tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42665938966637882612024-03-18T20:06:57.764-07:00Striker No.9Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger268125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266593896663788261.post-1712628846276145392012-04-23T19:04:00.000-07:002012-04-23T19:04:00.482-07:00Giggs vs Maldini - football's greatest ever one-club stars<br />
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Paolo Maldini</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"> and </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ryan Giggs</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"> are arguably the first two names you think of when someone refers to a 'one-club man', with both players spending their entire careers at AC Milan and Manchester United respectively.</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">On Monday night, Giggs broke Maldini’s record for appearances at a top European club, playing his 903rd official match for United 21 years after his first and he doesn’t look like stopping anytime soon, with his 1000th appearance surely somewhere on the horizon.</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">With players moving between clubs almost as often as they change boots, the cliche that 'one-club players are a dying breed' has become commonplace. Yet like most cliches, it does have an aura of realism to it, with both Maldini and Giggs likely to retain their respective club records until way beyond their eventual passing due to the interchanging nature of modern day football.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Years active: 1991-present</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Goals scored: 163</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Awards:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">PFA Players' Player of the Year 2008-09</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2009</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">OBE for services to football - 2007</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Fact: Remains the only player to have played and scored in every Premier League season.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Fact: Premier League record appearance holder.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Few clubs have seen the same amount of domestic and European success as Manchester United over the past 20 years or so, winning 12 Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues, a host of FA and League Cups, but people forget there was a significantly drier spell beforehand.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It took Sir Alex Ferguson a few years to turn United into title contenders and Giggs has been around since the very beginning of this successful period, making his debut as a 17-year-old in March 1991 before the Red Devils picked up their first Premier League triumph in 1993.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A stat that really shows the Welshman’s longevity is that he is the only player to have appeared and scored in every Premier League season and it is his career that seems to sum up post-1990 Manchester United.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In terms of defining moments, his first goal for the club couldn’t have come in a bigger fixture, as the then 17-year-old scored the winner against Manchester City in May 1991, while his 1999 FA Cup semi-final goal against Arsenal will be remembered as arguably his greatest, as he singlehandedly weaved through the Gunners’ defence before scoring and revealing his impossibly hairy chest as he celebrated.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The former Wales captain picked up his first Champions League winners medal the same year as he was a key part of United’s treble winning side, despite a comparatively injury-stricken season.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Although he did have his fair share of injuries when younger, his avoidance of serious long-term absences have meant he has managed to make at least 32 appearances every season since his debut season, but he doesn’t seem to be getting affected too much by fatigue, playing 27 times already this season.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After being a part of various historic events in United’s history, it was only fitting for the midfielder to be a key component of the side that would overtake Liverpool as the most successful in the English top-flight, as first they equalled the Reds’ 18 league titles, and then last year they broke the record, picking up their 19th.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Years active: 1985-2009</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Goals scored: 33</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Fact: Champions League record appearance holder with 168.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Fact: Played 23 World Cup matches with Italy, losing only three times.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The name 'Maldini' was hardly an unknown one when 16-year-old Paolo made his debut for Milan back in 1985. The youngster was the son of Cesare Maldini, a Milan player in the 1950s and 60s, before coaching the side in the 70s, so the Italian already had an insight to a life focussed on football.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Similarly to Giggs, it didn’t take an awful long time before Maldini was a valued member of the first-team squad, making 27 Serie A appearances in his first full year, plus another 13 in other competitions. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Over the course of his 25-year long career, Maldini won seven league titles, with his first coming in the 1987-88 season, but it was the 1991-92 Scudetto-winning campaign that was perhaps the most emphatic, as Milan went the entire league season unbeaten, while the defensive quartet of Maldini, Franco Baresi, Mauro Tassotti and Alessandro Costacurta was becoming more imperious by the year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Seven titles in 25 years is perhaps a little underwhelming, but few can equal the Italy legend when it comes to Champions League titles. He won two European Cups, one in 1988-89, and the other a year later, but he later added three Champions League trophies, with those coming in '94, 2003 and 2007.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Former Real Madrid wideman Francisco Gento won six European titles with the Spanish giants in the 50s and 60s, the only player to better Maldini, while both featured in eight finals, more than anyone else.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The former defender is often referred to by pundits, and fans, as the greatest player to never win the prestigious Ballon d’Or award, with his style of defending being quite remarkable. It has been suggested that he only averaged one tackle every two matches, allowing his fantastic positioning to dictate his game, effectively forcing people to rethink what they defined as a good defender.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Although his farewell at the San Siro back in 2009 was a little overshadowed by the chants and a banner in a section of the Curva Sud, he will undoubtedly be regarded an all-time great, with almost unrivalled success. But you just get a feeling that despite his achievements, Maldini will still feel bitter about losing the 2005 Champions League final to Liverpool in such dramatic fashion.</span><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266593896663788261.post-1819888701557371362012-04-20T18:57:00.001-07:002012-04-21T06:41:17.250-07:00How Brad Jones has gone from loan ranger to Liverpool's man with the gloves at Wembley<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Having conceded three cheap goals, David James once claimed that he was not ready after coming on as a sub for England in a friendly against Denmark.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The former Liverpool goalkeeper had no excuse considering he was playing under Sven Goran Eriksson, who was infamous for his obsession with substitutes in friendlies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For Brad Jones, a little rustiness can be forgiven considering the extraordinary couple of weeks Liverpool’s third-choice goalkeeper has had.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Before the Reds’ game against Newcastle at the start of the month he wasn’t even on the bench, now Jones will be keeping sticks for Liverpool in their first FA Cup date at Wembley for 15 years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After spending much of his 10-year career playing back-up in the Premier League and spending time on loan elsewhere, it is a prime example of expecting the unexpected.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Brad Jones was born in Perth, Western Australia, on March 19, 1982 and learned his keeping trade at local side Bayswater City. After turning 17, the 6ft 3in stopper joined Middlesbrough in 1999.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Following a short stint at Irish side Shelbourne, the Antipodean made his football league debut during a loan spell at League One side Stockport in December 2002. It was one to forget however, as County lost 4-1 at home to Bristol City and he never played for the club again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Two more loan spells away from the Riverside Stadium followed in the 2003/04 campaign. First a two-month deal at Rotherham at the start of the season where he didn’t play a game, then at Blackpool.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">At Bloomfield Road, Jones began to show potential. In the seven games he played, Blackpool won five of them 1-0, while the other two were 1-0 defeats.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Middlesbrough recalled him and on January 3, 2004, Jones finally made his Boro debut in a 2-0 FA Cup win at home to Notts County. Four days later he made his Premier League debut in a 2-1 win against Fulham.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">But the return of Mark Schwarzer soon relegated Jones to understudy once again although despite not playing a single minute in the competition, Jones picked up a winners’ medal in Boro’s 2004 Carling Cup success.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The following season Jones returned to Blackpool on loan before featuring in five league games for Middlesbrough at the back end of the term.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The 2005/06 campaign suggested Jones was going to make his breakthrough at Middlesbrough after featuring 16 times, but the following season once again had him going on loan, this time to Sheffield Wednesday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">During his 15-game run at the Championship side a series of below-par performances saw him targeted by the home fans and in a 3-2 win against QPR at Hillsborough the keeper was even pelted with coins.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">But good news followed the end of the season as in June 2007 the Australian was called up to earn the first of, so far, two international caps in a friendly against Uruguay.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">However, just like at Stockport five years earlier, it was a disaster. The Socceroos lost 2-1 after Jones spilled a cross late on in the game that allowed Alvaro Recoba to head home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Domestically he was on the rise though. Nearly 10 years after joining the club, Jones finally became first-choice for Middlesbrough after Schwarzer departed for Fulham in 2008, but injury meant he didn’t become a regular until mid-season.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The campaign ended in disaster for Boro though, with the club relegated from the Premier League after an 11-year stay. Jones featured 22 times throughout the year and maintained his place for the following campaign in the Championship.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">His resulting form in England’s second tier warranted international recognition once more and he was called up to Australia’s squad for the 2010 World Cup – but tragedy would strike.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The keeper pulled out of the squad after it was revealed his four-year-old son, Luca, had been diagnosed with leaukaemia. The youngster sadly passed away in November last year following an 18-month battle against the illness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">On the pitch, Jones returned to the Premier League in August 2010 after new Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson snapped him up as understudy to Pepe Reina for £2.3million – but his unfortunate debuts continued to plague him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The stopper’s first night in a Reds shirt came during Liverpool’s shock third round Carling Cup exit to Northampton on penalties at Anfield. Although he was largely blameless for the defeat, any positives gained from the game were muted by the hysteria over Liverpool’s poor start under Hodgson.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Jones featured once more that season in a 0-0 Europa League draw against Utrecht before going on loan to Championship side Derby for the rest of the 2010/11 campaign. It was a largely unsuccessful spell as the keeper again conceded four on his debut at Cardiff, but worse was to come.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">On April 30, 2011 during a 2-0 defeat against Bristol City (a bogey team it seems), the keeper allowed an effort to squirm under his body after just six minutes, with manager Nigel Clough claiming the error had demoralised the team – it proved to be his seventh and final game for the Rams.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">New Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish also lost faith in the keeper by signing Brazilian international Doni to act as back-up for Reina last summer. For Jones, his Anfield career looked over before it had even really started.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The poor showing against Bristol City at Pride Park was his last competitive appearance before his re-emergence at Blackburn on Tuesday night.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">While his penalty save was admirable in the way he outfoxed former Middlesbrough team-mate Yakubu, Jones looked every inch a goalkeeper who hadn’t played in a year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Some shaky catches and untidy stops went unpunished, but his howler to push Yakubu over and concede another penalty showed his lack of playing time. Andy Carroll’s late winner for Liverpool will ensure his rusty gloves will be overlooked though.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It’s been an incredible fortnight for Jones which has seen him return to the squad and then make his Liverpool league debut. But the best news the 30-year-old has received is his partner, Dani Lawrence, giving birth to another son, Nico Luca Jones.</span></div>
