Jun 18 2013

Spain 2-1 Uruguay: Spain Kick Off Confederations Cup Campaign in Style

Spain 2-1 UruguayWorld Champions Spain kicked-off their Confederations Cup campaign with a tough match against South American Champions Uruguay. The match, which was played at the Arena Pernambuco in Recife, was the first Group B match in this year’s competition.

Spain, who were the stronger team in the end, emerged winners thanks to two first-half goals from Barcelona striker Pedro Rodriguez and Valencia’s Roberto Soldado. Liverpool’s Luis Suarez managed a consolation goal for his side towards the end of the game with a brilliant free-kick but, as it had looked from the start, Spain bagged all three points.

Although Spain had dominated the game from the first whistle, it took them 20 minutes to finally score an opener against Oscar Tabarez’ men. When the Uruguayan defenders failed to clear a Xavi Hernandez corner sufficiently, his Barcelona teammate, Pedro Rodriguez, received the ball and saw a good opportunity to shoot home from the edge of the box and took it. His shot took a big deflection off Malaga defender, Diego Lugano, and went into the net to make it 1-0 to Spain.

Galatasaray and Uruguay goalkeeper, Fernando Muslera, was beaten yet again just 12 minutes later on the 32nd minute when Spain scored their second goal; this time from a bigger mistake. Some good football by another Barcelona player, Andres Iniesta, allowed Cesc Fabregas to get the ball in the center and pass to Roberto Soldado on the edge of the box. Valencia’s top scorer then confidently put the ball past Muslera, who was, by this time, already having one of the worst birthdays ever for a goalkeeper!

Uruguay’s Edinson Cavani had had a chance to head things level shortly before Spain’s second goal, but he was unsuccessful. Spain continued in their strength and confidence for the remainder of the first half and went into the dressing-rooms with a comfortable 2-goal lead.

At the break, Oscar Tabarez introduced Lazio’s Alvaro Gonzalez for Southampton’s Gaston Ramirez. Vicente del Bosque made no changes and was, unsurprisingly, comfortable with a squad that had enjoyed a whole 78% possession in the first half.

Spain 2-1 UruguayThe second half started more or less like the first one had: with Spain continuing to dominate. The World Cup Champions had a chance to make it 3-0 four minutes after the second half whistle, but Pedro Rodriguez was unable to receive a good Roberto Soldado cross.

Tabarez made his second substitution when nothing changed for his side, bringing on midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro for Internazionale’s Walter Gargano. Vicente del Bosque responded almost immediately by making his first substitution, Arsenal’s Santi Cazorla for Cesc Fabregas 20 minutes into the second half. Tabarez, after a glance at his watch, then made his third and final substitution bringing on his side’s top scorer, Diego Forlan for Bologna’s Diego Perez.

Uruguay had gotten stronger than they had been in the first half and caused the game to even-out for some minutes before scoring a consolation. After 38 minutes of tough football from Spain, Luis Suarez was finally gifted a chance to reduce the deficit after Sergio Ramos fouled him in a good position, favorable for his kind of free-kicks. Suarez shot and scored from the resulting free-kick and redeemed his side.

A powerless Iker Casillas in the Spain goal, who had had almost nothing to do for the whole game, this having only been Uruguay’s second shot on goal for the whole night, could do nothing to stop Suarez’ brilliant curling shot. With this goal, Suarez becomes Uruguay’s joint top goalscorer (alongside Diego Forlan) with 33 international goals for his country.

Despite the brilliance of Suarez’ goal, however, Uruguay were unable to get a second goal and Spain, who are now unbeaten in 23 games, finished with all three points. Spain had dominated a very large portion of the game and enjoyed 71% possession overall. Uruguay had been fortunate not to have conceded more than just the two goals they did. Fortunately for Oscar Tabarez’ men, however, they have a good chance against the remaining Group B teams. Their next game is against African Champions, Nigeria’s Super Eagles, whose wings they will hope to clip.

Andres Iniesta was elected Budweiser’s man of the match for the hard work he had done to help his side secure a deserved victory on the night.

Written by Ange Marline

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Jun 17 2013

Italy 2-1 Mexico: Goals From Balotelli and Pirlo Inspire Italian Victory in Rio de Janeiro

Italy 2-1 MexicoItaly lie second in Group A after they claimed all three points in the iconic Maracanã stadium. Balotelli scored the winning goal for the Azzurri with 12 minutes to go, after Hernandez scored from the spot to cancel out Pirlo’s majestic free kick.

The first action in Rio Di Janeiro came within five minutes, when the Mexico center-back tried to lob the ball across the defensive line over Balotelli, but instead played it straight to the Italian’s feet. Mario took a couple of paces and then tried to lift it over Corona, only for it to sail over the bar. Perhaps the striker should have driven at the keeper and finished it from a one-on-one. Giovani Dos Santos started the game brightly, and just after the 10-minute mark, he did well and showed impressive strength to keep the ball before cutting it back for Guardado, who shook the crossbar with his left peg.

Around the 15 minute mark, Mexico were released on the counter-attack and Italy had to commit two fouls to stop La Verde. The subsequent free-kick was given away and Italy broke away to attack Mexico; Pirlo received the ball in the penalty area, a crowd of green shirts surrounded him, and Guardado took him down. It looked like a stonewall penalty. The replays, however, showed that the ball was won, and the referee couldn’t possibly have seen it but somehow he’d made the right call. Both teams showed a lot of eagerness to counter-attack the opposition in this manner in the first half.

