To say the past season wasn't a bizarre season would be an understatement and quite frankly an insult to the previous season where the Premiership title was decided on the last day, in the dying moments by an injury time goal that resulted in the title being lost for the first time on goal differential. No this past season was just a downright mix of highs, lows, sadness and joy but then again doesn't that sum up most Manchester United games anyway?
The season started with the unbelievable signing of former Arsenal Captain Robin Van Persie. United paid roughly 24 million pounds for the Dutch striker and it turned out to be money well spent. He lead the team with 30 goals in all competitions with most of them coming early in the season when United struggled defensively and needed the goals. With Manchester City feeling the strains of dealing with the pressure that comes when you are the defending champions United continued to rack up points winning all but 2 of their first 17 games including a 3-2 win at the Etihad stadium, a match that once again bore the trademarks of the Alex Ferguson era as a free kick late in injury time by the a fore mentioned Van Persie saw United get all 3 points. The die was cast and City having embarrassingly crashed out of the Champions league just days earlier were never able to recover and ultimately with still 4 matches to play on April 22nd, 2013 United were officially EPL Champions for the 13th title and extended their top flight championships record to 20.
Their European campaign was not as successful although it was not for a lack of trying. United drew heavyweights Real Madrid in the round of 16. A matchup that neither team wanted to see but with Real Madrid finishing as runners up in their group it was a distinct possibility and indeed happened. United took a 1-1 draw from the Bernabeu stadium and when United took the lead in what had been a throughly dominant display in the 48th minute, things were looking good for United to proceed. Things changed in the 56th minute however when Nani was awarded a straight red card for a high boot, a move that was derided by fans, pundits and even the Real Madrid coach himself who had an incredulous look on his face in the post match press conference. United looked stunned and before they knew what happened were down 2-1. It was definitely a sour note on the season as United were looking quite confident in their European travels and felt they had a good chance of making it to the finals which were being played at the venerable Wembley Stadium
So with the 20th title in the bag all eyes were fixed on next season and rumours of possible off season acquisitions until the morning of May 8th when the news broke that Sir Alex Chapman Ferguson was retiring at the end of the season
The architect of arguably the greatest sporting franchise in the history of sports was hanging it up after exactly 1,500 games in charge.That is right. The moment that all United fans knew would come but never openly spoke of had come.
All of a sudden United went from celebrating to sadness back to celebration because alas while one of the greatest men to ever grace the side of a soccer pitch was retiring, United fans were able to take a step back and look at the accomplishments during his career. 26 years 1000 games. 37 trophies. hundreds of moments of sheer joy.
Everton manager David Moyes has been subsequently named and has taken the reins today as his replacement and saying he will have big shoes to fill is an understatement but if there is one thing that Ferguson taught United fans, its that no man is bigger than the club, even with Ferguson moving on to some much deserved rest we are assured that the ideologies that have been instilled in the club will carry on forever.
It has been said time and time again over the last weeks but for one last time I would like to thank Sir Alex Ferguson for making my life as a Manchester United fan just that bit more enjoyable.
Thank You
Glory Glory Manchester United.
Monday, July 1, 2013
From the Eyes of a Fan (Manchester United going forward)
Congratulations to all those that were connected to Manchester
United Football Club – owners, Board, Manager, Coaching staff, non-coaching
staff, players and fans for winning the 20th title for the
prestigious club.
A special thanks to Sir Alex Ferguson for his distinguished
stewardship of the Club we love for 26½ years. His legacy is very much unlikely
to be surpassed and we wish him well in his retirement.
Welcome to David Moyes as he begins his reign as Manager of
Manchester United Football Club. I hope you go on to achieve as much feat as
your immediate predecessor at least in terms of trophies if not in length. It
will be important that you be your own man. Your skill, attribute,
characteristics and personality got you here. It is important you embrace Sir
Alex’s legacy. No need to fight it, ignore it or try to out-do it. Just be you.
Well done to the Glazers for letting Sir Alex be. Whilst I, as a
fan, still detest the level of debt you loaded on the Club, I am humble enough
to still admit that by letting Sir Alex be, United continued to maintain its
success on the pitch. It is important, if not more so, that the Owners do
likewise with David Moyes. The Owners have got to back him in the transfer
market. The good news is not a lot needs to be changed in terms of structure –
but new players have got to be brought in to refresh the squad and replace
those that are in need of a new challenge or have become disillusioned at being
at Old Trafford for so long. Some even have failed to deliver on their
potential.
In my opinion, I believe United need a maximum of five players to
come in to either bolster the squad or replace players exiting the club through
outright sale or retirement. One deal has already been completed in Wilfried
Zaha. The players I will be mentioning in the rest of this post are players
already linked to United – very good players in fact. Some may be unrealistic
but will only be so limited if the Glazers refuse to come up with the cash
needed to conclude the deals. The players I’d like to see join United this
summer are: Gareth Bale - £80m, Cristiano Ronaldo - £65m, Thiago Alcantara -
£18m and Marouane Fellaini - £24m. I am not jumping on the bandwagon here. I
believe each of this players will bring a different dimension to United’s game
and will also give the team a very good chance of not just winning a trophy in
Moyes’ first season, but should retain the title and get to at least the
Semi-final of next season’s European Champions league.
Let me list my full squad for United if
these deals are done.
1.Fabio da Silva – 2.Rio Ferdinand –
3.Patrice Evra – 4.Jonny Evans – 5.Nemanja Vidic – 6.Chris Smalling – 7.Phil
Jones – 8.Rafael da Silva – 9.Wayne Rooney – 10.Danny Welbeck – 11.Robin van
Persie – 12.Michael Carrick – 13. Shinji Kagawa – 14.Tom Cleverley –
15.Wilfried Zaha – 16.Cristiano Ronaldo – 17.Marouane Fellaini – 18.Thiago
Alcantara – 19.Gareth Bale – 20.David de Gea – 21.Anders Lindegaard – 22.Ben
Amos.
From the above you would have noticed the
following departures:
1.Paul Scholes – 2.Ryan Giggs – 3.Bebe
Oliveira (£5m)– 4.Kiko Macheda (£5m) – 5.Antonio Valencia (£10m) – 6.Anderson
Oliveira (£10m) – 7.Luis Nani (£20m)–
8.Ashley Young (£15m) – 9.Javier Hernandez (£35m).
Getting the four players in I previously mentioned should cost
United no more than £187m in transfer fees alone. United should be able to
raise some £100m from sales making it a net spend of £87m. Nike will likely
contribute to that net spend amount. This should also be the bulk of spending
United will need over the next 3 to four seasons with good reserve players
coming through in Nick Powell, Jesse Lingaard, Angelo Henriquez, Keane
brothers, Davide Petrucci, Larnell Cole and especially Adnan Januzaj.
