Sure, Barca are the best is the business. But the way I see it, Manchester is the first city of European football.
Of course, that doesn’t mean both United and City aren’t in danger of dropping out of the Champions League once the group stages conclude next month.
In this week’s Toro Magazine column, I explain why the Citizens are surely Europa League-bound, while Fergie’s lot will likely find a way through…again.
Filed under Champions League, English Football, Premier League
Gasperini: Don't look back in anger
It took five matches for Internazionale to fire Gian Piero Gasperini… the fifth manager to leave the club in three years. But only in the world of sport does a organization hire its leaders from a steady pool of failures.
The rumours are that Claudio “The Tinkerman” Ranieri has been given a two-year contract to take over from Gasperini. No stranger to football’s revolving door, Ranieri has managed 10 teams over the last 20 years; this will be his seventh Serie A club. In that time, he has only won two major trophies: a Coppa Italia with Fiorentina… and a Copa del Rey with Valencia. Yet this is the man who has allegedly been chosen to lead one of the biggest clubs in the world.
Inter fans and management must be perturbed that their recent domination of Italian football has come to a jarring and screeching halt. Long known as “the other Milanese club”, i Nerazzurri shook off its inferiority complex by winning five consecutive Serie A titles under Roberto Mancini and José Mourinho, topping off the run by winning the quadruple: the league title, the Coppa Italia, the Supercoppa, as well as being crowned both European and world champions… defeating mighty Barcelona along the way. Life was good for Inter Milan. Then Rafael Benitez arrived.
Rafageddon unleashed again
Sure, Rafa led them to a World Club Championship. But they did it by beating club teams from South Korea and the Congo… one of the poorest nations in the world. Not so fast, cry Inter fans. They beat the world’s best to get there. But Rafa’s infernal reputation of maniacal stubbornness is well deserved, and it didn’t sit well with the club’s superstars. By Christmas, Inter would be down by 11 points from their San Siro rivals and Benitez was shown the door. He has yet to manage in a single match since.
While not a bad choice, the Spaniard’s replacement was perhaps difficult for Inter fans to accept. Not only did Leonardo play over a hundred matches for hated AC… he was also part of the Brazilian team that beat Italy at the Rose Bowl in 1994. No matter: the new gaffer lead Inter on a run that pulled them to the brink of another championship. But in the end, the club failed to defend the league, and were laughed out of Europe by a mediocre German side. While Inter managed to hold onto the Coppa, the writing was on the wall. Leonardo left Italy for the bright lights — and a big pay cheque — in Paris.
Enter Gasparini and an immediate cloud of suspicion. Rumours abounded that the former Genoa gaffer was only chosen because others refused the job. Fabio Capello is still under contract to the England FA. Young Andres Villas-Boas snapped at the chance to manage Cha-ching! Chelsea, after only one season at Porto. Even Marcelo Bielsa followed up Chile’s impressive display at last year’s World Cup by signing up to manage the Spanish powerhouse… of Athletic Bilbao.
It all must have been secretly humiliating for owner Massimo Moratti. If it was, it only got worse as the season got underway. After succumbing to their hated rivals in the SuperCoppa, Inter emerged from the one-week players’ strike to lose to up-and-coming Palermo… one of the teams leading a Southern renaissance in Italian football. That was followed by a CL league loss (at home!) to Turkish side Trabzonspor, who weren’t even supposed to be there. A draw against Roma might have been acceptable, if it was not for a humiliating defeat Tuesday night to newly-promoted Novara. Gasperini uscita… Ranieri entri.
Zanetti: Is it exit time for Inter's Iron Man?
There are some — including the Guardian’s Jonathan Wilson — who argue that Moretti should never have hired Gasperini… not because he is a bad manager, but because his system doesn’t gel with Inter’s squad. Gasperini favours variations of 3-4-3. But at Inter, that meant using an ancient back-five of Samuel, Lucio, Maicon, Cambiasso and Zanetti as defensive anchors (the average age of the South Americans is 33). Gasperini let his fullbacks roam just behind the wingers, and the aforementioned central players like to play up-field…. leaving Inter vulnerable on the counter. Consequently, ball after ball has gone sailing over the heads of the defenders, with only an increasingly erratic Julio Cesar to stop it.