Around the 27th minute, Italy passed the ball around patiently, and it found it’s way to Balotelli about 30 yards out. He took a poor touch, three Mexico players came in and took Mario down illegally. After a bit of debate between Balotelli and Pirlo, Pirlo stepped up. It went over the wall and dipped under the crossbar passed the helpless Cornona. Question marks could be raised about the goalkeeper pulling his hands away, but no keeper should be expected to save one of those masterpieces.

Seven minutes later, Dos Santos stole the ball off of Barzagli and the center-half proceeded to trip Dos Santos up. Not a shadow of a doubt that it was a penalty, the question though was whether it should have been a red card, but Barzagli was only shown yellow.

The rules state that it should be red only if it stops a “clear goal-scoring opportunity.” Dos Santos could have scored but Buffon was fast closing in on him and it’s down to referee discretion to decide whether it’s a clear opportunity. My opinion is that it should have been a red card, but it’s not as clear-cut as John Hartson was making it out to be. After deliberation between Dos Santos and Hernandez, Hernandez placed the ball down and fired it into the net. Corona made a good save to stop Abate from the probing cross of Pirlo. This was a continuing theme throughout the match and the goalkeeper was Mexico’s man of the match for me.

Italy 2-1 MexicoOn the 52th minute, Italy had another free kick, and up stepped the magician once again. Pirlo failed to lift the ball over the wall, however, it trickled through and Chiellini got a rushed shot away, only for Corona to save. Around the hour mark, Mexico attacked Italy through the center; Guardado ran into the back of Chiellini and down went the Mexican.

Much to his dismay, no free kick was given, if it had been a red card may ensued. It’s unclear whether Chiellini purposefully blocked him off or if he simply ran into the big defender. Buffon collected the ball and Italy raced away to the other end of the pitch. The ball was played over the Mexican defense, Balotelli turned and raced past them, only to be pulled down by Moreno. It was a definite foul and red card but, to the disbelief of Balotelli, nothing was given.

The first half saw Balotelli dropping deep, no defender and the forward was allowed a lot of space, this was changed in the second half when Rodriguez was told to follow Mario. He was often caught too tight, though, and Balotelli turned the Mexican captain. This was shown on 58 minutes when Rodriguez haled Mario down after Balotelli turned him, no yellow card was brandished although it should have been. This was a sign of things to come and, on the 78th minute, De Rossi chipped the ball to Giaccherini, who flicked it over his head to Balotelli, he rolled Rodriguez and stoked the ball into the bottom corner.

The result means that Mexico will likely have to defeat the hosts, Brazil, on Wednesday to have a chance of qualifying, whereas Italy will have at least one foot in the next round if they can beat Japan.

Written by Sean Currie

Jun 16 2013

Spain vs Uruguay: Confederations Cup Group B Preview

Spain4 years have passed since the last Confederations Cup and another year left until the 2014 World Cup over at Brazil. Now, in recent lights, Uruguay have been booming with success as they reached their glorifying goal in winning the Copa America after knocking out Messi’s Argentina and the on-form Paraguay.

As for the Spaniards, there are few words that could be used to describe their European and international success. The recent European champions have continued to be indisputably consistent and haven’t stumbled upon many changes throughout their road to the world cup and their occasional friendlies.  Both teams will be working on each other’s weak-points rather than focusing on their own strengths.

Uruguay predicted starting line-up: Muslera | M Pereira, Lugano, Godin, Caceres | Perez, Gargano, A Pereira | Cavani, Forlan, Suarez

Uruguay completely rely on their front-line, and judging by the names mentioned in that line-up, you can’t blame them. Uruguay tend to play a solid (4-3-3) and use their midfielders as transitional distractions for the wingers. Caceres consistently makes the run-ins which, at times, forces a (3-3-4) when Uruguay go on full force.

Now Uruguay may not be the best team in terms of distribution of talent among each position, but they are extremely flexible and could play via aerial balls, possession, and flank penetration. Much like Bayern Munich’s attack-force, Uruguay have two world class forwards on the wings (Cavani and Suarez), and even-though they aren’t fully established as wingers, they definitely cause enough offensive impact. That over-whelming consistency of attacks on the wings could tire any back-line, let alone Arbeloa and the attack-minded Jordi Alba.

UruguayUruguay will be looking to counter at a blistering rate and break Spain’s weary offside trap. Spain’s weak point will be losing the ball upfront, and if the ball is automatically converted to either of the flanks, then Uruguay might just see themselves playing a 3v3 battle upfront; that could just be enough to score a goal or two. As for their back-line, it needs to be as compact as ever, and Caceres needs to control his runs upfront because any misinterpretation could lead to a through pass which eventually leads to an easy tap-in.

Spain’s predicted line-up: Valdes | Arbeloa, Pique, Ramos, Alba | Javi Martinez, Busquets | Navas, Xavi, Iniesta | Soldado

Starting with the Iker-less line-up, it is predicted that the Spanish captain will not be starting for tonight’s game as Spain probably will avoid risking a not fully fit Iker; therefore, Valdes will be the next best alternative. Seeing how Xabi Alonso is ruled out of the Confederations Cup with a back-injury, the Champions League-winning Javi will be the most probable replacement to compliment Busquets in the southern part of the midfield.

Moreover, judging by the offensive brilliance that Uruguay possesses, it will be most probable that Spain will play a double-pivot of Javi-Busquets and play a (4-2-3-1). This gives the Spaniards an easier task of getting the ball behind the midfielders, in addition to adding a pinch of defensive solidity to secure the back-line from any sudden counters plus adding possession to the table.

