Even though it's from FIFA 12, and thus, not real, this clip is still the most painful thing you're likely to see today. This version of Nani got up a lot quicker from this than the real one would've, though.
Anyway, video game Nani has to liquify all his food now.
Pay attention during the 33-second mark in the video above to see how Sporting KC fans -- both male and female alike -- responded when Houston's Carlos Costly put his side ahead 2-0 in the 87th minute of the MLS Eastern Conference final. That's four fingers and a few very clearly formed choice words from three unhappy home fans face-to-face with the guy who just stamped out their hope of a comeback.
Costly should be thankful, though. Unlike Sporting KC goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen earlier this season, he was not hit in the face with the head of an Omar Bravo bobblehead doll. Instead, he gets a trip to the MLS Cup final in Los Angeles against the Galaxy on Nov. 20. And KC's C.J. Sapong gets more time to court Hope Solo.
ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses the StatsZone app ? from FFT and Opta, available now ? to preview the big weekend fixtures...
Wayne Rooney in midfield? With Paul Scholes retiring, Owen Hargreaves leaving the club and Michael Carrick seemingly out of favour, even when he isn?t injured, Sir Alex Ferguson had to use his number ten in a deep-lying midfield position during the weekend Champions League win over Otelul Galati.
The comparison with Scholes was inevitable, and here?s a direct look at the passing styles of the two players ? Rooney?s from the game on Wednesday, and Scholes? in his only complete match in the Champions League last season.
There is a clear similarity ? although if anything, Rooney seems to have played even deeper than Scholes. Whereas the latter has a lot of passes played from just over the halfway line, Rooney?s balls are often played from the other side of the centre circle.
Scholes had a marginally better pass completion rate, 93% to 89%, and it?s clear that he?s more accurate with the long diagonal balls. And, while Rooney attempted three long balls into the penalty box, Scholes saved his move forward for when he knew he could make it count ? picking up an assist.
If the art of tackling has declined, as Match of the Day pundit Lee Dixon has argued this week, then players who are good at intercepting the ball must surely become particularly valuable.
Therefore, credit is due to Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov, who has made more interceptions than any other player in the Premier League this season, 39 ? nearly four per match.
With the exception of one, the interceptions from his most recent matches show they all take place in the middle third of the pitch, highlighting how intercepting is a more proactive method of winning the ball back than tackling, which generally take place in much deeper positions.
The most creative player in Europe ? Andres Iniesta? Mesut Ozil? David Silva? No ? Swansea?s Mark Gower, at least by one measure. According to Opta, has averaged 3.8 chances created per match this season, more than any other player in Europe?s major five leagues ? England, France, Germany, Spain and Italy.
The diagrams of the chances he?s created in his last two league games shows no real pattern to the passes, perhaps explaining why he is so hard to stop. A few come from corners, some are through balls into the area ? but most importantly, two are assists. No wonder Swansea made moves to offer him a new contract this week, and Liverpool will have to keep a keen eye on him tomorrow.
Is Demba Ba the signing of the season so far? He has plenty of competition, from Juan Mata, Sergio Aguero and Scott Parker, among others ? but when you consider that those three cost over �60 million combined, while Ba arrived on a free transfer after West Ham?s relegation, he?s surely the frontrunner for that accolade, with eight goals from nine matches.
His hattrick at Stoke on Monday was his second of the season, something only Wayne Rooney can match. The diagrams of his hattricks show that he?s basically a poacher ? four of those six goals came from within the six-yard box, and all from within the penalty area. The one attempt he had from outside the box in those matches was blazed over the bar.
The distance of the shots might partly explain why he has the best chances-to-goals conversion rate of any player that has scored more than four goals this season, at 47%. His opponents this weekend, Everton, tried to sing him over the summer ? how they must wish they?d succeeded.
Stats Zone, the app from FourFourTwo powered by data from Opta, is available now at the iTunes App Store
Well, it's happened. Davey Becks (and presumably the rest of the LA Galaxy) will finish his five-year contract by playing in the MLS Cup final in Los Angeles. David Stern couldn't have arranged it better himself.
[Related: Beckham, Galaxy one step away from elusive Cup title]
After Landon Donovan put LA ahead 1-0 in the 23rd minute of the Western Conference final and Alvaro Saborio equalized two minutes later, Beckham found telepathic friend Mike Magee with one of his perfect crosses yet again. Magee headed it in to give LA a 2-1 lead in the 58th minute. It was Magee's third goal of the playoffs and the 20th goal Beckham set up this season. Robbie Keane eventually sealed the win 10 minutes later with a nice little move for his third goal in seven matches for LA.
Beckham's contribution wasn't limited to setting up goals, though. He also put in a bit of work kicking opponents in the head...
Will Johnson (the man attached to Beckham's boot there) later went nose-to-nose with Mike Magee, so Beckham might have just been dealing out a preemptive defense of his soul-mate here.
Whether Beckham leaves for PSG or Spurs or Anzhi Makhachkala (I'm starting that rumor now) or ends up signing a new deal with MLS, closing out his much debated initial five-year deal with a title probably wouldn't shut his critics up. But it certainly would present him with plenty of stupid questions as to how winning an MLS Cup compares to his Premier League and La Liga titles for him to avoid. Hooray!
Photo: Reuters
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Yesterday, Vithushan Ehantharajah looked at Sir Alex Ferguson's frequently fraught first five years at Old Trafford. In the next five years, things only got better...
If Alex Ferguson's first five years at Manchester United raised a few questions among the supporters, his next five answered them emphatically. By summer 1991 Alex Ferguson he had ended the club?s mini-trophy drought ? as well as uncertainties over his ability ? by following up the 1990 FA Cup with the European Cup Winners' Cup, only United's second continental trophy. The next five years would be spent rising to become the pre-eminent club in England.
In June 1991, just two years after seeing Michael Knighton's takeover bid collapse, the club took the far-sighted decision to float on the London Stock Exchange. Valued at �18m, the club immediately raked in �6.7m ? more than the British record transfer fee at the time ? and in the subsequent financial boom there was far more to follow.
Back on the pitch, Ferguson was still improving his side. England right-back Paul Parker arrived for �2m, while ahead of him flying winger Andrei Kanchelskis began to terrorise left-backs. And in a deal he later described as the "bargain of the century", Ferguson bought Danish goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel for �530,000.
Now it seemed that Ferguson had a team fit for a league title challenge; with the established spine of Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister, Bryan Robson and Mark Hughes coupled with the youthful exuberance of Lee Sharpe and 17-year-old starlet Ryan Giggs. Having made his senior debut in the 1990-91 season ? scoring on his full debut, against Man City ? Giggs had inspired talk of the ?new George Best? in their midst; while Sharpe held down the left-wing slot for the rest of that campaign, 1991/92 was the season in which Giggs made his true first-team breakthrough.
United led from the front in the final campaign before the Premier League era, staying unbeaten leaders until a late October defeat at Sheffield Wednesday allowed Howard Wilkinson's Leeds United to overtake them. That week they also suffered a 3-0 Cup Winners' Cup defeat at Atletico Madrid; the consolation of winning the European Super Cup against Red Star Belgrade (1-0 thanks to a Brian McClair goal) was followed by five straight league wins in which United racked up 18 goals.
By now, McClair and Mark Hughes were forming a solid partnership, but with both players in their late twenties, Ferguson wanted some fresh blood was aware that time was no on their side. Seeking to inject some youth at the business end of the pitch, he set about trailing Southampton?s exciting forward Alan Shearer.
By Christmas there were only really two title contenders: United and their old rivals Leeds. The domestic cups threw the teams together twice in a January week, with Ferguson's side winning both; although they lost in the next FA Cup round to Southampton, they reached the League Cup final against Nottingham Forest and again won through a solitary McClair goal. United?s first ever League Cup win, it ensured that Fergie had won silverware for the third season running.