Offensively, the club is only marginally better off. The “Will He Leave, Won’t He Leave” speculation surrounding Wesley Sneijder had to have been a distraction, considering the Dutchman’s pivotal role in the formation. Plus, the fiasco signing of cup-tied Diego Forlan from Atletico Madrid is unforgivable. If you believe in omens, it does not portend well for The Big Grass Snake.
Obviously, the scudetto is still too young to start picking out trends. But with non-traditional leaders like Palermo, Napoli, Fiorentina and Udinese continuing where they left off last season, Inter may have to look deep within itself and try to decide what it needs to do to turn itself around. Ranieri will likely perturb players with his constant manipulation of the side, not unlike Benitez. We will see if The Tinkerman soothes or chafes raw egos at the club.
From my perspective, Inter fans can take solace in two things:
1) Super Sneijder and Forlan seem to be developing an understanding, despite the recent run of form. Both players were magnificent in South Africa, with Forlan leading what could be considered South America’s new powerhouse. If they can get service, look out.
2) AC Milan is only playing marginally better, stealing a draw last week against Barcelona in the CL. Italy’s axis of power may be shifting.
Filed under Champions League, Copa America, Serie A, World Cup
C'mon Thiago, give us a kiss...
One club is considered the best in the world; the other is a team that has found its way back to the top of its domestic league. Both were surprised this weekend by so-called lesser sides. Tonight, it was Barcelona that showed its quality over AC Milan. Unfortunately for Barca, the scoresheet didn’t reflect it.
Two goals by Milan’s Brazilian stars bookended the game and stole a point for the Rossoneri. The World Champions dominated up until that point: Barcelona had 80% possession at the 75th-minute mark… a calling card for the Catalonians. Gaffer Pep Guardiola says he’s not worried… nor should he be.
It’s the Italian club that should be wringing its hands. The consensus is that AC Milan will have a tough time defending the scudetto… and judging by their last two performances, they may prove the pundits right. Not only did Barca’s tiki-taka have Milan on the back heel for most of the match, but the Italian champs kicked off the Serie A season on Thursday by having to fight back against a new-look Lazio. Add the Roman club to Milan’s growing list of league rivals:
- Internazionale is aging but still potent.
- Juventus may be an Old Lady, but she may find a sabbatical from Europe rejuvenating.
- Udinese was the better team against Arsenal in CL qualifiers, and could build on last year’s success.
- The South seems to be rising again with Palermo beating Inter 4-3 (again, the Nerrazzurri looked slow and old)… and Napoli being picked as a dark horse for the title.
Zlatan the Terrible
And while he didn’t play tonight, Milan still has its good luck charm: Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Every team he has played on since 2004 has won its domestic title (if you include Juventus’ revoked trophies). He is a big, black belt-wearing nutter who has a goals-per-game average of at least 50% in the last six seasons. Plus, NOW he’s eating his Wheaties.
Filed under Champions League, Serie A
Chimbonda gives his final regards to Lancashire
The putting of pen to paper today by “nice guy” Steve Kean seems to indicate a turning point for Blackburn Rovers: that Ewood Park is shedding its image as a Home for Wayward Boys.
Indeed, the news seemed to cap off what looked like a week of redemption for the club. Rovers have sold off poor sport Pascal Chimbonda, a whiny wantaway from every team he’s ever played for. Kean also wondered aloud to reporters whether it might be time to let go of the Human Camel, El-Hadji Diouf. Those words come just a week after Diouf allegedly stood over QPR player Jamie Mackie, taunting the player as he writhed in pain from a double leg fracture.
Diouf: Couldn't meet a nicer fella...
