England Football Irony

Liverpool completed England domination in UEFA Champions League after beating Inter 1-0 at Giuseppe Meazza after Fernando Torres struck an incredible volley that separates the 2 giants. Liverpool victory means we will be seeing 4 England teams in the UEFA Champions League quarter final. Placing 4 teams in the quarter final could only mean one thing and 3 in the last year's semi final could only mean one thing, England rule European football. Is it true?
Looking at the last 4 years of UEFA Champions League we can say that England has been the king of European football. In 2005, Liverpool became the winner after a beating Milan on the night that won't be forgotten by any football fans. In 2006, Arsenal played in the final for the first time in their history only to see Barcelona lifted the throphy. Last year, we saw 3 England teams in the semi final. Glancing at the fact above, anyone would agree at how England dominate Europe. This year, the same domination happens. We might as well see All English semi finals which is something rarely happens.
Anyway, I will never forget how England can only watch Euro 2008 from TV this summer. This brings a question to my head, what the hell is going on? How can a nation so powerful in the UEFA Champions League can only be spectator in Euro 2008? The EPL always claim themselves as the best league in the world, both in the aspect of quality of play and business which is something I agree about. The EPL always perform quite high quality level every week with fans spread throughout the world. Star players gather here, a place where they get irreasonably high salary. League competition is a way to produce a strong national team, a team that can bring joy and dignity to every it's citizen. The FA should do more evaluation about their system of competition. What's the point of having the so called best league in the world when you don't have a strong national team?

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Odd Milan

Last Tuesday's Champions League last 16 tie saw AC Milan's heavy lost to EPL side Arsenal. The score was 0-2 (I ber you already aware about that). The scoreline was something usual in the last 16 of Champions League. What I meant about heavy is how the match went. There was nothing much Milan can do against Arsenal who did all the attack. Milan were busy to defend and can't handle Arsenal's preesure especially in the midfield. Milan on that night wasn't the same team I know in the past few years.
A lot of people that the root of Milan's failure this season (I don't mean only in the Champions League but also in the Serie A) is their aging players. Everybody knows how old Carlo Ancelloti's squad is this season. Even the 40 years old Paolo Maldini is still playing regularly. I agree with those people who say that having too many aging players wouldn't bring much to the team except an easily exhaust squad. In the Arsenal game, we can see how Milan's players can not compete with the speed and mobility of their opponent's which are a lot younger. The goals were scored in the last 6 minutes when concentration dropped to the very low limit. Young footballers wouldn't have this problem while older ones tend to drop concentration more easily.
How about the Rossoneri fans, then? Surprisingly, they keep silent about their team's current achievement. I know that empty San Siro is a common scene this season. This may be an indication of disappointed fans. But, to be honest, I expect more from Milan fans. I never heard them speak their mind loudly regarding their team's poor form. I also never heard them organize a protest outside the training ground like the Roma fans did couple years ago. This quite amaze me. I know that Milan do have some ultras fans which are considered as the hardline fans, but they didn't let them heard hard enough. I'm not a Milan fan but I expect them to put more pressure on the management.
Speaking of Milan management, I have to say that I can't understand what they are thinking right now. They weren't aggresive enough in both transfer windows. There was no sign at all to bring in young players as investment for the future. I know Pato is an extremely talented young player but I also believe Milan should have brought more players. As I said earlier, their squad is aging and the management didn't do anything about it.
Added to my confusion about Milan, they still keep Ancelloti and even guaranteed his place next season no matter what happen! This is something beyond my wildest imagination. A manager is the person who has the most responsibility. He should be fired if he can't make his team to perform as expected. To be honest, I don't Ancelloti is the right man. He should be fired if Milan can't finish this season at 4th place.