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266593896663788261.post-26488424059032239482012-04-14T10:34:00.000-07:002012-04-14T10:34:00.774-07:00Revealed: Bundesliga is more competitive than La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1 & Premier League<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Based on results, the German Bundesliga is currently the most competitive among Europe’s top leagues this season.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A study evaluated La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1, the Premier League, and the Bundesliga, assessing the points gap in each competition. The figure computed was the standard deviation of points earned, the square root of the average of summed squared differences between each team’s points and the league average.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In simpler terms, each value is computed by finding the difference between a certain team’s points earned and the average points for all teams in the league. These differences are found for all teams within a league, and averaged. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A high standard deviation value means a broader points gap, and thus a less competitive league: for example, one in which one or two teams are running away with the title, and a few teams are hopelessly caught in the relegation battle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By contrast, a low standard deviation means a tighter table, suggesting less of a gap between the elite and lower teams, and tighter competition.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the Premier League, there now are only two teams realistically in contention for the title: leaders Manchester City and runners-up United. There is a narrow points range between eighth-placed Stoke and the 15th-placed West Brom, but on either end, the next few teams are significantly separated from the pack. And the gap between first and last is a whopping 39 points, with the average higher than all but seven of the league's 20 teams. By standard deviation, the Premier League is the least competitive in Europe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The standard deviation of points in La Liga is significantly smaller than that in the Premier League, but still greater than that of any of Europe’s other top leagues. The mid-table range is quite tight: a gap of just 10 points separates Espanyol (5th) from Sporting Gijon (19th). In Spain, the race for a fourth Champions League spot is still far from decided, and the Europa League berths are completely up for grabs: the average is right in the middle, between ninth-placed Sevilla and 10th-positioned Malaga. But the league’s extremes are so far from the mean that, even with an otherwise tight pack, the standard deviation is still higher than most. Real Madrid and Barcelona are a whopping 14 and nine points clear respectively of third-placed Valencia, who are a further four ahead of Levante. At the bottom, Zaragoza are six points behind Gijon, making the difference between first and last nearly as great as that in England: 37 points.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Serie A has seen a contraction at the top in recent weeks, as Inter have stormed up the table to a position where they can once more be considered title contenders. And as in England and Spain, there is a tight pack in the centre of the table, with just five points separating Palermo (eighth) from Siena (17th). Novara and Lecce appear almost without a hope in the relegation zone, however, with Cesena dangerously close to a similar position. This, coupled with the five-point drop from Napoli (eighth) to Palermo (ninth) augments the data, splitting the league table effectively into three tiers that are separately competitive, if hard to break away from.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In France, the difference between first and last is lesser still than any of the aforementioned. From ninth place down, starting just below the mean, just eight points separate the remaining 12 teams, which offsets what is a considerably higher gap of 16.10 points to leaders PSG. In all of France, only two teams are more than nine points from the rounded mean.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In Germany, the title race is more open than in any other league: Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Schalke are all tied on points for first place, while dark horses Borussia Monchengladbach are just a point off the pace. Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen round off the top six, with 30 and 29 points apiece, beyond which there is a big drop to Hannover, and a steady decrease in points down the table. Rounding the mean, the leaders are just 12 points above, while basement side Augsburg are 10 below, making a first-to-last gap smaller than that of any other league.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is important to note that the standard deviation is to some degree influenced by number of games played: with more matchdays having passed, there is a slightly greater likelihood of a gap - and deviation - growing. And surely enough, the league with the most games played (the Premier League) has the greatest standard deviation, while that of the which has completed the fewest (the Bundesliga) has the smallest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many fans have often asserted that when the lower half of one league is stronger than that of another, that one league is tougher to win than the rest. And without the chance for real, objective comparison, the debate can rage endlessly with no conclusion. There is no objective way to definitively compare competition between leagues, especially those at different stages in the season that are comprised of an unequal number of teams. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, standard deviation is the best way to measure how tight a table is, and accordingly, how strong the lower teams are relative to the higher. And in the case of the German Bundesliga, based on results, the gap in quality between the higher and lower teams is significantly less than that in any of Europe's other top leagues.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266593896663788261.post-76268853803485871912012-04-13T10:30:00.000-07:002012-04-13T10:30:00.824-07:00Pepe's five fiercest flashpoints at Real Madrid<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wayne Rooney called him an idiot; Bernd Schuster claimed his personality changes when he pulls on a Real Madrid shirt. But almost all are in agreement: Pepe has a problem.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b8GFhawvNDA/T33W-cHHmyI/AAAAAAAAJvo/lb0N3HlRXkI/s1600/pepe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b8GFhawvNDA/T33W-cHHmyI/AAAAAAAAJvo/lb0N3HlRXkI/s1600/pepe.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Brazilian-born defender made the headlines again on Thursday for all the wrong reasons, deflecting the attention away from what was actually a very good game of football.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Real Madrid and Barcelona met in the season's fifth Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu, with the Catalans coming out on top, 2-1, in the first leg of the sides' Copa del Rey quarter-final clash.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pepe, as last season against Barca, was deployed as a destroyer in midfield, and the Portugal defender lived up to that name with a fierce challenge on Sergio Busquets which earned him a booking early on, before a vicious stamp on Lionel Messi which wasn't spotted by the referee.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If it had been, the official would have been left no other option but to produce the red card. As it was, coach Jose Mourinho spared his player the possibility of that humiliation with a substitution in the closing stages.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most of Barcelona's players would not be drawn on the incidents, but Xavi called the actions 'shameful' and others such as coach Pep Guardiola and Andres Iniesta simply said that the images 'speak for themselves'.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They certainly do. And it isn't the first time, either. Pepe's career at Real Madrid has been plagued with polemic and here, let's look at the defender's most famous flashpoints.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266593896663788261.post-2453787668786924422012-04-12T11:01:00.000-07:002012-04-12T11:01:00.585-07:00The one who got away: Mats Hummels' difficult history with Bayern Munich<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By Claas Philipp & Clark Whitney</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"He and Holger Badstuber will soon play together in the national team," Bayern Munich assistant coach and former amateur trainer Hermann Gerland once said of Mats Hummels. At the time, the young defender was playing for the Bavarians' reserves. But Gerland was later proven right: both Hummels and Badstuber have since matured into regular call-ups in Joachim Low's Germany squad.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even at 17 years of age, Gerland knew Hummels was destined to be a star. The player's father and future agent, Hermann, was junior co-ordinator for the club, and young Mats had worn the Bayern shirt since the age of six.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At Gerland's advisory, senior coach Felix Magath promoted Hummels to the first team in 2007, and the Bergisch Gladbach native signed his first professional contract. Magath was sacked soon thereafter, and his successor Ottmar Hitzfeld sent Hummels back to the reserves. In the spring of 2008, the defender was shipped off to Dortmund on loan.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Six months later, BVB hired Jurgen Klopp, and thus began a prosperous relationship. The new coach put his faith in the then-19-year-old Hummels, and was so impressed with the rising talent that he convinced the Dortmund board to offer €4.2 million to sign him on a full transfer. Jurgen Klinsmann, who had succeeded Hitzfeld at the Allianz Arena the previous summer, was uninterested in the player, and allowed him to leave. It was a decision Bayern would later regret.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gerland was unimpressed: "We never should have let him go," he later said. And he was not alone in his opinion. Only after the youngster left did Bayern truly realise the gem they had produced.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last spring, Uli Hoeness & Co. tried to lure the prodigal son back to Munich. Hummels had a buy-out clause in the region of €8m, and BVB would have been powerless to block a move. But the player himself declined, and instead penned a new deal with Dortmund - this time with no exit clause - until 2016.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hummels appreciates the trust Klopp has shown him, something that he did not receive in Munich, and has repaid it in turn as he has developed into the best defender in Germany. He hoisted the Bundesliga trophy for the first time last season, and now at 23 years of age, is aiming to repeat the previous year's success. It just happens to be that on Wednesday, he takes on his former employers - against whom he has scored twice - in a match that could decide the title early.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As it stands there is no love lost between Bayern and Hummels, whose father was sacked last week after 17 years at the club. The only time fans will see him play alongside Holger Badstuber will be during internationals. For Bayern, he will remain the one that got away.</span><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266593896663788261.post-62185226910953101212012-04-12T10:25:00.000-07:002012-04-12T10:25:01.311-07:00Scout Report: Youngsters rule Dutch football<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Dutch Eredivisie has gone into Christmas break, with all 17 rounds of the first half of the season already played. We now have a great chance to take a look at Holland's top performing offensive players.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">IMScouting's efficiency report generator calculates the number of goals plus assists, divided by the number of minutes that the player has played, in league matches only. In order to get into this list, a player must have reached at least 700 minutes on the field.</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KCVYRKtVuk4/T33VRqmkmpI/AAAAAAAAJuw/UDAyQvzTNXc/s1600/John_Guidetti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KCVYRKtVuk4/T33VRqmkmpI/AAAAAAAAJuw/UDAyQvzTNXc/s200/John_Guidetti.jpg" width="148" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Leading the list is Feyenoord Rotterdam's 19 year old striker John Guidetti . The Rotterdam giants are in the midst of a severe economic crisis and have had to base their squad on home-grown talents and players in on loan. The Swedish U21 international, who has been considered a huge talent since childhood, was signed by Manchester City when only 15 years old, but could never make it into their first squad. This season, on loan to Feyenoord , Guidetti is finally making his breakthrough in top division football: With 11 goals and 3 assists in just 10 games in the starting lineup, he has led Feyenoord 's offensive line in their unexpectedly successful first half of the season.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But with all due respect to Guidetti's long awaited explosion, the best offensive player in Dutch football at the moment is the list's no. 2, PSV Eindhoven's mercurial left winger Dries Mertens . After a great 2010/11 season with FC Utrecht (13 goals, 17 assists), the 24 year-old Belgian international was bought by PSV for 7m Euros and has since then proved more than worthy of his price tag: with 13 goals and 11 assists to his name, Mertens is directly responsible for half of PSV 's league goals, and taking into account the Dutch cup and the Europa League he has 16 goals plus 16 assists in 26 games this season! </span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-udOk9Ac5aiw/T33VYWKrfXI/AAAAAAAAJu4/Lhja2RdfaYw/s1600/wijn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-udOk9Ac5aiw/T33VYWKrfXI/AAAAAAAAJu4/Lhja2RdfaYw/s1600/wijn.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PSV Eindhoven, the league's best offensive team so far with 48 goals, are also the most represented team on the list, with 21 year-old Dutch international Georginio Wijnaldum (16th place, 7 goals, 5 assists), Swedish powerhouse midfielder Ola Toivonen (18th place, 10 goals, 2 assists) and 18 year-old Dutch-Moroccan prodigy Zakaria Labyad (9th place, 3 goals, 6 assists) joining Mertens to complete an extremely offensive midfield unit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">League leaders AZ Alkmaar's only representative is Swedish international midfielder Rasmus Elm (14th place, 8 goals, 5 assists). Last season's runner-ups FC Twente Enschede have their striking duo of Austrian international bomber Marc Janko (3rd place, 10 goals, 3 assists) and the towering 21 year-old Dutch forward Luuk de Jong (7th place, 10 goals, 6 assists) backed by the magnificent wing-man Ola John (11th place, 5 goals, 7 assists), the 19 year-old Liberian born Dutch U19 international on his breakthrough season. </span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N9xlzKPilzk/T33Vdf1CkGI/AAAAAAAAJvA/alnTFSiRgrI/s1600/Christian+Eriksen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N9xlzKPilzk/T33Vdf1CkGI/AAAAAAAAJvA/alnTFSiRgrI/s1600/Christian+Eriksen.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SC Heerenveen have the league's 4th best scoring ratio, led by the league's top-scorer Bas Dost (4th place, 14 goals, 4 assists). The 22 year-old towering Dutch striker (192cm) has reached double figures in the last two seasons, and is enjoying the best form of his short career, including scoring all 5 goals in his team's victory over excelsior earlier this month. Dost is backed up by a pair of incredibly talented wing players: the Eredivisie's top assist-maker, Dutch U21 right-winger Luciano Narsingh (5th place, 5 goals, 12 assists) and the gifted 23 year-old Moroccan international left-winger Oussama Assaidi (15th place, 7 goals, 3 assists). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Reigning Champions Ajax Amsterdam are missing their top forward Mounir El Hamdaoui, who has fallen out of favor with head coach Frank De Boer, but keep a safe 5 point distance from leaders AZ , led by the Serbian creative forward Miralem Sulejmani (8th place, 11 goals, 2 assists), the playmaking genius of 19 year-old Danish international Christian Eriksen (10th place, 4 goals, 10 assists) and last season's second division sensation Derk Boerrigter (19th place, 4 goals, 4 assists), who's surprising performances have even earned him his first international call up last November. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266593896663788261.post-5183286379293499602012-04-11T10:19:00.000-07:002012-04-11T10:19:00.687-07:00The equivalents of Lionel Messi in other sports : G.O.A.T<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After watching Lionel Messi become Barcelona’s all-time record goalscorer in suitably scintillating fashion on Tuesday night, Pep Guardiola was asked if the Argentine had become football’s equivalent of basketball legend Michael Jordan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Maybe, yes,” the Blaugrana boss tentatively replied, before then warming to the comparison. “There have been very few like them in history who have dominated their sport in such a way."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was a fair point. What Messi is doing at the moment is truly astounding. The Argentine became the first player to score five goals in a single Champions League game just under a fortnight ago, against Bayer Leverkusen, and his treble against Granada saw him take his goals tally for Barca to 234, moving him two clear of Cesar Rodriguez in the club’s all-time goalscoring list in competitive games; that he is just 24 makes this feat all the more remarkable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, the debate is still raging over whether the diminutive No.10 is the greatest of all time but what is beyond dispute is that we are, as team-mate Victor Valdes alluded to after the Granada game, living in the era of Messi.