I Had to Throw a Team Together at Christmas

One of my favorite blogs was recently hacked, and ultimately shut down.  That blog was Football is Fixed and its companion blog Football is Fucked.  Two blogs that were written with the express intent of exposing the corruption and dark underworld of European football.  As well as deviations into world politics, and economics.  It is a blog that I had read with much interest, since I originally discovered it somewhere around 2007.

Lately, the blog had been writing repeated, scathing indictments on Mike Riley and the PGMOB.  They were attacking the FA for allowing the corruption of English football to continue.  They were attacking the Guardian’s football section, because they are believed to be purveyors of the “hyper-reality” as they called it.  It was a fascinating read.  With this in mind, I would like to take a look at something, critically, as a way to honor FiF.

As you may have read, if you follow English football at all, Harry Redknapp was found innocent of tax evasion, earlier this week.  With ‘Arry’s name cleared, he is free to once again roam the sidelines for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.  If I may offer a brief aside, if the Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs were as serious about tax evasion as they are about winding up bankrupt football clubs, I would have little doubt that Redknapp would have been thrown in the Thames.  As one who has friends who are Spurs’ supporters, I can only guess how happy they are that their club can maintain their focus on securing a Champions League spot with little outside distraction.

Likewise, in the land of “there is no such thing as coincidence,” the Football Association and Fabio Capello parted company.  The speculation that ran rampant in the papers, or at least the ones I read, involved how Capello felt undermined by the FA over the handling of John Terry as captain.  Fair play to Capello.  As manager of a team, he had to look out for the potential cohesion of his squad.  Likewise, fair play to the FA.  As the body in charge the England national team, as well as the English football pyramid, it behooves them to make sure that they have a manager in place who can manage the egos, as well as produce favorable results.  Did Capello fit that criterion?  Some would agree.  However, I suspect, most would disagree.

With that being said, Tottenham had a Premier League match, today, against Newcastle.  At White Hart Lane, Spurs’ home ground.  A match that I saw a good portion of the first half of, before I got bored of it and watched something else.  What I saw was Spurs just utterly dismantling Newcastle.  The Geordies were perpetually caught in their own end.  And Spurs just looked killer in their attacking third.  So much so, that I got to witness to fantastically scored goals.  Unfortunately, if you are a supporter of the Magpies, you got to see your team down 4-0 on 36 minutes.  And, with the addition of another goal in the second half, Spurs came away 3 ponts, via a 5 goal-scored clean sheet, at home.

To dig a little bit, prior to Fabio Capello being named as manager of England, one of the many names tossed around to lead the Three Lions was Harry Redknapp.  It is a job that he has expressed a lot of interest in holding.  It is a job, that Harry would be more than happy to leave Spurs for.  But, Harry Redknapp has a colorful history.  Between being arrested while at Portsmouth for financial shenanigans, and being accused of tapping up.  I do not know that he would be the most savory of characters to take over the England job.  Especially since it has been widely assumed that his arrest during his time at Pompey, directly led to his ineligibility to fill the vacant England managerial seat, following Steve McClaren being shown the door in 2009. 

So what do we have?  Well, we have an innocent Harry Redknapp strolling the touchline at White Hart Lane, while his Spurs squad absolutely makes a mockery of Newcastle.  A 5 goal win margin, to me, is usually something to arouse suspicion.  That just seems like an awfully unusual score-line.  Especially against Newcastle, who were not too far below them in the table.  Tottenham sitting on 3^rd, and Newcastle were sitting on 5^th.  With that loss, Arsenal now moves into 4^th over Chelsea who are 5^th.  It is funny that Spurs’ victory gave their hated rivals in North London, the opportunity to move back into the Champions League spots.

But I think there is more to that.  The timing of this match.  The timing of the result.  The timing of Capello leaving the England job.  All of it when taken in relation to Harry being acquitted of any wrong-doing by HMRC, makes for a very interesting picture.  Is it possible that the FA, in conjunction with Mike Riley and the Premier Game Match Officials Board, may have fixed that match as a apology for previously denying Harry the job he so coveted? 

We know that Mike Riley and the PGMOB lack scruples when it comes to referee appointment for matches.  We also know that the FA and corruption go together like Sepp Blatter and dirty money.  So it would be easy to draw linear conclusion connecting the three in some form.  Especially with Harry being the front-runner, currently, in the race to replace Capello. 