I agree that £80m for Gareth Bale is definitely too much and that he
should cost no more that £60m but with real Madrid also interested in making
him their marquee signing, I’d expect Daniel Levy to create a bidding war and
drive up the price. I suspect Gareth Bale will choose staying in the premier
league above moving to Spain if he can get into one of the top 4 premier league
teams. I doubt he fancies going to another London club for fear of fan
repercussion making the two Manchester teams his real options. It goes without
saying that going to United would be more attractive to Gareth than City if one
considers the history and pedigree of both clubs. Choosing United will also
mean Gareth can be close to his family in Wales whom he visits quite often –
rumour has it that he often gets homesick if he doesn’t visit Wales in more
than two weeks. If Gareth hands in a transfer request and specifies United to
Daniel Levy then that should help with the negotiating down the price but we
all know Levy to be a hard man to bargain with.
On Cristiano, his public moves so far – refusing to sign a new
contract and putting up his villa in Spain up for sale – shows that United have
a real chance of getting him. The Club and fans love him and he loves them
back, the only issue is if Real Madrid will prefer to risk losing him for
nothing and Fiorentino Perez is currently used him in his
re-election campaign although he is unopposed.
On Thiago Alcantara and Marouane Fellaini – meeting the exit clauses
should do the job for United. Fellaini clearly wants to play for a top team and
should be willing to follow David Moyes to Old Trafford. At €18m, going for
Thiago is a no-brainer. He is unsettled and unhappy at Barca and should settle
well at Old Trafford considering the amount of Spanish speaking players United
have.
In trying to avoid creating a selection headache for next season, I
think Moyes may need to sell one of Javier Hernandez or Wayne Rooney. Those two
also represent United’s biggest chance of recouping some of their cash outlay
on transfers. United should be able to get at least £35m for either of them. In
contrast, Moyes may think having both players in his dressing room is a good
selection headache and that he will prefer to deal with the respective players’
ego. But I think he’d want as little headache as possible in his first season
as United’s boss so he can get on with matters on the pitch. Wayne offers a
lot of versatility that Javier doesn’t. I know Wayne would like to play up
front more but what he really wants is to enjoy his football. As long as he’s
enjoying his football, where he plays on the pitch matters little to him. It is
his versatility that may mean he gets to stay ahead of Chicharito.
Nani and Anderson have not lived up to their respective potential.
They may have come to the point where they need a new challenge to jump start
their football career. With Nani entering the last year of his contract next
season, now is the best time to sell him to get maximum money. Anderson will
hardly be a regular starter for United and if he wants to be a part of Brazil’s
world cup team next summer, then he’ll need to move away from United.
Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia are both 28 in July and August
this year respectively. I’ve proposed he be replaced by Gareth Bale and
Cristiano Ronaldo – two of current top three world footballers behind only
Messi. Ronaldo was 28 in February whilst Bale will be 24 in July. There is no
doubt on any football scale or yardstick used that Ronaldo and Bale and
infinitely better than Young and Valencia. Besides, Young can be used as a cash
plus player in securing Bale although I can’t imagine Spurs not wanting a
straight cash deal so they can go after their own transfer targets.
The remainder of the departures are no-brainers in Bebe and Macheda.
I can’t see both having a future at United and I suspect Moyes will share my
view. Scholes has already announced his second retirement and I think Giggs
should do too and become a coach at United.
If my above opinion on transfers holds true, United can easily play
a European 4-2-3-1 formation or 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 in the league.
David De Gea
Rafael da Silva Rio
Ferdinand Nemanja Vidic Patrice Evra
Marouane Fellaini
Michael Carrick
Gareth Bale Wayne
Rooney Cristiano Ronaldo
Robin van Persie
Rooney can step up to join RvP with Fellaini and Carrick Stepping up
to form a 4-4-2 or Rooney can step into the middle of Fellaini and Carrick with
Ronaldo and Bale stepping up to form up in 4-3-3.
The subs can contain first class players in: Lindegaard, Jones,
Fabio, Kagawa, Alcantara, Welbeck and Cleverley.
The above 18 man squad look like a team full of goals and should
trouble any defence on the planet if David Moyes can get them playing together
as team. The Midfield core of Carrick and Fellaini should also provide the
necessary protection and defensive cover for the offensive players to do work
their magic. The front four players will need to play very fluid football with
great off-the-ball movement and should be energetic enough to press for the
ball and win it back high up the pitch thereby allowing for fast transitions.
We all know every David Moyes team are usually disciplined, solid
and work as a team. If the Glazers can bring the above team together and the players
respond well to Moyes’ methods – then I have no doubt that United will be
favourite to retain the title and perhaps even win the Champions League within
the next two seasons.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Serie A, where an agent stirred the tide (My Serie A season review)
It is no longer news that a certain Mino Raiola rules the rue in the Serie A transfer market or anywhere there is a deal to be made. Correct me if I am wrong but this Super Agent in his own little way decided the destination of the scudetto title for 2012/13 season with the deals he put together to change the landscape of the Serie A title charge. Of critical mention has to be the transfers of Zlatan Ibrahimovic away from Milan to PSG effectively taking away 25 plus goals from the Milan attack hence crippling an otherwise strong and mighty Milan in the process; also he engineered the transfer of the young player of the year in my opinion in Serie A, Paul Pogba from Manchester United, his emergence during the course of the season galvanized Juventus to its 29th or 31st scudetto depending on what side of the divide you belong to.
To actual events on the pitch, this was another dominating season for the Old Lady as it was able to sing and dance its way to back to back scudetto; we take a look at their season as a whole, the highs, lows, team of the year and other awards.
Relegated teams: Palermo, Siena, Pescara
It's always sad when a team goes down to the lower division via the relegation positions; no surprise that Pescara returned to Serie B, but Siena have almost somewhat established themselves in the top division. The major surprise has to be Palermo and i feel no pity for this team, maybe some time in Serie B would knock some sense into their erratic and trigger happy President Mario Zamparini to change his ways and seek for stability in the team especially in the coaching department. Pescara did play some good football, but had lost their star player from Serie B, Marco Veratti to PSG, but then losing 5 of your last 6 matches showed there was no way for survival, same for the other two teams, as Palermo were the only team in the relegation zone to muster a victory in the last six matches; relegation was a certainty.
The Wannabes: Inter, Roma, Lazio
A lot was expected from the two capital teams coming into the season with new managers, especially Roma who brought in Zdnek Zeman for another spell at the helm, promising open, attacking football in an otherwise cagey and overly tactical Italian Serie A but then delivered very little. Roma played good football under Zeman, but conceded too many in games where victory seem a sure certainty. Eventually the American owners got fed up and installed Andreazzoli for the remanider of the season to steady the ship; he was able to lead them to the Coppa Italia final against Eternal City rivals Lazio which they lost. Vladimir Petrovic has successful stirred the Lazio ship commendably, at some point Lazio were contenders for one of the three Champions League places; however they had to do with the consolation of winning the Coppa Italia defeating city rivals As Roma. The success story of Lazio's season has to be Petrovic getting the best out of Miroslav Klose; the German was in good form during the season, Lazio can definitely consider this a successful season.
