I know we are being flooded by Cristiano Ronaldo articles just about now, but this is actually meant to be a response to a brilliant article posted earlier in the week.

I am a Manchester United fan. I am devastated. No. Scratch that. I knew this was going to happen – we all did. All the same, there is a distinct feeling of disappointment that all those loyal to Ferguson’s troops feel. The lack of divine intervention is the cause of it.

We would have all liked Ronaldo to stay. This includes Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Leeds United and maybe Cardiff fans – because there is one less world class player in England. But it is more than that for United fans. The emotion that I tried to explain about 80 words ago is actually betrayal. I feel betrayed – as if somebody cheated me – as if something disastrous happened and all I can do is just watch and shake my head from time to time. Gatsby died… again.

But why should I have this feeling? Ronaldo has given United all that he would ever have and this was as high a price as we were ever going to get for him. Assuming a decline that usually befalls great Latin players at about 26 or 27 you might even say that this is a good deal. That Ronaldo gave us the eighty million and the chance to move on.

The trouble is that Ronaldo does not owe us eighty million; he does not owe us one hundred million; he does not owe us Pele, Zidane and Cruijff at their best. What he owes Manchester United is himself.

This might sound pretentious. After all, players switch clubs, looking for better deals, on a daily basis. So why should Ronaldo receive extra criticism for something that everybody does? Two reasons: one, he is an amazing player and thus prone to preferential treatment; two, because of all that the club has done for him.

We watched patiently how he would dribble around his tail without ever passing the ball. We stood by him when he reached puberty (hissy fits after hissy fits in his early seasons), when every other person in England jeered at him, when he got sent off because he heard a mystical whistle, when he would dive at every opportunity, when he wore ridiculously short shorts and a flower. We tolerated his inability – or better said unwillingness, because he is a very fit player – to track back. We even pampered him so that he would never feel rejected or unwanted or treated like other players.

Ronaldo has had more protection from the United fans and management than any other I can remember at Old Trafford. In return for all this we got one hundred goals, or so, ‘it’s an honour to play for Real Madrid’ and eighty million pounds cash down.

Maybe football fans exaggerate. Maybe the fact that Ronaldo gave us about one hundred goals should make us happy. But it is rather difficult to just let him go after all the emotional investment that Manchester United fans have dedicated to his highness. We have learned to sanctify him and his unlimited ego. Now we are being told to ‘f off’ because he’s got the opportunity to move to a country where there is more sun and where the ladies have bigger asses.

I guess I now know how Bayern felt when Hargreaves gave them the finger; how Lyon feels every summer since 2000; how the Ajax fans have felt from Neeskens to Sneijder. It is sometimes advisable to be on the wrong end of the spectrum to understand the pain discomfort that others go through. But what can we do about it? This is reality in the fascist society that football revolves around.

Loyalty is over-rated you say? Football would be much more entertaining if players understood its value. Or, if not entertaining then fair. Yes, it would be a much more fair sport if footballers understood its meaning.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Manchester United’s nil-nil draws are starting to become a bit of a trademark of the team. The more experienced fan can now look at the first five minutes of any Manchester United game and be able to foresee if the team will struggle. The characteristics of these games are unmistakable; the players cannot string two passes together, Rio and Vidic see more of the ball than Ronaldo and there is a huge void in the supposed palace of the midfielders. 

However, Manchester United is not held in every game in which the team struggles. Actually, most of the time, there is a spark somewhere in the team, as if there is one player who managed to keep himself off the missus the night before the match. There is usually a player who can provide the moment of brilliance needed to win a game. If that fails, then some constant pressure will undo most teams as it undid Sunderland last week. But sometimes there is no constant pressure, no stroke of luck and no moment of brilliance.

It was that way when United drew at Tottenham on Saturday. Ronaldo and co had most of the possession, played large parts of the game in the opposition half and managed to ask Goalkeeper Calamity II, Heurelho Gomes, to put in one reasonable save — from a free kick in injury time.

As I was watching the game, the one thing that was painfully clear was that there was absolutely no cohesion in Manchester United’s attacks. There was no go-to man, there was nobody to take the ball from an ineffective Michael Carrick and distribute it wisely, there was very little pressure on the Tottenham defenders and there was no ingeniousness in attack. Every single move broke down in the same way — incomplete passes trying to feed the runs of midfielders or a disturbingly ineffective Carlos Tevez.