The Interminable Story. and, Pepe, it´s OK

The quarterfinal draw of the Copa del Rey - Spain’s only domestic cup competition – pitted the Spanish giants against each other yet again.

For those who missed it, the first leg was played on Wednesday, January 18. And for those who missed it, Barcelona put on a show yet again.

When Madrid scored early, the crazy GolTV commentator, Ray Hudson, suggested that Madrid might win this one. It was a lofty statement to make. So he began searching for evidence on the pitch. He pointed to the effort put forth by Mou´s men, and that Barcelona´s poor Liga form had carried over into the clásico. Perhaps he was just hoping Barcelona would finally fall. Or perhaps he was trying to prepare himself for a Barcelona defeat, so when Barcelona´s “interminable story” finally came to an end, he would not be as distraught. Whatever the case, Barcelona came back to win a deceptively convincing 2-1. 

Barcelona could have scored more, Madrid shouldn´t have scored at all. Ronaldo´s early shot was hard and low, but directly at Pinto – it rolled right underneath his foot.

Last year Madrid won the Copa Del Rey over Barcelona in the final. However, with that being the least meaningful clásico of last year´s historic run of clásicos, (2 Champions League matches, Liga match, and Copa del Rey) and scoring on the less than brilliant Pinto, Madrid´s win was severely dampened. 

Before that, Madrid had not beaten Barcelona since may 2008. Their only draws were meaningless: a Liga draw that was good enough for Barcelona to nearly clinch the title, a first leg draw on the supercopa at the Bernabéu, and a second leg draw that was more than good enough for Barcelona to win on aggregate. In short, it has been since the 2007-2008 liga season since Madrid got a win of any significance. 

To quantify Barcelona´s superiority at this moment into some sort of figure would likely understate it. Grant Wahl once said that Messi is underrated, that he playing football on another level entirely. I think the same could be said of his club as well. Barcelona has beaten arguably the world´s second best team convincingly and repeatedly. In the last 13 clásicos, you have 9 Barcelona wins, 3 meaningless ties, and 1 Madrid victory (sans Puyol and with Pinto in goal, by the way). 

While I’m at it, here’s their résumé of the last 3 years:

Champions League - ´09, ´11. European Supercup - ´09, ´11. La Liga - ´09, ´10, ´11. Copa del Rey - ´09. Spanish Supercup - ´09, ´10, ´11. Club World Cup. ´09, ´11. 

That is crazy.

What´s crazier is Carles Puyol´s recent résumé. Ray Hudson pointed out in his commentary on Wednesday that Barcelona is 50 games unbeaten when Puyol is playing. Watch him play once, and you will notice that you can only chalk some of that run to luck and coincidence.

One brief comment on Pepe before I sign off:

Pepe stomped on Messi’s hand. Pepe simulated an elbow to the face, which gave Pique a yellow card. Pepe is a thug. 

(Before you turn away, don´t worry, a rant is not forthcoming.)

After witnessing Pepe´s antics, I became furious at first - repeating that last thought over and over again. Then, trying to make sense of at all, I realized that El Clásico is much more than a game. So much more than a game, in fact, that a shattered hand, a broken leg, or even a torn ACL, matters so much less than the result of the clásico. Why wouldn´t you attempt to hurt your opponent?

This much may have seemed obvious to you, but for me, as an idealist, it really got my head out of the clouds. I used to hate Madrid for their violence and thuggish behavior. But, just because they exhibit these behaviors, need not mean they are thugs. Sure, they ruin the integrity of the game. But Pepe could be the kindest, most warm-hearted individual in the world of football, and not have to change his behavior on the pitch. If Pepe´s thuggish behavior helps his team win, he is doing his job. In other words, by virtue of being a part of Real Madrid, his personal obligations to the integrity of football are fully suppressed.

I Wouldn't Say I Was the Best Manager in the Business. But I Was in the Top One

With my recent acquisition of EA’s FIFA12, it has gotten me to thinking about the desire for the common fan to relive the experience of playing for their favorite club.  This goes for the Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer series as well.  Then, on the other side of this coin, there is the simulation of managing a team, as seen in games like Sports Interactive’s Football Manager.

I have been playing FIFA off and on since their 2000 installment.  One of the things that turned me off to the game series for a while, was the insipid design of their controller schematic.  It was not until the middle of the 2000s that any problems that I had with the series were gradually rectified.  Then, EA started acquiring license rights for teams all over the world, which made the game a bit more realistic.  Now, you could live out your dream of playing for Exeter City in the Npower League 1, or in the case of FIFA12 you can play as AFC Wimbledon.