Going into this season expectations from Inter's young manager Andrea Stramaccioni after the ill fated reigns of Gasperini and Ranieri were quite high. It was seen as a breathe of fresh air, a fusion of young blood to an otherwise aging Inter side, that still had Javier Zanetti as a main piece of the Nerazzurri furniture. Despite getting to the latter stages of the Europa League, last season is still considered a disappointing season by Inter's standard; injuries to key players like Milito and the issues relating to the transfer position of Wesley Sneijder derailed the Inter Locomotive with the team eventually finishing a disappointing 9th on the table.
The comeback Kings: AC Milan
As at October, who would ever have expected the mighty Milan to be lanquishing in the bottom half of the table; at some point close to the relegation places with a form of just one win in five games. Stories and rumours started surfacing that Massimo Allegri would get the boot soon as he had not playing to the president's instructions and trying to be his own man; guess who comes to Milan's rescue? Mino Riaola. The signing of Mario Balotelli in the January transfer window has to be one of the most influencial signings of the mid season window since the January transfer window was introduced. Mario Balotelli's contribution of 12 goals in 13 appearances with 6 man of the match displays revived Milan to finish at a very impressive third despite their very poor start. Mino Raiola does his magic once again, this time around aiding Milan to bounce back after weakening the Rossoneri in the first place with the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Massimo Allegri was able to do himself a word of good by rejuvenating the squad from a rather hopeless position especially with the amount of departures Milan had at the back end of the previous season.
Title Contenders: Juventus and Napoli
If you ask me i think the Old Lady found it quite easy to deliver its 29th(31st) scudetto, asides some minor hiccups during the course of the season especially when their unbeaten run from the previous season was extinquished in style by Inter inside the Juventus stadium as well as the suspension of Antonio Conte. No one could challenge or maintain a strong challenge on the Bianconeri all through the season, there was no sustained pressure from any of Serie A's top guns; Lazio tried hard to put themsleves in the equation, but evaporated as other engagements in the Europa League and the Italian Cup brought about distractions. Disappointingly for Juve, they would have loved to push further in the Champions League, but eventual winners Bayern Munich were too strong. Mino Raiola reared his head in Turin as well as there were certain games where Juve could have drop points that his client (Paul Pogba) was the difference between victory,defeat or nicking a point with man of the match performances in four of such games contributing 5 goals during the course of the season; how can we forget the two long range strikes in the same game that was the difference Juve needed. I do not think anybody expected the young Pogba to have such an effect so early on; even getting caps for the French National side with a man of match performance against Spain in a world cup qualifier.
Napoli on the other hand, blew hot and cold for the earlier part of the season; but later got their act together. Although, they did not run Juve close finishing 7points behind; the Naples outfit always delights with their brand of football; playing the 3-4-2-1 to perfection; of course having the lethal Edison Cavani in your team must count for something ably supported by Marek Hamsik and Goran Pandev. Napoli showed that they could cope admirable with the departure of Ezekiel Lavezzi to get the team to play some of the best football in Serie A. Mazzari has now left for Inter Milan with Rafa Benitez coming in, it would be good to see what Napoli would look like next season especially in terms of the formation and approach.
Awards:
Player of the year: Edison Cavani (29goals in 34appearances); Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo ran him close but would have to be content with being Champions of Italy.
Young Player of the Year: Paul Pogba; Stefan El Shaarawy could have won it after returning 16goals for Milan, but seemed to go missing as Balotelli arrived.
Manager of the Year: Massimo Allegri; drove,pulled and pushed Milan to a third placed finish despite losing about 8 players that were well known as being part and parcel of the Milan Furniture.
Team of the Season: 3-5-2
Marchetti (Lazio)
Campagnaro (Napoli) Costa (Sampdoria) Chiellini (Juventus)
Pirlo (Juventus)
Vidal (Juventus) Candreva (Lazio)
Maggio (Napoli) Pasquale (Fiorentina)
Balotelli (Milan) Cavani (Napoli)
To actual events on the pitch, this was another dominating season for the Old Lady as it was able to sing and dance its way to back to back scudetto; we take a look at their season as a whole, the highs, lows, team of the year and other awards.
Relegated teams: Palermo, Siena, Pescara
It's always sad when a team goes down to the lower division via the relegation positions; no surprise that Pescara returned to Serie B, but Siena have almost somewhat established themselves in the top division. The major surprise has to be Palermo and i feel no pity for this team, maybe some time in Serie B would knock some sense into their erratic and trigger happy President Mario Zamparini to change his ways and seek for stability in the team especially in the coaching department. Pescara did play some good football, but had lost their star player from Serie B, Marco Veratti to PSG, but then losing 5 of your last 6 matches showed there was no way for survival, same for the other two teams, as Palermo were the only team in the relegation zone to muster a victory in the last six matches; relegation was a certainty.
The Wannabes: Inter, Roma, Lazio
A lot was expected from the two capital teams coming into the season with new managers, especially Roma who brought in Zdnek Zeman for another spell at the helm, promising open, attacking football in an otherwise cagey and overly tactical Italian Serie A but then delivered very little. Roma played good football under Zeman, but conceded too many in games where victory seem a sure certainty. Eventually the American owners got fed up and installed Andreazzoli for the remanider of the season to steady the ship; he was able to lead them to the Coppa Italia final against Eternal City rivals Lazio which they lost. Vladimir Petrovic has successful stirred the Lazio ship commendably, at some point Lazio were contenders for one of the three Champions League places; however they had to do with the consolation of winning the Coppa Italia defeating city rivals As Roma. The success story of Lazio's season has to be Petrovic getting the best out of Miroslav Klose; the German was in good form during the season, Lazio can definitely consider this a successful season.
Going into this season expectations from Inter's young manager Andrea Stramaccioni after the ill fated reigns of Gasperini and Ranieri were quite high. It was seen as a breathe of fresh air, a fusion of young blood to an otherwise aging Inter side, that still had Javier Zanetti as a main piece of the Nerazzurri furniture. Despite getting to the latter stages of the Europa League, last season is still considered a disappointing season by Inter's standard; injuries to key players like Milito and the issues relating to the transfer position of Wesley Sneijder derailed the Inter Locomotive with the team eventually finishing a disappointing 9th on the table.
The comeback Kings: AC Milan
As at October, who would ever have expected the mighty Milan to be lanquishing in the bottom half of the table; at some point close to the relegation places with a form of just one win in five games. Stories and rumours started surfacing that Massimo Allegri would get the boot soon as he had not playing to the president's instructions and trying to be his own man; guess who comes to Milan's rescue? Mino Riaola. The signing of Mario Balotelli in the January transfer window has to be one of the most influencial signings of the mid season window since the January transfer window was introduced. Mario Balotelli's contribution of 12 goals in 13 appearances with 6 man of the match displays revived Milan to finish at a very impressive third despite their very poor start. Mino Raiola does his magic once again, this time around aiding Milan to bounce back after weakening the Rossoneri in the first place with the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Massimo Allegri was able to do himself a word of good by rejuvenating the squad from a rather hopeless position especially with the amount of departures Milan had at the back end of the previous season.
