Tuesday 25 September 2012

Media Hypocrisy Or Are Real A Bigger Club Than Barcelona?

By Isra Qassim.

In a Liga night of Saturday,  Barcelona met Granada in Camp Nou, where it is hard for teams like Real Madrid to get to result in, everyone thought Barca would win the game with ease as they are the stronger team on paper – and Granada's recent performances have been so poor that they were booed on their own turf by their own fans.

However it was far from reality, it was a difficult home game for Barcelona where they struggled for 86 minutes with a heroic performance from Granada's defense and hero of the night, Tono – their goal keeper. The game ended up with a win for Barcelona, anyway, as a wonder strike from Xavi and an own goal sealed the deal for them.

Barca's Saviour against Granada
 Now some might argue that the reason for Barcelona poor performance was missing Iniesta, leave this argument for another day. Now you might look at my title thinking what does this have to do with what is written so far. Well now I get to my point; Messi, who is the 3 time ballon d’or winner, had arguably one of his worse games ever. Perhaps anyway one of the worst recently. 

He couldn’t make assists or continue his dribbling to cut inside and score, lost possession – and that, on one occasion, almost gifted Granada a counter attacking goal had El Arabi taken his chance instead of shooting it straight to Victor Valdes.

Messi is a Human being and any Human being can have a day on the pitch. He was angry and frustrated – with himself and also with his team-mates.
This frustration resulted into Messi have a got at Villa, just before half-time, for passing the ball too late. He shouted at him 4 times, "Why didn’t you pass earlier, Villa?", Villa responded causing an altercation infront of cameras for millions of people around the World to see.

Villa Replies To A Frustrated Messi
Now isn’t this enough news for media or press around the world to go around speaking of a feud happening in Barca's dressing-room? But no, everyone jumped into the defense of Messi, how it is positive and how it motivates his teammates or it happens in games all the time.

I am not in any shape or form saying these things don’t happen in a game. I am a Real Madrid follower, I have seen Iker, for example, many times just screaming at his defenses to move or position themselves or even be angry at them after conceding a goal, these stuff happen.



However, let’s imagine for a second that Cristiano was screaming at Higuain for not passing ball in a game. Which kind of new inside civilized war will be in RM dressing room? Argentina vs Portugal or Higuain actually thinks that Messi deserved more of Ballon d’or and told Cristiano he isn't as good as Messi and that's why Cristiano screamed at him? Or Cristiano is just purely arrogant and a narcissist?


You think I am exaggerating? Well, Iker didn’t celebrate Cristano's winner vs City – Iker actually doesn’t usually celebrate in a crazy way unless it means something big and winning a home group stage game in UCL doesn’t come under the criteria maybe (but the real reason was that one of his faithful young fan died of a long term disease as mentioned by newspaper sources after all sorts of rumours were flying around) – however did this stop media from speaking about a feud and hate relation that is between Cristano and Iker? No it didn’t.

A Motionless Iker
 Ramos was dropped in ONE game for a technical decision, media went on stories how he is punished for going on against his coach and that Ramos is now in bad terms with Mourinho, even though Ramos has been average after the Euros. But no, let’s believe that Ramos hates Mourinho after all he invited his “support group” for lunch to complain about him.

People say that Real are a big Club and thus media always like to talk about them, so aren't Barca a big Club? Or is it because news regarding Real – like people more interested in Cristano accusing Iker on stealing his hair-gel trying to cover his bald spots on his head – sells more? Or is it just pure media hypocrisy that they just like to talk about Real?

(Talks of rift in Barca's dressing room were reported, but by very few media outlets - not as much as how the aforementioned Real-regarding rumours were talked about worldwide.)

Yes, Real have 2 outspoken personalities in Mourinho and Cristiano, but that doesn't mean that it should make them subject of unfairness – especially when both of them have changed to become more conservative than before.

So what is the reason for this double standard? Is it because Real are a bigger Club or is it because some hypocrite media outlets? I'll leave this for you to decide.

Follow Isra On Twitter!

Saturday 22 September 2012

Iker Casillas – Always There For Everyone In Their Hour Of Need, But Some Aren't There For Him....

By Umid.

In the hour of need, he is there. Whether it is by making a jaw-dropping match-winning save or as a shoulder to cry on; he is there.

Iker Leading Real To Their First La Liga Title Since 2008
Always.

Casillas introduced himself to the World like that: those eye-popping saves against Bayer Leverkusen in the 2002 Champions League final and being Spain’s saviour against Ireland in the 2002 World Cup Round Of 16 in the shoot-out – it was the beginning of something great, something epic.

And since then Casillas has saved Spain and Real Madrid many times with his astute goalkeeping.

But it was in Euro 2008 when we saw the true leader in him. Leading Spain to its first ever major championship triumph since the long forgotten 1964 European Championship conquest, Casillas showed to the World a side of his which many didn’t think he had: a leader.

Leading Spain To Glory For AThird Consecutive Time
Often accused of being too quiet and nice to make a good leader, Casillas has proven all of those critics wrong by leading Spain consecutive Euro and a World Cup wins. He also lead Real Madrid to their first ever league title since 2008 – these feats wouldn’t have been possible if Casillas wasn’t a good leader.