In the case of the gameplay, the series has always felt lacking, to me, against the PES series.  The pace of the game always seemed a bit slower.  The finer points of defending and finished always seemed a bit suspect.  However, the style and visuals of the game were always outstanding.  To me, a game like FIFA or PES relied equally on style and substance.  It has felt, for the last few years, like the FIFA series has absolutely demolished PES on style.

In 2011, upon finally buying a PS3, I got a chance to play both online.  That is an entirely messy kettle of fish unto itself.  FIFA online, in a lot of ways, is a very trying experience.  Usually because you end up playing against the same teams: Chelsea, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, or Barcelona.  In response, I would chose random teams that ranged from Sheffield Wednesday to Chievo Verona.  I might not have always won, but I would do whatever I could to give my opposition the hardest time possible.

Eventually though, in the 2012 installment of the FIFA series, there were drastic changes to the control schematic.  EA changed the defensive controls, and in a lot of ways, opened up the game.  While I see the merit, in the offensive context, as a player who thrived on crowding players off the ball the game has taken a lot of my strategy away.  I have not completely adjusted to this alteration yet.  But I am slowly improving.

Prior to the 2012 edition, I had played Konami’s PES every year since 2006.  Where they may be short on leagues to play in, or licensed teams to play on, the creation center was far superior to its counterpart in the FIFA series.  Even to the point of how in every iteration of the game, I had created a team of my friends into the game.  I got to create the crest, the strips and the players themselves.  The sheer depth of the ability to create the strips, from the style of shirt, in terms of design, all the way down to the location of the crest on the shirt, and text for sponsorship on the front; it far and away excelled compared to its EA opposition. 

In the last couple of years Konami managed to obtain the licenses for the UEFA Champions League, and UEFA Europa League, as well as the Copa Libertadores.  However, it does not have much in the way of team licenses.  They usually have 2 English teams from the Premiership. They usually have some of the Spanish La Liga. There is usually always the entirety of Serie A.  As well as the Dutch Eredivise.  To go with a smattering of other teams from all over the world.  PES also has an amazing level of depth when it comes to unlockables.  There are player packs that can be bought with experience points.  Or classic national teams who can be purchased the same way. 

In terms of game play, PES always felt superior.  The controls never felt sluggish or the pace of the game feel slow.  The passing was crisp, especially when it came to creating free headers while making a deep run off the wing.  Set pieces, especially corners, were almost always precise.  My prowess at free kicks proved better in FIFA than PES, where I had a better percentage of conversion from corners.  In terms of my own overall skill on PES, I could usually hold my own, but I did not always take advantage of, or create opportunities to put teams away.  I have never been great at either FIFA or PES, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of playing.

My status as a devotee of FIFA and PES changed in 2010, when I joined Twitter, and was introduced to the world of Football Manager.  It was not until I purchased FM2010 that I was able to fully understand the addictive aspect of the game itself.  I had read about the game on sites like Run of Play, where Brian Phillips’ long series about managing Pro Vercelli in FM2009, helped to solidify my desire to play the game.

Upon getting the game, I started a career as manager of Ipswich Town Football Club.  One of the settings I chose in that career, was that I was managing fictional players.  It was a completely different world from what I knew from playing FIFA and PES.  I had no control over how my team played.  I just gave them instructions, I created tactics, I chose lineups.  I just had to hope that my players were able to carry out the plan I had laid out for them.  My luck with Ipswich Town was minimal at best.  Which ultimately led to me being sacked.  Following that tenure, I moved on to Eastwood Town, and later Nuneaton Town and Hampton & Richmond Borough.  My success at Football Manager was limited, laughable at best.

In the 2011 edition, Football Manager added the ability to post accomplishments, both positive and negative, to Twitter.  I took to managing Ipswich again, though this time I was managing real players.  Following a dismal run with Ipswich, I took played around with my friend Ben McManus’ created database.  After playing around with that for some of the late spring, I moved from that to starting another career in Italy, managing Hellas Verona.  At Verona I had what would qualify as an amazing run.  I won my first trophy with the Mastini, the Italian Serie C Cup.  And we nearly won promotion into Serie B.  It was at that point at the end of that season where I purchased FM2012.

In FM2012, I started out my career at Paris FC, in the French Championnat National.  After a dismal run, I was sacked half way through the season.  After finishing that season unemployed, I moved to the north of England, to manage Northwich Victoria. 