Title Contenders: Juventus and Napoli
If you ask me i think the Old Lady found it quite easy to deliver its 29th(31st) scudetto, asides some minor hiccups during the course of the season especially when their unbeaten run from the previous season was extinquished in style by Inter inside the Juventus stadium as well as the suspension of Antonio Conte. No one could challenge or maintain a strong challenge on the Bianconeri all through the season, there was no sustained pressure from any of Serie A's top guns; Lazio tried hard to put themsleves in the equation, but evaporated as other engagements in the Europa League and the Italian Cup brought about distractions. Disappointingly for Juve, they would have loved to push further in the Champions League, but eventual winners Bayern Munich were too strong. Mino Raiola reared his head in Turin as well as there were certain games where Juve could have drop points that his client (Paul Pogba) was the difference between victory,defeat or nicking a point with man of the match performances in four of such games contributing 5 goals during the course of the season; how can we forget the two long range strikes in the same game that was the difference Juve needed. I do not think anybody expected the young Pogba to have such an effect so early on; even getting caps for the French National side with a man of match performance against Spain in a world cup qualifier.
Napoli on the other hand, blew hot and cold for the earlier part of the season; but later got their act together. Although, they did not run Juve close finishing 7points behind; the Naples outfit always delights with their brand of football; playing the 3-4-2-1 to perfection; of course having the lethal Edison Cavani in your team must count for something ably supported by Marek Hamsik and Goran Pandev. Napoli showed that they could cope admirable with the departure of Ezekiel Lavezzi to get the team to play some of the best football in Serie A. Mazzari has now left for Inter Milan with Rafa Benitez coming in, it would be good to see what Napoli would look like next season especially in terms of the formation and approach.
Awards:
Player of the year: Edison Cavani (29goals in 34appearances); Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo ran him close but would have to be content with being Champions of Italy.
Young Player of the Year: Paul Pogba; Stefan El Shaarawy could have won it after returning 16goals for Milan, but seemed to go missing as Balotelli arrived.
Manager of the Year: Massimo Allegri; drove,pulled and pushed Milan to a third placed finish despite losing about 8 players that were well known as being part and parcel of the Milan Furniture.
Team of the Season: 3-5-2
Marchetti (Lazio)
Campagnaro (Napoli) Costa (Sampdoria) Chiellini (Juventus)
Pirlo (Juventus)
Vidal (Juventus) Candreva (Lazio)
Maggio (Napoli) Pasquale (Fiorentina)
Balotelli (Milan) Cavani (Napoli)
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Salient Points to the impending German Invasion (UCL Final Preview)
Its 9.30am and i am convinced to say that i have the misfortune of probably missing this epic Champions League finals of the ages. Why? This is solely due to my current location in Midwest, United States of America; Chicago precisely attending a close friend's wedding. The coverage of the final is very limited here, its almost like looking for a neddle in a hay stack and i am not happy at all. I can just imagine the buzz in London and even in Lagos where i know UCL sponsors like Heineken and MasterCard would have rolled out different events to celebrate the first all German Final.
To the game itself, what a fantastic prospect awaits us in this clash of Germany's two biggest powerhouses; a lot has being made about the revolution going on in German football; recommercialization, redeveloped stadia, rejuvenation of its youth and grass roots policies and an overall rethink of the German approach of playing football from the strength, brawn and hard core efficiency that Germans are known for, to the development of some of the most technically and tactically gifted players in the world today. All these has changed the direction of German football totally across all levels of the national team and the clubs as a whole. The overall beneficiary is Joachim Low,as he has a very impressive pool to select from; to ensure Germany finally banishes its disappointments in major finals and semi finals.
Also a lot has being made about the announcement of the transfer of Dortmund playmaker Mario Gotze to Bayern Munich, months before the end of the season. Unfortunately, he would have no part to play in this final, but I expect the following points to guide us to great conclusion to a fantastic season.
1. The Managers: Juup Heynckes may be on his last legs as manager of the great Bavarians, however he wants to go off into the sunshine of potential retirement by given his successor a huge mountain to climb; in other words winning Bayern Munich's first ever treble will ensure Jupp Heynckes name is forever enshrined in Bayern Munich folklore and finally seal his legacy as a great manager, it is also an oppotunity to be the 19th manager to win Old Big ears twice. For Jurgen Kloop, he is the supposedly the new kid on the block, seeking to enhance his reputation on the European Landscape and building his own dynasty whilst returning a once bankrupt Dortmund back to the European map after back to back league titles. Dortmund's progress this season in Europe has being quite impressing with their brand of attacking pressing play, it would be interesting to see how both managers approach the match.
2. Key Battles: This game would whip up a number of interesting battles on the pitch; first of all will be the battle in midfield between Ilkay Gundogan and Bastian Schweinsteiger; ideally a crucial battle as it may determine who may be able to cease the initiative especially in the early stages of the match. Gundogan would seek to stop Schweinsteiger from controlling the game and enable Bayern to build from the back, but then Schweinsteiger has the support of Javier Martinez to ease him into the game, but expect Dortmund to take the early initiative and later settle down into their counter attacking pressing game. Kevin Grosskruetz and Phillip Lahm on the left hand side of midfield; Grosskruetz is expected to fill in for Mario Gotze and then deployed to the left; it would be interesting to see how he gets the better of Lahm going forward and how he is able to track Lahm when he comes forward supporting Schmelzer in defending the double threat of Robben and Lahm. Grosskruetz being deployed to the left would enable Marco Reus play in the middle and link well with Robert Lewandoski.
3. 4-2-3-1 vs 4-3-3/4-5-1: Juup Heynckes has upgraded the works of Louis Van Gaal on this Bayern side. The side has become more balanced especially with the signings of Manduzic, Dante and Martinez; they've obviously got the better players and of course a better head to head this season, although in the last 9games between both teams; Dortmund have a better record. Jurgen Kloop is able to adapt and review is tactics as the game progresses. It is expected that with the inability of Mario Gotze, Kloop may change to a 4-3-3 to accomodate Grosskruetz to deploy Reus out wide; but this affects their counter attacking link up play and pressing game;hence whilst he may opt for the 4-5-1 to accomodate the changes and enable them counter Bayern's 4-2-3-1.
4. 3rd times a charm or 3rd time unlucky: Bayern will appear in their third final in four years, although they've lost in two finals. In 2010, they were well beaten by Jose's Inter and last year lost at home on Penalities to Chelsea; will they be 3rd time lucky or unlucky. What is inevitable is Germany will have its 7th winner of the UCL in the 58th edition. Dortmund appear in the finals for the first time since 1997 and would play with enormous pride and determination.
5. Verdict: Even though Bayern have the better players; my gut feeling tells me this will be Dortmund's year as Bayern have shown they crack under pressure.
