The clear out has started at the Camp Nou and as expected it has started right at the top. After five years in charge of Barcelona, Frank Rijkaard has paid the price for not trophies for two consecutive years. Rijkaard will leave the club at the end of the season and will be replaced (for now) by club legend Pep Guardiola. Rijkaard had led Barcelona to back to back league triumphs in 2004 and 2005, the second league title capped by a famous triumph in Paris as the Catalans defeated Arsenal in the final of the Champions League.

It almost seems inevitable that the departure of Rijkaard will be the first step in a mass exodus at the club. Ronaldinho seems set to join AC Milan, Deco seems to have lost favour with the club. Henry seems listless and is looking for ways to get back to his daughter in England. There are rumours that Etoo is leaving too. The back four desperately needs a new spine and again there are rumours that Zambrotta and Marquez will be off soon.

What could have been:

Two years back it would have been hard to imagine the squad completely disintegrate like this. In May 2006, it seemed that the club truly ruled the world with the likes of Ronaldinho, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, Deco and Etoo leading the side to European glory. Further, with the likes of Messi, Bojan and Dos Santos waiting in the wings, it seemed to many that this would truly be Rijkaard and the Catalan’s decade- another Cryuff’s dream team in the making. Now, of the lot on Xavi, Iniesta, Messi and Bojan seem to have the drive to even turn up for some of the games.

An attacking legacy:

A return of 2 league titles and 1 European trophy is just an icing on the impressive attacking legacy that Rijkaard leaves behind in Barcelona. Yes, the squad was blessed with abundant talent but Rijkaard did put them together and encouraged them to attack. But the joy was short lived,over the past two seasons, clubs across Spain and Europe haven’t been as intimated by the superstars as they were before. Other factors also contributed to the decline- most notably Ronaldinho’s complete transformation from MVP to a prima donna. There were too many stories about backroom and training ground fights, of little cliques being formed and of players losing the drive to win. The biggest reason for Rijkaard’s failure could well be his inability to keep the team motivated after their 2005-2006 double.

Its going to be very interesting to see where Rijkaard ends up next. A good option seems to be Chelsea; Roman Abrahamovich seems to crave attacking football and Rijkaard could just be the man who can deliver it to him. Plus, the money or getting the right players is not going to be an issue. AC Milan could well be another option but it remains to be seen if he would like to reunite with Ronaldinho at the San Siro.

As I watched Manchester United’s match against Everton, followed by the el classico between Barcelona and Real Madrid, I could not help but marvel at Ronaldo’s magic at United and lament the fall of Ronaldinho at Barcelona. As a fan of both United and Barcelona, I want both my clubs to perform well. When Barcelona was winning trophies until just more than a year back, I was hoping United would follow suit.

When United was setting the Premiership on fire last season, I also had to witness the demise of the Catalan club. Will I ever see these two majestic clubs of Europe win their domestic titles in the same season? I guess not, considering the way the Catalan club is witnessing a downturn in its fortunes.

Ronaldo has already scored 17 times this season for United, while Ronnie has hardly made a significant contribution for Barca. I was aghast to say the least, seeing the latter’s abject performance in Barca’s home loss against Real Madrid.

Just more than 2 years back, Ronnie was given a standing ovation by Real fans for his virtuoso performance at the Santiago Bernabeau. Even last season, he scored about 21 goals for the club. But, what happened to that old Ronnie?

Did all that adulation get to his head? It is rumored that he missed more than 50 percent of the club’s training session last season and that he was given preferential treatment by everyone at the club. No doubt, Ronnie was instrumental for Barca’s revival but it is far more difficult to keep your act together at the highest level and in that aspect, he would do well to take cue from United legends such as Giggs and Scholes, who continue to perform at the highest level even after several Premiership titles.

On the other hand, Ronaldo is a star on the rise. However, he just has to take one look at the path taken by Ronnie and avoid that path at all costs. He is at a terrific club, surrounded by legends such as Giggs, Neville, and Scholes.

If Ronnie’s arrogance was his downfall, Ron’s might be his attraction to glamour and a constant craving for attention, reasons why he might quit United in a couple of seasons and head toward Real Madrid.

United would loathe to lose Ron when that time comes, but then no player is greater than the club, a fact being demonstrated by Ronnie at Barcelona.

La Liga kicked off this weekend and while I was stoked to put an end to my yearning for football, the TV rights snafu meant that I had to rely on Soccernet’s annoying gamecast for updates. Sadly, Barcelona with its fantastic quartet were held to a 0-0 scoreline by Racing Santander who played 23 minutes with just 10 men. Racing could have embarrassed Barca if they had a little bit of luck. The biggest worry for Barca after the signing of Henry was whether the team would be able to defend with such attacking talent on the pitch; few would have thought they would struggle in attack. Granted, the fantastic four didn’t play together but even then, they didn’t create enough to threaten Racing.

Even in preseason the forwards were toothless, only saved by the precocious talent of Giovanni Dos Santos, who was missing today because of typical Spanish Bureaucracy. Henry could have scored today but for the goal post but he still hasn’t found the wavelength to combine with Samuel Eto’o and Ronaldinho. Rijkaard has a lot of work to do and a few more of these performances will force the faithful at the Nou Camp to take out their white hankies. Ridiculous the amount of pressure managers face these days.
Villareal and Almeria provided the surprise results of the day. Villareal led by Roberto Ayala, who was returning to his old stomping ground at the Mestalla beat Valencia 3-0. This after experts including Sid Lowe of the Guardian tipped Valencia to push Barca to the finish line. Early days I concede but Valencia under Quique Flores have had the habit of disappointing on the big occasion. They just announced the signing of Manuel Fernandes from under Everton’s noses. I wonder if he will be able to change things. Newly promoted Almeria on the other hand beat Deportivo 3-0 at the Riazor.
Real Madrid beat cross town rivals Atletico on Saturday. Real who have formed a habit of scoring late goals in 2007 had Wesley Sniejder to thank for their 2-1 victory.