I have learned a handful of things about Football Manager.  First, I have a bit of hoodoo when it comes to managing in England.  Maybe it has to do with the teams I choose to take over the helm of.  I manage teams that have trouble sustaining their form over the length of the season.  I also tend to manage teams that have one outstanding goal scorer.  At Ipswich, it was Jason Scotland.  At Hellas Verona, it was Thomas Pichlmann.  And currently at Northwich Victoria, it is Wayne Riley.  These outstanding players are nothing when their set up men, usually attacking midfielders get injured.  This does not mention the slides my teams go on, when those fantastic scorers go down hurt.  I unearthed a kid who could have set the world on fire, if he had a few years of experience under his belt in Andrea Seculin, my wonderkid keeper at Verona.  A kid who kept 22 clean sheets in all competitions, at 18 years old.  I am still learning about how to fine-tune my training to not wear my players out.  I am still learning how to interact with my players to get the best out of them.  My team talks are formulaic, but it seems to work when needed.  I have not figured out how to utilize all of my staff yet.  Especially when it comes to match preparation.

The sheer depth of things to learn and pay attention to in the Football Manager series continues to astound me.  The changes to the way you can give instructions to your team on the fly have proven to help me, as a manager.  And the recent alteration to the addition of tone in your team talks, have made me aware of how to treat my team to get optimum results.  But that does not even touch the game play experience.  The game itself is a lot like chess.  Since you do not have the ability to control your players, you are just playing a game of anticipation of your opposition’s moves.  But is that not the mark of a good to great manager?  It seems to be so, to me.

To move away from really discussing the games, there is one more aspect to each that deserves mentioning.  There is ability to write your own story.  In FIFA and PES, you have a bit more control over the outcome of the results.  You can play as one individual player, or you can play as the entire lineup.  Therefore you have a bit more say in what happens.  You can build yourself up into a legend over the course of seasons.  In the case of FIFA, you can move from being a playing legend into being a management legend.  In a lot of ways, that is merely a very singular scope.  But you can still have an element of control over the results.  Football Manager takes that narrative aspect, and moves it into another level.  There is the story of your career as manager, with all of its twists and turns.  There is the story of interactions with players and coaches, or journalists and other managers.  This alone makes Football Manager so different from other football games.  The experience is completely different.  And that is part of what makes it attractive as a gamer.

Sometimes In Football You Have to Score Goals

During the course of any given sporting event there's always the possibility of something magical happening. That one special moment that lives on in our memories forever and gets talked about amongst friends and fellow supporters with great affection years after it actually takes place. Part of the appeal of sports is being able to say you were there or you witnessed it on tv, and how great it was. Escaping reality and getting away from life's hassles and problems for a few short hours at a time to live vicariously through superhuman men who represent our colors, a shared sense of brotherhood, and what we wish we could be and live on a competitive field of play, whatever the sport may be. Some games without a doubt provide the atmosphere for such moments more so than others. Last night I was lucky enough to experience one of the few moments that will live on forever during Arsenals FA cup match against Leeds United. One chance was all Arsenal legend Thierry Henry needed to spark magic with his right foot on his second "debut" for his beloved club.

I won't hesitate to admit I wasn't so sure bringing Thierry Henry back on a two month loan from the New York Red Bulls was exactly what we needed to cure my Gunners offensive woes. I mean the man is now 34 years old and hasn't exactly been setting the world on fire in the lowly MLS. Not to say he's been playing poorly but the MLS is easily a few steps below European football as far as quality of play and at Henry's age nobody can argue he has lost a step on his pace. We definitely need help up front and with Chamakh and Gervinho out for a few weeks for the African Cup of Nations; I don't think anyone would argue a move needed to be made. Especially given Chamakh's current form which is miserable at best and our serious lack of a quality backup to van Persie. Will Henry be able to provide the needed goals is the question?

