LESSONS FROM THE UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI FINAL 1ST LEGS:
Lesson 1: THE ESSENTIAL ALWAYS MATTERS THAN THE PLEASANT.
Flamboyance pleases the fans but does it always get you the results? No but essential things will and Manchester United have showed this very well so far in Europe and in their semi final first leg against Schalke they underlined the assertion.Schalke may have been poor.United may have dominated but never at a point did the Red Devils take their foot off the gas until they got their two goals.They kept doing the simple things and those are the elements which gave them the push to win the game.
The performance was a sharp contrast to Man United's away games in Europe in the last 4 years or so where they've displayed a certain sense of disrespect for their opponents and sometimes,wrong team selection from Sir Alex Ferguson and ultimately,they've lost those games. Lille,AC Milan,Celtic and Benfica quickly come to mind.
However,now they've kept to simplicity and it has been genius.
Lesson 2:The Champions League punishes poor play.
So many teams have learnt this lesson the hard way in times past and last night,Schalke made themselves another example for pundits,journalists and fans to use in their deliveries.The Royal Blues fizzled out too quickly and they looked as though they forgot why they were there in the first place.They suddenly develped an aversion to pressing,marking even defending.Matip looked poor in central defence,Jurado and Baumjohann didn't work hard enough and Farfan was only interested when he had the ball.For a side coached by the ''Professor'',Ralf Ragnick,they played as if they had not read the lecture notes at all.
Lesson 3:Too much hype spoils the El Clasico
The trailers,the records,the players,the coaches,what he or the next man said.All these elements are beautifully woven as the backdrop to a football match.Yes,a football match even if it's between Barcelona and Real Madrid.Yes,they may have clout,history,tradition,rivalry, and even the Special One but it's still a football match but the Champions League version of this drama was anything but.Silly fouls,brilliant acting classes by certain players and the odd whistle and crad here and there all added to the borefest.Maybe if we treated the ''El Clasico'' like just any other game,we will all get our money's worth and the players will show us what they can really do.We deserve that and the Champions League demands it.It's as simple as that.
Lesson 3:Lionel Messi is class.
In a game where anti-football was winning all the awards,Lionel Andres Messi swooped in to take the most important award:our thoughts,comments and imaginations.His first goal was predatory;his second,masterful.The little Argentine scored his 52nd second goal of the season tonight and for me,it's not the goals which put him in a different world.It's his decision making.How he finds the pass,how he runs into space and how he picks the exact moment to strike should be studied by young players all over the world.The young man will retire with all the records at his feet and his name etched into football history and Barcelona's stories for generations.Yes,he hasn't won anything with Argentina yet but in the Champions League,he's done what mortals can only dream about.
Lesson 4:We all know who Neuer is now.
Many may have seen Neuer at the World Cup in South Africa and even in the Bundesliga but he chose the perfect time to squeeze his name on a coach's shopping list.Last night against Man United was the opportune moment and like Jack Sparrow,he recognised it.His umpteen saves kept Schalke in a tie they were never at and trust me,his value has just gone up by a few more millions.Maybe pounds,dollars or euros. However,his performance was just the one many saw but it wasn't as stupendous as what he gave in the 07/08 season at Sevilla when he saved Schalke in regulation time,extra time and in the penalty-shoot out.He even got a YouTube video for that.We may have forgotten that but yesterday,Manuel Neuer became everybody's dream goalkeeper.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Ghana football:Lovely box,Empty core
From the outside,Ghana football looks like it's heading for the high heavens and everywhere else beyond it.People are still talking about the wonderful display the Black Stars put up at the 2010 World Cup and how ready they are to challenge the world in 2014.That assertion was certainly underlined with a huge marker when the Stars gave a brilliant show against the 3 Lions at Wembley in a recent international friendly.Now,players like Asamoah Gyan,Andre Ayew,Kevin-Prince Boateng,Kwadwo Asamoah are being talked about as the stars to look out for in the future.Great news,isn't?So we can all presume that the buiding blocks are being laid right and the essentials are in the right place,right? The sad truth is a huge no.
Since January this year,it's been tale after tale of qualification or tournament failures for all our national teams.The local Black Stars failed to gain a point or a win at the CHAN in Sudan 2 years on from making the final in Cote d'Ivoire.Gutting.