Result: Dortmund to win 2-1.
Adeyemi Adesanya
@yemimanutd
To the game itself, what a fantastic prospect awaits us in this clash of Germany's two biggest powerhouses; a lot has being made about the revolution going on in German football; recommercialization, redeveloped stadia, rejuvenation of its youth and grass roots policies and an overall rethink of the German approach of playing football from the strength, brawn and hard core efficiency that Germans are known for, to the development of some of the most technically and tactically gifted players in the world today. All these has changed the direction of German football totally across all levels of the national team and the clubs as a whole. The overall beneficiary is Joachim Low,as he has a very impressive pool to select from; to ensure Germany finally banishes its disappointments in major finals and semi finals.
Also a lot has being made about the announcement of the transfer of Dortmund playmaker Mario Gotze to Bayern Munich, months before the end of the season. Unfortunately, he would have no part to play in this final, but I expect the following points to guide us to great conclusion to a fantastic season.
1. The Managers: Juup Heynckes may be on his last legs as manager of the great Bavarians, however he wants to go off into the sunshine of potential retirement by given his successor a huge mountain to climb; in other words winning Bayern Munich's first ever treble will ensure Jupp Heynckes name is forever enshrined in Bayern Munich folklore and finally seal his legacy as a great manager, it is also an oppotunity to be the 19th manager to win Old Big ears twice. For Jurgen Kloop, he is the supposedly the new kid on the block, seeking to enhance his reputation on the European Landscape and building his own dynasty whilst returning a once bankrupt Dortmund back to the European map after back to back league titles. Dortmund's progress this season in Europe has being quite impressing with their brand of attacking pressing play, it would be interesting to see how both managers approach the match.
2. Key Battles: This game would whip up a number of interesting battles on the pitch; first of all will be the battle in midfield between Ilkay Gundogan and Bastian Schweinsteiger; ideally a crucial battle as it may determine who may be able to cease the initiative especially in the early stages of the match. Gundogan would seek to stop Schweinsteiger from controlling the game and enable Bayern to build from the back, but then Schweinsteiger has the support of Javier Martinez to ease him into the game, but expect Dortmund to take the early initiative and later settle down into their counter attacking pressing game. Kevin Grosskruetz and Phillip Lahm on the left hand side of midfield; Grosskruetz is expected to fill in for Mario Gotze and then deployed to the left; it would be interesting to see how he gets the better of Lahm going forward and how he is able to track Lahm when he comes forward supporting Schmelzer in defending the double threat of Robben and Lahm. Grosskruetz being deployed to the left would enable Marco Reus play in the middle and link well with Robert Lewandoski.
3. 4-2-3-1 vs 4-3-3/4-5-1: Juup Heynckes has upgraded the works of Louis Van Gaal on this Bayern side. The side has become more balanced especially with the signings of Manduzic, Dante and Martinez; they've obviously got the better players and of course a better head to head this season, although in the last 9games between both teams; Dortmund have a better record. Jurgen Kloop is able to adapt and review is tactics as the game progresses. It is expected that with the inability of Mario Gotze, Kloop may change to a 4-3-3 to accomodate Grosskruetz to deploy Reus out wide; but this affects their counter attacking link up play and pressing game;hence whilst he may opt for the 4-5-1 to accomodate the changes and enable them counter Bayern's 4-2-3-1.
4. 3rd times a charm or 3rd time unlucky: Bayern will appear in their third final in four years, although they've lost in two finals. In 2010, they were well beaten by Jose's Inter and last year lost at home on Penalities to Chelsea; will they be 3rd time lucky or unlucky. What is inevitable is Germany will have its 7th winner of the UCL in the 58th edition. Dortmund appear in the finals for the first time since 1997 and would play with enormous pride and determination.
5. Verdict: Even though Bayern have the better players; my gut feeling tells me this will be Dortmund's year as Bayern have shown they crack under pressure.
Result: Dortmund to win 2-1.
Adeyemi Adesanya
@yemimanutd
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Will the Bavarians show any Messi?
Last week I previewed the fortcoming semi final line up in the ever prestigious UEFA Champions League on Tolu Shotade's Final Score Radio program on Inspiration FM, where i showed my hand pitching for German efficiency over Spanish artistry; I was given a lot of stick by the many callers to the show.
My main reason for pitching with the Germans is purely the way the Bundesliga has developed in leaps and bounds over the last couple of years to wrestle attention from the English Premier League and Spanish La Liga by improving its commercial viability, attractiveness with a deep rooted approach to developing some of the best young talent in world football combining flair, artistry and good Ol' German efficiency as well as the development of some fantastic stadia boasting the best average attendance in the whole of Europe. German Football has gone full cycle, the success at club level is translating to the National team being one of the best in the world.
To the games proper, not in anyones lifetime would you imagine you would have a situation or the opportunity to reflect on your past and catch a glimpse of your future. This is the prospect Bayern Munich v Barcelona offers us all. Pep Guardiola must be rubbing his palms at the prospect alone.
Tonight, two of the best teams in Europe go head to head; its the game every one wants to see; like Pacquio v Mayweather. This is a proper clash of football's club heavyweights; both teams go into the game as Champions or Champions elects of their respective leagues; winning with ruthless efficiency and poise. This is probably the first time Barcelona would be going into a match as slight under dogs, this is purely due to the amazing balance this Bayern side possess; defensively they are very solid, conceeding only 14 goals in 30games. Going forward Bayern are spoilt for choice with the twin Marios in devasting form all season coupled with the incredible depth coming on from the bench. Barcelona too have being ruthless this season, leading Laliga with 13points and looking pretty comfortable at the top with little or no hassles until lately as their talisman of all ages Lionel Messi has struggled with his hamstring in the last two weeks. Conventional wisdom says he will play from the start; but what will be interesting is how Barca cope with the counter attacking on slot of Bayern Munich knowing fully well that their attack from wide areas forms a focal point in their entire composition, now Barca's full backs are used to spending a lot of time in the opposition's half; the double threat from the wingers and full backs must be a real source of worry for Tito Villanova; the temptation would be to go 3 at the back but we saw how that was torn apart at Juventus; so Alba and Alves would need to be very intelligent with their play and pick instances where they may need to gamble. Also I suspect there may be a surprise inclusion in midfield to ensure Barca are able to cope with Bayern trying to utilize these spaces. I suspect Iniesta may be pushed forward especially if Messi does not start; surprise inclusion in Midfield may be Alex Song, so that Barca can form a bank of four when Bayern try to counter. The game would be incredibly open as they'd be a lot of space to run into and cover as well. What would be interesting would be how Bayern cope without the ball and i am very sure they'd be comfortable forming two banks of four to stifle Barca as many teams have done and break with pace using the gaps left by Alba/Alves. Barca will always have the lion share of possession; its what Bayern do with it when they get it back and how they use it that would be of interest. Bayern's midfield would have their work cut out to dampen whatever influence and control the likes of Iniesta,Xavi and of course Busquets may aim to have, Martinez, Kroos and Bastian must pick them up and ensure they are unable to play in between the lines and blocking off the spaces to cut their movement off the ball as well.
