June 2016

    The major lessons from the 2015-16 European football season part 2

    Leave a Comment / Contributors, Football /

    3. Always have a plan B, no matter what When Josep “Pep” Guardiola succeeded Josef “Jupp” Heynckes as Bayern Munich’s coach in 2013, he was given one tacit mandate: to win trophies by playing beautifully. The Spaniard had carved a niche for himself by not just winning 14 trophies out of 19 in 4 years at Barcelona, but by also playing a brand of football that some people have termed “otherworldly”. Bayern themselves were not doing badly before he arrived; they were treble winners just the season before. However, as traditional perfectionists, the Germans wanted something better: to win and win exquisitely. So they went for the best man available to do the job. Pep’s arrival brought about some tweaks in the team’s playing style. Bayern became more glamorous, though some have contended that they were not as glamorous as Barça but every man has a weakness, and Pep was no exception. Josep Guardiola is a man who knows only one way to play football: pass, move, pass and score. When his plan works (as it often does), it is beautiful to watch. When it doesn’t, it goes very wrong and could be very painful and costly. He has no plan B. Although he won other trophies, he always missed the most glitzy when he always comes so close to it. For this reason, some club fans considered his time at Bavaria a failure. His next destination is Manchester City in England where the playing style is anything but “tiki taka”. Only time will tell if he has learnt this vital lesson. Pride goes before a fall “I am the Special One.” “I am the Only One.” “It is difficult for any coach to do well at a club I just left.” The words of a genius, won’t you say? Yes, one can be very good at something, but it does not make him infallible. Ditto Barcelona and Guardiola as mentioned above. Winning trophies in Portugal, England, Italy, Spain and England (again!) is something to be proud of. So also is not losing a home league match in nearly a decade. But when comments such as the ones above have become the hallmark of a man, he is always going to eat the humble pie at one point. Jose Felix Mourinho is as controversial as they come. After coaching top clubs at the best leagues in Europe and leaving Real Madrid under a cloud, he decided to return to a club he once loved and still loved. And he won the league again. Fantastic! However, Mourinho’s previous successes were marred this just concluded season by his ignominious exit at Stamford Bridge. Suddenly, he was not winning matches anymore. Suddenly, he was losing to less fancied teams. Suddenly, his bosses started losing confidence in him. And suddenly, he stopped talking! Whether he lost the plot or his players connived to get him sacked, Mourinho was made to taste his own bitter medicine. Chelsea sacked him again. And no one heard his controversial vituperations anymore. He that exalted himself had been humbled. Ironically, the man in Claudio Ranieri whom he succeeded at Chelsea in 2003 and who got it wrong at Valencia and Inter won the league in the same season. Believe it or not, this writer does not hate Mourinho, but now that he has the Manchester United job, humility should be the way to go. The End.

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    The major lessons from the 2015-16 European football season

    Leave a Comment / Contributors, Football /

    With the conclusion of the major football leagues in Europe over the weekend, this writer takes a look at four major lessons learnt in the last 10 months. Football for many people is not just a sport. The just-concluded European football season offers any introspective fan some cogent life lessons that can help one to cope with the vicissitudes of life. Here are some of them. Money does not always guarantee success Since the turn of the century, it has become clear to football stakeholders that to win titles and generate income for football clubs, astronomic sums of money have to be spent in the form of quality signings. Starting from 2003, the fortunes of clubs such as Chelsea FC, Malaga, Paris St. Germain, AS Monaco, Manchester City and Valencia, just to mention a few have changed with varying degrees. These variable forms of successes could tempt one to say that money rules the game. But this is not entirely true. Team spirit and work ethics are also crucial. Leicester City are a sterling example. In their second season at the top flight of English football, they spent £37.62m (albeit more than Arsenal and Stoke City) on 8 signings; the costliest of these players went for £8.25m. This happened at a time when other more prosperous clubs spent fortunes on combined signings: Tottenham Hotspur (£53.25m), Chelsea (£67.88m), Liverpool (£95.41m), Manchester United (£109.65m) and Manchester City (£152.77m). Yet, the desired results came, neither from the sum nor the quality of the signings, but the performance on the pitch. The Foxes beat most of these teams and won 23 of their 38 matches, losing just three. They also produced the league’s second highest goal scorer in Jamie Richard Vardy (24 goals). If it were down to just money, Leicester City should be playing in a B- or C-rated league. But no, they will be flying the British flag at next season’s UEFA Champions’ League campaign. Like their coach Claudio Ranieri said, it is wonderful that they have achieved this feat in the big money era. Let’s hope that they build on this achievement and not rest on their oars. Angels are bright, but even they can fail No doubt, many a reader will remember the story of the rebellious angels of biblical Noah’s day. Angels are intelligent and powerful spirit creatures and so they can make no mistakes, right? Wrong! FC Barcelona is a club with some supremely-gifted players who are trophy-thirsty and goal-hungry. They had come into the season as treble winners and wanted to repeat the feat, something no club has ever done. They had won one European and one intercontinental trophy at the end of last year. At one stage in the Spanish La Liga and in Europe, FC Barcelona were considered invincible and infallible. They had played 39 games and remained unbeaten in half a year. The dream was looking plausible but things changed without notice. Overreliance on their revered attacking triumvirate of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar (MSN) and the failure of the club and the manager to correct a few chinks in their armory led to disappointment, at least by their high standards. They lost four in five consecutive games (two at home) across two competitions and went out of the UEFA Champions League at the same stage they did two years ago, beaten by the same team. Suddenly, they seemed very lackluster. It was a bitter pill to swallow. They had failed to do the impossible. Call it fatigue. Call it complacency, but the bitter truth was that they slumped at the most critical moment. Had they failed to rise from the ashes of defeat to the pinnacle of glory in the latter stages, it would have marked the end of an era. Imperfection is intrinsic; it is real! Barça will live to fight again, but they will do well to remember the lesson above. *To be continued