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And that got us thinking: What other sportsmen have enjoyed comparable spells of dominance over their respective disciplines? Below, we have compiled an admittedly subjective top 10 list of the most dominant figures in the history of sport. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is a difference between talking the talk, and walking the walk. Muhammad Ali did both – and like no other sporting superstar before him. The first man to become heavyweight champion of the world three times, the ‘Louisville Lip’ was involved in the most famous fights in boxing history. More than that, though, he transcended his sport like no other man on this list, playing a key role in the civil rights movement in the United States in the 1960s. The Greatest. End of.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fastest man in history, Bolt currently holds the world records for both the 100 and 200 metres; records he did not just break, but absolutely obliterated ... on a cakewalk. Indeed, the reigning World and Olympic champion has recorded times that few thought humanly possible. What's even more frightening is that there still seems to be even more to come from the 25-year-old Jamaican. Just like Messi, really!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Widely regarded as the greatest tennis player of all time, the Swiss has amassed a record 16 Grand Slams over the course of his incredible career. His sustained level of excellence during his peak years was truly incredible, with Federer having appeared in 18 of 19 Grand Slam finals between Wimbledon 2005 and the Australian Open of 2010. Comfortable on all three surfaces, the 'Fed Express' in his pomp was genuinely a joy to behold and made the game just look so effortlessly easy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nicknamed ‘The Great One’, the Canadian is universally accepted as the most gifted player ice hockey has seen – and is ever likely to see. The Canadian’s career spanned two decades, during which time he broke every record in the book – he held a total of 61 landmarks upon his retirement from the sport in 1999 – and he remains the leading scorer in NHL history. That he did all this whilst maintaining his reputation as a gentleman is perhaps even more admirable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The greatest basketball player of all time and also one of the most well-marketed sportsmen in history, ‘His Airness’ became arguably the most recognisable athlete on the planet because of his phenomenal exploits with the Chicago Bulls during the 1990s. Jordan won six NBA championships in total and was named NBA MVP on five separate occasions – and all of this in spite of the most ill-advised mid-career retirement in order to try his hand at baseball.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rugby’s first global superstar, Jonah Lomu made the entire sporting world sit up and take notice with his stunning performances for New Zealand in the 1995 World Cup. Standing 1.96 metres tall and weighing roughly 125 kilograms, Lomu was the most devastating mix of pace and power the game had ever seen, and was memorably described as “a freak” by Will Carling after the All Blacks winger had walked all over (literally!) his England side in the semi-finals. The top tryscorer in World Cup history, his career was sadly interrupted by a rare kidney disorder.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arguably the greatest Olympian in history, the American swimmer holds more gold medals than any other person - 14. Phelps won six of those in Athens in 2004 - a stunning achievement in itself - but it was in collecting eight in Beijing four years later that he earned global acclaim for breaking Mark Spitz’s record of seven golds in a single Games, in Munich in 1972. With London 2012 looming, the 26-year-old Baltimore native is now poised to become the most decorated Olympian of all time, as he is just two shy of Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina’s tally of 18 medals.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whether Michael Schumacher is the finest Formula One driver of all time is open to debate, but the German certainly dominated the sport like nobody else before him during a remarkable spell with Ferrari at the turn of the millennium, in which he won five successive World Drivers' Championships. Of course, that took his overall tally to seven, having claimed two with Benetton at the start of his career. Like Gretzky, the German holds almost all of his sport’s major records.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and international one-day cricket, the Indian is, with all due respect to Donald Bradman, now rated by many as the finest batsman in history. ‘The Little Master’ made his Test debut, against Pakistan, at just 16 and has been breaking records ever since. Indeed, Tendulkar, now just a month shy of his 39th birthday, only last week became the first man to rack up 100 ODI centuries.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is Tiger Woods the greatest golfer of all time? Debatable, given he no longer looks destined to surpass Jack Nicklaus’ tally of Major wins. However, Woods took the game of golf by storm and dominated the sport for just under a decade in awe-inspiring fashion. So easy did he make it all look that tournament organisers had to begin "Tiger-proofing" their courses!</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266593896663788261.post-72953465539972859662012-04-10T10:09:00.000-07:002012-04-10T10:09:00.163-07:00'The new Carlos Tevez' & other potential breakthrough stars from the 2012 Copa Sao Paulo<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Copa Sao Paulo de Futebol Junior, to give it its full name, is Brazil's premier youth competition and this year is the competition's 43rd edition. A staggering 96 teams from across the nation took part, ensuring a wealth of talent was on show in a month of concentrated and raw youth football. It has played host to some of the most iconic names in Brazilian football and when looking back in a few years time, this tournament could well be no different. Brazil's biggest and best clubs all took part, though it was Corinthians who emerged victorious with a 2-1 win over Fluminense in the final.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A breeding ground for some of the world's greatest talents, the competition is well followed in the South American nation as fans await the country's next wonderkid and national talisman. Take a look at some of the best and brightest from the competition who could well emerge on the national stage in the coming years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Following a series of impressive displays in the 2011 FIFA Under 17 World Cup, in which he scored five goals, there was much expectation on the Sao Paulo striker. He began superbly with a hat-trick in a 10-0 demolition of Palmas. He owed much to the creativity of Joao Felipe in midfield but his terrific pace and finishing instinct showed how deadly he could be. His pace is well utilised as close control and quick passing are other impressive features to his game.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately his team failed to win again and suffered an embarrassing elimination in the group stages. He may feature for Sao Paulo in this year's Paulistao but may find it hard to make an impact if there are more new arrivals at the Tricolor.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The main man up front for Coritiba in what was an impressive run to the semi-finals where they were eliminated by Fluminense. Alex often plays on the shoulder of the last defender and looks to break the line and drop in behind. Similarly to the Milan striker he looks to get into the channels in order to find space for a shot. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Though his scoring record is impressive, he struggled to find the net in the latter stages of the tournament against the bigger sides. He will need to become more clinical as he ages if he wishes to be successful at the highest level.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fans at the Vila Belmiro have been long awaiting the young Santos prodigy. Having only recently turned 16, the youngster has been tied down to a lengthy contract at the club. Capable of taking on and beating a number of players, he showed great anticipation and a striking instinct when he featured. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All the hype surrounding the youngster has no doubt added some unneeded pressure. Hopefully this will not affect his development. Clearly not yet at a physical standing to challenge for a first team position, he will no doubt emerge from the youth ranks in the coming years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another one of the big sides to suffer a somewhat premature exit was Vasco da Gama. They began the tournament well with Jhon Cley scoring in the opening minute of their first match. The midfielder showed excellent vision and ability to execute a variety of passes. He is also extremely adept at striking a dead ball which helps provide a source of goals for his team.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Similarly to Hernanes, he looks capable of playing in a deep role or higher up supporting the strikers. This versatility should hold his progression in good stead over the coming years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Denner is very much your typical Brazilian full-back and was, for this writer, the outstanding player of the tournament. He marauded up and down the left side of the pitch relentlessly throughout the competition and was always one of the best players on the field in every game. His great pace and energy often opened up new attacking opportunities for his side. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His defensive capabilities are also commendable, making him an extremely well-rounded player. To boot, he is a set-piece specialist and will add tremendous value to the Timao first team in the coming years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The midfielder burst on to the scene with a brace in his sides opening 5-0 win over Ji-Parana and has since guided his side to the tournament's final. He provided two deadly finishes with a lethal left foot in that game but failed to find the back of the net again. Alongside his partner in attacking midfield, Higor, Fluminense did not lack support for their strikers. Extremely comfortable on the ball he showed great ability to thread an accurate pass whilst under pressure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chances in the first team will again be limited in the immediate future due to the quality that the Carioca club possess. It would be unsurprising to see Eduardo, and many of these youngsters, move out on loan to gain first team experience in the coming years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rafinha scored his only goal of the tournament in his side's opening game, and what a goal it was. He unleashed a deadly strike from the edge of the area to announce himself to the nation. There is an aura of confidence as he glides across the pitch keeping the ball under close control as he awaits the chance to supply the killer ball. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With the depth of quality that Inter possess in their first squad, he is unlikely to feature any time soon but nonetheless, he looks like a potentially exciting talent.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The midfield general in this Cruzeiro side showcased a terrific array of attributes throughout the tournament. Despite playing deep in midfield Lucas Silva also demonstrated great determination to get forward and contribute to the attack. His short, precise passes provided the building blocks for many of Raposa's forward movements. This encouraged his side to play attractive football and he would often surge from deep with pace, providing attacking impetus to help scythe through defences.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He has showed much promise and could well be a part of the Belo Horizonte club's first team plans in the course of the next few years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Operating somewhere between an attacking midfielder and a striker, he showed terrific invention and creativity throughout the tournament. His stocky physique and direct running style makes him a very bullish striker. These abilities shone through immediately in the very first game when the Palmeiras man beat four players before shooting from 25 metres to score his first of the tournament. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He would add a new dimension to the current Palmeiras roster and he should certainly be on Luiz Felipe Scolari's radar. An accomplished finisher as well as a team player with terrific finishing, Diego de Souza Xavier has a very bright future ahead of him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Flamengo were tipped as one of the favourites before the tournament but failed to win a single group game. In what was a disappointing campaign, fans got the chance to witness Thomas in action. Nimble and agile, he is best deployed just behind the strikers but failed to make a real impact. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, having made his first team debut last season, and with his club Flamengo failing to sign Thiago Neves on a permanent deal, he may well find he has the chance to make the step up this year.</span><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266593896663788261.post-69028382336281528352012-04-09T09:56:00.000-07:002012-04-09T09:56:00.043-07:00Why Super Mario Gomez is the world's best No. 9<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lionel Messi is the greatest footballer of his generation, and, when all is said and done, might be remembered as the best of all time. His individual achievements have been praised to the heavens, and for good reason: these days, he shatters a record nearly every week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the era of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, it is easy not to look past the La Liga stars. But in recent years, Mario Gomez has also achieved historic goal-scoring feats. This season, the Bayern Munich man has scored 37 goals in 41 matches in all competitions: more than Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani, and any of Europe’s top No. 9s to have competed in the Champions League.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And Gomez’s strikes have not just come against lesser opponents: to the contrary, the Germany international has been eager to show himself on the big stage. This season he has netted 11 goals in the Champions League, plus another in a qualifier. Among all the great No. 9s of the last decade - Ronaldo, Henry, Shevchenko, Eto’o, Villa, Drogba, Raul, Ibrahimovic - the single-season tally Gomez has achieved has only been exceeded by Ruud van Nistelrooy, who managed 12. Gomez, who might play as many as four more games in this season’s Champions League campaign, is already in very good company indeed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the past, the beanpole striker has been doubted: his technique is merely average, he sometimes misses the simplest of goal-scoring opportunities, and his utter failure at Euro 2008 was suggestive of a player who could not cope with pressure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He is a curious-type of striker: one who has an abnormal dependence on rhythm, and who is not the kind to win over legions of fans. When Gomez fails to score for three or more games, he looks second-rate: a player hardly worthy of football at a Bundesliga club, let alone the Champions League. And if he is relegated to the bench, it can take months for him to regain his confidence. But when in form, his prolificacy can be described at least as world class, if not legendary.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was a time when Gomez was considered a ticking time-bomb, and that sooner or later, he would experience a slump and lose his form for two or three months. But by now, he has surely out-lived that reputation. The statistics alone are staggering: the ex-Stuttgart man was runner-up last season in the Champions League scoring charts with eight goals in as many appearances, and this season has followed up that sparkling record with an even better return</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over the last five years, only Ronaldo and Messi - who cannot be described as pure No.9s - have scored more goals in all competitions: Gomez, who has found the net 153 times in this period, is head and shoulders above every natural centre-forward. Forget the others - he has set the benchmark for consistency.