Looking at the above, it is plain to see what was missing from Manchester United’s team on the day: quality. No. Beside that. They needed Wayne Rooney — absent through his own folly — to string the attacks together, to create more opportunities and to put pressure on the Tottenham back-four.

History does tell us that Rooney is usually the solution to these games. The perfect example of this is the game against Aston Villa in the FA Cup at the beginning of this calendar year. On that occasion, Rooney came off the bench — with the score tied at zero and United looking much as they looked on Saturday — and the team started to click instantly.

Other occasions when his presence made a significant difference can include the game against Bolton this season and the one against Portsmouth in the FA Cup two seasons ago (the one where he did his Cantona impression). Of course, occasions when Rooney comes off the bench are not common given that he almost always starts (if available), but goal-less draws tend to avoid him, on the domestic scene, at least.

The point I am trying to make is that Rooney adds to the team what it was looking for in the frustration that was the encounter against Tottenham. In games in which United do lose or are held to a nil-nil draw, if Rooney takes part, it is usually due to great misfortune that United did not score (Aston Villa a few weeks ago, Portsmouth in the FA Cup last season). If he does not play, the team generally looks impotent (Manchester City in February, Tottenham on Saturday).

In other words he is the link in the team; the person that makes it click and the one to whom United fans and players owe much of their team’s recent success to. He might not be seen by the average fan as a player in the class of Cristiano Ronaldo, but we must consider that Ronaldo (as well as most of the rest of the attacking force on that team) would not be half the player that he is without Rooney to support him.

So, for all the missed passes, the bad tackles, the hot-headedness, the lack of control, the Liverpoolian accent, inability to finish and all of his innumerable vices, we must consider that Wayne Rooney, though not the most glorified player on that team, is the most important one as far as Manchester United’s offensive department is concerned. He might not win FIFA Player of the Year or Ballon D’Or, but if you have been following United closely, you know: he’d deserve them.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

After his side’s defeat to Chelsea in May, Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan complained about the state of affairs in the Premier League:

“This league is in danger of becoming one of the most boring but great leagues in the world. The top four next year will be the same top four as this year.”

Recent history tells us that the Newcastle manager is talking sense. Everton’s fourth place finish in 2005 was a major upset; it was also the only occasion in the past five years that a team other than the usual big four clinched a Champions League spot.

Unsurprisingly, the big four refuse to sympathize with the mid-table clubs, or at least that is what Peter Kenyon leads us to believe.

Speaking against Sepp Blatter’s ‘six-plus-five’ rule — which is designed to limit teams to fielding at most five foreigners — the Chelsea executive refused to take the blame for other teams’ failure to challenge for Champions League spots. Instead, Kenyon said that it is up to the other teams to raise their game if they want to displace the big four:

“Other teams in England should be knocking on our door: teams like Tottenham, Newcastle, Villa, Everton. It’s more about them getting their houses in order rather than us coming down to their level.”

Based on recent evidence, Kenyon is also right. Football is now a business; everything is fueled by a somewhat justifiable greed. To expect a top club to give up millions of pounds in favour of a more entertaining league is nearly laughable. Equally laughable seems the prospect of a mid-table team challenging for the Premier League title in the near future.

If the likes of Everton and Newcastle have not established themselves as football powerhouses, it is not because they did not want to; it is also not because of lack of funds.

Most football fans will point to the financial muscle of the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea when asked why Tottenham cannot to secure a third place finish. The truth is that these three teams have spent outrageous amounts of money over the past few years. Arsenal, on the other hand, have always had quite a modest transfer budget and they have won more Premier League titles than Chelsea and Liverpool combined.

The problem does not seem to be money, as Manchester City’s Thaksin Shinawatra has found out this past season. Instead, the main stumbling block in the way of progress for these average Premier League teams is their inability to build a steady squad brimming with quality.

The likes of Aston Villa are constantly being bullied by their players and richer clubs — as demonstrated by the almost embarrassing Gareth Barry transfer saga. At this rate, every time a quality player will pull on a claret shirt, he will attract the interest of a bigger club. From that moment on, Martin O’Neill becomes powerless.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United are bigger attractions — for fans and players alike — than any of the other football clubs in England. It is not necessarily the salaries that they are willing to offer; it is the possibility of Champions League football that gives these four clubs a bigger pull in the transfer market.