Beating Southampton the following midweek left United two points clear of Leeds with a game in hand and all set to end their 25-year wait for the top-flight title. But Ferguson's side gathered just one point from the next four games, losing at home to Forest, at West Ham and ? with agonising finality ? at Anfield to confirm Leeds as champions, with former Red Devil Gordon Strachan playing a key role in their promotion and subsequent championship.
Hughes and Bruce, dejected at Anfield
There were a few crumbs of comfort for Fergie. He had seen his side become genuine title challengers who led the league for most of the season, and he had won domestic and continental (albeit minor) silverware. Meanwhile on the playing side, Gary Pallister replaced Mark Hughes as PFA Player of the Year, while Lee Sharpe was succeeded as PFA Young Player of the Year by Ryan Giggs, who had played in 38 (of the 42) league games while also captaining an FA Youth Cup-winning side representing an exciting future brewing at Old Trafford.
1991-92: League 2nd, FA Cup R2, League Cup winners, UEFA Cup Winners? Cup R2, European Super Cup winners
At the dawn of the Premier League, Ferguson sought to freshen up his attacking options with the signing of Alan Shearer. However, United missed out on their man as Kenny Dalglish spent �3.6m of Blackburn benefactor Jack Walker's money to break the British transfer record. Ferguson spent �1m on Cambridge United?s Dion Dublin as a bustling back-up, but it would be a striker signing later that season who made all the difference ? along with the fresh crop of FA Youth Cup winners.
United started sluggishly with one point from the first three games before registering five straight wins. Again, though, they faltered in Europe, exiting the UEFA Cup at the first hurdle on penalties after two goalless games against Torpedo Moscow. The home leg was the first-team debut of 17-year-old right-back Gary Neville; 10 days later, David Beckham made his debut in a League Cup game against Brighton.
The ?Class of 92? were coming through well, but the first team was spluttering: in a miserable 12-game autumn spell they only beat Brighton, with defeats to Ron Atkinson's title-chasing Aston Villa in the league and League Cup.
With Dublin suffering a broken leg, United needed a change. Having been rebuffed by Shearer, Ferguson also missed out on Sheffield Wednesday?s David Hirst. Asked by Leeds United if Denis Irwin was for sale, Fergie declined but enquired about diffident Frenchman Eric Cantona, who had helped inspire Leeds to the title but fallen out of favour.
In late November, Ferguson got his man for �1.2m. Cantona was paired up front with Hughes, while McClair joined Paul Ince in midfield. A run of 10 wins in 12 unbeaten games took United from tenth place to top the table in the New Year.
They wobbled during a four-match winless run in March, dropping to third behind Villa and surprise leaders Norwich. But they wobbled too and a United win at Carrow Road started a run of seven straight victories to the end of the season. When Villa lost at Oldham, United had won their first top-flight title in 26 years; in the end they won the league by 10 points.
Fergie and Giggsy dangle their gongs
Ferguson had become only the third United manager to win the league. Giggs retained the PFA Young Player of the Year award, and although Fergiue reject Paul McGrath won the senior players' gong, the manager could afford to smile. The present was good enough, and he knew his excellent crop of youngsters made the future look even brighter.
1992-93: League 1st, FA Cup R5, League Cup R3, UEFA Cup R1?
Even the best youth system can't always provide ready-made replacements for legends. By summer 1993 Bryan Robson was 36 and although Brian McClair had done a diligent job alongside Paul Ince, Ferguson wanted another midfield general to complement an attacking side with flying wingers.
Roy Keane, the tenacious Irish midfielder who had been outstanding the previous season for relegated Nottingham Forest, was seen as an ideal signing, but seemed bound for Blackburn. Ferguson phoned Keane and persuaded the 21-year-old to join the champions instead, in the process breaking the British transfer record with a �3.75m fee.
Keane went straight into the side, scoring a shoot-out penalty in United's Charity Shield win over Arsenal and scoring twice on his home debut. With his extra steel, United's defence of their Premier League title was even more impressive than their initial success of obtaining it. After a blistering start, they went top in August and never really looked back.
Their first tilt in 25 years at Europe's top trophy ended before the leaves were off the trees when, having dismissed Hungarians Kispest Honved, they went out of the Champions League on away goals to Turkish side Galatasaray. At least by that point they were 11 points clear, which they extended over the Christmas period while dealing a psychological Boxing Day blow to nearest title rivals Blackburn with an 88th-minute Ince equaliser.
On January 20th, United mourned the passing of the great Sir Matt Busby, who had served the club for almost 50 years as a manager, director and club president. As manager, he had led the club to five league titles, two FA Cups and their first European Cup. Busby inspired the utmost respect from Ferguson, with whom the club's father figure had forged a fruitful friendship at Old Trafford.
Having been domestically dominant, United wobbled in March with a run of six points in five games allowing Blackburn to slice into what had once been a 13-point lead. A week after losing the League Cup final to Ron Atkinson's Aston Villa, United lost 2-0 at Blackburn to two Alan Shearer goals; when United then lost at Wimbledon, Blackburn drew level on points.
But United were ready for a fight. They had already proved that in the FA Cup semi-final against Oldham, with a spectacular late Mark Hughes equaliser earning a replay which they won with ease. Once again Ferguson's side ended the season on a roll, with four wins in their last five games clinching the title from a disconsolate Blackburn.
Surging with momentum, United went into the FA Cup Final with Chelsea. Glenn Hoddle's side had inflicted two of United's four league defeats that season, but two Cantona penalties plus goals from Hughes and McClair helped United romp to victory ? and the Double. The inspirational Cantona, who topped the domestic goalscoring charts, was named PFA Player of the Year ? the third different United player in four years to win the award.
?1993-94: League 1st, FA Cup winners, League Cup finalists, UEFA Champions League R2, Charity Shield winners
In summer 1993 United said goodbye to their Captain Marvel, as Bryan Robson left to become Middlesbrough player-manager. Other ageing squad members were also moved on as Ferguson eyed increased chances for his younger players; the only significant signing was �1.25m David May, who had become disenchanted by Blackburn's contract renewal offers and was considered a possible successor for Steve Bruce, now nearing 34.
United beat Blackburn in the Charity Shield and won three of their first four league games, but then lost three in five to slip back. The second of those three defeats included a first league goal for Paul Scholes, three days after scoring a brace on his first-team debut in the League Cup against Port Vale.
Three days after knocking United out of the League Cup, Kevin Keegan's league leaders Newcastle were beaten at Old Trafford. But in their Champions League group Ferguson's side then suffered a 4-0 humbling at a Barcelona team inspired by Romario and Hristo Stoichkov.
Hampered by the three-foreigners rule (outlawed within a year on restraint-of-trade grounds), Ferguson had chosen to drop Peter Schmeichel for that game; soon he had no choice as the Dane was ruled out for 10 matches with a back injury. A 3-1 loss to IFK Gothenburg effectively ended their European campaign for another season, with their closing 4-0 win over Galatasaray rendered redundant.
By that point United, focusing on the league, were putting together some strong league runs to chase down leaders Blackburn. Over the winter period they enjoyed two nine-game unbeaten runs either side of a 2-1 defeat to a Nottingham Forest side inspired by powerful striker Stan Collymore.
Spying another potentially great signing from Forest (to follow Roy Keane), Ferguson courted Collymore as an eventual replacement for Mark Hughes. However, United instead signed Andy Cole, who had scored 68 goals in 84 games for Newcastle, for a record �7m (�6m plus talented young right-winger Keith Gillespie).
In late January a Cantona goal against Blackburn at Old Trafford cut Rovers' league lead at the top to two points ? but three days later, the Frenchman was involved in one of football's most controversial moments.