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    2015/2016 English Premier League Season: The year of the youngsters part 2

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    LIVERPOOL: Joe Gomez Having finished sixth during the 2014-2015 season, it was necessary for Liverpool to go into the transfer market. Of all the transfers the cheapest was 19 year old defender Joe Gomez that cost just £3.5 million from third tier side Charlton Athletic. Gomez who can play either as a left or centre back made his debut in the first game of the season against Stoke City and assisted the only goal of the match scored by Philippe Coutinho. He would go on to start the next four league games and he received praise for his style of play compared to Rio Ferdinand. His season was unfortunately ended when he injured his anterior crucial ligament while on England U-21 duty last October. Gomez has shown what he is made of and surely once the new season begins, he should fit well into Jurgen Klopp’s plans as he builds on a bright and successful career. MANCHESTER UNITED: Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, Marcus Rashford, Timothy Fosu-Mensah Manchester United’s season did not go according to plan largely thanks to some poor decision making by Louis van Gaal. While the Dutchman forced a mass exodus of players he saw surplus to requirements at Old Trafford, he did not make adequate reinforcements and it became glaring when a severe injury crisis hit the club. LvG had nowhere but to turn to the youth academy and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Marcus Rashford stepped up to the occasion.Cameron Borthwick- Jackson became a first team regular following long term injuries to Marcos Rojo and Ashley young. It was a big hole for him to fill at the just 19 Years of age and he did well as a solid left back playing with precision, knowing when to overlap and track back. He balanced the equation and United got some decent results as he made 14 overall appearances. Borthwick-Jackson recently signed a new contract keeping at Old Trafford till at least 2020. Marcus Rashford would be the next big thing to burst into the limelight. He scored a first half brace in United’s 5-1 triumph over FC Midtjylland in the Europa League last 32 followed by another brace against Arsenal in the Premier League. From that moment, this kid that had been in United’s youth system since he was seven years old announced his name to the world at age 18 with superb pace and movement which brought an exciting dimension to United’s game play. Rashford scored eight goals 17 total appearances and his fine form caught the eye of England manager Roy Hodgson. He was named in the Three Lions 23-man Euro 2016 squad, scoring on his debut in a pre-tournament warmup against Australia. New United boss Jose Mourinho hasn’t been a fan of using youth but it would be impossible for him to shy away from the promising future prospect. Like Borthwick-Jackson, Rashford also signed a new contract until 2020. Timothy Fosu-Mensah was another United youth product to shine. The 18 year old made his first team debut in the 3-2 win over Arsenal, coming on the injured Rojo. His presence was felt on the field that day as he defended astutely to prevent Arsenal from scoring a third goal and beyond. He also set up Rashford’s second goal of the game. The versatile Dutch teenager would go on to make 12 overall appearances on either flank with Red Devils faithful praising him for his strength and determination. MANCHESTER CITY: Kelechi Iheanacho Man City run a very large youth academy but hardly has anyone fit into the first team when Sheikh Mansour has the millions to splash on big names. However, Kelechi Iheanacho must have given the billionaire a rethink after impressing in pre-season. The Nigerian came into the spotlight after grabbing his first goal in the final minutes of a nervy 1-0 win at Crystal Palace last September. With Wilfried Bony injured, Iheanacho had the chance to make more headlines and he did so forming a telepathic partnership with Sergio Aguero. The 19 year old made the biggest of headlines when he scored a hattrick in City’s 4-0 demolition of Aston Villa in the fourth round of the FA Cup. He was rewarded with a place in the squad for the Champions League knockout phases and also the Nigerian national team. He scored a goal a piece in Nigeria’s recent international matches against Mali and Luxembourg. Iheanacho scored 14 goals in 35 overall appearances and as a versatile and gifted player, he is the first City youth product in the sheikh’s era to be integrated into the senior squad. With the imminent arrival of Pep Guardiola, he would surely use Iheanacho and probably delve into the academy to look for more talent rather than go for expensive and over hyped players that don’t live up to expectations.

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