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266593896663788261.post-42950707345348684662012-04-08T09:50:00.000-07:002012-04-08T09:50:00.433-07:00How Newcastle cashed in on Carroll £35million fund<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Look at what Newcastle did with the £35million Liverpool generously gave them for striker Andy Carroll in January 2011.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Extending key deals</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">New long-term contracts for key players. In February last year Cheick Tiote signed a deal which runs until 2017, while Ryan Taylor (two-year), Fabricio Coloccini (four-year) and Tim Krul (five-year) all penned extensions in March.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>An injection of pace</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gabriel Obertan, 23. The former Bordeaux and French Under 21 winger never settled at Manchester United and made only 14 appearances, but manager Alan Pardew likes his pace. Signed last August for £3million but has blown a bit hot and cold.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The tricky winger</b></span><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IlbRSTazpos/T33M8_nxG2I/AAAAAAAAJrY/rWw4OsphxZs/s1600/Hatem-Ben-Arfa-007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IlbRSTazpos/T33M8_nxG2I/AAAAAAAAJrY/rWw4OsphxZs/s320/Hatem-Ben-Arfa-007.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hatem Ben Arfa, 25. He cost £5m from Marseille in January 2011, having arrived on loan five months earlier. Broke a leg in October 2010. Alan Shearer famously admitted he did not know much about him on Match of the Day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The double winner</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yohan Cabaye, 26. The French international midfielder was part of the Lille team which won the league and cup double a year ago and has brought those qualities to Tyneside. Cost £4.8m in June 2011 and has chipped in with three goals.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Quick off the mark</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Papiss Cisse, 26. Two-goal star yesterday and has hit it off instantly following his £9m move from Freiburg. Plays with Demba Ba for his country, Senegal. Has scored seven goals in seven games. Supposedly bought as a long-term replacement for Ba.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Davide Santon, 21. The highly rated young Italian signed a five-year deal last August. The winger-turned-defender made his Inter debut as a 17-year-old and is a full international. He has made 16 appearances since his £5million move.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Demba Ba, 26. Potentially the bargain of the season. Escape clause made him available on a free following West Ham’s relegation and the Senegalese striker has scored 17 goals this season. He has a £7m release on his Newcastle deal too.</span><br />
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266593896663788261.post-80096469815682148442012-04-07T09:41:00.000-07:002012-04-07T09:41:00.798-07:00Jose Mourinho's red mist at Real Madrid - 22 players sent off in 103 games<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jose Mourinho doesn't want to talk about it. The Real Madrid coach refused to speak to the media after his side's 1-1 draw at Villarreal on Wednesday, in protest at a series of refereeing decisions that he believes went against his team at El Madrigal. And the capital club, at Mourinho's request, then took the unusual step of cancelling their pre-match press conference altogether ahead of Saturday's match against Real Sociedad.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Behind the scenes, however, the Portuguese will not stay silent.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mourinho himself was dismissed on Wednesday night, along with Sergio Ramos, Mesut Ozil and fitness coach Rui Faria. Pepe, despite reports to the contrary, was not shown a red card in the tunnel after the game, but added another blemish to his growing list of misdemeanours as he reportedly told the referee: "What a robbery, you son of a b***h."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Madrid were angry after match official Jose Luis Paradas Romero appeared to book Villarreal striker Marco Ruben twice, but failed to send off the Argentine, although the referee's report later revealed that the first card had been for Marcos Senna, who went on to smash home a free-kick to claim a point for the hosts and subject the visitors to their second draw in the space of four days. But while Mourinho moaned on the sidelines and Madrid were unlucky with the dismissal of Ozil, who was shown a straight red card for applauding the referee, there could be few complaints overall - indiscipline had cost them once more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Portuguese appeared most unhappy with the foul committed by Hamit Altintop just outside the area with eight minutes left. It was an identical position to where Esteban Granero had conceded a free kick on Sunday against Malaga. And the result was the same, too, as Senna emulated his former Villarreal team-mate Santi Cazorla and beat Iker Casillas with a stunning shot to seal a 1-1 draw. La Liga, all of a sudden, looked back on, as Barca are now just six points adrift of Madrid with 10 games left and a Clasico clash still to come at Camp Nou next month.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since arriving at Madrid in the summer of 2010, Mourinho has now seen 22 players sent off in 103 games - and seven in 11 matches against Barcelona. The biggest offenders are Pepe and Ramos, with four red cards apiece (although the latter's last dismissal has since been converted to a single booking), followed by Alvaro Arbeloa with three. Marcelo, Angel Di Maria, Ozil and Ricardo Carvalho have all seen red twice under the Portuguese, while Sami Khedira, Xabi Alonso and Iker Casillas complete the list with one dismissal each.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wednesday's game was the third time Mourinho's Madrid have ended a game with nine men. The first of those, however, was a carefully planned exercise as Ramos and Alonso - on learning their coach's instructions via a message passed from Jerzy Dudek to Casillas and then to the Seville-born centre-back - both forced a second booking in the Champions League win at home to Ajax in order to serve suspension in Los Blancos' final group game in last season's Champions League.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The second time Madrid finished with nine players was against Barcelona in the Spanish Supercopa at Camp Nou earlier this season, when Marcelo and Ozil saw red at the end of an unsavoury encounter which will forever be remembered for Mourinho's eye-poking incident with Barca's assistant coach Tito Vilanova.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With Ramos' red card now reduced to a yellow by the RFEF, he can now play against Real Sociedad on Saturday, which represents a real relief for Mourinho as central-defensive partner Pepe has been banned for two games and cannot feature. The Portuguese will also be without Ozil, while he himself will be watching from the stands as Madrid look to return to winning ways on Saturday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And with Barca closing in, they simply cannot afford to let any more points slip. Nor can they afford any more red cards.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266593896663788261.post-13206264830157523122012-04-06T09:33:00.000-07:002012-04-06T09:33:00.409-07:00The amazing rise of Roma wonderkid Erik Lamela- from the River reserves to the Argentina team in 18 months<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were without a doubt more than a few scratched heads amongst the Monumental faithful when, back in August 2010 and at the start of what would become a black year for River fans, a young Erik Lamela lined up on the famous pitch. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 18-year-old, nervous and so slightly-built a stiff breeze appeared sufficient to knock him over, had only two appearances with the first team under his belt, and in terms of River youths to watch, ranked far behind Benfica target Rogelio Funes Mori in the wonderkid stakes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How things change, and now there cannot be any fans of Argentine or, indeed, Italian football not aware of this talented midfielder's ability. Lamela was the only bright spark in a black 12 months for River, and having elected to continue his apprenticeship with Roma has been rewarded with a first call-up for the senior national team of Alejandro Sabella. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although the now 19-year-old Lamela has one cap under his belt, a friendly alongside other men called up from the local league back in May 2011, this represents the first time he has been invited to rub shoulders with Lionel Messi, Kun Aguero and the rest of the Albiceleste superstars. Sabella included the youngster in a list of 18 foreign-based players to dispute February's friendly with Switzerland and while the list reflects the coach's wish to try some different names - Napoli defender Hugo Campagnaro also made the cut at the ripe age of 31 - it is still a reflection of Lamela's startling development over the last year and a half. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Erik forced himself into the plans of then-coach Angel Cappa, and outlived both him and successor Juan Jose Lopez in his short 12 months as a starter. The Argentine press rushed to laud this rapid, direct midfielder as a new star, and he confirmed the hype in the 2010 Apertura with a series of brilliant performances which helped the relegation-troubled Millo to fifth place in the short tournament. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The talent was always there, a fact confirmed by interest from Barcelona when Lamela had barely turned 14. The most startling change though, in a transition that sports bible Ole gleefully illustrated, was in his physical form. The newspaper posted a picture of a gawky, skinny teenager at the beach in January 2010, right next to one of Erik 2011. The new, improved version was filled out, muscled, a man compared to the boy pictured 12 months previously. This new-found strength combined with his natural talent proved a potent mix, even though it proved insufficient for his boyhood idols. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite an impressive Apertura showing, River's dreadful average points tally meant that an even more spectacular showing was necessary in the following tournament. Lamela and the rest of the team could not reproduce the football shown previously as the weight of expectation grew, and a failure to secure their position led to that unforgettable promocion defeat at the hands of Belgrano. </span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RaFJU1n7ih4/T33Jaoj32kI/AAAAAAAAJqY/iwZ6UQT2fZ0/s1600/439x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RaFJU1n7ih4/T33Jaoj32kI/AAAAAAAAJqY/iwZ6UQT2fZ0/s320/439x.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nobody took the defeat harder than Erik, who finished the second leg sprawled out on the turf inconsolable, while the Monumental was ripped to pieces by irate fans. It would prove to be his last game, as the debt-ridden giants were forced to sell to Roma for the giant sum of €18 million; and for the Italians, all suggestions are that that it will prove an inspired gamble for such a green talent. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remarkably for someone so young and inexperienced, Lamela has taken to Italian football like a duck to water. There have been some mistakes, as well as understandable peaks and troughs of form typical of a teenage player. Off the pitch, a widely-reported scuffle with countryman Pablo Osvaldo was definitely unwanted by the painfully shy youngster, who prefers to do his talking on the pitch. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But overall his maiden season has been nothing short of fantastic; only Daniele De Rossi and Miralem Pjanic have made more appearances amongst the Roma outfielders, and the Argentine has repaid the faith shown by Luis Enrique with a respectable haul of one goal and three assists in his first 17 Serie A matches. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having climbed from the youth ranks of River Plate to the heights of Serie A in little over 18 months, Lamela must want to pinch himself, to confirm that this youngster from the River-mad Buenos Aires suburb of Florida is not just living through a wonderful dream. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having seen the rangy young midfielder back in Nunez where it all began, however, few commentators from that time would have argued that an international call-up was inevitable for a kid who was marked for greatness from the very beginning.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266593896663788261.post-29273962829536339092012-04-05T09:30:00.002-07:002012-04-05T09:30:28.222-07:00Portugal is at the heart of Chelsea's rise and fall<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The name of Filipe Oliveira is unlikely to inspire too many gushing anecdotes or colourful memories from Chelsea supporters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But the attacking midfielder who made five appearances for the club under Claudio Ranieri and Jose Mourinho will demand mention in any documentation of the club’s history.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oliveira was a trailblazer, treading a path from Portugal’s top division to Stamford Bridge for a generation of Portuguese-speaking players to follow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The accent on Portuguese has gathered pace over the last decade to the point where it has become the second language in the dressing room and Chelsea is a footballing enclave of Portugal. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Londoners are in Lisbon preparing for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Benfica in the knowledge that their playing staff is even more Portuguese than that of their hosts, who are not expected to have a single home-grown player in their squad.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oliveria was the trendsetter (although strictly speaking the Brazilian Emerson Thome, who came to Chelsea from Portugal via Sheffield Wednesday at the end of the 1997-98 season, was the first of his kind) but Portugal became fashionable as a talent factory ripe for plucking under Mourinho, who brought Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira with him when he thundered into west London from Porto in 2004 as well as Tiago Mendes from Benfica.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Portuguese connection was not just limited to the playing staff. Mourinho recruited Andre Villas-Boas as opposition scout – he later returned as manager – and Baltemar Brito as his assistant manager.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was a distinct cultural shift. The club’s heart, epitomised by John Terry and Frank Lampard, remained English but it danced increasingly to a Portuguese beat. With a few Samba moves thrown in for good measure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The naturalised Portuguese Deco joined the talent drain from Portugal to SW6, as did Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari, manager of the national team that were runners-up, semi-finalists and quarter-finalists in Euro 2004, the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008 respectively. Maniche and Ricardo Quaresma came briefly on loan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mourinho, Scolari and Villas-Boas have all departed but the strong Portuguese influence remains. The current first-team squad includes Jose Bosingwa, Ramires, David Luiz, Henrique Hilario and Raul Meireles (who came to Chelsea after one season at Liverpool).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is mostly Portugal’s two marquee clubs, Porto and Benfica, who have been the beneficiaries of Roman Abramovich’s wealth, not only in terms of transfer fees for their players but compensation for their up-and-coming managers, too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With the benefit of hindsight, some of the Russian’s roubles were well spent – the £20million for Carvalho, the money splashed out to hire and keep Mourinho. Ramires, too, has developed into the club’s most reliable midfielder and would generate a profit if he was sold tomorrow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of the other raids on Portugal’s top tier, Chelsea’s various talent-spotters, recruitment specialists and advisers might be advised to look away now. