there are many failures – abject or relative - who limp home with tail firmly fixed between legs. One such chastened returnee was Hernanes’ Olympic team cohort Thiago Silva, who flopped spectacularly with both FC Porto and then Dynamo Moscow. Yet, the versatile defender has since resurrected his career back home at Fluminense; impressing enough to encourage Milan to shell out €10m for his services.

He’ll be eligible to play for the rossoneri from the summer. Speculation is building that Hernanes might follow on Thiago Silva’s coat-tails to the San Siro as a potential successor to Andrea Pirlo – though surely the sublimely gifted Italian has much left to give, particularly at a club which has come to see itself as safe-haven for declining veterans. It’s the club where where Kaka was a near-immediate success upon his arrival from the Morumbi. It’s the club, too, where fledgling talents such as Patrick Vieira and, more recently, Yoann Gourcuff have slipped off the radar, only to resurface spectacularly elsewhere.

The move to Italy is far from a done deal. Barcelona is another possible destination – but with a league of exhilarating midfield stars already present at Camp Nou it would be a brave move for Hernanes to make in a World Cup year. For all the excitement about his obvious talent, there are still areas in his game which could be improved and honed to perfection upon a switch to a club at Europe’s top table. The hunt for Hernanes’ signature begins, in earnest, this summer.

Blackburn and Boro’s blues: The true price of the drop

2009-02-14T00:18:00.000Z

In spite of the inescapable economic crisis, which will get its grubby little hands on us all in one way or another, English football remains in rude health. Or so it would seem.

Within the space of seven days, the publication of Deloitte’s Club Football ‘Money League’ and announcement of a new, improved TV deal have given cause for optimism to those concerned about the impact of the contracting economy on the much-loved national game.

If the exchange rate value of the pound had not depreciated so dramatically of late, there would have been nine, rather than ‘just’ seven English clubs in the Deloitte Top 20 and Manchester United would instead have topped the list (which is based purely on revenue) ahead of Real Madrid. Even so, the big guns of the Premier League need not fear falling far behind their continental cousins any time in the near future.

In the face of the challenging economic environment, the Premier League also secured a record deal for live domestic broadcast rights for 2010/11 to 2012/13, up 4% to £1.782bn in total. And that’s before lucrative overseas rights are stirred into the pot.

It’s a rosy picture indeed for those clubs at the top of the pyramid, but for the vast majority of Premier and Football League members, that picture is increasingly obscured by stormy clouds on the horizon. To say nothing of the problems faced by a plethora of lower league clubs, those top flight teams without the clout of United, Liverpool or Chelsea are facing up to a period of enforced austerity and serious belt-tightening.

Let’s take, for example, two long-established Premier League clubs; both firmly entrenched in the unseemly scramble for survival which has, this season, engulfed the top-flight’s traditional also-rans.

Struggling Middlesbrough, it has emerged, are in debt to the tune of a hefty £85m. Under-fire manager Gareth Southgate has been quick to acknowledge the pressure that such a ticking financial time-bomb places on his position and on the club as a whole.

“We know the resources we have and we know the parameters and that makes life difficult,” said Southgate.

“We are in a different position now to the last eight or nine years. The chairman knows what he will get from me and that is every hour towards keeping this football club in the Premier League.”

Failure to do so, though softened a little by two years worth of ‘parachute payments’, would hold catastrophic consequences for the Teesiders, let alone the managerial career of the ex-England international.

It’s a simple economic reality: If a club can't regularly fill a 35,000 capacity stadium, then it will inevitably incur big, fat debts. Middlesbrough have punched above their weight for a sustained period now. Fortunately for them, their saintly proprietor Steve Gibson has underwritten the majority of that colossal debt and should his side be one of the three to slip through the trapdoor this May, then the resulting loss of revenue will fall at his door only. Of course, should such a Boro blow-up come to pass, there will be few, if any, buyers willing or able to take a quite unattractive proposition off Gibson’s hands.

Over in Lancashire, amid the big-spending might of United, City and Liverpool, lies Blackburn Rovers FC. It’s more than a decade now since their remarkable Premier League win under the stewardship of the Walker/Dalglish dream-ticket. They’ve had their ups and downs since then, but in the aftermath of the inspirational Mark Hughes’ departure, the hasty curtailment of Paul Ince’s tenure and subsequent installation of Sam Allardyce, Rovers are prime candidates for the drop.

The posting of record turnover this year (£56.4m, collated principally on the back of media money) presents a positive facade. Yet, as chairman John Williams pointed out this week, Blackburn are still, more or less, only breaking even. This is due to ridiculous wage expenditure - 76% of their turnover has been splurged on salaries over the past five years. Such a percentage is absolute commercial nonsense.

Allied with average attendances of under 24,000 (currently the 3^rd lowest in the League) and a commendably reasonable ticket pricing policy (generally speaking, Rovers lay on the cheapest top flight tickets); Blackburn have cultivated a model which is impossible to continue upon relegation.

Not only Blackburn but all clubs, whether they’re spending 60, 70 or 80 percent, should be striving to reduce obscene salaries. In fact, most other businesses operate around the 25% mark. In other European leagues there are strict rules capping the percentage of income a club can spend on paying players. Unless the English game is to slip into a deep black economic hole, the most extravagant spenders have no alternative but to fall in line.

Chairman Williams admits that his club are walking a financial tightrope: “If we ran with the 17th highest wage bill - believing that would mean three teams finish below us - that would be incredibly risky.”

“Of course if you have the 12th highest wage bill and you get relegated and you have a relatively small turnover you are in for trouble, which is why relegation for us would be so worrying.”

The Premier League has made token efforts to even up the playing field between the haves and the have-nots. They would argue their distribution formula of TV revenue gives a semblance of even distribution. And, more so than in other leagues (such as Serie A, where each club negotiates its own deal) it does.

“It could be more even,” argues Williams. “More sporting socialism, a bit like the NFL, would suit Rovers.”

For a club that effectively bought its way to the title in the recent past, that might strike some as a rather hypocritical stance to take. Williams, though, has a valid point. The NFL employs a salary cap in which each franchise can spend only a set limit on wages. Under European employment law, this scheme would be almost impossible to integrate into the Premier League, even if the will was there among the clubs – and it isn’t.

Another US sport, baseball, might hold the key to tackling this escalating problem. Teams mutually agree an upper salary limit. If this limit is exceeded, the franchise must pay a ‘luxury tax’, to be re-distributed among the other teams. That’s the kind of ‘sporting socialism’ which could conceivably return some semblance of a level playing field to our game. But, again, enforcement is a major problem.

All of the top clubs are in significant debt too, whether it is to an individual (Chelsea) or to our beloved, eminently trustworthy financial institutions (United, Arsenal, Liverpool). These vast debts, however, are serviced by guaranteed income from giant international fanbases, ownership of lucrative stadia and regular Champions League football. Other more modest clubs such as Blackburn, Boro, Portsmouth now find themselves in a predicament which, if it doesn’t yet threaten their very existence, might see any one of them go the way of Charlton, Southampton or even Leeds United.