It is his personality as a Human, however, that makes him such a lovable person.

On Tuesday when Real Madrid were drawing 2-2 against City with just injury time to go, there was nervousness. Losing 2 points at the Bernabeu is never pleasing – and certainly not at all when Real are in the toughest group in this year’s CL.

Then, suddenly, everything paused. It was as if time stopped itself to witness that moment. That moment was when Cristiano cut inside from the left and shot…. Kompany’s presence blocked Hart’s view and the ball went into the net.

3-2 Real Madrid.

Every Real Madrid fan – every – were celebrating as if they just won the Champions League. Rafael Nadal, who was watching the game from the VIP box, jumped out of his seat in exhilaration. Jose Mourinho sunk his knees into the wet grass and slid on it, so did Cristiano – the scorer, the joybringer.

Extreme Joy For Mou And Cristiano
But there was one-man on the Real Madrid side who didn’t even move. Showed no emotions. Showed no thrill. That man was the captain himself: Iker Casillas.

A lot of things were written about it, a lot of theories, a lot of stories, some even doubting his Madridismo.

Unanimated Iker After Cristiano's Winner
But no-one knew the true reason. All of them were just assuming. And most of the assumptions were, in fact, proven wrong when the real truth behind Casillas not celebrating came out.

Iker didn’t celebrate because just hours before the Real-City game, his 14 year-old Polish friend, Dawid Zapisek, died after suffering from Spinal Muscular Atrophy, and he wanted to show the little kid respect by not celebrating.

Dawid’s ultimate dream was to meet Iker “before dying in peace” and his dream came true when Iker met him in Poland during the European Championship. Iker expressed his sadness via his Facebook page, posting "my most sincere condolences to his family; rest in peace, my friend" on his status.

Dawid With His Idol, Iker
Iker Casillas also articulated his grief on Dawid’s death via Real Madrid’s official website (which you can read here).

Iker didn’t know Dawid for a long time, yet he was touched by his death: this just goes to show what a wonderful Human being Iker is. Casillas didn’t celebrate at that time because he was paying homage to Dawid; whose body was beneath a willow drapery, whose soul was waiting for the boatman to get him across the slarlit waters where dreamscapes are golden.

The boatman has, by now, done that – which boatman wouldn’t do so to a soul who met a saint just before it released itself from the materialistic body?

This is not the first time Iker has shown what an amazing Human being he is. He has made several charities to the people in need, always been humble, always been modest, always been equal to everyone and always been a symbol of Humanity.

And yet, once again, some Real Madrid fans want him to be removed as Real’s captain, instead of being grateful for having a great person like him as captain, because he is too nice and kind – such sad is this World that kindness and being nice isn’t good anymore if you want to lead a team. But, well, Iker will prove them all wrong – just like he has done before.

Iker won't, and shouldn't, change himself just because some Madridistas want him to –  he will stay true to his identity; the identity which made him a symbol of Real Madrid, Spain and Humanity.

Iker Casillas was, perhaps, sent by God on this Earth to be there for everyone in their hour of need.

Follow Umid On Twitter!

Friday 21 September 2012

Barcelona’s Professional Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore


By Faisal.

One of the best backline of all times: Alves, Alex Song, Javier Mascherano and Adriano. They aren’t regular starters, they are back ups, but back up of the greatest defense line up you can ever come up: Dani Alves (certainly not in his peak in recent times and stay in opponent’s half most of the time), Carlos Puyol (34 years old and certainly struggling physically), Gerard Pique (poor form since quite a while now), Adriano and Jordi Alba.

'Defend what?! I can't listen!'
(To understand the paragraph above, you have to know what sarcasm is.)

Puyol is definitely one of best defenders of all time, but you have to admit that age is catching up on him. He can’t carry this huge task of defending all alone. We need to realize that this 34-years old man needs some rest, and we saw many examples of how he got injured in recent times. Well, I’m not saying that he is finished, but he’s certainly not in his psychical peak condition anymore. Furthermore, another great warrior, Abidal, retired because of his Liver transplant – so they needed at least two defenders, and one of them should have been a center back. 

Everyone was thinking Barcelona were going to sign a center-back, as a Puyol’s backup. But what did they do? They trolled the whole football world by signing another midfielder (Alex Song) and a left back (Jordi Alba).

Well, at least Barcelona thought they trolled us – Football fans – big time, but now it looks like they trolled themselves by not signing a center-back.

No backup for an aging and injured Puyol – just no. They swore not to buy any back up for Puyol, as they may think it be insult for Puyol.

Instead they bought a ‘defensive’ midfielder with no tactical and positional awareness – yes, they bought another midfielder; an area which is already so overpopulated that a World-class player like Cesc is warming the bench.

Biggest Part Of Barca's Professional Joke
To solve this problem Barcelona came up with an ingenious idea: make Alex Song a defender as a backup of any of the only two existing CB, Puyol and Pique. Isn’t that hilarious? Barcelona thought so.

Oh, they did spend to buy another player: Jordi Alba, Spain’s best left-back.

