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Enough caviar, a bit of humility please
Have Argentina, the world’s biggest exporters of soccer players, lost their feeling for the national colours Diego Maradona wore with such pride and passion? Has the ever increasing exodus of players to Europe dented their edge, made them soft?
Fans’ opinions on websites after Argentina’s pale 1-1 draw with Bolivia, the first time their neighbours have taken a point in nine World Cup qualifiers this side of the border, suggest that’s what they are thinking.
Players are accused of being too comfortable with their high salaries at rich European clubs, allowing modest South American rivals to “paint their faces”, a local phase meaning to embarrass.
“A bit of humility, enough caviar,” a columnist wrote in the sports daily Ole. “The time has come for labourers.”
He went on to accuse the players of not bringing the commitment and fight required when wearing the light blue and white stripes.
Even Lionel Messi, who has played well for Argentina in recent matches while team mates have not, had a poor game.
The reality in South America is that Argentina and Brazil are the teams to beat. They are obliged to take the game to strong opponents who absorb the pressure and try to hit them on the break.
That winnin’ feelin’
Lionel Messi says he feels he will one day win the World Cup.
“I more than anyone want to win something with the national team and I’m going to,” Messi told Ole sports daily in an interview published on the opening day of the Copa America.
“A World Cup?” the reporter asked.
“That’s how it will be. That moment will come and I know I’ll enjoy it. I don’t know why, but something tells me I’ll do it.”
Messi, as the world’s best player, has every right to feel it coming.
He has said he wants to win the Copa America with Argentina and that playing at home is a good opportunity. The next goal would be the World Cup in Brazil in 2014.
And why not? Unless Brazil build a team capable of ending 64 years of hurt since the 1950 World Cup they lost to Uruguay in the deciding match at the Maracana.
a successful player, Messi cant afford to lose what he has not gotten as it stands now. copa america and world cup is the only cups he need to win all titles in this world… i believe he can do it…. and as the copa america this year… he has 90%advantage to lift it./…..
Soccer Break Wednesday – One down, one to go.
Well it looks like being a Barcelona v Manchester United final in the Champions League on May 28 after the Catalans booked their Wembley tickets on Tuesday, though Schalke 04 will have something to say about that in the penultimate match of the 2010-11 competition.
Barcelona were simply too good for Real Madrid despite the 1-1 scoreline, and you get the feeling that in this sort of form they will be hard to stop.
Although the 90 minutes were littered with niggly fouls and several acts of ‘simulation’, for the first time in four recent meetings between the bitter rivals, we saw a football match.
And it ended nicely too, with scenes of joy as Eric Abidal was hoisted aloft by his jubilant team mates. Astonishingly Abidal could feature in the final, just two months after surgery to remove the tumor from his liver. Well done that man.
The bickering will continue though especially after Cristiano Ronaldo accused the referee of a Barca bias. Ronaldo, for all his talents, appears to disappear in huge matches. Here are four ways the ‘second best player in the world’ can challenge Lionel Messi as the world’s best talent.
Barca’s next probable opponents then are Man United, a very solid outfit, and should they reach the showpiece event then we could be in for a cracking match.
Any predictions for Wednesday’s game? United will surely score to make Schalke’s uphill climb even steeper.
Bad Spanish blood boils over into Champions League “Clasico”
In our latest Monday post on Spanish soccer, Iain Rogers in Barcelona muses on the ill-tempered Champions League clash between arch rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid and the possible repercussions for the Spanish national team and looks at the unrivalled brilliance of World Player of the Year Lionel Messi.
Bad Spanish blood boils over into Champions League “Clasico”
Last week’s Champions League semi-final first leg between Real Madrid and Barcelona made headlines for all the wrong reasons.
The bad blood that had boiled up between the arch rivals before the game at the Bernabeu, watched by millions around the world, spilled over into some ugly scenes on the pitch.
Tension had been building between the Spanish giants after last month’s 1-1 La Liga draw in Madrid and the King’s Cup final in Valencia, which Real won 1-0 in dramatic style thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s header in extra time.
Real’s outspoken coach Jose Mourinho upped the ante before the Champions League game by baiting his Barca counterpart Pep Guardiola, who abandoned his customary restraint and lashed back at the Portuguese at his own pre-match news conference.