Thaksin Shinawatra can throw around as much money as he wants in his attempt to take Manchester City to the summit of the Premier League, but he will never have the players to pose a real threat to Chelsea or Manchester United.

These days, players only think about themselves. The club, for them, is a tool, a stage where they can audition for the bigger part and get paid while they are at it. Their ambition is all that matters and the club targets are just something they go along with to keep public opinion favourable.

The players have now become too blind to realize that if they are at well funded and reasonably ambitious club, like Aston Villa or Tottenham, they could achieve great things. Until they learn to have a little patience, Keegan’s words will ring true – the Premier League will be one of the most boring but great leagues in the world.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

A question on the SoccerLens Forum recently asked whether it would be harder for teams to win the European Football Championships or the World Cup. A friendly argument ensued:

The discussion ignored the number of games that the winner needs to play at each tournaments – 7 at World Cup as opposed to 6 at the Euros – or the rest period between games – 3 days for the Euros as opposed to 4 or 5 at the World Cup. It focused primarily on the type of opposition that is met in each of the two tournaments.

The main question was whether the diversity of nations: Cameroon, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Australia provide a challenge as opposed to being an obstacle.

In 2002, Germany’s first game was against Saudi Arabia. It was a game which they won be a scoreline of eight goals to nil. In effect, it was a victory in hand for the Germans from minute 1 and they only needed another 3 points to progress from their group. As shown in recent European Championships, there are no such guaranteed victories for any of the nations. At Euro 2004, Latvia held Germany to a 0-0 draw – a result which cost the Germans qualification from the group stage.

But then there is the possibility of a nation outside Europe, for it is about these nations that we discussed, to pose serious problems to the heavyweights of football. Going back to 2002, Senegal shocked the world when they beat a Zidane-less France in the opening match. The African nation went on to prove that their victory over the reigning World Champions was no fluke as they made their way to the quarter-finals where they lost to Turkey after extra time.

Then, of course there is the ominous presence of Brazil and Argentina. The South American nations have been football powerhouses for nearly as long as football has existed. Between them, they have won 3 of the past 6 World Cups. But then Germany and Italy have represented Europe nearly as well. Between 1962 and 1994, there was not a single World Cup which did not feature either one of the two in the semi-finals. And, on top of that three different European nations have won three of the past four World Cups.

Judging from this you might come to the conclusion that European teams are generally the better than the rest, or at least that more European nations have good national teams.

But then, how do you explain the phenomenons of Greece four years ago and of Denmark in 1992? How did they manage to become the best in Europe? Was their success indicative of a lack of quality in European football? Not necessarily.

Such successes can seen every couple of years. Nearly every tournament, a team manages to make a surprise run to the quarter-finals or semi-finals. In 1998 it was Croatia, in 2000 Romania progressed from the group stage ahead of England and Germany, in 2002 Turkey and South Korea made it to the semi-finals. It just so happened that Greece and Denmark pushed their luck over the limit.

The fact that the European Championships have had more winners than the World Cup might again tilt the argument in favour of the latter tournament. But it could also work in favour of the former. For example, only European teams manage to stop the likes of Germany and Italy from steam-rolling through the summer.

So what do you think? Is it easier to win the European Championships or the World Cup?

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Compared to other international tournaments, the standard of arbitration at Euro 2008 has been near impeccable so far. Apart from marginal offside decisions, there were very few other controversial decisions. But, as it is human nature to pick on every little mistake, here are five of the most ambiguous calls, in ascending order:

5) Greece v Sweden (Massimo Busacca; Matthia Arnet, Stephane Cuhat)

Near the end of the first half, Zlatan Ibrahimovic fell like a sack of potatoes after a challenge by Giorgos Karagounis. Replays showed the Greek midfielder’s challenge worthy of a red card as he deliberately kicked Ibrahimovic in the groin. The referee missed this foul and merely stopped play as the Swedish striker lay injured.

This decision did not seem to alter the outcome of the game in any way, as Sweden went on to clinch victory, but it could have set a precedent regarding dirty tactics. Had the referee not seen the incident, UEFA should have taken retrospective action by suspending Karagounis.