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More Time for Rafa

A lot of people now say that Liverpool is in crisis. As I write this post, The Reds are 14 points behind the EPL leader and the title dream looks out of reach. They also gained only 4 points from their last 4 games which is something really bad for Rafael Benitez.
The future of Rafael Benitez is in doubt right now especially after Tom Hicks released a statement that Liverpool managemen once deeply considered to bring Juergen Klinsman to replace Benitez. The question is, should Liverpool management sack Benitez?
Benitez arrived at Anfield at 2004 with a high profile after successfull helms at Valencia. When he arrived, Liverpool was not considered as the best team in England. The domination of Manchester United and Arsenal was something too big to handle for Benitez in his early years. Not to mention the purchasing power brought by Roman Abramovich to Chelsea makes The Blues suddenly considered the best team not only in England, but also in Europe.
Back then, Liverpool didn't have gigantic funds to build an instanlty strong team. Sir Alex Ferguson spent 30 million pounds to land Rio Ferdinand while the most expensive center back Benitez ever bought is Martin Skrtel for only 6.5 million. Arsenal invested a lot in their youngster development and now the investment resulted very well for Arsene Wenger. Liverpool? I don't think they have produced great youngsters from their academy since Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher. I know that this season Benitez has successfully landed Fernando Torres which is quite expensive. But still, one player doesn't make the whole season for a soccer team. Liverpool finding it hard to win when Torres having a bad day. This is a situation we rarely see at Manchester United or Arsenal. Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez, and even Nani can score for Sir Alex while Hleb can be a key factor when Cesc or Adebayor are having trouble.
So, Liverpool is not quite competitive enough when they still rely heavily on Torres. Looking at their current financial condition, Liverpool still need time to dominate English football. As long Liverpool can't match Manchester United or Chelsea's financial power, the dream of becoming the dominating team in England is still only a dream.
I also would like to say that you can't gain anything in football instantly. You need to build a strong foundation and to do so, you need full support from everyone at the club and good financial condition. Football is a long term investment. Remember, Sir Alex took 6 years to build his team and look where he is now...

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Valencia Crisis Could Harm Spain?

Valencia is one of the high profile teams in the La Liga. So far, they have been a favourite early in the season. I still remember how they won the Spanish league and UEFA Cup three years ago when nobody thought they could do that. As one of the favourites, Valencia has always filled with talented players. Every season they present a real threat to other favorites.
This season, we see different story from the Mestalla boys. As I write this post, Valencia sits on the 7th place of the table and has been knocked out of the European Champions League. The strings of bad result is a surprising one to me. Looking at their roster, I think Valencia could do much better in all competition. 4th place on the table and playing at the 1st stage of Champions League knockout round is where they supposed to be. The fact is, they are struggling just to get into the top 4 of the La Liga.
And then came Ronald Koeman to save the day. The Dutchman replace previous manager Queque Flores who has been sacked for obvious reason, of course. So far, Koeman didn't do anything magical for Valencia. They are still struggling with unease. The latest news is Koeman dropped senior players like Santiago Canizares, David Albelda, and Miguel Angel Angulo. They have been an integral part of the team for so many years but yet, Koeman dropped them since he feels those three can't give their best to the team.
Controversy is an instant impact of this decision. Some say that Koeman is to harsh to his players while others feel that Koeman is just being overreactive. I don't want to say much about this but I believe that manager has absolute power when it comes to determining his starting eleven. Controversy is something usual in football nowadays and Koeman knows that. I think he should be given full authority regarding his team. Any decision he makes is his responsibility and time will tell about the effectiveness of it.
Valencia contributes 6 players to the national team so far. They are three players I have mentioned above plus David Villa, David Silva, and Fernando Morientes. They are good players, actually, and I always enjoy their performance in the Spanish soccer. They also would be key players for Luis Aragones. However, Aragones can be worry now. Valencia's poor performance this season could damage their players morale and if this happens, Aragones will have problems. I don't think he can afford to have six of his key players spend the rest of this season with low morale. It could affect their performance in Spain national team and, eventually, could also harm Spain's chance in the Euro 2008.
So, Koeman has a tough job now. The fate of Spain national could rest on his arm.