Cesc-Xavi-Iniesta seems unrealistic, and probably is, but in theory, Spain might be looking to switch up the positions and keep a bit of pace at the same time so the new citizen, Navas, might be the right solution for that equation. Spain will be looking to do the usual, keep the ball and eventually find spaces. Uruguay will definitely add the pressure and try to dispossess them in-hope of finding that one counter. Jordi Alba should be alert at all times and continuously look for spaces behind the midfield to make those run ins. The more spontaneous Spain get, the better.

This game should be a joy to watch; one being because they are two enormous squads with talent leaking from both sides of the pitch, and second because both play beautiful offensive football. I will not give any predictions regarding the outcome of the game, the Spaniards being the usual favorites, but I still see this game ending up with a few goals and hopefully an entertaining 90 minutes for the fans.

Written by Hasan Al

Jun 16 2013

Brazil 3-0 Japan: Neymar Leads Brazil to Victory in Confederations Cup Opening Match

Brazil 3-0 JapanThe FIFA Confederations Cup started well for this year’s hosts Brazil as they managed a significant win over Asian champions, Japan. After a beautiful and colorful opening ceremony, Brazil opened this year’s competition in the best way possible, with great goals from Neymar, Paulinho, and Jo.

The game kicked off with Brazil being the dominant side; their first goal coming as early as the third minute. Fluminense skipper, Fred, received a good cross from Marcelo and knocked down the ball well for Neymar on the edge of the box. Spanish champions FC Barcelona’s newest acquisition made absolutely no mistake putting this one into the net with a brilliant strike. An outstretched Eiji Kawashima had no chance as the ball went past him and into the top-left corner of the net.

Japan held firm after this early goal and tried to get an equalizer, but were denied each time they tried. Keisuke Honda had one on-target shot blocked, however unconvincingly, by Julio Cesar soon after. Stuttgart’s Shinji Okazaki put the ball out for Keisuke Honda, but the CSKA Moscow midfielder was once again unable to convert and score.

Hulk almost doubled the lead for his side in the minutes that followed, but just hit the side-netting to the relief of Kawashima & co. Fred had a good chance as well, but there were to be no more goals in the first half. Apart from the early mistakes made, Alberto Zaccheroni would be pleased with the way his team had handled the first half. Luis Felipe Scolari, having seen what Japan could do, also knew the game wasn’t over yet, as both sides headed into the break.

The second half started and it took Brazil only 175 seconds to score their second goal. Not long after Portuguese referee Pedro Proenca had blown the whistle to signal the start of the second half, Corinthian’s Paulinho received a Dani Alves cross into the penalty area and shot confidently to Kiwashima’s right to make it 2-0. The Standard Liege goalkeeper had stretched well to try and keep it out, but his touch wasn’t able to stop the power of the shot.

Brazil 3-0 JapanJapan, by conceding early once again, had repeated the same mistakes they had made in the first half and Zaccheroni wasn’t pleased. 3 minutes later, Nuremberg’s Hiroshi Kiyotake was replaced by Ryoichi Maeda to seemingly intensify Japan’s attack. Unfortunately for the Japanese side, however, Brazil were well-prepared at the back.

With 16 minutes still to play, Brazilian star Neymar came off for PSG winger, Lucas Moura, and Hulk for Lazio’s Hernanes Do Carvalho. Japan wanted to try and take advantage of this absence with some fresh legs and introduced BSC Hertha’s new man Hajime Hosogai for Yasuhito Endo a few minutes later. After Brazil continued in their dominance, Zaccheroni made his final substitution with Eintracht Frankfurt’s Takashi Inui coming on for a displeased Keisuke Honda ten minutes later; hoping to get a consolation goal.

Unfortunately for Zaccheroni’s side, however, it was Brazil who would score another goal and not them. Jo, who had come on for Fred in the 81st minute, picked up a great pass from Chelsea midfielder Oscar Dos Santos and ran past Kawashima’s defenders to finish the game in style for his side.

It was a well-deserved victory for Scolari’s men, who had dominated the game from the first minute and enjoyed a whole 61% possession. Zaccheroni’s men, who perhaps didn’t deserve to have lost by so many goals after some great attempts, will now have to try and do much better against Italy and Mexico if they are to proceed further in the competition.

Written by Ange Marline

Jun 15 2013

Spain U21 3-0 Norway U21: Unstoppable Young Spaniards Reach Final Yet Again

Spain U21 3-0 Norway U21Spain faced Norway in the under-21 Euro Championships, hoping to clinch their second successive spot in the final of the tournament, and after a run of impressive results, went to the match as clear favorites. Norway, on the other hand, was hoping to get to the final for the first time in its history in any UEFA competition by beating the favorites.

Spain’s lineup provided a few surprises; De Gea started on goal behind a defense line formed by Montoya, Iñigo Martinez, Marc Bartra, and Alberto Moreno. Captain Thiago Alcantara, Irrallamendi, and Koke formed the midfield as Isco was moved on the wing along with Cristian Tello and Rodrigo. Many also expected Real Madrid’s youngster Alvaro Morata to start, but the scorer of three cup goals was left on the bench.

Norway’s lineup was as expected; Nyland started on goal, Elabdellaoui, Rogne, Hedenstad, and Strandberg in defense with Singh, Johansen and Eikrem in the midfield. The forward line was in shape of Berget, Pedersen, and King.