I kind of felt like bringing him back might have been a move by Wenger to appease the fans. I mean who doesn't want to see a legend from whatever team you support return years later? How much conversation has been spent debating the impact players of old would have today or how they stack up against current squads? Was this simply a move for nostalgic purposes? With all the noise about needing a striker would the man who can do no wrong at this club be the answer or just a way to get people off Arsene's back til our others return from national duty and make us forget about our goal scoring woes this season? While hoping for the best and an immediate impact I couldn't help but wonder if he was truly impressing on the training ground or just brought on for the wrong reasons. I mean signing a permanent striker who can do the job consistently and take pressure off of van Persie seems the better move honestly.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not doubting Titi's credentials here just his current form and time available. After all this is Arsenals all time leading goal scorer and a legend. He has a statue outside the Grove for a reason. 226 goals on 369 appearances for the club as well as 92 assists. Only a handful of players anywhere in the world can boast numbers like this. Two league titles to go along with three FA cups as well as being a major part of the only unbeaten season in Premiership history. No one can doubt him as an all time great in our sport and he did it all with a touch of class and a sense of pride and determination the likes of which are rarely ever seen on the pitch. As well it is great for our youngsters to train alongside someone with the talent and experience of  a Thierry Henry.

Yet even with the doubts and questions begging to be answered I would guess there wasn't a Gooner in the world who wasn't on the edge of their seat during yesterdays cup match, anticipating the return of our hero. Be honest with yourself, you know youve dreamed of seeing heroes of the past come back, if only for one match and yet there he was at the start of the match, on the bench in the colors of the Arsenal once again. The sight alone was enough to stir excitement and create a feeling that something special was upon us.

The first half went by rather uneventful. We controlled the flow of the game and held possession but were unable to find the finishing touch that has eluded us a majority of the season with the exception of van Persie. The second half started a little more promising and  saw Henry off the bench and warming up shortly after kickoff. Then to a thunderous roar from the 60,000 at the Emirates Stadium, with around 20 minutes left in a scoreless draw that looked like it would end as such the legendary Thierry Henry entered the game alongside a man who looked up to him and proudly wears his old number 14, Theo Walcott.

Eight minutes. Eight minutes is all it took for the legend to create more history and add to his lore. I don't think anyone would've been disappointed had he merely gotten in a few good touches and looked like he still had some of the skill which made him so great over his years in the red and white of the Arsenal but the script had been written differently on this day. Alex Song, a man who has shown a knack for putting the ball exactly where it needs to be started something great. Other passing options were available but Song eyed an opportunity to get the ball to Henry who was hugging the back line tightly to stay onside by the thinnest of margins. Pass from Song to Henry, perfect. Henry's first touch to create a shot, brilliant as ever. Henry's curling shot from the inside of his foot, around the keeper, and into the side netting, magical. Titi celebrated like a man possessed, running around the stadium pounding the beloved crest with the cannon on his chest before embracing Wenger who had a major part in making him the player he is.

At home on my couch I couldn't help but share his excitement and feel the sense of pride in such a great club that Henry and the rest of the team were feeling at that moment and after the final whistle as that proved to be the game winner. Shortly before the goal I joked that Leeds were gonna piss him off as one of their defenders appeared to be attempting a full nelson on Titi during a throw in and that they wanted no part of that. I almost jumped clean off my cushion as the net rippled about a minute later.  I realize Leeds is far from the quality side they once were and we probably should've won this game by a lot more than we did but the way this story played out is something I don't think anyone would trade for any scoreline. The match itself wasn't of the utmost importance but this cup does represent what is probably Arsenal's best chance at a trophy and a win was fairly important to the club. More importantly was the chance to yet again see a hero in action on our side and bear witness to how great a simple sporting event can be in the eyes of many. The final whistle left us with an unforgettable image of our hero facing the sky, eyes closed, with his arms raised in triumph. Hollywood couldn't have written it better and for one moment we were able to live that magical moment that happens all too rarely.

I Would Love It If They Played Like Brazil In 1970, But There Is An Order of Priorities. First Results, Then Good Football

The Spanish first division gets back underway this weekend after the winter break. Despite a convincing loss at the Bernabéu against Barcelona, Mou´s Madrid still sit 3 points above their arch nemesis at the top of the table. Thought there is really no doubt that – at their present form - Barça will beat Madrid more often than not, the La Liga crown is not decided over two games. Rather, the title will be awarded to team that can beat La Liga’s other teams. Madrid is clearly outperforming Barcelona at this task. Barcelona has dropped points against Valencia, the two Basque teams – Bilbao and Sociedad, Sevilla, and Getafe. Madrid, on the other hand, has only dropped points against their rivals, Levante, and Santander. If La Liga ended today, Madrid would be deserving champions.

In Spain, however, there are only two teams that matter: Barcelona and Madrid. Madrid´s primary objective when they undertook the most expensive football experiment of all time was to beat Barcelona. Though Madrid may be able to simply point to the table at the end of the year to prove their superiority, if they don’t beat – or at least get a point from - Barcelona, I can´t imagine the La Liga crown tasting too sweet to the Meringues.

