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!!

The second most tedious transfer saga of the summer has finally come to an end. After Manchester United’s signing of Owen Hargreaves, the whole ‘Schuster to Madrid’ story was being dragged endlessly. And thankfully we were spared another month of gossip and needless speculation, when Schuster was announced as the new manager of Real Madrid. Schuster is the seventh manager to be in charge of the los merengues in seven years!

Schuster comes to Madrid on the back of two successful seasons with Getafe, who he led to back to back ninth place finishes in the league. He comes to the team, with the twin tasks of winning titles and at the same time entertaining the Bernabeu. It is certainly going to be very interesting times in Madrid next season.

And Schuster’s first target? Cesc Fabregas! Whether, the young midfielder will make the move to Spain remains to be seen. I get the feeling that Fabregas wont make the move considering the amount of respect he has for the ability of Arsene Wenger. Arsenal fans will be hoping for some words of reassurance from either Fabregas or Wenger.

Good luck mate, you need it, considering you are replacing a manager who just won the league!

Liverpool as expected annouced the signing of Fernando Torres from Atletico Madrid for 26.5 Million Pounds. His arrival will hasten the departure of Craig Bellamy, who besides the goal against Barcelona hasn’t performed upto the expectations of Rafael Benetiz. Torres will partner Peter Crouch in attack.

It remains to be seen if Torres is the guaranteed 30 goals a season player that Liverpool have missed for seasons now. He has flown under the radar of critics at Atletico Madrid scoring just 82 goals in 214 games for the Castille team. His team was often blamed for his lack of goals. With the 26.5 mill pound capture, and the hopes of a club who are waiting for their first league championship since 1990, he will no longer have that luxury.
Rafa has not had the best luck with his Spanish signings. Only Xabi Alonso has been able to lock in a starting spot in his team. Ex Pool Morientes had a horrid time at the KOP and Rafa will be wishing that those mistakes don’t repeat with Gillette and co breathing down his neck.

In my opinion, Torres has taken far too long to translate potential into goals and doesn’t look like a player capable of solving Liverpool’s inadequacies. Liverpool have taken a huge gamble on this former prodigy, who showed all but flashes of brilliance during his time at the Vicente Calderon. From what I’ve seen, his off the ball movement is top class but his finishing isn’t. I expect him to score not more than 15 goals per season (in the league) at Liverpool, in keeping with his scoring record at Atletico Madrid.

Torres Videos:

Torres Compilation 

Torres Interview (subtitles in English)

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.

It’s not always I use David Beckham in a footballing comparison. Although he has achieved a lot of success in his Manchester United, the coverage and the press he received were not reciprocal to his performances. He was the poster boy, who defined the word ‘metrosexual’ and a marketing team’s dream. On the pitch, his career had not met expectations. As captain, his team always fell short of the target. His career had stagnated after his move to Real Madrid and his only option was to take the 250mill $ sinecure that the idiots in LA had offered. But one aspect of his game and his personality merits respect. It was evident in the last month and for his entire career and that has been his impeccable sense of professionalism. When lesser players would have taken offense at the demotion to the reserves, Becks took it as a challenge to prove his coach wrong. He appeared everyday for training and not once did he complain about the treatment. He has since earned his recall and looks set to leave his club with his head held high.

But over the weekend, arguably the the best striker in the world showed why, it’s not always the talent that wins you admirers. Prone to the usual fit of rage, Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o lashed out at his coach Frank Rijkaard for being labeled a shame. Well, to be frank, your behaviour over the weekend was a disgrace. It doesn’t matter if there are only 2 minutes of playing time, when the manager asks you to come on , you do it. When the manager asks you to play blindfolded, you do it. It’s as simple as that, as long as he gets paid the big bucks and is held accountable for every wrong turn he takes, the manager is the Big kahuna.

This is just one of the many incidents that have littered Eto’o’s career. The man can turn a match on its head with his feet, but can also divide a club with his vicious tongue. Some criticize Rijkaard for coming hard on his leading striker in a press conference. This was aberrant from a man, who prefers to dish it out in the privacy of the locker room. But in this case, the reputation preceded the person. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Eto’o went as far as revealing divisions in the dressing room between the Rosell (ex vice president, Sandro Rosell) group and the Laporta clan and how the ‘gentle’ African had been made the scapegoat. But honest to god, what the hell has that got to do with you not wanting to play?

It also is very clear that Rosell sympathizers will be leaving the club soon, whether that includes Ronaldinho is anyone’s guess. Although the club is indebted to Rosell for his masterful engineering of the Ronaldinho transfer, his shadow has hung over this team for too long.