As both teams started with a 4-3-3, Norway with two more defensive-minded midfielders, it was clear which team would take the control of the ball. As seen before in the tournament, Thiago played in a deeper role dictating the midfield, and Koke – who took Isco’s position – had more freedom to move forward. Isco also cut a lot inside from his wing as he usually does when playing in that position, which strengthened Spain’s midfield but also cut off some of the width they could have used to expose Norway’s solid defense. This left Spain a bit ineffective at times.

When attacking, Cristian Tello maintained width on his side but was constantly ineffective partly due to not playing in his preferred position, on the left, although he did occasionally switch positions with Isco. With Koke, Isco, and Thiago constantly moving around in the creative roles, Norway was in trouble with Spain’s attacking force through the middle from early on and barely managed to hurt the Spaniards with counter attacks.

Spain U21 3-0 Norway U21Spain’s early and aggressive press made it difficult for Norway to exploit the space the wingback’s runs could have left in the defense. However, Spain didn’t ever really get close to the goal in good shooting positions; Norway packed the middle and looked solid defensively. At times, Spain, with Isco as a winger, even looked like 4-4-2 and lacked width because of that. Only Tello and Isco himself got relatively close to scoring, and Spain was constantly dangerous whenever the latter had the ball.

The deadlock was finally broken by Rodrigo after a messy corner-situation and the striker got to tap the ball in the net right before half-time. The goal was surely a turning point in the game and came at a perfect time for the Spaniards.

The second half wasn’t brilliant by Spain either, as Norway started to gain a little position and forced Spain to defend deeper; the underdogs even got a few decent shots from good positions. Spain, however, looked comfortable in possession and made some good substitutions. Alvaro Morata came on for Rodrigo on the 59th minute and constantly linked up well with Isco. Later, Muniain came on for Tello.

Spain looked rather comfortable in possession but 1-0 wasn’t enough. Isco scored a beauty for the Spaniards in the 87th minute to seal the victory after a link up play with the substitute Morata. And later on, Morata went on to add to his tally as he scored a late goal from a seemingly impossible angle to give Spain a deserved 3-0 victory with his 4th goal of the tournament.

Some statistics also show that Spain was a well deserving winner. Spain dominated 67% of possession, had a total of 26 shots of which 12 on target, had a total of 8 corners compared to Norway’s 4, and also had an impressive pass success rate of 92%.

Spain never looked too troubled in defense and managed to cut off Norway’s attacks by a good pressing game and a well shaped defense. The formation that forced Isco to an unfamiliar position saw Spain struggle a little with quick movement in the midfield, but despite tactical imperfections, some immense individual skill by Isco managed to turn the match in Spain’s favor. And speaking of Isco, there should be no question about the man of the match; the Malaga midfielder was by far the best on the pitch and a beautiful goal only highlighted his performance.

With 4 victories in 4 games and without a single goal conceded, Spain looks like a firm favorite for the final, and despite not being impressive for a full 90 minutes, they did just what they had to and earned a well-deserved spot in the European U21 Championship Final this Tuesday in Jerusalem.

Written by Jen Evelyn

Jun 14 2013

Is Tito Vilanova to Blame for Barcelona’s Defensive Issues this Season?

Tito VilanovaWe’ve gone from one extreme to another; the most successful start to a season in the club’s history to one of the most humiliating endings to a Champions League campaign for many years. It’s fair to say that this season has been full of the most extraordinary highs and lows and, but we’re now La Liga champions so that incredible beginning to the season has finally got its rewards.

And deservedly so. With just two defeats in La Liga this season there’s no doubt that despite some questionable performances at times and an almost non-existent defense, that Barcelona were the best team in the league. But it hasn’t come without great difficulty. Barcelona won the league despite not winning a Clasico this season and that has to be a sore point for Cules everywhere. No one likes losing a Clasico, and after Barca had been so dominant in the fixture for the last few years, dealing with defeat to Jose Mourinho and his men is just not acceptable to some people.

So is it Tito’s fault that we lost the Clasicos? We didn’t lose the first one, on October 7, despite our defense having been at its most fragile in months. We managed a 2-2 draw with a rampant Cristiano Ronaldo scoring two, but the ever-reliable Lionel Messi making sure the scores were even by the end. The 2-1 defeat to Real at the Bernabeu in the second league Clasico was much more difficult to comprehend; Real had a few of their star players benched, including Ronaldo, so defeat to them when the odds appeared to be in our favor was tough to swallow.

I don’t think anyone needs reminding of the Copa Del Rey games either. At the time of the back to back defeats to Real (in the Copa Del Rey at the Camp Nou and then the second league match), Tito was in the middle of intense cancer treatment and was in New York. Despite many people suggesting it was Tito making the decisions from America and not Jordi Roura, it’s extremely difficult to understand exactly how much control Tito would have had. The point of him being in New York was to receive specialist treatment to save his life, not for him to instruct the team, so I doubt he would have had quite as much control as some people suggest.

However, even if he did, it was extremely tough for him to have any say in what to do once the games started. It would have been left almost entirely up to Roura to decide the substitutions, which tactical decisions needed to be made, and this was a problem in itself. Roura has had no experience of coaching a team before this season and, whilst I don’t believe that it was all his fault, it was down to management problems that we have struggled this season; both with mistakes made regarding coaching decisions and the choices we made during last season’s transfer window.

