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

Moral Consequences

If you were to ask fans to mention one thing about the recent “El Clasico” the probable answer would have to be related to Pepe and the stepping on Messi’s hand. The world media has focused their attention on this action. Almost everybody agree that Pepe should be sanctioned by his club and by the committee responsible for fair game. And I say almost everybody because, sadly, there are two organizations that disagree with this: precisely his club and the Spanish referee committee.

Florentino Perez (Real Madrid’s President) has decided to stay in the shadows in this matter and after seven days he hasn’t spoken to anybody outside the club to explain where the team stands in this matter. The reality is that they are ping-poing this subject across the leaders of the team with no one wanting to make a final call. Florentino delegates this to the manager, Mourinho, who has defended the player in public. As a coach he’s responsible for the physical and psychological state of his players; however, as a manager his obligation include dealing with controversies such as this and punish anti-competitive behaviour.

The referee committee says they would not act on the matter since there wasn’t anything written about it in the ref report of the game. Unlike England, where Ballotelli got a four game sanction for a very similar action, Spain has decided to turn a blind eye on the matter. Not even the pressure from all around the world has been enough to make the committee reconsider their positions.

I understand, but fully disagree with both parties. It all comes down to morals and previous decisions taken. Mourinho had an anti competitive behavior in August when he shamelessly poked Barcelona’s second coach, Tito Vilanova in the eye. Neither his club nor the referee committee acted diligently. His club showed full support for him, even showing a tifo that read “Mou, your finger guide us” in reference to the poking incident. The committee settled for an innocent punishment of two games suspension from the supercup tournament only. Meaning that he may never be affected by this decision.

How can they punish Pepe when they turned a blind eye on something as bad, or even worse, from his coach? Judging Pepe by strict standards would be like giving an assassin a death penalty while his assassin partner gets only a community service penalty. Again, I understand the reasoning behind this but it is pathetic to say the least.

Football has evolved from the contact game in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, to a gentlemen’s game. No longer you see in the main European leagues players like Andoni Goikoetxea who intensionally injured Maradona breaking his ankle in the middle of a game. You still get Carvalho tackling knees but the degree of violence is toned down. These players. Pepe, Marcelo (against Fabregas), and Carvalho are a step back to the time where football was warfare.

Take note Spain, the best league is not about having the best players only but having the best system that supports the game. TV rights favour the strong teams economically, which polarizes the league. Referee committees turn a blind eye on crucial matters instead of protecting players and setting example for troublemakers.

It all comes down to morals. Just like its economy, Spain’s morals in these matters are a joke to the rest of Europe, and the world.

Oh, and there is a game today too...

Rumour-mania 2009 III

In a long 15 days period where there is only going to be international matches there is not much to talk about La Liga. As expected, the different sports newspapers have taken the chance to talk about the “future teams” and the new “top secret” plans about how a team is going to acquire some player. First it was C. Ronaldo then it was Benzema, Ribery, and now back again to the headline please welcome back Cesc Fabregas. Sport sites from Barcelona (www.sport.es, or www.elmundodeportivo.com) are claiming that Cesc will be the future midfielder in Barcelona while Madrid sites (www.marca.com or www.as.com) are claiming that the Catalan will finally go to real Madrid. My bet? He’ll stay in Arsenal next year.

Real Madrid Episode II…Calderon Strikes Back. Just when you’d think that the picture of the Real Madrid situation could not get any crazier we get the former president, Ramon Calderon, saying that he will present his candidature for the coming elections in the summer. What makes this whole situation so surreal is that less than 2 months ago he was forced to resign after a fraud scandal; on top of that, Calderon was known for his false promises such as bringing Kaka, CR7, and Cesc Fabregas to the club and there was nothing but joy by the shareholders of the club when he resign. Now, Mr. Calderon appears on the media challenging the expected-to-be new president Florentino Perez to debate in public; and in the mean time, the current transition president goes very arrogantly saying that Madrid would win against Liverpool (which didn’t happen) and that they will also conquer the league title (they are 6 points from the first place). If you love nonsense humour watch what happens during the summer elections.

“Future” Barcelona’s Player. Every year there has to be a new player in every team. It’s not only a tradition but a measure to create competition within the team so everybody brings their top game. Prove of that is what Real Madrid did (or didn’t do) during the summer when they only acquired 1 player. The final result was a team that lack of competition in itself and that was going from winning the league in may to being 5th in November, and if it wasn’t for the winter transfer window they’d be right know struggling to get a place to the UEFA’s Cup. With that being said, it is not a secret that Barcelona will have to get some new players for the next season. A left back is needed as Abidal can be a hit-or-miss player and Silvinho is in the twilight of his career. Another position that needs some reinforcement will be the left wing. Hleb has been more than disappointing and the chances of him staying in Barça are less to none; so, the parade of names to fill these positions is huge. However, the positions that do not need any changes are also being talked about. For instance, there are a lot of rumours that Cesc will be signing for Barça but to be honest he’s not needed at the moment. Xavi and Iniesta are directing the midfield like Beethoven on his 5th symphony; playing Cesc Iniesta and Xavi would be a huge mistake since the 4-3-3 schema needs a defensive midfielder like Toure who can destroy the offensive game of the rival team. Another position that is being talked a lot is the striker. Eto’o is currently sitting at 25 goals in 28 games; he even said that he wants to stay in Barcelona for the coming years. Adding another striker would be a huge mistake. Specially having Bojan on the bench.

The Striker Dilemma. If Eto’o leaves then Barcelona must acquire a striker of the likes of Villa for the next season. However, with the high chances of Eto’o staying there must be no changes at all in this denomination. A column by Spanish writer Fabian Ortiz of sport diary “As” said something very true. Lately Karim Benzema is being said to cost above 40 million euros; but then you think about it the young French striker currently sits on 17 goals on the French league (a very mediocre league) while Bojan who is 3 years younger has scored 9 goals in all competitions without being regular in the team whatsoever. If Eto’o leaves Bojan has to be the second striker o the team; it is time to put some money on the line for the youngster; and if Eto’o decides to stay he must be included more frequently on the team. He has the striker instinct but lacks of experience and exposing him at this time can be very risky. However, the time will soon come when Bojan needs a more decisive role in the team. Let’s hope that a)Pep gives him the chance and b) that he responds… up until now he has.