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tiago (£8m), Deco (£8m), Maniche and Quaresma all flopped, as did Villas-Boas (buy-out clause £12.55m at current exchange rates) and Scolari (£12.8m pay-off). Right-backs Ferreira (£13.2m) and Bosingwa (£16.2m) remain on the pay-roll but have never justified the fees or fanfares that greeted their arrivals from Porto. Hilario is a rainy-day solution that leaves most Chelsea supporters praying for dry conditions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The jury is still out on whether Luiz can translate his technique and charisma into battle-hardened reliability while Meireles appears even more of a luxury in west London than he did on Merseyside.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the hundreds of millions spent on transfer fees, salaries, buy-out clauses and pay-offs, an accountant would conclude that the big spenders have been left with a yawning net deficit. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite Mourinho’s brilliance and influence, it would be re-writing history to say that Chelsea owe Portugal a debt of gratitude for their rise to the European summit. Special thanks should be reserved for the state assets of the old Soviet Union, which transformed Abramovich from well-connected businessman to billionaire, and the two countries that lie either side of the channel. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The territories of England (Terry, Lampard, Damien Duff and the two Coles, Ashley and Joe), and France (Didier Drogba, Claude Makelele, Petr Cech, Michael Essien) have been far more reliable production lines than Portugal. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Given the reputation that Portugal has established for fusing Brazilian sorcery with European thinking, it is surprising that so few of Chelsea’s imports from a region famed for its technical excellence have been attacking players. They have mostly recruited defenders and midfield protectors.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chelsea have yet to sign a senior striker from Portugal’s top tier and only Deco, Meireles and Quaresma would fit into the category of genuine creators, although none has delivered excellence or consistency in west London.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By contrast, Manchester United unearthed rough diamonds Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani from Sporting Lisbon and polished them into match-winning gems.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chelsea would need a Hulk or a Radamel Falcao (who were both part of Villas-Boas’ triple trophy winners at Porto last year) to shine on the Premier League stage, or for Luiz to blossom into one of the planet's outstanding defenders, to effect a turn-around in what has been, starting with Oliveira 10 years ago, a surprisingly unsatisfactory use of the club’s resources.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266593896663788261.post-35525818495465841072012-03-14T01:03:00.000-07:002012-03-14T01:03:00.441-07:00Carlos Tevez, Cristiano Ronaldo & the top 10 longest-running transfer sagas in Premier League history<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In every window there is at least one player at the centre of a transfer slugfest, testing the resolve of his current employers while showcasing club loyalty with all the sincerity of an air hostess' smile.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Manchester City's Carlos Tevez becomes the latest in a long line of prolonged Premier League transfer sagas. Following a similar pattern to previous cases, the striker's future continues to remain unclear amid a barrage of speculation and rumour. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">AC Milan, Inter and Paris Saint-Germain make up the three-horse race to sign the Argentine but the trio have weaved cautiously through negotiations thus far. City, meanwhile, insist they will not let Tevez go cheaply, despite his unwillingness to even train with the club.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But while we're all familiar with Tevez's circumstances, the 27-year-old is not the first player guilty of drawing out his own future beyond reasonable lengths, subsequently subjecting us all to the monotony of a 'will he, or won't he?' guessing frenzy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>DAVID BECKHAM TO REAL MADRID, 2003</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A stray boot to the face, kicked by Sir Alex Ferguson, left David Beckham with two stitches above his eye and edged him closer to the exit door at Old Trafford in February 2003.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beckham's future under Ferguson continued to look bleak after the incident as he started on the bench for Manchester United's Champions League quarter-final second-leg tie against Real Madrid, a club strongly linked as a potential destination for the midfielder. Beckham did his chances of a move to the Bernabeu no harm by notching two goals after coming on, one a superb free-kick which left Iker Casillas rooted to the spot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite his performance in April, at the end of the month Real Madrid president, Florentino Perez, claimed the club would 'never, ever sign Beckham', which placed Barcelona as frontrunners for the midfielder's signature.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After another month of speculation, Barcelona's then presidential candidate, Joan Laporta, claimed an agreement had been reached over the transfer of Beckham, although the player's advisors claimed he was being used as a 'political pawn' in the Camp Nou electoral race.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That setback for Barcelona left negotiations clear for Real Madrid, who eventually went on to sign Beckham for £24.5 million in June. Despite appearing to leave under a cloud, Beckham publicly thanked Ferguson for his support, though the United boss later claimed the midfielder 'was never a problem until he got married'.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>STEVEN GERRARD TO CHELSEA, 2005</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gerrard had secured a Champions League winners' medal after inspiring Liverpool to a remarkable comeback against AC Milan in May 2005 and went on to admit he was eager to begin talks over a new contract.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Links from the previous summer with a move to Chelsea appeared to have been banished, as both Rafa Benitez and the club's then chief executive, Rick Parry, urged Gerrard to stay, revealing a contract extension had been offered.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But talks dramatically broke down. Liverpool later issued a statement confirming Gerrard had rejected their offer, while the midfielder added that his intentions to sign a new deal after the Champions League final had changed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The U-turn reignited Chelsea's interest, sparking a £32m bid from the west London side, while reports from Spain suggested Real Madrid were also weighing up a heavy offer for the midfielder.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But just a day later, Gerrard had a change of heart again and insisted he wished to stay at Anfield. Contracts were reworked and the Liverpool captain signed a four-year extension in July 2005.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>ASHLEY COLE TO CHELSEA, 2006</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over a year before his confirmed arrival at Stamford Bridge, Ashley Cole, along with two agents, Jose Mourinho and former Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon, were caught in a secret meeting and subsequently fined by the FA in one of the highest-profile 'tapping-up' cases to date.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arsene Wenger branded Chelsea as 'arrogant' over their illegal attempts to sign the left-back, while Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood revealed Cole demanded a triple-wage increase in order to stay at Arsenal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite signing a contract extension in July 2005, Cole joined Chelsea just over a year later for £5m, with William Gallas moving the other way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In his autobiography, Cole believes Arsenal 'fed him to the sharks' during the tapping-up case for not publicly backing him over the incident.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>THIERRY HENRY TO BARCELONA, 2007</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"I've never played in Spain and now I never will. This is my last big contract," was Thierry Henry's declaration after signing a four-year extension at Arsenal in May 2006. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two days before his commitment, Henry cut a frustrated figure after losing out to Barcelona in the Champions League and the striker fuelled speculation over his future after failing to commit to the club in a post-match interview.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After winning a second runner-up medal just over a month later, this time in the 2006 World Cup final, Henry's final campaign at Arsenal was ended in March due to a groin injury. Following David Dein's departure from the club the following month, Henry admitted he was 'devastated' by the decision but remained adamant he would stay at the Emirates for the remainder of Wenger's reign.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite his promise, Henry completed his move to Barcelona in June 2007, while Wenger insisted there was no animosity between himself and the forward following his exit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>CRISTIANO RONALDO TO REAL MADRID, 2008-2009</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A blistering record of 42 goals in a total of 48 appearances for Manchester United in the 2007-08 season initiated Real Madrid's interest in Cristiano Ronaldo, although after winning the Champions League with Manchester United at the end of the campaign, the forward insisted he wanted to stay at Old Trafford.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">United, agitated by Madrid's public attempts to lure Ronaldo, filed a complaint to Fifa during the summer which was later dismissed. Ferguson reiterated the forward will remain at Old Trafford for the following season.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Speculation continued to increase and in response to claims that United and Madrid had made a secret deal to sell Ronaldo to the Bernabeu the following summer, Ferguson said: “Do you think I would get into a contract with that mob? Jesus Christ, no chance. I wouldn’t sell them a virus."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ronaldo's last game in a United shirt came in the 2009 Champions League final defeat to Barcelona, and transfer tittle-tattle sparked once again as a summer of uncertainty loomed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Florentino Perez, who returned as Real Madrid's president, vowed he would not to be deterred by Ronaldo's hefty price tag, though his words were put to the ultimate test after securing the services of Kaka for a reported £56m in June.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Later that month, Ronaldo expressed his desire to leave Old Trafford and United accepted the £80m bid lodged by Real Madrid. The forward was unveiled officially in July, arriving at the Bernabeu for a world-record transfer fee.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>CESC FABREGAS TO BARCELONA, 2010-2011</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The back-and-forth nature of transfer talk involving Cesc Fabregas became almost metronomic throughout the midfielder's proposed switch to Barcelona. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hill-Wood started off proceedings in April 2010, claiming Barcelona had assured the club they would not submit a bid the following summer. Txiki Begiristain, Barcelona's former dealmaker, dismissed any promise had be made and a £27m bid launched in June was met with a resounding rejection from Arsenal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fabregas insisted he wanted his future to be decided before he left for Spain's World Cup campaign but Barcelona remained firm on the midfielder's valuation, while a host of the Camp Nou playing personnel, notably Gerard Pique, Xavi and Carles Puyol, publicly courted the Arsenal captain.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rDmecMdGX84/Ty5FJYhVAnI/AAAAAAAAJWU/a8JgDutHCB4/s1600/Cesc-Fabregas-Barcelona-2011-2012-Football-Images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rDmecMdGX84/Ty5FJYhVAnI/AAAAAAAAJWU/a8JgDutHCB4/s320/Cesc-Fabregas-Barcelona-2011-2012-Football-Images.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fabregas, meanwhile, confirmed he would remain loyal to Arsenal (despite being pictured in a Barcelona shirt whilst celebrating Spain's World Cup victory) and stayed at the Emirates for the following season, although his final campaign under Wenger was blighted by a persistent hamstring injury.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As the transfer window approached, Fabregas admitted he held talks with Wenger over his future, but the Frenchman remained firm, labelling Sandro Rosell's claim that the midfielder's valuation had decreased as 'disrespectful'.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Barcelona opening gambit of £30m was rejected in June, and Arsenal maintained their resilience. Puyol went on to liken Fabregas' situation at the Emirates to that of a prisoner but the midfielder seemingly put an end to speculation at the start of August by confirming his commitment to the club.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But Fabregas' statement of intent did little to dissuade Barcelona and the midfielder went on to leave Arsenal for £35m, signing a five-year deal at the Camp Nou.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>LUKA MODRIC TO CHELSEA, 2011</b></span><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H8DWZWF-3ac/Ty5FTiSBDKI/AAAAAAAAJWc/XdPV7A-unTU/s1600/137580hp2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H8DWZWF-3ac/Ty5FTiSBDKI/AAAAAAAAJWc/XdPV7A-unTU/s320/137580hp2.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A showcase of a club's resolve to retain their prized asset, Tottenham stared in the face of increased bids, transfer requests and public wantaway declarations from Luka Modric to keep the midfielder at White Hart Lane</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chelsea initially lodged a bid of £22m which was rejected by Spurs, while a £27m improved offer, which was also declined, sparked an official transfer request from Modric, as the Croatia international claimed the club's chairman, Daniel Levy, had broken a gentleman's agreement to sell him to a bigger club in the summer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Both Levy and manager Harry Redknapp continued to stand firm over Modric, as the Spurs boss continually referred to the Tottenham chairman's no-sale stance when questioned on the midfielder's future.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tottenham's resilience, which was tested one last time after a deadline-day bid of £40m from Chelsea, paid off as Modric admitted he would stay until the end of the season, but talks over an improved contract have yet to evolve into an official commitment from the 26-year-old.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>SAMIR NASRI TO MANCHESTER CITY, 2011</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perhaps Arsenal should have paid the price for failing to renew Samir Nasri's contract, as Manchester United and Manchester City closed in on the France international, whose deal at the Emirates was due to expire in June 2012.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Paul Scholes declared Nasri had the ability to fill the role he had retired at Old Trafford at the end of last season and the void in United's midfield suggested the 24-year-old had the chance to become a pivotal figure in Sir Alex Ferguson's plans.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But the financial clout of City eventually prevailed as the midfielder moved to Eastlands for a reported £24m fee, while picking up a salary which dwarfed the contract offers from United and Arsenal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nasri's parting shot directed at his former club hit out at the Emirates board for restricting Wenger in the transfer market. Arsenal may have considered themselves fortunate after making over £10m on a player who had only a year left on his contract.