After being sent off at Selhurst Park for kicking out at Crystal Palace defender Richard Shaw, Cantona reacted to a torrent of racial abuse from Palace fan Matthew Simmons by launching a kung-fu kick at him. The club quickly fined him �20,000 and suspended him for four months, but the FA doubled the suspension, while Cantona was convicted of assault and sentenced to two weeks in prison (reduced to 120 hours' community service).
With Ferguson's siege mentality justified as never before, United won five of their next six games, with Cole finding his feet by scoring five in one game against hapless Ipswich. United's goal difference was now better than Blackburn's but the gap stayed at three points ? until defeat at Anfield stretched it to six.
United overcame Crystal Palace in an ill-tempered FA Cup Semi-Final but were still focused on the league and whittled Blackburn's lead down to two points by the last round of matches ? which had Rovers at Europe-chasing Liverpool while United visited safely mid-table West Ham.
All looked lost when the Hammers took a shock first-half lead and Shearer scored at Anfield, but equalisers at each ground from McClair and John Barnes left the title race open. A late Jamie Redknapp winner for Liverpool meant one goal would be enough for United but Andy Cole squandered a couple of chances and the title was gone.
Last-day agony at Upton Park
The disappointment was compounded when United lost 1-0 to Everton at Wembley in the FA Cup Final, thanks to a goal from Paul Rideout, leaving United without a major trophy for the first time in six seasons.
?1994-95: League 2nd, FA Cup finalists, League Cup R3, UEFA Champions League Group stage, Charity Shield winners
Expecting a summer of strengthening to match cash-happy Blackburn, United fans (and much of the media) were surprised to see Ferguson apparently hell-bent on dismantling the team he had built. Paul Ince moved to Inter Milan for �7m, Andrei Kanchelskis to Everton for �5m and Mark Hughes to Chelsea for �1.5m.
To replace them, Ferguson turned not to star signings but the talented fledglings coming up from the 1992 FA Youth Cup-winning side: Gary and Phil Neville, David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt. With Cantona set to return in September, and the likes of Bruce, Roy Keane and Schmeichel on hand to offer experience and support to blood the players, it seemed a calculated risk. Not everybody agreed.
?You?ll win nothing with kids,? claimed Alan Hansen on Match of the Day after a 3-1 opening-day defeat at Aston Villa. But with Scholes chipping in goals, United won 10 of their next 13 league games to shadow rampant league leaders Newcastle.
The cup competitions didn't start as well. Losing on away goals to Rotor Volgograd, United were out of the UEFA Cup by the time Cantona returned in September (with a vital penalty equaliser against Liverpool), and a weak shadow team crashed out of the League Cup to York City.
Clearly United were concentrating on the league but five winless games, climaxing in a Christmas Eve defeat at Leeds, left them 10 points adrift of Newcastle at the turn of the year. But an FA Cup Third Round win at Sunderland started an astonishing run of 15 wins in 16 games ? nine of them by a single goal ? which saw them steam through to the FA Cup final while also demolishing Newcastle's league lead.
On March 4th at St James' Park Newcastle threw the kitchen sink at Ferguson's side but couldn't score, Eric Cantona's goal stealing an impressively resolute away win. Within a fortnight they had overhauled Newcastle as Keegan's side collapsed.
While the young players were impressive, the wily manager's mind games came to the fore. Following a 1-0 win over a determined Leeds on April 17th, Ferguson slyly wondered aloud if the Yorkshire side would try as hard 10 days later against Newcastle as the season entered its final week.
In the event Keegan's men also beat Leeds 1-0, but Ferguson must have been amazed to see what happened next. Interviewed live on Sky, the clearly emotional Newcastle manager produced one of football's most famous outbursts, claiming he would "love it" if Middlesbrough managed to beat the leaders that weekend.
They didn't. United won 3-0 at Bryan Robson's new home and, with Newcastle having drawn their final two games, wrapped up a third league title in four years ? while also disproving Alan Hansen's words.
United's opponents in a hotly-anticipated FA Cup Final were Hansen's old side Liverpool, who had their own array of talented youngsters in Collymore, Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman and Jamie Redknapp.
While the game was a turgid affair, notable more for a questionable wardrobe than compelling viewing, it was won by a piece of brilliance from Eric Cantona, who volleyed expertly through a body of players. United became the first English side to achieve a second Double, while Cantona became the first United player since George Best in 1968 to win the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year award.
1995-96: League 1st, FA Cup winners, League Cup R2, UEFA Cup R1
Tomorrow: Fergie's third five-year spell ? from the Double Double to the Treble.
Until then, check out FourFourTwo's ever-expanding interview archive...
ONE ON ONE, Nov 2008: Eric Cantona >>
"After he leaves... that?s what makes me worry. Ferguson is so strong"
WEB EXCLUSIVE, Dec 2007: Peter Schmeichel >>
"If Sir Alex is happy, United will win matches"
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?, Jul 2007: David May >>
"I still jump for every header that Vidic or Rio goes for"
PERFECT XI, Mar 2007: Sir Bobby Charlton >>
"He's the only manager capable of handling all these players"
Plus...
PERFECT XI, Apr 2006: Eric Cantona
Like watching a sneak preview of future blockbuster films, the best thing about South American football is the chance to catch remarkable talent on the way up.
Barcelona's Argentine Lionel Messi tops the list but I have lost count of the extraordinary players whose early professional steps I have been lucky enough to witness.
Inevitably, plenty fall short of fulfilling their potential.
At the 2003 South American Under-20 Championships, I picked out a list of the most interesting players on show for World Soccer magazine. Carlos Tevez would have been on it - but I had already written about him months earlier. His team-mate Javier Mascherano was on my list, along with Brazil's attacking right-back Daniel Alves. And there was a Colombian I was excited about called Avimiled Rivas.
I wrote: "[He is] A midfielder who can be highly strung but looks a genuine thoroughbred. Tall, quick, strong and dynamic, he plays on the left but likes to cut inside to use his thumping right foot to switch play or shoot."
He is still doing it but not at the level that once seemed likely. Rivas was promoted to Colombia's senior squad and made a couple of appearances as a substitute. But a move to Real Sociedad in Spain did not work out. He was loaned out to lower-division clubs in Spain before returning home and bouncing around from club to club in Colombia.
Avimiled Rivas, who appeared for Colombia in 2003, possesses masses of unrealised talent. Photo: Getty
This year he has been more settled, establishing himself as an important player with Colombian club Boyaca Chico in Tunja. It is a small well-run club founded in 2002 - but they are punching above their weight in sixth place, just two points off the top of Colombia's Primera A.
Last week I saw Rivas play in the second leg of the Colombian cup final. Chico had lost 1-0 at home to Millonarios and needed something special in the return match in Bogota.
It was tight and Rivas played his part as his side threatened to open the scoring. But, inside the last 20 minutes, he got himself sent off. The second yellow was harsh, more of a tangle than a foul, although Rivas did not touch the ball. This made his protest somewhat hollow when he picked up the ball and showed it to the referee - then downright outrageous when he thrust it into the ref's face before running off the field.
At 27, Avimiled Rivas is still highly strung.
The playmaker on the opposing side was Mayer Candelo. With a sweet left foot and a capacity to generate ideas, Candelo was a great hope when he emerged towards the end of the 1990s.
Some saw him as the successor to the fuzzy-haired Colombian Carlos Valderrama - the midfielder, now 50, who played 111 times for his country between 1985 and 1998.
It never happened for Candelo. At the top level he was found wanting. Now 34, Candelo has had an interesting career all over South America - most notably in Peru - but he proved unable to fulfil those early hopes.
A few minutes after Rivas saw red, Candelo had the chance to clinch the cup when he stepped up to take a penalty. Teenage goalkeeper Cristian Bonilla, a Colombia Under-20 international, dived right to make the save.
I sat thinking this was almost a metaphor for the moment of Colombian football - Candelo, the eternal nearly man, blowing it again, while Bonilla showed that the future lies with a new generation.