The truth is that — in the history of the Premier League — Blackburn has been a place for boys who behave badly. Out of the players in the top 50 for all-time Premier League fouls, 10 spent time at Rovers. Out of all-time Prem yellow cards, 12 wore the blue and white. Of course, it’s also what they do off the pitch that makes them such jerks.
Jason Roberts (2006 – ) – He lit up what is now League One for Bristol Rovers over two seasons. But when they failed to get promoted, Roberts handed in a transfer request to a bitter Ian Holloway. He was just as fickle to ex-manager Sam Allardyce. Now Roberts can’t find the bright side of a barn door and is hated by the Rovers faithful.
Paul Dickov (2004-2006) - Nicknamed “The Wasp” and “The Pest”, Dickov’s role as a second striker was more to irritate central defenders. At only 5′ 6″, the cranky Scotsman did his job but picked up a weeee bit of fouls along the way.
Brett Emerton (2003 – ) – The Aussie plays the same style as many of his countrymen (Neill, Cahill, Kewell, Viduka): nasty. The midfielder seems to find his way to a yellow card or two internationally, including this weekend in the Asian Cup.
Emerton, Neill: Model Citizens
Lucas Neill (2001 – 2007) - The epitome of Blackburn Rovers football in the last decade, Neill is also the epitome of the phrase “See You Next Thursday”. A dirty player, he broke Jamie Carragher’s leg in 2003… an incident that literally made him a marked man on Merseyside. Neill is now playing for Galatasaray, so if Blackburn is a stop on the Road to Perdition, then Welcome to Hell, you Aussie git!
Morten Gamst Pedersen (2004 – ) – Alternating between pest and crybaby, Pedersen made a meal of Joey Barton’s punch this season. Barton is no angel but Pedersen made it handbags at dawn.
Robbie Savage (2005 – 2008) – The Welshman is probably the most hated man in football.
Bonkers Bellamy
Craig Bellamy (2005-2006) - Another Welshman and probably the second-most hated man in football. Bellamy never shuts up, irritating “friend and foe” alike. He pissed off former Blackburn boss Graeme Souness when both were at Newcastle. He went after Liverpool teammate John Arne Riise with a golf iron. He can’t stay at one club more than a season and a half. A cancer in the bootroom.
Of course, one only has to look at the managers over the last ten years to see why the team is built like it is. The seeds were likely sown with Souness’ arrival in 2000. The Scotsman earned his reputation as the Godfather of Hard during his playing days at Liverpool. When he arrived at Blackburn he attempted to build the team in his own image. After the Neill-Carragher incident, Souness refused to apologize for 48 hours. Just this fall, Carragher returned the favour, saying that Souness’ time as Liverpool manager was the beginning of the end for the once-great club.
Sparky points out the Road to Perdition
But the man who probably had the most influence was Mark Hughes. The irritable striker was a superstar for Manchester United… but it was at Blackburn that he ended his prolific career. Sparky — another Welshman, by the way — brought in the likes of Roberts, Dickov, Pedersen, Savage, and Bellamy during his tenure. While successful — Blackburn made two UEFA Cup appearances because of their League finishes — they were often the most penalized team in the Prem.
After Hughes left for the greener pastures of Manchester City (snicker), another bad boy took his place: Hughes’ former United teammate Paul Ince. But Blackburn soon realized what lots of people already know: that ex-players without their coaching badges are almost always awful. Plus, the players couldn’t stand him. Ince had a cup of coffee in Lancashire and then made way for Big Sam, who brought the same philosophy of “stuck-in” football that he used at Bolton… which leaves us where we are today.
A quick note: Even when Kenny Dalglish was managing the club, there were players getting up to no good. Many members of the 1995 league-winning side were as familiar with the referee’s book as they were with the opposing goal. That season, Tim Sherwood got 10 yellow cards, Graeme Le Saux got eight, Chris Sutton seven. And just months after winning the Premier League, teammates LeSaux and David Batty fought each other during a Champions League match.
I’m not saying the arrival of the Indian Chicken family, and the permanent hiring of Kean, will make Blackburn a kinder, gentler team. But after watching the club over the last ten years, it may be that a more attractive brand of football is on its way.