BarcelonaWhen it comes to our defense there really is no easy solution to explain quite how appalling it has become. Certainly the defense has suffered from its fair share of injuries but it can’t be the only excuse. At times, the players simply haven’t played well enough. Gerard Pique has shown brief signs of brilliance but overall has had yet another incredibly disappointing season. Pique has been rated among the best in Europe for the last few years, but I’m beginning to think that he no longer deserves to be considered.

That, however, is up to debate and should be the subject of a separate article. Even other players who deserve much more credit for their efforts, Javier Mascherano for example, have had turbulent seasons. Mascherano has scored the most own goals this season, and also missed some important games through injury. Add to that the constant injury concerns surrounding club captain Puyol and it’s not surprising whatsoever that Barcelona have struggled so much defensively.

How much of this is down to Tito? Obviously Tito can’t be blamed for players having injuries, but there have been some questionable decisions in defense. Barcelona have frequently chosen the likes of Alex Song, Mascherano, and Adriano to play in the center back role, but there is a serious problem with this: none of them are center backs. Adriano is a winger, not a center back, and despite putting in as much effort as possible whenever he’s called upon, his defending is a weakness.

Song is very slow and unused to the center back role (although better prepared for it than Busquets for example), and the question has to be why did Barcelona spend so much money on buying a midfielder to play in the center back position and spend most of his time benched than a genuine center back? It’s an odd question considering the price Alex Song was bought for was the same price as that of Mats Hummels, the Borussia Dortmund center back Barcelona have been linked with on several occasions. Are we getting value for money?

The defense remains the most complex problem facing Tito, and some would say that he has done nothing to solve it. It has been reported that it was Tito’s decision not to buy a center back last summer, and if that was the case, then it was a very foolish decision to make in my honest opinion. Some excuses can be made for him, it was his first season as coach, but not filling an enormous hole in the defense is ultimately what has cost us the most this season. What Tito can do is learn from his mistakes and make sure that he doesn’t do the same thing again.

BarcelonaIf Barcelona fail to buy a genuine center back this summer, then Tito can be seen as the culprit with all responsibility. How can you expect to win anything when you’re allowing a weakened spot to stay weakened whilst other teams strengthen in attack? The fact that Deportivo, who were in the relegation spots at the time, were able to put 4 goals past us is a sign of just how bad things got.

It doesn’t even take a particularly strong offence, with no disrespect meant to Deportivo, to really hurt Barcelona and it’s something that has to be stopped. If Barca want to stay at the top (and with the emergence of Bayern Munich and the recent change in Clasico results that seems unlikely) then something has to be done about it. If not now then when? Wait until we have a completely trophyless season for them to do something? Wait until we lose a Clasico 5-0? As soon as a problem presents itself it’s there to be fixed as and when it happened, not waiting for it to get worse, and for me that was the biggest mistake Tito made all season.

But what did Tito get right? No doubt that some of his decisions later on in the season were dubious at best and even some of the earlier ones, despite such a tremendous start, were baffling. None more so than his decision to delegate David Villa a regular spot on the bench. As Spain’s number one top goalscorer and a reputation as one of the best strikers in Europe, Tito’s decision to lose Villa far less frequently than his talent deserves not only raised important questions about what Tito was up to at the time, particularly when the team struggled for goals, but also increased the dependency we have on Lionel Messi.

The Messi dependency, despite us being fortunate enough to have a player capable of scoring an enormous amount of goals, is dangerous. What happens if Messi gets a major injury and is sidelined for several months? Every team has a player they rely upon more than most, but Barcelona can’t afford the level of dependency they’ve had on Messi. As cruel as this may seem, it’s about FC Barcelona, not FC Messi, and it’s time we started looking for other options and sharing the spotlight a little bit more.

Lionel MessiOf course that’s probably not entirely Tito’s fault. David aside, no one could have guessed that both Pedro and Alexis would choose the exact same season to go completely off form. Pedro has been out of form since almost the beginning of the season and this one is more than a little forgettable for the star. Alexis, on the other hand, despite some real blunders in front of goal, has recently improved enough for me to think that perhaps his season wasn’t a washout and there is still something we can gain from keeping Alexis. Even when he wasn’t able to score, his ability to drag defenders wide, create distractions for other players to sneak in and score and then use his pace to get back and help out the defense was remarkable at times. Alexis is, in my honest opinion, one of the most underrated yet most hardworking players at Barcelona and deserves a lot more credit than he gets.

But apart from the players being off form, could Tito be blamed for the lack of time he dedicated to the youngsters? Yes! Tito barely gave any time at all to the likes of Martin Montoya, Marc Bartra, and Cristian Tello. Was this a mistake? Clearly it was. Dani Alves was badly off form and injury-prone at the beginning of the season, and ever since, hasn’t been brilliant at times and Montoya has impressed when called upon.

In smaller games (or even the bigger ones as he shone during the Clasicos) Montoya should have been given the chance so Alves could get some rest and Montoya could show the skills that will one day lead to him becoming our first-choice right back. When Montoya has been called upon in some games it has usually been in the place of left back Jordi Alba which shows just how versatile a player he is. Montoya is a valuable asset and will one day become Spain’s number one right back. It’s time to help him gain more experience, more trust and develop before he decides that.

Written by Liberty Ali & Hasan Al

Jun 14 2013

6 Players to Watch at the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil

Neymar

About to embark on the biggest season of his career, Neymar could be an interesting player watch in this years Confederations Cup. After largely disappointing in recent games for Brazil, he will be keen to silence the critics and of course, wet the appetite of Catalan Giants, Barcelona.