...And then the keeper made complete hash of a clearance, kicking straight to Candelo, who glided past the last defender and flicked his shot into the corner to confirm Millonarios as champions.
This, I suppose, is a better symbol of Colombia and its football - beguiling, frustrating, surprising.
After Brazil's near-200m population, Colombia's 50m is the largest in South America. It has a variety of urban centres and a football-crazy public. And yet they have failed to reach the last three World Cups.
In part this can be explained by the trauma of the 1994 World Cup, when their very good team collapsed under intense pressure as ambassadors for a country that was falling apart. The murder of centre-back Andres Escobar after that exit made the issues evident to all. The short passing style of the 1994 team seemed discredited by association and no big collective idea came along to replace it.
But it also seems clear there have been individual problems. A significant amount of South American talent that falls by the wayside seems to be Colombian.
Local journalists tell me many careers go astray from the moment when the youngster signs his first big contract. Lacking the maturity to cope with sudden wealth and fame, the journey from zero to hero is too quick for the player to assimilate the changes. Then there is the threat of a premature move to Europe where the youngster fails to get a regular game.
How many stars of the future won the FIFA Under-20 World Cup for Brazil in August? Photo: AFP
Staying or going, both routes have their problems.
The record shows the best move would seem to be southwards. Argentine football functions as a finishing school for some of the best Colombians, toughening them up for the challenges ahead.
Defenders Mario Yepes (now at AC Milan), Luis Amaranto Perea (Atletico Madrid) and Ivan Cordoba (Inter Milan) plus strikers Juan Pablo Angel (ex-Aston Villa) and Radamel Falcao Garcia (Atletico Madrid) are recent examples of players who went to Argentina before moving to Europe.
As Colombia strive to improve on their Copa America displays, where they were solid but lacking spark, they are counting on two Argentine-trained talents.
Involvement in the World Youth Cup kept Porto's James Rodriguez, 20, out of the Copa. The left-footed midfielder, who made his name in Argentina with Banfield, was outstanding three weeks ago as Colombia began their World Cup qualification campaign with a 2-1 away win over Bolivia.
In the coming rounds he should be joined in the team by Giovanny Moreno, 25, a languid, silkily talented playmaker/support striker with a wonderful left foot who plays in Argentina with Racing.
After recovering from a serious knee injury, Moreno hopes to be more than a younger version of Meyer Candelo - the really man rather than the nearly man. He should be able to make his case at home to Argentina on 15 November.
Comment on the piece in the space provided. Email questions on South American football to vickerycolumn@hotmail.com and I'll pick out a couple for next week.
From last week's postbag:
Q) After reading on the BBC website about the Premier League ban on third-party ownership of players to "protect the integrity of competition", I'd like to know your opinion of third-party ownership and what harm it might do to clubs?
Edmund Allen
There are two complaints. One you mentioned - the possibility of outside forces having an effect on sporting outcomes, even without necessarily meaning to.
My main concern is that I see it as a form of asset-stripping. Advocates talk of it allowing clubs to have players they might not otherwise be able to afford - but this is only because some other club (probably South American) has lost the player and received considerably less than his full worth.
The central contradiction is that much of South American football runs at a loss but produces some of the most-promising players. Investors take advantage of the weak financial position of the clubs to acquire a stake in the best players. The clubs often need cash urgently to meet their wage bill, so the investor can buy a share in the prospect for a good price. It turns the player into a commodity - something to be sold, not necessarily at the right time or to the right club. It means that, when he is sold, some of that transfer fee is lost to football.
Q) I have been following the Brazilian Championship this year and been really shocked by the dreadful performances of Cruzeiro. They sit just above the relegation zone and are in serious danger of going down. I know they have had managerial changes and injuries to key players such as Leo and Wallyson - but do their problems run deeper than that?
Tom Webber
In the first few months of the year they looked like the best team in the continent! After one bad night and elimination from the Libertadores, the house of cards came crashing down.
Possible reasons are the bizarre coaching changes, while the injury to Wallyson and the sale of Thiago Ribeiro to Cagliari in Italy have left them without goal power.
But there is another factor. The big stadium they use, the Mineirao, is closed for World Cup works and the city's other stadium (where England lost to the USA in 1950) is also closed. So they have to travel out of Belo Horizonte for all their home games. This is clearly not ideal. Just 37 goals in 32 games means they will probably have to sweat until the final round to see if they stay up.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/timvickery/2011/10/rising_stars_and_lost_potentia.html
Source: http://www.davesfootballblog.com/post/2011/02/07/steelers-have-only-themselves-to-blame/
A special player is coming to my adopted city of Rio de Janeiro this Wednesday.
Universitario of Peru are visiting Vasco da Gama in the quarter-finals of South America's Europa League equivalent [called the Copa Sul-Americana in Brazil, the Sudamericana elsewhere on the continent] and in their ranks is 17-year-old striker Andy Polo.
Already linked with Liverpool and Arsenal, Polo is of particular interest to me. He is something I have been waiting for.
It was August 1994 when I moved over to this side of the Atlantic. Polo was born at the end of the following month.
17 year-old Peruvian striker Andy Polo's stock has risen on the international front after he helped his club side Universitario secure the Under-20 version of the Copa Libertadores for the first time in the club's history. PHOTO: Getty
He is the first player to make a major impact who has been in South America for less time than I have.
A strong, stocky, sinuous runner, he is reminiscent in style to his compatriot Jefferson Farfan. Earlier this year, Polo helped his club win an under-20 version of the Copa Libertadores, the continent's Champions League.
The stand-outs were Polo and a team-mate, the lithe, left sided Edison Flores. Both - and especially Polo - have made a successful graduation to the senior side.
It was in late September, a few days before his 17th birthday, that Polo really had me out of my seat. The event was Peru's big derby, Universitario against Alianza Lima.
This is always a huge occasion, and a real test for a rookie.
Polo showed strength of character and strength of physique, at one point carving out a clear opportunity with a crash-ball run straight through the middle of the experienced Alianza defence.
This was clearly a name for the notebook.
Normally my protective interest in a player such as this would have me hoping that he is not tempted to take the risk of a premature move.
In this case, though, there is no use. He will inevitably be packing his bags before long - the economic situation of his club leaves little alternative.
Universitario are a big club with a proud tradition. Although they are traditionally identified with the elite, and their rivals Alianza with the mass of the population, there are surveys which claim that Universitario's support is at least as big. In terms of titles there is no doubt about it - they lead the Peruvian pack.
They have been in financial trouble for some time now. But recent events seem to have tipped them over the edge, into a chapter of their history which includes both genuine tragedy and dark comedy.
The tragedy came in that very derby against Alianza where Polo announced his presence. It took place in Universitario's impressive, modern stadium.
Security arrangements were not so impressive. A group of visiting fans were in one of the executive boxes - in theory the safest part of the ground. Some home supporters broke in, beat them up and threw one to his death.
It pales in comparison with the human consequences, but the incident had a further negative impact on the club's finances. They have not been able to use their stadium since, borrowing a small ground in neighbouring Callao for league games and moving into the revamped National stadium for last week's first leg against Vasco.
The comedy lies in some of the recent antics. In May, the club forgot to take their change strip to Trujillo to play Cesar Vallejo. The players had to take the field in training tops with the numbers drawn on with felt pen.
The weekend before last was even more bizarre. In a bid to save money, the team waited until Sunday morning to fly up to Cuzco to face Cienciano, but the flight was delayed. Come kick-off time, they still had not arrived.
There was only one solution. The reserves - basically a junior team - had just played the reserves of Cienciano, losing 1-0. Now they would have to play again.
The referee only authorised nine of them to take the field, since they were the only ones with professional contracts. Halfway through the first half, the delegation arrived. With two extra players and three substitutions, Universitario could strengthen the side.