Anyway, it could be worse. Could be West Ham…
Filed under Champions League, Premier League, Uncategorized
Leeds United turned back the clock this weekend
Rewind 10 years to May 2001. Manchester United had just won their English third league title in a row. It was the first time a single manager — Sir Alex Ferguson — managed the feat. Arsenal came in second, pipping Liverpool to the spot on the last day of the season. But the Merseysiders shed few tears, winning a treble of trophies — UEFA Cup, FA & League Cups — along with their third-place finish, meaning they would be in the Champions League for the first time since the Hillsborough disaster.
The top of the table was awash in a sea of red. But just below them were the colours to complete the Union Jack: Leeds United white and Ipswich Town blue. Both teams were riding high. Both teams would find their success short-lived.
Fast forward 10 years to the present day. Leeds and Ipswich have spent much of the last decade in the lower leagues, unable to replicate the success of 2000-2001. Now both teams must go through Arsenal to have any chance of cup glory this season.
Ipswich Town
Back in 2001, both clubs were riding high. Ipswich had only been promoted the previous season and were widely picked to go down again. But they stayed in the top six for much of the season, finally finishing fifth and earning George Burley the Manager of the Year award. They also picked up a place in the UEFA Cup, the trophy they had won 20 years earlier.
George Burley: Manager of the Year 2001
But that success turned out to be a blip. After their fifth place finish, the Tractor Boys spent much of the next season at the foot of the table and were relegated, entering administration in the process. They’ve remained in the First Division/Championship ever since. Ipswich came close to coming back up, securing play-off spots in 2004 and 2005, but lost both times to West Ham. Since then, they’ve have simply floundered. The hiring of former Ipswich great Jim Magilton, and then Man U giant Roy Keane, did nothing for either the club’s results… or for the idea of using unqualified players as managers.
Leeds United
For Leeds, the heights were even loftier. Although they slipped from the previous season’s third-place finish, they made up for it in 2001 by going all the way to the Champions League semi-finals. A 3-0 defeat to Valencia prevented them from facing their opponents in the 1975 final, Bayern Munich.
That Leeds side featured several young players who would make names for themselves at other clubs: Robbie Keane, Mark Viduka, Harry Kewell, Lee Bowyer, Paul Robinson, Alan Smith, Dominic Matteo, Rio Ferdinand.
Leeds: Too good to go down...
But like Icarus flying to close to the sun, the Yorkshire side was burned by pride. Buoyed by Leeds’ domestic and European success, Chairman Peter Risdale borrowed heavily to secure new players. That proved to be short-sighted: their fourth-place league finish meant they had to settle for the UEFA league. Leeds lost much-need television revenue and they began their descent.
The team was forced to sell star players to fund debts, killing morale at the club. Leeds were relegated in 2004, and then dropped again to League One in 2007. After two playoff losses in a row, the Whites finally got promoted to the Championship last season with a second-place finish.
Cup Success?
One club has rebounded, one has not. The difference between the two was evident this weekend. Ipswich sacked Keane on Friday, just two days before the East Anglians were to face Chelsea in the FA Cup. Owner Marcus Evans was unhappy with Ipswich being in 19th place , but his timing was awful. The champions and cup holders humiliated Evans’ team, 7-0.
Meanwhile, Leeds — who sit in fifth — almost earned a famous win at the Emirates, if not for a Theo Walcott dive in the dying minutes. United must now fancy their chances with the replay being held in the intimidating environs of Elland Road. If they win, a West Yorkshire derby awaits at home against Huddersfield Town.
Ipswich still have a chance at redemption. New gaffer Paul Jewell will lead them out against the Gooners today at home, in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final. Ipswich are 7-1-6 at Portman Road. But after five trophy-less seasons, Arsene Wenger is hungry for silverware and isn’t likely to let up on the Tractor Boys.