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Warning to Rijkaard

Real Madrid proved themselves as strong contender after beating Barcelona 1-0 at Camp Nou. Thanks to Julio Baptista's only goal that separated both Spanish soccer giants. Now, Madrid are 7 points ahead Barcelona.
It was clear that Barcelona missed the magical touch of Lionel Messi. Ronaldinho and Deco, expected to be key players, pointed out that they are now only fringe players for the Catalan side. On the other side, Madrid only lost Guti due to injury but still capable to play well.
Frank Rijkaard must realize that his team is no longer a dominant side in the La Liga. He must have a deeper look at his teams. Players like Ronaldinho and Deco are no longer at their best form and seem to have lost their motivation. Rijkaard should consider to give youngsters like dos Santos and Bojan more minutes on the pitch. These two have great talents with high motivation to stand out and prove what they are made of. Bojan was introduced very late at El Clasico and he made an instant impact. I wonder why Rijkaard didn't pick Bojan in his starting line up. If things don't change until January, then we may see leaving Barcelona.

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Will Tradition Survive?

The drawing for 1st stage knockout of Champions League has been done. This season we will see at least three cracking games as it always happens every season.
First, the EPL leader Arsenal will play AC Milan at home before travel to San Siro. Arsenal, no doubt,is really on fire right now. They only lost once in the EPL and recently won 1-0 from another favourite Chelsea which is a boost to their European football level campaign while continues their pathetic performance in the Italian football. Oddly, both team do have different history in the Champions League. Arsenal never won the Champions League while Milan is one of the European rulers with their 7 titles. So far, Arsenal's best achievement is reaching the finals in 2006 where they lost to Barcelona. Can Milan continue their tradition or maybe it's time for Arsenal to break through?
Let's not forget Liverpool. I'm sure Rafael Benitez curses the drawing that put them together with Serie A leader, Inter. Both team are doing well in their domestic league, especially for Inter, but their tradition in the European level makes the difference between both sides. It's gonna be proven European mentality of Liverpool against a very prolific side Inter.
Another real final fixture is between AS Roma and Real Madrid. Like previous matches i said earlier, this is also another example of a match between two strong sides with difference in the term of European tradition.
So, what is it gonna be? Will traditional Champions League teams survive?

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Will Milan Slump Continue?

AC Milan, a giant in Italian football, lost a home game again. It happened when they surrendered 2-1 against Catania in the Coppa Italia. This result prolongs their winningless form against fellow Italian teams in all domestic competition. This is something unusual for me because their bad form doesn't happen in the European level. Milan got through to the knockout stage of the Champions League with ease. They also won Club World Cup last week in Japan after beating Boca Juniors.
This weekend, Milan will face fierce rival Inter in the derby game. Following a 4-1 win against Reggina, I'm pretty sure Inter will face this derby more comfortably. Looking at the current form, Inter has a better chance than Milan.
But is there no chance at all for Milan? I know that Inter is on a good form now. However, we have to remember that Inter midfield could be in trouble now. Patrick Viera and Olivier Dacourt, two key players in the midfield, will absence due to injury. On the other hand, Milan midfield is pretty solid. Key players like Massimo Ambrossini, Andrea Pirlo, and Gennaro Gattuso are in perfect condition. If they can win the battle in the midfield, maybe Milan can win. Kaka will play an important role as usual. His amazing skill and magical pass will be a decisive factor.
The only problem Milan has is Inter strikers. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is so deadly as usual and his job can be a lot easier considering Milan's old defenders. Ibrahimovic's pace can do a lot damage for Milan's back four. If Ibrahomic has a bad day, then Suazo or Julio Cruz can provide the same danger.
I guess both team have good confidence. The World Cup winner title will boost Milan's players to prove that their fixtures in Japan were something precious and not just 'friendlies' like Roberto Mancini claimed. Their ambition to end this season in the top four will also add gasoline to Milan's engine since losing could put an end to their ambition.
On the other hand, Inter will make use of this game to prove that they are better even than the world champion. A win just before new year will also boost their motivation to win the scudetto again.

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Is It Over for The Reds?