But for 20 minutes they were down to nine tired kids. It is a wonder they only lost 3-0.
It is also a wonder that they have reached the quarter-finals of the Sul-Americana, with a terrific chance of making the last four.
Admittedly Vasco, with an eye on the Brazilian title, sent a weakened team to Lima for the first leg. Even so, in their 2-0 win, Universitario did enough to suggest they can reach the semis even if Vasco unleash the full-strength side on Wednesday.
Certainly there seems to be no lack of motivation among the Peruvians - even though they have not been paid for five months.
The accumulated wage bill could have serious consequences. Tired of waiting, the players are refusing to sign the pre-match paperwork, meaning that the club forfeit any points won on the field. The second division is beckoning.
The Copa Sul-Americana, meanwhile, is a question of professional pride and also a chance for the players to put themselves in the shop window.
There are one or two other interesting prospects. Raul Ruidiaz is a tricky little striker, though talk of "the Peruvian Messi" is hardly fair, and not just because Ruidiaz is right-footed. There is Edison Flores. Alvaro Ampuero is a tall, left-footed defensive midfielder with a promising future.
But the brightest bulb in the firmament is Polo, whose speed, strength and skill look tailor made for European football.
In an ideal world, a transfer would not happen yet. But force of circumstances is likely to push this one through sooner rather than later. Losing Polo would surely leave a hole in the hearts of Universitario supporters. But the club need to sell to survive.
Comments on the piece in the space provided. Questions on South American football to vickerycolumn@hotmail.com, and I'll pick out a couple for next week.
From last week's postbag:
What do you think of Fabio Rochemback's career? I wouldnt say he had disaster in playing in Europe. Do you think he has a chance to make back in to Brazil team or even Europe, although age 29 he could have a few good years in him.
Jawaad Kaleem
It would be outrageous to call his time in Europe a disaster. He's had a solid career. But remember that he was playing for Brazil and Barcelona while still a teenager - in that light I think that it's clear he didn't go on to fulfil those early expectations. This is something that fascinates me - how does a player cope psychologically when he discovers that he's not quite as good as he's been allowed to think?
In terms of his future - if he couldn't get in to the Brazil squad a year ago when Gremio were flying, then it's unlikely now. And, 30 next month, a move back to Europe hardly looks likely either - not that there's anything wrong with that. The Brazilian first division is an increasingly interesting place to play, and, as you say, he should have plenty of time left to enjoy himself back home.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/timvickery/2011/11/promising_peruvian_striker_and.html
As the delightfully bonkers 2011/12 season countinues to rumble on in Premier League town, FourFourTwo's James Maw names the super stars and ne'er do wells of match day nine...
HEROES??
Manchester City?
Well yes, obviously.? In his programme notes for Sunday?s game, Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson described City counterpart Roberto Mancini?s handling of Tevezactinglikeadouchebag-gate as "a master class in management". What Ferguson didn?t realise was that the Italian?s tutorial was still in session.?
City?s emphatic win at Old Trafford could be the most symbolic result in the recent history of English football ? as clear a sign as could be imagined of the much-discussed shift in power. City?s players showed the kind of unity, workrate and relentlessness that have served their city rivals well over the past two decades.
The Tevez affair, which for a brief moment looked like derailing City?s entire ?project?, has instead galvanised the manager, fans and seemingly the bench-dwelling Argentine?s team-mates. The widely-predicted selfishness and mutiny haven't spread, and instead Tevez has been ostracised, isolated and made an example of. City?s stars know that if they don?t pull their weight and toe the party line, a similar fate will be theirs.
Even Mario Balotelli, long tipped to explode, has kept his head down (on the pitch, at least). Player, team and club are feeling the full benefit ? and the rest of the league is looking up at an outfit? as awe-inspiring yet daunting as the madcap garb Balotelli is likely to don come Halloween...
Norwich
"Playing without fear", "a breath of fresh air", "Stephen Fry supports them, dontchaknow?"...
Yes, yes, yes ? everybody loves Norwich at the moment, just like everybody loved Blackpool in the first half of last season, and Hull in the first half of 2008/09. While Paul Lambert is certain not to develop into as big an attention-seeking irritant as Phil Brown or Ian Holloway, his team are likely to face a similar sticky period to those suffered by the Tigers and Tangerines in their debut Premier League seasons; how they deal with it will be decisive in deciding whether they will suffer their third successive Premier League relegation.
But the signs so far are hugely positive. Unlike Hull and Blackpool, Norwich?s early success hasn?t been built entirely on catching out inattentive rivals with aesthetically pleasing football. Lambert?s side know when it?s time to dig deep and show a little pragmatism, which is exactly what they did at Anfield on Saturday evening.
Having weathered something of a Liverpool storm with only one goal conceded, the Canaries battled back through the power and commitment of Grant Holt, who thumped a header past Pepe Reina to level the scores. Keeper John Ruddy, meanwhile, was superb throughout, though it was his full-stretch 95th minute save from Luis Suarez that made headlines, denying the Uruguayan a certain winner and securing the point for the Norfolk side.
Yoann Cabaye
The midfielder took his tag of Newcastle talisman to the next level by scoring the winning goal in a match his side largely stuttered through and largely looked far from certain to win. The Frenchman?s first Premier League goal was certainly a timely one, and the three points keep Toon?s unlikely push for a Champions League spot rumbling on, for the time being at least. If Alan Pardew?s side are to continue their impressive form, they will need Cabaye to keep performing to the same level for months to come.
Robin van Persie
Arsenal were only able to avoid another Monday-morning inquest by throwing on their half-fit skipper against a Stoke side who have often frustrated the Gunners in recent years. While Arsene Wenger may be concerned his side needed the Dutchman?s intervention to see off a side seemingly suffering from another post-Europe hangover, he should be glad to have the striker at his disposal, as without him the Gunners look a rather average side.
Rafael van der Vaart
Van Persie wasn?t the only Netherlands international to score twice on Sunday, with compatriot Van der Vaart netting both Spurs? goals in a 2-1 victory at Ewood Park. So it was double double Dutch. Or quadruple Dutch. Or something.??
VILLAINS?
Manchester United?s defence?
Roberto Mancini?s side were of course superb, but the margin of victory wasn?t entirely down to their own attacking verve. Was it, Jonny Evans?
It would be harsh to lay full blame for their pummelling at the hands of City at the Ulsterman?s door, but there?s no denying the tide of the match turned on the moment of madness that saw the United defender red-carded for hauling down Mario Balotelli in what can only be described as brainless fashion.?
From that point onwards, United?s defence ? already missing Nemanja Vidic ? was all at sea. Their haphazardness was perhaps best summed up by City?s fourth.
Rio Ferdinand gave away a needless corner, then failed to track Edin Dzeko when Joleon Lescott knocked the ball back across goal, leaving the Bosnian with a simple tap-in. That was the first of four minutes of added time; City created four more clear chances in the time remaining, two of which resulted in further goals.?
The most worrying thing for United fans will be the way heads dropped once all hope looked lost rather than battling to the bitter end ? they won?t have seen that too often over the last 20 years.??
Phil Dowd & Darren Cann?
There?s no getting round it, the dismissal of Aston Villa?s Chris Herd was as inexplicable a refereeing decision as has been made in the Premier League all season ? and that's no mean feat. The official line is that Herd stamped on West Brom?s Jonas Olsson, though replays appeared to show little if any malice, and even less contact.??
Alan Hutton?
But Villa shouldn?t complain too strongly about Herd?s red, as defensive cohort Hutton should really have been forced into a premature appointment with his rubber duckie and a bottle of Matey. The Scot unleashed a ?full-blooded? tackle ? a cute little euphemism for a reckless attack that could have resulted in a serious injury ? on West Brom?s Shane Long, before having another nibble at the same player a few moments later.
??Bobby Zamora?