The question is did they need him? Yes, they did as Abidal has retired. But did they need an attacking left-back (when they already have an attacking right-back) more than a center-back? No.

Read the statement below which Barcelona released to explain why they bought another midfielder instead of a center-back:
“The world is surely going through a tough time. Everywhere there is sadness and depression, and so, as the greatest club we are, we decided to do something for this world – to make it happier.
 “We will make a really professional joke, which will leave people in awe at first and later they will just laugh till they pooped in their pants. So here is what we did and what we want to do: we bought another midfielder, Song, instead of a center-back, in an already overpopulated midfield, and then made him play as defender. Now, we intend to play him and Mascherano or Busquets as central defenders. 
“This will make people laugh as, for sure, those midfielders will make stupid mistake when they play as defenders. Just think how funny it will be to watch when our defender will also try to dribble past opponents as they have the DNA’s of midfielders? How beautiful and surprising it will be to watch an empty defense as our beloved Dani will be in the opponent’s half trying to assist/score more goals rather than defending, Mascherano will move too his natural ‘midfield’ position by habit, Alex and Adriano, both, will fly to attack? Isn’t that wonderful? It will be really funny for spectators to watch.
“By the way, in the near future, we will buy Neymar and make him the goalkeeper and he will be given permission to attack and dribble past opposition players – and will certainly get the ball away from Di Maria, unlike Valdes.”
'My ball control's better than Valdes!' | Barca's Future Goalkeeper
The blue plan of Barcelona was to make a little professional joke for the sake of this world. But unfortunately, it’s not funny anymore.

Follow Faisal On Twitter!

Note: The ‘statement’ of Barca was a pure work of imagination. Barca didn’t, actually, release any statement like that for real, this was just made up for humour purposes.

Thursday 20 September 2012

Barca Are Over-Reliant On Messi, Karim Benzema Is Mr. Champions League Junior - What We Learned From Match-Day 1 Of The Champions League…

By Umid Dey.

Malaga are doing just fine without Cazorla….


When Santi Cazorla joined Malaga from Villarreal last summer, the Yellow Submarines got hit hard. So hard that they failed to win a single game in the group stages of last season’s Champions League.


This summer, same was expected with Malaga when their talisman was sold to Arsenal. All of those expectations, however, don’t look like will get fulfilled as Malaga have made a terrific start – both in La Liga and the Champions League.

With the sale of Santi Cazorla, the task to perform well and fill in his boots fell on the young shoulders of Isco – and the 20 year-old has, so far, done an excellent job for his team.

Malaga's New Messiah
The youngster put in a stunning performance by scoring twice in Malaga’s 3-0 win over Zenit on Tuesday – a Zenit team which had the likes of Hulk, Bruno Alves, Shirokov, Lombaerts et al in it.

Albeit it’s too early in the season, if the way Malaga have played so far this season is anything to go by, then we might as well say that Malaga are doing just fine without Santi Cazorla.

Barca are over-reliant on Messi….


When Arsenal were being mocked as an one-man-team last season, there was this another team in Catalonia who could have been labeled the same: Barcelona.

The Catalan Club, at times last season, had to solely rely on Messi to win them games – and he indeed won them some games single-handedly, but that wasn’t enough to secure the Champions League or La Liga title.

The same happened last night as well – the Argentine talisman had to score twice in the last ten minutes to win Barca the game after them being 2-1 down at Camp Nou against Unai Emery’s Spartak Moscow.

Barca's One Man: Messi
Whether Messi can save Barca like this every time is yet to be seen, but the chances of that aren’t 100% as Messi is, after all, a Human and can have bad games – and Barca will need to find a solution when that happens, or else they might lose it again like last season.

Juventus are Italy’s only hope in the Champions League….


Ah, the Old Lady is back to where it belongs: the Champions League.

After 3 years of absence in Europe’s elite competition, Juve finally kicked off their Champions League campaign against defending champions, Chelsea. Things weren’t looking bright for Juve when Oscar scored twice to give Chelsea a 2-0 lead.

Then a saviour appeared in Arturo Vidal.

Juve's Saviour
The Chilean scored a brilliant goal just before half-time to give Juve a chance to get back into the game. Vidal looked like he was playing through an injury barrier – such dedicated players are needed in a team if they are to challenge for silverware.

And then Quagliarella scored in the 80th minute to tie the scores at 2-2.

It was a great comeback from Juve, especially considering that they were up against a very strong Chelsea side and were playing in the Champions League after a long time. They also showcased their great mental strength – they went unbeaten last season and have not lost a game, so far, this season as well.

Things, however, don’t look bright for the other Italian Club in the Champions League, Milan. They drew against Anderlecht 0-0 at San Siro and it was uninspiring.

Frustrated Pazzini
Milanisti might argue that Juve also drew, so Milan drawing isn’t a big deal. However, Juve drew against a strong Chelsea team at Stamford Bridge and also put in a great performance. Milan, on the other hand, drew in their own backyard against Anderlecht and the manner in which they played wasn’t inspiring.