Shinji Kagawa

2013 Confederations Cup in BrazilHoping for a bigger role for Manchester United next season, the Confederations Cup provides a perfect opportunity for Kagawa to prove his worth at the top level of the game. In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, he claimed he wasn’t overall satisfied with his first season with the Red Devils:

“I wasn’t satisfied with my overall performance but I played well in the second half of the season and started to get more and more confidence. Hopefully, I can keep that going at the Confederations Cup. In this business, you need to be like Rooney or Van Persie and prove yourself if you want the ball.”

Mario Balotelli

After a storming start at AC Milan, Mario Balotelli will look to bring his Serie A form to Brazil. In the previous European Championship he showed his worth as classic number nine by scoring two fine goals against Germany in the Semi Final. Currently a confident player and capable of scoring at any given moment, he could be worth a punt for the top goalscorer.

David Villa

When he missed Euro 2012 through injury, Spain were forced to revert to a false nine system. It worked perfectly and it seemed that David Villa’s time as a Spain player was running out. However after returning and putting in a decent season for Barcelona, he is back to the international scene. It will be intriguing to see whether he can prove to his club Barcelona that he is too high of an asset to be sold.

Luis Suarez

Not particularly spoken about because of his footballing ability recently, the Confederations Cup provides an excellent opportunity for Suarez to diminish some criticism that was received in the wake of the Ivanovic bite incident. Furthermore, with a number of top clubs looking at him, it may be difficult to see him staying at Liverpool following a stupendous tournament.

John Obi Mikel

After dominating the African Cup of Nations, John Obi Mikel will look to assert himself on the Confederations Cup. With a pass success rate of 88.6% according to Who Scored, he should be the key element in Nigeria’s midfield.

Written by Jimmy Cartwright

Jun 10 2013

José Mourinho Ready to Splash the Cash in Second Spell at Chelsea

José MourinhoWith the prodigal son of Stamford Bridge, José Mourinho, finally returning for a long-awaited special spell at Chelsea, transfer speculation is already rife in central London. When Mourinho first arrived in 2004, he brought in relatively unknown players, such as Didier Drogba and Michael Essien, and made them into champions.

But there were also some less successful signings, for example, £4million Czech defender Jiří Jarošík who made just 14 appearances, or Asier del Horno, whose 25 appearances cost the club £320,000 each.

However, with the experience of another Champions League victory (at Inter) and a La Liga title with Madrid, Mourinho is unlikely to make similar mistakes again, and with the backing of Roman Abramovich’s seemingly endless checkbook, the sky is the limit for the Blues. With a long summer transfer window ahead, who can we expect to see lining up at Stamford Bridge next season?

Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis has made no secret that he knows star striker Edinson Cavani could be tempted to London this summer, saying “Chelsea want Cavani” and that they would “call me in the next hours about it.” That call was reported to have contained a £40million + Thibaut Courtois bid from Chelsea, but the offer was rejected, with the sometimes-eccentric chairman refusing to accept a penny below the £53million release clause in the Uruguayan’s contract.

Cavani has been at Napoli since 2010, and made a name for himself as one of the planet’s top strikers. Strong, quick, and acrobatic when he needs to be, he has scored 78 goals in 104 appearances for the Partenopei and is capable of scoring any type of goal; a quick browse through YouTube will bring up free kicks, volleys, deft finishes, chips, bicycle kicks and powerful net-busters, so it is understandable that Manchester City have also reportedly shown interest.

The price tag, which would be a new British transfer record, is putting both teams off for now, but neither Abramovich nor the City owners have been shy about spending vast amounts of money for players in the past, particularly strikers. Chelsea have the upper hand over manager-less City at the moment, but if terms can’t be agreed with ‘El Matador’ Cavani, Mourinho has several other reported targets.

Edison CavaniMontenegrin forward Stevan Jovetić is one of them, with the Arsenal target thought to be unhappy at Fiorentina. Jovetić has a more modest scoring record in Serie A (34 goals in 115 games) and as such would command a more modest transfer fee, potentially around the £25million mark. At 23 years old, he is three years Cavani’s junior, and is celebrated as one of European football’s most exciting young talents. A fan favorite in Florence, Jovetić has stunned La Viola with this statement alerting Chelsea, Arsenal, and Juventus of his availability:

“Florence and the Viola fans have always asked me to be upfront: so here it is. I need stimulation elsewhere, I need to devote myself in a top club. I’ve played in Europe with Fiorentina, now I want to win in Europe.”

Although he doesn’t possess the same variety of skills as Cavani, Jovetić is an accomplished finisher and is capable of making assists, as well as playing out wide on either side when needed.

Outside Serie A, Brazilian forward Givanildo Vieira de Souza, more commonly known as Hulk, has suggested Mourinho wants him at Chelsea, saying, “If I said there wasn’t anything in it, I would be lying. But that is not for now.” Hulk has enjoyed a colorful career despite still being only 26, playing in Brazil, Japan, Portugal, and Russia and scoring in an 8-0 thrashing of China by his native Brazil, where he made only one club appearance before moving to Kawasaki Frontale near Tokyo.

His big move came in 2008 when he was signed by Porto, then and now Champions of Mourinho’s native Portugal. He scored 90 goals in 99 games in Portugal, and it came as a surprise when he turned down a move to one of Europe’s “big” leagues and instead signed for Zenit St. Petersburg in Russia for a fee thought to be around €40million.