You can´t expect Madrid to drop many points before the next clásico in the spring. You likewise cannot expect Barcelona to do so either. In short, the upcoming clásico will be like all the others – epic. A win for Barça will begin to demoralize Mou´s men more than motivate them. A win - or even a point - for Madrid, will probably give the title to the Meringues. Thus, the duel between the Spanish giants will be poised to continue being the greatest rivalry of perhaps the entire sporting world.

There are yet many talking points concerning La Liga´s first leg (at least much more than there usually is at this point) that do not concern Barça or Madrid. First of all, Levante is proving to be a force. They are clearly leagues behind the two leaders, but they are actually proving to be a step ahead of the vast majority of the other squads in La Liga. Since beating Madrid early on, Levante have kept their amazing form without a true slump. They have slowed down recently, but only to formidable opposition and normally away from home. It will very interesting to see if Levante can keep form and finish in the top 4 to make the Champions League.

A second surprise is Villarreal´s truly awful form. Frankly, the Yellow Submarines are not living up to their potential, much less their name - sitting only one spot above the relegation zone. Since the late 90s, Villarreal has been a force in not only Spain, but in Europe. With American-born Italian Giuseppe Rossi out until the spring, it will now be very difficult for Villarreal to make Europe.

It´s still way too early to start debating the fate of teams like Osasuna, who sit in an Europa League spot, or teams like Espanyol, Atlético, or Bilbao who do not. Likewise, it is still way too early to condemn the escape artists of Zaragoza to the second division. There is no doubt that the relegation and mid-table battles of Spain´s first division are a bit less attractive than those of the premiership and the bundesliga, but with Villarreal and levante treading in unfamiliar territory, the La Liga will be something to keep an eye on.

We Knew That You Don't Get to Be World Champions Without a Struggle

I have read a lot of derision toward the Europa League, by many supporters of Manchester United, and Manchester City, all over the internet.  It is all over Twitter.  It is all over commentboards.  It is anywhere that any half-wit with an opinion can vomit from his fingers, hoping someone else will agree with him.

I may be in a minority here, but I am growing bored with the Champions League.  There are only so many permutations of the same 16 teams that can be seen, before eye-gouging becomes a legitimate form of escape.  England’s domination of the last 6 years of Champions League has been interesting to see.  Especially since each of the Big Four teams has played in a final during this period.  However, with only two of those four teams bringing home the European Cup, it makes you wonder just how far England has come, in terms of the competition.  Since the establishment of the Group Stage, the number of teams that could enter, from any nation via their league coefficient, has created a certain level of stagnation in the competition.  In England, you have the same three to four teams battling it out for the Premier League trophy, for the most part.  City, Liverpool, Spurs, or any other team on the fringe, are virtually interchangeable at this point.  Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United have established nearly a chokehold on their domination of maintaining their standing reservation in Champions League.  In Portugal, it is assumed that FC Porto, Sporting Lisbon, or Benfica will make at least the Group Stage.  In Italy, AC Milan and Inter are usually amongst the teams that make at least the Group Stage.  Real Madrid and Barcelona, effectively round out the list of teams that are almost definites.

As I said in my previous article about Champions League, I speculated that the establishment of the Group Stage, has effectively destroyed the chances for a team with smaller resources to be able to make a valiant Cup run in Europe.  This season just had to prove me wrong though.  APOEL and FC Basel defied odds that were supposed to be stacked against them, to make it to the final Knockout Phase of the Champions League.  While I tip my hat to them, I hope they understand that their days in Europe, this season, are surely numbered.  With Chelsea, Barcelona, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Inter, Bayern Munich, and AC Milan all still alive, the concept of the European football food-chain will once again be on display for the world to see.

What does this have to do with the Europa League?  Quite a bit.  Outside of Sevilla’s two years of domination in the UEFA Cup, no one team has stood out against the rest.  Sure, Spain has had more successful teams in terms of appearances in the finals, of late.  However, in that time, four different teams played in those finals, and three of them won.  Only Espanyol losing to Sevilla is the anomaly here.  But looking back at the history of the UEFA Cup and Europa League, the anomalies are sort of what defines the charm of this “lesser” European trophy.  To highlight this point, I am going to look at the UEFA Cup/Europa League Final match-ups since 2005.