Milan lost 2 of their best players in Thiago Silva and Ibrahimovic to PSG – Juve, in contrast, have strengthened by signing great players like Asamoah and Isla. Showing no disrespect to Milan, Juve look like the only Italian team capable of going far in the Champions League.

Milan fans will be hoping that Milan pull off a miracle like Chelsea did last season …. but it looks unlikely.

Champions League is Karim Benzema’s competition….


Didn’t score for Club or Country since May 2012. Had a torrid Euro 2012 with France. Had a woeful start with Real Madrid this season.  Yes, that’s Karim Benzema.

Prior to the City game, Karim Benzema was going through a drought – he hadn’t scored a goal for more than 800+ minutes.

Real Madrid were trailing 2-1, with just 5 minutes to go, after Kolarov gave City the lead once again by scoring from a free-kick. Every City fan were convinced that their team would come out of the Bernabeu with all 3 points.

But it wasn’t to be because Benzema had something else in mind.

Benzema received the ball on the edge of the box, turned Nastasic – who was having a storming game – in the wrong direction with his first touch and shot the ball straight into the right bottom-corner. Hart couldn’t save this one and Benzema had finally broken his goal drought.

'I own the Champions League!'
And what better an occasion to end the drought?

Benzema has scored 26 goals in 43 Champions League appearances. It was his performances in the Champions League for Lyon that drew a lot of attention. When it comes to Champions League, it is almost guaranteed that Benzema will deliver an awe-inspiring performance.

Real Madrid lost Mr. Champions League, Raul, in 2010 – but they have found another one in Benzema; Mr. Champions League Junior.

How not to take penalties….


Bayern Munich, Schalke, Dortmund & Manchester United – what is common between these four teams? All of them were awarded with a penalty each and all of their takers failed to score from it.

There was once a time when penalties made heroes out of the takers – they would almost always score from them. Lately, it is the goalkeepers who are getting the better of the penalty-takers and making them look like fools instead of heroes.

This is how you take a penalty....not
If you ever want to learn on how to not take penalties, then you should watch the way Nani, Hummels, Mandzukic & Huntelaar took their spot-kicks this midweek.

Varane, Nastasic, Isco & Veratti are the stars of the future….


When City’s and Real’s starting XI came out, everyone was surprised – two talented 19 year-old center backs were in it; one for Real and the other for City.

Almost everyone expected Ramos to start for Real and Lescott for City. Instead, a 19 year old Varane filled in the boots of Ramos & another 19 year old Nastasic took Lescott’s place.

And both of them had a tremendous game.

You may ask how did Real concede 2 and City concede 3 if they both had great games. Here’s why: Kompany had a terrible game; arguably his worst game ever since becoming an undisputed starter at City (was heavily at fault for Cristiano’s winning goal) and all of Real Madrid’s goals were scored from outside the box – blatantly revealing the inability of City’s deep-midfielder to close down the space.

The Future Of City's Defense
Apart from Benzema’s goal, where the Frenchmen schooled Nastasic, the teenager had a brilliant game and showed the World why he is one of the most hyped defenders out there.

And Varane; none of the goals Real conceded were his fault – one came directly from a set-piece and the other from a counter-attack goal where he had to close down Yaya Toure (Pepe should have tracked Dzeko). He was astute with his defending and brilliantly organised the defense when City were building an attack. His composure is way beyond his years.

The Future Of Real Madrid's Defense
Now onto Veratti.

A lot is expected of him, a lot of Italians see him as the next Pirlo; but I can assure you that he won’t be the next Pirlo – he will be the new Veratti.

Against Kiev, he showed that his incredible performance against Toulouse was no one-match wonder. Against Toulouse, he did everything you could ask from a midfielder: defend, set the tempo by spraying passes & play some amazing long-balls.

The Marco Verratti
And he did the same against Kiev.

It is absolutely astonishing how a 20 year old has so many skills; he can read the game so well that he is always in the right defensive position at the right time, he can pass it, has good ball-control, has great vision and is really brave.

I have already written about Isco earlier in this article, so I will keep it till there for him. If these 4 keep progressing the way they are now, then that day isn’t far when these 4 would be in the list of Ballon d’Or candidates.

Follow Umid On Twitter!

Wednesday 19 September 2012

Always Listen To Your Mom - Why Xavi Not Signing For Milan Was A Good Decision For Him

By Niklas.

“Freekick from the left side. Pirlo swings in the cross and OHHHH! It’s Maldini with a volley! What
a strike. 1-0 Milan. That was the fastest goal ever in a Champions League final.”

“Sheva in front of Dudek. Will he score? What a vision! He sees Crespo and passes it to him who just taps the ball into the net. Its two-nil to Milan!”

“Unbelivable! What a great pass from Kaka. Crespo in front of Dudek and he lobs the ball over the
goalkeeper and into the net. 3-0 for Milan. Congratulation for your 7th European triumph, Milan! The referee blows the wistle and we go into half-time. See you in 15 minutes!“

“A cross into the Milan box. Gerrard scores with a header and it is 3-1....” “Shot from outside the box.
Dida can’t save the ball. Its 3-2. Can Liverpool turn this game around?”