It has been a difficult time for the athletic Hulk, who has fallen out with coach Luciano Spalletti and been subject to racist abuse from Zenit fans who disagree with black players playing for the club. In January, he declared that he wanted to leave the club, but FIFA regulations forced him to stay until at least June 2013. Known for his powerful long-range strikes and blistering pace, Hulk could light up the Premier League with the right team around him.

Eden Hazard & Fernando TorresOther names have been mentioned – Edin Džeko, Xabi Alonso, and even Cristiano Ronaldo – but the debate has arisen as to whether the arrival of a new forward would even be necessary, and if one does come in, whether someone would have to leave. Six Chelsea players hit double figures last season, including the contradictory Fernando Torres. Torres scored 23 goals for the club, seemingly a successful season, but only eight of these goals came in the Premier League, with the majority scored in the Blues’ successful Europa League run.

Demba Ba scored a fantastic goal against Manchester United but failed to continue his scoring form from his Newcastle time, with less goals than defenders Branislav Ivanović or David Luiz. However, it is Belgian wonderkid Romelu Lukaku that will cause Mourinho the most problems over the next few months.

Lukaku took the Premier League by storm last season with West Brom, scoring 17 goals and terrifying defenders across the country. On the final day of the season, he scored a perfect hat-trick against Manchester United, helping The Baggies come from three goals down to claim an incredible 5-5 draw.

His physique and finishing have draw obvious parallels with the spearhead of Mourinho’s attack in his first spell at the club, Didier Drogba, but at 20 years of age, he is seen as one for the future rather than the present. Many Chelsea fans have made the argument that if he can score 17 goals for West Brom, surely he can score even more with Mata, Hazard, and Oscar behind him, but it is undecided whether he will be able to play at Champions League level.

In any case, Mourinho will certainly want to make an impression on his return from Madrid and stamp his name on the team; how better to do so than breaking the British transfer record and bringing in a samba superstar in the same window?

Written by Sam France

Jun 9 2013

USA 4-3 Germany: US Soccer Centennial Celebration Match Ends in Historic Victory

USA 4-3 GermanyOn June 2nd, the American Soccer Association celebrated their 100th Anniversary at RFK Stadium in Washington DC, the nation’s capital. This would be the RFK’s 22nd international match for the USA Men’s Team, making it the stadium to have hosted the most international games for the team.

For their Centennial Celebration match, the US played hosts to a good German team, which had flown in on the back of a great victory away in Ecuador for a friendly match. USA had drawn 1-1 against Belgium at the match preceding this one but were just as confident as their German opponents heading into this match. After a moment of silence for the Oklahoma tornado victims, the hosts kicked off the game in good fashion.

It took the hosts only 13 minutes to score an opener, and Jozy Altidore was the man. After a 19-month international goal drought, the AZ Alkmaar forward picked up a good cross from Graham Zusi and hit a great right-footed, first-time volley. The German side looked to have been caught off guard by this goal, and things got even worse for them when Borussia Monchengladbach’s Marc-Andre ter Stegen misread a Benedikt Howedes back-pass and allowed the ball to roll into the empty net just four minutes later. Ter Stegen, who was left red-faced, hoped his side would erase his mistake soon after, but the American defense didn’t feel the same.

Miroslav Klose managed to put the ball into the net for his side 5 minutes later, but his goal was ruled offside. Had it been accepted, Klose’s goal would have brought him level on goals with Gerd Muller’s record of 68 international goals for Germany. It wasn’t, however, as he had clearly been offside.

Joachim Low made 4 substitutions at half-time, with the introduction of Phillipp Wollscheid, Dennis Aogo, Heiko Westermann, and Max Kruse for Per Mertesacker, Marcell Jansen, Lars Bender, and Sven Bender respectively. Jurgen Klinsmann made 1 substitution at half-time, bringing on Brad Davis for Fabian Johnson.

USA 4-3 GermanyIt only took 6 minutes into the second half for another goal to be found. On the 51st minute, after Germany had been awarded a corner which was taken by substitute Max Kruse, SV Hamburger’s Heiko Westermann got away from the American defense and headed brilliantly towards the net from 7 yards to make it 2-1. The half-time changes seemed to have completely changed Germany’s game.

Germany’s joy was, however, short-lived as they conceded a third goal just 9 minutes later on the hour mark when the first of two brilliant goals by Clint Dempsey restored the two-goal cushion for the hosts. Having picked up a good cross from Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey hit a strong shot from 10 yards and beat ter Stegen. Great work from Eddie Johnson and Jermaine Jones as well as Jozy Altidore provided the assist.

Soon after his first goal of the match, Clint Dempsey scored another brilliant goal with his left foot. Just 4 minutes after his first goal, the Tottenham Hotspur striker shot the ball into the corner of the net from a whole 24 yards out, beating the outstretched arms of ter Stegen, and much to the delight of the crowd.

One would have thought that the game was over after this, but the Germans reduced the deficit 15 minutes later courtesy of assistant to the first German goal, Max Kruse. Assisted by Arsenal’s Lukas Podolski, the Frieburg man shot past Tim Howard from just outside the 18 yard box to make it 4-2.

Just over 120 seconds later, the Germans added another goal thanks to a left-footed shot into the net by FC Schalke’s Julian Draxler. Bayer Leverkusen’s Sidney Sam had had his shot saved by Tim Howard, but Draxler was able to get the ball from the rebound and make it 4-3.