European soccer’s governing body UEFA opened probes into both clubs the day after the match, which included a scuffle at halftime that resulted in a red card for Barca reserve goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto, the sending off of Real’s Pepe for a wild tackle on Daniel Alves and Mourinho being dismissed from the bench for protesting the decision.
Soccer Break Thursday – Mourinho wins. Again.
Jose Mourinho and winning appear to go hand in hand after the colourful Portuguese coach delivered at the first time of asking in Wednesday’s King’s Cup final.
All the more significant was beating Barcelona for the first time as Real coach, which sets up a fascinating double header in the Champions League semi-finals on April 27 and May 3.
The pictures of Real’s celebrations are everywhere but what was not captured was defender Sergio Ramos dropping the trophy off the open-top bus during their victory parade. Or maybe not.
Real fans will be hoping their team do not let slip their slight pyschological advantage ahead of the Champions League having kept Barcelona dangerman Lionel Messi largely quiet during the final. The pacy Argentine stood still for five minutes after the final whistle, inconsolable.
The likely opponent for either Real or Barca in the Champions League final is Manchester United, whose form has dipped recently but all the same Alex Ferguson’s men seem destined to win another league title after Arsenal faltered against Tottenham Hotspur in another classic North London encounter. Chelsea are trying their hardest to make it interesting mind you.
Finally, our thoughts are with Gerard Houllier after the Aston Villa manager was taken to hospital. The stresses of football management cannot be underestimated, if that turns out to be a possible cause.
Discuss all these topics and other stories in world soccer on the Reuters Soccer Facebook page. And please feel free to send us recommendations for your pick of the day’s stories.
Soccer Break Thursday – Champions League recap
Where to start after four brilliant Champions League quarter-finals, even if the intrigue for next week’s second legs has all but gone from three of the ties with Barcelona leading Shakhtar Donetsk 5-1, Real Madrid 4-0 up against Tottenham Hotspur and Schalke 04 in total charge against holders Inter Milan after the 5-2 triumph at the San Siro.
However, the appetite has most certainly been whet for the very probable ‘Clasico’ semi-final between Real and Barcelona, a meeting of the world’s two best players Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. April 26 or 27 and May 3 or 4. Do not miss these dates. Not that Spain’s two leading clubs are thinking that far ahead.
There is of course more top European action on Thursday in the Europa League, which has a distinctly Portuguese feel this year. Not that Spain’s Villarreal agree mind you.
In 2003, who can forget the young Jose Mourinho leading Porto to UEFA Cup glory and the way he would rise to the top of the managerial tree in years to come. This time round there could be a similar story. Porto’s current coach is Andre Villas-Boas, who used to work under his compatriot. Could he be the new Mourinho? Watch this space…
Attention now turns back to domestic leagues so read our Premier League, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 previews to bring you up to speed with what lies in store in the coming days.
A club usually associated with the English title race is Liverpool, who despite their mediocre season continue to hit the headlines. Plus basketball star LeBron James has invested in the Anfield club.
Here’s more on Wayne Rooney, the goalscorer in Manchester United’s Champions League 1-0 win over Chelsea in London on Wednesday, after it was announced he will miss the FA Cup semi-final against city rivals…Manchester City.
for more information check out this recap
http://mizzousportswriters.com/2011/04/1 3/manchester-united-and-barcelona-punch- their-tickets-to-the-champions-league-se mifinals/
Soccer Break Monday
Welcome back to another week of digesting the global game, and where better to start than with a look at the Lionel Messi effect on the sport.
The wizard-like Argentine is a joy to watch and by playing in countries such as the United States, where soccer is not the main sport, he can only have increased enthusiasm for the round ball game.
The U.S. will also face world champions Spain in June.
In Europe, while Spain huffed and puffed and finally blew the Czech Republic’s door down for a 2-1 win in Granada with yet another mesmerising display of quick passing, there was little else to go crazy about.
In fact, UEFA president Michel Platini fears that Euro 2012 qualifiers are becoming a little boring, and he is concerned that players look forward more to Champions League matches than internationals.
Brazil were another big name to take to the field and win at the weekend but despite their 2-0 loss at the hands of the five-times World Cup winners, Scotland’s Charlie Adam said his team had learnt some valuable lessons.