The record books doesn't favour Bayern as Bacelona are undefeated in their last 4 games against Bayern winning 3 and drawing 1. Messi starting would be very important for Barcelona and I know Jupp Heynekes has not called on Guardiaola for any tips. Bayern have the upper hand because they are more balanced and i am not just comfortable with that Barcelona defense against a Bayern attack that has scored over 100 goals this season in all competitions.
VERDICT : Bayern go through to their Third final in 4years.
There's a saying that goes 'being there, done that' this illustrates the clash between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. Both teams were occupants of the so called group of death which Dortmund topped playing some electric football whilst keeping to their solid virtues of pressing all over the pitch; taking four points of Real Madrid that it took a late Ozil free kick to rescue a point for Los Blancos. It is said that Jose Mourinho does not make the same mistake twice and that he would have learnt from the earlier meetings between both clubs to figure out a way to get the best of this young enterprising Dortmund side. I am sure Jurgen Klopp too has visited the previous meeting and would note that the Real defence has a different look to it with the emergence of Raphal Varane. The Real defense looked shaky at certain times against Galatasaray and Dortmund would love to have this kind of opportunity to have a go at this Real defense. My only fear for Dortmund, is their apparent lack of depth to call up to change matches in their favour; also Dortmund showed some naivety in the second leg against Malaga especially defensively with the pace Real have they will trouble Dortmund on the break, but Dortmund will press all over the pitch and ensure that Real are unable to coordinate their play as well as they love to. Dortmund being at home for the first leg may be to their advantage, allowing them to ease into the prospects of the second leg being away.
VERDICT: Dortmund will go through, but only just; may be decided by away goals.
There we have it, the germans will finally conquer Europe and descend on London to claim the holy grail.
Adeyemi Adesanya
@yemimanutd
My main reason for pitching with the Germans is purely the way the Bundesliga has developed in leaps and bounds over the last couple of years to wrestle attention from the English Premier League and Spanish La Liga by improving its commercial viability, attractiveness with a deep rooted approach to developing some of the best young talent in world football combining flair, artistry and good Ol' German efficiency as well as the development of some fantastic stadia boasting the best average attendance in the whole of Europe. German Football has gone full cycle, the success at club level is translating to the National team being one of the best in the world.
To the games proper, not in anyones lifetime would you imagine you would have a situation or the opportunity to reflect on your past and catch a glimpse of your future. This is the prospect Bayern Munich v Barcelona offers us all. Pep Guardiola must be rubbing his palms at the prospect alone.
Tonight, two of the best teams in Europe go head to head; its the game every one wants to see; like Pacquio v Mayweather. This is a proper clash of football's club heavyweights; both teams go into the game as Champions or Champions elects of their respective leagues; winning with ruthless efficiency and poise. This is probably the first time Barcelona would be going into a match as slight under dogs, this is purely due to the amazing balance this Bayern side possess; defensively they are very solid, conceeding only 14 goals in 30games. Going forward Bayern are spoilt for choice with the twin Marios in devasting form all season coupled with the incredible depth coming on from the bench. Barcelona too have being ruthless this season, leading Laliga with 13points and looking pretty comfortable at the top with little or no hassles until lately as their talisman of all ages Lionel Messi has struggled with his hamstring in the last two weeks. Conventional wisdom says he will play from the start; but what will be interesting is how Barca cope with the counter attacking on slot of Bayern Munich knowing fully well that their attack from wide areas forms a focal point in their entire composition, now Barca's full backs are used to spending a lot of time in the opposition's half; the double threat from the wingers and full backs must be a real source of worry for Tito Villanova; the temptation would be to go 3 at the back but we saw how that was torn apart at Juventus; so Alba and Alves would need to be very intelligent with their play and pick instances where they may need to gamble. Also I suspect there may be a surprise inclusion in midfield to ensure Barca are able to cope with Bayern trying to utilize these spaces. I suspect Iniesta may be pushed forward especially if Messi does not start; surprise inclusion in Midfield may be Alex Song, so that Barca can form a bank of four when Bayern try to counter. The game would be incredibly open as they'd be a lot of space to run into and cover as well. What would be interesting would be how Bayern cope without the ball and i am very sure they'd be comfortable forming two banks of four to stifle Barca as many teams have done and break with pace using the gaps left by Alba/Alves. Barca will always have the lion share of possession; its what Bayern do with it when they get it back and how they use it that would be of interest. Bayern's midfield would have their work cut out to dampen whatever influence and control the likes of Iniesta,Xavi and of course Busquets may aim to have, Martinez, Kroos and Bastian must pick them up and ensure they are unable to play in between the lines and blocking off the spaces to cut their movement off the ball as well.
The record books doesn't favour Bayern as Bacelona are undefeated in their last 4 games against Bayern winning 3 and drawing 1. Messi starting would be very important for Barcelona and I know Jupp Heynekes has not called on Guardiaola for any tips. Bayern have the upper hand because they are more balanced and i am not just comfortable with that Barcelona defense against a Bayern attack that has scored over 100 goals this season in all competitions.
VERDICT : Bayern go through to their Third final in 4years.
There's a saying that goes 'being there, done that' this illustrates the clash between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. Both teams were occupants of the so called group of death which Dortmund topped playing some electric football whilst keeping to their solid virtues of pressing all over the pitch; taking four points of Real Madrid that it took a late Ozil free kick to rescue a point for Los Blancos. It is said that Jose Mourinho does not make the same mistake twice and that he would have learnt from the earlier meetings between both clubs to figure out a way to get the best of this young enterprising Dortmund side. I am sure Jurgen Klopp too has visited the previous meeting and would note that the Real defence has a different look to it with the emergence of Raphal Varane. The Real defense looked shaky at certain times against Galatasaray and Dortmund would love to have this kind of opportunity to have a go at this Real defense. My only fear for Dortmund, is their apparent lack of depth to call up to change matches in their favour; also Dortmund showed some naivety in the second leg against Malaga especially defensively with the pace Real have they will trouble Dortmund on the break, but Dortmund will press all over the pitch and ensure that Real are unable to coordinate their play as well as they love to. Dortmund being at home for the first leg may be to their advantage, allowing them to ease into the prospects of the second leg being away.
VERDICT: Dortmund will go through, but only just; may be decided by away goals.
There we have it, the germans will finally conquer Europe and descend on London to claim the holy grail.
Adeyemi Adesanya
@yemimanutd
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
This is why we love football
There is an old saying about Football that goes "Football is not a matter of life and death, it is much more than that". Yesterday's events in the UEFA Champions League buttresses this saying; who would have thought that Malaga and Galatasary would almost lay their lives on the line for a berth in the Semi finals of this year's competition; it was really a close call.