The England striker?s 89th-minute miss at 1-1 cost Fulham the chance to pocket three points from a match they would ultimately lose. Zamora kept his composure in brushing the ball past Tim Howard, then suffered from a rush of blood to the head with the empty net gaping, bending the ball past the far post. Seventy seconds later, Louis Saha had put Everton back in front.
Given he?s something of a confidence player, it will be intriguing to see how Zamora reacts to his glaring miss.
Asmir Begovic
With the Candian-come-Bosnian making an impressively solid start to the season between the sticks for Stoke, it was something of a surprise to see him beaten by two shots most top flight keepers would expect to gather. Yet both of Robin van Persie?s second-half strikes were relatively tame, and neither was placed out of the keeper?s reach.
Wolves boo-boys
?While they could be forgiven for going into Saturday?s clash with Swansea under an ugly cloud of apprehension given their side had just lost five league games on the bounce, the tetchy, impatient and aggressive atmosphere created by a number of Wolves fans during the match was hardly conducive to inspiring a turnaround in fortunes.?
Even before Danny Graham?s 23rd-minute opener, the locals were getting on their team?s collective back, pouncing on every misplaced pass and perceived lack of urgency. In reality, Mick McCarthy?s side were merely feeling their way into the game. Quickfire goals from Graham and Joe Allen saw the Welsh outfit surge into a 2-0 lead, and caused the atmosphere outside the away end to turn viciously sour.
The moaning and groaning of the first half was followed largely by silence in the second. Even after Kevin Doyle narrowed the deficit with six minutes remaining, it was the travelling fans that were most audible.
All the more galling, then, to hear the Molineux faithful bate the Swans fans following Jamie O?Hara?s unlikely equaliser. ?You?re not singing any more? crowed large numbers of the home support, without a hint of irony. Sigh.
AAAAHHHHHHHH I AM ARTUR BORUC AND THIS IS A LIST OF THINGS THAT MADE ME ANGRY THIS WEEK:
1. LET'S GO -- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2. MEXICAN CLUB PUTTING TWITTER HANDLES ON PLAYER'S SHIRTS -- I DON'T HAVE A TWITTER HANDLE BUT I DO HAVE A PICTURE OF A GRANDFATHER GETTING STABBED BY A FLAMING SWORD WITH SNAKE WRAPPED AROUND IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WANTED THAT ON MY SHIRT INSTEAD OF MY NAME BUT FIORENTINA SAID IT WASN'T POSSIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT'S DISCRIMINATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3. PITCH INVADER PUNCHING A STEAUA BUCHAREST PLAYER -- WHY DOES VIOLENCE LIKE THIS EXIST?!?!?!??!!? WHY CAN'T WE ALL JUST PUNCH EACH OTHER FROM THE FRONT LIKE DECENT HUMAN BEINGS!??!?!?!?!? AHHHHHHHHHH WHAT IS THE WORLD COMING TO?!!???!?!?!??!!? SUCKER PUNCHES!!!!! THAT'S WHAT!!!!!!!
4. CORN -- I WAS RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!! I WAS RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH GOD I WAS RIGHT!!!!!!!!! REPENT BEFORE THE CORN TURNS YOUR FAMILY INTO HOUSE MUSICIANS WITHOUT A PENSION PLAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
5. BILLY SHARP'S GOAL FROM HEAVEN -- THIS MADE ME CRY AND FEEL WARM INSIDE!!!!!!!!! THEN IT MADE ME ANGRY FOR REASONS THAT I CANNOT FULLY COMPREHEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I JUST PUNCHED A CLOCK AND NOW I DON'T KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS ANYMORE!!!!!!!!!!!!
6. 30-FOOT MARIO BALOTELLI FILLED WITH FIREWORKS -- I WANT TO LIVE INSIDE OF IT FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
7. WORLD RECORD HEADER -- THIS IS JUST STUPID!!!!!!!!! STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M ACTUALLY MORE ANGRY AT THE GOALKEEPER FOR LETTING THIS HAPPEN THAN I AM AT THE HEAD THAT DID IT!!!!!!!!!!! IF I EVER SEE THIS GOALKEEPER IN AN OUTDOOR MARKET I WILL IGNORE HIM SO HARD THAT A POTATO WILL ROT IN HIS HAND!!!!!!!!!!!!
8. 74 LASHES FOR A GRAB ASS GOAL CELEBRATION -- THIS IS AN UNJUST PUNISHMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHIPPING PEOPLE IS CRUELTY AND UNCREATIVE!!!!!!!!!! WHAT HAPPENED TO HAVING DRAGONS MELT PEOPLE'S FACES OR ELVES MESSING WITH YOUR EARS WHILE YOU SLEEP!?!!?!?!?! SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!! WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT?!??!?!!?
9. MY IDIOT NEIGHBOR DAN WYKOWSKI -- SO I WAS EATING A BIALY MADE WITH ASBESTOS AND GARLIC WHEN I DECIDED TO GO TO THE LIBRARY!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WASN'T SURE LIBRARIES STILL EXIST ANYMORE SO I WAS VERY SURPRISED WHEN I FOUND THAT THEY DO!!!!!!!! THERE WERE BOOKS EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!! I READ ABOUT THINGS THAT MAKE MY MIND MORE DANGEROUS THAN A PIG FILLED WITH ILLITERATE LEPRECHAUNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS STORY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MY IDIOT NEIGHBOR DAN WYKOWSKI OR EITHER OF HIS GOOBER KIDS BUT HE IS STILL AN IDIOT FOR REASONS THAT I CANNOT EVEN BEGIN TO ENUMERATE!!!!!!!!!! I LEARNED THAT WORD AT THE LIBRARY!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH I WISH WORDS COULD ACTUALLY CAUSE PHYSICAL DAMAGE AND UNCONTROLLABLE NOSE BLEEDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I AM ARTUR BORUC AND THIS HAS BEEN MY RAGE LIST. SEE YOU NEXT WEEK! GOD BLESS!!!!!!
Photo: Getty
Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/blog/dirty-tackle/post/Artur-Boruc-s-Friday-Rage-List?urn=sow-wp6350
On catching a glimpse of the latest La Liga table, the reaction of the sports media in Barcelona and Madrid must have been akin to that of a rather slow-witted individual gawping at a 3D 'magic eye' picture.
?No, no I don?t see it. A space ship crashing into Pluto? Really? Sir Alex naked as well?? But in this case, the response was ?Levante? In first place? That's not what I can see..."
It must eventually have clicked that neither Barcelona nor Real Madrid are currently top of the table - something that was largely overlooked in Monday's editions, with a bone only thrown Levante?s way a day later, accompanied by a patronising pat on the head.
The front cover on AS reveals the dramatic news that Real Madrid hope to score lots of goals this season, but the inside the theme soon switches to the current leagye leaders.
?Eleven men and one idea,? writes the paper?s boss, Alfredo Rela�o, on Levante, who were greeted by legions of fans and fireworks on their return to their stadium in the very early hours of Monday morning, after the victory over Villarreal.
Marca don?t go quite that far, and instead dedicate the first ten pages of Tuesday's edition to the greatness of Iker Casillas, ?Mou Team II? and the Santiago Bernabeu - we promise we're genuinely not making this up - before covering Levante on page 26 and...wait for it...page 27.
?Clearly Levante are not going to win the league and their situation is transitory,? says Tuesday?s editorial cheerfully. ?But while the moment lasts we should emphasise the enormous lesson in humility which this modest team run by Quico Catalan is offering.?
Over in the Catalan capital, Sport have taken notice of the league table despite Bar�a being in action on Tuesday night. ?Clearly Levante?s leadership is like a gift from God - a miracle,? writes Josep Maria Casanovas, failing notice that if such divine intervention is needed to break up La Liga's duopoly then Spanish football really is in trouble. ?They know sooner rather than later the glory will lesson. But when the music stops they have 20 points and have given Valencia and Villarreal a kick.?