Other people who could be a taught a lesson are the laser users at the Wales-England match and the fans who were noisy during the minute silence for the Japan earthquake and tsunami victims at the U.S.-Argentina game.
Good stuff
http://www.suite101.com/content/scotland -v-brazil-review-a362234
New Reuters Spanish soccer blog
Starting today, Madrid-based Reuters sports correspondents Iain Rogers and Mark Elkington will be writing a regular Monday column on La Liga for the Reuters soccer blog.
In its inaugural edition, Iain looks at the how the great rivalry between Spain’s dominant clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid has taken on an added piquancy this season and reviews some talking points from the weekend league action.
Barca and Real facing off on three fronts
Catalonia versus Spain. Barcelona versus Madrid. Pep Guardiola versus Jose Mourinho. Lionel Messi versus Cristiano Ronaldo. Sandro Rosell versus Florentino Perez. Victor Valdes versus Iker Casillas and so on and so on.
The well-documented and often bitter rivalry between Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid stretches back many decades and across many levels.
This season, however, “El Clasico”, as matches between the country’s two dominant clubs are known, has taken on a greater significance than perhaps ever before.
Barca and Real are fighting on three fronts in the domestic league and cup and the Champions League and fans of Spanish soccer are licking their lips at the prospect of at least two, and possibly four, meetings between the pair in coming weeks.
Real Madrid y Barcelona son dos grandes equipos y dos de ellos están en buenas condiciones … Barcelona, pero es mucho más fuerte. a sus jugadores el centro del campo son impresionantes: iniesta xavi, ambos son genios …. y del mundo messi mejor jugador del curso …
Soy un fan del Real Madrid, pero creo que el Real Madrid no tiene chanses en El Classico
Soccer Break – Thursday edition
Good day to you all wherever you may be, and let’s start with some advice from Barcelona defender Dani Alves about his teammate and arguably the best footballer in the world, Lionel Messi.
The fast-passing Catalans snuck past Valencia last night, while over in Germany Raul was making the headlines for scoring the goal that sent Bayern Munich crashing out of the German Cup in the semi-finals.
Could the end be approaching for coach Louis van Gaal?
In other European action, Ligue 1 leaders Lille progressed to the semi-finals of the French Cup, and are being tipped for a domestic double.
News on the owl-kicking footballer is that he is being banned and fined.
And to finish, both sides of the story following Aston Villa’s 3-0 FA Cup defeat to Manchester City.
On the one hand, manager Gerard Houllier was criticised for fielding a weakened side, while the Aston Villa blog says avoiding relegation is their primary concern.
Forget the “purists” – Barcelona’s passing has an end game
Having previously confessed to the heresy of being largely bored by the style of Spain’s “beautifully crafted” triumphs in the European championship and World Cup I went along to the Emirates on Wednesday fully primed to observe another dose of “football for the purist” guaranteed to keep me safely in my seat.
However, even with six of the World Cup-winning side in their side, Barcelona are not Spain and, to my delight, I saw a display of passing with purpose rather than the all-too-familiar passing to go nowhere and there were plenty of “on your feet” moments as they ripped holes in Arsenal’s defence.
Barcelona completed 629 passes with Xavi making more than 100 on his own. Arsenal, who averaged over 500 passes a game in the Champions League this season, managed only 299. However, for both sides, it was quality not quantity that counted in Arsenal’s 2-1 last 16 first leg win.
Perhaps it is the presence of Argentine front man Lionel Messi that makes Barcelona’s approach that much more purposeful than the national side’s but there was a real feeling, in the first half at least, that the men in “jade” were, with almost every touch, trying to find an opening.
For Spain, possession is everything. Given the option of sending the ball into a dangerous area, where it might create a chance but equally might be collected by an opponent, or alternatively passing it back three metres to the man who just gave it to you, you can put your mortgage on the latter being taken.
On Wednesday Barcelona passed beautifully as, for once, Arsene Wenger might have regretted ownership of the best playing surface in England. Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets gave a lesson in touch and feel, but there was an end game in sight.
Four times in the first half-hour, having shifted Arsenal’s players left and right, Barcelona cut them open with an eye-of-the-needle through ball.
The fans need to take a step back and cool down a bit.
The extra pressure that they are applying to the players is probably not so helpful.
http://www.football-bear.com