“PENALTY! Clumsy foul from Gattuso. Dida vs Alonso. Dida Saves! But Alonso scores from the rebound to make it 3-3! Liverpool equalized in just six minutes! Are they now gonna to win this game?!”

“Just one more minute to play and we will go into penalty shootout. Freekick to Milan.
Will they score in the last second? OHHH they will!!! Xavi scores. The boy they signed from
Barcelona at the age of 17 scores the winning goal. And that’s it. 4-3 in Istanbul. Milan won their 7th European Cup.”

The commentary in the last paragraph could have happened back in 2005 – one of the worst nights Rossoneri fans ever had. Instead, you all know how things turned out. Milan lost that final and they never signed Xavi.

Liverpool Won That Final To Win The CL
Some guys of you may now think: “Of course Xavi didn’t sign for Milan, he plays for the best club in the world; why would he want to play for Milan? Besides Milan can only sign useless players on a free transfer.” That may be true for the recent Milan, but back in 1999 Milan were on the verge of signing the talented Spaniard.

According to Milan CEO Galliani, the Barcelona man, who is one of the best midfielders in the world was close to joining Milan. “A few years ago we were really an inch away from taking Xavi [from Barca]. He’s a player with incredible qualities, which I’ve always liked. We had already spoken to his father, and really only missed the final details, but ultimately he decided to renew with Barcelona,” Galliani said.

A Young Xavi
Certainly he was close to making the move, with Xavi having felt his opportunities at the Camp Nou may be restricted by the presence of Pep Guardiola in the midfield. Xavi himself said that it was "actually Barca which decided that I had to stay", but it appears his mother, Maria, also played a part.

"We were offered a villa and more than €1 million for five seasons [by Milan]. Trips would be paid for, a job for my husband. We analysed it as family - Xavi is the third of four children, and they were all against me. Everyone wanted him to take this opportunity and also the complicating thing was the fact that Pep Guardiola was playing in his position. I said: 'If he leaves, I will divorce.' The final decision was still taken by him, however,” Xavi’s mom said.

Wise decision by the then 17 year old boy.

He won several league titles with Barca plus three Champions League titles, became one of the best players football has ever seen and a focal point for the Spanish National team. But what if he moved to Milan in 1999? Could he still have achieved the same success?

The Brain Of Spain
Milan showed signs of being over the hill, having had several aging players while it won the league in 98/99, so the addition of a young Xavi could have helped Milan. With midfielders like Albertini, Boban, Leonardo and Guly, playing time might have been hard to find for the young Xavi. But Zaccernoi could have built a midfield that would still exist today.

Giving Xavi the full creative control of the midfield, while using young Gattuso and Ambrosini to cover his back and energetic midfielder Serginho to provide him with some help, the bad season in which Milan crashed out of the Chamions League in the group phase could have been avoided.

The strike force was immense at that time with Bierhoff, Weah and the legendary Shevchenko – all of whom could have profited from Xavi’s vision and assists.

The Maestro
However, Xavi would have had to settle in very quick. You can’t expect a 17 year old to find his place in a league that is so different from the Primera Division in such a short time. If Milan had given him some time to settle in, he had to fight with Pirlo over a starting spot and Xavi might have lost that. Both players are too similar to play together and succeed.

With Milan’s philosophy to loan young players to other Serie A or B clubs, he could have got playing time. But then again he would have had to fight for a spot in Milan’s midfield.

All in all, Xavi made a good decision in staying at Barca. He would have never been the player he is today if he had joined Milan & looking at Milan’s current side; he might have not won even half the trophies like he did with Barca.

So what did we learn? Always listen to your Mom.

You can add Niklas on Facebook here!

Tuesday 18 September 2012

Extracts From The Secret Diary Of Nicklas Bendtner….

By Umid Dey.
August 18, 2012.
7 am. I wake up from sleep. The first things I see after opening my eyes everyday are posters of Nicklas Bendtner with a caption of ‘The Best In The World’ all around my room.


