Mourinho: you just don't get it

First things first, congratulations to Real Madrid for a well-deserved title. I love league titles because there is very little chance to have a controversial champions. You have to prove that you are the best for 38 fixtures. Referees’ mistakes are usually compensated over the course of the season as well as shots to the posts and other irregularities.

Real Madrid is the champion because they did not fail as much as their competitors. Sure, I don’t think the gap between Barcelona and Madrid is as big as the table suggests; but the bottom line is that Madrid dominated the tournament and won at every single important stadium.

Now, with that said there is something that Mourinho said today that bothers me big time. During the celebration of the title he mentioned “Some geniuses think there is only one way to win, they think they know football by just doing a Google search”. He also mentioned that his team played spectacularly all season. I won’t say that his team wasn’t impressive. In fact, Real Madrid has probably the best defense-offence transition in the world. Their counter attacks are that good. But to say that his team played spectacularly is a bit of a stretch.

Let’s not forget that this season Real Madrid lost the supercup against Barcelona even though they had a week more of training. They were also eliminated from the King’s cup by Barcelona again and lost at home to the same team after having a 1-0 lead in the first minute.

In Europe, they dominated the champions league until they faced the first big team. Against Bayern, they were completely outplayed and even though the penalties are a lottery they did justice to what was seen on the pitch. Real Madrid let a 2-0  lead score at home escape by playing a stingy football against a team that knows how to move the ball around the pitch and generate chances.

The problem is not that Mourinho’s style is wrong or bad. In fact, he’s a living proof that it works. What I just don’t understand is why he underutilizes his squad the way he does.  He has the players that know how to take care of the ball. Against Bayern I wasn’t expecting a 60-40% possession but I was expecting more control especially after the 2 goals in the first 15 minutes. They gave away the midfield and payed for it.

Mourinho won a well deserve title, but he already proved last season that he can beat 99% of La Liga’s teams. Real Madrid supporters want to see the beginning of an era not just a title per year. The Santiago Bernabeu stadium is not Stanford Bridge or San Siro where you just win. This stadium demands domination, control, and good games. If this wasn’t the case, then why whenever the ultras chant his name there are sectors of the stadium that still boo him? Mourinho demands crowd support but it is hard to be into the game cheering when your team refuses to play! This isn’t a second division team, this is Real Madrid.  

The Santiago Bernabeu stadium knows Mourinho has the tools to have an iconic team like they had not so long ago with Del Bosque. That old man who won 2 champions league and 2 league titles and was fired…

Messi and the best of all times debate

Another incredible performance by the Argentinian genius and we still counting. Messi’s display against Bayern Leverkusen was yet another one for his collection of memorable matches. Perhaps what makes this one stand out are the five goals he scored, which is something no player had done in the Champions League under the current format.

It is so often that we see these displays of talent by the Argentinian that sometimes we forget that he’s not the rule but the exception. Stop for a second and think this: Messi is less than 10 goals away from becoming Barcelona’s top scorer ever. Before you digest that think about this as well: he’s only 24 years old.

There have been great players over the years. Players that make you fall in love with football and with their game regardless of the team they belong. For example, Pele, Maradona, Di Stefano, Cruyff, Kubala, Zidane or Ronaldo Nazario to mention a few. So the question comes up: is Who is the best of all time?

This is a tough question that I think it’s unfair and impossible to answer. Instead of a ranking, I rather think of a football Olympus where only memorable players can enter. Why can’t we rank them? Because every contender for “best of all time” has some handicap that makes it almost impossible to do so.

Pele had the world cups but he never proved himself in European competitions. On the other hand, Cruyff, Kubala, and Di Stefano had the European performances and cups but they couldn’t win a single world cup. Perhaps for this reason Maradona may have a slight lead as he proved both at the European level and the World Cup as well. However, he didn’t win the Champions League.

So it all comes to a point where you have to decide how to compensate, is a world cup more impressive than 5 champions league titles? Is winning every club tournament not as good as winning a world cup? Is a Europa cup with a small team more valuable than a champions league trophy? And what about goal count and individual awards. It’s just too much to makes these comparisons and it change from player to player.