Barcelona will probably sneak back above Levante on this evening after their away clash against a Granada side who have only scored two goals in eight games - not an ideal record to take into a match against the European Champions. But Monday must still have been one of those days when Pep Guardiola wished he could have just stayed in bed, knowing that he had to face the media with questions on whether he is upset not to be top of the table with some 30 games still to go and whether Leo Messi is a blubbering mess after missing a penalty against Sevilla.
After replying ?no? and ?no? to those googlies, the Bar�a boss did reveal his concern regarding the constant string of injuries his team seem to suffer. ?We can?t keep up this rhythm,? admitted Guardiola, hinting that the club may need to ease off on the pre-season tours in future.
Tuesday?s other match sees dull-but-worthy Sevilla facing Racing Santander, who are bottom-of-the-table and in all sorts of trouble.
Seeing as the squad were having so much difficulty playing football, rugby was introduced to Monday?s training session before questions were thrown (presumably only backwards) at coach H�ctor C�per regarding his future at the club.
?If one day there are doubts about me I?ll step aside and some one else can come in and fix everything,? said the Racing boss in what could be a make-or-break match for the Argentinean manager.
Source: http://theoriginalwinger.com/2011-11-06-new-music-crew-love-drake-x-the-weeknd
Good news if you own a large mansion in the Alderly Edge area of Cheshire: Mario Balotelli just made your property price drop even further!
Having recently moved from a city apartment to a sprawling countryside retreat ? presumably to provide more space for his "girlfriends" ? the impossible-to-predict Man City star has invested in a quad bike, seen above sitting in his driveway. The Sun has therefore decided that the striker has converted his delicately appointed back yard into a race track, finally giving them good cause for a Super Mario Kart headline. A completely made-up source said:
"Mario absolutely loves playing sport, whether it's football, swimming, karate or judo. But with the quad bike he has the speed too.
"He's moved from an apartment block to a country house and has been tearing around now there's no one to complain about the noise."
Balotelli is currently staying in/destroying a hotel (you may recall that a recent incident with some fireworks caused some damage to his bathroom) so we have yet to see him riding his new toy, but I'm sure his neighbors will appreciate the sight of a nouveau riche 21-year-old maniac as he smashes through their French windows at break neck speed with an Italian prostitute on the back.
Image: The Sun
LLL imagines that when the sixty-or-so million Euros were pumped into M�laga over the summer, the club?s Qatari owners weren?t expecting the dreaded talk of ?finals? steaming into view as early as October.
But that?s the kind of crazy talk that the hamster-cheeked Santi Cazorla kicked off this week in light of M�laga?s horrendous 2-0 defeat at Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday ? the club?s third loss in a row without a single goal being scored.
?It?s more than a final in terms of the state of the spirit of the team,? revealed the forward ahead of the southern side?s Sunday night visit from Espanyol, a team who beat Betis on Thursday with their third consecutive 1-0 victory, apparently channeling Dull Deportivo (from back when the Galicians were half-decent).
But big-spending M�laga are in excellent company, having being joined in the doo-doo by the big-spending Atl�tico Madrid. The Rojiblancos are living up to all expectations this season by failing to live up to all expectations this season. Once you get to spend quality time with Atl�tico, that will all make sense.
On Thursday night, Gregorio Manzano?s men continued a fine run of form ? five winless league games no away goals all season. Atl�tico?s latest disaster was a 3-0 loss at the rapidly improving Athletic Bilbao, leaving the manager?s position in some jeopardy, especially since Manzano has just got the backing of club president Enrique Cerezo.
?We keep on thinking that we have a great manager. To think anything else doesn?t make sense," said Cerezo, clearly unaware of his club's history of nonsense. "Neither Manzano nor anyone else is in danger for us. What we have to do is raise the spirits of the team.?
Atl�tico, who these days are just as poor in the Vicente Calder�n as on the road, will be hosting Real Zaragoza in what has to be a beautifully wrapped gift of a chance for a comfortable crowd-pleasing home win on Sunday evening.
Villarreal?s week turned from bad to Arizmendi in just five days. It started off horrendously on Sunday with a 3-0 home defeat to Levante. Juan Carlos Garrido?s side followed up that performance with a hopeless display on Wednesday with a 3-0 loss to Real Madrid.
A day later it was announced that Giuseppe Rossi is set to be out for up to six months with a knee ligament damage, joining Sergio Canales and Carlos Gurpegui in this week's Terrible Injury News Club.
Rather like M�laga and Atl�tico Madrid, Villarreal do have what should be an easy chance to bounce back with the visit of Rayo Vallecano, who are now in the lofty heights of ninth after back-to-back wins against Betis and M�laga.
League leaders Levante ? LLL still gets a tingly kick out of writing that ? will be looking to continuing living the dream of the poor, old and miserable (including the blog) by traveling to Osasuna, from where it is almost impossible to come away with three points.
So that will probably leave Real Madrid at the top of the table after the weekend is over, considering the forces of Mordor will be descending on San Sebastian to face Real Sociedad, who are not very good at all these days. Plucky Barcelona will be building on the side?s feisty 1-0 win at Granada by hosting Mallorca at the Camp Nou in what should be the non-taxing football equivalent of... er... playing Mallorca at the Camp Nou.
Round 11 mini-predictions
Sevilla v Granada ? Home win
Barcelona v Mallorca ? Home win
Sporting v Athletic ? Away win
Atl�tico Madrid v Zaragoza ? Home win
Valencia v Getafe ? Draw
Osasuna v Levante ? Home win
Real Sociedad v Real Madrid ? Away win
Villarreal v Rayo Vallecano ? Home win
M�laga v Espanyol ? Home win
Racing Santander v Betis ? Away win
As dawn broke on a wintry Tuesday morning in Florence, the streetlights outside the Stadio Artemio Franchi cast a murky orange light on a banner hanging loosely from its green gates.
?As a coach we discuss you, but as a man we respect you. Sorry!!!? it read in crude red spray-paint.
This, believe or not, was an apology of sorts from the Fiorentina supporters to coach Sinisa Mihajlovic for the deplorable racial slurs he has been subjected to in each of the club?s last two home games when - amid the by now frequent calls for his dismissal - a section of the Curva sang: ?You are a Gypsy.?
Their actions justifiably brought widespread condemnation from the club and the wider football community. ?Fiorentina expresses the firmest and toughest condemnation of racist chants and insults towards Mihajlovic,? a statement read. ?Every form of dissent and protest is considered legitimate as long as it does not go beyond the limits of correctness and civility. Fiorentina cannot accept a decline into gratuitous vulgarity, into verbal aggression or racism and therefore expresses full solidarity and support to Sinisa Mihajlovic, the victim of shameful and intolerable attacks.?
Mihajlovic?s own response was typical of the spirit he once showed as an uncompromising defender. ?They can whistle me and chant ?sack him? for as long as they want, that?s fine. But when they start to get personal it becomes bothersome and I can?t accept it. I hope that if these people were ever to meet me in the street they would have the bottle to say it to my face.? Mihajlovic has never been one to shy away from a fight, but there is a growing sense that, for once, this is a battle even he can?t win.
Ever since his appointment in June 2010, Mihajlovic has never enjoyed the favour of the Fiorentina supporters. Replacing Cesare Prandelli, the club?s longest-serving manager, was never going to be easy. On the pitch, he had done more than anyone else to re-establish Fiorentina as a leading player in Serie A, achieving fourth place finishes in 2008 and 2009 and qualifying for the Champions League. Off it, Prandelli went further. He helped shape the club?s identity, presenting a Fiorentina with a social conscience to the world. There was the Terzo Tempo fair-play initiative and the decision to forego a commercial shirt sponsor to promote the charity ?Save the Children?, which came into effect just after his exit.