4) Italy v Romania (Tom Henning Øvrebø; Geir Ã…ge Holen, Jan Petter Randen)

Luca Toni was sure he had given Italy the lead on the brink of half time, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Replays showed that a Romanian defender was a bit slow in moving up and actually played the Italian striker onside.

This wrong decision could have so nearly ended in a premature exit from Euro 2008 for the World Champions. A victory in that game would have put them in pole position to qualify from the group; instead they finished that match in a draw and depended on Holland’s performance against Romania to go through.

3) Austria v Poland (Howard Webb; Barren Cann, Mike Mullarkey)

Poland scored the opening goal in that game from an offside position, but that is not why Howard Webb had to withstand heavy criticism. Deep into stoppage time, the Austrians were awarded a penalty as Kienast’s shirt was given the slightest of tugs by a Polish defender.

Controversial as it was, the decision was actually a great one. There can be no shirt pulling, holding or shoving as players await a free kick to be taken and referees should start to take action against such fouls.

2) Netherlands v France (Herbert Fandel; Carsten Kadach, Volker Wezel)

Ooijer himself admitted that the ball struck his hand in the penalty area as he tried to prevent the French from equalizing, but the decision remains controversial. There seemed to be very little intent from the Dutch defender to handle the ball. It seemed that he just threw himself between the ball and the goal and hoped for the best.

The French might not be so understanding though, as the decision proved decisive in their Euro 2008 fate. The score was 1-0 to the Dutch when the penalty appeals were turned down and an equalizer might have changed the outcome of the game which ended in a convincing 4-1 victory for Holland. France was eventually knocked out after losing to Italy in the final game of the group.

1) Netherlands v Italy (Peter Fröjdfeldt; Stefan Wittberg, Henrik Andrén)

Whether it was the best decision of the tournament or just a fortunate mistake from the assistant referee remains to be debated. What is certain is that according to the book, the decision to let Ruud van Nisterlooy’s opening goal against Italy stand was a correct one.

The Italian fans will quickly point out that Panucci, who was the last defender, lay injured off the field and had no role to play in the goal. However, the defender might have also stayed down for a couple of other reasons: a) to get the referee to stop play as he was injured or b) because he realized he had no chance of getting up in time to play van Nisterlooy offside and thought he would not be taken into consideration by the assistant referee.

The rule covers these two angles brilliantly, but what it does not cover is the possibility that Panucci was actually injured. As it turns out the AS Roma defender was all right, so there can be no complaints about the goal.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Arsenal is having a tough time holding on to their players, Flamini left on a free transfer and Alexander Hleb is looking to seal a move to either Spain or Germany and now, Adebayor’s agent has hinted that his client cannot not say no to an offer from AC Milan.

“The player is fine at Arsenal, but when Milan come in for you it’s difficult to tell them no,” Said Adebayor’s agent, according to Sky Sports.

“I know that Milan have contacted Arsenal and now everything depends on what Arsenal want to do.

This bit of news will not please Arsenal fans at all, much less the Arsenal board. However the warning delivered by Robin van Persie earlier this summer, that Arsenal needs to spend more money to keep its stars and build a team capable of challenging for honours or lose its best players, seems to have been founded on some truth.

If Arsenal will let Adebayor and Hleb go without bringing in adequate replacements, they will suffer next season and because of it, probably for a very long time to come.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Today’s reports suggested that Deco had met with officials from Chelsea sometime on Thursday, but Sky Sports says that the Portugal playmaker held no such meetings. Instead, BBC understands that a deal has been put in place for Deco to join Scolari at Chelsea next season.

Strong interest has been shown in the naturalized Portuguese player from Inter as well as Chelsea, but the appointment of Scolari has seemingly clinched the deal.

“They believe Deco will go with Scolari rather than join up with old boss Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan.” Said Mike Sewell who is in Switzerland with the Portuguese squad.

Barcelona have granted Deco permission to talk with any club he wishes to join, and it has become clear that they do not want the midfielder at Nou Camp next season. Jose Mourinho, recently appointed at Inter, was believed to be willing to offer his former player a luxurious way out of Barcelona, but it seems that Deco enjoys playing under Scolari as he has put in two good performances for Portugal so far this tournament.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

According to BBC, Liverpool have already had two bids for Aston Villa captain, Gareth Barry, turned down. However that will not stop them from making a third bid. Rafa Benitez is determined to get his man after it emerged today that Juventus are getting closer and closer to completing a deal for Xabi Alonso.