Going back to that ‘Football Olympus’, Messi is already a member of that elite group without a doubt. He’s a player that has a whole generation talking about his game. I do believe that a world cup victory will consolidate him even further as the face of football for generations to come; but what he has achieved at his young age is almost unheard.

With 24 years and 3 champions league, 5 league titles, 1 King’s Cup, 5 Spanish super cup, 2 European Super Cups, 2 Clubs World Cups, an Olympic Golden Medal with Argentine, 3 Ballon d’Or, and many other individual titles, the sky is the limit for this player. He hasn’t let success get to his head and he keeps playing with the same hunger of a kid that wants to prove himself.

So, is Messi the best in history? We may never answer that but he’s definitely, without a doubt, the best at this time in history.

Florentino Strikes Back

Florentino Skyrockets the Market: when Florentino Perez entered the race to become president of Real Madrid we all saw what was soon to come. Millions and Millions of dollars spent in world class players with the excuse of getting the money back solely on marketing. The man has done it again; 67 million euros in Kaka and 94 in Ronaldo. The truth is that Real Madrid obtained a 300 million euros loan from Banca Madrid of which now they only have 89 since they spent another 36 in Benzema and 15 in Albeol (the only Spanish player). Last year, Barça was able to arm a champion team with 94 million euros; although, the nucleus of the team was already in Barça and it was all made at home through their junior development system. This year however, 89 millions euros are so little that it will give Madrid the chance to buy maybe 2 more players. The effect Florentino is already present; last year, for example, to buy Villa any team would have to pay 30 million; now that quantity seems like a joke. Now for Madrid had to pay 36 millions plus incentives for the Benzema who had a mediocre season overall. Liverpool is asking for “just” 35 millions for midfielder Mascherano and the funny thing is that due to the effect of Florentino’s crazy acquisition it look as if 35 millions were just OK even though a player like that may be worth 25 Millions at maximum in a regular transfer season.

The Almost Perfect Picture: The story seems to have all the ingredients for another epic journey by Real Madrid in the Champions League and La Liga; but there is already a “mole” to the otherwise seemingly perfect body that is this team. One of the mistakes that Florentino had in his first era as president of Madrid was the absence of Spanish players. Saved for Raul, Casillas, Guti and Hierro the rest of the team was made of foreign players such as Zidane, FIgo, Ronaldo, Beckham, Makelele, Panucci, and others. There were Spanish players and they bought Ramos; but Perez always seemed to think that Spanish players were overpriced and foreign players not. His first promise this time was to make a more Spanish team and the man to cause that effect was no other than David Villa. The payment 94 Millions for Ronaldo and 67 for Kaka to make a huge impact; but these moves also backfired when they asked for Villa the response by Valencia was 45 millions which Perez considered to be “too much”. Once again Florentino makes the mistake of underestimating Spanish players once again. They ended up paying 36 millions for incentive for Benzema rather than 42 for Villa who is already adapted to La Liga and scores at least 22 goals per season. Villa is now on the verge of signing with Barça and that will be the first defeat of the “new” Real Madrid. It is subject of envy when you see Barça winning the first ever Spanish treble with not only Spanish players but players made in their youth development system. Real on the other hand is a team made in the banks and despite Florentino’s speech of having learned his lesson it all seems more of the same.

Villa Is “Just A Matter of Time”: that was the heading of Madrid’s newspapers during the confederation cup when their “secret sources” could confirm that Madrid was going to buy Villa. Even Florentino said it that they just needed time to negotiate the overpricing of the player which they were hoping to buy for 28 million euros. Now the situation happens to be true but with Barça’s name instead of Madrid. The player has negotiated his contract with Barça and has already talked with Guardiola of what his role will be in the team. The only problem right now is convincing the president of Valencia who was asking for 42 to Madrid and now he’s asking for 50 to Barça. The player has spoken with the president of Valencia and knows that the player wants to leave; he was put on the market before and now he demands to be transferred. Villa has been very passive but soon won’t be if he’s made to stay in Valencia. The worst part of the story is that this player should already be in Barça who is starting the pre-season in less than 10 days from now. It’s just a matter of time, but Guardiola doesn’t have that much of a time and plan B is there; 30 years old, two times golden boot and Atletico De Madrid’s own Forlan. This summer’s transfer is a long way from over but many feel that more movement should have happened already; Florentino has done it again.