The Olympic team,the Black Meteors couldn't catch the flight to the London 2012 Olympic Games after being outsmarted by Sudan in a two-legged tie and when we thought the Black Queens could give us an excuse to go London next year,they allowed a late Ethiopian goal in Accra to hand the ticket to an Ethiopian team we beat 4 years ago.Earlier on,the Black Queens capitulated at the African Women's Championship and got thrown out at the first round.Further down the line,the U 17 team,the Black Starlets got haunted by our longtime ghost and jinx,the penalty shootout, in a tie in Senegal to lose out on the African U 17 Championships and the World Championship.
What next? We don't know but how come is what we be asking ourselves.
Since 2005,we've given all our love,time and money to the Black Stars.Huge sponsorship deals,crazy bonuses and massive support drives have been either fixed or made to give the Stars the shine they deserve and honestly,the football they've played for the last 5 or so merits all these perks and even more.However,will it hurt if we looked at the other national teams the same way?
Football development should never experience segregation.Never.All the powerhouses of world football have almost always developed their senior sides together with all the other teams at the same time.While Brazil seeks to boost the Selecao,their women's team have now become a fixture at all levels of competition and the male junior sides are almost always present at all the youth championships and it's just one example of the simple yet effective being path being taken by other countries.
It's high time we looked at getting things right in this country.Without development,talent remains just that and the senior national team we all love and drool about will never exist.
To borrow the line from a song my mentor,Mr.Christopher Opoku loves so much,we'll soon have ''no wheels on our wagon'' if things don't change.
Since January this year,it's been tale after tale of qualification or tournament failures for all our national teams.The local Black Stars failed to gain a point or a win at the CHAN in Sudan 2 years on from making the final in Cote d'Ivoire.Gutting.
The Olympic team,the Black Meteors couldn't catch the flight to the London 2012 Olympic Games after being outsmarted by Sudan in a two-legged tie and when we thought the Black Queens could give us an excuse to go London next year,they allowed a late Ethiopian goal in Accra to hand the ticket to an Ethiopian team we beat 4 years ago.Earlier on,the Black Queens capitulated at the African Women's Championship and got thrown out at the first round.Further down the line,the U 17 team,the Black Starlets got haunted by our longtime ghost and jinx,the penalty shootout, in a tie in Senegal to lose out on the African U 17 Championships and the World Championship.
What next? We don't know but how come is what we be asking ourselves.
Since 2005,we've given all our love,time and money to the Black Stars.Huge sponsorship deals,crazy bonuses and massive support drives have been either fixed or made to give the Stars the shine they deserve and honestly,the football they've played for the last 5 or so merits all these perks and even more.However,will it hurt if we looked at the other national teams the same way?
Football development should never experience segregation.Never.All the powerhouses of world football have almost always developed their senior sides together with all the other teams at the same time.While Brazil seeks to boost the Selecao,their women's team have now become a fixture at all levels of competition and the male junior sides are almost always present at all the youth championships and it's just one example of the simple yet effective being path being taken by other countries.
It's high time we looked at getting things right in this country.Without development,talent remains just that and the senior national team we all love and drool about will never exist.
To borrow the line from a song my mentor,Mr.Christopher Opoku loves so much,we'll soon have ''no wheels on our wagon'' if things don't change.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Lessons from the UEFA Champions League (6 April 2011)
Lesson 1:Discretion is a better part of valour
Last year, Inter Milan showed all of us how to play against Barcelona at the Camp Nou. Park the bus or aeroplane or anything that will stop their passes from finding their targets and create goals. It took a lot of physical and mental toughness but eventually,Mourinho's men pulled it off albeit with a goal in their net. So what was Shakhtar Donestsk thinking when they decided to open up and atack Barcelona at the Camp Nou tonight? Being brave is not running gung ho at your opponent but it's rather being sensible in your approach and knowing how to get a lot of things done right and Shakhtar did get a lot of things wrong. Their defending showed a lot of carelesness and it makes me wonder the kind of defending being done in Ukraine if Shakhtar are the top side there.Maybe a harsh and baseless judgement but what more can I say when all of Barcelona's goals were scored from schoolboy defending?Maybe an indication of why Chygrynskiy never cut it in Spain.