Ten years ago, both Leeds United and Ipswich Town were riding high. Now, after a decade of being left red-faced, both clubs are hoping for a blue-ribbon day against a formidable opponent, lest they are forced to wave the white flag of surrender.
Filed under Carling Cup, Champions League, FA Cup
First of all, congratulations to Lionel Messi for capturing his second consecutive World Player of the Year award. Though Xavi and Andres Iniesta were also worthy finalists, little Leo’s tally of 58 goals in 54 games for Barca last year was simply too outstanding for voters to ignore. Congratulations also must go out to every player named to FIFA’s world XI, all of whom were outstanding at their respective positions last year:
GK: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid)
RB: Maicon (Inter)
CB: Lucio (Inter)
CB: Gerard Pique (Barcelona)
LB: Carles Puyol (Barcelona)
MF: Xavi (Barcelona)
MF: Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)
MF: Wesley Sneijder (Inter)
FWD: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
FWD: David Villa (Barcelona)
FWD: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
A look at the players, however, shows a disturbing pattern. All of the XI belong to just three clubs! And the way Real Madrid and Barcelona are tearing up La Liga this season, it isn’t beyond the realm of possibility that next season’s World XI will be comprised entirely of players from just those two Spanish squads.
We all love to watch soccer for various reasons, but I think everyone can agree that one of the most compelling reasons is the game’s unpredictability. If European soccer continues to be dominated by so few teams, then the game will begin to bore us all. Yawn. Wake me when Real and Barca make the Champions League final, will ya???
Filed under Champions League, La Liga, Serie A
When Tottenham was drawn against Young Boys of Bern in Champions League qualifying back in August, it was a dream draw for the North London’s debutantes, the easiest opponent Spurs could have faced at the final hurdle before the group stages of the competition.
And although they nearly bolloxed things up by falling behind 3-0 in the opening 30 minutes of the first leg, Spurs recovered to sweep past the Swiss side and move on to the tournament proper, where their only slip-up in six matches was a 4-3 defeat to Inter at Milan’s San Siro. A 3-1 triumph in the return leg at White Hart Lane put Tottenham on top of Group A to stay, meaning they’d avoid some of Europe’s heaviest hitters in this morning’s draw for the Round of 16.
This time, there was no dream draw, and Tottenham must go back to their house of first-half horrors to face Inter’s crosstown rivals AC Milan in February. The best scenario this time, if it could be considered as such, was probably FC Copenhagen, the first Danish side to reach the last 16. But even as a group winner, Tottenham still faced the prospect of many problematic opponents. And in the Rossoneri, current Serie A leaders, Tottenham have drawn one of the toughest. Sure, Marseille, Lyon and Valencia wouldn’t have been cakewalks, either, but this promises to be a stern, serious test.
Spurs, who will hope to be healthier in 10 weeks time, will be coming home for the second leg, of course. And our man ’Arry isn’t afraid of the big, bad boys from Northern Italy, saying he’s happy to keep measuring his squad against the best.
Of course, as North London squads go, Tottenham’s draw looks far better than neighbourhood rivals Arsenal, who face the daunting task of a battle with Barcelona, the same team that knocked them out of the tournament last year, and beat the Gooners in the 2006 final. Good luck with that one, lads.
Rather than Spurs, it was West London’s Chelsea who got the great Dane draw against Copenhagen, while Manchester United will meet Marseille. Inter got Bayern Munich in a rematch of last year’s final. Will the embattled Rafa Benitez still be in charge by then?
Meanwhile, the scabby Europa League teams also learned their fate today, with Man. Citeh drawn against Greece’s Aris Salonika, the team that knocked title holders Atletico Madrid out of the tournament. Obi Woy’s Liverpool get Sparta Prague, and Tottenham’s old adversary Young Boys, still alive in this competition, get Zenit St. Petersburg, who were UEFA Cup winners in 2008.
Finally, speaking of Swiss men and young boys, FIFA head of corruption president Sepp Blattter has apologized for his recent remarks urging homosexual fans to refrain from gay sex in Qatar. I give old Joseph a piece of my mind in my weekly Toro Magazine column today.
