Brazil found its heir

I grew up listening stories about Pele’s Brazil team from the 60s. For many, that was the best national football team to ever hit the pitch. Ever since 1970 there has been great performances by many nations, but it feels that no one had taken the torch of being that consistent team write its own page in the book of football. That was the case until yesterday when Spain achieved what no other national team had done before winning back-to back- to back tournaments.

What Spain did in the final against Italy was similar to what Barcelona did in 2011 against Manchester United. It was the best tribute to football and a statement that it is possible to play beautifully and win. Ever since Luis Aragones took the team in 2006 and convinced them on their style, on their chances, and on their talent, this team has found an identity worth of every compliment on the book.

On the pitch, this team has its ideas clear and they would lose fighting for them rather than becoming a defensive team for the sake of winning. Iniesta, Xavi, Fabregas, Silva, Mata, Busquets, Alonso, Alba, Pique understand football this way. Asking them to give the ball to their rivals is taking away part of their talent and their in-pitch personality. Just look at Xabi Alonso with Spain and look at his game with Mourinho’s Real Madrid. It’s so easy for him to associate with other players on the national team who can crate game as well as he can. At Real Madrid it’s hard for him to associate because he is the ultimate playmaker. And while Real Madrid has had dominant matches, when it comes to the crucial matches they have a tendency to give the ball away.

But all technicalities aside, you also have to look at the human factor. Luis Aragones made perhaps the most controversial decision made in Spanish football when he decided not to call Raul to the national team. Raul was not only the top scorer of all times for Spain; he was also the face of the team. But Luis understood that the team should not adapt to one player. His vision of the winning team was that in which there were no egos whatsoever. A team where players understood they are needed to support each other on the pitch, from the bench, or from the stands. Luis Aragones was right and he assembled not only a formidable group of good players but also a formidable group human being. These players understand that the team is above any individual achievement. Look at David Villa, he could have forced being in the team despite not being 100% recovered from his injury and yet he chose to call Del Bosque to tell him that he couldn’t perform at a level the competition demanded. Most players would have lobbied to be in the team even if it meant on the bench. Team over egos, that’s the best way to describe them.

The best quote from the tournament came from Iniesta before he knew he was the MVP of the tournament. When asked about the possibilities of achieving the golden ball he said, “I play to be happy. Not for individual recognition”. That’s the spirit of this team and, in my opinion, the true reason behind their success.

As for Italy, I hope they keep doing what they did in this Eurocup. It is refreshing to see a team that plays defensively but also is capable of playing the ball. Pirlo’s game was outstanding throughout the tournament and Xavi shutting him down was one of the main reasons Italy couldn’t win.

Up until today the Brazilian national team from the 60s was the reference of national football. Now new generations will grow up listening stories about how Spain and its little geniuses became the reference of beautiful football winning what no national team had won before. Modern history has been written…in Spanish

Welcome Tito

Just seconds after the announcement that Pep Guardiola would not be coaching the team next season, Andoni Zubizarreta announced, to everyone’s surprise, the new coach for the F.C Barcelona: Tito Vilanova. Is it me or is this move just pure genius? A cloudy and doubtful future seems now much more clear.

Tito’s announcement came to me as a surprise as he had been struggling with his health this season. In fact, I thought one of the reasons Guardiola would be leaving the team was the possibility of Tito not being able to be his second coach for the future. So here comes the first good news: in order to take charge of the team it means that Tito is 100% recovered.

From a technical and tactical point of view, Tito Vilanova is the only man that can guarantee the continuity of the club’s philosophy. I’m not saying that other coaches are not capable of continuing Pep’s work; however, what better man that the guy who has been there for years already. Tito coached Messi, Fabregas and Pique when they were kids. He is also known for being a strategist who studies his rivals meticulously. Tito Vilanonva is the ideal man to help the team make the transition in the post Guardiola era.

The fact that Tito Vilanova was appointed as the new coach is no coincidence. This means the general manager, Andoni Zubizarreta, had already considered future candidates for a long time The way he explained his reasoning for this decision leaves no doubt in my mind that he studied the possibilities long before Guardiola stated he was not going to continue. This caused a very positive effect, as the talk is no longer about Guardiola leaving but about Tito’s role next season.

Will this work? Nobody thought it would when Guardiola was appointed four years ago and we all know how that story ends. I think it’s a perfectly logical solution. Tito has to make sure he puts his own spin into the team and introduce some new alternatives without deviating from the values and philosophies of the team. There, I think, lies the true challenge. I hope fans understand that he is not Guardiola and he shouldn’t try to be. He’s Tito and he’s been given something many coaches would die for: trust.

Let the Tito era begins.

The new season started already

David Villa: Pre-Season officially begun last week with Pep Guardiola having a press conference on Monday followed by the first training session of the season; however, a lot of work has been done already in order to prepare for next season. Just a week after they became La Liga champions F.C Barcelona signed Spanish striker David Villa for €40 million; a sum that doesn’t seem to be a lot after seeing “El Guaje’s” performance at the World Cup. Had the deal been made after the tournament his price on the market would have been almost twice. Both, the player and the club, wanted to close the deal quickly after the season was over. This is the signing that F.C Barcelona needed to do; with Zlatan Ibrahimovic not adapting well the team needs a striker that not only can score but also can play with style of Barcelona. Villa is a striker capable of playing as a center forward or as a left wing as he did in the World Cup. Though a year late, David Villa comes as a consolidated star whose only success has been with the national team.

Pep Guardiola: a man of his word, the successful coach signed a contract extension for one year as he had promised at the beginning of the year. Despite the fact that the new president Sandro Rosell had offered him a 6 years contract Guardiola opted to go for one more year only. The reading of this move is clear, the coach wants to see how the new administration works, how involved they are, and also how much freedom he will have with his team. For two years Guardiola has been able to have his way with everything that regarded his team. If Guardiola feel respected, appreciated, and in control of the team he will stay for another year. Sandro Rosell has already made a decision against the coach’s will with the transfer of Dimitro Chygrinsky. The new president claims economical reasons for the move and Guardiola accepted the move but the idea of the coach was to keep the player. The relationship between president and coach is in the beginning stage but tiny mistakes like this can make Pep’s future away from Camp Nou.

More signings to come: with Thierry Henry, Toure Yaya and Chygrinsky gone the team needs to reinforce some positions. The general belief is that the team needs to go for a winger but with Zlatan Ibrahimovic staying in the club David Villa will be in charge of the left wing formerly occupied by Henry. Sevilla’s player Adriano Correiro has been signed and will most likely play as a left back sending Abidal to the center of the defensive line. Due to his versatility Adriano can also play as a right back or a winger in both sides. The efforts are clearly set upon Cesc Fabregas; bringing back the Catalan would give the team a lot of tactical options and Guardiola could rotate players easily as he did in his first season. If Arsenal refuses to sell Cesc, F.C. Barcelona will look for other options; the most attractive option on the market is the young German Ozil. Regardless of the result of the Fabregas operation a defensive midfielder will come to the team to cover for Toure’s departure. The main concern of the fans is seeing how short the squad is and how this is a similar situation to last year. The main hope comes from the junior division which, as proven, can bring a lot to the table. Keep an eye on Jonathan Dos Santos; Andreu Fontas and Thiago Alcantara.