Here’s hoping they sort out the paperwork in Spain and have some football on the tele soon!!

Transfers between Real Madrid and Barcelona usually create a lot of buzz. Figo , Luis Enrique and Laudrup earned their media’s hall of fame for defecting to the enemy. But the latest to join that line hasn’t received the same amount of publicity. Javier Saviola, the ex argentine sensation has agreed to join Real Madrid after his contract at Barcelona had expired. Much like Luis Enrique and Laudrup, the club had little to do as it was the player’s prerogative to leave the club after his contract had expired. Barcelona didn’t feel like Saviola had met their expectations after the 20 million pounds they spent on him a few years ago and they thought he was fungible. A notion that I won’t reject.

As a 20 year old, Saviola showed great potential leading the Argies to the title in the 2001 Youth World Cup . But after that it has been the case of unfulfilled promises on the part of the Argentine. He was loaned out for two seasons in his 6 years as a Barca player and it was clear that he would be getting his wish of a big payday after rejecting a transfer to Sevilla at the end of the last season. As a free agent, he could move to any club with increased incentives, since the club wouldn’t need to shell out on the transfer fee. Moves to the English Premier league were mooted but none with the pedigree of Real Madrid. What is interesting is whether this transfer by Calderon has sporting implications or if its just a psychological jab at their rivals. It is very unlikely that new Manager Schuster would use him in the starting line up. He is a substitute at best.

Calderon meanwhile has turned his attention to Cesc Fabregas of Arsenal after Milan had spurned his advances for Kaka. It does look like Calderon isn’t half as savvy as his predecessor, Florentino Perez who was an absolute whiz in the transfer market. Calderon did win his election on the back of promises to sign Kaka, Cesc and Robben- three of whom have not shown the slightest intention of joining Real Madrid anytime soon. Madrid were once the leaders of the transfer market and need a Big money signing (Robben doesn’t qualify as he is surplus to requirements at Chelsea) to satisfy fans who were spoilt by Perez’s excesses.

After the endless speculation and elliptical comments from everyone concerned, Thierry Henry has penned a 4 year contract with FC Barcelona. This puts an end to a courtship that has lasted a good part of two years. It almost seems unreal that he left his ever forgiving comfort zone to the warmer climes of Catalunya. That comes at a price though. The Catalans wont be as patient as the Gooners, they can be easily coaxed to take out the white hankies and hiss at the slightest of errors.

Henry seemed destined to remain at Arsenal ‘for life’ once he extended his contract last year despite persistent interest from the catalan giants, but with the apparent destabilizing effect of David Dein’s departure, it was clear that Henry had his heart set on a move. He cut a forlorn figure in the matches last season, shrugging his shoulders and screaming at teammates. It was the latitude he enjoyed at Arsenal that made him special but that will not be the case at the Camp Nou. Regular readers, all 3 of you, know by now how I despise this egomaniac but his talent is unquestionable. He does go missing and him cribbing on the sidelines is something I would loathe to see but with the shorter leash than he had at Arsenal , He would need to bring his A game to merit the same adulation. He wont be the Go-To player in the team but he can be a key cog on the offensive front. A 16 million pound mistake doesn’t sound as bad as a 50 million catastrophe that could have happened last year. Time will tell if TH14 is tailor made for the Arsenal way or whether he has the flexibility to thrive in a new system.

The move also reeks of Los Galacticos- the trusted system employed by ex Real Prez Florentino Perez that really only sold jerseys but won very few trophies. Barca will need to revamp the defense and sign a quality defensive midfielder as soon as possible. With Henry’s arrival it makes sense to get rid of Eto’o. He has done his bit for the Blaugrana but cashing in on him now seems the best option for both parties.

Henry will wear his favored Number 14 shirt, whose most famous recent incumbent was the great Johann Cruyff, a good thirty years ago. The transfer may have come as bad news for tabloids who were feeding off it for the last few years but it does open up new questions.

1) Why would Arsenal let him go for 16 mil? Thats peanuts given his previous valuation of 50 million a year ago. A 34 million devaluation in one year doesnt sound plausible but it may be the effect of the 3 in 30.

2) How will Frank Rijkaard accommodate him? If its Ronaldinho in a more withdrawn role (replacing Deco) it leaves a lot of holes on counterattacks. The REM combo rarely did any backtracking and when you add a pouting Henry on the left flank it does create worries for Puyol and co.

3) Will Cesc follow Henry out of Arsenal? You betcha..Not today but eventually. This kid has always wanted to play for the Catalans and its only Barca&amp depth in midfield that come as consolation for Arsenal but in 5 years, at the prime of his life he will be playing in the red and blue.

4) Will Arsenal stanch the talent drain? Three big losses in three years isn't the stuff great teams are made of. But they do look financially sound and may compete in a few years time. The big question is whether they will slip too far out to be considered a competitor at that time.

At the risk of sounding like a complete sadist, I admit I did enjoy the drama. Schadenfreude!!, you say. But it was particularly interesting to see Arsenal fans going postal on their GOD and avowing that 19 year old Cesc Fabregas is the Real God. Yeah, I believe you. Not long ago, all those fans that extolled Henry’s virtues have now claimed he was repressing the young talent at Arsenal FC. I know football fans are a fickle bunch but the Gooners certainly lose their marbles when things don’t go their way. The bitterness is amusing.