Time after time, it is said that managers earn their stripes and the buck falls on their table for their ability or inability to make those critical tactical decisions, substitutions etc. In the game last night between Real Madrid and Galatasaray; both managers showed how intellectually and tactically sound they were. Faiti Terim is a renowned old war house, with experience spanning across mainstream europe and Turkey; he set his team up to push up against Real's with Drogba acting as a battling ram, not only did he do that he pushed up Sneidjer to form part of a somewhat front three, which worked a treat and as Gala had seized the initiative he brought on Elmander to join the attack with Drogba. This was intended to stretch the Real defence with Sneidjer and Amrabat expanding the attack and creativity coming from the captain of the side. Real responded positively at first to going behind 3-1 by bringing on Benzema for Higuan; but later brought in Raul Albiol as the Galatasaray threat grew; with Albiol's introduction and the renewed pace Real possessed upfront; Mourinho's side were able to see out the game from a great Ronaldo finish in added time. Time and time again, Jose Mourinho has shown his ability to master his substitutions and tactical changes to actually mirror happenings on the pitch in a precise fashion. He has been called the Special One, the Only One; I now christen him the Timely One.
Jurgen Klopp has to be the manager after everyone's heart; the clash with Malaga could be tagged as an audition for the Chelsea Job as Mauricio Pellegrini and Jurgen Klopp are rumoured to be on Chelsea's radar for the summer. To the game itself, Dortmund for me started quite nervous and the pressure of having to be careful not to concede at home seem to tell on the young side as they defended quite poorly in the game (especially as they were missing Mat Hummels) and allowed Malaga neutralize their pressing game. Dortmund were unusually wasteful over the two legs with Gotze, the most guilty of all and were not the usual incisive passing side we know them to be, giving the ball away on numerous occasions. Dortmund were somewhat lucky in this tie; Martin Schmelzer lucky to stay on the pitch after almost perfecting a WWE type move on Jesus Gamez without any of the officials spotting it. This begs the question on what actually these oficials do especially the so called assistants behind the goal post; meanwhile I understand UEFA do not intend to implement Goal line technology as they expect it would cost about $65million to implement. I then ask, do UEFA not know that they can save money from paying travel allowances and hotel bills for the additional officials? Food for thought?
What about the atmosphere at the Signal Iduna Park, My Lord what an atmosphere especially with the unveiling of a massive banner by the Dortmund fans, it simply has to be one of the most eye catching banners I have seen.
To tonight's games; two factors will be important, the first would be if Lionel Messi would play any part in the second leg encounter against PSG, he trained with the squad yesterday, but I believe its touch and go really and how PSG approach the game. Tito Villanova is back now,so some level of authority has returned to the Barca bench, the team will be buoyed by the return of Eric Abidal (not sure if his level of match fitness would hold up for a tie of this magnitude) as well as the weekend result against lowly Mallorca without the services of Messi.
PSG would look to approach the game with an aggressive stance and alot of pace from the get go as they did in the second half of the first leg as it seems to have become clear that a carefully thought out counter attacking plan is the best way to deal with Barca's possession Football, more so with the uncertainties in the Barca defense; chances will be created and Zlatan is expected to scare the living day light out of the Barca Centre Back pairing. All in all; my gut feeling tells me PSG may just nick it for two reasons; they have more balance and the absense or unfitness of Lionel Messi.
For the Juventus v Bayern tie; something tells me Antonio Conte will change from his rather invectious 3-5-2 to play a back four as the team clearly struggled with the 2v2 situations Bayern had when attacking from the wide areas. Vidal will be missed in midfield, but then Paul Pogba has developed his game and settle in with little or no problems anytime he is called into the Juve Midfield. Conte may decide to match Bayern's 4-2-3-1; but i feel he'd go more 4-3-1-2 with the plan to distrupt Bayern's build up play by the returning Martinez and Schweinsteiger with Pogba giving the responsibility of handling Mueller or whoever plays in the hole for Bayern and also providing Pirlo with the much need protection to create and orchestrate things for Juve. An intriguing prospect awaits us, but Bayern will only go ahead if they approach the game with the same intensity they approached the first leg. Juve also need the same kind of start Bayern had in the first leg with a very early goal; Bayern to go through to the semi final, tie may go to extra time though.
All in all we are poised for a Spain v Germany semi final or final, we may also have an all Spainish or German final.
Adeyemi Adesanya
@yemimanutd
Jurgen Klopp has to be the manager after everyone's heart; the clash with Malaga could be tagged as an audition for the Chelsea Job as Mauricio Pellegrini and Jurgen Klopp are rumoured to be on Chelsea's radar for the summer. To the game itself, Dortmund for me started quite nervous and the pressure of having to be careful not to concede at home seem to tell on the young side as they defended quite poorly in the game (especially as they were missing Mat Hummels) and allowed Malaga neutralize their pressing game. Dortmund were unusually wasteful over the two legs with Gotze, the most guilty of all and were not the usual incisive passing side we know them to be, giving the ball away on numerous occasions. Dortmund were somewhat lucky in this tie; Martin Schmelzer lucky to stay on the pitch after almost perfecting a WWE type move on Jesus Gamez without any of the officials spotting it. This begs the question on what actually these oficials do especially the so called assistants behind the goal post; meanwhile I understand UEFA do not intend to implement Goal line technology as they expect it would cost about $65million to implement. I then ask, do UEFA not know that they can save money from paying travel allowances and hotel bills for the additional officials? Food for thought?
What about the atmosphere at the Signal Iduna Park, My Lord what an atmosphere especially with the unveiling of a massive banner by the Dortmund fans, it simply has to be one of the most eye catching banners I have seen.
To tonight's games; two factors will be important, the first would be if Lionel Messi would play any part in the second leg encounter against PSG, he trained with the squad yesterday, but I believe its touch and go really and how PSG approach the game. Tito Villanova is back now,so some level of authority has returned to the Barca bench, the team will be buoyed by the return of Eric Abidal (not sure if his level of match fitness would hold up for a tie of this magnitude) as well as the weekend result against lowly Mallorca without the services of Messi.
PSG would look to approach the game with an aggressive stance and alot of pace from the get go as they did in the second half of the first leg as it seems to have become clear that a carefully thought out counter attacking plan is the best way to deal with Barca's possession Football, more so with the uncertainties in the Barca defense; chances will be created and Zlatan is expected to scare the living day light out of the Barca Centre Back pairing. All in all; my gut feeling tells me PSG may just nick it for two reasons; they have more balance and the absense or unfitness of Lionel Messi.