Mr.Lucescu,your ''brave'' plan didn't come off.Even the great Mourinho was blitzed at the Camp Nou in the "El Clasico".
Lesson 2:Chelsea are lacking something
In March,Chelsea produced a sparkling second half performance against Manchester United to win 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in the EPL. 3 or so weeks after that,the two teams meet again at the same venue and just like in the first meeting,Wayne Rooney put United in the lead but Chelsea didn't blaze the second half like they did in the first game. United still looked ok after the break and even though,Rafael went off with an injury and Valencia was thrown into an unfamiliar right back role,Chelsea never really looked like grabbing an equaliser.What was different tonight? David Luiz? The Drogba-Torres combination? Zhirkov's appearance on the starting eleven in place of Malouda? Whatever it is,the Blues looked blue tonight and for a large part of the current season. One cannot out a finger what the problems are but one can clearly see that the X-factor is no more there and that's a fact.
Lesson 3:Football brings Karma to life
After the EPL meeting between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge,elements like Martin Atkinson,unseen fouls,a bad penalty call,The FA and Respect for referees and these were things coming from the red corner of Manchester United. However,tonight,it's the blue corner of Chelsea that are voicing their share of complaints. Ramires and Torres' penalty claims will be the talk of days and referee Alberto Mallenco will be cursed by Blues' fans for not giving them.
For United fans,they'll look on and split their sides with the reminder that Martin Atkinson played a worse refereeing role at the same venue.
Lesson 4: Love him or hate hate him,Wayne Rooney's football is talking for him
This season has been bad for Wayne Rooney.From the dizzying heights of 34 goals last season, the Croxteth-born striker has fallen down to the ground with a thud.However,instead of staying there,he decided to ease himself back into the pages of newspapers and the minds of fans with some hardworking footballing displays over the past 4 or so months. From his headed goal at West Brom to tonight's finish at Stamford Bridge, Rooney has played some great football in between.His 2 goals against Aston Villa showed that his scoring touch had never left him. He controlled United's display against Arsenal in the FA Cup at Old Trafford by coming into midfield and supplying delighful passes upfront.One of which set up Hernandez's header which Almunia parried for Fabio to stab home. Another assist came in the game against Marseille and this time, for Hernandez and this style of play highlighted a great trait of reinvention on a player's part Last weekend's brilliant hat-trick at Upton Park is probably the last step in Rooney's redemption journey but he also reminded us that he's still the same old Rooney by swearing into the tv camera after thus third goal.Maybe he was too pumped up and it all came out.However,aside this insignificant distraction,Rooney has made a huge point for himself.He may be brash,raw or even bad-tempered but he is a great footballer.
Last year, Inter Milan showed all of us how to play against Barcelona at the Camp Nou. Park the bus or aeroplane or anything that will stop their passes from finding their targets and create goals. It took a lot of physical and mental toughness but eventually,Mourinho's men pulled it off albeit with a goal in their net. So what was Shakhtar Donestsk thinking when they decided to open up and atack Barcelona at the Camp Nou tonight? Being brave is not running gung ho at your opponent but it's rather being sensible in your approach and knowing how to get a lot of things done right and Shakhtar did get a lot of things wrong. Their defending showed a lot of carelesness and it makes me wonder the kind of defending being done in Ukraine if Shakhtar are the top side there.Maybe a harsh and baseless judgement but what more can I say when all of Barcelona's goals were scored from schoolboy defending?Maybe an indication of why Chygrynskiy never cut it in Spain.
Mr.Lucescu,your ''brave'' plan didn't come off.Even the great Mourinho was blitzed at the Camp Nou in the "El Clasico".
Lesson 2:Chelsea are lacking something
In March,Chelsea produced a sparkling second half performance against Manchester United to win 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in the EPL. 3 or so weeks after that,the two teams meet again at the same venue and just like in the first meeting,Wayne Rooney put United in the lead but Chelsea didn't blaze the second half like they did in the first game. United still looked ok after the break and even though,Rafael went off with an injury and Valencia was thrown into an unfamiliar right back role,Chelsea never really looked like grabbing an equaliser.What was different tonight? David Luiz? The Drogba-Torres combination? Zhirkov's appearance on the starting eleven in place of Malouda? Whatever it is,the Blues looked blue tonight and for a large part of the current season. One cannot out a finger what the problems are but one can clearly see that the X-factor is no more there and that's a fact.