In 2011, there was the all Portugal Final between FC Porto and Braga.  Braga were parachuted down into the Europa League, following their third place finish in the Champions League Group Stage.  Meanwhile, Porto fought their way through the Europa League Group Stage, to earn their place in the Knockout Phase.  It was the first all Portuguese major European final.  Meanwhile, in the Champions League, you had Man United vs. Barcelona II: Electric Bugaloo.  Duly, Barcelona continued to make United look like a school for the blind.

In 2010, Atletico Madrid beat Fulham.  Fulham were a team who got into Europe by the UEFA Fair Play draw.  And they got to the Final, when no one expected them to do anything more than continue their erratic run of results in England.  Atletico, meanwhile, are the bastard stepchildren of Madrid football.  They are a sensational team, in their own right, but they are merely also-rans next to Real.  They got into the Europa League Knockout Phase, via the Champions League parachute device.  In the Champions League final, you had Inter beating Bayern Munich.  The one interesting point about these two finals, to me at least, is that it is the first time that I can think of where all four major football nations had representation in the two major European finals.

In 2009, Shakthar beat Bremen.  That was the year that both of the semi-finals were derby matches.  Shakthar faced Dynamo Kyiv, while Bremen faced Hamburg.  To me, the intrigue in the match-up came more for the previously mentioned derbies, than the final itself.  Though, the fact that Shakthar beat Bremen in extra time, without going to penalties, did make for an interesting climax to that season’s UEFA Cup.  Both qualified for the UEFA Cup via the parachute rule.  Over in Champions League, you had the first round of Manchester United limping away from a hiding against Barcelona.

In 2008, Zenit beat Rangers.  Zenit were a fantastic team, full of speed and guile, the likes of which I had never really seen before.  And this was at the point where UEFA Cup matches to watch, were nearly as impossible as getting blood from a stone.  Rangers, well, they were Rangers.  They were playing their style of anti-football that made me wish that they were sponsored by Sominex.  Rangers got into the UEFA Cup via ye olde European parachute, while Zenit fought through the honest way.  Over in Champions League, Manchester United beat Chelsea, in the rain in Moscow in penalties, for European football’s top prize.

In 2007, Sevilla beat Espanyol.  This was the first time in quite a number of years, that a European trophy was actually defended by the winning team from the previous season.  The team previously to do that feat was AC Milan in 89-90, in the European Cup.  They were also the first team since Real Madrid, in 85-86, to win the UEFA Cup in successive seasons.  Also, it should be mentioned, Espanyol are the Atletico Madrid of Catalan region of Spain.  Always playing second fiddle to Barcelona.  Both teams started in the UEFA Cup Group Stage, and Sevilla ultimately won the prize in penalties.  In Champions League, you had a rematch of the 2005 Champions League Final between Liverpool and AC Milan.  AC Milan won via Pippo Inzaghi goals, one of which was a uncalled handball. 

In 2006, Sevilla beat Middlesbrough.  Yes, that Middlesbrough.  They qualified through the winning of the League Cup.  While Sevilla, fought their way through.  In Champions League, Barcelona beat Arsenal, mostly because Jens Lehmann lost the plot. 

In 2005, CSKA Moscow beat Sporting Lisbon.  CSKA got into the UEFA Cup via that damned parachute.  While Sporting, being the lions they are, fought their way through.  In Champions League, Liverpool beat AC Milan, via Dietmar Hamann’s one man show on defense, that turned the tide for the Merseysiders. 

Just looking at those years, there is enough variance in the nations represented in these selected finals to make a case for the diversity of the Europa League to be one of its strong points.  And now that two big English fish are in the pond, it should make for even more interesting times.  They will now have to prove their meddle in all parts of Europe, not just Barcelona.  Or Marseille.  Nor Paris.  Or London.  Or Rome.  Or Milan.  Or any traditional European football hotbed.  They will have to contend with teams who would love nothing more than to say that they got The Great Manchester United’s scalp in the Europa League.  Imagine how big that could be.

Though the competition may seem lesser, the style of football is more tactically aggressive, at least from what I have seen, involving teams not called Rangers.  Both United and City will need to find a way to call upon their resources to not get outplayed.  Especially United, who are currently dealing with rectifying their own European shortcomings.