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>WESLEY SNEIJDER TO MANCHESTER UNITED, 2011</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wesley Sneijder constantly remained open to a potential move during last summer, even up until August 30, the Netherlands international claimed a deal could be struck in the closing stages of the transfer window which would to bring him to Old Trafford.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ferguson, however, remained coy throughout the process, refusing to be drawn into speculation. After the close of the transfer window, the United boss insisted the 27-year-old 'was never an option' when targeting a midfield replacement for the retired Scholes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sneijder later revealed he was close to joining United and would have had no objections to a move to the Premier League.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>CARLOS TEVEZ TO AC MILAN, 2012</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Trouble had begun to brew as early as April 2010, less than a year into Tevez's arrival at Manchester City.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Argentine had criticised Mancini over his training methods but worse was to come as the club rejected a transfer request from the striker in December and followed up eight days later with a statement suggesting Tevez had withdrawn his initial plea, with the forward pledging his commitment to City.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Speculation continued to mount and in June 2011, Tevez spoke in an interview about how he would not return to Manchester 'not even for a holiday'. The striker followed up with a subsequent statement issuing his desire to leave Eastlands in order to be closer to his family.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Corinthians appeared to be the perfect suitors but despite an agreement being reached between City and his former club, Tevez's transfer to the Brazilian side fell through. Inter, Real Madrid and a return to Boca Juniors remained possible destinations but a deal failed to materialise.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tevez remained a City player but was stripped of the captaincy by Mancini and was limited in his appearances by the form of Edin Dzeko, Mario Balotelli and summer signing Sergio Aguero.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tevez's next move was to spark a one-man mutiny as he refused to come off the bench during City's Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich. An angry Mancini vowed the Argentine would never play for the club again, while his fine of four weeks' wages as a result of a club investigation was halved by the Professional Footballers' Association.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since the beginning of the January transfer window, City have fired a warning shot to potential suitors by revealing Tevez has lost £9.3m in wages, fines and bonuses this season after going on strike.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite the revelations, Inter, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan remained undeterred in the race to sign the Argentine, although the latter have already broken off negotiations with City previously this month after Alexandre Pato confirmed he was staying at San Siro.</span><br />
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266593896663788261.post-5876609617275541382012-03-06T00:46:00.000-08:002012-03-06T00:46:00.047-08:00How Tottenham have turned their season around since August's Manchester City humiliation<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When Manchester City arrived at White Hart Lane on August 25, Tottenham were simply not ready.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spurs' start to the Premier League season - a home game against Everton - had been delayed by the London riots, and so Harry Redknapp's side faced the big-spending club on the back of a convincing 3-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford, in which Jermain Defoe led the line alone, Luka Modric was inconspicuous by his absence and the defensive onus in midfield fell to the inexperienced Jake Livermore.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, Roberto Mancini's side had signalled their early intent with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Swansea City, in which debutant Sergio Aguero came off the bench to score twice, before putting another three past Bolton Wanderers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">City were not expected to brush Spurs aside given the tight nature of the previous meetings between the two, but Mancini's men were rampant in north London, as Edin Dzeko scored four and Aguero grabbed another, with David Silva and Samir Nasri the masterminds behind a thoroughly convincing 5-1 victory.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Modric had attempted to pull out of the game, Peter Crouch, isolated up front, could not impose himself on the visitors - nor could Gareth Bale or Aaron Lennon. Spurs looked streets behind the league's pacesetters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, Redknapp maintained he could turn the fortunes of his side around if he were able to bring in the key transfer targets he had identified.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And, once Scott Parker and Emmanuel Adebayor were signed, sealed and delivered to White Hart Lane, Spurs barely looked back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The impact of both players was instantly felt, as Parker marshalled the midfield at Molineux against Wolves, and played in Adebayor to open the scoring in a 2-0 victory, with Jermain Defoe grabbing the second.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The signing of Parker was allegedly met with some hesitance by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, given the player's fairly advanced age and fee on the back of a heroic season with relegated West Ham which saw him emerge as the English football zeitgeist, but the 31-year-old has since shown his value to the team time and time again, proving particularly influential in home wins against QPR and Bolton.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is the England international's industrious, tireless efforts that have freed those around him to play to their fullest, particularly the likes of Bale and Modric.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Parker's introduction to the Spurs side also coincided with the return to fitness of Ledley King, who has been in and out of the team, but has proved to be an integral player during Tottenham's run of good form.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And, while King has failed to feature consistently since his first appearance of the season against Wolves, Spurs have benefitted from the improvement of Younes Kaboul, who looks a different player to the one who first arrived at White Hart Lane in 2007, while Kyle Walker has firmly established himself as the regular first choice right-back over Vedran Corluka, and is surely an England hopeful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How close Parker actually came to having a different central midfield partner at White Hart Lane is anybody's guess, as the Spurs hierarchy must surely have been tempted to part ways with Modric following a big-money offer from Chelsea.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But Levy and Co. have reaped the rewards of holding onto their man since the possibility of leaving the club dissipated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In fact, it took Modric little time to put his desire to leave the club behind him, as he fired in after just seven minutes in a sumptuous display in the 4-0 victory over Liverpool, and has since proved himself to be everything the previous seasons had suggested he was - unflappable on the ball, with remarkable vision and a deftness of touch replicated only by the world's finest midfielders.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Equally impressive has been the evolution of Bale from direct left-sided winger to adaptable modern forward.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Welsh international had hinted at having more to his game than an almost-unstoppable dribble and a decent shot, but this season, Bale has been afforded the opportunity to express himself in a free-flowing, interchangeable Spurs front line, often occupying the space behind or alongside Adebayor, and on the right hand side.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Against Norwich City at Carrow Road, Bale was excellent in something of a free role, and his second of two goals, bursting straight through the gut of the home side's defence before delicately chipping over John Ruddy, summed up the season he is having.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The part Adebayor has played in the resurgence of course, cannot be ignored. The Togolese striker is far more adept at holding up the ball and involving his team-mates in play than Defoe, who has actually scored more goals in all competitions this season than the former Arsenal man. It is his link-up play with Bale, Rafael van der Vaart and Lennon that arguably makes him first choice over his competition.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That City could afford to loan Adebayor out to Spurs, whose title credentials they must surely have doubted at the time, while still subsidising his wages, is testament to the strength in their frontline, and the task Spurs are faced with in attempting to keep the likes of Aguero and Dzeko quiet on their own patch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Indeed, Tottenham face a huge task in upending the league leaders, who boast a 100 per cent record at the Etihad Stadium.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But Redknapp's charges will feel better prepared for the challenge than they did back in August.</span></div>
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266593896663788261.post-83976408747639649072012-03-01T00:41:00.000-08:002012-03-01T00:41:00.110-08:00The reasons why David Beckham decided to stay with LA Galaxy<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most human decisions involve several interchanging factors that influence the process, especially when involving career and location. David Beckham's choice to remain with LA Galaxy was no different. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After lifting an absolving, redeeming MLS Cup in November 2011, the English midfielder weighed up his free agent options throughout December. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"I just needed a break," Beckham said. "I needed to get away, to rest my body and then to decide what I felt was the right move."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beckham and his family decided to shun lucrative offers from Europe and to remain California, and Becks' return became official on Thursday when he was presented at the Staples Center. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's delve into some of the reasons that came into play during the decision process: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. Family first</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"My family and my children are the most important thing to me," Beckham said. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After five years, the family is settled in California. Harper Seven, Beckham's first daughter, was born here last year. The three older brothers are entering formative scholastic and developmental years, and the family didn't want to uproot them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Me and Victoria had talked about it many times," Beckham said. "Our oldest son was a big part of it as well. He's 12 years old. He's at the stage in his life where he needs that stability in his schooling."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2. The lure of Los Angeles</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Los Angeles doesn't hold the same mesmerizing aura in person as conveyed in film or song. It's grimier and dirtier and more dilapidated and the traffic is awful. But that's true of any major city, including Paris. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the end, LA worked as a net positive in Beckham's decision. A few hours from their home in Beverly Hills are mountains. In the other direction is the beach. In the middle were ample opportunities for the family to build a life worth keeping. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"We believed in our city," Anschutz Entertainment Group president Tim Leiweke said. "In LA we're proud of the environment we've created here. It's a great place to live. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"We knew there were a lot of people tugging on [Beckham's] sleeve, but we also knew it'd be hard to replace LA."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One man's maze of concrete highways is another man's home. And home is something very hard to give up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"We've been happy here for the past five years," Beckham pointed out. "Why change something that works? The kids love living here, I love living here. Los Angeles has been amazing to us as a family."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3. Olympic pining</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Much of the criticism leveled at Beckham, especially during the early years of his MLS contract, was that he cared more about playing internationally than in a Galaxy uniform. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Though less of an issue since his Achilles injury pushed the 36-year-old irrevocably off of the England national team roster, the club versus country debate has cropped up again. Beckham desperately wants to play in the 2012 London Olympics. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Hopefully I'll be involved in the Olympics," he said. "I want to be part of the GB team. I've never played an Olympics personally. I know how exciting it is for our country and our nation to have the Olympics in the east end of London, especially for me growing up in the east end of London."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beckham even went as far as to suggest that if he doesn't make Stuart Pearce's playing roster, he may join in some sort of coaching or ambassadorial role. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the Galaxy he's guaranteed playing time if fit (and sometimes even if not). At Paris Saint-Germain or a Premier League club, that isn't the case. Even if Beckham's ability or drive can't be questioned, why risk missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? He'll be 37 in May; there will certainly never be a chance for him to play in the Olympics again. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Additionally, MLS's awkward schedule actually works in Beckham's favor in this instance. European leagues will have completed their seasons and entered the summer break by the time the Olympics roll around. Beckham, meanwhile, will be in midseason form with the Galaxy, raring to go. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As for AEG's role in allowing him dispensation to join Team GB if called up? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"There's another part of this: We're very active in the Olympics," Leiweke said. "A long time ago we made it clear that we were going to do anything to support the Olympic games in London. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"David being there is important to us. So we were going to be 100 percent supportive, that was never a question. Even if David didn't ask it, we were going to give it. We want him there. That was never an issue, ever."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4. Growing the game Stateside</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"I don't think that my job as an ambassador of the league is finished," Beckham said. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Immediately following the official announcement of Beckham's new two-year contract Wednesday, rival MLS clubs began trumpeting his upcoming visits to their cities. It's clear Goldenballs is still the golden ticket when it comes to selling tickets in America. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Galaxy likely would not have been able to replace his crossover and mainstream appeal, let alone his midfield playmaking duties. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As soccer continues to carve out its niche in the American psyche, Beckham didn't feel like his role was done. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"In the last year definitely, in the last two years maybe, I've seen the growth, I've seen the interest change, I've seen the excitement around the country, and I don't want to leave that yet," Beckham explained. "I want to be part of that going forward."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since Beckham joined the league from Real Madrid in 2007, five new teams have joined MLS. Empirically, MLS is a growing league. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"We know that David's first love in his life is his family, but he loves playing the game of soccer," Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena said. "That means that the Galaxy had to be right for him, and the league had to be right. By David coming back to LA he confirms that MLS is making progress, he believes in this sport in America and he believes in the Galaxy. That's important."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>5. Ownership option</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">MLS will likely add a 20th team overall in New York soon. After that, Beckham has a contract clause to buy a franchise at a discount price upon retirement. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Everybody knows I have the option of owning a franchise," Beckham admitted. "That excites me."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Leiweke provided more details. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"He has the right, and he's made this very clear to us so we had to sort this through, that he's going to exercise his option to be an owner in Major League Soccer," Leiweke said. "Unless I'm mistaken, that's his future once he does make a decision to retire. We've structured the league, and the partners in the league have structured that option, in a way that will allow David to become a partner in the league and to operate and run his own franchise."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most players move into coaching after retirement. Beckham mentioned some such as Paul Scholes who miss the camaraderie and competition of playing, and make returns. Coaching at least allows for some sun on the training ground every morning. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But apparently ownership appeals to Beckham more. It's not a completely novel notion: Michael Jordan was perhaps the most high-profile athlete to move from the court to the boardroom. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"He spends a lot of time talking to me about the business side of it," Leiweke said. "David's really smart. He's a very good businessman and he's a tough businessman. I have a lot of respect for the kind of owner he's going to be. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"He's a very shrewd guy. He understands talent. He's out, as we speak, helping Bruce with a couple players we're trying to bring here. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"It took one day to get Robbie Keane because David Beckham picked up the phone and recruited him."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>6. Money versus ball</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When Beckham first joined the Galaxy, AEG greatly inflated his wages in a press release by including potential endorsement money. The company is taking the opposite tact this time around, lowly admitting that others could stump up more coin. According to reports, PSG offered $18.7 million for an 18-month contract. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Though details weren't revealed, Beckham likely won't see that amount for his full two years in LA. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"We had confidence he'd make a decision as a dad before he'd make a decision as a businessman," Leiweke said. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Other factors ended up weighing more than the financials, and in the end Beckham decided to keep his family in Los Angeles. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"On New Year's Eve we had a glass of wine and I thought, 'We're too happy to move.'"</span><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266593896663788261.post-13996155983380588902012-02-27T00:32:00.000-08:002012-02-27T00:32:00.159-08:00What has happened to Joan Capdevila? From World Cup winner with Spain to bench-warmer at Benfica<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was the best of times, then, all of a sudden, it was the worst of times. For Joan Capdevila, life took a 180-degree turn in the space of a year. In 12 months, he went from starting for Spain in the 2010 World Cup final against the Netherlands to finding himself on the fringes at Benfica after a free transfer from Villarreal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But Capdevila's Greek tragedy began during the 2010-11 term, as the 33-year-old fell behind Jose Catala in then-Villarreal coach Juan Carlos Garrido's estimations towards the latter stages of the season. As a result, he also lost his place in the Spain set-up and was forced to consider his options as the campaign came to an end.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lZj-1nGmefs/Ty4-_AUmalI/AAAAAAAAJUk/yxXom6GzQnY/s1600/B10FYAN195w-1277500515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lZj-1nGmefs/Ty4-_AUmalI/AAAAAAAAJUk/yxXom6GzQnY/s320/B10FYAN195w-1277500515.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For Capdevila, Benfica looked to be the way out of his disappointing situation: the Portuguese club were looking for a new left-back following the €30 million sale of Fabio Coentrao to Real Madrid, and the other player who arrived for the left side of the defence, Lille's Emerson, did not boast nearly as much experience as the Spaniard.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, things quickly went sour for Capdevila, who was left out of Benfica's 27-man squad for the Champions League qualifiers against Trabzonspor. Back then, the former Villarreal defender played down that situation, and it was suggested that he merely lacked competitive rhythm. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But the final straw came when he did not make Benfica's final list for the showpiece tournament as Uefa regulations state that a club cannot register more than 17 non-homegrown players. In his place, the Estadio da Luz outfit chose Cesar Peixoto, who was not even training with the first-team squad and ended up being released in January. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just 24 hours after the list for the Uefa competition went public, so did Capdevila's agent, who spoke of his client's frustration at his situation and admitted that the player would have left Benfica before the end of the summer transfer window if he knew he would not be under consideration by coach Jorge Jesus. Later in September, the agent confirmed that Serie A duo Napoli and Juventus were targetting a move for the 33-year-old, but neither club have so far made an offer for the player.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fact is that every time Capdevila has been called to action, he has appeared to be off the pace. Speculation has surfaced that the Spaniard has not been putting enough effort into training as he was convinced that he would be an automatic starter, but this matter has become taboo at the Estadio da Luz.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In early October, a report in the Portuguese press helped to understand why Capdevila may be on the periphery at Benfica. During the summer transfer window, Jesus had set his sights on Malaga winger Eliseu, who can also play at left-back, much like Coentrao. However, given the Portugal international's hefty price-tag, Jesus had to settle for the Spaniard, a player he never wanted in the first place.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With little over two weeks left in the January transfer window, all doors seem to be closed for Capdevila. A transfer to Juventus appears to be out of the equation as the Bianconeri are plotting a move for Sevilla's Martin Caceres. At the age of 33, a return to the Spain national team, for whom he has not featured since March 2011, is also highly unlikely, as Valencia's Jordi Alba has been the undisputed first choice for coach Vicente del Bosque of late. Deportivo La Coruna, where Capdevila played between 2000 and 2007, have been mooted as a solution, but the Spanish defender may have to drastically lower his wage demands to be able to join the Segunda Division side.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From hero to zero, Capdevila has watched his career nosedive spectacularly in little over a year. His future seems to be up in the air, but one thing is certain: his example shows how quickly a player's career can change if a wrong turn is taken.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266593896663788261.post-56161359216618711282012-02-25T00:30:00.000-08:002012-02-25T00:30:02.280-08:00Why Robin van Persie's goalscoring achievement in 2011 is better than Alan Shearer's in 1995<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arsenal striker Robin van Persie may have come up short in his quest to beat Alan Shearer's record haul for goals in a calendar year in the Premier League but the Dutchman's goals-per-game ratio suggests he still surpasses the former Newcastle United forward.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After Van Persie's solitary strike propelled Arsenal past QPR and into fourth, Arsene Wenger conceded his prized asset may regret not being able to trump Shearer's record, while the striker himself dismissed the chase for glory and basked on ending his side's year on a high, after such a woeful start.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uBtWH9Ptmvo/Ty493tdx8eI/AAAAAAAAJUM/_BpO-BVDwDE/s1600/robin-van-persie_2097383b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uBtWH9Ptmvo/Ty493tdx8eI/AAAAAAAAJUM/_BpO-BVDwDE/s320/robin-van-persie_2097383b.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But maybe Van Persie was already aware of his phenomenal average scoring rate of 0.97 goals per game over the course of the year. Neither Shearer, nor Thierry Henry, can boast that statistic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shearer's record of 36 goals is astounding, coming in 42 games. As is Henry's, of 34 goals in 39 games, giving them ratios of 0.86 and 0.87 respectively, but Van Persie has shown himself to be a much more consistent scorer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Van Persie's importance for Arsenal has never been highlighted so clearly, and the Dutchman's frequent input throughout 2011 with vital goals has continued to boost Wenger's side.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The striker has been in excellent form this year, and while he has been unlucky to be part of a team that has won nothing since 2005, it is perhaps a home truth that had Van Persie not missed as many games through injury in the past few years, the trophy cabinet at the Emirates would have seen more silverware pass through its doors.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He will surely remain their most influential and effective player for the rest of the season; as Wenger said in his post-match press conference, why would Van Persie suddenly stop scoring when the clock chimes at midnight on New Year's Eve?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If he carries on his scoring form, Arsenal have an outside chance of challenging for the Premier League title. It is unlikely they will win it, sitting nine points behind Manchester City having played a game more, but with some reinforcements in January, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that Van Persie could lead a late charge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While they won't necessarily need to improve on their starting XI, something that is needed is strength in depth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wenger admitted that he may be forced to look for a left-back on loan in January with Thomas Vermaelen suffering a calf strain during the game, depriving him of yet another player who can defend on the left.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OSyBwtc74-Q/Ty4980Kx4-I/AAAAAAAAJUU/xUYYhvq6tw0/s1600/1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OSyBwtc74-Q/Ty4980Kx4-I/AAAAAAAAJUU/xUYYhvq6tw0/s400/1.png" width="192" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The players coming in for Arsenal to replace first-team players are not quite at the level required for a team who want to win the Premier League. They could be in a few years, when the likes of Emmanuel Frimpong [who is joining Wolves on loan for the season] and Carl Jenkinson mature, but until that time they need more players who can change games.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Players like Mikel Arteta, as talented as he is, cannot replace Cesc Fabregas, who departed for his home town of Barcelona in the summer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Van Persie cannot be relied upon entirely to come up with the goods for Arsenal in every game, which is why he needs to be supported with some quality signings either in January or at the end of the season.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If that happens, Arsenal can truly hit the heights that they were achieving at the turn of the century, when the Invincibles were running amok in the league and dominating English football.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Certainly, the loan arrival of Thierry Henry in the coming days will serve as a timely reminder to Wenger of what his team could achieve with some stand out signings but for now, at least, Arsenal can thank their lucky stars for Robin van Persie. </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266593896663788261.post-25288138051612358972012-02-22T00:26:00.000-08:002012-02-22T00:26:00.858-08:00Is Lampard the answer to Manchester United's soft centre midfield ?<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Manchester United struggled at Newcastle, particularly in midfield. Look at their current troubles and why Frank Lampard could provide the answer</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>A MIDFIELD MESS</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">United were outpowered in midfield against Newcastle, something which will again be a concern for Sir Alex Ferguson when they face Manchester City. They have struggled to find a settled central midfield this season, fielding 10 different combinations in their 20 Premier League games.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>SLOPPY SERVICE</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">United had just three shots on target against Newcastle, most likely down to the fact that their passing in the home side’s half was dismal — it’s only been worse once this season.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>SO IS LAMPARD THE ANSWER ?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lampard has scored more goals than any midfielder this season — only Robin van Persie has netted more match-winning goals — and the Chelsea man is also in the Premier League’s top 10 most accurate passers, a list which contains no Manchester United players.</span></div>