The one club that will be celebrating this are the Merseysiders. This couldn’t have come at a better time for them and the controversy looks set to rock the Catalan club for a few weeks. Expect a major clearout in the summer at Barcelona, starting with the African striker.

For now, Eto’o can learn a thing or two from David beckham 23.

Technorati Tags: David Beckham, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Samuel Eto’o, Frank Rijkaard

Two of the biggest players in the world may be playing for different clubs come August 07. And No, I’m not talking about the 250 million $ mistake, David Beckham. I’m referring to the speculation surrounding Ronaldinho and Christiano Ronaldo. The two lynch pins of their respective teams, have had contrasting seasons.

Ronaldo, who was the scourge of England after the Rooney red card, has more than weathered the storm, he has gained mileage out of it. I don’t recall a player thriving on hatred as much as him and he seems to be getting better when he incurs the wrath of the away fans. His goal scoring record in the premiership matches thhose of top Premiership strikers. Granted, he does go missing and he can be a big fat turd, but even the most passionate Man utd hater would agree that CR7 has been their player of the year. I must commend Fergie for keeping his faith in Christiano. He saw talent when the rest saw an egotistical one trick pony with a fetish for step overs. Even when the ex sporting lisbon winger was issuing come and get me pleas to nearly every major European club, Fergie kept his cool and also appeased his fans, who at that point didn’t mind seeing his back. But will Christiano repay the faith? My guess is not.From the press reports he does look like he comes from the Luis Figo school of mercenaries and has so far not distanced himself from the speculation. It could be another Henry to Barca farce but who knows?

Another transfer talk that is doing the rounds is that of Ronaldinho to Milan. He has been an unhappy Brazilian for sometime now, the dance is missing, the smile is vacant and the passing has been well, crooked. Few are blaming his on field malaise on Laporta’s reluctance to hand out big bonuses he was due. Even ex Vice President and man behind the ‘Ronaldinho to Barca’ Transfer coup, Sandro Rosell has chimed in with his two cents. He claims that Barca were not fair to him and monetary issues have contributed to R10’s loss of form. Out of work Rosell, finds himself talking about Barcelona more often than not, though he had cut ties with the club atleast a year and a half ago. Maybe he should shup his mouth and move on with his life.

But It does look like all is not well. Personally, I wouldn’t dread a Ronnie less Barca. He has been a great servant but It looks like it is time to part ways. He would still command an astronomical fee and I don’t want Barca to commit the 50million $ howler that Arsenal committed in not selling Le Tit. It would be a match made in heaven. Barca would also promote Bojan or Dos Santos and may get Ronaldo to soften the blow.Its months before the transfer window reopens, so we will have to wait a while to see if there is anything to the tabloid talk. Until then, we have some good football to cover.

Technorati Tags: Cristiano, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Barcelona, Milan, Football

Wednesday may well be the end of the road of several European giants in this year’s Champions League. The usually drab group stage has given way for some exciting KO football with some of Europe’s finest, including participants of last year’s dream final, having a lot of work to do.

Barcelona have the hardest proposition- A must win game with an injury ravaged side against one of the best teams in Europe, at-least this season. . Werder have been spectacular this season, both in the Champions League and on their domestic front, with Brazilian Playmaker Diego pulling the strings and finally living up to his billing after his unhappy time at Porto. He has been sensational this year and he will go against a Barcelona team who know they cant sit back, but that has never been their wont. Ronaldinho has had a coming again party and would want to celebrate his nomination for FIFA World Player of the Year in style.

Manchester United on the other hand were looking pretty a few weeks ago until they, presumably in a fit of idiocy, decided not to turn up for the next two games. And they paid the price. In an identical situation to last year, they are to face a Benfica team with a winner take all clause. This time however it will be in the comfort of their backyard.

Arsenal have fewer excuses this time for struggling in a group of mediocre difficulty but that wont stop Arsene Whinger from dishing out the usual tripe about refs and the fixture list. Henry’s bust up with Wenger has been rebuffed as sheer hyperbole by the die-hard gooners but Wenger’s equivocal post match interview may suggest otherwise. They are lucky in that a poor performance need not send them out of the Champions league.

All in all fantastic matches for fans. Here’s hoping that Barca dont play in the Uefa Cup….

V

Its that time of the year again, when media outlets and journos forget about the whole of Europe and focus on two teams in Spain. A country which is no stranger to schisms of a political hue in its checkered history, and this discord in beliefs brings about a footballing rivalry which has no equals. Barcelona Real Madrid or Real Barca(to all the madridistas) represents the pinnacle of soccer both in terms of quality and passion.

Read the rest of this entry »