I cannot recall which blog it was that I read this on, but the idea did stick with me.  It was that for the younger players at Manchester United, and for City as a whole, the Europa League is a great place for them to gain European experience.  Because of the diversity of opposition, it will give those players a chance to compete against various styles of football, which can only help them in the long run.  Especially as regaining a spot in the Champions League is one of the highest priorities for both of the Manchester clubs.  Maybe City could parlay a Europa League victory into a Champions League victory.  Or maybe a Europa League victory could be the springboard for United to finally shake themselves free from Barcelona’s hoodoo.  Or, both teams could realistically get themselves eliminated from the competition.  Mostly by fielding weaker squads, and squandering the potential opportunities for progess that could be built from this experience. 

I guess we will have to wait and see how seriously both Manchester clubs take the Europa League draw, and see how serious they are about possibly meeting in the final in Bucharest in May.  And see how either club lays its priorities between the League campaign and the Europa campaign.  That, to me, will be the truly telling sign.  If both go into both competitions looking to out-play and out-wit the other.  I cannot see City getting both the FA Cup and the League Cup this season.  Maybe one.  But again, this comes back to how they choose to set their priorities.  So, we will see how this all plays out, and see just how mentally fortuitous the big fish are, in the “small pond”.

Well, Clive, It's All About the Two M's—Movement and Positioning

For as much as I love football, I think we can all agree its far from a perfect game. Beautiful, yet far from perfect. And no I don't mean in as much as the club you support doesn't win every game or couldn't sign a star player for next to nothing, or how for some reason God hasn't rendered Villas Boas speechless with a serious case of bronchitis, or some other ailment that effects his vocal chords; so we no longer have to hear from the miserable bastard. I mean actual issues. Inconsistent refereeing and missed calls on obvious penalties is a major one. Recently racism has moved to the forefront of issues as well. Both real problems along with others but right now I wanna share my personal frustration on something completely different. Diving.

That's right diving. It seems like every match is full of players flopping all over the pitch in an attempt to get a call and even worse, faking injury to draw a card. Not only does this taint the credibility of the game, but the individual players as well. How hard is it to respect a player like Luis Suarez who spends more time trying to draw penalties than trying to create chances? I realize that a lot of goals come off set pieces but for me this type of behaviour is without a doubt cheap and classless. It seems like every team has a few players with this mentality and I can't help but feel it lessens the quality of the match.

I played the game from 6 years old til I was 16 and I can't remember playing with anybody who would give up on a play simply to try to get a call which is far from guaranteed. I know the quality of play was far from top notch, there was no real pressure to perform, and none of us were exactly on our way to being professional footballers but taking a dive was the last thing on our minds. I know for myself that even when actually fouled I made every effort to keep on and keep the play going, not hit the turf to have a free kick. As someone who played with this mentality I find it aggravating to see actual professionals, men who are living the dream, act in this manner, nor will I ever understand this mentality.

The thing that really gets me about the repeat offenders here is the attitude that is then created towards them. It seems like they don't realize that we have footage of every game in multiple angles. We know when you go down soft or aren't even touched. We all have access to this info. We all lose respect for them once they have been outed. Haven't they figured out that once they develop the reputation as a diver the calls become harder to come by? The refs know who the guilty parties are and act accordingly. I'll even make an example out of one of my beloved gooners. Our boy Gervinho has a tendency to drop as soon as he feels his chances of creating a shot have disappeared. Now I know I'm making an example out of a player I like due to him playing for Arsenal but like I said, every team has one or two and its even more frustrating to see on my club. I haven't seen this as much recently but upon his arrival at the start of the year it was an obvious flaw. Once this is realized by officials the offenders like Gervinho, Suarez, Rooney, Drogba, Cole, Larsson, Ronaldo, Robben, Nani,as well as many others will find it hard to get a call when actually fouled. No ref wants to be made to look stupid by falling for the trick and awarding the penalty. This not only angers teammates and fans at non calls but hurts the team in general as they often times lose possesion when the actual foul occurs.
A lot of the problem as well as maybe even solution has to come from the refs and the FA. Players obviously feel like they won't get a call if they stay on their feet. The refs need to recognize that it is possible to be fouled and not go down. Making a few calls or at least recognizing them with a play on would make players feel more inclined to keep on I believe. The feeling that you have to go down to get a call or that you're going to get it if you go down hard needs to be changed before play will change. A few calls going to players who stay up could go a long way towards the positive change. The FA needs to start suspending offenders when video evidence is clear. Even if its a bit questionable but its the same player multiple times. Players and teams need to understand this behaviour is unacceptable and teams need to be punished for this to happen. But as with most issues nothing will probably change any time soon and we will all remain frustrated by it. Just my thoughts and opinions though.