Lesson 3:Football brings Karma to life
After the EPL meeting between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge,elements like Martin Atkinson,unseen fouls,a bad penalty call,The FA and Respect for referees and these were things coming from the red corner of Manchester United. However,tonight,it's the blue corner of Chelsea that are voicing their share of complaints. Ramires and Torres' penalty claims will be the talk of days and referee Alberto Mallenco will be cursed by Blues' fans for not giving them.
For United fans,they'll look on and split their sides with the reminder that Martin Atkinson played a worse refereeing role at the same venue.
Lesson 4: Love him or hate hate him,Wayne Rooney's football is talking for him
This season has been bad for Wayne Rooney.From the dizzying heights of 34 goals last season, the Croxteth-born striker has fallen down to the ground with a thud.However,instead of staying there,he decided to ease himself back into the pages of newspapers and the minds of fans with some hardworking footballing displays over the past 4 or so months. From his headed goal at West Brom to tonight's finish at Stamford Bridge, Rooney has played some great football in between.His 2 goals against Aston Villa showed that his scoring touch had never left him. He controlled United's display against Arsenal in the FA Cup at Old Trafford by coming into midfield and supplying delighful passes upfront.One of which set up Hernandez's header which Almunia parried for Fabio to stab home. Another assist came in the game against Marseille and this time, for Hernandez and this style of play highlighted a great trait of reinvention on a player's part Last weekend's brilliant hat-trick at Upton Park is probably the last step in Rooney's redemption journey but he also reminded us that he's still the same old Rooney by swearing into the tv camera after thus third goal.Maybe he was too pumped up and it all came out.However,aside this insignificant distraction,Rooney has made a huge point for himself.He may be brash,raw or even bad-tempered but he is a great footballer.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Lessons from the UEFA Champions League (5 April 2011)
Lesson 1: Never believe the opposing coach especially if he's Jose Mourinho
Harry Redknapp may have seen this coming but I'm sure he never expected this. After being declared fit, unfit and then 50-50 by Mourinho, Cristiano Ronaldo was unleashed against Spurs to maximum effect. His pace and movement always meant that Real Madrid were going to be tough to handle and it all stemmed from Mourinho's interesting game of "Simon Says" played on Redknapp. Harry said he was preparing for Ronaldo but it seems he wasn't too sure if the Portiguese attacker would turn up tonight or not. And he even allowed Marcelo to be sneaked in through the back door. The full back's direct running caused Spurs so many problems including a delicious cross for Adebayor to head home past Gomes. Harry was surely done for tonight by Mourinho.
Lesson 2: Flirting with the Champion's League is only for the brave in heart
After Spurs' sensational performance against Inter Milan in the group stages over tow legs brought joy to their followers and a breeze of fresh air into Europe's elite club competition. However, in charming all of us, Spurs bit the tempting-looking apple of the competition and now, they risk being thrown out of the Garden of the Champion's League when the return leg comes calling. The euphoria of playing so well in Europe blurred the harsh reality that the competition is draining. Thus, failure to manage resources in a not-so-large squad like Spurs can be a difficult thing to do and that can be the unmaking of teams who have decided to get too indulged with the Champion's League especially when they're meeting it for the very first time. Laurent Blanc's young Bourdeaux side of last season captured imaginations until regular campaigners,Lyon knocked them back down to Earth and burst their bubble so hard,Marseille crept in to with the Ligue 1 after looking at Bordeaux's dust trail all the way.
Lesson 3:Leonardo needs to learn how to defend
After last year's inspiring run to the "Orellano" (The Big-Eared trophy) last season, Inter now look like a total mess and even though Rafael Benitez might have had a stinker with them day one to six months into this new season, Leonardo's appointment has seen Inter show some defending which will heavily annoy the great Helenio Herrera. Rannochia and Chivu have looked poor but in last Saturday's derby and tonight's game, the two looked as though they were in the wrong profession and who's to blame? Leonardo. The Brazilian's reign at AC Milan was characterised by bad defending and some poor midfield play especially on the defensive side. They allowed Farfan to drift in from wide areas and pass the ball for fun. One such pass led to Raul's goal to swing thie tie 3-2 in Schalke's favour. Now,Inter must score 4 unanswered goals. Very impossible all because Leonardo's hasn't created good defensive departments in his teams. However,maybe they can perform a miracle cooked up by the Madonna of Milan.