I wake up pleased. Everyday.
But today, I was extra-pleased because tonight my Club Arsenal will be playing Real Madrid – one of the best teams in the World – and I am going to be in the starting XI. Only a foolish manager would leave out his best player when his team is playing against the best team in the World.
August 19, 2012.
I was too tired to write about last night’s game last night itself; after all, I scored 5 goals against Real Madrid to help Arsenal win 5-4 after being 4-0 down at half-time. So I was tired; tired of carrying Arsenal on my back – but, they don’t call me The Great Dane for no reason.
I not only scored 5 goals, but I assisted 5 of them as well. I didn’t allow Szczesny to take goal-kicks because, if he did, the assists would have been his. So I took the goal-kicks myself by shooting the ball in the air and then running to reach the place where the ball would land, receive it, dribble past my opponents, and then score.
For my 5th goal, I actually told my team-mates, including Szczesny, to stand in my way while I am dribbling so that I would dribble past all 21 players on the pitch and then score. And that’s exactly what happened: I dribbled past 21 players, then went past the referee, then nutmegged my own self by slowly pushing the ball and quickly standing in front of it to let it roll between my legs and then scoring.
I went past all 22 players on the pitch – including myself – and 23 men to score the greatest goal of all time. Only Nicklas Bendter can go past Nicklas Bendtner with the ball - I am just too awesome.
Once Mourinho said that 5-4 is a “disgraceful” score-line in a 11v11 game and that he sends his players back to the dressing rooms, as they are not defending properly, if the score-line reaches 5-4 in a 3v3 training match. I wonder what he did to his players last night after they conceded 5.
They once conceded 5 against Barcelona, too, but conceding 5 against Barcelona and conceding 5 against a team that has Nicklas Bendtner – the best in the World – in it is 2 very different things.
Barcelona didn’t have me – Nicklas Bendtner – so it’s not understandable to concede 5 against them. After all, who did Barca have in that game? Lionel Messi? Andres Iniesta? David Villa? Meh. These are players who are not even fit to tie the laces of my boots – you get these players in every street of Denmark.
However, last night was different. Real conceded against me. They should, and must, be happy that they were blessed enough to concede 5 against the best in the World. If Mourinho didn’t do anything to his players after they conceded 5 against Barca, then he must have partied last night after conceding 5 against me as he conceded way less than he expected.
Anyways, after the match, Wenger came to me and told that I was excellent and bla bla… the usual stuff to make me feel good. I don’t know what kind of an idiot he is because even after being with me for so many years, he doesn’t realise that I always feel good about myself, regardless of whether I get praised or not.
A reporter came to me and asked me how I felt scoring 5 against a great team like Real. I replied, “It was easy, a piece of cake. Scoring goals have always been as easy as walking in the park for me; whether it is against Real Madrid or any other team.” (I know that this is my diary and thus putting my own words in quotes may have baffled you, but guess what; this is cool – the guys you see doing the same with their tweets on Twitter or comments/statuses on Facebook got that from me. This is called ‘being awesome’.)
I went to the dressing room and got a hero’s welcome. The new guy Cazorla came to me and said that he never had a team-mate who made such good use of his passes. I replied to him, “that’s because you never had Nicklas Bendtner as your team-mate”. (Again, I’m being awesome.)
Now you must be wondering when did Arsenal play against Real Madrid. They played Sunderland on August 18, not Real Madrid, you must be shouting in your head.
Well, that’s in your inferior Universe – the Universe which everyone sees. In your Universe, Arsenal played Sunderland and drew 0-0. But in that superior Universe, Arsenal played Real Madrid and I scored 5.
That superior Universe is located in a blissful place called ‘The Mind Of Nicklas Bendtner’. You have to be Nicklas Bendtner to see what is happening in that Universe and God has made just one Nicklas Bendtner – and that’s me – so only I can see that Universe. No-one else can.
So all of you mere mortals: be pleased by being and seeing this inferior Universe and I, on the other hand, will be owning that superior Universe by my breath-taking, jaw-dropping and eye-popping Football skills – and you won’t be able to see that.
“HAHAHAHAHAHA,” I laugh at you all.

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Note: This is just a satirical article and isn't Nicklas Bendtner's real diary - this is just intended for fun purposes and not to offend Bendtner or anyone mentioned in this article.

Monday 17 September 2012

Why African Football Needs To Change For The Good For A Brighter Future...


By Patrick Owusu.



Africa has got in abundance many talented footballers but there is lack of recognition of our various leagues and tournaments.  This is because of the habitual movement of our players to Europe and other parts of the world, the moment they make a name for themselves.

African players move abroad because of money and fame. We can’t even keep our star players in our own country in other for them to play in our leagues, so that we will develop and gain recognition like other leagues in Europe [La liga, EPL, Ligue 1, Serie A, and etc].  The players move to Europe because they are not paid well in Africa .There is also no good insurance packages for our footballers.

Another major problem is lack of advertisement and also low level of patronage by us the Africans. We don’t invest and patronize our league. Africans spend too much time watching European and other parts of the world’s leagues. Most Africans even support teams in Europe whereby they don’t support any team in Africa.

Even shops that sell jerseys in Africa, patronise the selling of foreign jerseys more than our local teams jerseys. And also most of our journalists take much time and joy in talking and debating of foreign Football news on the radio and television sets. They, therefore, also give the masses the chance to phone in on live Football programs to give their ideas about foreign issues mostly than local issues. This means that publicity of our game is very low.

Also, we lack the facilities that will help make the game interesting and a joy to watch. Many young and upcoming footballers even lack sports wears to help them play football. Our football fields are not good enough to play the game of football on and this really doesn’t help us to really enjoy the game very well. A farmer can’t weed without using a good cutlass and the same applies to football, whereby we can’t play the game by not using good and recommended facilities.

Our players don’t wear quality team jerseys during matches. Also during training sections, our players don’t wear uniformed bibs or jerseys to show the particular team they are training for. Most of our coaches also don’t have a specific training routine program to follow daily.

Management of African football is very poor. Bribery and corruption is killing our game. The right people are also not given the mandate to manage our Football because of favoritism and nepotism. This all because of our selfish interests. Most of our football administrators are not qualified and are corrupted. Some of our coaches are still used to playing the old way of football rather than the new way of football, which is all about tactics.