Back in the 80's, people would laugh if they hear someone says that Liverpool will last 18 years without league title. Back then Liverpool was a dominating team in English football. But now, Liverpool lasted the last 17 years without league title. From time to time, people always said that The Reds are a strong contender for the title. But the story remains the same. Liverpool always ended the season without the title since 1990.
This season, the same story could happen. After a terrific transfer in the summer windows by landing Fernando Torres, Ryan Babel, and Yossi Benayoun, Liverpool once again considered as a strong contender for the title. The so called Rafalution since 3 years ago was believed to bring good result to The Reds. Now, for the first time in 3 years, we can a very good depth at Liverpool squad where there are at least 2 players fighting for one position.
But, is everything okay for Liverpool now? Can they wrap the title this season? To be honest, Liverpool's chance is getting harder every week. After a shocking defeat at Reading last week, they lost against Manchester United at home. I know that 2 losts doesn't erase their chance to win the league. But let's take a look at how Liverpool is doing against their fellow Big Four. They have played Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United at home and they only gained 2 points from those crucial games. They lost against Manchester United and drawn against Arsenal and Chelsea. This means that after the new year they will play those 3 teams on away games. How can they win against them if they can't do it at home soil? These 3 games will be very difficult to handle.
One more thing to think of is Liverpool's consistency. So far they have 6 draws which is a disadvantage to then. I personally think that these draws is a result of their inconsistency. Benitez' rotation policy has a great deal with this matter. On the other hand, other Big Four members has showed great consistency. Arsenal keep on firing with their youngsters, Manchester United look vveru solid after a slow start, and Chelsea show that they still can do a lot without their Special One. These 3 teams are better in the term of consistency.
But hey, anything can happen in football. With a hectic schedule, injuries can be a very important factor. This is something we can't predict. I just hope the EPL title race will be hot until the very last week.

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Eto'o or Messi?

Lionel Messi, a key Barcelona player, is reported to be injured and surely will miss El Classico against Real Madrid this weekend. This should be a good news for Madrid. Messi, with his incredible induvidual skill and great vision, is threat to every opponent's defence. His absence means that Barcelona will be less attractive at the right flank.
On the other hand, striker Samuel Eto'o has recovered from his long injury. Last week, he played in the Valencia game and scored a wonderful goal. Eto'o's return is a good news for Frank Rijkaard since he has lost Thierry Henry. There's no doubt that Eto'o will provide the same sharpness as Henry does.
But, can Eto't replace Messi? This is a question I found on reuters blog. I know that Eto'o is a lethal striker in front of goal. He can make the most of almost every opportunity, even if it's only a small one. He also has the pace that makes him a perfect target man so it's easier for Barcelona's midfielder to create an attack in various ways. I agree if people say that Eto'o is a top class striker right now. I personally think that Eto'o is a better than Henry when it comes to the style of play. Eto'o is more powerful than Henry and I always like that kind of striker.
Messi? Everybody knows what he's capable of. Like any other strikers, this kid knows how to score. I know he's not as powerful as Eto'o but Messi is truly a football artist. Beside Kaka and Christiano Ronaldo, Messi is one footballer with an amazing dribbling skill. He can go pass his marker with his magical move and then slice inside the penalty box to score or provide a golden opportunity for his teammates. This is something Eto'o can't do.
If I were Frank Rijkaard, I'd rather to lose Eto'o than Messi. The element of surprise that Messi could provide is something priceless and I don't think no other Barcelona's player can do that. If I lose Eto'o or Henry I could pick one of two most talented kids, Bojan or Dos Santos. I know these two are young and still lack of experience, but so far they never disappointed me when Rijkaard pick them to play. Once again, the element of surprise Messi has is something irreplaceable.

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The Gunners Keep on Firing

Arsenal proved themselves to be the strongest EPL winner candidate after beating Chelsea 1-0 at Emirates last night. Former Chelsea player, William Gallas, scored the only goal that separates the two London teams. This win put Arsenal back to the top of the EPL table. Few hours before, Manchester United was on the top after a glorious win at Anfield.
This result showed how good Arsenal are right now. I know a win from Chelsea is not something shocking but this win can be crucial this season. With Manchester United's consistency, Arsenal can't afford to lose one single game.
In my previous post, I said that Arsenal will face a striking problem after Thierry Henry left to try his luck at La Liga with Barcelona. I have to admit that I was wrong. I can't see any striking problem for Arsenal now. Fabregas, Hleb, and Adebayor are, indeed, capable to win every game. Now, I have to say that Arsenal have what it takes to win the EPL.
Chelsea? Well, I think they are still in transition after Jose Mourinho's departure. This season is not the one they will win easily like they used to do.

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