Filed under Champions League, Premier League, Serie A, World Cup
Move over Giggsy, there's a new Welsh Wizard
Filed under Champions League
The Vancouver Whitecaps have former Tottenham exec Paul Barber leading them into MLS. Now Toronto FC is looking to a Yid legend, tabbing former Spurs hero Juergen Klinsmann to try and right it’s ship. So says Stephen Brunt in The Globe & Mail. Not as coach or GM but as a consultant/technical adviser, something he did for the LA Galaxy in 2004. A nice bit of news on a Friday afternoon for the local lads whose just-concluded season, as Len outlined earlier, was pretty dismal.
Speaking of Spurs, I’m jetting off to Europe tonight, rather looking forward to attending the epic THFC-Inter tilt at White Hart Lane next Tuesday night. To say stoked would be something of an understatement. Will post some thoughts late next week. You’re in Brent’s hands until then.
Filed under Bundesliga, Champions League, MLS, Premier League, Serie A, World Cup
Let’s be honest. Who really thought Sunderland, Stoke and Birmingham would be the clubs making the biggest splashes on the final day of the summer transfer window? Sure, England’s biggest teams had taken care of most of their business already. But it was still a surprise, as the final hours ticked away, to see a club-record 13 million pounds splashed out to bring Ghanian World Cup star Asamoah Gyan to Wearside from French club Rennes. Who knew the Black Cats even had that kind of cash? You’ve sure got to turn over a lot of couch cushions to come up with that kind of loose change.
Only slightly less surprising was the triple swoop made by Birmingham, who landed former Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hleb on a season-long loan from Barcelona, defender Martin Jiranek on a one-year deal from Spartak Moscow and Chilean winger Jean Beausejour from Club America in the Mexican League.
The Potters, meanwhile, added four players to a team yet to record its first league points of the season, with Icelandic striker Eidur Gudjohnsen joining on a season-long loan from Monaco and former Arsenal, Birmingham and Liverpool man Jermaine Pennant coming over on loan from Spain’s Real Zaragoza until January.
The combined effect is a serious thickening of quality for some of the Prem’s mid-table teams. There aren’t many easy weeks in the EPL, even for those at the top, and those teams should all be strengthened by their deadline day dealings. The moves also make life harder for the unlucky few clubs left scraping to stay in the top flight.
Tottenham, as usual, left it late, leaving fans to play the ‘vaiting game’ over the status of Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart, whose cut-price, 8-million pound move from Real Madrid reportedly requires Premier League approval, given that Arry and co. didn’t even start on things until two hours remained in the transfer window. Yids will be hoping the deal gets done, if only so that Sylvie van der Vaart, his lovely missus, can brighten up the scene down the Lane.
As they prepare for a debut season of Champions League football, with Inter Milan looming large in Group A, Spurs decided not to parcel anyone out of North London, holding on to Robbie Keane and Jermaine Jenas, and bolstered their goalkeeping corps by finalizing the long-awaited arrival of Croatian Stipe Pletikosa on a season-long loan from Spartak Moscow. Things didn’t pan out yet for Tottenham’s other trialist, South African defender Bongani Khumalo, but he may still join in January.
Elsewhere, Man. City said so long to Brazilian bust Robinho, who set sail for AC Milan, Everton’s Joseph Yobo was loaned out to Turkey’s Fenerbahce, Liverpool finalized the signing of Paul Konchesky from Fulham (so much for Uncle Woy’s pledge not to plunder the Londoners) while letting Emiliano Insua leave for Galatasaray.
So, no more moves until the New Year, and we now await the naming of 25-man rosters for the next four months on Wednesday. Could be some difficult decisions to make at some clubs. Stay tuned.
Filed under Champions League, English Football, Premier League
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Best of the Prem 2011/2012
Brent Lanthier picks the cream of the crop from each team in the EPL
Our man in South Africa
Simon Hagens shares his adventures from World Cup 2010
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