Lesson 4: The Champions' League will always be a mystery
Ever since the European Cup became the Champion's League,defending champions have not defended their crown.Dortmund,Real Madrid,Manchester United,Barcelona (and maybe Inter Milan) have all failed to hold on to their Champion's League crown after winning them. Dortmund didn't get close after their '97 win,Madrid lost out too only to throw Manchester United out in 2000 after the Red Devils' famous turnaround against Munich in '99.The Whites went on to win it in Paris but they lost out the next season and tonight,with such a heavy home loss against Schalke,Inter look set to be eliminated too just a year after brilliantly knocking out 2009 champions,Barcelona.
Harry Redknapp may have seen this coming but I'm sure he never expected this. After being declared fit, unfit and then 50-50 by Mourinho, Cristiano Ronaldo was unleashed against Spurs to maximum effect. His pace and movement always meant that Real Madrid were going to be tough to handle and it all stemmed from Mourinho's interesting game of "Simon Says" played on Redknapp. Harry said he was preparing for Ronaldo but it seems he wasn't too sure if the Portiguese attacker would turn up tonight or not. And he even allowed Marcelo to be sneaked in through the back door. The full back's direct running caused Spurs so many problems including a delicious cross for Adebayor to head home past Gomes. Harry was surely done for tonight by Mourinho.
Lesson 2: Flirting with the Champion's League is only for the brave in heart
After Spurs' sensational performance against Inter Milan in the group stages over tow legs brought joy to their followers and a breeze of fresh air into Europe's elite club competition. However, in charming all of us, Spurs bit the tempting-looking apple of the competition and now, they risk being thrown out of the Garden of the Champion's League when the return leg comes calling. The euphoria of playing so well in Europe blurred the harsh reality that the competition is draining. Thus, failure to manage resources in a not-so-large squad like Spurs can be a difficult thing to do and that can be the unmaking of teams who have decided to get too indulged with the Champion's League especially when they're meeting it for the very first time. Laurent Blanc's young Bourdeaux side of last season captured imaginations until regular campaigners,Lyon knocked them back down to Earth and burst their bubble so hard,Marseille crept in to with the Ligue 1 after looking at Bordeaux's dust trail all the way.
Lesson 3:Leonardo needs to learn how to defend
After last year's inspiring run to the "Orellano" (The Big-Eared trophy) last season, Inter now look like a total mess and even though Rafael Benitez might have had a stinker with them day one to six months into this new season, Leonardo's appointment has seen Inter show some defending which will heavily annoy the great Helenio Herrera. Rannochia and Chivu have looked poor but in last Saturday's derby and tonight's game, the two looked as though they were in the wrong profession and who's to blame? Leonardo. The Brazilian's reign at AC Milan was characterised by bad defending and some poor midfield play especially on the defensive side. They allowed Farfan to drift in from wide areas and pass the ball for fun. One such pass led to Raul's goal to swing thie tie 3-2 in Schalke's favour. Now,Inter must score 4 unanswered goals. Very impossible all because Leonardo's hasn't created good defensive departments in his teams. However,maybe they can perform a miracle cooked up by the Madonna of Milan.
Lesson 4: The Champions' League will always be a mystery
Ever since the European Cup became the Champion's League,defending champions have not defended their crown.Dortmund,Real Madrid,Manchester United,Barcelona (and maybe Inter Milan) have all failed to hold on to their Champion's League crown after winning them. Dortmund didn't get close after their '97 win,Madrid lost out too only to throw Manchester United out in 2000 after the Red Devils' famous turnaround against Munich in '99.The Whites went on to win it in Paris but they lost out the next season and tonight,with such a heavy home loss against Schalke,Inter look set to be eliminated too just a year after brilliantly knocking out 2009 champions,Barcelona.
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