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266593896663788261.post-57766822354303728242012-02-18T00:19:00.000-08:002012-02-18T00:19:00.448-08:00Why Porto should accept a big-money offer for Chelsea & Paris Saint-Germain target Hulk<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All over Europe, clubs are working around the clock to make use of their pennies to sign that one player they hope can salvage their season. And for every club desperate for a boost to their attack, Hulk seems to fit the bill.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After all, the Brazil international is just not your every day attacker: it seems impossible for a man so strong and muscular to have such agility, technique and speed, but the 25-year-old has managed it. Signed from modest Japanese side Tokyo Verdy in 2008, Hulk has become an integral part of the team, and all over Europe clubs are interested in getting their hands on him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, Porto have moved heaven and earth to make sure that does not happen. In August 2009, the Europa League holders offered him an improved contract, but in return he had to agree to a €100 million (£82.5m) release clause - a strategy frequently used used by the top Portuguese teams. Ever since then, Porto president Pinto da Costa has guaranteed that the club will not settle for less.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hKHXdxq3mZQ/Ty47eL9jdpI/AAAAAAAAJTU/Pmh7LJysQ2U/s1600/hulk487_381.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hKHXdxq3mZQ/Ty47eL9jdpI/AAAAAAAAJTU/Pmh7LJysQ2U/s320/hulk487_381.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But are the Portuguese champions right to hold out for a figure which would make him the highest-ever transfer in the game? According to a report published by Brazilian accountancy firm Pluri, which is based on objective criteria (age, marketing and physical condition, among others) and subjective criteria (technical quality, tactical discipline, decision-making, etc), Hulk is only the fourth most valuable player in the Brazil national team at €31m (£25.6m) - less than one third of what Porto are demanding.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In addition to Hulk's price tag being unreasonable, there are other variables which Porto should consider when they receive an offer for the powerful striker, the first of which being his state of mind. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While the player has never said he is unhappy with life at the Estadio do Dragao, his constant come-and-get-me pleas to his big-money suitors show that the 25-year-old believes Porto are becoming a closed chapter for him. After almost four years at the club, he feels he has won everything there is to win with Os Dragoes, including European silverware.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is also debatable whether Hulk is 100 per cent committed to Porto after watching Radamel Falcao leave the club in the summer, while every offer that arrived for him was immediately rejected. His contract shackles him to the club and it is with little surprise that his focus has been questioned this season as Vitor Pereira's side have been world's apart from Andre Villas-Boas' 2010-11 team.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But even more important than Hulk's mindset is the club's financial state. In the season in which Porto have spent the largest sum in their history - €42.5m (£35.1m) - in acquisitions, they bowed out of the Champions League in the group stage and do not look life a safe bet for the Portuguese Liga title. Last season saw Porto make just €7.8m (£6.4m) from their Europa League campaign, which shows that big-money opportunities only lie in Europe's premier club competition.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With Porto currently in the market to sign a new striker after their disastrous handling in their search for Falcao's replacement, the club may soon have to sell some of their biggest assets to balance their books, and Hulk is topping the list. The club's finances have made headlines in the last months after they fell behind on payments for Santos' Danilo and for Standard Liege duo Eliaquim Mangala and Steven Defour. Porto are starting to earn a reputation as a bad buyer and they will need to raise funds in the summer to rebuild the squad after an early exit in the Champions League.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even though Hulk is their best player, Porto will have to consider parting with the 25-year-old, otherwise they risk watching him grow unsettled. Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are known to be tracking the striker, and Porto should not think twice if an offer in the excess of €40m (£33m) comes along - and there is still plenty of time before the end of the winter transfer window to find a replacement for the Brazilian.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266593896663788261.post-419432587712478402012-02-16T00:15:00.000-08:002012-02-16T00:15:00.367-08:00What happened next for Canales, Drenthe, Gago & Garay - how Real Madrid's summer exits are faring at their new clubs in 2011-12<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For some players, Real Madrid is the pinnacle; the club brings out the best in their abilities and raises their game to a whole new level. For others, it's just too much of an ask and they are forced to search for success elsewhere.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Six players left the Spanish side last summer, be it to seek experience before returning for a second chance in the future, or to start a new chapter at a new club.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here,take a look at the fortunes of those footballers who departed the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4266593896663788261.post-15944500427938030102012-02-12T00:10:00.000-08:002012-02-12T00:10:00.899-08:00The Ajax that could have been, had they been able to hold on to their stars, From Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Luis Suarez<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ajax go into Tuesday evening's Champions League match away against Olympique Lyonnais knowing that a win or a score draw would send them through to the knockout stages of European club football's elite tournament for the first time since 2005-06.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Amsterdam giants were one of the dominant club sides in the 1990s and reached consecutive finals in 1995 and 1996. Nevertheless, they have since failed to make a real impact in Europe due to various reasons.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That doesn't mean that Ajax no longer produce some of the world's finest talents though as key players at clubs like AC Milan, Inter, Liverpool and Manchester City all have a history at the Eredivisie champions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Take a look at those who left the Amsterdam ArenA in recent years and puts together an export XI that would pose a stern test for any opponent. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whereas the big clubs from England, Germany, Italy and Spain are usually looking forward to the opening of the January transfer window right from the moment the summer market closes, their Dutch counterparts are shivering with fear when New Year's Day draws closer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unlike for the teams from the so-called big leagues, the winter transfer window is hardly an opportunity to add to their ranks for Eredivisie sides, but it's more of a 31-day fight to keep their star players on board.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 2012, to date, only VVV's Nigeria international Ahmed Musa has left the Dutch top tier for greener pastures as he signed a five-year deal with CSKA Moscow. Nevertheless, AZ midfielder Pontus Wernbloom is close to a winter move as well, and several more players could be on their way out of the Eredivisie in the upcoming weeks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Regardless of what happens in the remainder of the January window, though, it's unlikely that last year's dramatic exodus will repeat itself in 2012. With Ajax star Luis Suarez and PSV skipper Ibrahim Afellay, the league's two absolute star players moved to a bigger competition, while Netherlands international Urby Emanuelson left Holland as well. However, the trio have enjoyed mixed fortunes since saying farewell to the Eredivisie. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After leaving the best club in the world, the only way is down. But not all players produce their best in the intimidating environment of the Camp Nou, where pressure to perform is at a high and where only the very best is good enough.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now let's examines the recent trajectory of half-a-dozen players who waved goodbye - at least for now - to the Catalan club in the last transfer window.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">* Barcelona retain an option to buy back the player in future</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By Clark Whitney </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because of the constant flux of coaches and players in modern football, it is uncommon to see a team develop under relatively constant conditions. Pep Guardiola has managed to achieve consistent success while adjusting his Barcelona team over the years, but otherwise, there are very few that have lasted for an extended period.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the international stage, though, there is one example of note: Joachim Low has coached Germany since 2006, and his five-year reign has seen a general philosophy stay true, while specifics have been adjusted again and again as he has searched for the right combination.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the beginning, Low sought to maintain the aggressive, attack-minded values that he had helped instill while working as assistant to his predecessor, Jurgen Klinsmann. He valued the promotion of young Bundesliga stars, and had no qualms turning the likes of Lukas Podolski and Bastian Schweinsteiger into cornerstones of his team.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But during his time at the helm of the DFB team, Low has adjusted certain aspects of his philosophy. He first preferred 4-4-2, but has since resorted to 4-2-3-1, and even 4-1-4-1 systems. In his earlier years, he might have hesitated to promote a 21-year-old (Mario Gomez) to the senior team. But his trust in youth has grown and grown: a year ago, he called up the then-18-year-old Mario Gotze and 20-year-olds Lewis Holtby and Andre Schurrle, handing them their first caps in a friendly against Sweden.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is a grand scheme at the DFB, and it is one that for all its technicality is often missed or ignored. But every so often, Low and his staff offer a glimpse at Germany’s philosophical direction. Below, Goal.com takes a look at the latest developments from the DFB.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Believe it: 4-2-4 could be the future</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Five years ago, Franz Beckenbauer wrote that for young players, it is best to prepare in a 4-2-4 set-up. Therein, there is no "focal point" of the attack, and all-across the front line learn a more complete skill set.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The topic re-surfaced in 2009, when DFB chief scout Urs Siegenthaler asked Spox: "Why not play with four strikers?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Barcelona play with three strikers, and suddenly the whole world is calling for three strikers. But the pure copy of success inhibits one’s own development. We need to find our own solutions, even if they are sometimes provocative."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Siegenthaler’s point at the time was more a comment on Germany’s need to lead their own way than a definite recommendation. But recently, 4-2-4 has re-surfaced as a possibility.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In August and September, Germany U20 coach Frank Wormuth experimented with a 4-2-4 formation that included striker-type players, but had no real "focal point" among Lennart Thy, Kevin Volland, Florian Trinks and Patrick Herrmann. When asked about his tactics, the trainer replied: "Barcelona have shown that you can play perfectly well without a classic centre forward."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looking at the up-and-coming forwards in German football, there are few top talents who are purely classic 'No. 9'-types. Pierre-Michel Lasogga, of Hertha Berlin and the U21 national team, is one exception. But others, even those with the physique of a classic target-man, have been trained to play in deep areas and out wide. One example is the rather burly Alexander Esswein, who plays wide for both Nurnberg and U21 national teams, but is naturally much more a '9' than a '7.'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Volland, 19, has been prolific for 1860 Munich this season, but his role is more that of a supporting striker, and he often assists. The same goes for Samed Yesil, 17, who has been setting the U19 West Bundesliga alight for Leverkusen ever since returning from the U17 World Cup with six goals and seven assists. Germany really are moving away from the concept of a "poaching”" centre forward. Gomez - who is becoming increasingly a complete player - could be the last such striker we see in the German national team for some time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A switch to 4-2-4 is by no means a change to expect anytime soon, however. Low said on Wednesday that playmaker Mesut Ozil is no option in the centre of attack should Klose and Gomez both be unavailable. But regardess of the way they are ultimately deployed tactically, Germany’s forwards are making a distinct move away from the classic six-yard box type, and towards a more balanced type, capable of playing outside the box.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mental development matters more than age</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As an isolated quality, age has little value. It is not the years someone has, but the experience, composure, and maturity - in addition to skills - that a player possesses which will give him an edge. As recently as early 2010, Low was still reluctant to make large changes to his team. He waited until March of 2010 to cap Thomas Muller, and to move Bastian Schweinsteiger from the wing to central midfield. Rene Adler was only replaced by the clearly superior Manuel Neuer when the Leverkusen man suffered an injury before the World Cup.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Low now has no qualms shaking things up, and the turning point perhaps was the recent World Cup. Muller’s performances proved that even a 20-year-old could have the mental fortitude to play at the highest level and shine. Had it not been for the Bayern man’s success, Low might have replaced the suspended winger with Piotr Trochowski for the semi-final match against Spain. Instead, he used the young Toni Kroos, who himself had only earned his first international cap three months prior.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Low backed up his decisions with philosophical comments in October, at a conference at the Freiburg youth academy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Cognitive development is extremely important. The development of the mind, I think, is now more important than ever. Intelligent players are receptive and capable of implementation,” he said, according to the official Freiburg website.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"A Mesut Ozil, a Mario Gotze, a Mats Hummels, a Holger Badstuber, and so on - they are very mature even in their younger years. A couple years ago I had a different picture."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Indeed, since the World Cup, Low has dropped the likes of Jorg Butt, Arne Friedrich, Serdar Tasci, Piotr Trochowski, and Stefan Kiessling in favour of younger replacements, whom he believes to be sufficiently mature.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Individual proficiency is more important than the system</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also at the Freiburg conference, Low emphasised the increasing importance of individual class in the modern game.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"We clearly have better training in technical aspects. But the space on the pitch has become smaller, the time to act scarce. Individual skill is therefore the most important factor in training, more important than the system."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Indeed, with the increasing athleticism of players, there has been a drop in acceptable margin of error. If a player receives the ball, for example, it is now more important than ever that he have a soft first touch, because these days he is more likely to have a marker nearby.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Low was quick to clarify that such 'individual class' extends far beyond ball tricks and step-overs. Instead, he emphasised complete mastery of the basics in every player’s repertoire.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"We need to make the simple into the very special: the passing game, the timing, the pressing and trapping, the game without the ball, how we deal with one-on-one situations, how we quickly find solutions in small spaces."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is in these so-called 'simple' areas that Low’s Germany have excelled in recent years: their movement on and off the ball, and decisions in one-touch passing in particular. Success can only come when each player's proficiency works in concert with the next, but the most fundamental and eluse pre-requisite is that each brings an adequate skill-set to the training camp before learning the system.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0