With 9 minutes plus added time remaining, Germany had a chance to level things, but the US team managed to hold them and end the match with a beautiful win. An early goal from Jozy Altidore and a brilliant Clint Dempsey brace made the US team’s Centennial Celebration match one to certainly remember for the Red, White, and Blues.

Written by Ange Marline

Jun 8 2013

David Beckham: The Glorious International Career as Legendary England Captain

David BeckhamDavid Beckham made his first appearance for the England national football team on September 1, 1996, in a World Cup qualifier against Moldova. He had featured in all of England’s qualifiers for the 1998 World Cup in France, but then England manager Glenn Hoddle accused him of not focusing on the tournament. He did not start England’s first 2 games of the tournament, but was picked for the 3rd match and scored from a long-range free-kick in a 2-0 victory. This was his first goal for England.

In the Round of 16 at the World Cup, he was sent off for kicking at Argentina’s Diego Simeone, who had fouled him beforehand. Simeone later admitted he, along with many of his team-mates, were trying to influence the referee into sending Beckham off. The match finished a draw, and England were knocked out via a penalty shoot-out. He was blamed by much of the media and many fans for England’s exit and he became the target for abuse.

The abuse of Beckham from fans continued into Euro 2000, as England were knocked out by Portugal, losing 3-2, a match in which Beckham set up both of England’s goals. Afterwards, he was taunted by a set of England supporters and he responded by sticking up his middle finger. While the reaction saw some more criticism towards him, many newspapers were urgently asking England supporters to stop abusing him.

On 15th November 2000, following the resignation of Kevin Keegan as England manager the month before, Beckham was promoted to team captain by caretaker boss Pater Taylor, and was kept that way under new manager Sven-Goran Eriksson. He helped England to qualify for the 2002 World Cup, and after impressive performances against Germany and Greece, he suddenly transformed himself from villain to hero. The final step of this happened after he scored the equalizer to give England the draw they needed desperately on October 6, 2001. Shortly afterwards, he was voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2001, and he finished runner up once again in the FIFA World Player of the Year award, this time to Portugal’s Luis Figo.

David BeckhamBeckham was partially fit for the 2002 World Cup and played in the first match against Sweden, scoring the winner against Argentina from the penalty spot and causing Argentina to fail to qualify for the knockout round. England were knocked out by eventual winners, Brazil at the quarter final stage. Beckham played in all of England’s matches at Euro 2004 in Portugal, but the tournament ended in disappointment for him as he had 2 penalties missed against France and Portugal respectively. England lost 2-1 to France and were knocked out by eventual finalists and hosts Portugal in a penalty shoot-out.

In 2005, Beckham captained England for the 50th time, this time in a friendly against Argentina. A month before, he was sent off against Austria, making him the first England captain to be sent off and the first England player to be sent off twice. In the 2006 World Cup, Beckham’s free-kick against Paraguay led to an own goal by Carlos Gamarra and England won 1-0. He also assisted Steven Gerrard and Peter Crouch’s goals against Trinidad and Tobago on June 15th, as England went on to win the game 2-0.

During the knockout stage match versus Ecuador, Beckham scored a free-kick, becoming the first player to score in 3 separate World Cups for England. It gave England a 1-0 victory and a place in the quarter finals against Portugal. In that quarter final, he was subbed off due to injury at half time, as England went on to finish the game goalless after extra time and eventually losing 3-1 on penalties. A day after being knocked out of the World Cup, an emotional Beckham made this statement in a news conference as he stepped down as England captain:

“It has been an honor and privilege to captain my country but, having been captain for 58 of my 95 games, I feel the time is right to pass on the armband as we enter a new era under Steve McClaren.”

David BeckhamBeckham was soon succeeded as England captain by Chelsea defender John Terry. He was left out of the England side until May 26, 2007, and he started against Brazil. It was the first time he had featured for England since stepping down as captain. He also set up England’s goal, which was scored by John Terry. He did play his part in England’s qualifying games for Euro 2008, but it was all in vain as they failed to qualify for the tournament.

In a friendly against France in March 2008, he became only the fifth Englishman to reach 100 caps for the country. New manger Fabio Capello hinted that Beckham was part of the long term plans to achieve qualification for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Beckham was honored before a match against Trinidad and Tobago on June 1st that year by receiving an honorary gold cap representing his 100th cap from Sir Bobby Charlton, and was also given a standing ovation from the crowd.

He played his part in the World Cup qualifiers as England finished top of their group, but in March 2010, he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon injury and he was ruled out of the tournament in South Africa. He never featured for England again after this injury, but has remained part of the England set up as he wants to help the development of young players. He reached 115 caps for his country, 10 behind record holder Peter Shilton.

Beckham’s Club Football Career
  • 1992-2003: Manchester United – (394 apps, 85 goals)
  • 1994-1995: Preston North End (Loan) – (5 apps, 2 goals)
  • 2003-2007: Real Madrid – (157 apps, 19 goals)
  • 2007-2012: LA Galaxy – (118 apps, 20 goals)
  • 2009-2010: AC Milan (Loan) – (33 apps, 2 goals)
  • 2013: Paris St-Germain – (14 apps, no goals)
  • Major Honors: 6 Premier League titles, 1 Champions League, 2 FA Cups, 4 Community Shields, 1 Intercontinental Cup, 1 La Liga title, 1 Supercopa de Espana, 2 MLS Cups, 1 Ligue 1 title

Written by Lauren Jenks