For the Juventus v Bayern tie; something tells me Antonio Conte will change from his rather invectious 3-5-2 to play a back four as the team clearly struggled with the 2v2 situations Bayern had when attacking from the wide areas. Vidal will be missed in midfield, but then Paul Pogba has developed his game and settle in with little or no problems anytime he is called into the Juve Midfield. Conte may decide to match Bayern's 4-2-3-1; but i feel he'd go more 4-3-1-2 with the plan to distrupt Bayern's build up play by the returning Martinez and Schweinsteiger with Pogba giving the responsibility of handling Mueller or whoever plays in the hole for Bayern and also providing Pirlo with the much need protection to create and orchestrate things for Juve. An intriguing prospect awaits us, but Bayern will only go ahead if they approach the game with the same intensity they approached the first leg. Juve also need the same kind of start Bayern had in the first leg with a very early goal; Bayern to go through to the semi final, tie may go to extra time though.
All in all we are poised for a Spain v Germany semi final or final, we may also have an all Spainish or German final.
Adeyemi Adesanya
@yemimanutd
Friday, April 5, 2013
Between the Captain and the Big Boss.
Sincerely speaking i have being holding back from lending my voice or opinion with respect to the ongoing impasse between the Captain of the current African Champions, the Super Eagles and the Manager of the same Super Eagles. I must mention that i am quite disappointed at the way the matter has been handled particularly by the media; some are friends of mine and i have let them know in not very few words how I think they have blown things out of proportion. However, some Pundits have as usual covered themselves in glory with having an objective and periscopic view to the issues at hand; these pundits know themselves and there is no need to mention names; they remain icons on the Nigerian Footballing landscape.
We really do have a communication problem here in Nigeria, always forgetting that everyone is entitled to his opinion. Like I am entitled to my opinion in this matter so are the other sports journalist i critized; this I understand. My stand is our Journalist never take the position of neutrality, but always come out confrontational and prejudicial. Yes, Joseph Yobo is captain no doubt; but his he God that he can not be told to take a back sit. I think we tend to forget certain things when we let our emotions get the better of our judgement; from a policy and tactical stand point one of the reasons for winning AFCON13 was Keshi's decision to drop Yobo after the draw against Burkina Faso; now imagine if that piece of tactical brilliance had back fired would we be here today having this conversation? NO!
Now, this would not be the first time a captain would be dropped for whatever reason; i believe the understanding and togetherness showed at AFCON by Ogbagona and Omeruo should be nutured and given time to grow; this will only happen with games and I want to believe this is Keshi's aim. Currently, Iker Casillas; one of the most successful Captains of the World game cannot make it back into the Real Madrid team; why? Jose Mourinho dropped him whether or not for footballing reasons; it really does not matter, the buck stops at the manager's table. He is the chief policy maker of the team hence he is ready to sink with the ship or ride high with it.
Nigerian footballers need to grow up and stop acting like babies or wanting to be treated as one; gone are the years when as a nation we spoon feed our players and this almost gave them god like status. I am not saying Stephen Keshi is blameless;he needs to work on his communication skills no doubt. However, is this not also what happened to Keshi after the 1994 heroics; Nigeria does not do testimonials. When you are done, you are done. Some people are even making it a case of Jealousy that due to Yobo's desire to make 100 caps and become Nigeria's first centurion that Keshi is displeased by this. Can we be real?
All the fuss about he's the captain and should be given special treatment is absolute crap I must say. Keshi has said over and over he is building a team, Yobo may not be in his plans going forward; we can go on and on mentioning players that have fallen out of favour or considered surplus to requirement and had to be let go or shown the way out. Some Nigerian Journalist have pointed out the comments of Emmanuel Emenike as another showing Keshi's lack of ability in man management. I remember saying on a popular football show one Radio; that our players need to deflate their over inflated egos and come right back to earth; really must the captain play or be invited to play all games.
In truth, no one is right or wrong in this issue; it all boils down to how the issue has been handled by all concerned and the medium used. I am sure Keshi sees a lot of himself in Yobo and this matter is like going back full circle to 1994 as Keshi was supposedly eased out. I think it is high time Nigerian football fans and the media alike learn to be less encouraging of the antics of the so called superstar Nigerian Footballer. We need to build on the current achievements of this crop of Eagles and move away from distractions like this; throwing words around like respect, jealousy etc does not help matters. I still maintain that Sports men and women need Publicist and PR Managers; it would take care of all these unguarded utterances.
Lets Move on.
Adeyemi Adesanya
@yemimanutd
We really do have a communication problem here in Nigeria, always forgetting that everyone is entitled to his opinion. Like I am entitled to my opinion in this matter so are the other sports journalist i critized; this I understand. My stand is our Journalist never take the position of neutrality, but always come out confrontational and prejudicial. Yes, Joseph Yobo is captain no doubt; but his he God that he can not be told to take a back sit. I think we tend to forget certain things when we let our emotions get the better of our judgement; from a policy and tactical stand point one of the reasons for winning AFCON13 was Keshi's decision to drop Yobo after the draw against Burkina Faso; now imagine if that piece of tactical brilliance had back fired would we be here today having this conversation? NO!
Now, this would not be the first time a captain would be dropped for whatever reason; i believe the understanding and togetherness showed at AFCON by Ogbagona and Omeruo should be nutured and given time to grow; this will only happen with games and I want to believe this is Keshi's aim. Currently, Iker Casillas; one of the most successful Captains of the World game cannot make it back into the Real Madrid team; why? Jose Mourinho dropped him whether or not for footballing reasons; it really does not matter, the buck stops at the manager's table. He is the chief policy maker of the team hence he is ready to sink with the ship or ride high with it.
Nigerian footballers need to grow up and stop acting like babies or wanting to be treated as one; gone are the years when as a nation we spoon feed our players and this almost gave them god like status. I am not saying Stephen Keshi is blameless;he needs to work on his communication skills no doubt. However, is this not also what happened to Keshi after the 1994 heroics; Nigeria does not do testimonials. When you are done, you are done. Some people are even making it a case of Jealousy that due to Yobo's desire to make 100 caps and become Nigeria's first centurion that Keshi is displeased by this. Can we be real?
All the fuss about he's the captain and should be given special treatment is absolute crap I must say. Keshi has said over and over he is building a team, Yobo may not be in his plans going forward; we can go on and on mentioning players that have fallen out of favour or considered surplus to requirement and had to be let go or shown the way out. Some Nigerian Journalist have pointed out the comments of Emmanuel Emenike as another showing Keshi's lack of ability in man management. I remember saying on a popular football show one Radio; that our players need to deflate their over inflated egos and come right back to earth; really must the captain play or be invited to play all games.
In truth, no one is right or wrong in this issue; it all boils down to how the issue has been handled by all concerned and the medium used. I am sure Keshi sees a lot of himself in Yobo and this matter is like going back full circle to 1994 as Keshi was supposedly eased out. I think it is high time Nigerian football fans and the media alike learn to be less encouraging of the antics of the so called superstar Nigerian Footballer. We need to build on the current achievements of this crop of Eagles and move away from distractions like this; throwing words around like respect, jealousy etc does not help matters. I still maintain that Sports men and women need Publicist and PR Managers; it would take care of all these unguarded utterances.
Lets Move on.
Adeyemi Adesanya
@yemimanutd
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)