However with reports suggesting that Aston Villa is holding out for an £18 million offer for their star player – or one of their star players. The BBC reckons that the price tag stapled on Barry’s head might be stretched too much on the long side for Liverpool’s liking and that could prevent him from completing a dream move.

Although it is unclear what would be more delightful for a player than to play for his childhood club, it seems that Gareth Barry wants out of Aston Villa, and Martin O’Neill has confirmed those rumours.

“It might be difficult. He said he would fancy going to Liverpool and that’s a big setback.” said O’Neill to the BBC.

At this rate it is hard to see how any of the mid-table clubs will ever be able to challenge for the top spots in the English Premier League. It seems that every time a bright player makes his mark at mid-table club like Everton or Aston Villa, one of the ‘big four’ is out to get him. Surely the FA, or the Premier League can do something about this.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

A few weeks ago, the transfer of Samir Nasri to Arsenal seemed on the brink of completion. But so far Arsenal have failed to conclude deal for the French youngster, with some sources citing money as a main stumbling block.

Now, Atletico Madrid are hoping to capitalize on Arsenal’s lack of efficiency in the transfer market. According to the Daily Mirror, Atletico are looking to steal in front of Arsenal in the queue to sign the promising winger and could tempt the player to move to Madrid by offering him more playing time.

Despite managing to sign Aaron Ramsey from under the nose of Manchester United, a failure by Arsene Wenger to sign what seems to be his primary transfer target could be indicative of Arsenal’s inability to cope in today’s transfer market.

Apart from this, it will be a blow to the team itself as a replacement for Alexander Hleb has not yet been found. Of course, Hleb has not left the Emirates Stadium yet, but a move seems to be imminent with Barcelona and Bayern Munich battling for the Belorussian winger. Nasri was thought to be the preferred replacement for the outgoing Hleb, but now it seems that Arsenal may need to look elsewhere.

Editor’s Update: Claims that Nasri has signed a pre-contract with Arsenal seem to be based on this report in La Provence. No sources have been offered, it’s as easy a claim to make based on the situation as any other. Until the official news breaks, that is.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

You think you know enough about football? Then would you care to share your knowledge with the, um… world? Below are descriptions of seven different players who will feature at the upcoming European Championships. My goal is to misguide you and I will use any tools available to me except lies.

So, have fun and show us what you know about football:

1. He never played in one of Europe’s ‘big leagues’, but his record in Germany and Belgium is enviable. What is even more enviable is his record with his international team. He has managed to find the net 54 times in 86 appearances and is always a force to be reckoned with when he represents his nation. Also, Euro 2008 will be the very last time we will see this big man playing football as he has announced that he will retire after the competition.

2. He is a box-to-box midfielder, as the English like to call them: a fine play maker in the attacking third, but almost always willing to help out in the defensive end. His disciplinary record somewhat taints an otherwise impressive career during which he has lifted the Champions League with two different clubs.

3. One of the most complete players in world football and maybe one of the best of his generation. This exceptional midfielder has made his way up the football ladder and ended up joining one of the best teams in world football. Although it took him a while to accommodate at his new club, he proved crucial for them in the campaign that just finished.

4. This tournament will be the last time we will see this marvelous goalkeeper in action for his country. His club career has been distinguished and he is by many considered to be one of the better goalkeepers in the world.

5. In a bizarre turn of events, this player’s international retirement has been previously refused by his international manager; a decision which sparked waves of controversy in the world of football.

6. His career is coming to a fairy tale ending as he has played for two of Europe’s best teams over the past two years and is currently playing for his boyhood club. His return to international football – after he announced his retirement on two previous occasions – came as a shock to many but he has announced his intention to carry on even after Euro 2008.

7. He has caught the eye of the world of football in his international debut last month when he scored two magnificent goals. His incredible strength and speed have lead many to believe that he will become a great football player although we do not expect to see much of him at Euro 2008.

I hope this was not too easy for you… I will post the answers on Saturday morning.

Also See: Who’s That Manager – Euro 2008 Edition

From Soccerlens.com - Football News