Most of the teams in Africa don’t have good medical personnel because they can’t finance them.  The teams also don’t have lucrative sponsorship deals to help the administrators to finance their teams very well. Most of the players too are tactically indiscipline and this has hindered the beauty of our game. The rules and regulations of football in Africa are weak and need to be strengthened to make the game very disciplined and a joy to watch.

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Friday 14 September 2012

Why Arsenal should keep Theo Walcott on the bench

By Abhinav.

The following piece has nothing to do with Theo’s quality or that the act of being put on the bench as a punishment for not agreeing to a contract extension is right. In fact, it’s praising Arsene Wenger for keeping Walcott on the bench in Arsenal’s last two games – something which will get the best out of him.

Making the transition from a squad player into an impact sub into a first teamer – most notably, since the 2010-2011 season began – Theo has come a long way ever since signing for Arsenal in 2006 as a 16 year old.

Young Walcott At Southampton
He came with a lot of expectations due to his price tag along with the media hype and Sven Goran Eriksson calling him up to the England squad for the 2006 World Cup didn’t exactly help his development as a teenager:

Walcott In The 2006 World Cip
“My opportunity to do my growing up as a footballer out of the spotlight had disappeared for ever. I couldn’t now learn on the undercard of a bill, like a young fighter making his way through the ranks. I was still a raw novice but I had to accept that I was also one of the headline acts. It didn’t matter whether I liked it or not. I just had to get on with it.”

Known for his blistering pace and yet, terrible final ball and inconsistency, Theo has shown more of his ‘football brain’ in recent seasons on the wings despite claiming he is best utilized in the center forward role. The England international was the most productive English winger last season while also directly contributing to 46 goals in the last two seasons prior to the 2012/2013 season.

However, he can be complacent and invisible at times – mainly due to the fact that he knew he wasn’t going to be dropped for a declined Andrei Arshavin. But with the rise of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, an adapted Gervinho along with the signing of forward, Lukas Podolski – equally adept at playing on the left – Walcott has a fight on his hands to even get on the bench.
Having reportedly rejected a new contract extension at Arsenal worth around £75,000 per week, asking for £100,000 per week in the process, Arsene Wenger has opted to keep Theo despite his contract running out this summer. £100,000 is a large salary, especially for an inconsistent 24 year old, considering the fact that players like Mikel Arteta and Santi Cazorla earn less.


 Ever since those contract talks reportedly ended, Theo has been kept on the bench for the away games vs Stoke City and Liverpool, not featuring in the latter 2-0 win. He isn’t expected to start the game against Southampton either – and this is perfectly fine.
Being on the bench frustrates players – it certainly frustrated Walcott when he was on the bench for the game against Barcelona in the Champions League in 2010 as he wrote in his book. Benched players deliver their utmost best as they have to make an impression to their managers, working twice as hard.

Walcott is deadlier as an impact substitute anyway as whom better to bring on in the 60th minute against tiring defenders than a speed merchant like Walcott? Barcelona wouldn’t be able to answer that for you.

It is debateable but Walcott’s best performances have come on the global stage, notably, as a substitute. Three games come to mind; his cameo against Liverpool in the 2008 quarterfinals of the Champions League where he made a sensational run from inside his own half into the Liverpool box before finally assisting Emmanuel Adebayor. 

Another was his substitute appearance against Barcelona in the 2010 Champions League quarterfinals when Arsenal were trailing 2-0 at the Emirates, only for Walcott to come on and change the game with his pace, ultimately scoring a goal as Arsenal eventually pegged Barcelona back 2-2.
"I can only speak from experience but he [Theo Walcott] was one of the most dangerous players I have ever played against." - Lionel Messi.
And lastly, a more recent example – England’s EURO 2012 group stage game with Sweden, where the three lions were losing 2-1, only for Walcott to come on and score an equalizer while terrorizing the Swedish defense with his pace, and assisting Danny Welbeck for the eventual winner.

Defenders can prepare knowing Walcott will start as he’s not the best at utilizing his pace to get past players and can be contained more or less very easily, however, coming off the bench, he would be a deadly asset as tiring defenders wouldn’t be able to cope with him nor would they bomb forward knowing there’s a legitimate counter attacking threat.

Walcott may not be the best technical player but he is certainly a game changer – an enigma as seen by the 5-2 win over Tottenham in late February 2012. After being wanted off by Arsenal fans by halftime, the former Southampton man scored twice in the second half compounding Spurs’ misery.

Arsene Wenger would want to keep Walcott following the end of this season and the Englishman would be even more deadly coming off the bench for more reasons than one.

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Wednesday 12 September 2012

C for Champions, D for Death – A quick look at CL Group D

By Fahim Alam.

Following Chelsea’s shock triumph over Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena, where Chelsea’s dogged performance helped to hold out a 1-1 score line before the penalties, with Peter Cech’s heroics and Robben’s penalty miss finally presenting Roman Abrahimovich with his long cherished ‘holy grail’ – the Champions League Trophy.