When Prandelli accepted the Italy job in the aftermath of the World Cup in South Africa, it was thought that Fiorentina would bring in another Mr Nice. Instead, they made the decision to hire someone with a reputation for being Mr Nasty. It was not well received. Football fans are elephants, not gold fish. They never forget. But they are selective in what they remember. To many of them Mihajlovic remains one of the most divisive figures in the game because of the controversies that marked his playing career, controversies that many take at face value without exploring the complexities behind them, even if that doesn?t at all mitigate or excuse what he did, from racially abusing Patrick Vieira during Lazio?s encounter with Arsenal in October 2000 and spitting at Adrian Mutu during a match against Chelsea, to honouring his friendship with the late war criminal Zeljko Raznatovic ? better known as Arkan.
Sinisa's range of bespoke knitwear wasn't particularly popular in Florence
But to refer back to Tuesday?s banner, what?s up for discussion here is Mihajlovic the coach, not Mihajlovic the man. The debate has to be professional, not personal. So let?s look at the facts and in particular the background of Mihajlovic?s arrival.
Fiorentina had finished a disappointing 11th in Prandelli?s final season at the club. They were eliminated from the Champions League in March by Bayern Munich unable to recover from the injustice of the first leg when referee Tom Henning Ovrebo harshly sent off Massimo Gobbi and failed to disallow Miroslav Klose?s winner, which was scored from a clearly offside position. The defeat cast a shadow on the rest of campaign, as did the open secret that Prandelli would be leaving.
That Easter, amid the suspicion Prandelli was in talks with Juventus about replacing caretaker boss Alberto Zaccheroni, one of the brothers who owns Fiorentina, Diego Della Valle, asked that the coach sign a letter to the fans saying he would not be moving to the club?s biggest rivals. Prandelli refused and in a fit of pique Diego announced that he would no longer be patron of Fiorentina. He?d had enough. Around the same time, plans to build a new stadium with hotels and retail space were shelved by the city?s mayor Matteo Renzi, a huge blow to the Della Valle family, while the economic downturn understandably meant their business interests also warranted greater attention.
The Della Valle family grew distant. They felt a distinct lack of gratitude for resurrecting the club they had bought in 2002, which was then playing under a different name in Serie C2 and still reeling from the effects of bankruptcy. The same fans who had welcomed them as saviours were now staging protests, and the moment had come to ask if their time and money could not be spent better elsewhere. Last January, for instance, they committed �21.5m to the restoration of the Colosseum in Rome while transfer expenditure at Fiorentina throughout the season was �13.3m, the lowest outlay since the club returned to Serie A in 2004.
What?s clear is that there was a climate of discontent before Mihajlovic?s arrival in Florence. Lauded for saving Catania from relegation, his stock had risen substantially since he received the sack from his first coaching position at Bologna. Even so, his experience came under the microscope. He had never started and finished a season with a club, always stepping into the breach and there were suggestions that Mihajlovic had done so well in six months at Catania because they were up against it and needed someone to take no prisoners and give them a good kick up the backside. The job played to his strengths and the team responded.
Fiorentina represented a different proposition entirely. Used to challenging for Europe and being comfortable in Serie A, whenever times were hard, the players could expect Prandelli to put an arm around their shoulders and talk to them calmly. Voices weren?t raised. There was no hair-dryer treatment. In Mihajlovic, a bigger contrast to Prandelli?s style of management could not be found. Alberto Gilardino said it was a bit of a culture shock. That was an understatement but, to be fair, Mihajlovic soon recognised that if he were to get the best out of his players, he would have to adapt.
Matters weren?t helped, however, by an injury crisis that decimated Fiorentina?s squad. Top playmaker Stevan Jovetic was ruled out for the entire season with torn ligaments in his knee. Goalkeeper Sebastien Frey suffered a similar fate and had been disgruntled anyway by the purchase of Artur Boruc. New signing Gaetano D?Agostino struggled for fitness and form, reportedly prioritising church over his football. Captain Riccardo Montolivo played through an injury sustained at the World Cup but inevitably succumbed and had to go under the knife before Christmas. Adem Ljajic ate too much chocolate and needed to get his haircut. The list went on. Mihajlovic could never field his best team, the football was unconvincing and an already thin margin for error became thinner and thinner.
Mihajlovic shares a laugh and a joke with Patrick Vieira back in 2000...
Interviewed by Il Corriere Fiorentino, Mihajlovic?s wife Arianna said: ?I suffer if he loses because I know that the mute phase begins? He already speaks little, if he then loses a freeze descends on the house. He becomes a fish...? Was Mihajlovic out of his depth? Considering the circumstances, the ninth place finish he achieved was not a disaster. Fiorentina were four points and three places better off than the previous year. They had taken the lead in 20 games, but in those cases Fiorentina only went on to win 11 of them. There were missed opportunities that?s for sure. But it could still be said an improvement had been made. Nevertheless the expectations of the supporters hadn?t been met.
When Mihajlovic was again linked with the vacant post at Inter after Leonardo?s departure for a desk job at Paris Saint-Germain in June, another banner was draped over the gates at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. ?Moratti, please take him away from us. Thanks!!!? it read. Much to their disappointment, he didn?t take them up on their offer, deciding on Gian Piero Gasperini instead. A measure of fun was to be had though when someone stole Mihajlovic?s favourite Oliver People?s sunglasses at a pre-season press conference only to respond to a club appeal and return them in an unmarked envelope.
Even so, the malaise at Fiorentina couldn?t be lifted.
Diego Della Valle?s brother, Andrea, wrote an open letter outlining the situation. ?I need to know with extreme clarity what the city and real fans want and expect for the future of Fiorentina, to understand if there is still the motivation for the owners to continue down a common path of sporting passion, to build the best possible future and to restore all the pleasure of going to the stadium to spend an entertaining afternoon. If there aren?t these conditions then, as we have said before, the owners are ready to step aside.?
Montolivo was one of the first to give an answer, one that he had been mulling over for some time. Entering the final year of his contract, he revealed that he wouldn?t be signing a renewal. Fiorentina stripped him of the captaincy and though there were rumours of a move to Milan, a deal to suit both parties couldn?t be struck and he remains at the club, still eligible for selection as long as he keeps working hard in training, which he has done to his credit.
Despite everything, once Mihajlovic?s second season started there were reasons to be hopeful. Fiorentina opened their account with a 2-0 victory at home to Bologna, while a defeat to Udinese the following week was immediately put right by the 3-0 thrashing of Parma in front of their own fans. Jovetic announced his return with a brace and put pen to paper on a new long-term contract until 2016. Then came a run of five games without a win, coinciding with an injury to Alberto Gilardino and a 2-1 defeat to the old enemy Juventus, which brought the pressure right back on to Mihajlovic.
Last Sunday?s visit of Genoa was labeled a must-win, even by the club. Fiorentina president Mario Cognigni insisted that while a ?Mihajlovic problem? does not exist, results have to change. Before kick-off the supporters unveiled banners in favour of certain names put forward in the press to replace him. ?I want Delio Rossi,? claimed one. ?Me too,? said another. Some even got behind Genoa because their coach Alberto Malesani, once in the employ of Fiorentina in the mid-90s, remains popular. Much to their chagrin, Mihajlovic prevailed, as Andrea Lazzari?s 41st minute strike separated the two sides and saved his coach from being fired though it wasn?t enough to silence the whistles and vile chants.
Tuesday?s ?apology? was a positive sign. Tentative efforts to open further channels of rapprochement between Mihajlovic and the fans were made on Thursday when an open training session was organised with a friendly against the Under-17s on the cards. Whether the peace is genuine or phoney remains to be seen. Street signs in the city have been defaced to read via Sinisa da Firenze [jokingly pointing Mihajlovic in the direction of the exit] and if Fiorentina were to lose to Chievo on Sunday ahead of their next fixture against Milan then he might well be forced to take it.