This year, the Champions League is back and it never fails to bring out the excitement among the ardent football fans. Following the draw, the highlight of which was ‘Group D’ – which inherited the ‘Group of Death’ title, where the Champions of England, Germany, Spain and Holland will face off each-other, looks to be the most exciting group of the draw.


Ajax


The Dutch powerhouse have had a disappointing summer, losing some of their most influential players in their former captain Vertonghen, midfield enforcer Vurnon Anita, wing-back Van Der Wiel and veteran midfielder Theo Janssen among others. 

They have also reinforced with a number of players, the pick of which would be Dutch winger Ryan Babel and seasoned Danish midfielder Christian Poulsen. Therefore the weight of this Ajax team will be on the young shoulders of free-scoring striker, and current Ajax captain, Siem de Jong and midfield maestro Christian Eriksen. 

New signing Niklas Moisander will face the daunting task of defending against the likes of Aguero, Ronaldo, Lewandowski. However, the star of Ajax is their excellent team of talented coaches under the tutelage of their charismatic manager Frank de Boer, upon whom falls the duty to devise a plan to unlock the resilient defense of Real, City and Dortmund. 

With the loss of important players, and addition of untested and inexperienced players, they are not expected to progress further than the group stage by many. However, Champions League is always full of surprises, so never say never.

PLAYER TO WATCH OUT FOR:  Siem De Jong

Manchester City



Following their dramatic last-game title win, thanks to an astounding injury time goal from Aguero, Manchester City enters the Champions League this season in a bullish mood. Backed by the limitless wealth of Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed, the Blues participated in their maiden Champions League voyage last season, only to hit the iceberg early on in the group stage. 

Real Madrid, Ajax and Borussia Dortmund bring 14 European Cups between them, with City being the newbies in this group. However, they have a very good shot at progressing from this group this time around. Having an expensively assembled squad with the likes of Yaya Toure, Aguero, Dzeko, Balotelli, Tevez among others, under the leadership of uncompromising captain Kompany, Mancini certainly has a squad capable of competing with the European elites.

Unsurprisingly, they have splashed cash again to reinforce their midfield, which seemed to lack the presence of a deep-lying playmaker last season - and they still lack one -  with Yaya Toure playing as an all-action box-to-box midfielder & Barry doing the dirty work in front of the defense. With De Jong leaving the club, Rodwell was signed in a £12m deal from Everton; while García was signed for £15.8m from Benfica,

Despite that, the team may face still a difficult midfield battle and it remains to be seen how their defense deals with the likes of Ronaldo, Reus and de Jong. Nevertheless, this new squad will face their sternest European challenge competing against the former European Champions, but with a team that has been playing together for more than a year, they certainly have a chance of progressing further than the group stage this season.

PLAYER TO WATCH OUT FOR: Aguero


Borussia Dortmund




The high-flying young Germans won the Bundesliga title last season, overcoming the challenge of the German giants Bayern Munich, with a young, talented and exciting team, playing some eye-catching attacking football. 

A former winner of the Champions league title during the 1996-97, the young team showed great promise and has blossomed under their young coach Jürgen Klopp. 

Despite not splashing out big in the transfer market, unlike the Bavarians, Dortmund are known for plucking out rough diamonds out of wilderness and shaping then into some of the finest. 

One of their finest and most influential players of last season, Shinji Kagawa has moved on to ply his trade with Manchester United. But this time Dortmund has reinforced with the signing of exciting German youngster Marco Reus for a reported 17.5 million euros along with forward Julian Schieber, and 0midfielders Oliver Kirch and Leonardo Bittencourt have been added to their ranks. 

Moreover, they have resisted interests from all over Europe for their star striker Lewandowski. In German internationals Mario Goetze and Mat Hummels, Dortmund boasts some of the finest German talents. However, as exciting and talented the team may look, experience has always been vital in Champions League and they will be highly tested against the champions of some of the biggest leagues in Europe.

PLAYER TO WATCH OUT FOR:  MARIO GOETZE


Real Madrid




32nd La Liga title, 100 points, 121 goals – Real Madrid had a record breaking season last season, finally winning the La Liga title after a wait of four years, and in quite a spectacular fashion. 

However, Champions League has still been their own weakness and once again they have fallen victim to the heroics of Bayern Munich shot-stopper Manuel Neuer in the Champions League final. 

This year, they are back, chasing the elusive La Decima. After a summer long drama, they finally got their man and signed Luka Modric from Tottenham and, in the final minutes of transfer season, also secured a loan deal for Michael Essien from Chelsea. 

There have also been outgoings from Real, with squad players Altintop, Lass and fan-favorite Granero all exiting the Bernabeu. However, they have had a stuttering start to the campaign with a draw and a defeat in their first two matches. 

In order to win the Champions League, they must get back to their best and hope the attacking trident of Ronaldo, Benzema and Higuain are all fit and firing, flanked by assist machines Ozil and Di Maria. 

Real Madrid have always been dominant in their group stages, progressing as group champions in most seasons. This time around, they will have a bigger challenge and they will need to stay focused and consistent, and hope that luck is on their side too. Can Real Madrid finally banish their Champions League hoodoo and finally win the La Decima?

PLAYER TO WATCH OUT FOR:  Luka Modric.

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